Asymmetrical nucleosomal DNA signatures regulate transcriptional directionality

Despite the symmetrical structure of nucleosomes, in vitro studies have shown that transcription proceeds with different efficiency depending on the orientation of the DNA sequence around them. However, it is unclear whether this functional asymmetry is present in vivo and whether it could regulate...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: García Martínez, Alicia, Duran Prieto, Laura, Sánchez, Mar, González Moreno, Sara, Santamaría, Rodrigo, Antequera, Francisco
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Recursos:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/361663
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/361663
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85180357541
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:+1 nucleosome
Molecular biology
Antisense transcription
Chromatin
Nucleosomal signatures
Nucleosomes
Promoter
Transcription
Descrição
Resumo:Despite the symmetrical structure of nucleosomes, in vitro studies have shown that transcription proceeds with different efficiency depending on the orientation of the DNA sequence around them. However, it is unclear whether this functional asymmetry is present in vivo and whether it could regulate transcriptional directionality. Here, we report that the proximal and distal halves of nucleosomal DNA contribute differentially to nucleosome stability in the genome. In +1 nucleosomes, this asymmetry facilitates or hinders transcription depending on the orientation of its underlying DNA, and this difference is associated with an asymmetrical interaction between DNA and histones. These properties are encoded in the DNA signature of +1 nucleosomes, since its incorporation in the two orientations into downstream nucleosomes renders them asymmetrically accessible to MNase and inverts the balance between sense and antisense transcription. Altogether, our results show that nucleosomal DNA endows nucleosomes with asymmetrical properties that modulate the directionality of transcription.