Stable Chromatin Binding Prevents FoxA Acetylation, Preserving FoxA Chromatin Remodeling

Dynamic Chromatin Organization during Foregut Development Mediated by the Organ Selector Gene PHA-4/FoxA

Central regulators of cell fate, or selector genes, establish the identity of cells by direct regulation of large cohorts of genes. In Caenorhabditis elegans, foregut (or pharynx) identity relies on the FoxA transcription factor PHA-4, which activates different sets of target genes at various times and in diverse cellular environments. An outstanding question is how PHA-4 distinguishes between ...

ATP-dependent remodeling and acetylation as regulators of chromatin fluidity.

It has become widely accepted that modification of nucleosome structure is an important regulatory mechanism. The hypothesis that the acetylation of histones is involved in regulation was first formed over thirty years ago by Allfrey and colleagues (Allfrey et al. 1964). Subsequent genetic studies suggested that complexes that utilize ATP hydrolysis to alter chromatin structure might also play ...

Histone acetylation increases chromatin accessibility.

In eukaryotes, the interaction of DNA with proteins and supramolecular complexes involved in gene expression is controlled by the dynamic organization of chromatin inasmuch as it defines the DNA accessibility. Here, the nuclear distribution of microinjected fluorescein-labeled dextrans of 42 kDa to 2.5 MDa molecular mass was used to characterize the chromatin accessibility in dependence on hist...

Mechanism of chromatin remodeling.

Results from biochemical and structural studies of the RSC chromatin-remodeling complex prompt a proposal for the remodeling mechanism: RSC binding to the nucleosome releases the DNA from the histone surface and initiates DNA translocation (through one or a small number of DNA base pairs); ATP binding completes translocation, and ATP hydrolysis resets the system. Binding energy thus plays a cen...

SnapShot: Chromatin Remodeling: ISWI