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Chromatin Dynamics in Cellular Function pp 77–90Cite as

Histone Dynamics During Transcription: Exchange of H2A/H2B Dimers and H3/H4 Tetramers During Pol II Elongation

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Part of the book series: Results and Problems in Cell Differentiation ((RESULTS,volume 41))

Abstract

Chromatin within eukaryotic cell nuclei accommodates many complex activities that require at least partial disassembly and reassembly of nucleosomes. This disassembly/reassembly is thought to be somewhat localized when associated with processes such as site-specific DNA repair but likely occurs over extended regions during processive processes such as DNA replication or transcription. Here we review data addressing the effect of transcription elongation on nucleosome disassembly/reassembly, specifically focusing on the issue of transcription-dependent exchange of H2A/H2B dimers and H3/H4 tetramers. We suggest a model whereby passage of a polymerase through a nucleosome induces displacement of H2A/H2B dimers with a much higher probability than displacement of H3/H4 tetramers such that the extent of tetramer replacement is relatively low and proportional to polymerase density on any particular gene.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by NIH grant GM52426 and NSF grant MCB-0317935. We thank Drs. Anthony Annunziato and Vasily Studitsky for a critical reading of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Box 712, 14625, Rochester, NY, USA

    Christophe Thiriet & Jeffrey J. Hayes

  2. Institut Andre Lwoff, CNRS UPR-1983, 94801, Villejuif cedex, France

    Christophe Thiriet

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  1. Christophe Thiriet
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  2. Jeffrey J. Hayes
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Correspondence to Jeffrey J. Hayes .

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Brehon C. Laurent

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Thiriet, C., Hayes, J.J. Histone Dynamics During Transcription: Exchange of H2A/H2B Dimers and H3/H4 Tetramers During Pol II Elongation. In: Laurent, B.C. (eds) Chromatin Dynamics in Cellular Function. Results and Problems in Cell Differentiation, vol 41. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/400_009

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