scholarly journals Histone code and higher-order chromatin folding: A hypothesis

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirti Prakash ◽  
David Fournier
Keyword(s):  
Histone Modifications ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Histone Code ◽  
High Resolution Imaging ◽  
Combining Evidence ◽  
Chromatin Folding ◽  
Resolution Imaging ◽  
And Function

AbstractHistone modifications alone or in combination are thought to modulate chromatin structure and function; a concept termed histone code. By combining evidence from several studies, we investigated if the histone code can play a role in higher-order folding of chromatin. Firstly using genomic data, we analyzed associations between histone modifications at the nucleosome level. We could dissect the composition of individual nucleosomes into five predicted clusters of histone modifications. Secondly, by assembling the raw reads of histone modifications at various length scales, we noticed that the histone mark relationships that exist at nucleosome level tend to be maintained at the higher orders of chromatin folding. Recently, a high-resolution imaging study showed that histone marks belonging to three of the five predicted clusters show structurally distinct and anti-correlated chromatin domains at the level of chromosomes. This made us think that the histone code can have a significant impact in the overall compaction of DNA: at the level of nucleosomes, at the level of genes, and finally at the level of chromosomes. As a result, in this article, we put forward a theory where the histone code drives not only the functionality but also the higher-order folding and compaction of chromatin.

scholarly journals Histone Code and Higher-Order Chromatin Folding: A Hypothesis

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirti Prakash ◽  
David Fournier
Keyword(s):  
Histone Modifications ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Histone Code ◽  
High Resolution Imaging ◽  
Combining Evidence ◽  
Chromatin Folding ◽  
Resolution Imaging ◽  
And Function

Histone modifications alone or in combination are thought to modulate chromatin structure and function; a concept termed histone code. By combining evidence from several studies, we investigated if the histone code can play a role in higher-order folding of chromatin. Firstly using genomic data, we analyzed associations between histone modifications at the nucleosome level. We could dissect the composition of individual nucleosomes into five predicted clusters of histone modifications. Secondly, by assembling the raw reads of histone modifications at various length scales, we noticed that the histone mark relationships that exist at nucleosome level tend to be maintained at the higher orders of chromatin folding. Recently, a high-resolution imaging study showed that histone marks belonging to three of the five predicted clusters show structurally distinct and anti-correlated chromatin domains at the level of chromosomes. This made us think that the histone code can have a significant impact in the overall compaction of DNA: at the level of nucleosomes, at the level of genes, and finally at the level of chromosomes. As a result, in this article, we put forward a theory where the histone code drives not only the functionality but also the higher-order folding and compaction of chromatin.

scholarly journals Vascular channels in metacarpophalangeal joints: a comparative histologic and high-resolution imaging study

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Scharmga ◽  
K. K. Keller ◽  
M. Peters ◽  
A. van Tubergen ◽  
J. P. van den Bergh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
High Resolution Imaging ◽  
Metacarpophalangeal Joints ◽  
Resolution Imaging ◽  
Vascular Channels

scholarly journals Deciphering the histone code to build the genome structure

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirti Prakash ◽  
David Fournier
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Histone Modifications ◽  
Genome Structure ◽  
Histone Code ◽  
Chemical Modifications ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
Molecular Specificity ◽  
Chromatin Folding ◽  
Chromatin Organisation ◽  
Small Chemical

Histones are punctuated with small chemical modifications that alter their interaction with DNA. One attractive hypothesis stipulates that certain combinations of these histone modifications may function, alone or together, as a part of a predictive histone code to provide ground rules for chromatin folding. We consider four features that relate histone modifications to chromatin folding: charge neutralisation, molecular specificity, robustness and evolvability. Next, we present evidence for the association among different histone modifications at various levels of chromatin organisation and show how these relationships relate to function such as transcription, replication and cell division. Finally, we propose a model where the histone code can set critical checkpoints for chromatin to fold reversibly between different orders of the organisation in response to a biological stimulus.

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