Abstract
The DNA within eukaryotic nuclei is complexed with basic proteins called histones to form a compact structure. Although little is known about the way in which higher orders of compaction are achieved, the two lowest levels of DNA packing in chromatin are relatively well understood. The fundamental chromatin subunit is the nucleosome. The central portion of each nucleosome is the chromatosome, which contains 165 base pairs (bp) of DNA wrapped in two superhelical turns about an octamer of histones. Each chromatosome is connected to its neighbor by a segment of linker DNA, the length of which varies from about 10 to 80 bp. The next level of compaction requires that the lineas polynucleosome filament be folded to form a fiber 30 nm in diameter. Most evidence suggests that this is a solenoidal structure in which the filament is supercoiled to give a fiber with about six nucleosomes per turn (Finch and Klug, 1976; Felsenfeld and McGhee, 1986).
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© 1987 Plenum Press, New York
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Felsenfeld, G. et al. (1987). Chromatin Structure Near an Expressed Gene. In: Poste, G., Crooke, S.T. (eds) New Frontiers in the Study of Gene Functions. New Horizons in Therapeutics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1845-3_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1845-3_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
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