The physics of chromatin
| dc.creator | Schiessel, Helmut | |
| dc.date | 2003-03-21 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-07T02:50:19Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-07-07T02:50:19Z | |
| dc.description | Recent progress has been made in the understanding of the physical properties of chromatin -- the dense complex of DNA and histone proteins that occupies the nuclei of plant and animal cells. Here I will focus on the two lowest levels of the hierarchy of DNA folding into the chromatin complex: (i) the nucleosome, the chromatin repeating unit consisting of a globular aggregate of eight histone proteins with the DNA wrapped around: its overcharging, the DNA unwrapping transition, the ''sliding'' of the octamer along the DNA. (ii) The 30nm chromatin fiber, the necklace-like structure of nucleosomes connected via linker DNA: its geometry, its mechanical properties under stretching and its response to changing ionic conditions. I will stress that chromatin combines two seemingly contradictory features: (1) high compaction of DNA within the nuclear envelope and at the same time (2) accessibility to genes, promoter regions and gene regulatory sequences. | |
| dc.description | topical review for the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 90 pages including 24 figures | |
| dc.identifier | https://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0303455 | |
| dc.identifier | http://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0303455 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/21069 | |
| dc.subject | Soft Condensed Matter | |
| dc.subject | Biomolecules | |
| dc.title | The physics of chromatin | |
| dc.type | text |