Instead, it forms a pliable, inconsistent chain characterized by a wide variety of folding patterns. “We show that chromatin does not need to form discrete higher-order structures to fit in the ...

However, the presence of nucleosomes and the folding of chromatin into 30-nanometer fibers pose barriers to the enzymes that unwind and copy DNA. It is therefore important for cells to have means ...

Some DNA viruses are known to alter chromatin folding, suppressing immune genes such that they can infect cells more readily. But it was long unclear whether RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, perform ...

Kanazawa University and colleagues have achieved a breakthrough in understanding sperm DNA packaging. Using high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM), they captured the real-time process of ...

In eukaryotes, genomic DNA is stored in the nucleus as nucleosomes, interacting with a set of proteins, forming a molecular complex called chromatin. The proper folding of the chromatin structure ...

Chemical tags known as epigenetic modifications can be attached to DNA at specific locations, and these tags, which vary by cell type, affect the folding of the chromatin and the accessibility of ...