Chromatin modification plays a pivotal role in regulating gene expression, essential for cell differentiation and development. Through processes like histone acetylation and DNA methylation, chromatin structure is altered, influencing gene activation or silencing. These modifications are crucial in health and disease, affecting everything from cellular function to host-pathogen interactions.
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The nucleosome is the primary structural unit of chromatin, consisting of DNA wrapped around histone proteins
Chromatin can be categorized into two types: heterochromatin, which is densely packed and transcriptionally silent, and euchromatin, which is less condensed and transcriptionally active
Modifications to histones or DNA, such as methylation or acetylation, can transition chromatin between heterochromatin and euchromatin states, thus controlling gene expression
HATs are enzymes that add acetyl groups to histone tails, promoting a more open chromatin structure and enhancing gene expression
HDACs remove acetyl groups from histone tails, leading to chromatin condensation and gene repression
Histone acetylation plays a crucial role in gene expression by facilitating the binding of transcription factors and the transcriptional machinery to DNA
DNMTs are enzymes that add methyl groups to DNA, leading to gene silencing by impeding the binding of transcription factors and other proteins necessary for transcription
DNA methylation is a heritable epigenetic modification that plays a significant role in cellular differentiation, development, and adaptation to environmental cues
Dysregulation of DNA methylation can contribute to the development of diseases such as cancer
HMTs are enzymes that add methyl groups to histones, which can have varying effects on gene expression depending on the specific histones and amino acids modified
HDMs remove methyl groups from histones, playing a role in transitioning between open and condensed chromatin states
The complexity of histone methylation reflects the sophisticated control of gene expression in eukaryotic cells
00
Cells can become different types with unique functions because specific genes are ______ or ______ in various cell types, a process influenced by the structure of ______ which consists of DNA and ______ proteins.
turned on
off
chromatin
histone
01
Primary structural unit of chromatin
Nucleosome, consisting of DNA wound around histone proteins.
02
Charge interactions in nucleosome
Negatively charged DNA and positively charged histone tails compact DNA in the nucleus.
