CRYSTALLOGRAPHY OF CHROMATIN FACTOR/NUCLEOSOME COMPLEXES

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中利用 资源由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目和 调查员(PI)可能从NIH的另一个来源获得了主要资金， 并因此可以在其他清晰的条目中表示。列出的机构是 该中心不一定是调查人员的机构。 我们细胞中的DNA遗传信息被包装成染色质。核小体核心颗粒是染色质的基本重复单位，由大约150个碱基对的DNA缠绕在组蛋白核心周围。最近的研究表明，染色质不是简单的封闭DNA的抑制性结构，而是与多种染色质因子和酶相关的基因调控的积极参与者。尽管这种相互作用很重要，但我们目前缺乏对染色质因子或酶如何识别核小体的结构性了解。为了解决这个问题，我们重组了含有核小体核心颗粒和几种染色质因子或酶的复合体，并生长了染色质因子/核小体核心颗粒复合体的单晶。我们要求APS的光束时间用于这个具有挑战性的项目，该项目具有大的大分子络合物、弱衍射晶体和大的单位晶胞尺寸。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The DNA genetic information in our cells is packaged as chromatin. The nucleosome core particle is a fundamental repeating unit of chromatin and comprises about 150 base pairs of DNA spooled around a histone protein core. Recent studies show that chromatin is not simply a repressive structure that occludes DNA, but is instead an active participant in gene regulation that associates with multiple chromatin factors and enzymes. Despite the importance of such interactions, we currently lack a structural understanding of how chromatin factors or enzymes recognize the nucleosome. To address this problem, we have reconstituted complexes containing the nucleosome core particle and several chromatin factors or enzymes, and we have grown single crystals of a chromatin factor/nucleosome core particle complex. We request beam time at APS for this challenging project which features large macromolecular complexes, weakly diffracting crystals and large unit cell dimensions.