CRYSTALLOGRAPHY OF CHROMATIN FACTOR/NUCLEOSOME COMPLEXES

这个子项目是许多利用资源的研究子项目之一 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目的主要支持 而子项目的主要调查员可能是由其他来源提供的， 包括其它NIH来源。 列出的子项目总成本可能 代表子项目使用的中心基础设施的估计数量， 而不是由NCRR赠款提供给子项目或子项目工作人员的直接资金。 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元，并且包含围绕组蛋白核心缠绕的约150个碱基对的DNA。 最近的研究表明，染色质不仅仅是一个封闭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。 尽管这种相互作用的重要性，我们目前缺乏结构的理解，染色质因子或酶如何识别核小体。 为了解决这个问题，我们已经重建了含有核小体核心颗粒和几种染色质因子或酶的复合物，并且我们已经生长了染色质因子/核小体核心颗粒复合物的单晶。 我们的目标是确定这些染色质因子/核小体复合物的三维结构，以了解细胞如何识别并与其组装为染色质的遗传信息相互作用。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. 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. Our goal is to determine the three-dimensional structure of these chromatin factor/nucleosome complexes to understand how the cell recognizes and interacts with its genetic information assembled as chromatin.