Lodén Martin, van Steensel Bas
Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, 1066CX, The Netherlands.
Chromosome Res. 2005;13(3):289-98. doi: 10.1007/s10577-005-2166-z.
DNA in eukaryotes is packed into chromatin. The basic component of chromatin is the nucleosome consisting of DNA wrapped around a histone octamer. Inside the cell nucleus, chromatin is folded into higher-order structures through various mechanisms, including repositioning of nucleosomes along the DNA, packing of nucleosomes into more condensed 3-dimensional configurations, looping of chromatin fibres, and tethering of chromosomal regions to nuclear structures. Over the past few years, new microarray-based methods have been developed for the genome-wide mapping of various aspects of chromatin structure. These methods are beginning to provide insights into the different types of chromatin and the architectural principles that govern the 3-dimensional organisation of the genome inside the nucleus.
真核生物中的DNA被包装成染色质。染色质的基本组成部分是核小体，它由缠绕在组蛋白八聚体上的DNA组成。在细胞核内，染色质通过各种机制折叠成更高层次的结构，包括核小体沿DNA的重新定位、核小体包装成更致密的三维构型、染色质纤维的环化以及染色体区域与核结构的连接。在过去几年中，已经开发出基于微阵列的新方法用于全基因组范围内染色质结构各个方面的图谱绘制。这些方法开始为不同类型的染色质以及支配细胞核内基因组三维组织的结构原理提供见解。
