Gilbert Nick, Bickmore Wendy A
MRC Human Genetics Unit, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK.
Biochem Soc Symp. 2006(73):59-66. doi: 10.1042/bss0730059.
It has generally been assumed that transcriptionally active genes are in an 'open' chromatin structure and that silent genes have a 'closed' chromatin structure. Here we re-assess this axiom in the light of genome-wide studies of chromatin fibre structure. Using a combination of sucrose gradient sedimentation and genomic microarrays of the human genome, we argue that open chromatin fibres originate from regions of high gene density, whether or not those genes are transcriptionally active.
人们普遍认为，转录活跃的基因处于“开放”的染色质结构中，而沉默基因具有“封闭”的染色质结构。在此，我们根据全基因组范围内对染色质纤维结构的研究，重新评估这一公理。通过结合蔗糖梯度沉降法和人类基因组的基因芯片分析，我们认为开放的染色质纤维起源于基因密度高的区域，无论这些基因是否具有转录活性。
