Tekel Stefan J, Haynes Karmella A
School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
Nucleic Acids Res. 2017 Jul 27;45(13):7555-7570. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkx531.
Chromatin is a system of proteins, RNA, and DNA that interact with each other to organize and regulate genetic information within eukaryotic nuclei. Chromatin proteins carry out essential functions: packing DNA during cell division, partitioning DNA into sub-regions within the nucleus, and controlling levels of gene expression. There is a growing interest in manipulating chromatin dynamics for applications in medicine and agriculture. Progress in this area requires the identification of design rules for the chromatin system. Here, we focus on the relationship between the physical structure and function of chromatin proteins. We discuss key research that has elucidated the intrinsic properties of chromatin proteins and how this information informs design rules for synthetic systems. Recent work demonstrates that chromatin-derived peptide motifs are portable and in some cases can be customized to alter their function. Finally, we present a workflow for fusion protein design and discuss best practices for engineering chromatin to assist scientists in advancing the field of synthetic epigenetics.
染色质是蛋白质、RNA和DNA相互作用的系统，其作用是在真核细胞核内组织和调节遗传信息。染色质蛋白执行重要功能：在细胞分裂期间包装DNA，将DNA划分到细胞核内的子区域，并控制基因表达水平。人们对操纵染色质动力学在医学和农业中的应用兴趣日益浓厚。该领域的进展需要确定染色质系统的设计规则。在这里，我们关注染色质蛋白的物理结构与功能之间的关系。我们讨论了阐明染色质蛋白内在特性的关键研究，以及这些信息如何为合成系统的设计规则提供依据。最近的研究表明，源自染色质的肽基序具有可移植性，在某些情况下可以进行定制以改变其功能。最后，我们提出了融合蛋白设计的工作流程，并讨论了工程化染色质的最佳实践，以帮助科学家推动合成表观遗传学领域的发展。
