Structural basis of nucleosome retention during transcription elongation.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 35709268.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/science.abo3851 and PMC identifier 9524584.
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Abstract
In eukaryotes, RNA polymerase (Pol) II transcribes chromatin and must move past nucleosomes, often resulting in nucleosome displacement. How Pol II unwraps the DNA from nucleosomes to allow transcription and how DNA rewraps to retain nucleosomes has been unclear. Here, we report the 3.0-angstrom cryo-electron microscopy structure of a mammalian Pol II-DSIF-SPT6-PAF1c-TFIIS-nucleosome complex stalled 54 base pairs within the nucleosome. The structure provides a mechanistic basis for nucleosome retention during transcription elongation where upstream DNA emerging from the Pol II cleft has rewrapped the proximal side of the nucleosome. The structure uncovers a direct role for Pol II and transcription elongation factors in nucleosome retention and explains how nucleosomes are retained to prevent the disruption of chromatin structure across actively transcribed genes.
Medical subject headings
- Nucleosomes
- RNA Polymerase II
- Transcription Elongation, Genetic