%0 Journal Article %1 muehlbacher06b %A Mühlbacher, F. %A Schiessel, H. %A Holm, C. %D 2006 %J Phys. Rev. E %K imported %P 031919 %T Tail-induced attraction between nucleosome core particles %V 74 %X We study a possible electrostatic mechanism underlying the compaction of DNA inside the nuclei of eu- caryotes: the tail-bridging effect between nucleosomes, the fundamental DNA packaging units of the chromatin complex. As a simple model of the nucleosome we introduce the eight-tail colloid, a charged sphere with eight oppositely charged, flexible, grafted chains that represent the terminal histone tails. We show that our com- plexes attract each other via the formation of chain bridges and contrast this to the effect of attraction via charge patches. We demonstrate that the attraction between eight-tail colloids can be tuned by changing the fraction of charged monomers on the tails. This suggests a physical mechanism of chromatin compaction where the degree of DNA condensation is controlled via biochemical means, namely the acetylation and deacetylation of lysines in the histone tails.

@article{muehlbacher06b, abstract = {We study a possible electrostatic mechanism underlying the compaction of DNA inside the nuclei of eu- caryotes: the tail-bridging effect between nucleosomes, the fundamental DNA packaging units of the chromatin complex. As a simple model of the nucleosome we introduce the eight-tail colloid, a charged sphere with eight oppositely charged, flexible, grafted chains that represent the terminal histone tails. We show that our com- plexes attract each other via the formation of chain bridges and contrast this to the effect of attraction via charge patches. We demonstrate that the attraction between eight-tail colloids can be tuned by changing the fraction of charged monomers on the tails. This suggests a physical mechanism of chromatin compaction where the degree of DNA condensation is controlled via biochemical means, namely the acetylation and deacetylation of lysines in the histone tails.}, added-at = {2007-06-15T17:33:15.000+0200}, author = {M{\"u}hlbacher, F. and Schiessel, H. and Holm, C.}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/22ad7869e5c57602072f09f37d708531e/kaigrass}, interhash = {9b1348d0ff8d45bc447c6b6deb6a6894}, intrahash = {2ad7869e5c57602072f09f37d708531e}, journal = {Phys. Rev. E}, keywords = {imported}, owner = {holm}, pages = 031919, pdf = {muehlbacher06b.pdf}, timestamp = {2007-06-15T17:33:22.000+0200}, title = {Tail-induced attraction between nucleosome core particles}, volume = 74, year = 2006 }