Nucleosome Changes Around Human Promoters
Author Information
Author(s): Pham Chuong D., Sims Hillel I., Archer Trevor K., Schnitzler Gavin R.
Primary Institution: AstraZeneca R&D Boston, Brandeis University, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Tufts Medical Center
Hypothesis
The recruitment of hSWI/SNF to GR binding sites and GR-regulated promoters might result in discrete changes in nucleosome positions that would activate or repress transcription.
Conclusion
The study found that diverse stimuli can lead to significant increases in nucleosome occupancy around human promoters, suggesting a genome-wide alteration in chromatin structure.
Supporting Evidence
- Nucleosome occupancy increased at sites around transcription start sites after hormone treatment.
- Similar increases in nucleosome occupancy were observed during differentiation of human myeloid leukemia cells.
- The study suggests that chromatin structure changes may occur genome-wide in response to various stimuli.
Takeaway
When certain hormones or signals are added to cells, the way DNA is wrapped around proteins changes, which can affect how genes are turned on or off.
Methodology
The study used custom tiling microarrays to examine changes in nucleosome positions and abundance in response to hormone treatment in human osteosarcoma cells.
Potential Biases
Potential biases in hybridization signal or data processing could affect the results.
Limitations
The study focused on a limited number of genes and may not capture all chromatin changes across the genome.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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