Understanding the Connection between Epigenetic DNA Methylation and Nucleosome Positioning from Computer Simulations
Title | Understanding the Connection between Epigenetic DNA Methylation and Nucleosome Positioning from Computer Simulations |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2013 |
Authors | Portella, Guillem, Battistini Federica, and Orozco Modesto |
Journal | PLoS Comput Biol |
Volume | 9 |
Pagination | e1003354 |
Date Published | 11 |
Abstract | Author Summary In Eukaryotic cells, control of the patterns of DNA cytosine methylation – a mechanism that acts on top of the genetic code – plays a key role in the regulation of gene expression. The large prevalence of DNA methylation in vivo, suggests a connection between the physical properties of methylated and un-methylated DNA with the control of gene expression. In this work we investigate the physical implications of DNA methylation in nucleosomal DNA, in particular its preferred location with respect to the nucleosome core-particle and the consequences of DNA methylation for the accessibility of the genetic material. We find that methylated DNA is less prone to form nucleosomes due to a reduced elasticity, especially when all methyl groups are pointing outwards from the nucleosome core, and that multiple methylation could give rise to changes in nucleosome positioning. |
URL | http://dx.doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pcbi.1003354 |
DOI | 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003354 |