Nucleosome positioning and DNA physical properties

Gene expression is fundamental for every biological process. In eukaryotic cells, DNA is packaged into nucleosomes to form the chromatin, whose level of compaction plays a determinant role in transcription regulation by controlling DNA accessibility.

We focus on genome-wide regulatory mechanisms signaled by the underlying DNA structure, identifying distinctive physical properties that might affect nucleosome positioning in key regulatory regions like transcription start and termination sites, and understanding how these factors modulate gene expression through the cell cycle [1] [2] [3] [4]. We are also particularly interested in the impact of methylation on DNA physical properties and its affect in nucleosome assembly as a function of DNA flexibility and gene activity  [5] [6]

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