Scientists from Lomonosov Moscow State University have found out several new mechanisms that controlReadability
The double helix of DNA is like a screw and is thought to be able to simultaneously slide and spin along the surface of its envelope proteins.We were able to show that due to local deformations of DNA and histone proteins, thisFirst, one part of the DNA is scrolled, and then the next part is a kind of caterpillar-screw mechanism.
Alexey Shaitan, one of the authors of the study, leading researcher at Moscow State University
The total length of all DNA molecules from human chromosomes is about 2 meters.Our cells compress strands of DNA 10,000 times to fit the nucleus.For example, a cell winds a strand of DNA into special molecular "coils" of histone proteins. Thanks to this, the genome can be packaged very compactly, but at the same time, a significant part of the DNA strand is hidden inside these structures.
How exactly do DNA movements in the nucleosome take place,until recently remained unclear. To deal with this, the scientists simulated the molecular dynamics of nucleosomes at the atomic level on the Lomonosov-2 supercomputer at a record time long for computer simulations - 15 microseconds. That is, the supercomputer acted as a kind of computational microscope, which made it possible to examine the mechanisms of DNA movement in the genome.
In this way, Shaitan and his colleagues traced how the DNA strand detaches from theproteins, how its structure changes and what factors affecton the movement of the nucleotide chain, as well as its reconnection with protein coils.
The study also makes an important contribution to deciphering the mechanisms of genome functioning.
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