RT Journal
A1 Xi, Yuanxin
A1 Yao, Jianhui
A1 Chen, Rui
A1 Li, Wei
A1 He, Xiangwei
T1 Nucleosome fragility reveals novel functional states of chromatin and poises genes for activation
JF Genome Research 
JO Genome Research 
YR 2011 
FD March 01 
DO 10.1101/gr.117101.110 
SP gr.117101.110 
UL http://genome.cshlp.org/content/early/2011/03/01/gr.117101.110.abstract 
AB The structural complexity of nucleosomes underlies their functional versatility.  Here we report a new type of complexity - nucleosome fragility, manifested as high sensitivity to micrococcal nuclease, in contrast to the common presumption that nucleosomes are similar in resistance to MNase digestion.  Using differential MNase digestion of chromatin and high-throughput sequencing, we have identified a special group of nucleosomes termed fragile nucleosomes throughout the yeast genome, nearly one thousand of which at previously determined "nucleosome free" loci. Nucleosome fragility is broadly implicated in multiple chromatin processes, including transcription, translocation and replication, in correspondence to specific physiological states of cells. In the environmental-stress-response genes, the presence of fragile nucleosomes prior to the occurrence of environmental changes suggests that nucleosome fragility poises genes for swift up-regulation in response to the environmental changes. We propose that nucleosome fragility underscores distinct functional statuses of the chromatin and provides a new dimension for portraying the landscape of genome organization.