Understanding the Connection between Epigenetic DNA Methylation and Nucleosome Positioning from Computer Simulations

TitleUnderstanding the Connection between Epigenetic DNA Methylation and Nucleosome Positioning from Computer Simulations
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2013
AuthorsPortella, Guillem, Battistini Federica, and Orozco Modesto
JournalPLoS Comput Biol
Volume9
Paginatione1003354
Date Published11
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.

URLhttps://dx.doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pcbi.1003354
DOI10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003354