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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 7: Posters I

BP 7.7: Poster

Monday, February 25, 2008, 17:00–19:30, Poster A

Exposure of transcription factor binding sites in single nucleosomes and nucleosome arrays — •Wolfram Möbius^1,2 and Ulrich Gerland² — ¹Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics (ASC) and Center for NanoScience (CeNS), LMU München — ²Institute for Theoretical Physics, Universität zu Köln

Nucleosomes do compactify eukaryotic DNA, as a consequence burying long stretches of DNA. Nevertheless, transcription factors can bind to the DNA which may be achieved by temporarily unwrapping stretches of DNA from the histone complex (site exposure mechanism). Recently, we theoretically studied the dynamics of this mechanism in single nucleosomes, motivated by analogous experiments. Now, the thermodynamics of nucleosome arrays becomes experimentally accessible. We present first results of corresponding Monte Carlo simulations and compare it with the situation in single nucleosomes.