DNA Bending Potentials for Loop-Mediated Nucleosome Repositioning

Abstract

Nucleosome repositioning is a fundamental process in gene function. DNA elasticity is a key element of loop-mediated nucleosome repositioning. Two analytical models for DNA elasticity have been proposed: the linear sub-elastic chain (SEC), which allows DNA kinking, and the worm-like chain (WLC), with a harmonic bending potential. In vitro studies have shown that nucleosomes reposition in a discontiguous manner on a segment of DNA and this has also been found in ground-state calculations with the WLC analytical model. Here we study using Monte Carlo simulation the dynamics of DNA loop-mediated nucleosome repositioning at physiological temperatures using the SEC and WLC potentials. At thermal energies both models predict nearest-neighbor repositioning of nucleosomes on DNA, in contrast to the repositioning in jumps observed in experiments. This suggests a crucial role of DNA sequence in nucleosome repositioning.