Poly-dA:dT tracts form an in vivo nucleosomal turnstile

Abstract

Nucleosomes regulate many DNA-dependent processes by controlling the accessibility of DNA, and DNA sequences such as the poly-dA:dT element are known to affect nucleosome binding. We demonstrate that poly-dA:dT tracts form an asymmetric barrier to nucleosome movement in vivo, mediated by ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers. We theorize that nucleosome transit over poly-A elements is more energetically favourable in one direction, leading to an asymmetric arrangement of nucleosomes around these sequences. We demonstrate that different arrangements of poly-A and poly-T tracts result in very different outcomes for nucleosome occupancy in yeast, mouse, and human, and show that yeast takes advantage of this phenomenon in its promoter architecture.