Histones, histone chaperones and nucleosome assembly

Abstract

Chromatin structure governs a number of cellular processes including DNA replication, transcription, and DNA repair. During DNA replication, chromatin structure including the basic repeating unit of chromatin, the nucleosome, is temporarily disrupted, and then reformed immediately after the passage of the replication fork. This coordinated process of nucleosome assembly during DNA replication is termed replication-coupled nucleosome assembly. Disruption of this process can lead to genome instability, a hallmark of cancer cells. Therefore, addressing how replication-coupled nucleosome assembly is regulated has been of great interest. Here, we review the current status of this growing field of interest, highlighting recent advances in understanding the regulation of this important process by the dynamic interplay of histone chaperones and histone modifications. © 2010 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.