Evolutionary footprints of nucleosome positions in yeast

摘要

Using genome-wide maps of nucleosome positions in yeast, we have analyzed the influence of chromatin structure on the molecular evolution of genomic DNA. We have observed, on average, 10-15% lower substitution rates in linker regions than in nucleosomal DNA. This widespread local rate heterogeneity represents an evolutionary footprint of nucleosome positions and reveals that nucleosome organization is a genomic feature conserved over evolutionary timescales.