RNA as a structural organizer of chromatin

摘要

The multi-layered organization of the genome in a large nucleoprotein complex termed chromatin regulates nuclear functions by establishing sub-compartments with distinct DNA-associated activities. Different models exist to explain the structural organization of chromatin during interphase, including a proteinaceous fibre network that acts as the nuclear equivalent to the cytoskeleton, or a more dynamic genome scaffold of intra-and inter-chromosomal linkages that are tightly interconnected with the gene expression state of a given locus. Previous studies have reported association of RNA with chromatin and a possible role of RNA in establishing a nuclear scaffold or other sub-compartments, thus suggesting that RNA itself is a structural organizer of chromatin.