Archaea: The Final Frontier of Chromatin

J Mol Biol. 2021 Mar 19;433(6):166791. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2020.166791. Epub 2020 Dec 29.

Abstract

The three domains of life employ various strategies to organize their genomes. Archaea utilize features similar to those found in both eukaryotic and bacterial chromatin to organize their DNA. In this review, we discuss the current state of research regarding the structure-function relationships of several archaeal chromatin proteins (histones, Alba, Cren7, and Sul7d). We address individual structures as well as inferred models for higher-order chromatin formation. Each protein introduces a unique phenotype to chromatin organization, and these structures are put into the context of in vivo and in vitro data. We close by discussing the present gaps in knowledge that are preventing further studies of the organization of archaeal chromatin, on both the organismal and domain level.

Keywords: Alba; archaea; chromatin; histones; protein DNA interactions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Archaea / classification
  • Archaea / genetics*
  • Archaea / metabolism
  • Archaeal Proteins / chemistry*
  • Archaeal Proteins / genetics
  • Archaeal Proteins / metabolism
  • Chromatin / chemistry
  • Chromatin / metabolism
  • Chromatin / ultrastructure*
  • Conserved Sequence
  • DNA, Archaeal / chemistry*
  • DNA, Archaeal / genetics
  • DNA, Archaeal / metabolism
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / chemistry*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Histones / chemistry*
  • Histones / genetics
  • Histones / metabolism
  • Nucleic Acid Conformation
  • Phylogeny
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Conformation, alpha-Helical
  • Protein Conformation, beta-Strand
  • Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs
  • Protein Multimerization

Substances

  • Archaeal Proteins
  • Chromatin
  • DNA, Archaeal
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Histones