The dynamic nature of chromatin is an essential mechanism by which gene expression is regulated. Chromatin is comprised of nucleosomes, an octamer of histone proteins wrapped by DNA, and manipulation of these structures is carried out by a family of proteins known as ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling enzymes. These enzymes carry out a diverse range of activities, from appropriately positioning and adjusting the density of nucleosomes on genes, to installation and removal of histones for sequence variants, to ejection from DNA. These activities have a critical role in the proper maintenance of chromatin architecture, and dysregulation of chromatin remodeling is directly linked to the pathophysiology of various diseases. Mechanistic understanding of chromatin remodeling enzymes is therefore desirable, both as the drivers of this essential cellular activity and as potentially novel therapeutic targets in disease. In this chapter we cover our current methods for characterization of remodeler substrate binding affinity and catalytic activity, leveraging fluorescence polarization and Förster resonance energy transfer assays.
Keywords: ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling; FRET; Fluorescence polarization; Nucleosomes.
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