Histone H3 tail charge patterns govern nucleosome condensate formation and dynamics. Nucleic Acids Res 2026 Feb 05;54(4)
Date
02/09/2026Pubmed ID
41657248Pubmed Central ID
PMC12884084DOI
10.1093/nar/gkag050Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105029779589 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 1 CitationAbstract
Emerging models of nuclear organization suggest that chromatin forms functionally distinct microenvironments through phase separation. As chromatin architecture is organized at the level of the nucleosome and regulated by histone post-translational modifications, we investigated how these known regulatory mechanisms influence nucleosome phase behavior. By systematically altering charge distribution within the H3 tail, we found that the terminal and central regions modulate the phase boundary and tune nucleosome condensate viscosity differentially, as revealed by microscopy-based assays, microrheology, and simulations. Nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation experiments revealed that H3 tails remain dynamically mobile within condensates, and their mobility correlates with condensate viscosity. These results demonstrate that the number, identity, and spatial arrangement of basic residues in the H3 tail critically regulate nucleosome phase separation. Our findings support a model in which nucleosomes, through their intrinsic properties and modifications, actively shape the local chromatin microenvironment-providing new insight into the histone language in chromatin condensates.
Author List
Hammonds EF, Singh A, Suresh KK, Yang S, Meidl Zahorodny SS, Gupta R, Potoyan DA, Banerjee PR, Morrison EAAuthor
Emma A. Morrison PhD Associate Professor in the Biochemistry department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsChromatin
Histones
Nucleosomes
Viscosity
