Columnar packing of telomeric nucleosomes

Telomeres belong to the key functional elements of eukaryotic chromosomes. Like all the other parts of the genome, they exist and function as complexe s of DNA with histones and various nonhistone proteins, including specific telomere-binding proteins. Studies of telomeric chromatin have shown on the one hand a lack of nucleosome positioning and on the other hand a specific nucleosome spacing as revealed by micrococcal nuclease digestion. Based on these properties and on accumulated experimental data, we present a model for a columnar packing of nucleosomes in telomeric chromatin. (C) 2001 Acad emic Press.