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AAT Bioquest

Does DNA acetylation affect chromatin?

Posted January 3, 2024


Answer

DNA acetylation results in a more open chromatin structure. This is because acetylation adds a negative charge to normally positively charged histones. The negative charge reduces the affinity between histones and DNA, which also has a negative charge. This results in a more open, relaxed chromatin arrangement that is more permissive to gene transcription.

Additional resources

Histone acetylation in chromatin structure and transcription

DNA Methylation

Helixyte™ Green ssDNA reagent