Replication of Chromatin

Abstract

The replication of the eukaryotic chromosome must necessarily be much more complicated than the corresponding process in prokaryotes. Not only must a vast amount of DNA be duplicated, but the specific structure of the whole nucleoprotein complex has to be reconstructed as well. In the preceding chapters, evidence has been presented that the arrangement and local modifications of at least a fraction of the nucleosomes on the genome play roles in determining the transcriptional capabilities of specific cell lines. Then we must conclude that such features are accurately copied in somatic cell division. Indeed, there is excellent evidence that such peculiarities as DNase “hypersensitive” sites are transmitted from parent to daughter chromatids (see Chapter 8). Furthermore, since there is evidence that differentiation of cell lines usually occurs at the point of cell division, this nucleoprotein structure must be mutable in some controlled fashion.