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. 1990 Feb;9(2):573–582. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1990.tb08145.x

Competition between transcription complex assembly and chromatin assembly on replicating DNA.

G Almouzni 1, M Méchali 1, A P Wolffe 1
PMCID: PMC551703  PMID: 2303043

Abstract

We have used a Xenopus egg extract to show that a competition exists between the assembly of transcription complexes and nucleosomes on replicating 5S DNA. This competition results in the establishment of a transcriptionally repressed state for 5S DNA that is dependent on core histones but not on the precise positioning of the cores. The repression is selective, since satellite I DNA is not significantly repressed under these conditions. We demonstrate that the efficiency of chromatin assembly compared with transcription complex assembly is an important variable in determining gene activity.

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