Fig. 5.

A model for the interplay between H2A.Z-induced diffusion and TF binding. Nucleosomes undergo confined diffusion on the DNA and limit binding of a TF. The incorporation of the histone variant H2A.Z serves to partially relieve this confinement, via a different type of thermal diffusion. The increased diffusion leads to exposure of the TF’s binding site and facilitates its association with the DNA. The bound TF then restricts nucleosomal movements upstream, thus asymmetrically biasing the repositioning downstream.