A chromatin switch

Cellular and molecular biological approaches that study eukaryotic gene regulation have led to separate models which describe structure and mechanism with differing precision. Using principles of combinatorial and cooperative interactions inherent in both models, we have extended concepts derived from a ''genetic switch'' for prokaryotes to a chromatin switch for eukaryotes composed of DNA, transactivators, nucleosomes and the nuclear matrix. We present a consensus model for gene regulation that uses a simple Monte Carlo method for simulating condensation and extension of chromatin. Such a chromatin switch can be modulated by known biochemical and molecular modifications, and the transactivator binding sites or enhancers within DNA domains can be organized into a hierarchy to control cell cycling and differentiation. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited.