Nucleosome positions alone can be used to predict domains in yeast chromosomes

Abstract

Simulation data related to the project "Nucleosome positions alone can be used to predict domains in yeast chromosomes". DNA is packaged into chromosomes, which are further organized into domains: Regions of the genome which are more likely to self-interact. Domains have been observed in species ranging from bacteria to humans and are thought to play an important role in gene regulation. Yet the mechanisms of domain formation are not fully understood. Here we use computer simulations to investigate domain formation in yeast. Our model reproduces the experimentally observed domains using only nucleosome positioning information as an input, implying that (unlike in higher eukaryotes) domain boundary locations are largely determined at this level. Our results reveal how irregular nucleosome spacing impacts the 3D chromosome organization, pointing to a direct link between nucleosome positioning and genome regulation at the large scale.