Dissecting Nucleosome Free Regions by a Segmental Semi-Markov Model
2009

Understanding Nucleosome Free Regions Using a New Statistical Model

Sample size: 9593 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Sun Wei, Xie Wei, Xu Feng, Grunstein Michael, Li Ker-Chau

Primary Institution: University of California Los Angeles

Hypothesis

Can a segmental semi-Markov model effectively identify and quantify nucleosome free regions (NFRs) across the genome?

Conclusion

The study successfully identifies and quantifies nucleosome free regions, revealing their significant roles in gene regulation and chromatin organization.

Supporting Evidence

  • The study identified 9593 nucleosome free regions (NFRs) across the yeast genome.
  • 35% of the identified NFRs were found to have trapezoid patterns, while 65% had triangle patterns.
  • DoND (degree of nucleosome depletion) was shown to correlate with the distribution of NFRs.
  • Transcriptional activity was found to be a major factor influencing nucleosome depletion.

Takeaway

The researchers created a new method to find areas in DNA that are free of nucleosomes, which helps scientists understand how genes are turned on and off.

Methodology

The study used a segmental semi-Markov model to analyze nucleosome occupancy data from ChIP-chip assays.

Potential Biases

Potential biases may arise from the assumptions made in the statistical model regarding nucleosome positioning.

Limitations

The method may not capture all variations in nucleosome positioning due to its reliance on statistical modeling.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0004721

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