Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Sep 23;22(36):20189-20201.
doi: 10.1039/d0cp01877e.

Polymer models for the mechanisms of chromatin 3D folding: review and perspective

Rui Zhou  1 , Yi Qin Gao  2
Affiliations
Review

Polymer models for the mechanisms of chromatin 3D folding: review and perspective

Rui Zhou et al. Phys Chem Chem Phys. .

Abstract

Recent experiments have provided unprecedented details on the hierarchical organization of the chromatin 3D structure and thus a great opportunity for understanding the mechanisms behind chromatin folding. As a bridge between experimental results and physical theory, coarse-grained polymer models of chromatin are of great value. Here, we review several popular models of chromatin folding, including the fractal globule model, loop models (the random loop model, the dynamic loop model, and the loop extrusion model), the string-and-binder switch model, and the block copolymer model. Physical models are still in great need to explain a larger variety of chromatin folding properties, especially structural features at different scales, their relation to the heterogeneous nature of the DNA sequence, and the highly dynamic nature of chromatin folding.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

LinkOut - more resources