Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41257953›Full record

ArticleEpigenetics & chromatin2025

Mechanistic basis for the opposing effects of H2A and H2B ubiquitination on nucleosome stability and dynamics.

Lokesh Baweja, Jeff Wereszczynski

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Epigenetics & chromatin, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Lokesh BawejaDepartment of Physics, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, USA.
Jeff WereszczynskiDepartments of Physics and Biology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, USA. jwereszc@illinoistech.edu.

Funding

Probing the Structure/Function/Dynamics Relationship in Biomolecular Complexes With Multiscale Computational TechniquesR35GM119647 · NIGMS · ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · PI WERESZCZYNSKI, JEFFERY · 2016 to 2025
$3.8M
NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM119647NIGMS NIH HHS R35GM119647
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNucleosome ubiquitination at lysine 119 of histone H2A (H2AK119ub) and lysine 120 of histone H2B (H2BK120ub) are prominent post-translational modifications with opposing roles in chromatin regulation. Although H2AK119ub is associated with transcriptional repression and H2BK120ub with activation, the molecular basis for these contrasting effects has remained unclear.

resultsHere, we use microsecond all-atom and millisecond coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to reveal how the position of ubiquitin reshapes nucleosome structure and assembly. H2AK119ub rigidifies the histone core by indirectly reinforcing the L1-L1 interface between H2A histones, strengthening both tetramer-dimer and dimer-dimer interactions, and slowing complete nucleosome assembly. In contrast, H2BK120ub disrupts these interfaces, weakens the histone core, and favors partially assembled hexasome and tetrasome states. Both modifications cause dramatic slowdowns in nucleosome folding, with H2BK120ub producing an order-of-magnitude greater effect. These simulations establish clear molecular mechanisms by which site-specific ubiquitination alters nucleosome stability and assembly kinetics.

conclusionOur findings quantitatively explain how H2A and H2B ubiquitination exert opposing effects on chromatin regulation. This mechanism is directly relevant to the opposing roles of these marks in transcriptional activation and repression, and may represent one way that combinations of histone modifications modulate chromatin function in vivo.

Indexed as

HistonesNucleosomesUbiquitinationHumansLysineMolecular Dynamics SimulationProtein Processing, Post-TranslationalHistonesLysineNucleosomes

Identifiers

PMID41257953
PMCPMC12628893

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.