Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42522870›Full record

ArticleNucleic acids research2026

Free energy spectroscopy reveals the mechanistic landscape of chromatin compaction.

Kalven Bonin, Yuchen Wang, Ivan Riveros, Ruo-Wen Chen, Bin Zhang, Ralf Bundschuh, Carlos E Castro, Michael G Poirier

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nucleic acids research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Kalven BoninDepartment of Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States.
Yuchen WangDepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States.
Ivan RiverosDepartment of Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States.
Ruo-Wen ChenOhio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States.
Bin ZhangDepartment of Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-3685-7503
Ralf BundschuhDepartment of Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-6699-8614
Carlos E CastroDepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-7023-6105
Michael G PoirierDepartment of Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-1563-5792

Funding

Mechanisms of chromatin regulation of transcriptionR35GM139564 · NIGMS · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · PI POIRIER, MICHAEL GUY · 2021 to 2025
$3.6M
Probing and Perturbing Transcriptional Condensates with Multiscale Modeling and Deep LearningR35GM133580 · NIGMS · MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · PI Bin Zhang · 2019 to 2026
$3.1M
National Science Foundation #2137603National Science Foundation #2138259National Science Foundation #2138286National Science Foundation #2138296National Science Foundation #2138307National Science Foundation #2411725NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM133580NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM139564NIH HHS R35 GM133580NIH HHS R35 GM139564
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Eukaryotic genomic DNA is repeatedly wrapped into nucleosome spools: the basic building block of chromatin. This organization regulates the physical accessibility of the genome to gene transcription, replication, and repair regulatory factors. Chromatin compaction is controlled by multivalent weak interactions, resulting in a complicated conformational landscape that remains challenging to characterize. This work reports a method for characterizing chromatin compaction, Free Energy Spectroscopy (FES), which is based on DNA nanotechnology and transmission electron microscopy. This method experimentally determines the chromatin compaction free energy landscape in terms of end-to-end distance and nucleosome stacking interactions. By deconvolving the free energy landscapes of partially and fully compact tetranucleosomes, FES revealed three separate mechanisms by which linker histones reshape the compaction energetics to condense chromatin. This study establishes FES as a method with the potential to help answer a broad range of mechanistic questions about genome and epigenome function.

Indexed as

ChromatinDNANucleosomesSpectrum AnalysisChromatin Assembly and DisassemblyHistonesMicroscopy, Electron, TransmissionNanotechnologyNucleic Acid ConformationThermodynamicsChromatinDNAHistonesNucleosomes

Identifiers

PMID42522870
PMCPMC13437895

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.