# Dynamics of histone-DNA interaction

> **NIH NIH R01** · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE · 2021 · $352,833

## Abstract

Project Summary
The long-term objective of this research program is to elucidate the roles of histone-DNA interactions in gene
regulation. The nucleosome, the fundamental packing unit of the eukaryotic genome, imposes physical barriers
to DNA access and needs to disassemble at least in part during various nuclear processes such as
transcription elongation and chromatin remodeling. The kinetic pathways and rates of these processes are
crucial components in gene regulation mechanisms and closely coupled to the dynamics of histone-DNA
interactions. Elucidating the implications of dynamic histone-DNA interactions in gene regulation is an
important and active subject of the current chromatin research. This project aims to elucidate how spontaneous
dynamics of histone-DNA interactions contribute to regulating two important nuclear processes catalyzed by
large enzyme complexes that translocate along DNA. The target processes are transcription elongation by
RNA polymerase II and chromatin remodeling by INO80 both of which are essential for cell viability and healthy
proliferation. The project will reveal how the strong yet dynamic histone-DNA interactions are implicated in
regulating these processes based on three-color single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer
(smFRET) and single-molecule sub-ms motion analysis. These innovative approaches will enable an
understanding of the molecular processes that allow these enzymes to access and act on nucleosomes and
the end products of their activities at an unprecedented level of depth.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10092183
- **Project number:** 5R01GM123164-04
- **Recipient organization:** PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE
- **Principal Investigator:** Tae-Hee Lee
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $352,833
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-02-01 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10092183

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10092183, Dynamics of histone-DNA interaction (5R01GM123164-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10092183. Licensed CC0.

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