Definition of Nucleosome



The nucleosomes are the building blocks of the eukaryotic chromatin. These are the structures that pack the DNA in the chromosomes. There are about 150 base pairs of DNA that are wrapped around the core of the histone proteins. These nucleosomes are folded on one another repeatedly in order to form a chromosome. Such a repeated folding of the DNA allows it to fit inside the cell.

 


There are approximately 30 million nucleosomes in a human cell. It is suggested that the nucleosomes carry the information that is inherited epigenetically. They are carried in the form of covalent modifications that have occurred in the histone proteins.


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