研究小组表明真核染色体是离子水凝胶，染色体物质是一个两态系统，通过体积相变在凝聚和去凝聚状态之间相互转换，类似于液气过渡。组蛋白尾部和DNA之间的离子接触，通过组蛋白乙酰化和去乙酰化形成和破坏，可能控制这种转变，并负责异染色质中的凝聚和常染色质中的去凝聚。
据了解，中期染色体的形成需要凝缩酶的活性，凝缩酶是DNA转位酶，通过环外移过程减少染色体长度。然而，长度的减少并不能解释浓缩状态下染色质密度的增加。
附：英文原文
Title: The eukaryote chromosome, a two-state system with interconversion by a volume phase transition
Author: Andrew J. Beel, Pierre-Jean Matte, Roger D. Kornberg
Issue&Volume: 2026-08-13
Abstract: The formation of metaphase chromosomes requires the activity of condensins, DNA translocases that reduce chromosomal length through the process of loop extrusion. Reduction of length, however, does not account for the increase in density of chromatin in condensed states. Here, we show that eukaryotic chromosomes are ionic hydrogels and that the chromosomal material is a two-state system, with interconversion between condensed and decondensed states through a volume phase transition, analogous to a liquid-gas transition. Ionic contacts between histone tails and DNA, formed and broken by histone acetylation and deacetylation, may control the transition and be responsible for condensation in heterochromatin and decondensation in euchromatin.
DOI: adz1083
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adz1083