Meaning & use
chromatin
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Meanings
noununcountabletechnicalbiology
The material inside a cell nucleus made of DNA and protein, which packages the genetic information.
Grammar: Uncountable: you say 'chromatin is' or 'a strand of chromatin', not 'a chromatin'.
Patterns
- chromatin structure
- chromatin remodeling
- a chromatin fiber
In the microscope image, the chromatin appears as a network of fine threads.
During interphase, chromatin is loosely packed so that genes can be read.
The enzyme alters chromatin structure, making certain genes easier to activate.
noununcountabletechnicalbiology
The condensed form of this material that becomes visible as chromosomes when a cell divides.
Grammar: Still uncountable, but often used with 'condensed' or 'compact' to describe the state.
Patterns
- condensed chromatin
- chromatin condenses into chromosomes
As mitosis begins, the chromatin condenses into distinct chromosomes.
The researchers tracked how chromatin becomes tightly coiled before cell division.
Errors in chromatin condensation can lead to chromosome breakage.
Common combinations
- chromatin fiber
- Each chromatin fiber consists of DNA wrapped around histone proteins.
- chromatin remodeling
- Chromatin remodeling allows transcription factors to access specific genes.
- chromatin structure
- Changes in chromatin structure can silence a gene without altering its DNA sequence.
- condensed chromatin
- Condensed chromatin is typical of cells that are not actively dividing.
- chromatin loop
- Chromatin loops bring distant regulatory regions close to their target genes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- chromosomal material
- A general term for the substance of chromosomes; 'chromatin' is the precise technical name for its DNA-protein complex.
Word family
- chromatinic adjective
- Relating to or consisting of chromatin.
- chromosome noun
- The condensed, thread-like structure of chromatin that carries genes.
Commonly confused: chromatin or chromatid? chromatin or chromosome?
chromatin vs chromatid
A chromatid is one of the two identical halves of a replicated chromosome, while chromatin is the uncondensed DNA-protein material.
chromatin vs chromosome
A chromosome is the visible, condensed form; chromatin is the same material in its loose, extended state.
Practice
During most of the cell cycle, DNA exists as ______, which is loosely packed to allow gene expression.
Choose one answer.
Chromatin is the loose DNA-protein complex present between cell divisions; chromosomes are the condensed form seen during division, chromatids are the two halves of a replicated chromosome, and centromeres are the regions where sister chromatids join.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chromatin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.