Researchers use laser 'tweezers' to study structure and dynamics of chromatin
Each one of the cells in our body contains DNA, which provides the instructions required for our development and function. Astoundingly, a total of two meters of DNA is packaged in each cell's nucleus, just tens of microns in size, a feat accomplished by packaging the DNA into a compact structure called chromatin. Its basic organization level is provided by wrapping the DNA around proteins called histones in a spool-like structure that resembles "beads on a string." Then, more complex structures called chromatosomes are formed with the help of a special histone, known as a "linker histone," which connects the "strings."