New Supercoiling Theory and Model of Chromosomal Structures in Eukaryotic Cells

About six billion base pairs of DNA reside highly orderly in each human cell’s nucleus through their manifestation as twenty-three pairs of chromosomes. Delicate patterns of spatial organizations of DNA macromolecules in these eukaryotic chromosomes as well as their associated driving forces have, however, not been fully understood thus far. On the basis of (1) our four recent discoveries about supercoiling properties of histone H1, nucleosomes, linker DNA and polynucleosomes, (2) well-established axioms about sign, shapes and handedness of DNA supercoils, as well as (3) the fact that alterations of DNA supercoils are affiliated with every single steps of cellular genetic events, we analyze effects of DNA supercoils on eukaryotic chromosomal structures in systematical and comprehensive manners in the current report, and present new theory and models of eukaryotic chromosomal structures from the DNA supercoiling perspective. It is our hope that our current presentation of new supercoiling theory and models could provoke future new efforts to unravel exquisite eukaryotic chromosomal architectures in an all-inclusive manner.