Transcriptional regulation by HMGN proteins

High mobility group nucleosomal proteins (HMGNs) are small non-histone proteins associated with chromatin. HMGNs have the unique ability to bind to nucleosomes with higher affinity than to naked DNA [1]. They have been studied extensively for their ability to modulate transcription. Although initially viewed as general transcriptional activators on chromatin templates, it is now appreciated that they are instead highly specific modulators of gene expression. We review the mechanisms for targeting HMGNs to specific genes and for how they subsequently regulate transcription.