nucleoproteinbound

Nucleoproteinbound is a descriptive term used to refer to a molecular complex in which a nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) is bound by one or more proteins, forming a nucleoprotein complex. The binding alters the properties of the nucleic acid and provides functional organization within cells or viruses.

Examples include chromatin in eukaryotes, where DNA is wrapped around histone proteins to form nucleosomes; ribonucleoprotein particles such as ribosomes, spliceosomal small nuclear RNPs, and telomerase; and viral nucleoprotein complexes, in which viral RNA is coated by nucleoproteins to package and protect the genome.

Functions of nucleoproteinbound structures include packaging and protecting genetic material, regulating access to DNA or RNA, coordinating replication, transcription, and RNA processing, and enabling transport and localization within the cell.

Characterization methods include biochemical binding assays, co-immunoprecipitation, crosslinking and mass spectrometry, and structural techniques such as cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography.

Understanding nucleoproteinbound interactions is central to fields such as epigenetics, virology, and RNA biology, and disruptions of these interactions can underlie diseases and affect gene regulation.