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Chromatin Condensation

Meaning

Chromatin condensation is the essential biological process where the diffuse, open structure of chromatin, which is composed of DNA tightly wrapped around histone proteins, undergoes a transformation to become tightly packed and highly compact. This dynamic structural rearrangement is a primary regulatory mechanism within the eukaryotic cell nucleus, profoundly influencing the accessibility of the genetic material for transcription. When chromatin is highly condensed, it forms transcriptionally inactive heterochromatin, which renders the underlying genes largely inaccessible to the cellular machinery required for gene expression.