Evidence that DNA sequence templates adjacent nucleosome and ORC occupied sites at gene amplification origins in Drosophila

To gain insights into the molecular mechanisms by which epigenome influences orgins of DNA replication in Eukaryotes, we examined nucleosome position at the well-characterized replication origins responsible for developmental gene amplification in Drosophila ovary using MNase-Seq technique (Micrococcal nuclease digestion with paired-end Illumina sequencing). Our studies indicate that ORC binding sites and other essential origin sequences are nucleosome-depleted regions (NDRs).