DNA wraps around a core of histone proteins to form a __________.

• A. Chromatin
• B. Ribosome
• C. Nucleosome
• D. Chromosome

Answer: (C)

DNA packaging in the nucleus happens in repeating units called nucleosomes. In this arrangement, DNA winds around a core of histone proteins, forming a nucleosome core particle. This bead-like unit is the fundamental building block of chromatin, with linker DNA connecting one nucleosome to the next to create the "beads-on-a-string" structure that can then fold into higher-order fibers and eventually condense into chromosomes during cell division. The term described is nucleosome because it specifically refers to that DNA-histone complex around which the DNA wraps. Chromatin is the whole DNA-protein complex, not just the unit, while a ribosome is a different cellular machine for protein synthesis, and a chromosome is a highly condensed form of chromatin seen during division.