What term describes changes to proteins around which DNA is wrapped, influencing gene accessibility and expression?

The term that describes changes to proteins around which DNA is wrapped is called histone modification. Histones are the proteins that package and order the DNA into structural units called nucleosomes, which form a significant part of chromatin. When histones undergo modification, such as acetylation or methylation, these alterations can influence how tightly or loosely DNA is wrapped around them. This directly affects the accessibility of the DNA to transcription machinery and thus impacts gene expression.

In other words, modulating histone proteins can either enhance or repress the transcription of genes by making them more or less available to be accessed. This form of regulation is a crucial part of epigenetic control, determining how genes are turned on or off without changing the underlying DNA sequence.

Other options reflect related but distinct processes. Gene splicing refers to the editing of RNA after transcription and before translation, while DNA transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA template. Chromatin remodeling also involves changes to the structure of chromatin, but it encompasses a broader range of alterations that go beyond just histone modifications.