as transcription, DNA replication, and DNA repair. During cell division, chromatin facilitates proper segregation of chromosomes in anaphase; the characteristic shapes of chromosomes visible during this stage are the result of DNA being coiled into highly condensed chromatin.

Chromatin organization is often described at several structural levels. At the most basic level, DNA wrapped around histone octamers forms nucleosomes connected by stretches of linker DNA, producing a structure sometimes referred to as a "beads-on-a-string" fiber