The nucleosome core particle is the most basic form of DNA compaction in eukaryotes. Nucleosomes consist of a histone octamer surrounded by 146 base pairs of DNA wrapped in a superhelical manner.  In addition to compacting the DNA, the histone octamer plays a key role in the transcription of the DNA surrounding it. The histone octamer interacts with the DNA through both its core histone folds and N-terminal tails. The histone fold interacts chemically and physically with the DNA's minor groove. Studies have found that the histones interact more favorably with A:T enriched regions than G:C enriched regions in the minor grooves. The N-terminal tails do not interact with a specific region of DNA but rather stabilize and guide the DNA wrapped around the octamer. The interactions between the histone octamer and DNA, however, are not permanent. The two can be separated quite easily and often are during replication and transcription. Specific remodeling proteins are constantly altering the chromatin structure by breaking the bonds between the DNA and nucleosome.