The nucleosome organization of eukaryotic chromatin determines the DNA accessibility for regulatory factors during transcription. Nucleosome positioning at promoters is an important factor that affects gene expression. Recent studies showed that yeast promoters can be divided into two groups differing in chromatin organization. It became clear that genes with similar chromatin structures in the promoter regions are regulated by the same mechanisms. The review discusses the interplay between the chromatin structure and transcription, dynamic changes in chromatin during transcription, and the roles of various factors (histone chaperones, remodeling complexes, and the histone variant H2A.Z) in these processes with the example of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.