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. 1969 Apr 1;41(1):73–90. doi: 10.1083/jcb.41.1.73

THE HUMAN CHROMOSOME

Electron Microscopic Observations on Chromatin Fiber Organization

J G Abuelo 1, Dorothy E Moore 1
PMCID: PMC2107724  PMID: 5775795

Abstract

Human lymphocytes were grown in short-term tissue culture and were arrested in metaphase with Colcemid. Their chromosomes were prepared by the Langmuir trough-critical point drying technique and were examined under the electron microscope. In addition, some chromosomes were digested with trypsin, Pronase, or DNase. The chromosomes consist entirely of tightly packed, 240 ± 50-A chromatin fibers. Trypsin and Pronase treatments induce relaxation of fiber packing and reveal certain underlying fiber arrangements. Furthermore, trypsin treatment demonstrates that the chromatin fiber has a 25–50 A trypsin-resistant core surrounded by a trypsin-sensitive sheath. DNase digestion suggests that this core contains DNA.

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Selected References

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