Skip to main content
PMC home page
Nucleic Acids Research logoLink to Nucleic Acids Research
. 1984 Mar 26;12(6):2987–2996. doi: 10.1093/nar/12.6.2987

Chromatin superstructure: synchrotron radiation X-ray scattering study on solutions and gels.

L Perez-Grau, J Bordas, M H Koch
PMCID: PMC318720  PMID: 6709504

Abstract

X-ray small angle scattering patterns of solutions and gels of native chicken erythrocyte chromatin and chromatin depleted of H5 histones have been measured under several ionic conditions using synchrotron radiation. Features of the patterns are interpreted as resulting from a superstructure with an outer diameter of about 300A which is already present in uncondensed nucleofilaments. This superstructure which is shown to be maintained by the H5 histones also explains the rapid condensation of the nucleofilaments in higher ionic strengths.

Full text

PDF
2987

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Azorín F., Pérez-Grau L., Subirana J. A. Supranucleosomal organization of chromatin. Electron microscopic visualization of long polynucleosomal chains. Chromosoma. 1982;85(2):251–260. doi: 10.1007/BF00294969. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baudy P., Bram S. Neutron scattering on nuclei. Nucleic Acids Res. 1979 Apr;6(4):1721–1729. doi: 10.1093/nar/6.4.1721. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bolund L. A., Johns E. W. The selective extraction of histone fractions from deoxyribonucleoprotein. Eur J Biochem. 1973 Jun 15;35(3):546–553. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1973.tb02871.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bradbury E. M., Molgaard H. V., Stephens R. M., Bolund L. A., Johns E. W. X-ray studies of nucleoproteins depleted of lysine-rich histone. Eur J Biochem. 1972 Dec 18;31(3):474–482. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1972.tb02555.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bram S., Butler-Browne G., Baudy P., Ibel K. Quaternary structure of chromatin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Mar;72(3):1043–1045. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.3.1043. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Felsenfeld G. Chromatin. Nature. 1978 Jan 12;271(5641):115–122. doi: 10.1038/271115a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Finch J. T., Brown R. S., Richmond T., Rushton B., Lutter L. C., Klug A. X-ray diffraction study of a new crystal form of the nucleosome core showing higher resolution. J Mol Biol. 1981 Feb 5;145(4):757–769. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(81)90313-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Finch J. T., Brown R. S., Richmond T., Rushton B., Lutter L. C., Klug A. X-ray diffraction study of a new crystal form of the nucleosome core showing higher resolution. J Mol Biol. 1981 Feb 5;145(4):757–769. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(81)90313-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Finch J. T., Noll M., Kornberg R. D. Electron microscopy of defined lengths of chromatin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Sep;72(9):3320–3322. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.9.3320. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hjelm R. P., Kneale G. G., Sauau P., Baldwin J. P., Bradbury E. M., Ibel K. Small angle neutron scattering studies of chromatin subunits in solution. Cell. 1977 Jan;10(1):139–151. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(77)90148-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kornberg R. D. Structure of chromatin. Annu Rev Biochem. 1977;46:931–954. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.46.070177.004435. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Laemmli U. K. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680–685. doi: 10.1038/227680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Langmore J. P., Schutt C. The higher order structure of chicken erythrocyte chromosomes in vivo. Nature. 1980 Dec 11;288(5791):620–622. doi: 10.1038/288620a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lilley D. M., Pardon J. F. Structure and function of chromatin. Annu Rev Genet. 1979;13:197–233. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.13.120179.001213. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Loening U. E. The fractionation of high-molecular-weight ribonucleic acid by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. Biochem J. 1967 Jan;102(1):251–257. doi: 10.1042/bj1020251. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. McGhee J. D., Felsenfeld G. Nucleosome structure. Annu Rev Biochem. 1980;49:1115–1156. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.49.070180.005343. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Morris N. R. A comparison of the structure of chicken erythrocyte and chicken liver chromatin. Cell. 1976 Dec;9(4 Pt 1):627–632. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(76)90045-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Moyne G., Freeman R., Saragosti S., Yaniv M. A high-resolution electron microscopy study of nucleosomes from simian virus 40 chromatin. J Mol Biol. 1981 Jul 15;149(4):735–744. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(81)90355-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Noll M., Thomas J. O., Kornberg R. D. Preparation of native chromatin and damage caused by shearing. Science. 1975 Mar 28;187(4182):1203–1206. doi: 10.1126/science.187.4182.1203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Olins A. L., Carlson R. D., Wright E. B., Olins D. E. Chromatin nu bodies: isolation, subfractionation and physical characterization. Nucleic Acids Res. 1976 Dec;3(12):3271–3291. doi: 10.1093/nar/3.12.3271. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Paulson J. R., Langmore J. P. Low angle x-ray diffraction studies of HeLa metaphase chromosomes: effects of histone phosphorylation and chromosome isolation procedure. J Cell Biol. 1983 Apr;96(4):1132–1137. doi: 10.1083/jcb.96.4.1132. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Richards B. M., Pardon J. F. The molecular structure of nucleohistone (DNH). Exp Cell Res. 1970 Sep;62(1):184–196. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(79)90519-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Southern E. Gel electrophoresis of restriction fragments. Methods Enzymol. 1979;68:152–176. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(79)68011-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Sperling L., Klug A. X-ray studies on "native" chromatin. J Mol Biol. 1977 May 15;112(2):253–263. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(77)80142-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Suau P., Bradbury E. M., Baldwin J. P. Higher-order structures of chromatin in solution. Eur J Biochem. 1979 Jul;97(2):593–602. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1979.tb13148.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Suau P., Kneale G. G., Braddock G. W., Baldwin J. P., Bradbury E. M. A low resolution model for the chromatin core particle by neutron scattering. Nucleic Acids Res. 1977 Nov;4(11):3769–3786. doi: 10.1093/nar/4.11.3769. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Thoma F., Koller T., Klug A. Involvement of histone H1 in the organization of the nucleosome and of the salt-dependent superstructures of chromatin. J Cell Biol. 1979 Nov;83(2 Pt 1):403–427. doi: 10.1083/jcb.83.2.403. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Nucleic Acids Research are provided here courtesy of Oxford University Press

RESOURCES