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. 1976 Mar;3(3):697–707. doi: 10.1093/nar/3.3.697

Distribution of histones in alkali-denatured chromatin studied by isopycnic centrifugation in alkaline metrizamide density gradients.

G Russev, R Tsanev
PMCID: PMC342934  PMID: 5708

Abstract

Three types of density gradients - neutral metrizamide, alkaline NaOH-metrizamide and alkaline triethanolamine-metrizamide - were used for studying the distribution of histones between the two DNA strands in alkali-denatured chromatin. It was found possible to avoid both protein redistribution and dissociation by using triethanolamine-metrizamide density gradients at pH 10.5. Under these conditions an alkali-denatured mixture of DNA and chromatin was well separated into the original DNA and DNP. When native or sonicated chromatin was denatured at pH 12.2 and centrifuged in a triethanolamine-metrizamide density gradient at pH 10.5 no peak of free DNA appeared. These results show that both DNA strands remain associated with histone molecules upon alkaline denaturation of chromatin.

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Selected References

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