A rapid method for the electrophoresis of chromatin proteins

Diisopropylfluorophosphate-interacting proteinases of nuclei of rat testis cells

Nuclei and chromatin of seminiferous epithelial cells of rat testis contain acid-extractable and non-extractable proteins which interact readily with [3H]DFP (diisopropylfluorophosphate). Proteinase activity is closely associated with these DFP-interacting proteins, and the proteinase activities are inhibited by DFP and PMSF. DFP-interacting proteins of testis chromatin increase greatly in amount at 26-32 days after birth when spermatids are appearing in increasing numbers. In nuclei separated by zonal centrifugation on sucrose gradients, the DFP-labeled proteins are highest in activity in the elongated spermatids at the stage in spermiogenesis at which histones are being replaced by testis-specific proteins and protamines. Electrophoresis in SDS-polyacrylamide gels reveals the presence of three species of DFP-interacting proteins in nuclei of seminiferous epithelial cells of the testis. The chromatin of epididymal spermatozoa of the rat contains three or four species of DFP-interacting proteins by SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis and some of these labeled proteins co-migrate with two of the three basic proteins which are observed during electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels in Triton-urea.

Digestion by micrococcal nuclease of mouse submandibular-salivary-gland chromatin

Nucleic prepared from mouse submandibular salivary gland show marked fragility during isolation. Hwever, intact nuclei relatively free from cytoplasmic contamination were obtained by homogenization in buffers containing 0.88 M-sucrose, Ca2+, spermine, spermidine and the proteinase inhibitor aprotinin, followed by centrifugation through 2.2 M-sucrose. The kinetics of digestion by the micrococcal nuclease of chromatin in these nuclei are similar to those of chromatin from mouse liver nuclei. Base-pair size analysis of the solubilized DNA from both organs shows a stable high-molecular weight species of chromatin, which is further digested to mononucleosome and subnucleosome species. With extensive digestion the chromatin becomes insoluble. The mononucleosomes produced from salivary-gland chromatin after the inhibition of endogenous proteinase activity exhibit an s20,w value of 11S and contain histones H1, H2A, H2B, H3 and H4.

A genetic aspect of chromatin proteins of human brain tumors

Electrophoretic analysis of chromatin proteins was performed on rat and human tissues. Species and organ specific patterns were demonstrated in them. Twenty cases of human brain tumours were also analyzed and each tumor had typical phoretic patterns of chromatin. Proteins obtained from histologically similar tumors display similar electrophoretic patterns. As to the ratio of chromatin protein to DNA, no apparent differences between benign and malignant human brain tumors were observed.

Electrophoretic studies of non-histone proteins from pig lymph nodes

Purified chromatin from pig lymph nodes has been prepared and used for the isolation of chromatin proteins and non-histine proteins. Saccharose nuclei from this tissue have been used for the preparation of nuclear phenol-soluble phosphoproteins. The isolated proteins have been compared by analytical electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel in sodium dodecyl sulfate. Most chromatin non-histone proteins and nuclear phosphoproteins of pig lymph nodes have a molecular weight about 40 000 daltons and show a significant degree of homology of molecular range from 40 000 to 90 000 daltons. The phosphoproteins have been also analyzed by isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gel over the pH range of 3-10. They are distributed throughout the pI range of 5.8-9.0. The chromatin non-histone proteins and phosphoproteins are of acidic nature and contain 0,97 per cent tryptophan.

Reconstitution of chromatin: mode of reassociation of chromosomal proteins

The mode of reassociation of Ehrlich ascites histones and non-histone proteins during chromatin reconstitution was studied by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacryl-amide gel electrophoresis. In the procedure of Bekhor et al. (I. Bekhor, G. M. Kung, and J. Bonner, (1969), J. Mol. Biol. 39, 351) most of histones and non-histone proteins reassociate with DNA in the last dialysis step of the dissociated chromatin, that is the dialysis of the chromatin in 0.4 M NaCl-5 M urea against a dilute buffer. The reassociation of histones and non-histone proteins with DNA is more gradual in the procedure of L. Kleiman and R.-C. C. Huang [(1972), J. Mol. Biol. 64, 1]. However, in both procedures the bulk of the Ehrlich ascites non-histone proteins reassociate with DNA after the binding of histones to DNA. There are small amounts of non-histone proteins which reassociate with DNA before and at the same time as histones reassociate with DNA.