Summary
Murine erythroleukemia cells were induced to undergo erythroid differentiation by growing in presence of dimethylsulfoxide, butyric acid or actinomycin D. Topological linking numbers in closed loops of nuclear DNA were measured by means of centrifugation of nucleoids containing superhelical DNA in sucrose gradients containing varying concentrations of ethidium bromide. All cells were grown to G1 stage of the cell cycle. It was found that the mean density of the DNA topological linking number decreases from 0.076 turns per 10 nucleotide pairs in non-differentiated cells to 0.062 turns in the cells induced to differentiate. This decrease in topological linking number of DNA loops is quite sufficient for the change in the DNA double helix secondary structure which in turn may be responsible for coordinate switch in transcription of genes which control cellular differentiation (Luchnik, 1980a, b).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arnott, S., Fuller, W., Hudgson, A., Prutton, I.: Molecular conformations and structure transitions of RNA complementary helices and their possible biological significance. Nature 220, 561–564 (1968)
Botchan, P.: An electron microscopic composition of transcription of linear and superhelical DNA. J. Mol. Biol. 105, 161–176 (1976)
Colman, A., Cook, P.R.: Transcription of superhelical DNA from cell nuclei. Eur. J. Biochem. 76, 63–78 (1977)
Cook, P.R., Brazell, I.A., Jost, E.: Characterization of nuclear structures containing superhelical DNA. J. Cell Sci. 22, 303–324 (1976)
Gray, H.B., Upholt, W.B., Vinograd, J.: A boyant method for the determination of the superhelix density of closed circular DNA. J. Mol. Biol. 62, 1–19 (1971)
Hamilton, L.D.: DNA: models and reality. Nature 218, 633–637 (1968)
Hsieh, T-S., Brutlag, D.L.: A protein that preferentially binds Drosophila satellite DNA. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci (U.S.A.) 76, 726–730 (1979)
Luchnik, A.N.: Conformational transitions in closed circular DNA molecules. I. Topological and energetical considerations. Mol. Biol. Rep. (in press) (1980a)
Luchnik, A.N.: Conformational transitions in closed circular DNA molecules. II. Biological implications. Mol. Biol. Rep. (in press) (1980b)
Luchnik, A.N.: On the mechanism of SOS-repair and prophage induction: Relaxation hypothesis. J. Theor. Biol. 77, 229–231 (1979c)
Maestre, M.F., Wang, J.C.: Circular dichroism of superhelical DNA. Biopolymers 10, 1021–1030 (1971)
Marks, P.A., Rifkind, R.A.: Erythroleukemic differentiation. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 47, 419–448 (1978)
Milman, G., Chamberlain, M., Langridge, R.: The structure of a DNA-RNA hybrid. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 57, 1804–1810 (1967)
Scatchard, G.: The attractions of proteins for small molecules and ions. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 51, 660–672 (1949)
Singer, D., Cooper, M., Maniatis, G.M., Marks, P.A., Rifkind, R.A.: Erythroid differentiation in colonies of cells transformed by Friend virus. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 71, 2668–2670 (1974)
Wang, J.C.: The degree of unwinding of the DNA helix by ethidium. I. Titration of twisted PM 2 DNA molecules in alkaline cesium chloride density gradients. J. Mol. Biol. 89, 783–801 (1974)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by H. Böhme
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Luchnik, A.N., Glaser, V.M. Decrease in the number of DNA topological turns during friend erythroleukemia differentiation. Molec. Gen. Genet. 178, 459–463 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00270500
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00270500