Skip to main content
Log in

Protein-depleted chromosomes

I. Structure of isolated protein-depleted chromosomes

  • Published:
Chromosoma Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Protein-depleted isolated Chinese hamster chromosomes have been obtained by different protein extraction procedures and examined by electron microscopy and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Salt-resistant centromeric and telomeric structures are visible in protein-depleted chromosomes and the protein-depleted chromosomes appear to have a regular, longitudinal pattern in critical point dried preparations. The scaffold-like structure of protein-depleted chromosomes is highly affected by the ionic strength and composition of the extraction medium and by the spreading conditions. Nucleosomal histones of isolated chromosomes proved to be more sensitive to the sodium chloride treatment than histones of isolated chromatin. A small, but constant quantity of core histones was detected in 2 M salt extracted chromosomes and H3 and H4 histones of isolated chromosomes appeared to be resistant to the sodium deoxycholate treatment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adolph, K.W., Cheng, S.M., Laemmli, U.K.: Role of nonhistone proteins in metaphase chromosome structure. Cell 12, 805–816 (1977a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Adolph, K.W., Cheng, S.M., Paulson, J.R., Laemmli, U.K.: Isolation of a protein scaffold from mitotic Hela cell chromosomes. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 74, 4937–4941 (1977b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bahr, G.F., Larsen, P.M.: Structural “bands” in human chromosomes. Adv. Cell molec. Biol. 3, 191–212 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bak, A.L., Bak, P., Zeuthen, J.: Higher levels of organisation in chromosomes. J. theor. Biol. 76, 205–217 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhorjee, J.S., Pederson, T.: Chromatin: its isolation from cultured mamalian cells with particular reference to contamination by nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles. Biochemistry 12, 2766–2773 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bostock, C.J., Sumner, A.T.: The Eukaryotic Chromosome. Amsterdam: North-Holland Publ. Comp. 1978

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter, D.B., Chae, C.B.: Chromatin-bound protease: degradation of chromosomal proteins under chromatin dissociation conditions. Biochemistry 15, 180–185 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dounce, A.L., Chanda, S.K., Townes, P.L.: The structure of higher eukaryotic chromosomes. J. theor. Biol. 42, 275–285 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodpasture, C., Bloom, S.E.: Visualization of nucleolar organizer regions in mammalian chromosomes using silver staining. Chromosoma (Berl.) 53, 37–50 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hadlaczky, Gy., Sumner, A.T., Ross, A.: Protein-depleted chromosomes. II. Experiments concerning the reality of chromosome scaffolds. Chromosoma (Berl) 81, 557–567 (1981)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeppesen, P.G.M., Bankier, A.T., Sanders, L.: Non-histone proteins and the structure of metaphase chromosomes. Exp. Cell Res. 115, 293–305 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • Laemmli, U.K.: Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature (Lond.) 227, 680–685 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mace, M.L. Jr., Daskal, Y., Busch, H., Wray, V.P., Wray, W.: Isolated metaphase chromosomes: scanning electron microscopic appearance of salt-extracted chromosomes. Cytobios 19, 27–40 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Maio, J.J., Schildkraut, C.L.: A method for the isolation of mammalian metphase chromosomes. In: Methods of cell physiology (D.M. Prescott, ed.) vol. 2, pp 113–130. New York: Academic Press 1966

    Google Scholar 

  • Oudet, P., Gross-Bellard, M., Chambon, P.: Electron microscopic and biochemical evidence that chromatin structure is a repeating unit. Cell 4, 281–300 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Paulson, J.R., Laemmli, U.K.: The structure of histone-depleted metaphase chromosomes. Cell 12, 817–828 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Popenko, V., Vengerov, Y.: Protein-free spreading technique for the electron microscopy of DNA and chromatin. Microsc. Acta (Stuttgart) 80, 375–382 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • Rattner, J.B., Branch, A., Hamkalo, B.A.: Electron microscopy of whole mount metaphase chromosomes. Chromosoma (Berl.) 52, 329–338 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ris, H.: Levels of chromosome organization. J. Cell Biol. 79, 107 a (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • Smart, J.E., Bonner, J.: Selective dissociation of histones from chromatin by sodium deoxycholate. J. molec. Biol. 58, 651–659 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sobell, H.M.: The stereochemistry of actinomycin binding to DNA and its implications in molecular biology. Prog. Nucleic Acids Res. molec. Biol. 13, 153–190 (1973a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sobell, H.M.: Symmetry in protein-nucleic acid interaction and its genetic implications. Advanc. Genet. 17, 411–490 (1973 b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Stubblefield, E., Wray, W.: Architecture of the Chinese hamster metaphase chromosome. Chromosoma (Berl.) 32, 262–294 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Thoma, F., Koller, Th., Klug, A.: Involvement of histone H1 in the organization of nucleosome and of the salt dependent superstructures of chromatin. J. Cell Biol. 83, 403–427 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Weingarten, M.D., Suter, M.M., Littmann, D.R., Kirschner, M.W.: Properties of the depolymerization products of microtubules from mammalian brain. Biochemistry 13, 5529–5537 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hadlaczky, G., Sumner, A.T. & Ross, A. Protein-depleted chromosomes. Chromosoma 81, 537–555 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00285848

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00285848

Keywords

Navigation