Abstract
We have investigated the subunit structure of mitotic chromosomes of the acellular slime mould Physarum polycephalum, using the nuclease susceptibility of isolated mitotic nuclei as a probe. A characteristic pattern of DNA digestion products is obtained, containing approximately integral multiples of a basic 140 base pair DNA segment that resembles very closely the pattern in G2 phase nuclei of Physarum and of calf lymphocyte nuclei. These results demonstrate that during the process of chromosome condensation there is no alteration at the primary level of chromatin structure that is responsible for the characteristic DNA digestion pattern.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Burkholder, G.D., Weaver, M.G.: Differential accessibility of DNA in extended and condensed chromatin to pancreatic DNase I. Exp. Cell Res. 92, 518–522 (1975)
Chaveau, J., Moule, Y., Rouiller, Ch.: Isolation of pure and unaltered liver nuclei; morphology and biochemical composition. Exp. Cell Res. 11, 317–321 (1956)
Comings, D.E., Riggs, A.D.: Molecular mechanisms of chromosome pairing, folding and function. Nature (Lond.) 233, 48–50 (1971)
Daniel, J.W., Baldwin, H.H., In: Methods in cell physiology (Prescott, D.M., ed.), Vol. 1, pp. 9–41. New York: Academic Press 1964
Guttes, S., Guttes, E., Ellis, R.A.: Electron microscope study of mitosis in Physarum polycephalum. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 22, 508–529 (1968)
Holde, K.E. van, Sahasrabuddhe, C.G., Shaw, B.R.: A model for particulate structure in chromatin. Nucleic Acids Res. 1, 1579–1586 (1974)
Jockusch, B.M.: Neuere Forschungen über Zellzyklus und Kernteilung am Schleimpilz Physarum polycephalum. Naturwissenschaften 62, 283–289 (1975)
Jockusch, B.M., Walker, I.O.: The preparation and preliminary characterization of chromatin from the slime mould Physarum polycephalum. Europ. J. Biochem. 48, 417–425 (1975)
Kornberg, R.D.: Chromatin structure: A repeating unit of histones and DNA. Science 184, 868–871 (1974)
Mohberg, J., Babcock, K.L., Haugli, F.B., Rusch, H.P.: Nuclear DNA content and chromosome numbers in the myxomycete Physarum polycephalum. Develop. Biol. 34, 228–245 (1973)
Mohberg, J., Rusch, H.P.: Isolation of the nuclear histones from the myxomycete Physarum polycephalum. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 134, 577–589 (1969)
Mohberg, J., Rusch, H.P.: Isolation and DNA content of nuclei of Physarum polycephalum. Exp. Cell Res. 66, 305–315 (1973)
Noll, M.: Subunit structure of chromatin. Nature (Lond.) 251, 249–251 (1974)
Olins, D.E., Olins, A.L.: Spherical chromatin units (ν-bodies). Science 183, 330–332 (1974)
Oosterhoff, D.K., Hozier, J.C., Rill, R.L.: Nuclease action on chromatin: Evidence for discrete repeated nucleoprotein units along chromatin fibrils. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 72, 633–637 (1975)
Oudet, P., Gross-Bellard, M., Chambon, P.: Electron microscopic and biochemical evidence that chromatin structure is a repeating unit. Cell 4, 281–300 (1975)
Rattner, J.B., Branch, A., Hamkalo, B.A.: Electron microscopy of whole mount metaphase chromosomes. Chromosoma (Berl.) 52, 329–338 (1975)
Rill, R.L., Oosterhof, D.K., Hozier, J.C., Nelson, D.A.: Heterogeneity of chromatin fragments produced by micrococcal nuclease action. Nucleic Acids Res. 2, 1525–1538 (1975)
Ross, I.K.: Chromosome numbers in pure and gross cultures of myxomycetes. Amer. J. Bot. 53, 712–718 (1966)
Sakai, A., Shigenaga, M.: Electron microscopy of dividing cells. IV. Behavior of spindle microtubules during nuclear division in the plasmodium of the myxomycete Physarum polycephalum. Chromosoma (Berl.) 37, 101–116 (1972)
Seeburg, P.H., Schaller, H.: Mapping and characterization of promoters in bacteriophages fd, f1 and M13. J. molec. Biol. 92, 261–277 (1975)
Sharp, P.A., Sugden, B., Sambrock, J.: Detection of two restriction endonuclease activities in Haemophilus parainfluencae using analytical agarose-ethidium bromide electrophoresis. Biochemistry (Wash.) 12, 3055–3063 (1973)
Shaw, B.R., Herman, T.M., Kovacic, R.T., Beaudreau, G.S., Van Holde, K.E.: Analysis of subunit organization in chicken erythrocyte chromatin. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 73, 505–509 (1976)
Simpson, R.T., Polacow, I.: Protein-DNA interactions in extended and condensed chromatin. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 55, 1078–1084 (1973)
Sollner-Webb, B., Felsenfeld, G.: A comparison of the digestion of nuclei and chromatin by staphylococcal nuclease. Biochemistry (Wash.) 14, 2915–2920 (1975)
Taylor, J.H.: Replication and organization of chromomes. Proc. XII Int. Congr. Genet. 3, 177–189 (1969)
Woodcock, C.L.F.: Ultrastructure of inactive chromatin. J. Cell Biol. 59, 368a (1973)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hozier, J.C., Kaus, R. Subunit structure of chromosomes in mitotic nuclei of Physarum polycephalum . Chromosoma 57, 95–102 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00292952
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00292952