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Chromatin fine structure of active and repressed genes

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Abstract

Study of the structural organization of chromatin during transcription and replication may reveal important aspects of these processes. At the lowest level of organization, chromatin consists of a repeating subunit, the nucleosome (for reviews see refs 1–3). Electron microscopy indicates that the nucleosomes are arranged helically4–6 or form discrete superbeads7, generating the familiar 250 Å-300-Å fibre8. It has been suggested that this fibre is further folded into loops containing up to several hundred nucleosomes9,10. Despite extensive study, the significance and fate of these nucleosomes remain obscure. We have used here micrococcal nuclease digestion to compare the structures of actively transcribing and inert chromatin of the genes coding for the major heat-shock protein of Drosophila melanogaster. The repressed hsp 70 genes were considerably more resistant to cleavage by micrococcal nuclease than their flanking regions and the bulk of chromatin. The active genes, previously shown to be more sensitive than the repressed genes11–13, are also more susceptible to the nuclease than their 3′-flanking regions and bulk chromatin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cell Biology, Biocenter of the University, Klingelbergstrasse 70, Basel, CH-4056, Switzerland

    Abraham Levy & Markus Noll

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  1. Abraham Levy
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  2. Markus Noll
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Levy, A., Noll, M. Chromatin fine structure of active and repressed genes. Nature 289, 198–203 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/289198a0

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