Self-assembly of thin plates from micrococcal nuclease-digested chromatin of metaphase chromosomes.

ABSTRACT: The three-dimensional organization of the enormously long DNA molecules packaged within metaphase chromosomes has been one of the most elusive problems in structural biology. Chromosomal DNA is associated with histones and different structural models consider that the resulting long chromatin fibers are folded forming loops or more irregular three-dimensional networks. Here, we report that fragments of chromatin fibers obtained from human metaphase chromosomes digested with micrococcal nuclease associate spontaneously forming multilaminar platelike structures. These self-assembled structures are identical to the thin plates found previously in partially denatured chromosomes. Under metaphase ionic conditions, the fragments that are initially folded forming the typical 30-nm chromatin fiber

SUBMITTER: Milla M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3414884 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature