Stability of nucleosomes in native and reconstituted chromatins.
The stability of nucleosomes of SV40 minichromosomes extracted from infected cells or reconstituted by association of SV40 DNA and the four histones H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 was studied as a function of the ionic strength. As a measure of the stability of the nucleosome, we followed the disappearance of the nucleosomes from the original chromatin and their appearance on a "competing" DNA. We show here that the DNA and the histone components of the nucleosomes do not apprecially dissociate below 800 mM NaCl. At 800 mM and above, the histone moiety of the nucleosomes can dissociate from the DNA and efficiently participate to the formation of nucleosomes on a "competing" DNA.
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002843:Chromatin / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D004247:DNA; D004270:DNA, Circular; D004279:DNA, Viral; D004355:Drug Stability; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006657:Histones; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D013539:Simian virus 40 / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D013950:Thymus Gland
D002843:Chromatin; D004270:DNA, Circular; D004279:DNA, Viral; D006657:Histones; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D004247:DNA