The subunit structure of the eukaryotic chromosome.
New strucutral data have been obtained from neutron scattering studies of chromatin. The concentration-dependent meridional peak at 10-11 nm comes from the interparticle spacing of a subunit structure. Peaks at 5.5 and 3.7 nm have a different contrast behaviour to those at 11.0 and 3.7 nm showing that histones and DNA have a different spatial arrangement in the subunit. A globular model in which apolar segments of histones from the core surrounded by DNA complexed with the basic segments of histones agrees with the data.
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002843:Chromatin; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000032:analysis*; D003461:Crystallography; D004247:DNA; D003903:Deuterium; D006657:Histones; D008961:Models, Structural; D009502:Neutrons; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000032:analysis; D014867:Water
D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones; D014867:Water; D004247:DNA; D003903:Deuterium