Triiodothyronine-induced shortening of chromatin repeat length in neurons cultured in a chemically defined medium.
At the time of terminal differentiation, mammalian cortical neurons undergo a dramatic change in the structural organization of their chromatin: the nucleosomal repeat length shortens from approximately 200 base pairs in fetuses to a value of 165 base pairs after birth. These events occur several days after the end of neuronal proliferation. Previously, we reported that rat cortical neurons cultured in a very selective synthetic medium were not yet programmed to these events at the end of mitotic cycles. Herein, we report that addition of triiodothyronine to neuronal cultures induces a shortening of the chromatin repeat length comparable to the natural one.
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000196:embryology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002843:Chromatin / Q000032:analysis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003470:Culture Media; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009474:Neurons / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D051381:Rats; D013997:Time Factors; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000494:pharmacology*
D002843:Chromatin; D003470:Culture Media; D014284:Triiodothyronine; D004247:DNA