Quantitation with monoclonal antibodies of Escherichia coli H protein suggests histone function.
The abundance of the histonelike H protein of Escherichia coli (U. Hübscher, H. Lutz, and A. Kornberg, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77:5097-5101, 1980) was determined by using monoclonal antibodies against H protein, immunoblotting, and homogeneous H protein as a standard. H protein was found to be present at approximately 120,000 monomeric molecules per fast-growing E. coli cell. This amount of H protein corresponds to a ratio of one H protein molecule to approximately 200 base pairs of the bacterial chromosome. Together with previous results, these findings suggest that H protein has histonelike function similar to that of histone protein H2A, its counterpart in the eucaryotic cell.
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000032:analysis*; D006657:Histones / Q000032:analysis*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D006657:Histones; C040330:histone-like protein HU, bacteria