title: The crystal structure of nucleoplasmin-core: implications for histone binding and nucleosome assembly.
abstract: The efficient assembly of histone complexes and nucleosomes requires the participation of molecular chaperones. Currently, there is a paucity of data on their mechanism of action. We now present the structure of an N-terminal domain of nucleoplasmin (Np-core) at 2.3 A resolution. The Np-core monomer is an eight-stranded beta barrel that fits snugly within a stable pentamer. In the crystal, two pentamers associate to form a decamer. We show that both Np and Np-core are competent to assemble large complexes that contain the four core histones. Further experiments and modeling suggest that these complexes each contain five histone octamers which dock to a central Np decamer. This work has important ramifications for models of histone storage, sperm chromatin decondensation, and nucleosome assembly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, 700 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dutta
authors.forename: I V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Akey
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dingwall
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Hartman
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Laue
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Nolte
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Head
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Akey
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D006657:Histones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D056489:Nucleoplasmins; D009707:Nucleosomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D011485:Protein Binding; D017510:Protein Folding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D006657:Histones; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D056489:Nucleoplasmins; D009707:Nucleosomes; D010750:Phosphoproteins