title: Cloning, characterization and localization of Chinese hamster HP1 isoforms.
abstract: The Chinese hamster is one of the few mammalian species that are characterized by relatively poor heterochromatin content. It was intriguing to test whether or not the lack of large blocks of heterochromatin in the hamster chromosomes could be correlated with the absence or species-specific differences of the HP1 proteins, the main structural components of heterochromatin. To address this, we attempted to clone HP1 from the Chinese hamster. It is shown here that all three isoforms of HP1 known in mammals are present in hamster, and the amino acid sequences deduced from the cDNAs of the isoforms are 97-100% identical to those of the known mammalian homologues. All three isoforms are localized mainly in heterochromatic regions in the native chromosomes and nuclei. The hamster HP1 alpha gene was cloned, sequenced and mapped to the short arm of hamster chromosome 2. These data indicate that the Chinese hamster has all the HP1 components necessary for the establishment of heterochromatin. The limited amount of heterochromatin in hamster cells may probably be attributed to the unusual satellite DNA content of the hamster genome.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-6701 Szeged, P.O.Box 521, Hungary.
authors.forename: Barnabás
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Szakál
authors.forename: Imre
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cserpán
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Csonka
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Monostori
authors.forename: Andor
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Udvardy
authors.forename: Gyula
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hadlaczky
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D000090266:Chromobox Protein Homolog 5; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000276:immunology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus / Q000235:genetics*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D000090266:Chromobox Protein Homolog 5