title: Effect of polyamines on histone-induced DNA compaction of hyperthermophilic archaea.
abstract: The effect of polyamines on histone-mediated DNA compaction was examined in vitro with archaeal histone HpkA from Pyrococcus kodakaraensis KOD1. An agarose gel mobility-shift experiment indicated that histone-bound DNA (compacted DNA) was further compacted by addition of a polyamine (putrescine, spermidine, or spermine) or its acetylated form (N-acetylputrescine, N1-acetylspermidine, N8-acetylspermidine, or N1-acetylspermine) when the mixture was incubated at above 75 degrees C. Spermine was most effective in compaction enhancement among all the polyamines tested. A high concentration of potassium ion (1.0 M) did not stabilize the compacted form of DNA even though double-stranded DNA was stably maintained against thermal denaturation at elevated temperatures under this condition. It appears likely that multivalent polyamines have a nucleosome maintenance function in hyperthermophilic archaea in high-temperature environments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Higashibata
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ezaki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukui
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Imanaka