盐透析体外组装核小体及检测方法

核小体是构成真核生物染色质的基本结构单位,体内研究核小体及染色质结构受到诸多因素限制,体外重构核小体结构是研究与核小体及染色质结构相关课题的一种重要的方法手段.实验将ES1,CS1以及601DNA序列克隆到载体中,通过PCR大量扩增回收得到目的DNA条带,表达纯化了4种组蛋白且装配成组蛋白八聚体,在盐透析的条件下组装形成核小体结构,利用EB染色以及Biotin标记的方法分析检测了形成核小体的效率.结果显示,在盐透析的条件下,可以有效的组装形成核小体结构,而且随着组蛋白八聚体与DNA的比例增加,核小体的形成效率显著提高.本实验为核小体定位、染色质重塑及组蛋白变体等表观遗传学以及结构生物学领域的研究奠定一定的基础.     

对于核小体定位检测方法的比较研究

在真核细胞中,核小体是组成染色质的基本结构单位,是由DNA紧密缠绕在组蛋白八聚体上所形成的一个复合体结构。而DNA与组蛋白的结合并不是固定不变的,没有核小体结合的DNA区域易于各种调节蛋白的接近与结合。因此人们怀疑核小体的定位与基因的转录调节之间存在某种内在联系。对现行的核小体定位的检测方法进行了归类,并对其优缺点进行了分析整理。对更深入的探索核小体定位检测方法的应用有一定意义。     

植物组蛋白分子伴侣研究进展

染色质作为真核生物遗传信息的载体,其基本结构与功能单位是核小体．细胞核内与DNA相关的生理反应如DNA复制,需要核小体的去组装以利于各类细胞因子与DNA结合,再进行核小体的重新组装以重建有功能的染色质结构,这些过程需要组蛋白分子伴侣的介导．目前的研究结果显示,组蛋白分子伴侣对于染色质结构稳定和基因表达调控非常重要．文中对植物组蛋白分子伴侣的研究进展,及其在植物生长发育过程中所发挥的作用进行综述．     

HMGA2的结构、功能及调控机制

前言 核小体是染色质的基本单位, 由DNA和核心组蛋白八聚体 (H2A、H2B、H3和H4各两分子)组成,并由不同的蛋白质〔包括组蛋白H1和高迁移率组(HMG)蛋白〕组成高级结构.     

组蛋白修饰组合模式研究进展

核小体是染色质的基本结构单位,核小体组蛋白N末端尾部可以发生甲基化、乙酰化等多种共价修饰.组蛋白密码假设多种组蛋白修饰以组合方式发挥作用.自组蛋白密码假设被提出后,组蛋白修饰组合模式成为表观遗传学领域的重要研究内容.在染色质免疫沉淀基因芯片和免疫沉淀高通量测序等相关实验数据的基础上,多种算法被用于研究组蛋白修饰的组合.文章介绍了组蛋白修饰的发生、位点、相关修饰酶以及生物学功能,对组蛋白修饰组合以及与基因表达关系的研究进行了总结,同时对组蛋白修饰组合模式一些适用的研究方法做了概述和分析.     

华美游仆虫大、小核的透射电镜和生化抽提-扫描电镜观察

应用透射电镜术和生化抽提扫描电镜术显示,华美游仆虫大核核膜表面形成孔状结构,并有相当数量的附着物;小核核膜表面也有孔状结构,但附着物较少.此外,非分裂期大核染色质凝缩排列形成染色质团,染色质团由染色质颗粒构成,各个染色质颗粒含有许多均质的染色质小体;大核DNA合成期间,大核复制带区的染色质团分解成染色质小体.据所得结果认为,染色质小体是构成游仆虫大核的基本结构单元;大、小核形态上的差异与其在无性生殖期间核、质间的功能活动及物质联系有关.     

核小体结合模体的理论预测和检验

核小体结合模体集合的理论预测对于全面了解核小体的定位和染色质重塑以及DNA序列的结构和进化具有重要的意义.以人类1号染色体基因间序列为样本,研究了8-mer相对模体数随频次分布的三峰现象.发现依照8-mer中CG二核苷含量分类,三个8-mer子集(记为iCG,i=1,2,3)形成独立的单峰分布,而依照其它15种二核苷含量分类则没有此现象.分析DNA序列的这一独特结构后,提出一个理论猜想,即含1CG的模体就是核小体结合模体集合.为了验证这一猜想,提取了1CG 8-mer中偏好和稀有的三核苷,分别构建了核小体特征参数Ktri(O)和Ktri(R),得到它们在基因转录起始序列(TSS)上的分布,将两类分布分别与实验给出的核小体占据率分布做线性拟合.统计结果显示,1177个TSS序列中,置信度大于95%的序列占到总数的89.2%,置信度大于99%的序列占到总数的81.6%.结果验证了1CG模体集合就是核小体结合模体的猜想.     

组蛋白甲基化密码与“阅读器”破译

<正>真核生物中基因组DNA是以染色质形式存在的。核小体是构成染色质的基本单位。核小体及高级染色质结构的形成一方面有效储存和保护了DNA序列所蕴含的遗传信息;另一方面,作为基因组DNA的具体存在方式,染色质结构成为各种需要接触DNA的细胞过程(如转录、复制、损伤修复等)的天然障碍,使染色质成为了一个重要的遗传信息表达     

不同组蛋白修饰以及修饰与修饰酶之间的关系

核小体是染色质的基本结构单位,核小体组蛋白尾部可以发生甲基化、乙酰化等多种共价修饰.以含有组蛋白修饰酶的修饰数据库为基础,借助网络研究了一些修饰之间以及与修饰酶之间的关联关系,同时从相关修饰酶及其复合物的角度分析了这些关联.结果显示部分修饰之间或与相关修饰酶之间存在直接的关联关系.包含修饰酶的酶复合物可以通过自身的蛋白结构域与甲基化或者乙酰化修饰结合,进一步利用自身的修饰酶亚基催化其它组蛋白修饰,从而使得两种组蛋白修饰之间建立关联.     

染色质结构及功能的变化与衰老关系的研究

有机体的所有信息全都贮存于DNA中,DNA与组蛋白及非组蛋白相复合而构成称为染色质的遗传装置。不论是组蛋白还是非组蛋白,都经历着多种合成后的共价修饰作用,一磷酸化、工酰化、ADP—核糖基化和甲基化。这些修饰作用可改变染色质的结构组织,也可改变它的模板活性。     

Crystal structure of the human centromeric nucleosome containing CENP-A

In eukaryotes, accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis and meiosis is coordinated by kinetochores, which are unique chromosomal sites for microtubule attachment. Centromeres specify the kinetochore formation sites on individual chromosomes, and are epigenetically marked by the assembly of nucleosomes containing the centromere-specific histone H3 variant, CENP-A. Although the underlying mechanism is unclear, centromere inheritance is probably dictated by the architecture of the centromeric nucleosome. Here we report the crystal structure of the human centromeric nucleosome containing CENP-A and its cognate α-satellite DNA derivative (147 base pairs). In the human CENP-A nucleosome, the DNA is wrapped around the histone octamer, consisting of two each of histones H2A, H2B, H4 and CENP-A, in a left-handed orientation. However, unlike the canonical H3 nucleosome, only the central 121 base pairs of the DNA are visible. The thirteen base pairs from both ends of the DNA are invisible in the crystal structure, and the αN helix of CENP-A is shorter than that of H3, which is known to be important for the orientation of the DNA ends in the canonical H3 nucleosome. A structural comparison of the CENP-A and H3 nucleosomes revealed that CENP-A contains two extra amino acid residues (Arg?80 and Gly?81) in the loop 1 region, which is completely exposed to the solvent. Mutations of the CENP-A loop 1 residues reduced CENP-A retention at the centromeres in human cells. Therefore, the CENP-A loop 1 may function in stabilizing the centromeric chromatin containing CENP-A, possibly by providing a binding site for trans-acting factors. The structure provides the first atomic-resolution picture of the centromere-specific nucleosome.     

Determinants of nucleosome organization in primary human cells

Nucleosomes are the basic packaging units of chromatin, modulating accessibility of regulatory proteins to DNA and thus influencing eukaryotic gene regulation. Elaborate chromatin remodelling mechanisms have evolved that govern nucleosome organization at promoters, regulatory elements, and other functional regions in the genome. Analyses of chromatin landscape have uncovered a variety of mechanisms, including DNA sequence preferences, that can influence nucleosome positions. To identify major determinants of nucleosome organization in the human genome, we used deep sequencing to map nucleosome positions in three primary human cell types and in vitro. A majority of the genome showed substantial flexibility of nucleosome positions, whereas a small fraction showed reproducibly positioned nucleosomes. Certain sites that position in vitro can anchor the formation of nucleosomal arrays that have cell type-specific spacing in vivo. Our results unveil an interplay of sequence-based nucleosome preferences and non-nucleosomal factors in determining nucleosome organization within mammalian cells.     

Chromatin remodelling at a DNA double-strand break site in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is crucial for maintaining genome stability. Eukaryotic cells repair DSBs by both non-homologous end joining and homologous recombination. How chromatin structure is altered in response to DSBs and how such alterations influence DSB repair processes are important issues. In vertebrates, phosphorylation of the histone variant H2A.X occurs rapidly after DSB formation, spreads over megabase chromatin domains, and is required for stable accumulation of repair proteins at damage foci. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, phosphorylation of the two principal H2A species is also signalled by DSB formation, which spreads approximately 40 kb in either direction from the DSB. Here we show that near a DSB phosphorylation of H2A is followed by loss of histones H2B and H3 and increased sensitivity of chromatin to digestion by micrococcal nuclease; however, phosphorylation of H2A and nucleosome loss occur independently. The DNA damage sensor MRX is required for histone loss, which also depends on INO80, a nucleosome remodelling complex. The repair protein Rad51 (ref. 6) shows delayed recruitment to DSBs in the absence of histone loss, suggesting that MRX-dependent nucleosome remodelling regulates the accessibility of factors directly involved in DNA repair by homologous recombination. Thus, MRX may regulate two pathways of chromatin changes: nucleosome displacement for efficient recruitment of homologous recombination proteins; and phosphorylation of H2A, which modulates checkpoint responses to DNA damage.     

The structure of DNA in the nucleosome core

The 1.9-A-resolution crystal structure of the nucleosome core particle containing 147 DNA base pairs reveals the conformation of nucleosomal DNA with unprecedented accuracy. The DNA structure is remarkably different from that in oligonucleotides and non-histone protein-DNA complexes. The DNA base-pair-step geometry has, overall, twice the curvature necessary to accommodate the DNA superhelical path in the nucleosome. DNA segments bent into the minor groove are either kinked or alternately shifted. The unusual DNA conformational parameters induced by the binding of histone protein have implications for sequence-dependent protein recognition and nucleosome positioning and mobility. Comparison of the 147-base-pair structure with two 146-base-pair structures reveals alterations in DNA twist that are evidently common in bulk chromatin, and which are of probable importance for chromatin fibre formation and chromatin remodelling.     

The RCAF complex mediates chromatin assembly during DNA replication and repair

Chromatin assembly is a fundamental biological process that is essential for the replication and maintenance of the eukaryotic genome. In dividing cells, newly synthesized DNA is rapidly assembled into chromatin by the deposition of a tetramer of the histone proteins H3 and H4, followed by the deposition of two dimers of histones H2A and H2B to complete the nucleosome-the fundamental repeating unit of chromatin. Here we describe the identification, purification, cloning, and characterization of replication-coupling assembly factor (RCAF), a novel protein complex that facilitates the assembly of nucleosomes onto newly replicated DNA in vitro. RCAF comprises the Drosophila homologue of anti-silencing function 1 protein ASF1 and histones H3 and H4. The specific acetylation pattern of H3 and H4 in RCAF is identical to that of newly synthesized histones. Genetic analyses in Saccharomyces cerevisiae demonstrate that ASF1 is essential for normal cell cycle progression, and suggest that RCAF mediates chromatin assembly after DNA replication and the repair of double-strand DNA damage in vivo.