Nucleic Acids Research, Vol 25, Issue 3 458-466, Copyright © 1997 by Oxford University Press
R Tomaszewski and A Jerzmanowski
In vivo, histone H1 plays an active role in establishing the
transcriptionally repressed chromatin state of the oocyte-type 5S RNA genes
in the early stages of Xenopus development. By using fully defined in vitro
system of chromatin assembly on plasmids with cloned oocyte- or
somatic-type 5S gene repeats we found that the oocyte repeat which
comprises a 120 bp oocyte-type 5S RNA gene placed within the few hundred bp
long native AT-rich flanks, but not the somatic repeat (a similar 120 bp
somatic-type 5S RNA gene placed within native GC-rich flanks) enables
histone H1 to realign the nucleosomal core particles densely packed on
plasmid DNA. The realignment results in creation of the repeat unit of
approximately 240 bp and is achieved through complete removal of several
core histone complexes from plasmid template with the oocyte-type repeat.
This effect of H1 is independent on the plasmid sequences and seems to be
solely due to the presence in the oocyte-repeat of the AT-rich flanks. The
effects of H1 are completely suppressed by distamycin A, a drug that
specifically recognizes and binds oligo(dA).oligo(dT) runs in DNA. The
binding of H1 results in increased protection of DNA sites within the
AT-rich oocyte- type 5S repeat. In an in vitro transcription assay
performed with reconstituted chromatin templates containing plasmids with
the oocyte- or somatic-type repeats only the transcription of the
oocyte-type 5S RNA gene was repressed in the presence of physiological
concentration of histone H1. These results support the view that the
AT-rich flanks of the oocyte-type 5S RNA gene are involved in histone
H1-mediated chromatin reorganization that results in the transcriptional
repression observed in vivo.
ARTICLES
The AT-rich flanks of the oocyte-type 5S RNA gene of Xenopus laevis act as a strong local signal for histone H1-mediated chromatin reorganization in vitro
1 Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  G. S. Scippa, M. Di Michele, E. Onelli, G. Patrignani, D. Chiatante, and E. A. Bray The histone-like protein H1-S and the response of tomato leaves to water deficit J. Exp. Bot., January 1, 2004; 55(394): 99 - 109. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. Prymakowska-Bosak, M. R. Przewloka, J. lusarczyk, M. Kura, J. Lichota, B. Kiliaczyk, and A. Jerzmanowski Linker Histones Play a Role in Male Meiosis and the Development of Pollen Grains in Tobacco PLANT CELL, December 1, 1999; 11(12): 2317 - 2330. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 E. Bonnefoy, M.-T. Bandu, and J. Doly Specific Binding of High-Mobility-Group I (HMGI) Protein and Histone H1 to the Upstream AT-Rich Region of the Murine Beta Interferon Promoter: HMGI Protein Acts as a Potential Antirepressor of the Promoter Mol. Cell. Biol., April 1, 1999; 19(4): 2803 - 2816. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. Sera and A. P. Wolffe Role of Histone H1 as an Architectural Determinant of Chromatin Structure and as a Specific Repressor of Transcription on Xenopus Oocyte 5S rRNA Genes Mol. Cell. Biol., July 1, 1998; 18(7): 3668 - 3680. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. Howe and J. Ausió Nucleosome Translational Position, Not Histone Acetylation, Determines TFIIIA Binding to Nucleosomal Xenopus laevis 5S rRNA Genes Mol. Cell. Biol., March 1, 1998; 18(3): 1156 - 1162. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|