Neutron Scattering Studies of the H2a-H2b and (H3-H4) sub 2 Histone Complexes

摘要

Neutron scattering experiments have shown that both the (H3-H4) sub 2 and H2a-H2b histone complexes are quite asymmetric in solution. The (H3-H4) sub 2 tetramer is an oblate or flattened structure, with a radius of gyration almost as large as that of the core octamer. If the tetramer is primarily globular, it must have an axial ratio of about 1:5. It is more likely, however, that this asymmetry results in part from N-terminal arms that extend outward approximately within the major plane of the particle. If this is the case, less asymmetric models for the globular part of the tetramer, including a dislocated disk, can be made consistent with the scattering data. The H2a-H2b dimer, on the other hand, is an elongated structure. 48 references, 12 figures, 1 table. (ERA citation 09:031728)