Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Genomic transcriptional activity and the structure of chromatin

Abstract

Nucleic acid hybridisation has shown that micrococcal nuclease-derived chromatin submits from the cells of Xenopus laevis contain fragments of ribosomal 28S, 18S and 5S RNAs within the population of 200 base-pair pieces of DNA. Subunits from cultured embryonic cells actively transcribing ribosomal RNA contain only 70–74% of the cistronspresent in undigested wild-type DNA, while subunits from adult erythrocytes not active in RNA transcription contain close to 90% of the ribosomal cistrons in native chromatin.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hewish, D. R., and Burgoyne, L. A., Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun., 52, 504–510 (1973).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Noll, M., Nature., 251, 249–251 (1974).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Rill, R., and Van Holde, K. E., J. biol Chem., 248, 1080–1083 (1973).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Kornberg, R. D., and Thomas, J. O., Science, 184, 865–868 (1974).

    ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Sahasrabuddhe, C. G., and Van Holde, K. E., J. biol. Chem., 249, 152–156 (1974).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Honda, B. M., Baillie, D. L., and Candido, E. P. M., J. biol. Chem. . 250, 4643–4647 (1975).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Noll, M., Thomas, J. O., and Kornberg, R. D., Science, 187, 1203–1206 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Kornberg, R. D., Science, 184, 868–871 (1974).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Thomas, J. O., and Kornberg, R. D., Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 72, 2626–2630 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Van Holde, K. E., Sahasrabuddhe, C. G., and Shaw, B. R., Nucleic Acids Res., 1, 1579–1586 (1974).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Olins, D. E., and Olins, A. L., J. Cell Biol., 53, 715–736 (1972).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. Oudet, P., Gross-Bellard, M., and Chambon, P., Cell, 4, 281–300 (1975).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Langmore, J. P., and Wooley, K. C., Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 72, 2691–2695 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Griffith, J., Science, 187, 1202–1203 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Baldwin, J. P., Boseley, P. G., Bradbury, E. M., and Ibel, K., Nature, 253, 245–249 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Clark, R. J., and Felsenfeld, G., Nature new Biol., 229, 101–106 (1971).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Clark, R. J., and Felsenfeld, G., Biochemistry, 13, 3623–3628 (1974).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Axel, R., Cedar, H., and Felsenfeld, G., Biochemistry, 14, 2489–2495 (1975).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Axel, R., Cedar, H., and Felsenfeld, G., Cold Spring Harb. Symp. quant. Biol., 38, 773–783 (1973).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Cedar, H., and Felsenfeld, G., J. molec. Biol., 77, 237–254 (1973).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Axel, R., Melchior, W., Jr, Sollner-Webb, B., and Felsenfeld, G., Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 71, 4101–4105 (1974).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Simpson, R. T., in Curr. Topics Biochem. (edit. by Anfinsen, C. B., and Schechter, A. N.), 135–185 (Academic, New York, 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Subramanian, K. N., Pan, J., Zain, S., and Weissman, S. M., Nucleic Acids Res., 1, 727–752 (1974).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Danna, K. J., Sack, G. H., and Nathans, D., J. molec. Biol., 78, 363–376 (1973).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Birnstiel, M. L., Chipchase, M., and Speirs, J., Prog. nucl. Res. and molec. Biol., 11, 351–389 (1971).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Dawid, I. B., Brown, D. D., and Reeder, R. H., J. molec. Biol, 51, 341–360 (1970).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Brown, D. D., and Weber, C. S., J. molec. Biol., 34, 661–680 (1968).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Brown, D. D., and Weber, C. S., J. molec. Biol., 34, 681–697 (1968).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Gurdon, J. B., The Control of Gene Expression in Animal Development (Clarendon, Oxford, 1974).

    Google Scholar 

  30. Wallace, H., and Birnstiel, M. L., Biochim. biophys. Acta, 114, 296–310 (1966).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Elsdale, T. R., Fischberg, M., and Smith, S., Expl Cell Res., 14, 642–643 (1958).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. McConaughy, B. L., Laird, C. D., and McCarthy, B. J., Biochemistry, 8, 3289–3295 (1969).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Miller, L., and Knowland, J., J. molec. Biol., 53, 329–338 (1970).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Gillespie, D., Meth. Enzymol., 12 B, 641–668 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Brown, D. D., Wensink, P. C., and Jordan, E., Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 68, 3175–3179 (1971).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Wensink, P. C., and Brown, D. D., J. molec. Biol, 60, 235–247 (1971).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Hilder, V. A., and Maclean, N., J. Cell Sci., 16, 133–142 (1974).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Mitchison, J. M., The Biology of the Cell Cycle (Cambridge University Press, London, 1971).

    Google Scholar 

  39. Knowland, J., and Miller, L., J. molec. Biol., 53, 321–328 (1970).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Brown, D., and Littna, E., J. molec. Biol., 8, 669–687 (1964).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Sharp, P. A., Sugden, B., and Sambrook, J., Biochemistry, 12, 3055–3063 (1973).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Paul, J., Cell and Tissue Culture (Livingston, London, 1970).

    Google Scholar 

  43. Destree, O. H., d'Adelhart-Toorop, and Charles, R., Acta Morph. Neerl.-Scand., 10, 233–248 (1972).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Lowry, O. H., Rosebrough, N. J., Farr, A. L., and Randall, R. J., J. biol. Chem., 193, 265–275 (1951).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Gurdon, J. B., in Methods in Developmental Biology, (edit. by Wilt, F. H., and Wessells, N. K.), 75–84 (Crowell, New York, 1967).

    Google Scholar 

  46. Burton, K., Meth. Enzymol., 12 B, 163–165 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  47. Denhardt, D. T., Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun., 23, 641–645 (1966).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Roschenthater, R., and Herrlich, P., Meth. molec. Biol., 4, 241–245 (1973).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Reeves, R., Jones, A. Genomic transcriptional activity and the structure of chromatin. Nature 260, 495–500 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/260495a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/260495a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing