The Molecular Basis of Differential Chromatin Condensation

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9302219 Hamkalo Two major approaches will be taken to begin an investigation of the molecular basis of differential chromosome condensation in higher eukaryotes. The first explores the putative role of the linker histone, H1, which exists in multiple amino acid sequence variants, in differential condensation. Antibodies generated in the laboratory against human subtypes will be used to determine subtype distribution in situ by immunofluoresence and to select by immunofaffinity methods chromatin fragments containing individual subtypes. Selected fragments will be analyzed for the distribution of specific DNA sequences in order to determine whether or not subtypes are functionally distinguishable. The second approach is designed to evaluate a novel method for the fractionation of specific DNA sequences as chromatin (nucleoprotein hybridization) in order to select primate centromeric satellite enriched chromatin fragments. %%% The experiments proposed are directed towards the identification of proteins that underly differential chromosome condensation in vertebrates. Differentially condensed chromatin is a diagnostic feature of chromosomal centromeres, telomeres and inactive genes. Thus, proteins involved in differential condensation may play a structural role as well as a functional role in the repression of genes. ***