The identity of conformational states of reconstituted and native histone octamers

Abstract

Histone octamers were reconstituted from the following preparations: (a) natural histone H3-H4 tetramer and histone H2A-H2B dimer, either selectively extracted from chromatin with solutions chloride or prepared by dissociation of the natural octamer; (b) acid-denatured core histones, either an unfractionated mixture or individually purified proteins. Complexes assembled from these histones elute from exclusion chromatography columns with octamer size as verified by cross-linking with dimethylsuberimidate. The reconstituted octamers all crystallize in the same form of helical tubes as the natural octamer.