Interaction of mouse and Drosophila H1 histones with chromosomes and DNA
Leĭbovich, B.A.; Bogdanova, E.S.
Molekuliarnaia Biologiia 17(1): 162-171
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0026-8984 PMID: 6306443 Document Number: 216181
The relative binding of [3H]labeled H1 histones to X chromosomes was assayed as compared with autosomes on polytene chromosome preparations from Drosophila salivary glands. Drosophila and mouse H1 histones did not differ in the interaction with female X chromosomes and showed a higher binding efficiency with male Drosophila X chromosomes on preparations. The relative binding value in the case of male X chromosomes was higher for Drosophila H1 (0.37) than for mouse H1 (0.29). The difference in X chromosome structure between Drosophila males and females was shown to be recognized by H1 histones, and H1 histones were shown to be species specific with respect to chromosome binding. Drosophila and mouse H1 histone do not differ in the ability to retain superhelical, relaxed or linear ColEI DNA on nitrocellulose filters and interact in the same way with Drosophila and mouse H1 histone do not differ in the ability to retain superhelical, relaxed or linear ColEI DNA on nitrocellulose filters and interact in the same way with Drosophila main and satellite DNA fractions. Novobiocin inhibits DNA replication and transcription in Drosophila diploid and polytene tissues in vivo, but has no effect on the activity of Drosophila topoisomerase I or nucleosome formation in vitro. Preincubation of salivary glands with novobiocin causes a relative inhibition of the template activity of male X chromosomes on polytene chromosome preparations in the presence of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. The decreased transcription activity of X chromosomes may be due to the inhibition of enzymes having an influence on the 3-dimensional organization of the chromosomes, e.g., topoisomerase II.