Open AccessThe uni chromosome ofChlamydomonas: histone genes and nucleosome structure
Author(s) -
Zenta Walther,
J. L. Hall
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
nucleic acids research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 9.008
H-Index - 537
eISSN - 1362-4954
pISSN - 0305-1048
DOI - 10.1093/nar/23.18.3756
Subject(s) - biology , chlamydomonas , genetics , chlamydomonas reinhardtii , histone , gene , histone methylation , histone h2a , histone h4 , dna methylation , gene expression , mutant
The uni linkage group (ULG) of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii contains many genes involved in the basal body-flagellar system. Recent evidence suggests that the corresponding uni chromosome is located in close proximity to the basal body complex. In the course of studies into its molecular organization, we have found a cluster of four histone genes on the ULG. The genes are arranged as divergently-transcribed pairs: H3-H4 and H2B-H2A. Genomic sequencing reveals that these genes lack introns and contain characteristic 3' palindromes similar to those of animals. The predicted amino acid sequences are highly conserved across species, with greatest similarities to the histone genes of Volvox. Southern analysis shows that each histone gene is present in 15-20 copies in Chlamydomonas and suggests a dispersed genomic organization. Northern analysis of mitotically-synchronized cells shows that, like the replication-dependent histones of higher eukaryotes, Chlamydomonas histone genes are expressed during S-phase. Using a gene-specific probe on Northern blots, we provide evidence that the ULG H4 gene is regulated in the same manner as other Chlamydomonas histone genes. Finally, micrococcal nuclease protection experiments show that the uni chromosome itself associates with histone proteins and displays a conventional nucleosomal banding pattern.