The effect of a high mobility group protein (HMG 17) on the structure of acetylated and control core HeLa cell chromatin

The effect of binding a high mobility group protein (HMG 17) on the stability and conformation of acetylated and control HeLa high molecular weight core chromatin (stripped of H1 and non-histone chromosomal proteins) was studied by circular dichroism and thermal-denaturation measurements. Previously it had been shown that conformational differences exist between native whole chromatin derived from butyrate-treated (acetylated) and control HeLa cells and that these conformational differences disappear by removing H1 and non-histone chromosomal proteins (Reczek, P.R., Weissman, D., Huvos, P.E. and Fasman, G.D. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 993–1002). The circular dichroism spectra and the thermal denaturation profiles of control and acetylated core chromatin were found to be similar. The circular dichroism properties of HMG 17 reconstituted highly acetylated and control core chromatin indicated the same alteration of chromatin structure at low ionic strength (1 mM sodium phosphate/0.25 mM EDTA, pH 7.0). The magnitudes of the decrease in ellipticity were proportional to the amount of HMG 17 bound and were found to be the same for both the acetylated and control core chromatin. Thermal denaturation profiles confirmed this change in structure induced by HMG 17 on control and highly acetylated core chromatin. The thermal denaturation profiles, which were resolved into three component transitions, exhibited a shifting of hyperchromicity from the lower melting transitions to the higher melting transitions, with a concomitant rise in T_m, on HMG 17 binding to both control and acetylated chromatin. The natures of the interactions of HMG 17 at higher ionic strength (50 mM NaCl/0.25 mM EDTA/1 mM sodium phosphate, pH 7.0) with acetylated and control core chromatin were slightly different, as measured by circular dichroism; however, a decrease in ellipticity was observed for both samples upon binding of HMG 17. These observations suggest that acetylation coupled with HMG 17 binding to core chromatin does not loosen chromatin structure. HMG 17 binding to control and acetylated core chromatin produces an overall stabilization and compaction of chromatin structure.