Template active chromatin structures: Degradation by deoxyribonuclease I

Chicken embryos were pulse-labelled in vivo with ³H]uridine (10 min), the chromatin isolated and treated with DNAse I. The residual chromatin was separated from the degradation products by centrifugation. The nascent pulse-labelled RNA is completely recovered in the residual chromatin even after prolonged incubation with DNAase I, whereas the DNA is completely degraded to 80 base polynucleotide fragments and smaller fragments.Abbreviations cDNA DNA complementary to mRNA - DOC deoxycholate - EDTA ethylendiamintetraacetic acid - SDS sodium-dodecylsulfate