Useful notes on Nucleosomes!

Woodcock (1973) has shown that chromatin consists of a repeating pattern of bodies known as
nucleosomes. Nucleosomes are composed mainly of DNA and histone molecules.
Though DNA molecules are very long yet they are packed with the help of positively charged
histones into smaller diameter. This fundamental packing unit is known as nucleosome (Fig.
6.7).

A protein needs charge depending upon the abundance of amino acids residues with charged side
chains. Histones are rich in lysine and arginine (amino acid residues). These amino acids carry
positive charge in their side chains.
Under electron microscope, most of chromatin is seen as a fibre with diameter of 30 nm. The
basic form of chromatin packing is commonly known as 30 nm chromatin fibre. Though DNA
molecules are very long, yet they are packed with the help of histones into small diameter. This
fundamental packing unit is known as nucleosome.
The nudeosomes give chromatin its beads- on-a-string (Fig. 6.7) appearance in electron
microscope. The nucleosome beads appear as disc-shaped particles with a diameter of about 11
nm. Each nucleosome bead consists of an act of 8 histone molecules (octamer) copies.
Each of these highly conserved nucleosomal histones, H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 are two in number.
These histones form a protein core around which the double-stranded DNA fragment (146 loose
long pairs) is wounded. The histone octamer is also called nu (v8) body. Each histone molecule
has two parts, uncharged hydrophobic region and charged region, having basic amino acids.

DNA is wrapped over the histone octamer of nucleosome in a superhelical (helix of higher order)
state forming 1.75 turns (Fig. 6.11). DNA also extends as a continuous thread from nucleosome
to nucleosome.


Each nucleosome bead is separated from the next by a region of linker DNA which is
approximately 60 base pairs. The linker DNA plus the nucleosome bead constitutes the entire
nucleosome which therefore contains about 200 base pairs of DNA.

P. Oudet (1975) gave the term nucleosome for these repeating units visible under electron
microscope.
Nucleosome (12.5 nm) = 200 base pairs +2 molecules each of H2A, H2B, H3, H4.
(B) Telomeres:
Telomeres are most conservative elements both in structure and function. Telomeric DNA
consists of randomly, repeated sequence of clusters of C on one strand and G, on the other.
There are 12 + 6 nucleotides in length of G rich strand, e.g., the telomeric repeat sequence in
Tetrahymena is GGGGTT, in Homosapiens, Neurospora, slime molds, Trypanosomas, etc., it is
AGGGTT, In Plasmodium, it is AGGG (T/C) TT. In Chlamydomonas it is AGGGTTTT, etc.
The same repeated sequence is found at the end of all chromosomes in a species. The same
telomeric sequence may occur in widely divergent species. At every telomere at least 10
kilobases of this repeat sequences may occur. The telomerase telomeric DNA is associated with
nonhistone proteins and is attached with nuclear envelope. The telomeric DNA synthesized is
influenced by enzyme telomerase (ribonucleoprotein whose RNA component works as a
template for synthesis of telomeric DNA repeats (Fig. 45.9).
Elizabeth Blackburn and Carol Greider discovered the enzyme telomerase which can add new
repeat units to the 3 end of the strand created by removal of the RNA primer. Once the 3 end of
each other strand been lengthened, a conventional RNA polymerase can use the newly 3
segment as a template to return the 5 ends of the complementary strands to their previous length.
Telomerase is a reverse transcriptase that synthesizes DNA using an RNA temptale. The enzyme
itself contains the RNA that serves as its template.
Telomere is very important part of a chromosome. It is required for the complete replication of
the chromosome. It forms caps that protect the chromosome from nuclease. It prevents the ends
of chromosomes from fusing with one another. It facilitates interaction between the ends of the
chromosome and the nuclear envelope in some types of cells.

Telomere shrinking or shortening is thought to continue to a critical point when the cell
recognizes the impending loss of a telomere and activates suicide programme that leads to death
of a cell.
Telomere shortening plays a key role in protecting the body from cancer. Cells that fail to
express telomerase die out, where as cells expressing the enzyme are immortalized.