Abstract
In the interphase nuclei of cultured cells, chromatin is compacted and organized in higher-order structures through the condensation and decondensation processes. Chromosomes in the interphase nucleus are known to occupy distinct territories. The chromosome territory-interchromatin compartment model premises that the interchromatin compartment is separated from compact higher-order chromatin domains and expands in between these chromatin-organized territories. Chromatin in cultured cells is compacted under some conditions, such as the stress of heat shock and high osmolarity, and Src-mediated nuclear tyrosine phosphorylation. We report here that a novel arginine-rich cationic protein is generated by frameshift mutation of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). The arginine-rich cationic protein is highly hydrophilic and contains potential arginine-based nuclear localization signals. Expression of the arginine-rich cationic protein shows its predominant localization to the nucleus and induces striking chromatin condensation in the interphase, which might be involved in interchromatin spacing or euchromatinization. Thus, the arginine-rich cationic protein as a new tool would be useful for dissecting chromatin architecture dynamics.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported in part by grants-in-aid for Scientific Research and Special Funds for Education and Research (Development of SPECT probes for Pharmaceutical Innovation) from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and a research grant from the Suzuken Memorial Foundation.
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Yukihiro Higashiyama and Akinori Takahashi contributed equally to this work.
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Higashiyama, Y., Takahashi, A., Fukumoto, Y. et al. Induction of chromatin condensation by nuclear expression of a novel arginine-rich cationic protein genetically engineered from the enhanced green fluorescent protein. Cytotechnology 60, 153–159 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-009-9227-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-009-9227-7