Identifying Genomic Sites of ADP-Ribosylation Mediated by Specific Nuclear PARP Enzymes Using Click-ChIP.

Nuclear poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs), including PARPs 1, 2, and 3 and the Tankyrases, belong to a family of enzymes that can bind to chromatin and covalently modify histone- and chromatin-associated proteins with ADP-ribose derived from nuclear NAD. The genomic loci where the nuclear PARPs bind and covalently modify chromatin are a fundamental question in PARP biology. Chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with deep sequencing (ChIP-seq) has become an essential tool for determining specific sites of binding and modification genome-wide.

Linker histone H1 and protein-protein interactions.

Linker histones H1 are ubiquitous chromatin proteins that play important roles in chromatin compaction, transcription regulation, nucleosome spacing and chromosome spacing. H1 function in DNA and chromatin structure stabilization is well studied and established. The current paradigm of linker histone mode of function considers all other cellular roles of linker histones to be a consequence from H1 chromatin compaction and repression.

Sedimentation Velocity Analysis of Large Oligomeric Chromatin Complexes Using Interference Detection.

Sedimentation velocity experiments measure the transport of molecules in solution under centrifugal force. Here, we describe a method for monitoring the sedimentation of very large biological molecular assemblies using the interference optical systems of the analytical ultracentrifuge. The mass, partial-specific volume, and shape of macromolecules in solution affect their sedimentation rates as reflected in the sedimentation coefficient.

Increasing prion propensity by hydrophobic insertion.

Prion formation involves the conversion of proteins from a soluble form into an infectious amyloid form. Most yeast prion proteins contain glutamine/asparagine-rich regions that are responsible for prion aggregation. Prion formation by these domains is driven primarily by amino acid composition, not primary sequence, yet there is a surprising disconnect between the amino acids thought to have the highest aggregation propensity and those that are actually found in yeast prion domains.

Assembly of nucleosomal arrays from recombinant core histones and nucleosome positioning DNA.

Core histone octamers that are repetitively spaced along a DNA molecule are called nucleosomal arrays. Nucleosomal arrays are obtained in one of two ways: purification from in vivo sources, or reconstitution in vitro from recombinant core histones and tandemly repeated nucleosome positioning DNA. The latter method has the benefit of allowing for the assembly of a more compositionally uniform and precisely positioned nucleosomal array.