Targeted cross-linking and DNA cleavage within model chromatin complexes

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses targeted cross-linking and DNA cleavage within model chromatin complexes. Most of the structural information available about chromatin concerns nucleosome. A major area of interest concerns the molecular interactions of histone tail domains. The chapter presents a chemical approach to identify the molecular interactions made by histone tail domains and linker histone domains within chromatin complexes. This approach involves the construction of site-specific chemically modified proteins that are then used to probe the positional relationships within a complex. These techniques can be used with any chromatin complex that can be reconstituted in vitro . Uses of these techniques to probe the interactions of several core histone tail domains and a linker histone globular domain within an isolated nucleosome complex are described in the chapter. The chapter discusses the site-directed hydroxyl radical mapping of histone–DNA interactions.