Basic nuclear proteins

Tanphaichitr N, Sobhon P, Taluppeth N, Chalermisarachai P (1978) Basic nuclear proteins in testicular cells and ejaculated spermatozoa in man. Exp Cell Res 117 347-356... 

The proteins known today as linker or HI histones were initially described as the abundant lysine-rich nuclear proteins that could be separated by chromatography on ion exchange resin from other major basic nuclear proteins known today as core histones (for review see Refs. [1,2]). During gel electrophoresis of histones the HI fraction migrated as the slowest and most heterogeneous band. Upon the discovery of nucleosomal organization of chromatin in the mid 1970s it turned out that linker histones are not involved in the assembly of the nucleosomal protein core, but bind to DNA between nucleosomes (hence their name). 

Tanphaichitr, N., Sobhon, P., Taluppeth, N., and Chalermisarachai, P. (1978) Basic nuclear proteins in testicular cells and ejaculated spermatozoa in man. Exp. Cell Res. 117, 347-356. Palmer, D.K., O Day, K., and Margolis, R.L. (1990) The centromere specific histone CENP-A is selectively retained in discrete foci in mammalian sperm nuclei. Chromosoma 100, 32-36. 

NMR Studies of the Binding of an SPXX-Containing Peptide from High-Molecular-Weight Basic Nuclear Proteins to an A-T Rich DNA Hairpin... 

The hypothesis of Stedman and Stedman (1951), which is supported by the more recent in vitro observations of Bonner and his colleagues [Huang and Bonner, 1962 Bonner and Huang, 1964 Bonner et al. 1968 (1)] and Allfrey (1966), postulates that another basic nuclear protein, histone, may modify or repress the genetic expression of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in somatic cell nuclei. Thus it seems likely that the next study of biological interest based on a knowledge of the structures of the two components, DNA and protamine, will focus on the function and roles of the various components of a protamine in the sperm cell nuclei before, during, and after fertilization. 

Histones and protamines are present in animal cell nuclei as basic nuclear proteins associated with deoxyribonucleic acid. They are known to be inhomogeneous and probably consist of definite amounts of several components which are very similar in their nature and structure. The significance of the heterogeneity of these basic nuclear proteins has not yet been completely elucidated, though some particular activity in controlling DNA-dependent biosynthesis is sometimes attributed to each component of the histones. 

Thus the heterogeneity of clupeine and iridine obtained from individual fish was confirmed, and it was concluded that heterogeneity is an intrinsic property of protamines. Its possible biological significance in the basic nuclear proteins, protamine and histone, seems to be of interest and importance but remains to be clarified (see Chap. X. C. 1). 

CoELiNGH, J. P., Monfoort, C. H., Rozijn, T. H., Leuven, J. A. G., Schiphof, R., Steyn-Parve, E. P., Braunitzer, G., Schrank, B., Ruhfus, A. The complete amino-acid sequence of the basic nuclear protein of bull spermatozoa. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 285, 1—14 (1972). 

When I was invited to write a monograph on protamines, my original intention was to add new information to the excellent descriptions by the authors I have named above, so as to provide a complete history for future reference. This I have now done with the help of my colleagues. Dr. M. Yamasaki and Dr. Ko. Suzuki. However, since the present authors specialize in the chemical rather than in the biological field, they acknowledge that their description of the possible biological functions of these basic nuclear proteins is unsatisfactory. The authors earnestly hope that biochemists, both in Japan and elsewhere, will work to deepen and widen this field. We shall be very happy if our book is of help to them. 

The hard, but hopeful, research activity on protamines carried on in Tokyo for more than 25 years after the war was done jointly with Dr. K. Iwai, Dr. S. Ishii, and other collaborators. I do not express the least regret at having devoted so much of my life to studying the basis of the link between protamines and other proteins, because I believe that knowledge of these basic nuclear proteins will contribute to research on numerous other proteins. 

Lorimer, W. S., Ill, Stone, P. R., and Kidwell, W. R., 1976, Adenosine diphosphate ribo-sylation of basic nuclear proteins. Fed. Proc. 35 1624. 

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