Biomaterial Database

Interaction between polyanions and cell nuclei: mechanism of gelatination of nuclei. 1996

A Nakashima, and K Mori, and S Sasaki

Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan.

We investigated the mechanism by which polyanions gelatinized nuclei of some mouse lymphocytes and ruptured these cells. The gel produced by the addition of dextran sulfate (DS) to mouse lymphocyte nuclei was composed of histones (H1, H2A, H2B, H3, and H4), DS, and DNA. Adding DS to the chromatin obtained from nuclei by micrococcal nuclease (MNase) digestion also produced a gel containing a complex of DS-histones-DNA. When this mixture was further digested by MNase, DNA debris of random sizes was observed instead of the 150-bp repeating units of DNA usually observed when normal nucleosomes are digested with MNase. Removal of DS from the chromatin-DS gel resulted in the regeneration of nucleosomes. These results suggest the following: After entering the cells with damaged cellular membrane, DS extracts histones from nucleosomes to form DS-histone complexes, which then aggregate with the liberated DNA to form a macromolecular gel. Finally, the swelling pressure of the gel destroys the cells.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009707	Nucleosomes	The repeating structural units of chromatin, each consisting of approximately 200 base pairs of DNA wound around a protein core. This core is composed of the histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4.	Dinucleosomes,Polynucleosomes,Dinucleosome,Nucleosome,Polynucleosome
D011108	Polymers	Compounds formed by the joining of smaller, usually repeating, units linked by covalent bonds. These compounds often form large macromolecules (e.g., BIOPOLYMERS; PLASTICS).	Polymer
D002467	Cell Nucleus	Within a eukaryotic cell, a membrane-limited body which contains chromosomes and one or more nucleoli (CELL NUCLEOLUS). The nuclear membrane consists of a double unit-type membrane which is perforated by a number of pores; the outermost membrane is continuous with the ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM. A cell may contain more than one nucleus. (From Singleton & Sainsbury, Dictionary of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, 2d ed)	Cell Nuclei,Nuclei, Cell,Nucleus, Cell
D002843	Chromatin	The material of CHROMOSOMES. It is a complex of DNA; HISTONES; and nonhistone proteins (CHROMOSOMAL PROTEINS, NON-HISTONE) found within the nucleus of a cell.	Chromatins
D004247	DNA	A deoxyribonucleotide polymer that is the primary genetic material of all cells. Eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms normally contain DNA in a double-stranded state, yet several important biological processes transiently involve single-stranded regions. DNA, which consists of a polysugar-phosphate backbone possessing projections of purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine), forms a double helix that is held together by hydrogen bonds between these purines and pyrimidines (adenine to thymine and guanine to cytosine).	DNA, Double-Stranded,Deoxyribonucleic Acid,ds-DNA,DNA, Double Stranded,Double-Stranded DNA,ds DNA
D005780	Gelatin	A product formed from skin, white connective tissue, or bone COLLAGEN. It is used as a protein food adjuvant, plasma substitute, hemostatic, suspending agent in pharmaceutical preparations, and in the manufacturing of capsules and suppositories.	Gelafusal
D000071228	Polyelectrolytes	Naturally occurring or artificially made water-soluble POLYMERS whose repeating units are ionizable. Polyelectrolytes demonstrate attributes that are typical of salts, such as electrical conductivity, and typical of polymers, such as viscosity.	Conjugated Polyelectrolyte,Polyelectrolyte,Conjugated Polyelectrolytes,Polyelectrolyte, Conjugated,Polyelectrolytes, Conjugated
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014407	Tumor Cells, Cultured	Cells grown in vitro from neoplastic tissue. If they can be established as a TUMOR CELL LINE, they can be propagated in cell culture indefinitely.	Cultured Tumor Cells,Neoplastic Cells, Cultured,Cultured Neoplastic Cells,Cell, Cultured Neoplastic,Cell, Cultured Tumor,Cells, Cultured Neoplastic,Cells, Cultured Tumor,Cultured Neoplastic Cell,Cultured Tumor Cell,Neoplastic Cell, Cultured,Tumor Cell, Cultured
D016264	Dextran Sulfate	Long-chain polymer of glucose containing 17-20% sulfur. It has been used as an anticoagulant and also has been shown to inhibit the binding of HIV-1 to CD4-POSITIVE T-LYMPHOCYTES. It is commonly used as both an experimental and clinical laboratory reagent and has been investigated for use as an antiviral agent, in the treatment of hypolipidemia, and for the prevention of free radical damage, among other applications.	Sodium Dextran Sulfate,Dextran Sulfate Sodium,Dextran Sulfate, Sodium,Sulfate Sodium, Dextran,Sulfate, Dextran,Sulfate, Sodium Dextran