Binding of Histone H1 to DNA Is Indifferent to Methylation at CpG Sequences (∗)

• Published in: The Journal of biological chemistry Vol. 270; no. 44; pp. 26473 - 26481
• Main Authors: Campoy, Francisco J., Meehan, Richard R., McKay, Stewart, Nixon, Julie, Bird, Adrian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 03.11.1995; American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Subjects: Animals; Base Sequence; Binding Sites; Chickens; Chromatin - metabolism; Dinucleoside Phosphates; DNA - chemistry; DNA - metabolism; DNA, Satellite - chemistry; DNA, Satellite - metabolism; Erythrocytes - metabolism; Female; Histones - metabolism; Immunoblotting; Kinetics; Methylation; Mice; Molecular Sequence Data; Oocytes - metabolism; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Protein Binding; Substrate Specificity; Vitellogenins - genetics; Xenopus
• ISSN: 0021-9258; 1083-351X
• DOI: 10.1074/jbc.270.44.26473

The possibility that histone H1 binds preferentially to DNA containing 5-methylcytosine in the dinucleotide CpG is appealing, as it could help to explain the repressive effects of methylation on gene activity. In this study, the affinity of purified H1 for methylated and non-methylated DNA sequences has been tested using both naked DNA and chromatin. Based on a variety of assays (bandshifts, filter-binding assays, Southwestern blots, and nuclease sensitivity assays), we conclude that H1 has no significant preference for binding to naked methylated DNA. Similarly, H1 showed the same affinities for methylated and non-methylated DNA when assembled into chromatin in a Xenopus oocyte extract. Thus potential cooperative interaction of H1 with polynucleosomal complexes is not enhanced by the presence of DNA methylation.