Inheritance of Gene Density-Related Higher Order Chromatin Arrangements in Normal and Tumor Cell Nuclei

• Published in: The Journal of cell biology Vol. 162; no. 5; pp. 809 - 820
• Main Authors: Cremer, Marion, Küpper, Katrin, Wagler, Babett, Wizelman, Leah, Hase, Johann v., Weiland, Yanina, Kreja, Ludwika, Diebold, Joachim, Speicher, Michael R., Cremer, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Rockefeller University Press 01.09.2003; The Rockefeller University Press
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Cell Line; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell lines; Cell nucleus; Cell Nucleus - genetics; Cell Nucleus - ultrastructure; Cells; Chromatin; Chromatin - genetics; Chromatin - metabolism; Chromosome Painting; Chromosomes; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18 - genetics; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 19 - genetics; Epithelial Cells - cytology; Epithelial Cells - physiology; Gene Dosage; Gene loci; Gene Order; HeLa cells; Humans; Karyotyping; Keratinocytes - cytology; Keratinocytes - physiology; Lymphocytes; Melanoma - genetics; Melanoma - pathology; Neoplasms - genetics; Neoplasms - pathology; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Stem cells; T lymphocytes; Tumor cell line; Tumors
• ISSN: 0021-9525; 1540-8140
• DOI: 10.1083/jcb.200304096

A gene density-related difference in the radial arrangement of chromosome territories (CTs) was previously described for human lymphocyte nuclei with gene-poor CT #18 located toward the nuclear periphery and gene-dense CT #19 in the nuclear interior. Here, we analyzed the radial distribution of chromosome 18 and 19 chromatin in six normal cell types and in eight tumor cell lines, some of them with imbalances and rearrangements of the two chromosomes. Our findings demonstrate that a significant difference in the radial distribution of #18 and #19 chromatin is a common feature of higher order chromatin architecture in both normal and malignant cell types. However, in seven of eight tumor cell lines, the difference was less pronounced compared with normal cell nuclei due to a higher fraction of nuclei showing an inverted CT position, i.e., a CT #18 located more internally than a CT #19. This observation emphasizes a partial loss of radial chromatin order in tumor cell nuclei.