Effects of Livagen peptide on chromatin activation in lymphocytes from old people.

We studied the effects of the synthetic peptide Livagen on activity of ribosomal genes, denaturation parameters of heterochromatin, polymorphism of structural C-heterochromatin, and variability of facultative heterochromatin in lymphocytes from old people. Livagen induced activation of ribosomal genes, decondensation of pericentromeric structural heterochromatin, and release of genes repressed due to age-related condensation of euchromatic regions in chromosomes. Our results indicate that Livagen causes de-heterochromatinization (activation) of chromatin, which is realized via modification of heterochromatin and heterochromatinized regions in chromosomes from old people.