A protein which facilitates assembly of nucleosome-like structures in vitro in mammalian cells.

An activity which facilitates assembly of nucleosome-like structures in vitro at physiological ionic strength was detected both in human HeLa S3 cells and mouse FM3A cells. The assembly protein was purified from FM3A cells by fractionation with ammonium sulfate, DEAE-cellulose, phosphocellulose, Sephadex G-150 column chromatography, and sucrose gradient centrifugation. In the sucrose gradient, the activity was detected at 5S and the active fraction contained three peptides of 59,000, 65,000, and 102,000 daltons. When core histones were mixed with these peptides, the 59,000 peptide sedimented at the 6S and 10S positions, where the histones co-sedimented. The 6S fraction contained H2A, H2B, and A24 proteins, and the 10S fraction contained four kinds of core histones in equal amounts. Nucleosomes were formed by mixing DNA with the 10S fraction, but were not formed with the 6S fraction. The nucleosome structure assembled was assessed using the sensitivity to micrococcal nuclease.