Transcriptionally active mononucleosomes from trout testis are heterogeneous in composition.

Limited micrococcal nuclease action on trout testis nuclei yields two mononucleosome subsets, MN1 and MN2, enriched in transcribed DNA sequences. MN1 is soluble and MN2 insoluble in 0.1 M NaCl. Electrophoresis of intact MN1 and MN2 mononucleosomes in 4% polyacrylamide gels shows that each fraction is heterogeneous and four major and several minor subcomponents can be resolved. Dissociation of the protein components of these nucleosomal particles by two-dimensional electrophoresis shows that the major component of MN1 possesses stoichiometric amounts of the four inner histones and of the high mobility group protein H6, associated with DNA fragments of 140 base pairs in length. The major component of MN2 possesses equimolar amounts of the four inner histones plus 1 molecule of H1 and H6, complexed with DNA fragments of 220 base pairs in size.