Chromosomal proteins in the dinoflagellate alga Gyrodinium cohnii

Abstract

Chromatin has been prepared from nuclei isolated from the dinoflagellate alga Gyrodinium cohnii. This chromatin contains RNA, acid-insoluble proteins, and acid-soluble proteins; the respective ratios to amount of DNA are about 0.09, 0.48, 0.08 (by weight). Not only is the amount of acid-soluble protein associated with the DNA much less than it is in the typical eukaryote, but polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in urea at pH 3.2 produces a banding pattern different from that of typical histones. There is one predominant band that migrates about as fast as does histone IV from corn. These findings are of interest, because the nuclear organization in the dinoflagellates appears to be intermediate between the prokaryotes and the eukaryotes.