High-resolution analysis of a histone H1 binding site in a rat albumin gene.

Interaction of rat liver histone H1 fraction with the 5'-end of the rat serum albumin gene was localized within a 346 base pair (bp) restriction fragment. Sequence analysis of the fragment showed the fragment was 72 mol % adenosine-thymidine, which is significantly greater than the mole percent adenosine-thymidine composition of the rat genome. Gel retardation assays of the histone H1-DNA interaction indicate the complex formed behaves as previously characterized H1-DNA and shows a high-affinity H1 binding site within the enriched albumin restriction site. Deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) protection assays on the H1 binding site define three protected regions only on the template strand of the DNA fragment. The three sites lie 55 and 110 bp apart (165 bp between the first and third binding site) with a consensus binding sequence of 5'-GA-ATA-CTGGCTT-C-TT-CTA-G-3'. The sequences between the protected DNA regions are highly enriched in adenosine-thymidine bases (79.3 and 86 mol % adenosine-thymidine, respectively). The functional significance is not understood.