Structure of nucleosomal DNA at high salt concentration as probed by hydroxyl radical.

The structure of a 146 base-pair nucleosomal DNA has been probed using hydroxyl radical cleavage in buffers containing NaCl concentrations ranging from 80 mM to 800 mM. The highest salt concentrations used here are close to those required to dissociate core histone H2A and H2B from nucleosomal DNA. Nonetheless, the cleavage pattern of the DNA is unchanged over the tenfold salt concentration range, retaining the approximately 10.0 base-pairs per turn helical periodicity in the flanking regions and approximately 10.7 base-pairs per turn periodicity in the central dyad region that is characteristic of nucleosomal DNA. The rotational frame of the DNA is similarly unaffected by salt. These results support the contention that the differential free energy of bending of DNA around the nucleosome is independent of salt concentration.