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Two types of cell populations, nondividing mouse liver cells and exponentially growing Friend erythroleukemia cells, were studied for the presence of a histone H1 pool in the cytoplasm. Purified cytoplasmic fractions were extracted with 5% perchloric acid and the resulting protein preparation was characterized by two types of electrophoresis, gel filtration, peptide mapping, ELISA and immunoblotting. The occurrence of significant quantities of H1 in isolated cytoplasmic fractions was confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence on whole cells. The existence of a cytoplasmic pool of H1 contrasts with the lack of detectable amounts of core histones in the cytoplasm. This indicates that the observed H1 pool is not just a reflection of its cytoplasmic synthesis but probably has some functional significance.

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A nuclear lamina-enriched fraction from Ehrlich ascites tumor cells contains a tightly bound protein kinase activity, which phosphorylates in vitro the nuclear lamins, a 52-kilodalton protein, and several unknown minor components. The enzyme(s) is thermolabile, independent of Ca2+ and cAMP, and inhibited by quercetin. After treatment with 4 M urea it remains bound to the nuclear lamina in an active state, but it is irreversibly inactivated in 6 M urea. The lamin proteins are phosphorylated on serine residues. Their two-dimensional phosphopeptide maps show multiple phosphorylation sites and a considerable similarity to the phosphopeptide maps of lamins labeled in vivo. Photoaffinity labeling experiments revealed several polypeptide fractions in the nuclear lamina fraction that are candidates for the protein kinase(s).

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The structure and composition of intermediate filaments isolated from liver of representatives of different vertebrate classes have been studied by electron microscopy and biochemical and immunochemical methods. It has been shown that the methodological approach for isolation of rat liver intermediate filaments can be efficiently applied to all other classes of vertebrates. The intermediate filaments studied have the same electron microscopic morphology and are species undistinguishable. The molecular weight of intermediate filament proteins varies from 40,000 to 60,000 and their isoelectric point varies from 5.0 to 6.45. Immunological investigations show that in all animals studied the intermediate filaments are built up of cytokeratins belonging to both types of keratins: type I and type II. Only one protein of the type II cytokeratins is present in all vertebrate classes, whereas in lower vertebrates two or even three type I cytokeratins contribute to the structure of liver intermediate filaments. The biochemical and immunochemical results are discussed with regard to the evolution of liver cytokeratins.

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The tightly bound proteins of ram sperm nuclei (TBSP) have been recovered as a fraction co-sedimenting with DNA after high salt-urea deprotamination of the nuclei. TBSP were studied by two-dimensional (2D)-tryptic peptide mapping and by one-dimensional (1D)-partial proteolysis mapping. The 2D maps revealed a strong homology among the proteins, irrespective of substantial differences in their molecular masses. This homology was supported also by the 1D-mapping data. The 2D-tryptic maps of TBSP were compared to those of lamb liver lamins but no apparent similarity was detected. TBSP were found to react positively to a test for the presence of carbohydrate residues, suggesting that these proteins are glycoproteins as established earlier for the lamins. The 2D maps of several proteins of seminal plasma origin, used as a control, displayed completely different peptide profiles.

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We have developed a simple and rapid method for isolation of purified nuclear lamina from Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. The procedure employs chromatin structures prepared from whole cells at low ionic strength and is carried out under conditions that minimize the formation of artifactual protein-DNA complexes. When the isolation is performed in the presence of EDTA, nuclear lamina without distinct pore complexes is obtained. In the absence of EDTA, intact pore complexes and a large amount of vimentin 100 A filaments are seen associated with nuclear lamina. The main nuclear lamina proteins are characterized using gel electrophoresis, immunoblotting, and two-dimensional peptide mapping. An extensive structural homology is found between lamin A and lamin C, whose peptide maps differ by only one major spot, whereas lamin B has apparently unrelated pattern.

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A dominating protein fraction (p45) having molecular weight of 45000 and pI 5.45 was found in the intermediate filaments pellet obtained from rat liver besides the present cytokeratins. Peptide mapping and radioimmunological assays with antibodies against this protein and muscle actin proved that the p45 protein belongs to the actin group. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that this protein is located on the liver intermediate filaments. By melting of the cytokeratin complexes in urea it was established that p45 protein is complexed with the low molecular weight cytokeratin.

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Mercaptoethanol, when present in the sample buffer during sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, is responsible for the appearance of two nonprotein bands (electrophoretic mobilities corresponding to 68 and 54 kdalton) stainable with silver and with Coomassie blue. After iodination in vitro of DNA preparations isolated by alkaline phenol extraction using chloramine-T procedure, part of the radioactive label is found in these bands, provided the reaction is terminated by mercaptoethanol, whereas only a diffuse background is present in this area if the reaction is stopped by sodium metabisulfite. Similar results are obtained with highly purified total cytoplasmic RNA. The results indicate that the appearance of the 68- and 54-kdalton bands is in artifact. The relevance of these results to the proteins tightly bound to DNA is discussed.

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