The structure of the (H2A-H2B-H3-H4)2 histone octamer has been determined by means of x-ray crystallographic techniques at a resolution of 3.3 angstroms. The octamer is a prolate ellipsoid 110 angstroms long and 65 to 70 angstroms in diameter, and its general shape is that of a rugby ball. The size and shape are radically different from those determined in earlier studies. The most striking feature of the histone octamer is its tripartite organization, that is, a central (H3-H4)2 tetramer flanked by two H2A-H2B dimers. The DNA helix, placed around the octamer in a path suggested by the features on the surface of the protein, appears like a spring holding the H2A-H2B dimers at either end of the (H3-H4)2 tetramer.

No abstract

Anti-C1q performed the best of the potential biomarkers, being significantly associated with the modified SELENA-SLEDAI and with the Renal Activity Score. This study indicates the potential superior utility of anti-C1q over anti-dsDNA and other measures to track renal activity.

Chromatin is the native complex of histones and DNA found in the cell nucleus of eukaryotes. The fundamental subunit of chromatin is the nucleosome, which is composed of a core particle in which 146 bp of helical DNA are wrapped around an octamer made up of two H2A-H2B dimers that surround an H3-H4 tetramer. The prevalence of anti-chromatin (nucleosome) antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) varies from 50% to 90%, being similar to that of the classical positive LE cell. The presence of these antibodies can be used, in conjunction with clinical findings and other laboratory tests, to help in the diagnosis of SLE and drug induced lupus. The presence of anti-chromatin antibodies has also been linked to glomerulonephritis in SLE patients.

C-Reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase serum protein in man that binds to certain bacterial polysaccharides and to components exposed on damaged cells. CRP is bound by receptors on phagocytic cells and functions as an opsonin for its ligands. Interactions of CRP with a specific CRP receptor (CRP-R) and with the high affinity receptor for IgG, Fc gamma RI, on monocytic cells have previously been demonstrated. It was not possible to fully characterize CRP binding to Fc gamma RI in these studies, since cells and cell lines expressing Fc gamma RI also have the CRP-R. In the present study we examined the interaction of CRP with Fc gamma RI in COS-7 cells transfected with a cDNA encoding this receptor. Expression of Fc gamma RI and specific CRP binding to transfected cells were demonstrated by flow cytometry. By two-color analysis, the cell population binding CRP was the same as the population that bound the Fc gamma RI-specific mAb 10.1 and 32.2 CRP inhibited the binding of radiolabeled IgG1 and IgG4 by up to 60%. A CRP molecule that was mutated in the amino acid sequence homologous to the IgG sequence proposed to interact with Fc gamma RI failed to bind to transfected cells, but retained the ability to bind to the CRP-R on monocytic cells. These studies confirm the binding of CRP to Fc gamma RI and identify a site on CRP that is essential for this binding.