A study of chromatin structure is of prime importance for deciphering the molecular mechanisms of realization of the genome information and control over the functioning of individual genes at different stages of development. A special attention is paid to the interaction of chromatin with the interphase nucleus skeletal structure, nuclear envelope (NE). It has been proposed that bases (SAR-sequences) of large structural and functional domains (loops) are located on the strongest NE element, lamina (Lewis et al. , 1984). Since the regulatory role in functioning of the loop is assigned to the loop bases, changes in the structure and function of the NE-bound chromatin regions can reflect changes in the cell functional state.Chromatin directly bound to the rat liver NE has special features (Fais et al. , 1982;Prusov et al. , 1989): low histone H1 content, presence of minor specific acid soluble proteins, and weak DNA methylation. A part of DNA of the peripheral chromatin is resistant to nucleases and appears to be protected by proteins, On the other hand, single stranded regions were found in DNA from NE (Mizuno et al. , 1971), which is characteristic of active genes; some constantly expressing genes are located in the nucleus periphery at NE (Nielsen et al. , 2002). A lowered DNA methylation, low histone H1 content, presence of specific proteins, and other features suggest that this region of chromatin can be related to the chromatin functioning and, in all likelihood, to the regulation of its activity.The regulatory chromatin region at the base of the large loop domain can specifically participate in the regulation of transcription and, possibly, replication. Since this region is usually referred to heterochromatin, it is mostly in the state of rest but, on the other hand, it can react to global, including, age-related, changes in the cell life. Chromatin is constantly on move in the interphase nucleus; it can be temporarily detached and then again attached to NE (Belmont, 2003) and, thus, have different compositions at different times. The structure and functioning of chromatin can also specifically respond to various agents.In this work, we studied age-related changes and changes induced by the antioxidant ionol in the NEbound and not bound rat chromatin.Abstract -In two-day rat pups, the histone H1 content in the brain chromatin was higher than in the liver chromatin, as compared to histone of the nucleosome core. The H1 content in the brain chromatin decreased with the age, while in the liver chromatin it increased. At the same time, in the adult brain chromatin bound to the nuclear envelope, a high level of H1 characteristic of chromatin of the newborn rats was preserved, while in a similar chromatin of the adult liver, the H1 content increased, but still remained less than in the chromatin not bound to the nuclear envelope. In both organs, the composition and quantitation of H1 subfractions were different in chromatins bound and not bound to the nuclear envelope. The chromatin from the liver and brain bound ...