Chromatin proteins from human lymphocytes: a gel electrophoretic comparison between normal, mitogen-stimulated,...

Cell-line lymphocytes contained considerably more nonhistone chromatin protein than normal lymphocytes. The overall electrophoretic pattern of the nonhistone chromatin proteins from nonreplicating cell types with predominantly condensed chromatin (normal lymphocytes and chronic lymphocytic leukemia lymphocytes) was similar, as it was between replicating cell types with predominantly decondensed chromatin (mitogen-stimulated normal lymphocytes and cell-line lymphocytes), although all four cell types differed qualitatively. A "heavy" chromatin fraction from cell-line lymphocytes could be distinguished from a "light" fraction and had a pattern similar to that from cells of the condensed chromatin type. Normal lymphocytes contained two acid-soluble chromatin polypeptieds not found in cell-line lymphocytes.