Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation from Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Published on: July 22, 2008
DPPA4 modulates chromatin structure via association with DNA and core histone H3 in mouse embryonic stem cells
Hisaharu Masaki1, Tomohiro Nishida, Ryo Sakasai
1Department of Pathological Biochemistry, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0062, Japan.
Abstract:
Developmental pluripotency associated 4 (DPPA4) is one of the uncharacterized genes that is highly expressed in embryonic stem (ES) cells. DPPA4 is associated with active chromatin and involved in the pluripotency of mouse ES cells. However, the biological function of DPPA4 remains poorly understood. In this study, we performed fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) analysis to examine the dynamics of DPPA4 in ES cells. FRAP analysis showed that the mobility of DPPA4 is similar to that of histone H1. In addition, biochemical analysis with purified proteins and immunoprecipitation analysis showed that DPPA4 directly binds to both DNA and core histone H3. The analysis using truncated proteins indicated that DPPA4 is associated with DNA via the N-terminal region and histone H3 via the C-terminal region. In vitro assembled chromatin showed resistance to micrococcal nuclease (MNase) digestion in the presence of DPPA4. Moreover, MNase assay and FRAP analysis with the truncated proteins implies that DPPA4 binding to both DNA and histone H3 is necessary for the chromatin structure resistant to MNase and for the proper localization of DPPA4 in ES cell nuclei. These results suggest that DPPA4 modulates the chromatin structure in association with DNA and histone H3 in ES cells.
Related Concept Videos
Chromatin Modification in iPS Cells
Compact chromatin makes reprogramming difficult. Enzymes, such as histone demethylases and acetyltransferases, are often added during reprogramming to loosen the chromatin, making the DNA more accessible to transcription factors. Molecules that inhibit histone...
Inheritance of Chromatin Structures
Spreading of Chromatin Modifications
Writers
The writer is an enzyme that can...
Duplication of Chromatin Structure
The basic unit of the chromatin is the nucleosome, consisting of DNA wrapped around octameric histone proteins and short stretches of linker DNA separating individual nucleosomes. The histone proteins within the nucleosome have their...
Histone Modification
Acetylation
The enzyme histone acetyltransferase adds acetyl group to the histones. Another enzyme, histone deacetylase,...
Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming

