Mixed conformations of deoxyribonucleic acid in chromatin: a preliminary report

We have established empirical limits for the circular dichroism spectra appropriate for aqueous solutions of the B, C, and A forms of calf-thymus DNA and have analyzed DNA conformations in biological structures. The circular dichroism spectrum above 250 nm of purified calf-thymus chromatin can be satisfactorily accounted for as a linear combination of contributions of the B and C reference spectra without invoking higher-order structures such as supercoils. The amount of A contribution, if any, is below the limit of detection (