A set of non-histone proteins isolated from the nuclei of various rat tissues

A set of non-histone proteins has been identified in the nuclei from liver, brain, spleen and testis tissues of the rat. Following moderate digestion of thoroughly washed nuclei with DNase I or micrococcal nuclease, EDTA was added to 5 mM to the reaction mixture and the preparation centrifuged. We found that the supernatant contained a limited amount of non-histone proteins (fraction S1). Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) gel electrophoresis revealed S1 to be composed of a remarkably simple set of proteins resolved into four groups (A-D) each possessing closely spaced doublets or a triplet. Their molecular weights were A, 76 100-80 000; B, 48 200-49 500; C, 44 500-45 200 and D, 39 500-41 500. The yield suggested that these proteins were structural constituents; however, they did not coincide with the known structural proteins of the cell nucleus. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis further resolved each of the SDS bands into as many as nine spots, according to various charges. Some were labelled with [32P]orthophosphate in vivo, or with [gamma-32P]ATP and purified nuclear protein kinase NII in vitro. The released proteins B-D had fairly constant relative molar ratios at various times of digestion, thereby indicating possible localizations at similar sites in the nucleus. The kinetic data together with the aggregation property at neutral pH values and the solubility in 5 mM EDTA suggest that proteins B-D constitute a group of proteins that have several common characteristics.