Abstract

The bulk of the DNA in eukaryotic chromatin behaves as if it is topologically relaxed; however, a subfraction can be shown to be under suercoil tension. Endonuclease S1 cuts at specific hypersentive sites in chromatin (in the promoter regions of active genes) and this enzyme cuts in the same region in supercoiled plasmids, but not in relaxed or linearized molecules. A subfraction of the minichromosomes formed after SV40 infection or microinjection of plasmid DNA into oocytes contains supercoil tension and this subfraction is thought to play an important role in transcription.