The Fractionation of ?-Histones From Chicken Erythrocyte Nuclei

Abstract

Crude IX-histone, obtained from the original histone complex by precipitation of the f3-and y-histones with ethanol, has been shown by starch-gel electrophoresis to contain 13 components. The fractionation of IX-histone by exclusion chromatography on Sephadex G-200 is reported. While none of these components have been obtained pure in the present study, considerable purification of components 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, and 11 has been achieved, and their amino acid composition leaves no doubt that o::-histones represent a muoh larger family of "lysine-rich" proteins than was hitherto supposed.