Study of DNA accessibility in the condensed chromatin structures by resonance energy transfer

The linker DNA accessibility of chicken erythrocyte chromatin was studied by diffusion-enhanced resonance energy transfer (DERET). The 4″-{9?-((4-carboxy-3-hydroxyphenyl)-acetatamido)-3?,6?,9?-(triacetyl)-3″,6?,9?-triazanonamido]-2″,6″-diazanonyl}-4,5′,8-trimethyl psoralen-terbium complex was photocovalently bound to linker DNA and transferred its energy to fluorescein free in solution or bound on proteins of different sizes. We observed a diminution of linker DNA accessibility in chromatin as the protein size increased. Free fluorescein and proteins (up to a molecular weight of 24,000) labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) showed no variation in linker accessibility as chromatin condensation from 10- to 30-nm fibers was induced by an increase in ionic strength. We can conclude from these observations that linker DNA is located on the outside of the condensed chromatin fiber or, alternatively, that small proteins are free to diffuse toward an inside-located linker DNA, even in the condensed state of chromatin, possibly through the central cavity of the solenoïd model.