Comparative study of the chromosomal DNA fragments from nuclear lamina, cores of rosette-like structures (elementary chromomers), MARs/SARs and synaptonemal complexes based on simple nucleotide motifs

Glazko G.V., Rogozin I.B., Glazkov M.V.1

Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Department RAS, 630090, Novosibirsk, pr. Lavrentjeva 10, Russia;

1N.I. Vavilov's Institute of General Genetics RAS, Moscow; E-mail: glazko@biotech.kiev.ua

The level of loop organization of eukaryotic chromosomes is now the hot spot of many investigations, because of suggestion that this level could unite the structural and functional organization of eukaryotic chromosomes. Computational analysis of nucleotide sequences presumably participating in the loop organization of meiotic and metaphase chromosomes in the cells of plants and animals (the DNA fragments from nuclear lamina, cores of rosette-like structures, synaptonemal complexes and MARs/SARs) has been carried out. The similarity of these different DNA fragments, which presumably could be attachment sites in different loops of chromatin, in different cells and stages of cell cycle were investigated. Several simple nucleotide motifs, which are supposed to influence the conformation of DNA sequences, were chosen. We have been able to discriminate these samples of DNA fragments by using linear discriminant analysis. DNA fragments from nuclear lamina, cores of rosette-like structures and synaptonemal complexes are more similar among themselves, then when compared to MARs/SARs, which, in turn, are closer to DNA fragments flanking 5' regions of different eukaryotic genes and to generated random nucleotide sequences.