Researchers studying nucleosome structure determined the siz…
Researchers studying nucleosome structure determined the size of the core DNA to be ~150 base pairs and the linker DNA to be 50 base pairs long. In an experiment to determine the size of the core DNA and linker DNA, researchers isolated chromatin in the “beads-on-a-string” state and divided the isolated chromatin into two batches. To one batch, the researchers performed a brief nuclease treatment on the DNA, separated the DNA from the histones and ran the DNA out on a gel. When researchers performed the short nuclease treatment, did the DNA fragments contain core DNA, linker DNA or both core and linker DNA? How long were the fragments when they ran the nuclease-treated DNA out on a gel? To the second batch of chromatin, the researchers performed a long nuclease treatment which chewed away any DNA that was not protected by the histone proteins. They then separated the DNA from the histones and ran out the DNA on a gel. When researchers performed the long nuclease treatment, did the DNA fragments contain core DNA, linker DNA or both core and linker DNA? How long were the fragments when they ran the nuclease-treated DNA out on a gel?