Nuclear scaffold and matrix attachment of HeLa chromatin

The nuclear scaffold/matrix provides an anchor for higher order genome structure that has both structural and functional implications. Different extraction protocols, i.e., utilizing either 25 mM LIS or 2 M NaCl, isolate somewhat different protein constituents of either the nuclear scaffold or nuclear matrix respectively. We have mapped, by array CGH, the locations of attachment to each of these residual protein bodies relative to non-attached DNA along the entire length of human chromosomes 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 in HeLa cells. LIS or 2 M NaCl solutions followed by restriction digestion with EcoR1 facilitates the separation from scaffold/matrix bound DNA from non bound DNA. Genomic CGH arrays were used to map the relative differences between attached (scaffold/matrix) and non-attached (loop) portions of HeLa DNA. The expression profile of the HeLa cells used for aCGH analysis was also determined.