Nucleoprotein

Japanese: 核タンパク質 - かくたんぱくしつ

A general term for complexes of nucleic acids and proteins. It does not mean proteins present in the nucleus. Each of them is thought to play an important role. Some examples are given below.

[Kenichi Kasai]

Nucleohistones

A complex of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and histones. In the nuclei of animal and plant cells, DNA exists as a complex with various proteins to form chromosomes. The main component of these proteins that bind to DNA is the strongly basic protein histone, which contains a lot of lysine and arginine and binds to acidic DNA through electrostatic attraction. Histones are mainly composed of five types of components: H1, H2A, H2B, H3, and H4, and the other four types except H1 associate to form particles. Nucleohistones exist in the form in which DNA links these histone particles like beads, and it is thought that they are folded into a certain structure in the nucleus.

[Kenichi Kasai]

Ribosome

An important particle inside cells that binds amino acids according to the information in messenger RNA to synthesize proteins. It consists of two particles, one large and one small, each of which is a complex of RNA (ribonucleic acid) and several dozen proteins.

[Kenichi Kasai]

virus

There are DNA viruses and RNA viruses, but both consist of nucleoproteins. The nucleic acid portion is the viral gene, and the protein portion protects the nucleic acid portion and serves as a tool for the virus to invade the host cell.

[Kenichi Kasai]

[References] | Viruses | Nucleic Acids | Proteins | Ribosomes

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

核酸とタンパク質の複合体の総称。核に存在するタンパク質という意味ではない。どれもが重要な役割を担っているものと考えられる。以下にいくつかの例を述べる。

［笠井献一］

ヌクレオヒストン

デオキシリボ核酸（DNA）とヒストンの複合体。動植物細胞の核の中で、DNAはさまざまなタンパク質との複合体として存在し、染色体を形成している。DNAに結合するこれらのタンパク質の主成分は強い塩基性のタンパク質ヒストンで、リジン、アルギニンを多く含み、酸性のDNAと静電引力で結合する。ヒストンはおもにH1、H2A、H2B、H3、H4の5種の成分からなり、H1を除く他の4種は会合して粒子を形成している。ヌクレオヒストンは、DNAがこのヒストン粒子を数珠(じゅず)状につなぐ形で存在しており、核の中で一定の構造に折り畳まれていると考えられている。

［笠井献一］