Why is there a sonication step in the ChIP protocol for #9003/#9005 following enzymatic digestion with Micrococcal Nuclease?

This sonication step is used simply to destroy the cellular and nuclear membranes, as the digested chromatin is still inside the permeabilized nucleus and needs to be released into the supernatant. This sonication step is done in 1xChIP Buffer which is not an optimal sonication buffer and will not further fragment the chromatin.

Last updated: September 12, 2024