The occurrence of a mutant dimerizable histone H5 in Japanese quail erythrocytes.
An allelic variant of linker histone H5 has been found in the erythrocytes of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) descended from a small group of feral birds captured on the island of Hawaii. This variant spontaneously forms protein dimers in vitro in the absence of reducing agents. That this depends upon the introduction of a sulfhydryl group (presumably because of a cysteine substitution) is indicated by its reaction with 2-nitro-5-thiocyanobenzoate and by its fluorescence after reaction with 4-aminosulfonyl-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole. This is the first reported example of cysteine in a vertebrate linker histone and offers a specific reactive site for structural studies. A homozygous line for this form of H5 is being developed.
Neelin
J M
JM
Biology Department, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Neelin
E M
EM
Lindsay
D W
DW
Palyga
J
J
Nichols
C R
CR
Cheng
K M
KM
D000818:Animals; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D003370:Coturnix; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D009154:Mutation
D006657:Histones