MACROH2A2, a new member of the MARCOH2A core histone family.
MACROH2As are core histones that have a unique hybrid structure consisting of an amino-terminal domain that closely resembles a full-length histone H2A followed by a large nonhistone region. The human MACROH2A1 gene, on chromosome 5, encodes two MACROH2A subtypes, MACROH2A1.1 and MACROH2A1.2, produced by alternate splicing. Here we report the identification of MACROH2A2, a new MACROH2A subtype encoded by a separate gene on human chromosome 10, MACROH2A2. The amino acid sequence of human MACROH2A2 is 68% identical to human MACROH2A1.2. We show by immunofluorescence on mouse tissue sections that MACROH2A2, like MACROH2A1.2, is concentrated in the inactive X chromosome. However, MACROH2A2 has a very different pattern of expression in the cell types present in the liver and kidney. When MACROH2A2 and MACROH2A1.2 are present in the same nucleus, they have a similar, though nonidentical, pattern of localization, with both subtypes present in the inactive X chromosome. Our results suggest a developmental role for MACROH2A subtypes.
Department of Animal Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
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D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002878:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 1; D002879:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 10; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006657:Histones / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014960:X Chromosome
D006657:Histones; C430886:MACROH2A2 protein, human; C120756:macroH2A histone