Histone variants: are they functionally heterogeneous?
In most eukaryotes, histones, which are the major structural components of chromatin, are expressed as a family of sequence variants encoded by multiple genes. Because different histone variants can contribute to a distinct or unique nucleosomal architecture, this heterogeneity can be exploited to regulate a wide range of nuclear functions, and evidence is accumulating that histone variants do indeed have distinct functions.
Brown
D T
DT
Department of Biochemistry, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39216, USA. dbrown@biochem.umsmed.edu
D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D005810:Multigene Family / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D009707:Nucleosomes / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones; D009707:Nucleosomes