title: Diversification of histone H2A variants during plant evolution.
abstract: Among eukaryotes, the four core histones show an extremely high conservation of their structure and form nucleosomes that compact, protect, and regulate access to genetic information. Nevertheless, in multicellular eukaryotes the two families, histone H2A and histone H3, have diversified significantly in key residues. We present a phylogenetic analysis across the green plant lineage that reveals an early diversification of the H2A family in unicellular green algae and remarkable expansions of H2A variants in flowering plants. We define motifs and domains that differentiate plant H2A proteins into distinct variant classes. In non-flowering land plants, we identify a new class of H2A variants and propose their possible role in the emergence of the H2A.W variant class in flowering plants.
authors.affiliation: Gregor Mendel Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Bohrgasse 3, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Tomokazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawashima
authors.affiliation: Gregor Mendel Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Bohrgasse 3, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Zdravko J
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Lorković
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nishihama
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Kimitsune
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishizaki
authors.affiliation: Gregor Mendel Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Bohrgasse 3, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Elin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Axelsson
authors.affiliation: Gregor Mendel Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Bohrgasse 3, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Ramesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yelagandula
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kohchi
authors.affiliation: Gregor Mendel Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Bohrgasse 3, 1030 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: frederic.berger@gmi.oeaw.ac.at.
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Berger
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D006657:Histones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D006657:Histones
keywords: chromatin; evolution; histone H2A