Chromatin Dynamics in Vivo: A Game of Musical Chairs.
Histones are a major component of chromatin, the nucleoprotein complex fundamental to regulating transcription, facilitating cell division, and maintaining genome integrity in almost all eukaryotes. In addition to canonical, replication-dependent histones, replication-independent histone variants exist in most eukaryotes. In recent years, steady progress has been made in understanding how histone variants assemble, their involvement in development, mitosis, transcription, and genome repair. In this review, we will focus on the localization of the major histone variants H3.3, CENP-A, H2A.Z, and macroH2A, as well as how these variants have evolved, their structural differences, and their functional significance in vivo.
Chromatin Structure and Epigenetics Mechanisms Unit, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 41 Library Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. daniel.melters@nih.gov.
Daniël P
DP
Melters
Chromatin Structure and Epigenetics Mechanisms Unit, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 41 Library Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. jon.nye@nih.gov.
Jonathan
J
Nye
Chromatin Structure and Epigenetics Mechanisms Unit, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 41 Library Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. haiqing.zhao@nih.gov.|Biophysics Graduate Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. haiqing.zhao@nih.gov.
Haiqing
H
Zhao
Chromatin Structure and Epigenetics Mechanisms Unit, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 41 Library Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. dalaly@mail.nih.gov.
Yamini
Y
Dalal
CENP-A; H2A.Z; H3.3; chaperones; chromatin; histones; macroH2A