Article
Biology
Bhagyshree Jamge, Zdravko J. Lorkovic, Elin Axelsson, Akihisa Osakabe, Vikas Shukla, Ramesh Yelagandula, Svetlana Akimcheva, Annika Luisa Kuehn, Frederic Berger
Summary: This study investigates the assembly of histone variants and histone modifications in Arabidopsis thaliana genome and finds that both histone variants and modifications play significant roles in determining chromatin states. Particularly, there are strong associations between H2A variants and specific combinations of histone modifications. The loss of the chromatin remodeler DDM1 affects the exchange of histone variant H2A.Z, resulting in significant effects on the definition and distribution of chromatin states.
Review
Plant Sciences
Rocio Nunez-Vazquez, Benedicte Desvoyes, Crisanto Gutierrez
Summary: Plants have developed various mechanisms to adapt to abiotic stresses, which involve transcriptional regulation and chromatin modifications. Understanding and manipulating these regulatory networks are crucial for enhancing crop resilience and performance against stress.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Kathryn M. Stevens, Tobias Warnecke
Summary: Exchanging core histones in the nucleosome for paralogous variants can have important functional ramifications. Many of these variants and their physiological roles have been extensively studied in model eukaryotes, but our knowledge of histone biology in archaea, including histone variants, remains limited. Recent findings provide glimpses into the unknown world of archaeal histone biology, offering insights into chromatin organization and shedding light on the evolution of histone-based chromatin in eukaryotes.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hitoshi Kurumizaka, Tomoya Kujirai, Yoshimasa Takizawa
Summary: Chromatin compacts genomic DNA through nucleosome core particles, with versatile structure and dynamics for epigenetic regulation of genomic DNA. Histone variants in higher eukaryotes contribute to nucleosome diversity and play important roles in chromatin epigenetic regulation.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Frederic Berger, Kathrin Muegge, Eric J. Richards
Summary: Different variants of the histone H2A are found in distinct locations in the genome, but the mechanisms responsible for depositing specific H2A variants are not well understood. However, there are exceptions, such as chromatin remodelers that control H2A.Z dynamics at promoters. This review focuses on the identification of a specific class of chromatin remodelers (LSH and DDM1) that deposit the variants macroH2A in mammals and H2A.W in plants, respectively, and discusses their function in heterochromatin and genome stability.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Yukiko Kuroda, Aiko Iwata-Otsubo, Kerith-Rae Dias, Suzanna E. L. Temple, Koji Nagao, Lachlan De Hayr, Ying Zhu, Shin-Ya Isobe, Gohei Nishibuchi, Sarah K. Fiordaliso, Yuki Fujita, Alyssa L. Rippert, Samuel W. Baker, Marco L. Leung, Daniel C. Koboldt, Adele Harman, Beth A. Keena, Izumi Kazama, Gopinath Musuwadi Subramanian, Kandamurugu Manickam, Betsy Schmalz, Maeson Latsko, Elaine H. Zackai, Matt Edwards, Carey-Anne Evans, Matthew C. Dulik, Michael F. Buckley, Toshihide Yamashita, W. Timothy O'Brien, Robert J. Harvey, Chikashi Obuse, Tony Roscioli, Kosuke Izumi
Summary: This study identified heterozygous de novo variants in the CBX1 gene, encoding HP1β, as a cause of a novel syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder. In vitro cellular assays, neurobehavioral and cytological analyses of neuronal cells, and mouse models confirmed the pathogenicity of the identified variants. The disruption of HP1β chromatin binding during neurocognitive development contributes to developmental disabilities.
GENETICS IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Aline V. Probst
Summary: This article discusses how modifying histone variants can regulate chromatin accessibility, establish functional chromatin states, and transmit chromatin states during replication. Overall, it emphasizes the importance of histone variants in maintaining chromatin structure and stability, as well as reprogramming epigenetic information.
CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Maryam Foroozani, Dylan H. Holder, Roger B. Deal
Summary: This review discusses the importance of nucleosome composition and variants in plants, as well as their roles in plant development and stress responses. Nucleosome assembly is crucial during DNA replication, while histone variants can impart unique properties onto nucleosomes, influencing transcriptional regulation and other nuclear processes in plants.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vladyslava Sokolova, Shayan Sarkar, Dongyan Tan
Summary: Histone proteins play important roles in packaging genomic DNA and regulating gene accessibility. Recent cryoelectron microscope studies provide new insights into how histone variants influence the structures and functions of chromatin. This article reviews the current knowledge on histone variants biochemistry and discusses the implications of the new structural information on histone variant biology and their functions in transcription.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Danhua Jiang, Frederic Berger
Summary: The sequence variants of core and linker histones in flowering plants are diverse. Recent studies have shown that specific histone variant enrichment, combined with post-translational modifications of histones, determines different chromatin states that influence specific chromatin functions. Chromatin remodelers play a crucial role in regulating histone variant dynamics and gene transcription in response to the environment. Recognizing histone variants through their specific readers, controlled by histone post-translational modifications, is essential for maintaining genome and chromatin integrity. Additionally, various histone variants are involved in remodeling chromatin domains to facilitate important transitions in the plant life cycle. In this review, recent findings in this exciting research field are discussed, which hold immense promise for surprising discoveries related to the evolution of complexity in plant organization through a seemingly simple protein family.
CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Lindsay Moritz, Saher Sue Hammoud
Summary: This article explores the molecular mechanisms underlying male fertility and the process of chromatin remodeling. It points out the current gaps in understanding of the chromatin remodeling process and suggests future research directions to enhance our knowledge of the histone-to-protamine exchange and the etiology of idiopathic male infertility.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Oncology
Chen-Jen Hsu, Oliver Meers, Marcus Buschbeck, Florian H. Heidel
Summary: This paper provides a concise review on a group of histone variants called macroH2A, discussing their additional domains that contribute to molecular functions in normal cells and their roles in gene expression and cancer. The importance of epigenetic regulation in physiological tissue homeostasis and malignant transformation is highlighted, with a focus on the least understood mechanism of histone variants. The study focuses on the tripartite structure of macroH2A histone variants and how they mediate molecular functions related to chromatin architecture, transcription, and DNA repair, emphasizing their dysregulated expression in different cancer subtypes and their variable prognostic impact.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Christophe Thiriet
Summary: DNA replication in S-phase is crucial for maintaining cell fate across generations, requiring the replication of epigenetic information. The deposition of newly synthesized histone variants during S-phase remains unclear, but studying Physarum polycephalum provides a powerful system for investigating this process. The researchers found that the deposition rate of H3.1 and H3.3 is anticorrelated as S-phase progresses, with H3.3 predominantly produced and utilized in early S-phase. These findings support a model in which the distribution of histone variants is established during replication and new histone deposition.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Laura Prendergast, Danny Reinberg
Summary: Recent advances in chromatin and epigenetics research have highlighted the significance of core histones, histone variants, and their post-translational modifications in regulating chromatin structure. The role of linker histone H1, which was previously understudied, has come into focus due to its evolutionary conservation, variability in PTMs, and unique functions across different cell types. Contrary to previous assumptions, histone H1 variants are now recognized for their independent roles in various chromatin-based processes, challenging the traditional view of their function solely in chromatin compaction and transcriptional repression.
GENES & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Developmental Biology
Anna Torok, Martin J. G. Brown, Jordina C. Vilar, Indu Patwal, Timothy Q. DuBuc, Erwan Atcheson, Uri Frank, Sebastian G. Gornik, Andrew Flaus
Summary: Many animals use sperm nuclear basic proteins (SNBPs) to compact and stabilize sperm chromatin during spermatogenesis. Hydrozoan cnidarians and echinoid sea urchins have evolved a unique family of sperm-specific histone H2Bs (spH2Bs) to regulate sperm packaging and buoyancy. In this study, we found that the sperm chromatin of Hydractinia echinata and H. symbiolongicarpus has higher stability than somatic chromatin, with reduced accessibility to transposase Tn5 integration and endonucleases. The expression of spH2Bs in these species leads to downregulation of transcription and cell cycle arrest in embryos, without affecting nuclear density. These findings suggest that spH2Bs contribute to chromatin stability and transcriptional silencing in Hydractinia sperm, potentially playing a role in sperm buoyancy as a reproductive adaptation.
