Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joana Esteves de Lima, Frederic Relaix
Summary: This passage discusses the importance of epigenetic regulation of gene expression in maintaining cell differentiation status and cellular identity, focusing on chromatin structure remodeling and changes in nucleosome composition. It emphasizes the role of histone post-translational modifications and histone variants in cell fate and differentiation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
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
Biology
Gurdeep Singh, Gilda Stefanelli, Klotilda Narkaj, Mark A. Brimble, Samantha D. Creighton, Timothy A. B. McLean, Meaghan Hall, Krista A. Mitchnick, Jacqueline Zakaria, Thanh Phung, Anas Reda, Amanda M. Leonetti, Ashley Monks, Lara Ianov, Boyer D. Winters, Brandon J. Walters, Andrew M. Davidoff, Jennifer A. Mitchell, Iva B. Zovkic
Summary: The structurally-unique histone variant mH2A1 has a greater impact on learning and memory in mice compared to a similar variant, mH2A2. mH2A1 is able to repress transcription related to memory, while mH2A2 does not have this function. This study further elucidates the role of histone variants in memory and provides insights into the underlying mechanisms.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Philipp Oberdoerffer, Kyle M. Miller
Summary: Histone variants, such as H2A.X, H2A.Z, and macroH2A, play crucial roles in protecting the integrity of the genome through DNA damage response pathways. Their deposition, posttranslational modifications, and interactions with other proteins safeguard DNA from both endogenous and exogenous threats. Understanding the involvement of H2A variants in maintaining genome stability and their contributions to human diseases, including cancer, provides valuable insights.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
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)
Article
Cell Biology
Ramhari Kumbhar, Anthony Sanchez, Jullian Perren, Fade Gong, David Corujo, Frank Medina, Sravan K. Devanathan, Blerta Xhemalce, Andreas Matouschek, Marcus Buschbeck, Bethany A. Buck-Koehntop, Kyle M. Miller
Summary: This study uncovers the crucial factors involved in the recognition of DNA lesion sites by the histone demethylase KDM5A, including a noncanonical poly(ADP-ribose) binding region and the histone variant macroH2A1.2. These factors are essential for KDM5A's functions at DNA damage sites and play key roles in DNA repair processes.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Dan Filipescu, Saul Carcamo, Aman Agarwal, Navpreet Tung, Etienne Humblin, Matthew S. Goldberg, Nikki S. Vyas, Kristin G. Beaumont, Deniz Demircioglu, Subhasree Sridhar, Flavia G. Ghiraldini, Claudia Capparelli, Andrew E. Aplin, Helene Salmon, Robert Sebra, Alice O. Kamphorst, Miriam Merad, Dan Hasson, Emily Bernstein
Summary: Filipescu et al. demonstrate that MacroH2A deficiency in cancer-associated fibroblasts leads to altered chromatin looping and elevated inflammatory gene expression, resulting in impaired immune cell function and reduced anti-tumour response in melanoma. This study highlights the tumour suppressive role of MacroH2A variants in regulating chromatin architecture in the tumour stroma, with potential implications for human melanoma.
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
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
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)
Article
Cell Biology
David Corujo, Roberto Malinverni, Juan Carrillo-Reixach, Oliver Meers, Arce Garcia-Jaraquemada, Marguerite-Marie Le Pannerer, Vanesa Valero, Ainhoa Perez, Alvaro Del Rio-Alvarez, Laura Royo, Beatriz Perez-Gonzalez, Helena Raurell, Rafael D. Acemel, Jose M. Santos-Pereira, Marta Garrido-Pontnou, Jose Luis Gomez-Skarmeta, Lorenzo Pasquali, Josep Manye, Carolina Armengol, Marcus Buschbeck
Summary: MacroH2A histone variants play a critical role in gene regulation, particularly in modulating the response of cancer cells to inflammatory signals. They affect the contact frequency between gene promoters and enhancers, and influence enhancer activity.
Review
Cell Biology
Iva Guberovic, Marina Farkas, David Corujo, Marcus Buschbeck
Summary: The replacement of replication-coupled histones with non-canonical histone variants contributes to the plasticity of the epigenome. MacroH2A histone variants have a unique structure and can have opposing biological functions. This review discusses the structural differences between the macrodomains of the two isoforms and how it modulates gene regulation, as well as recent insights into the evolution of MacroH2As.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(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
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)
Review
Cell Biology
Akihisa Osakabe, Antoine Molaro
Summary: H2A variants are specialized histones that perform specific functions in nucleosome packaging of eukaryotic genomes. While most of the genes encoding H2A variants originated in the distant past and have conserved domains and structures, new H2A variants continue to emerge during eukaryotic radiation, disrupting the apparent stability of nucleosomes. These species-specific H2A variants contribute to the functional diversification of nucleosomes through changes in both their structure and expression patterns. In this short review, we discuss the evolutionary trajectories of these histone renegades in plant and animal genomes.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
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.