Abstract
Organization of the genetic information into chromatin plays an important role in the regulation of all DNA template-based reactions. The incorporation of different variant versions of the core histones H3, H2A, and H2B, or the linker histone H1 results in nucleosomes with unique properties. Histone variants can differ by only a few amino acids or larger protein domains and their incorporation may directly affect nucleosome stability and higher order chromatin organization or indirectly influence chromatin function through histone variant-specific binding partners. Histone variants employ dedicated histone deposition machinery for their timely and locus-specific incorporation into chromatin. Plants have evolved specific histone variants with unique expression patterns and features. In this review, we discuss our current knowledge on histone variants in Arabidopsis, their mode of deposition, variant-specific post-translational modifications, and genome-wide distribution, as well as their role in defining different chromatin states.
Highlights
In eukaryotes, the long nuclear DNA molecules are organized into chromatin
To meet the requirement of a dynamic stage for epigenetic information, chromatin organization is modified at different levels
Histone variants can differ only by a few amino acids or by larger protein domains.They can be incorporated at different moments during the cell cycle or only in particular cell types using similar or specific histone deposition pathways mediated by a network of proteins termed histone chaperones (Box 1)
Summary
Probst1, , Bénédicte Desvoyes, and Crisanto Gutierrez Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, Inserm, GReD, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France 2 Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa, CSIC-UAM, Nicolas Cabrera 1, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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