The linker histones, H1 and its variant forms, have been implicated in the formation of higher orders of chromatin structure and gene repression. Three recent manuscripts have reexamined the location ...

UCLA scientists have identified a new function for histones, the spool-shaped proteins that regulate gene expression and serve as anchors for strands of DNA to wrap around. The researchers discovered ...

The upper right portion illustrates viral nucleosome-like particles formed by co-occurring viral histone triplets and singlets. On the lower right, a network depicts distinct types of viral ...

For years, ETH researchers have been investigating a molecular complex that plays a key role in protein synthesis. They have ...

ANY theories that try to give an explanation of the function of histones have had in the past to take account of the reported absence of histones from bacteria 1,2. If histones are solely concerned ...

How can human cells pack 3-meter-long DNA into their tiny nuclei and unpack it only where and when it is needed? This fascinating process is far from being completely understood. Researchers at the ...

In our cells, 6 feet (1.8 m) of DNA gets crammed into chromosomes that fit inside a 6-µm-wide nucleus. The proteins that help pack up that genetic material are histones, which act as spools around ...

The story of cancer is, largely, one of broken genes. The valiant tumor suppressor, defender of cellular integrity, maimed and enfeebled. The conniving oncogene, hyper-activated, allowed to run wild ...

There is perhaps no more fundamental property of life than change, both with respect to personal experience and, as the basis of evolution, to the nature of biology itself. The constant genetic ...

If parent cells and their daughter cells are to share a stable identity, parent cells must divide—and replicate their DNA—while ensuring that their histones are distributed properly to their daughter ...

This article was originally featured on Knowable Magazine. Every second, as we breathe, sleep, eat and go about our lives, millions of biochemical reactions are happening in our cells. Among the hurly ...