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What do linker histones do in chromatin?
Author(s) -
Wolffe Alan P.,
Khochbin Saadi,
Dimitrov Stefan
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.950190311
Subject(s) - chromatin , tetrahymena , histone , linker , histone h1 , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , repressor , histone modifying enzymes , computational biology , gene , transcription factor , genetics , computer science , operating system
Knockout experiments in Tetrahymena show that linker histone H1 is not essential for nuclear assembly or cell viability. These results, together with a series of biochemical and cell biological observations, challenge the existing paradigm that requires linker histones to be a key organizing component of higher‐order chromatin structure. The H1 Knockouts also reveal a much more subtle role for H1. Instead of acting as a general transcriptional repressor, H1 is found to regulate a limited number of specific genes. Surprisingly, H1 can both activate and repress transcription. We discuss how this architectural protein might accomplish this important regulatory role.