Skip to main content

Table 1 Core histone variants with potential unique functions

From: Histone variants: are they functionally heterogeneous?

Variant

Percentage of

Essential for

Proposed function

 

amino-acid

viability?

 
 

identity to

  
 

major isotype (%)

  

CENP-A

62

Yes (mouse)

Kinetochore

   

assembly

MacroH2A

64 (in histone

Not known

X-chromosome

 

region)

 

inactivation; gene

   

expression

H2A-Bbd

42

Not known

Transcriptional

   

activation

H2A.Z

59

Yes

Unclear; altered higher-

  

(mouse, flies,

order chromatin

  

Tetrahymena)

structure