histone | The main chemical components of chromosomes are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and proteins. There are two types of proteins on chromosomes: one is low-molecular-weight basic proteins, namely histones (histones), and the other is acidic proteins, namely non-histone proteins (non-histone proteins). The type and content of non-histone proteins are not very constant, while the type and content of histones are very constant, and their content is roughly equal to that of DNA. Histones were discovered by German scientist A. Kossel in 1834. Histone is a basic protein in the somatic chromatin of eukaryotes. It contains more basic amino acids such as arginine and lysine. The two add up to about 1/4 of all amino acid residues. Histones bind to negatively charged double-helix DNA into DNA-histone complexes. The structural characteristics of histones have no tissue specificity and the asymmetry of amino acid distribution on the peptide chain. Histones play an important role in the structure of chromosomes. The core of the nucleosome is a spherical 8-polymer composed of two molecules of four histones (H2A, H2B, H3 and H4). Helps DNA curl to form a stable structure of nucleosomes; H1 histones, which connect during the formation of nucleosomes, give chromosome polarity; play an important role in the packaging of chromosomal DNA. The histones that make up the nucleosomes are among the most conserved eukaryotic proteins of all known: the histone H4 of pea and dairy cows differ by only two amino acids. This extreme evolutionary conservatism reflects the key role of histones in controlling the chromatin structure of eukaryotes. |