Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Nucleosomes Containing Histone Variant H2A.J.

ABSTRACT: Histone proteins form the building blocks of chromatin-nucleosomes. Incorporation of alternative histone variants instead of the major (canonical) histones into nucleosomes is a key mechanism enabling epigenetic regulation of genome functioning. In humans, H2A.J is a constitutively expressed histone variant whose accumulation is associated with cell senescence, inflammatory gene expression, and certain cancers. It is sequence-wise very similar to the canonical H2A histones, and its effects on the nucleosome structure and dynamics remain elusive. This study employed all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to reveal atomistic mechanisms of structural and dynamical effects conferred by the incorporation of H2A.J into nucleosomes. We showed that the H2A.J C-terminal tail and its phosphorylated

SUBMITTER: Kosarim NA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11595175 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature