Postmitotic accumulation of histone variant H3.3 in new cortical neurons establishes neuronal chromatin, transcriptome, and identity.

ABSTRACT: Histone variants, which can be expressed outside of S-phase and deposited DNA synthesis-independently, provide long-term histone replacement in postmitotic cells, including neurons. Beyond replenishment, histone variants also play active roles in gene regulation by modulating chromatin states or enabling nucleosome turnover. Here, we uncover crucial roles for the histone H3 variant H3.3 in neuronal development. We find that newborn cortical excitatory neurons, which have only just completed replication-coupled deposition of canonical H3.1 and H3.2, substantially accumulate H3.3 immediately postmitosis. Codeletion of H3.3-encoding genes H3f3a and H3f3b from newly postmitotic neurons abrogates H3.3 accumulation, markedly alters the histone posttranslational modification landsca

SUBMITTER: Funk OH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9371731 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature