[5][6] Function Histones are basic nuclear proteins that are responsible for the nucleosome structure of the chromosomal fiber in eukaryotes.

Nucleosomes consist of approximately 146 base pairs(bp) of DNA wrapped around a histone octamer, which includes pairs of each of the four core histones (H2A, H2B, H3, and H4).

41, 941–945 and Genes Dev., 21, 1519–1529) have shown that incorporation of H2A.Z in nucleosomes, when it co-occurs with H3.3, makes them weaker.

Gene Expression and Chromatin Structure The positioning of H2A.Z containing nucleosomes around transcription start sites has been shown to affect the downstream gene expression.

[7] Recent evidence also points to a role for H2A.Z in repressing a subset of ncRNAs, derepressing CUTs, as well as mediation higher order chromatin structure formation.