A solitary human H3 histone gene on chromosome 1

A standardized nomenclature for mammalian histone genes

Histones have a long history of research in a wide range of species, leaving a legacy of complex nomenclature in the literature. Community-led discussions at the EMBO Workshop on Histone Variants in 2011 resulted in agreement amongst experts on a revised systematic protein nomenclature for histones, which is based on a combination of phylogenetic classification and historical symbol usage. Human and mouse histone gene symbols previously followed a genome-centric system that was not applicable across all vertebrate species and did not reflect the systematic histone protein nomenclature. This prompted a collaboration between histone experts, the Human Genome Organization (HUGO) Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC) and Mouse Genomic Nomenclature Committee (MGNC) to revise human and mouse histone gene nomenclature aiming, where possible, to follow the new protein nomenclature whilst conforming to the guidelines for vertebrate gene naming. The updated nomenclature has also been applied to orthologous histone genes in chimpanzee, rhesus macaque, dog, cat, pig, horse and cattle, and can serve as a framework for naming other vertebrate histone genes in the future.

Interactions With Histone H3 & Tools to Study Them

Histones are an integral part of chromatin and thereby influence its structure, dynamics, and functions. The effects of histone variants, posttranslational modifications, and binding proteins is therefore of great interest. From the moment that they are deposited on chromatin, nucleosomal histones undergo dynamic changes in function of the cell cycle, and as DNA is transcribed and replicated. In the process, histones are not only modified and bound by various proteins, but also shuffled, evicted, or replaced. Technologies and tools to study such dynamic events continue to evolve and better our understanding of chromatin and of histone proteins proper. Here, we provide an overview of H3.1 and H3.3 histone dynamics throughout the cell cycle, while highlighting some of the tools used to study their protein–protein interactions. We specifically discuss how histones are chaperoned, modified, and bound by various proteins at different stages of the cell cycle. Established and select emerging technologies that furthered (or have a high potential of furthering) our understanding of the dynamic histone–protein interactions are emphasized. This includes experimental tools to investigate spatiotemporal changes on chromatin, the role of histone chaperones, histone posttranslational modifications, and histone-binding effector proteins.

Endothelial cell regulation through epigenetic mechanisms: Depicting parallels and its clinical application within an intra-islet microenvironment

The intra-islet endothelial cells (ECs), the building blocks of islet microvasculature, govern a number of cellular and pathophysiological processes associated with the pancreatic tissue. These cells are key to the angiogenic process and essential for islet revascularization after transplantation. Understanding fundamental mechanisms by which ECs regulate the angiogenic process is important as these cells maintain and regulate the intra-islet environment facilitated by a complex signaling crosstalk with the surrounding endocrine cells. In recent years, many studies have demonstrated the impact of epigenetic regulation on islet cell development and function. This review will present an overview of the reports involving endothelial epigenetic mechanisms particularly focusing on histone modifications which have been identified to play a critical role in governing EC functions by modifying the chromatin structure. A better understanding of epigenetic mechanisms by which these cells regulate gene expression and function to orchestrate cellular physiology and pathology is likely to offer improved insights on the functioning and regulation of an intra-islet endothelial microvascular environment.

Studying the Evolution of Histone Variants Using Phylogeny

Histones wrap DNA to form nucleosomes that package eukaryotic genomes. Histone variants have evolved for diverse functions including gene expression, DNA repair, epigenetic silencing, and chromosome segregation. With the rapid increase of newly sequenced genomes the repertoire of histone variants expands, demonstrating a great diversification of these proteins across eukaryotes. In this chapter, we are providing guidelines for the computational characterization and annotation of histone variants. We describe methods to predict the characteristic histone fold domain and list features specific to known histone variants that can be used to categorize newly identified histone fold proteins. We continue describing procedures to retrieve additional related histone variants for comparative sequence analyses and phylogenetic reconstructions to refine the annotation and to determine the evolutionary trajectories of the variant in question.

Methods for Preparing Nucleosomes Containing Histone Variants

Histone variants are key epigenetic players that regulate transcription, repair, replication, and recombination of genomic DNA. Histone variant incorporation into nucleosomes induces structural diversity of nucleosomes, consequently leading to the structural versatility of chromatin. Such chromatin diversity created by histone variants may play a central role in the epigenetic regulation of genes. Each histone variant possesses specific biochemical and physical characteristics, and thus the preparation methods are complicated. Here, we introduce the methods for the purification of human histone variants as recombinant proteins, and describe the preparation methods for histone complexes and nucleosomes containing various histone variants. We also describe the detailed method for the preparation of heterotypic nucleosomes, which may function in certain biological phenomena. These methods are useful for biochemical, structural, and biophysical studies.

Identification of the amino acid residues responsible for stable nucleosome formation by histone H3.Y

Histone H3.Y is conserved among primates. We previously reported that exogenously produced H3.Y accumulates around transcription start sites, suggesting that it may play a role in transcription regulation. The H3.Y nucleosome forms a relaxed chromatin conformation with flexible DNA ends. The H3.Y-specific Lys42 residue is partly responsible for enhancing the flexibility of the nucleosomal DNA. To our surprise, we found that H3.Y stably associates with chromatin and nucleosomes in vivo and in vitro. However, the H3.Y residues responsible for its stable nucleosome incorporation have not been identified yet. In the present study, we performed comprehensive mutational analyses of H3.Y, and determined that the H3.Y C-terminal region including amino acid residues 124-135 is responsible for its stable association with DNA. Among the H3.Y C-terminal residues, the H3.Y Met124 residue significantly contributed to the stable DNA association with the H3.Y-H4 tetramer. The H3.Y M124I mutation substantially reduced the H3.Y-H4 association in the nucleosome. In contrast, the H3.Y K42R mutation affected the nucleosome stability less, although it contributes to the flexible DNA ends of the nucleosome. Therefore, these H3.Y-specific residues, Lys42 and Met124, play different and specific roles in nucleosomal DNA relaxation and stable nucleosome formation, respectively, in chromatin.

Structure and function of human histone H3.Y nucleosome

Histone H3.Y is a primate-specific, distant H3 variant. It is evolutionarily derived from H3.3, and may function in transcription regulation. However, the mechanism by which H3.Y regulates transcription has not been elucidated. In the present study, we determined the crystal structure of the H3.Y nucleosome, and found that many H3.Y-specific residues are located on the entry/exit sites of the nucleosome. Biochemical analyses revealed that the DNA ends of the H3.Y nucleosome were more flexible than those of the H3.3 nucleosome, although the H3.Y nucleosome was stable in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, the linker histone H1, which compacts nucleosomal DNA, appears to bind to the H3.Y nucleosome less efficiently, as compared to the H3.3 nucleosome. These characteristics of the H3.Y nucleosome are also conserved in the H3.Y/H3.3 heterotypic nucleosome, which may be the predominant form in cells. In human cells, H3.Y preferentially accumulated around transcription start sites (TSSs). Taken together, H3.Y-containing nucleosomes around transcription start sites may form relaxed chromatin that allows transcription factor access, to regulate the transcription status of specific genes.

Histone H3.5 forms an unstable nucleosome and accumulates around transcription start sites in human testis

Background

Human histone H3.5 is a non-allelic H3 variant evolutionally derived from H3.3. The H3.5 mRNA is highly expressed in human testis. However, the function of H3.5 has remained poorly understood.

Results

We found that the H3.5 nucleosome is less stable than the H3.3 nucleosome. The crystal structure of the H3.5 nucleosome showed that the H3.5-specific Leu103 residue, which corresponds to the H3.3 Phe104 residue, reduces the hydrophobic interaction with histone H4. Mutational analyses revealed that the H3.5-specific Leu103 residue is responsible for the instability of the H3.5 nucleosome, both in vitro and in living cells. The H3.5 protein was present in human seminiferous tubules, but little to none was found in mature sperm. A chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with sequencing analysis revealed that H3.5 accumulated around transcription start sites (TSSs) in testicular cells.

Conclusions

We performed comprehensive studies of H3.5, and found the instability of the H3.5 nucleosome and the accumulation of H3.5 protein around TSSs in human testis. The unstable H3.5 nucleosome may function in the chromatin dynamics around the TSSs, during spermatogenesis.

Structural basis of a nucleosome containing histone H2A.B/H2A.Bbd that transiently associates with reorganized chromatin

Human histone H2A.B (formerly H2A.Bbd), a non-allelic H2A variant, exchanges rapidly as compared to canonical H2A, and preferentially associates with actively transcribed genes. We found that H2A.B transiently accumulated at DNA replication and repair foci in living cells. To explore the biochemical function of H2A.B, we performed nucleosome reconstitution analyses using various lengths of DNA. Two types of H2A.B nucleosomes, octasome and hexasome, were formed with 116, 124, or 130 base pairs (bp) of DNA, and only the octasome was formed with 136 or 146 bp DNA. In contrast, only hexasome formation was observed by canonical H2A with 116 or 124 bp DNA. A small-angle X-ray scattering analysis revealed that the H2A.B octasome is more extended, due to the flexible detachment of the DNA regions at the entry/exit sites from the histone surface. These results suggested that H2A.B rapidly and transiently forms nucleosomes with short DNA segments during chromatin reorganization.

The Tudor domain of the PHD finger protein 1 is a dual reader of lysine trimethylation at lysine 36 of histone H3 and lysine 27 of histone variant H3t

PHF1 associates with the Polycomb repressive complex 2 and it was demonstrated to stimulate its H3K27-trimethylation activity. We studied the interaction of the PHF1 Tudor domain with modified histone peptides and found that it recognizes H3K36me3 and H3tK27me3 (on the histone variant H3t) and that it uses the same trimethyllysine binding pocket for the interaction with both peptides. Since both peptide sequences are very different, this result indicates that reading domains can have dual specificities. Sub-nuclear localization studies of full-length PHF1 in human HEK293 cells revealed that it co-localizes with K27me3, but not with K36me3, and that this co-localization depends on the trimethyllysine binding pocket indicating that K27me3 is an in vivo target for the PHF1 Tudor domain. Our data suggest that PHF1 binds to H3tK27me3 in human chromatin, and H3t has a more general role in Polycomb regulation.

Developmental roles of histone H3 variants and their chaperones

Animal development and lifetime potential exploit a balance between the stability and plasticity of cellular identity. Within the nucleus, this is controlled by an interplay involving lineage-specific transcription factors and chromatin dynamics. Histone H3 variants contribute to chromatin dynamics through the timing and sites of their incorporation, promoted by dedicated histone chaperones. Moreover, their individual modifications and binding partners provide distinct features at defined genomic loci. We highlight here the importance of the H3.3 replacement variant for the nuclear reprogramming that occurs during gametogenesis, fertilization, and germline establishment. Furthermore, we describe how the recently characterized H3.3 dynamics associated with gastrulation, myogenesis, or neurogenesis underline the role of chromatin changes in cell differentiation. Finally, we discuss the challenges of maintaining centromeric identity through propagation of the centromeric CenH3 variant in different cell types. Future challenges will be to gain a comprehensive picture of H3 variants and their chaperones during development and differentiation.

Current progress on structural studies of nucleosomes containing histone H3 variants

The nucleosome is the basic repeating unit of chromatin. During the nucleosome assembly process, DNA is wrapped around two H3-H4 dimers, followed by the inclusion of two H2A-H2B dimers. The H3-H4 dimers provide the fundamental architecture of the nucleosome. Many non-allelic variants have been found for H3, but not for H4, suggesting that the functions of chromatin domains may, at least in part, be dictated by the specific H3 variant that is incorporated. A prominent example is the centromeric H3 variant, CENP-A, which specifies the function of centromeres in chromosomes. In this review, we survey the current progress in the studies of nucleosomes containing H3 variants, and discuss their implications for the architecture and dynamics of chromatin domains.

A unified phylogeny-based nomenclature for histone variants

Histone variants are non-allelic protein isoforms that play key roles in diversifying chromatin structure. The known number of such variants has greatly increased in recent years, but the lack of naming conventions for them has led to a variety of naming styles, multiple synonyms and misleading homographs that obscure variant relationships and complicate database searches. We propose here a unified nomenclature for variants of all five classes of histones that uses consistent but flexible naming conventions to produce names that are informative and readily searchable. The nomenclature builds on historical usage and incorporates phylogenetic relationships, which are strong predictors of structure and function. A key feature is the consistent use of punctuation to represent phylogenetic divergence, making explicit the relationships among variant subtypes that have previously been implicit or unclear. We recommend that by default new histone variants be named with organism-specific paralog-number suffixes that lack phylogenetic implication, while letter suffixes be reserved for structurally distinct clades of variants. For clarity and searchability, we encourage the use of descriptors that are separate from the phylogeny-based variant name to indicate developmental and other properties of variants that may be independent of structure.

Chromatin remodelling initiation during human spermiogenesis

During the last phase of spermatogenesis, spermiogenesis, haploid round spermatids metamorphose towards spermatozoa. Extensive cytoplasmic reduction and chromatin remodelling together allow a dramatic decrease of cellular, notably nuclear volume. DNA packing by a nucleosome based chromatin structure is largely replaced by a protamine based one. At the cytoplasmic level among others the acrosome and perinuclear theca (PNT) are formed. In this study we describe the onset of chromatin remodelling to occur concomitantly with acrosome and PNT development. In spread human round spermatid nuclei, we show development of a DAPI-intense doughnut-like structure co-localizing with the acrosomal sac and sub acrosomal PNT. At this structure we observe the first gradual decrease of nucleosomes and several histones. Histone post-translational modifications linked to chromatin remodelling such as H4K8ac and H4K16ac also delineate the doughnut, that is furthermore marked by H3K9me2. During the capping phase of acrosome development, the size of the doughnut-like chromatin domain increases, and this area often is marked by uniform nucleosome loss and the first appearance of transition protein 2 and protamine 1. In the acrosome phase at nuclear elongation, chromatin remodelling follows the downward movement of the marginal ring of the acrosome. Our results indicate that acrosome development and chromatin remodelling are interacting processes. In the discussion we relate chromatin remodelling to the available data on the nuclear envelope and the linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complex of spermatids, suggesting a signalling route for triggering chromatin remodelling.

Structures of human nucleosomes containing major histone H3 variants

The nucleosome is the fundamental repeating unit of chromatin, via which genomic DNA is packaged into the nucleus in eukaryotes. In the nucleosome, two copies of each core histone, H2A, H2B, H3 and H4, form a histone octamer which wraps 146 base pairs of DNA around itself. All of the core histones except for histone H4 have nonallelic isoforms called histone variants. In humans, eight histone H3 variants, H3.1, H3.2, H3.3, H3T, H3.5, H3.X, H3.Y and CENP-A, have been reported to date. Previous studies have suggested that histone H3 variants possess distinct functions in the formation of specific chromosome regions and/or in the regulation of transcription and replication. H3.1, H3.2 and H3.3 are the most abundant H3 variants. Here, crystal structures of human nucleosomes containing either H3.2 or H3.3 have been solved. The structures were essentially the same as that of the H3.1 nucleosome. Since the amino-acid residues specific for H3.2 and H3.3 are located on the accessible surface of the H3/H4 tetramer, they may be potential interaction sites for H3.2- and H3.3-specific chaperones.

Specialized compartments of cardiac nuclei exhibit distinct proteomic anatomy

As host to the genome, the nucleus plays a critical role as modulator of cellular phenotype. To understand the totality of proteins that regulate this organelle, we used proteomics to characterize the components of the cardiac nucleus. Following purification, cardiac nuclei were fractionated into biologically relevant fractions including acid-soluble proteins, chromatin-bound molecules and nucleoplasmic proteins. These distinct subproteomes were characterized by liquid chromatography-tandem MS. We report a cardiac nuclear proteome of 1048 proteins--only 146 of which are shared between the distinct subcompartments of this organelle. Analysis of genomic loci encoding these molecules gives insights into local hotspots for nuclear protein regulation. High mass accuracy and complementary analytical techniques allowed the discrimination of distinct protein isoforms, including 54 total histone variants, 17 of which were distinguished by unique peptide sequences and four of which have never been detected at the protein level. These studies are the first unbiased analysis of cardiac nuclear subcompartments and provide a foundation for exploration of this organelle's proteomes during disease.

Structural basis of instability of the nucleosome containing a testis-specific histone variant, human H3T

A histone H3 variant, H3T, is highly expressed in the testis, suggesting that it may play an important role in the chromatin reorganization required for meiosis and/or spermatogenesis. In the present study, we found that the nucleosome containing human H3T is significantly unstable both in vitro and in vivo, as compared to the conventional nucleosome containing H3.1. The crystal structure of the H3T nucleosome revealed structural differences in the H3T regions on both ends of the central alpha2 helix, as compared to those of H3.1. The H3T-specific residues (Met71 and Val111) are the source of the structural differences observed between H3T and H3.1. A mutational analysis revealed that these residues are responsible for the reduced stability of the H3T-containing nucleosome. These physical and structural properties of the H3T-containing nucleosome may provide the basis of chromatin reorganization during spermatogenesis.

Nucleosome formation with the testis-specific histone H3 variant, H3t, by human nucleosome assembly proteins in vitro

Five non-allelic histone H3 variants, H3.1, H3.2, H3.3, H3t and CENP-A, have been identified in mammals. H3t is robustly expressed in the testis, and thus was assigned as the testis-specific H3 variant. However, recent proteomics and tissue-specific RT-PCR experiments revealed a small amount of H3t expression in somatic cells. In the present study, we purified human H3t as a recombinant protein, and showed that H3t/H4 forms nucleosomes with H2A/H2B by the salt-dialysis method, like the conventional H3.1/H4. We found that H3t/H4 is not efficiently incorporated into the nucleosome by human Nap1 (hNap1), due to its defective H3t/H4 deposition on DNA. In contrast, human Nap2 (hNap2), a paralog of hNap1, promotes nucleosome assembly with H3t/H4. Mutational analyses revealed that the Ala111 residue, which is conserved among H3.1, H3.2 and H3.3, but not in H3t, is the essential residue for the hNap1-mediated nucleosome assembly. These results suggest that H3t may be incorporated into chromatin by a specific chaperone-mediated pathway.

Histone structure and nucleosome stability

Histone proteins play essential structural and functional roles in the transition between active and inactive chromatin states. Although histones have a high degree of conservation due to constraints to maintain the overall structure of the nucleosomal octameric core, variants have evolved to assume diverse roles in gene regulation and epigenetic silencing. Histone variants, post-translational modifications and interactions with chromatin remodeling complexes influence DNA replication, transcription, repair and recombination. The authors review recent findings on the structure of chromatin that confirm previous interparticle interactions observed in crystal structures.

Histone H3 variants in male gametic cells of lily and H3 methylation in mature pollen

Histones are vital structural proteins of chromatin that influence its dynamics and function. The tissue-specific expression of histone variants has been shown to regulate the expression of specific genes and genomic stability in animal systems. Here we report on the characterization of five histone H3 variants expressed in Lilium generative cell. The gcH3 and leH3 variants show unique sequence diversity by lacking a conserved lysine residue at position 9 (H3K9). The gH3 shares conserved structural features with centromeric H3 of Arabidopsis. The gH3 variant gene is strongly expressed in generative cells and gH3 histone is incorporated in to generative cell chromatin. The lysine residue of H3 at position 4 (H3K4) is highly methylated in the nuclei of generative cells of mature pollen, while methylation of H3K4 is low in vegetative cell nuclei. Taken together, these results suggest that male gametic cells of Lilium have unique chromatin state and histone H3 variants and their methylation might be involved in gene regulation of male gametic cells.

Chromosome rearrangements in Pectinidae (Bivalvia: Pteriomorphia) implied based on chromosomal localization of histone H3 gene in four scallops

Chromosomal structural rearrangement in four scallops, Chlamys farreri (n=19), Patinopecten yessoensis (n=19), Chlamys nobilis (n=16) and Argopecten irradians (n=16), was studied by fluorescence in situ hybridization using histone H3 gene probes. The results show that histone H3 gene sites differ strikingly with regard to number, location, and intensity among, or even within these species. For example, two histone H3 gene loci were detected on the metaphase chromosomes of P. yessoensis, while one locus was found in the others. In P. yessoensis, differing intensities of hybridization signals were detected between homologues 5 and 11, and within homologue 11. These data suggest that the histone H3 gene is a qualified chromosome marker for the preliminary understanding of the historical chromosomal reconstructing of the Pectinidae family. The variable distribution patterns of the histone H3 gene suggest that gene duplication/diminution as well as chromosome rearrangements by inversion and translocation may have played important roles in the genomic evolution of Pectinidae. We also compiled our present results with former published data regarding the chromosome mapping of rDNAs in species of the Pectinidae family. Such comparative chromosomal mapping should improve our understanding of historical chromosomal reconstructions of modern-day scallops.

Establishment of male-specific epigenetic information

The setting of male-specific epigenetic information is a complex process, which involves a major global re-organisation, as well as localized changes of the nucleus structure during the pre-meiotic, meiotic and post-meiotic stages of the male germ cell differentiation. Although it has long been known that DNA methylation in targeted regions of the genome is associated with male-specific genomic imprinting, or that most core histones are hyperacetylated and then replaced by sperm-specific proteins during the post-meiotic condensation of the nucleus, many questions remain unanswered. How these changes interact, how they affect the epigenetic information and how the paternal epigenetic marks contribute to the future genome are indeed major issues remaining to be explored.

Histone variants: deviants?

Histones are a major component of chromatin, the protein-DNA complex fundamental to genome packaging, function, and regulation. A fraction of histones are nonallelic variants that have specific expression, localization, and species-distribution patterns. Here we discuss recent progress in understanding how histone variants lead to changes in chromatin structure and dynamics to carry out specific functions. In addition, we review histone variant assembly into chromatin, the structure of the variant chromatin, and post-translational modifications that occur on the variants.

The role of histones in chromatin remodelling during mammalian spermiogenesis

One of the most dramatic chromatin remodelling processes takes place during mammalian spermatogenesis. Indeed, during the postmeiotic maturation of male haploid germ cells, or spermiogenesis, histones are replaced by small basic proteins, which in mammals are transition proteins and protamines. However, nothing is known of the mechanisms controlling the process of histone replacement. Two hints from the literature could help to shed light on the underlying molecular events: one is the massive synthesis of histone variants, including testis-specific members, and the second is a stage specific post-translational modification of histones. A new testis-specific 'histone code' can therefore be generated combining both histone variants and histone post-translational modifications. This review will detail these two phenomena and discuss possible functional significance of the global chromatin alterations occurring prior to histone replacement during spermiogenesis.

Growth regulation of human variant histone genes and acetylation of the encoded proteins

The family of human histone genes consists of replication-dependent and independent subtypes. The replication-independent histone genes, also known as variants, give rise to distinct mRNAs, whose expression is regulated depending on the growth state of the cell, tissue type and developmental stage. In turn, the histone variants are differentially synthesized and modified by acetylation. Consequently, chromatin structure is altered resulting in complex changes in gene expression. The high conservation among histone protein subtypes suggests that they are indispensable. In addition, conservation of the positions of acetylation within subtypes suggests that the location of these sites is functionally important for the eukaryotic cell. For example, the structures of transcriptionally active and repressed chromatin are different depending on the acetylation state of histone proteins [1-3]. In addition, transcriptionally active and repressed chromatin contains distinct histone variants [4]. Specialized histone variants are targeted to the centromere of the chromosome, where they are essential for chromosome segregation [5]. Other specialized histones exist that are essential for development [6]. Changes in histone acetylation have been implicated in the down-regulation of a tumour suppressor gene in human breast cancer [7]. Acetylation also plays an important role in X chromosome inactivation as well as hormone-mediated transcriptional regulation [8, 9]. We propose here a novel model for histone variant gene regulation at the post-transcriptional level, which provides the groundwork to define the pathways regulating the synthesis of these variants.

Histone gene expression and chromatin structure during spermatogenesis

The chromatin of male germ cells is restructured throughout spermatogenesis. Analysis of differential histone protein patterns at specific stages of spermatogenesis may contribute towards an understanding of the changes in chromatin structure and function during this differentiation process. The most striking changes in histone patterns occur at the stage of pachytene spermatocytes when most of the linker H1 histones are replaced by the testis specific subtype H1t. In addition, replacement of core histone subtypes is observed at this stage. These structural changes precede the reorganization of chromatin at haploid stages when histones are replaced first by transition proteins and then by protamines.

Human histone gene organization: nonregular arrangement within a large cluster

We have previously located the genes of the five human main type H1 genes and the gene encoding the testicular subtype H1t to the region 21.1 to 22.2 on the short arm of chromosome 6. To investigate the organization of the histone genes in this region, we isolated two YACs from a human YAC library by PCR screening with primers specific for histone H1.1. This screen revealed two YAC clones, YAC Y23 (corresponding to ICRFy901D1223) contains an insert of about 480 kb, whereas the smaller YAC 4A (corresponding to ICRFy900C104) spans about 340 kb and is completely covered by YAC Y23. We have subcloned the YAC inserts in cosmids, determined the linear orientation of the cosmids by cosmid walking, and constructed a restriction map of the entire region by mapping the individual cosmids using partial digests and hybridization with labeled oligonucleotides complementary to the cos site of the vector. Hybridization analysis, subcloning, restriction mapping, and sequencing revealed that most of the previously isolated phage and cosmid clones containing histone genes are part of this YAC including the clones containing the four human main type H1 histone genes H1.1 to H1.4, the H1t gene, and core histone genes. Thirty-five histone genes map within 260 kb of the YAC Y23 insert. All newly identified histone genes were sequenced, and the sequences were deposited with the EMBL nucleotide sequence database. The histone H1.5 gene is not part of this region, and we therefore conclude that the H1.5 gene and the associated core histone genes form a separate subcluster within this chromosomal region.