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Histone chaperones: an escort network regulating histone traffic

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology volume 14, pages 997–1007 (2007)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 01 December 2007

Abstract

In eukaryotes, DNA is organized into chromatin in a dynamic manner that enables it to be accessed for processes such as transcription and repair. Histones, the chief protein component of chromatin, must be assembled, replaced or exchanged to preserve or change this organization according to cellular needs. Histone chaperones are key actors during histone metabolism. Here we classify known histone chaperones and discuss how they build a network to escort histone proteins. Molecular interactions with histones and their potential specificity or redundancy are also discussed in light of chaperone structural properties. The multiplicity of histone chaperone partners, including histone modifiers, nucleosome remodelers and cell-cycle regulators, is relevant to their coordination with key cellular processes. Given the current interest in chromatin as a source of epigenetic marks, we address the potential contributions of histone chaperones to epigenetic memory and genome stability.

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Figure 1: Classification of histone chaperones in multiple organisms.
Figure 2: Asf1 histone chaperone structure and function.
Figure 3: Asf1 is an example of a histone chaperone within a network of binding partners.
Figure 4: Histone chaperones mediate histone dynamics during transcription elongation.
Figure 5: Chromatin rearrangements and histone chaperone activities during DSB repair in S.cerevisiae.

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Acknowledgements

We thank E. Dunleavy, D. Ray-Gallet and A. Gérard for their input. The authors are supported by Cancéropôle Ile-de-France (L.D.K. and G.A.); Université Paris 6 (A.C.); the Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer (Equipe labellisée la Ligue); the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (LRC no. 26), European Contract RTN (HPRN-CT-2002-00238), Network of Excellence Epigenome (LSHG-CT-2004-503433), Action Concertée Interface Physique-Chimie-Biologie (04393), the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (NT05-4-422267 and PCV06-142302), and Programme Incitatif et Collaboratif (PIC) Rétinoblastome (G.A.); and US National Institutes of Health grants GM61766 and GM20056 (J.E.H.). J.E.H. received a Mayent-Rotschild sabbatical fellowship from the Institut Curie. We apologize to authors whose work has not been cited because of limited space.

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  1. Leanne De Koning and Armelle Corpet: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Nuclear Dynamics and Genome Plasticity (UMR 218); Institut Curie, 26 rue d'Ulm, Paris, 75248, France

    Leanne De Koning, Armelle Corpet & Geneviève Almouzni

  2. Department of Biology and Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, 02454, Massachusetts, USA

    James E Haber

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  1. Leanne De Koning
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  2. Armelle Corpet
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  4. Geneviève Almouzni
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Correspondence to Geneviève Almouzni.

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De Koning, L., Corpet, A., Haber, J. et al. Histone chaperones: an escort network regulating histone traffic. Nat Struct Mol Biol 14, 997–1007 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb1318

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