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Subunit structure of chromatin is the same in plants and animals

Abstract

ALTHOUGH plants and animals diverged from each other nearly 109 yr ago, the histone composition of their chromosomes is remarkably similar1; in particular, the arginine-rich histones III and IV of peas and cows differ by only four and two amino acids, respectively2,3. Such extreme evolutionary conservation of a protein sequence argues that histones are crucial to chromosome structure and/or function, and further suggests considerable similarity, at the molecular level, between the chromosomes of plants and animals. We present evidence here for such a similarity.

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McGHEE, J., ENGEL, J. Subunit structure of chromatin is the same in plants and animals. Nature 254, 449–450 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/254449a0

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