Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Expression Analysis of Mammalian Linker-histone Subtypes
Published on: March 19, 2012
Isolation of four core histones from human sperm chromatin representing a minor subset of somatic histones
J M Gatewood1, G R Cook, R Balhorn
1Department of Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis 95616.
Abstract:
Using high performance liquid chromatography we have successfully purified four core histones from mature human sperm chromatin. The H2A variants present in sperm (H2A.X and limited H2A.Z) have been shown previously to be minor variants in somatic chromatin. The histones are highly modified as evidenced by extensive acetylation and an as yet uncharacterized multicharge modification of H2B. Based on our data, we conclude that histone proteins are a minor component of each mature spermatozoa. Given the unique nature of the histone variants present in sperm, we propose that this chromatin component has a specific function and may possibly facilitate the programming of genes which will be active in early development.
More Related Videos
07:10Isolation of Histone from Sorghum Leaf Tissue for Top Down Mass Spectrometry Profiling of Potential Epigenetic Markers
Published on: March 4, 2021
09:34Identification of Modified Histones as Binding Substrates of Human Spindlin Family Member 4 (SPIN4) by Peptide Arrays and Native Nucleosome Pulldown
Published on: March 27, 2026
Related Concept Videos
The Nucleosome Core Particle
The paradox
Nucleosomes, paradoxically, perform two opposite functions simultaneously. On the one hand, their main responsibility is to protect the delicate DNA strands from physical damage and help achieve a higher compaction ratio. While on the other hand, they must allow polymerase enzymes to access DNA...
Histone Variants at the Centromere
Heterochromatin
Constitutive heterochromatin: It is a highly compact region of chromatin that is mostly concentrated in the centromere and telomere. Unlike euchromatin, the amino acid at 9th...
Heterochromatin
Constitutive heterochromatin: It is a highly compact region of chromatin that is mostly concentrated in the centromere and telomere. Unlike euchromatin, the amino acid at 9th...
The Nucleosome
In a chromosome, DNA is wound twice around a protein complex called a histone octamer core, which consists of 8 histone proteins. This...
The Nucleosome Core Particle
Nucleosomes, paradoxically, perform two opposite functions simultaneously. On the one hand, their primary aim is to protect the delicate DNA strands from physical damage and help achieve a higher compaction ratio. On the other hand, they must allow polymerase enzymes to access histone-bound DNA during...