Heterochromatin and DNA damage repair: Use different histone variants and relax

Repair of damaged DNA requires the activation of kinases, which in turn phosphorylate diverse proteins including histone H2A.X, an event conserved from yeast to human. By combining genetics, biochemical, and cytological approaches, we recently reported that, in addition to H2A.X, phosphorylation of histone variant H2A.W.7 is required for DNA damage response in Arabidopsis. This work provides direct evidence for the functional diversification of plant-specific H2A.W histone variants, which are tightly associated with heterochromatin. We place our findings in perspective of other recent reports and discuss how DNA damage is being recognized and repaired in heterochromatin.