Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Purification of H3 and H4 Histone Proteins and the Quantification of Acetylated Histone Marks in Cells and Brain Tissue
Published on: November 30, 2018
Circulating histone H3 levels in septic patients are associated with coagulopathy, multiple organ failure, and death:
Yayoi Yokoyama1, Takashi Ito1,2, Tomotsugu Yasuda1
11Department of Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8544 Japan.
Background:
Nuclear histone proteins are released into the extracellular space, and act as major mediators of coagulopathy and remote organ failure in septic animals. However, the circulating histone levels in septic patients have not been precisely quantified.
Methods:
Using a novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for histone H3 detection, we measured the serum histone H3 levels in 85 patients admitted to the intensive care unit because of infectious diseases. We then evaluated the associations of circulating histone H3 levels with organ failure, coagulopathy, and mortality.
Results:
Circulating histone H3 levels were significantly higher in patients with coagulopathy, and were positively correlated with numbers of organ failures. Circulating histone H3 levels were also associated with fatal outcome. Receiver-operating characteristic analyses revealed that the predictive performance of circulating histone H3 levels for mortality was higher than that of conventional inflammatory markers, including white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, and cell-free DNA.
Conclusions:
Circulating histone H3 levels are associated with coagulopathy, multiple organ failure, and death in patients requiring intensive care because of infectious diseases.
Related Concept Videos
Histone Variants at the Centromere
Histone Modification
Acetylation
The enzyme histone acetyltransferase adds acetyl group to the histones. Another enzyme, histone...
Histone Modification
Levels of Organization
Molecules Are Composed of Atoms, and Biomolecules Are Assembled from Molecules:
The most basic levels include atoms, molecules, and biomolecules. Atoms, the smallest unit of ordinary matter, are composed of a nucleus and electrons. Molecules...
Patient-centered Care
Molecules with Multiple Chiral Centers

