Changes in the proportions of histone H1 subtypes in brain cortical neurons

Histone H1(0) is found in tissues with little or no cellular proliferation and has been shown to accumulate during cellular terminal differentiation. Two subtypes of H1(0), H1 a and H1 b, are present in any tissue where the protein has been detected. We report here the first evidence of an age-dependent change in the proportions of H1 subtypes. In rat cerebral cortex neurons the proportion of H1 a rises from 44% of total H1 at birth to about 80% at day 300. These results show that terminally differentiated neurons synthesize and exchange H1 at a significant rate.