H2A is a part of a class of proteins called histones, which hold their
own code for how the genetic DNA inside cells is used to form tissues,
bones and other structures. In the Nature study, a protein was
identified that modifies H2A, which in turn regulates normal cell
pathways and cell growth.
When the function of this protein was blocked in tadpole embryos, the
front-to-back body patterning that happens as they mature was altered,
said Hengbin Wang, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the UAB Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and lead author on the study.
Wang said the findings show potential in future research to identify
biochemical agents or drugs that can target histones and influence
cell production.
�Earlier research has looked at whether targeting histones during
certain times of biological development will effectively �switch on or
off� certain pathways or patterning signals, Wang said. �Putting our
finger on this switch would give geneticists, doctors and biochemists
unprecedented control in stopping tumor growth and other human
diseases.
�This finding goes along way toward helping us understand how histones
like H2A are modified in the cell cycle and what that means for normal
or abnormal physiological growth,� Wang said.
�One thing we know for sure is that modifying histones is very
important to chromatin structure and function,� he said. Chromatin is
the DNA and protein mixture that makes up chromosomes, the threadlike
structures inside cells that are necessary for reproduction.
Wang�s team included Heui-Yun Joo, Ling Zhai and Chunying Yang of the
UAB Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, along with
Shuyi Nie and Chenebei Chang of the UAB Department of Cell Biology.
Researchers from the molecular biology program at Memorial Sloan
Kettering Cancer Center in New York contributed to the study.
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