Eukaryotic histones are basic and water soluble nuclear proteins that form hetero-octameric nucleosome particles by wrapping 146 base pairs of DNA in a left-handed super-helical turn sequentially to form chromosomal fibers. Two molecules of each of the four core histones (H2A, H2B, H3 and H4) form the octamer, which is comprised of two H2A-H2B dimers and two H3-H4 dimers, forming two nearly symmetrical halves by tertiary structure. Histones are subject to posttranslational modification by enzymes primarily on their N-terminal tails, but also in their globular domains. Human Histone H3 is subject to trimethylation at Lys 9, a modification that may be necessary for select DNA transactions or chromatin state transitions.
