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First published online 22 November 2005
doi: 10.1242/jcs.02688

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Histone H2AZ dimerizes with a novel variant H2B and is enriched at repetitive DNA in Trypanosoma brucei

Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: george.cross{at}rockefeller.edu)

Accepted 12 September 2005

H2AZ is a widely conserved histone variant that is implicated in protecting euchromatin from the spread of heterochromatin. H2AZ is incorporated into nucleosomes as a heterodimer with H2B, by the SWR1 ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling complex. We have identified a homolog of H2AZ in the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei, along with a novel variant of histone H2B (H2BV) that shares 38% sequence identity with major H2B. Both H2AZ and H2BV are essential for viability. H2AZ localizes within the nucleus in a pattern that is distinct from canonical H2A and is largely absent from sites of transcription visualized by incorporation of 5-bromo-UTP (BrUTP). H2AZ and H2BV colocalize throughout the cell cycle and exhibit nearly identical genomic distribution patterns, as assessed by chromatin immunoprecipitation. H2AZ co-immunoprecipitates with H2BV but not with histones H2B or H2A nor with the variant H3V. These data strongly suggest that H2AZ and H2BV function together within a single nucleosome, marking the first time an H2AZ has been shown to associate with a non-canonical histone H2B.

Key words: Chromatin, Histone variants, H2AZ, H2BV, Trypanosoma brucei

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