Question

Which of the following is not true for histones?

• A. They are rich in basic amino acids.
• B. They are associated with the nucleosome.
• C. $H_1,H_2,H_{3}and{H}_4$ form the nucleosome core.
• D. $H_1$ functions as a monomer.

Answer 1

The correct option is C $H_1,H_2,H_{3}and{H}_4$ form the nucleosome core.

The histone proteins are composed of basic amino acids rich in lysine and arginine amino acid residues. The DNA is wound around an octamer of histone core to form bead-like structures called nucleosomes. The octamer core of histone proteins is made up of two units each of H2A, H2B, H3 and H4. The linker histone H1 family members are a key component of chromatin and bind to the nucleosomal core particle around the DNA entry and exit sites. H1 can stabilize both nucleosome structure and higher-order chromatin architecture. Thus, the correct answer is option C.