Histones are basic nuclear proteins that are responsible for the nucleosome structure of the chromosomal fiber in eukaryotes. Nucleosomes consist of approximately 146 bp of DNA wrapped around a histone octamer composed of pairs of each of the four core histones (H2A, H2B, H3, and H4). The chromatin fiber is further compacted through the interaction of a linker histone, H1, with the DNA between the nucleosomes to form higher order chromatin structures. This gene is intronless and encodes a replication-independent histone that is a member of the histone H1 family. [provided by RefSeq, Oct 2015]
Forensic Context
A study in humans demonstrated that the H1-0 gene was downregulated as part of the inhibited programmed cell death pathway in the lungs of patients who succumbed to septic shock, as identified through RNA sequencing of post-mortem tissue samples [Pinheiro da Silva et al. DOI:10.1111/jcmm.17938].