Sea urchin (Lytechinus pictus) late-stage histone H3 and H4 genes: Characterization and mapping of a clustered but nontandemly linked multigene family

Geoffrey Childs, Catherine Nocente-Mcgrath, Toby Lieber, Curtis Holt, James A. Knowles

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

58 Scopus citations

Abstract

We have cloned and characterized members of a small multigene family that encodes late-stage histone H3 and H4 mRNAs from the sea urchin Lytechinus pictus. Unlike their highly repetitive histone gene counterparts, which are expressed at an earlier developmental stage, late H3 and H4 histone genes are not present in tandem repeats. In addition, the late stage H3 and H4 genes are not always tightly clustered together with the H1, H2A and H2B genes as they are in early histone genes. The spacer DNA that separates adjoining H3 and H4 coding regions is not conserved between nonallelic members of the late histone gene family. We have determined the nucleotide sequence of a continuous 2100 bp segment of DNA including both H3 and H4 coding sequences, the entire spacer DNA separating the genes and surrounding nonhistone DNA. The late histone H3 and H4 genes encode proteins identical to their early gene counterparts; however, the 5′ leader sequence is shorter in late genes and the codon usage is different.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)383-393
Number of pages11
JournalCell
Volume31
Issue number2 PART 1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1982

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

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