Núñez-Carro, C., et al. “Discovery Of Increased Production Of Histone Variant H3. 3 And Characterization Of Its Associated Post-Translational Modifications In Osteoarthritis.” Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 31 (2023): S346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2023.01.387

Abstract

Purpose: Histones are proteins that, together with DNA, constitute the structural unit of chromatin: the nucleosome. Apart from the canonical histones H2A, H2B, H3 and H4, there are histone variants. These can replace their corresponding canonical histone in the nucleosome core, producing specific structural and functional changes. Histones can undergo post-translational modifications (PTMs). PTMs can alter the degree of chromatin condensation, thereby modifying which regions of chromatin are transcriptionally active or inactive. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation or non-coding RNA modifications, have recently been elucidated to be involved in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). However, histone modifications is still a largely unexplored mechanism of gene expression regulation in OA. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize the profile of histone variants and PTMs present in OA and normal (N) human cartilage samples.