2025年 新着論文 30 発生生物学分野から論文が発表されました

Histone H2B isoform H2bc27 is expressed in the developing brain of mouse embryos

J Biochem. 2025 Jul 31;178(2):109-119. doi: 10.1093/jb/mvaf026.

Authors

Saki Egashira  1 Kazumitsu Maehara  2   3 Kaori Tanaka  2 Mako Nakamura  1   4 Tatsuya Takemoto  5 Yasuyuki Ohkawa  2 Akihito Harada  2   3

Affiliations

  • 1 Animal Life Science Laboratory, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
  • 2 Division of Transcriptomics, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-0054, Japan.
  • 3 Department of Multi-Omics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-0054, Japan.
  • 4 Faculty of Agriculture, Center for Promotion of International Education and Research, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
  • 5 Laboratory of Embryology, Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tokushima University, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-Cho, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan.

Abstract

Histones bind directly to DNA and play a role in regulating gene expression in part by influencing chromatin structure. The DNA sequences of these histone genes are quite similar, which has hindered individual analyses. The exact function of the 13 different isoforms of histone H2B remains unclear. In this study, we performed a comprehensive gene expression analysis of the H2B isoforms, focusing on tissue specificity. Our results revealed that the H2bc27 gene exhibited brain-specific expression in mice at E14.5. We generated mice lacking the H2bc27 gene using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. While the phenotype of H2bc27 knockout mouse brains was not different from that of wild-type mouse brains, transcriptome analysis indicated that H2bc27 is associated with regulating the expression of several functional genes involved in mouse brain development. The methods used in this study may serve to facilitate comprehensive H2B isoform analysis.

Keywords: chromatin; development/differentiation; epigenetics; gene expression; histone isoform.

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