What would be the effect on histone proteins in the nucleus, on neutralisation of their positive charge?

Solution:

Histones are positively charged, basic proteins which are responsible for the formation of nucleosomes. When histones lose their positive charge, then it affects the formation of nucleosomes. This in turns affects the packaging of DNA.

Four histones namely H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 which contain two molecules each form the histone octamer. The negatively charged DNA binds with the positively charged histone octamer to form a nucleosome. 
The primary component of chromatin is Histone.  Histone plays a role in "packaging" DNA. They package and order the DNA into structural units called nucleosomes. They also play a role in gene regulation. Histones unwound DNA in chromosomes very quickly.

Non-histone proteins are an additional set of proteins required for packaging of chromatin at a higher level. It is the central fabric with which DNA remain attached. They are the proteins present after the histones have been removed. There are two types of histone proteins depending on how they bind to the DNA. The non- histone proteins which bind non- specifically to the DNA are known as non-specific non-histone proteins and the ones that bind to a specific short DNA sequence are known as specific non-histone proteins.

Both histone and non- histone proteins help in providing structure to the DNA. Non-histone proteins are necessary along with histone proteins for the packaging of chromatin at higher levels.
 

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In eukaryotes, DNA organisation is complex. There-is a set of positively charged, basic proteins called histones. Histones are rich in the basic amino acid residues Iysine and arginine. There are five types of histone proteins - H1, H2A, H2B, H3 and H4. Four of them (H2A, H2B, H3 and H4) produce histone octamer called nu body or core of nucleosome.. The negatively charged DNA is wrapped around the positively charged histone octamer to form nucleosome. DNA connecting two adjacent nucleosomes is called linker DNA which bears H1 histone proteins.

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