Odd histone helps suppress jumping genes in stem cells, study says
Monday, May 4, 2015 - 13:00
in Biology & Nature
A family of proteins known as histones provides support and structure to DNA, but for years, scientists have been puzzling over occasional outliers among these histones, which appear to exist for specific, but often mysterious reasons. Now, researchers have uncovered a new purpose for one such histone variant: preventing genetic mutations by keeping certain so-called "jumping genes" in place.