HISTONE STRUCTURE - ASYMMETRIC DISTRIBUTION OF LYSINE RESIDUES IN LYSINE-RICH HISTONE

Structural studies on a very lysine-rich histone show that the carboxyl-terminal half of the molecule is enriched in lysine (and proline), which suggests that it is a site for binding to DNA. The amino-terminal half, containing most of the acidic residues, resembles small, nonhistone proteins and so might have specificity for factors other than DNA.