Histone H3 antibody

Eukaryotic chromosomes are formed through the highly organized and structural wrapping of DNA genetic material around histone proteins into the classic "bead on a string" globular structure of nucleosomes. The histone family consists of five family members - histone H1, H2A, H2B, H3, and H4.

Enhancer of Zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is the methyltransferase enzyme responsible for trimethylating lysine 27 on histone H3 to produce H3K27Me3. EZH2 is a polycomb group protein that is an essential epigenetic regulator that is often found deregulated in a wide variety of malignant cancer types.

Epigenetic mechanisms allow distinction between the active and inactive compartments of the genome, allowing proper cell lineage and embryogenesis.

Discovery of histone variants using highly specific antibodies has led to the emerging notion that alterations in histone modifications and further changes in chromatin structure are induced by exchange of histone variants. Covalent histone modifications and the incorporation of histone variants bring about changes in chromatin structure that in turn alter the gene expression.