Influence of Histone Variants on Chromatin Structure and Metabolism (Marcus Buschbeck)
Episode 16
December 16, 2019
In this episode of the Epigenetics Podcast, we sat down with Marcus Buschbeck, Group Leader at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute in Barcelona, to talk about his work on the histone variant macroH2A, its role in metabolism, and how it contributes to the regulation of chromatin structure.
Histone variants equip chromatin with unique properties and show a specific genomic distribution. The histone variant macroH2A is unique in having a tripartite structure consisting of a N-terminal histone-fold, an intrinsically unstructured linker domain, and a C-terminal macro domain. Recent discoveries show that macroH2A proteins have a major role in nuclear organization, which has the potential to explain how these proteins can act as tumor suppressors, promoters of differentiation, and barriers to somatic cell reprogramming.
We discuss these topics, the mission of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, and much more in this episode.