Question

Histones are best characterised as:

Options

• Positively charged basic proteins rich in lysine and arginine that associate with DNA to help pack it in eukaryotic cells

• Non-histone chromosomal proteins that form the chromatin scaffold

• Linker proteins that connect adjacent nucleosomes

• Enzymes that introduce negative supercoils into prokaryotic DNA

Answer 1

Histones are small, positively charged proteins enriched in the basic amino acids lysine and arginine. Their positive charge allows them to interact electrostatically with the negatively charged phosphate backbone of DNA, enabling DNA compaction and nucleosome formation in eukaryotic cells.