Dynamic fuzziness during linker histone action

Abstract

Linker histones are multi-domain nucleosome binding proteins that stabilize higher order chromatin structures and engage in specific protein-protein interactions. Here we emphasize the structural and functional properties of the linker histone C-terminal domain (CTD), focusing on its intrinsic disorder, interaction-induced secondary structure formation and dynamic fuzziness. We argue that the fuzziness inherent in the CTD is a primary molecular mechanism underlying linker histone function in the nucleus. © 2012 Landes Bioscience and Springer Science+Business Media.