Histone H1 deamidation: new insight into chromatin relaxation and DNA damage repair

Abstract

The article titled “Histone H1 Deamidation Facilitates Chromatin Relaxation for DNA Repair” was published in Nature in April 2025 by Tian et al. It presents significant advancements in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying chromatin relaxation and DNA damage repair. The authors identified a post-translational modification—histone H1 deamidation—as a pivotal mechanism that promotes chromatin relaxation and facilitates the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), in part by enabling subsequent acetylation modifications. This discovery not only deepens our understanding of the “deamidation–acetylation” cascade of linker histone modifications but also uncovers a promising new target for precisely modulating DNA repair capacity in cancer therapy.

Keywords

Histone H1 / Deamidation / Acetylation / Chromatin relaxation / DNA repair / DNA damage response

References

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Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China(82225035)

the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2022YFA1302803)

Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(22120240600)

Shanghai Pujiang program(2020PJD070)

China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2021T140516)

Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai Municipality(22XD1422300)

Shanghai Municipal Health Commission(2022XD053)

Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau(2022754)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Shenzhen University School of Medicine; Fondazione Istituto FIRC di Oncologia Molecolare