What are histones? What are their functions?
Ans. Histones are a type of protein that is highly alkaline in nature due to the high content of basic amino acid- arginine and lysine. They are found in chromosomal material in the nucleus of the eukaryotic cell. Histones facilitate the formation of nucleosomes—a segment of DNA coils around these histones and thus making more space for DNA to fit in. A 1.8 m strand of a DNA gets wound up around histones to make a structure of 90 microns in size.