Histone H2A.X is a member of the Histone H2A family, which is involved in nucleosomal organization of chromatin. The H2AFX gene is located in close proximity to the Porphobilinogen deaminase (PBG-D) gene in both mouse and human, and maps to chromosome 9 and 11q23, respectively. H2A.X differs from the other members of the H2A family by the presence of a highly conserved C-terminal motif. It is rapidly phosphorylated in response to ionizing radiation and plays an important role in the recognition and repair of DNA double stranded breaks. The phosphorylated form of H2A.X, designated ?-H2A.X, forms nuclear foci at the heavy chain constant region of cells involved in class switch recombination (CSR), a region-specific DNA reaction that replaces one immunoglobulin heavy chain constant region gene with another. The phosphorylated ?-H2A.X is also thought to initiate subsequent repair factors, including Rad50, Rad51 and BRCA1.
