Histone gene expression in human diploid fibroblasts: analysis of histone mRNA levels using cloned human histone genes.

The cellular abundance of H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 histone mRNA sequences was determined prior to and at various times after stimulation of non-dividing human diploid fibroblasts to proliferate. The representation of histone mRNAs was quantitated by electrophoretic fractionation of total cellular RNAs, diffusion transfer to nitrocellulose and hybridization with a series of cloned genomic human histone sequences. The levels of mRNAs for the four core histones were observed to be temporally and quantitatively coupled with both DNA replication and histone protein synthesis. Therefore, a contribution to the regulation of histone gene expression at a transcriptional level is suggested.