Hmo1: A versatile member of the high mobility group box family of chromosomal architecture proteins

Core Tip

Core Tip: The evolutionarily conserved high mobility group box (HMGB) family proteins are major non-histone chromosomal architectural factors characterized by one or more HMGB motifs that bind DNA in a sequence nonspecific fashion. They play a major role in chromatin dynamics that impact various cellular functions. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast hereafter) HMGB protein Hmo1 contains two HMGB motifs. Hmo1 functions in multiple cellular processes including genome maintenance, chromatin dynamics, gene transcription, and DNA damage response. However, the underlying mechanisms have only been partially elucidated. Moreover, to what extent Hmo1 functionally resembles its mammalian counterparts has not been fully addressed. Recent studies revealed that Hmo1 binds and destabilizes/disrupts nucleosome similarly as well-characterized human HMGB proteins and that Hmo1 plays a role in maintaining a topological architecture of genes in the yeast genome.