Histones are basic nuclear proteins that are responsible for the nucleosome structure of the chromosomal fiber in eukaryotes. Nucleosomes consist of approximately 146 bp of DNA wrapped around a histone octamer composed of pairs of each of the four core histones (H2A, H2B, H3, and H4). The chromatin fiber is further compacted through the interaction of a linker histone, H1, with the DNA between the nucleosomes to form higher order chromatin structures. This gene contains introns and its mRNA is polyadenylated, unlike most histone genes. The protein encoded by this gene is a replication-independent histone that is a member of the histone H3 family. [provided by RefSeq, Oct 2015]