MCM2 binding to histones H3–H4 and ASF1 supports a tetramer-to-dimer model for histone inheritance at the replication fork

MCM2, a component of the replicative helicase, can bind histones H3–H4 in both tetrameric and dimeric form, depending on the presence of the histone chaperone ASF1. A structural analysis of the complexes now sheds light on key domains in the MCM2 protein that prove important for cell proliferation.