This family includes the yeast and human ASF1 protein. These proteins have histone chaperone activity [1]. ASF1 participates in both the replication-dependent and replication-independent pathways. The structure three-dimensional has been determined as a a compact immunoglobulin-like beta sandwich fold topped by three helical linkers [2].

1: A human homologue of yeast anti-silencing factor has histone chaperone activity. Munakata T, Adachi N, Yokoyama N, Kuzuhara T, Horikoshi M; Genes Cells 2000;5:221-233. PMID:10759893

2: Structure and function of the conserved core of histone deposition protein Asf1. Daganzo SM, Erzberger JP, Lam WM, Skordalakes E, Zhang R, Franco AA, Brill SJ, Adams PD, Berger JM, Kaufman PD; Curr Biol 2003;13:2148-2158. PMID:14680630

3: Crystal structures of fission yeast histone chaperone Asf1 complexed with the Hip1 B domain or the Cac2 C-terminus. Malay AD, Umehara T, Matsubara K, Padmanabhan B, Yokoyama S; J Biol Chem. 2008; [Epub ahead of print] PMID:18334479

4: Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the histone chaperone cia1 from fission yeast. Umehara T, Otta Y, Tsuganezawa K, Matsumoto T, Tanaka A, Horikoshi M, Padmanabhan B, Yokoyama S; Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun. 2005;61:971-973. PMID:16511210

5: Polyanionic stretch-deleted histone chaperone cia1/Asf1p is functional both in vivo and in vitro. Umehara T, Chimura T, Ichikawa N, Horikoshi M; Genes Cells. 2002;7:59-73. PMID:11856374

6: Cell death with predominant apoptotic features in Saccharomyces cerevisiae mediated by deletion of the histone chaperone ASF1/CIA1. Yamaki M, Umehara T, Chimura T, Horikoshi M; Genes Cells. 2001;6:1043-1054. PMID:11737265