The function of H3Y1 (H3.Y histone 1, Ensembl gene identifier ENSG00000269466) is as follows. Primate-specific variant histone H3, which constitutes a core component of nucleosomes (PubMed:20819935, PubMed:27016736). Histone H3.Y-containing nucleosomes accumulate around transcription start sites and have flexible DNA ends, suggesting that they form relaxed chromatin that allows transcription factor access (PubMed:27016736). Histone H1 binds less efficiently to histone H3.Y-containing nucleosomes (PubMed:27016736). Nucleosomes wrap and compact DNA into chromatin, limiting DNA accessibility to the cellular machineries which require DNA as a template. Histones thereby play a central role in transcription regulation, DNA repair, DNA replication and chromosomal stability. DNA accessibility is regulated via a complex set of post- translational modifications of histones, also called histone code, and nucleosome remodeling (Probable). {ECO:0000269|PubMed:20819935, ECO:0000269|PubMed:27016736, ECO:0000305}.