Variant histone H2A which replaces conventional H2A in a subset of nucleosomes. 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. May be involved in the formation of constitutive heterochromatin. May be required for chromosome segregation during cell division (By similarity). The nucleosome is a histone octamer containing two molecules each of H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 assembled in one H3-H4 heterotetramer and two H2A-H2B heterodimers. The octamer wraps approximately 147 bp of DNA. H2A or its variant H2AZ1 forms a heterodimer with H2B (By similarity). Monoubiquitination of Lys-122 gives a specific tag for epigenetic transcriptional repression. Acetylated on Lys-5, Lys-8 and Lys-12 when associated with the 5'-end of active genes. Belongs to the histone H2A family.