The proteins are known to pack DNA more tightly than histones do. When expressed in eukaryotes that possess histones, they displace
nucleosomes and impair translation. This action is thought to be one of the driving forces for dinoflagellates to switch to this protein instead of
histone for packaging.[2] Some dinoflagellates have further switched to
dinoflagellate histone-like proteins (HLPs) for packaging.[3]
The version of DVNPs in dinoflagellates have a variable N-terminal tail with a
nuclear localization signal. It also has many
phosphorylation sites, a feature not seen in viral counterparts. The fixed C-terminal domain may have a helix-turn-helix fold.[4]