['Histones are essential for chromatin packing, yet free histones not incorporated into chromatin are toxic. While in most cells multiple regulatory mechanisms prevent accumulation of excess histones, early Drosophila embryos contain massive extranuclear histone stores, thought to be essential for development. Excess histones H2A, H2B, and H2Av are bound to lipid droplets, ubiquitous fat storage organelles especially abundant in embryos. It has been proposed that sequestration on lipid droplets allows safe transient storage of supernumerary histones.', 'Here, we critically test this sequestration hypothesis. We find that histones are anchored to lipid droplets via the previously uncharacterized protein Jabba: Jabba localizes to droplets, coimmunoprecipitates with histones, and is necessary to recruit histones to droplets. Jabba mutants lack the maternal H2A, H2B, and H2Av deposits altogether; presumably, these deposits are eliminated unless sequestered on droplets. Jabba mutant embryos compensate for this histone deficit by translating maternal histone mRNAs. However, when histone expression is mildly compromised, the maternal histone protein deposits are essential for proper early mitoses and for viability.'] Do lipid droplets control the maternal histone supply of Drosophila embryos?