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Review
. 2001;2(4):REVIEWS0003.
doi: 10.1186/gb-2001-2-4-reviews0003. Epub 2001 Apr 5.

A tale of histone modifications

P A Grant  1
Affiliations
Review

A tale of histone modifications

P A Grant. Genome Biol. 2001.

Abstract

The modification of chromatin structure is important for a number of nuclear functions, exemplified by the regulation of transcription. This review discusses recent studies of covalent histone modifications and the enzymatic machines that generate them.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A model for the generation of transcriptionally active and inactive chromatin domains by post-translational histone modification. (a) Histone acetyltransferases (HATs) generate patterns of acetylation (Ac) recognized by other transcriptional regulators, such as the bromodomain-containing (Bromo) factors TAFII250, PCAF and GCN5, leading to chromatin 'opening' and gene activation. (b) Conversely, the conserved histone methyltransferase (HMT) SUV39H1 methylates (Me) histone H3, which is then bound by the heterochromatin-associated chromodomain (Chromo) protein HP1/Swi6, establishing a silent chromatin domain.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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