Abstract
The covalent modification of nucleosomal histones has emerged as a
major determinant of chromatin structure and gene activity. To understand
the interplay between various histone modifications, including acetylation
and methylation, we performed a genome-wide chromatin structure analysis
in a higher eukaryote. We found a binary pattern of histone modifications
among euchromatic genes, with active genes being hyperacetylated
for H3 and H4 and hypermethylated at Lys 4 and Lys 79 of H3, and
inactive genes being hypomethylated and deacetylated at the same
residues. Furthermore, the degree of modification correlates with
the level of transcription, and modifications are largely restricted
to transcribed regions, suggesting that their regulation is tightly
linked to polymerase activity.
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