Control of gene expression and assembly of chromos

Authors: Ai Leen Lam Dorothy E Pazin Beth A Sullivan

Publish Date: 2005/07/13

Volume: 114, Issue: 4, Pages: 242-251

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Abstract

Epigenetic regulation of higherorder chromatin structure controls gene expression and the assembly of chromosomal domains during cell division differentiation and development The proposed “histone code” integrates a complex system of histone modifications and chromosomal proteins that establish and maintain distinctive types of chromatin such as euchromatin heterochromatin and centromeric CEN chromatin The reversible nature of histone acetylation phosphorylation and most recently discovered methylation are mechanisms for controlling gene expression and partitioning the genome into functional domains Many different regions of the genome contain similar epigenetic marks histone modifications raising the question as to how they are independently specified and regulated In this review we will focus on several recent discoveries in chromatin and chromosome biology 1 identification of longelusive histone “demethylating” enzymes that affect chromatin structure and 2 assembly and maintenance of chromatin domains specifically heterochromatin and euchromatin through a dynamic equilibrium of modifying enzymes histone modifications and histone variants identified biochemically and geneticallyWe thank Dave Allis Laura Rusche and Cyrus Vaziri for helpful discussions We apologize to our colleagues whose studies on histone modifications and chromatin structure were not cited due to space limitations Our research is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health GM069514 and a Basil OConnor Award from the March of Dimes 5FY0429

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