Histones are essential proteins that package the eukaryotic genome into its physiological state of nucleosomes, chromatin, and chromosomes. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histones are crucial to both the dynamic and persistent regulation of the genome. Histone PTMs store and convey complex signals about the state of the genome. This is often achieved by multiple variable PTM sites, occupied or unoccupied, on the same histone molecule or nucleosome functioning in concert. These mechanisms are supported by the structures of ‘readers’ that transduce the signal from the presence or absence of PTMs in specific cellular contexts. We provide background on PTMs and their complexes, review the known combinatorial function of PTMs, and assess the value and limitations of common approaches to measure combinatorial PTMs. This review serves as both a reference and a path forward to investigate combinatorial PTM functions, discover new synergies, and gather additional evidence supporting that combinations of histone PTMs are the central currency of chromatin-mediated regulation of the genome.
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February 2021
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LRRK1 and LRRK2 are regulated by differing upstream signals and phosphorylate distinct Rab GTPases. You can read more about this in the article by Malik and colleagues (pp. 553–578) in this issue. Image provided by Dario R. Alessi.
Review Article|
February 10 2021
Combinations of histone post-translational modifications
Bethany C. Taylor
;
Bethany C. Taylor
1Verna & Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, U.S.A.
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Nicolas L. Young
1Verna & Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, U.S.A.
2Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, U.S.A.
Correspondence: Nicolas L. Young (Nicolas.Young@bcm.edu)
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
July 06 2020
Revision Received:
January 13 2021
Accepted:
January 18 2021
Online ISSN: 1470-8728
Print ISSN: 0264-6021
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society
2021
Biochem J (2021) 478 (3): 511–532.
Article history
Received:
July 06 2020
Revision Received:
January 13 2021
Accepted:
January 18 2021
Citation
Bethany C. Taylor, Nicolas L. Young; Combinations of histone post-translational modifications. Biochem J 12 February 2021; 478 (3): 511–532. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BCJ20200170
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