Eukaryotic DNA is wrapped around a histone protein core to constitute the fundamental repeating units of chromatin, the nucleosomes. The affinity of the histone core for DNA depends on the nucleotide sequence; however, it is unclear to what extent DNA sequence determines nucleosome positioning in vivo, and if the same rules of sequence-directed positioning apply to genomes of varying complexity...

The yeast GCN5 (yGCN5) transcriptional coactivator functions as a histone acetyltransferase (HAT) to promote transcriptional activation. Here, we present the high resolution crystal structure of the HAT domain of yGCN5 and probe the functional importance of a conserved glutamate residue. The structure reveals a central protein core associated with AcCoA binding that appears to be structurally c...

ADP-ribosylation of core histones was investigated in isolated nuclei of Physarum polycephalum. Core histone species differed in the mode of modification. Whereas ADP-ribosylation of H2A and H2B is sensitive to inhibition by 3-methoxybenzamide, as with most other nuclear acceptor proteins, the modification of H3 and H4 is not inhibited. Cleavage experiments with hydroxylamine indicate a carboxy...

These studies concern the interactions of the rat liver thyroid hormone nuclear receptor with histones and factors influencing the receptor's assay and stability. Heating certain crude receptor preparations at 50 degrees C produces a selective loss of triiodothyronine (T3) but not thyroxine (T4) binding activity, whereas, with more purified preparations, such heating decreases both T3 and T4 bi...

Solution structures of nucleosomes containing a human histone variant, H2A.Z.1, were measured by small-angle X-ray and neutron scatterings (SAXS and SANS). SAXS revealed that the outer shape, reflecting the DNA shape, of the H2A.Z.1 nucleosome is almost the same as that of the canonical H2A nucleosome. In contrast, SANS employing a contrast variation technique revealed that the histone octamer ...

Histones form the protein core around which genomic DNA is wrapped in eukaryotic chromatin. Numerous genetic studies have established that the structure and transcriptional state of chromatin are closely related to histone post-translational modifications. Further elucidation of the precise mechanistic roles for individual histone modifications requires the ability to isolate and study homogene...

The current study characterizes the mitosis-associated histone dual modification on the core of histone H3: trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 79 and simultaneous phosphorylation of H3 threonine 80 (H3K79me3T80ph). Through the use of protein and microscopy-based techniques, we find that H3K79me3T80ph shares a similar spatial and temporal regulation as H3S10ph but additionally requires methyltr...

Microglia is the effector cell of the innate immune system in central nervous system (CNS). These cells mediate inflammatory responses in injuries. Besides external factors, microglial function is also controlled by internal factors, including epigenetic regulations. Mechanisms of epigenetic regulation mainly consist of DNA methylation, histone modifications and use of non-coding RNAs. Recent s...