Zheng Chunyang, Hayes Jeffrey J
Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester Medical Center, NY 14642, USA.
Biopolymers. 2003 Apr;68(4):539-46. doi: 10.1002/bip.10303.
The core histone tail domains are "master control switches" that help define the structural and functional characteristics of chromatin at many levels. The tails modulate DNA accessibility within the nucleosome, are essential for stable folding of oligonucleosome arrays into condensed chromatin fibers, and are important for fiber-fiber interactions involved in higher order structures. Many nuclear signaling pathways impinge upon the tail domains, resulting in posttranslational modifications that are likely to alter the charge, structure, and/or interactions of the core histone tails or to serve as targets for the binding of ancillary proteins or other enzymatic functions. However, currently we have only a marginal understanding of the molecular details of core histone tail conformations and contacts. Here we review data related to the structures and interactions of the core histone tail domains and how these domains and posttranslational modifications therein may define the structure and function of chromatin.
核心组蛋白尾部结构域是“主控开关”，在多个层面上有助于定义染色质的结构和功能特征。这些尾部调节核小体内DNA的可及性，对于寡核小体阵列稳定折叠成浓缩染色质纤维至关重要，并且对于参与高阶结构的纤维-纤维相互作用也很重要。许多核信号通路作用于尾部结构域，导致翻译后修饰，这些修饰可能会改变核心组蛋白尾部的电荷、结构和/或相互作用，或者作为辅助蛋白结合或其他酶功能的靶点。然而，目前我们对核心组蛋白尾部构象和相互作用的分子细节仅有初步了解。在此，我们综述与核心组蛋白尾部结构域的结构和相互作用相关的数据，以及这些结构域及其翻译后修饰如何可能定义染色质的结构和功能。
