Shilatifard Ali
Saint Louis University School of Medicine and the Saint Louis University Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri 63104, USA.
Annu Rev Biochem. 2006;75:243-69. doi: 10.1146/annurev.biochem.75.103004.142422.
It is more evident now than ever that nucleosomes can transmit epigenetic information from one cell generation to the next. It has been demonstrated during the past decade that the posttranslational modifications of histone proteins within the chromosome impact chromatin structure, gene transcription, and epigenetic information. Multiple modifications decorate each histone tail within the nucleosome, including some amino acids that can be modified in several different ways. Covalent modifications of histone tails known thus far include acetylation, phosphorylation, sumoylation, ubiquitination, and methylation. A large body of experimental evidence compiled during the past several years has demonstrated the impact of histone acetylation on transcriptional control. Although histone modification by methylation and ubiquitination was discovered long ago, it was only recently that functional roles for these modifications in transcriptional regulation began to surface. Highlighted in this review are the recent biochemical, molecular, cellular, and physiological functions of histone methylation and ubiquitination involved in the regulation of gene expression as determined by a combination of enzymological, structural, and genetic methodologies.
现在比以往任何时候都更明显的是，核小体能够将表观遗传信息从一个细胞世代传递到下一代。在过去十年中已经证明，染色体内组蛋白的翻译后修饰会影响染色质结构、基因转录和表观遗传信息。多种修饰点缀着核小体内的每条组蛋白尾巴，包括一些可以以几种不同方式进行修饰的氨基酸。迄今为止已知的组蛋白尾巴的共价修饰包括乙酰化、磷酸化、SUMO化、泛素化和甲基化。在过去几年中收集的大量实验证据表明了组蛋白乙酰化对转录控制的影响。尽管甲基化和泛素化对组蛋白的修饰早在很久以前就被发现了，但直到最近这些修饰在转录调控中的功能作用才开始显现出来。本综述重点介绍了通过酶学、结构和遗传学方法相结合所确定的组蛋白甲基化和泛素化在基因表达调控中的最新生化、分子、细胞和生理功能。
