Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
Science. 2012 Aug 10;337(6095):742-6. doi: 10.1126/science.1221428. Epub 2012 Jul 19.
Through hyperacetylation of histone H4 lysine 16 (H4K16), the male-specific lethal (MSL) complex in Drosophila approximately doubles transcription from the single male X chromosome in order to match X-linked expression in females and expression from diploid autosomes. By obtaining accurate measurements of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) occupancies and short promoter-proximal RNA production, we detected a consistent, genome-scale increase in Pol II activity at the promoters of male X-linked genes. Moreover, we found that enhanced Pol II recruitment to male X-linked promoters is largely dependent on the MSL complex. These observations provide insights into how global modulation of chromatin structure by histone acetylation contributes to the precise control of Pol II function.
通过组蛋白 H4 赖氨酸 16（H4K16）的过度乙酰化，果蝇中的雄性特异性致死（MSL）复合物使来自单个雄性 X 染色体的转录量增加约一倍，以匹配雌性中的 X 连锁表达和来自二倍体常染色体的表达。通过获得 RNA 聚合酶 II（Pol II）占有率和短启动子近端 RNA 产生的准确测量值，我们在雄性 X 连锁基因的启动子处检测到 Pol II 活性的一致、全基因组增加。此外，我们发现增强的 Pol II 募集到雄性 X 连锁启动子在很大程度上依赖于 MSL 复合物。这些观察结果提供了关于组蛋白乙酰化对染色质结构的全局调节如何有助于 Pol II 功能的精确控制的深入了解。
