Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, 1678 Nicosia, Cyprus.
Biochem Soc Trans. 2013 Jun;41(3):751-9. doi: 10.1042/BST20130003.
Epigenetic modifications, including those occurring on DNA and on histone proteins, control gene expression by establishing and maintaining different chromatin states. In recent years, it has become apparent that epigenetic modifications do not function alone, but work together in various combinations, and cross-regulate each other in a manner that diversifies their functional states. Arginine methylation is one of the numerous PTMs (post-translational modifications) occurring on histones, catalysed by a family of PRMTs (protein arginine methyltransferases). This modification is involved in the regulation of the epigenome largely by controlling the recruitment of effector molecules to chromatin. Histone arginine methylation associates with both active and repressed chromatin states depending on the residue involved and the configuration of the deposited methyl groups. The present review focuses on the increasing number of cross-talks between histone arginine methylation and other epigenetic modifications, and describe how these cross-talks influence factor binding to regulate transcription. Furthermore, we present models of general cross-talk mechanisms that emerge from the examples of histone arginine methylation and allude to various techniques that help decipher the interplay among epigenetic modifications.
表观遗传修饰,包括 DNA 和组蛋白上的修饰,通过建立和维持不同的染色质状态来控制基因表达。近年来,人们已经明显认识到,表观遗传修饰并非单独发挥作用,而是以各种组合共同作用,并以多样化其功能状态的方式相互交叉调控。精氨酸甲基化是组蛋白上发生的众多 PTM(翻译后修饰)之一,由 PRMT(蛋白精氨酸甲基转移酶)家族催化。这种修饰通过控制效应分子向染色质的募集,在很大程度上参与了表观基因组的调控。根据涉及的残基和沉积的甲基基团的构型,组蛋白精氨酸甲基化与活性和抑制性染色质状态相关联。本综述重点介绍了组蛋白精氨酸甲基化与其他表观遗传修饰之间日益增加的相互作用,并描述了这些相互作用如何影响因子结合以调节转录。此外,我们提出了从组蛋白精氨酸甲基化的例子中出现的一般相互作用机制模型,并暗示了有助于破译表观遗传修饰之间相互作用的各种技术。