Abstract
Chromatin, the physiological template of all eukaryotic genetic information, is subject to a diverse array of posttranslational modifications that largely impinge on histone amino termini, thereby regulating access to the underlying DNA. Distinct histone amino-terminal modifications can generate synergistic or antagonistic interaction affinities for chromatin-associated proteins, which in turn dictate dynamic transitions between transcriptionally active or transcriptionally silent chromatin states. The combinatorial nature of histone amino-terminal modifications thus reveals a “histone code” that considerably extends the information potential of the genetic code. We propose that this epigenetic marking system represents a fundamental regulatory mechanism that has an impact on most, if not all, chromatin-templated processes, with far-reaching consequences for cell fate decisions and both normal and pathological development.
Keywords
Histone codeChromatinHistoneGenetic codeEpigeneticsBiologyComputational biologyHistone H2AEpigenomicsChromatin remodelingHistone H1GeneticsHistone methyltransferaseCell biologyHistone methylationDNANucleosomeDNA methylationGeneGene expression
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Publication Info
- Year
- 2001
- Type
- review
- Volume
- 293
- Issue
- 5532
- Pages
- 1074-1080
- Citations
- 9575
- Access
- Closed
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Cite This
Thomas Jenuwein,
C. David Allis
(2001).
Translating the Histone Code.
Science
, 293
(5532)
, 1074-1080.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1063127
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1126/science.1063127