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Histone core modifications regulating nucleosome structure and dynamics

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 15, pages 703–708 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

Post-translational modifications of histones regulate all DNA-templated processes, including replication, transcription and repair. These modifications function as platforms for the recruitment of specific effector proteins, such as transcriptional regulators or chromatin remodellers. Recent data suggest that histone modifications also have a direct effect on nucleosomal architecture. Acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation and citrullination of the histone core may influence chromatin structure by affecting histone–histone and histone–DNA interactions, as well as the binding of histones to chaperones.

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Figure 1: Structural insights into residues involved in modification-induced nucleosome stability.
Figure 2: Potential effects of histone modifications on histone–DNA and histone–histone interactions.
Figure 3: Histone methylation affects chaperone binding.

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Acknowledgements

The authors apologize to their colleagues whose work could not be cited owing to space constraints. Work in the authors' laboratories was funded by a programme grant from Cancer Research UK (to T.K.), the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/K017438/1) (to P.T. and T.K.) and the Max Planck Society to (P.T.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK; and the Max Planck Research Group 'Chromatin and Ageing', Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 9b, 50931 Cologne, Germany.,

    Peter Tessarz

  2. and the Max Planck Research Group 'Chromatin and Ageing', Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 9b, 50931 Cologne, Germany.,

    Peter Tessarz

  3. Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK

    Tony Kouzarides

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Correspondence to Peter Tessarz or Tony Kouzarides.

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T.K. is a founder of Abcam Ltd. P.T. declares no competing interests.

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Tessarz, P., Kouzarides, T. Histone core modifications regulating nucleosome structure and dynamics. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 15, 703–708 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm3890

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