Packaging principle: How DNA methylation and histone acetylation control the transcriptional activity of chromatin
✍ Scribed by Wolffe, Alan P.
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1998
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 438 KB
- Volume
- 282
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-104X
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Chromatin contains DNA, the transcriptional machinery, and structural proteins such as histones. All these components together are necessary for the physiologic control of transcription. A consideration of recent advances leads to a packaging principle for gene regulation. This packaging principle states that the transcriptional activity of a gene is largely controlled by the packaging of the template within chromatin. This assumption follows from experiments that establish the covalent modification of chromatin as a major causal influence on gene activity. DNA methylation and histone acetylation alter the nucleosomal infrastructure to repress or activate transcription. These covalent modifications can have roles in both promoter-specific events and the global control of chromosomal activity. These regulatory functions are essential for vertebrate development.