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Enhancer requirement for histone methylation linked with gene activation
Author(s) -
Rentoft Matilda,
Kim Kihoon,
Cho Youngran,
Lee ChoonHwan,
Kim AeRi
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the febs journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.981
H-Index - 204
eISSN - 1742-4658
pISSN - 1742-464X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2008.06728.x
Subject(s) - enhancer , biology , methylation , chromatin , histone , enhancer rnas , dna methylation , gene , regulation of gene expression , locus (genetics) , histone methylation , epigenomics , epigenetics , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology , transcription factor , gene expression
Enhancers cause a high level of transcription and activation of chromatin structure at target genes. Hyperacetylation of histones H3 and H4, a mark of active chromatin, is established broadly across target loci by enhancers that function over long distances. In the present study, we studied the role of an enhancer in methylation of various lysine residues on H3 by comparing a model gene locus having an active enhancer with one in which the enhancer has been inactivated within the context of minichromosomes. The intact enhancer affected histone methylation at K4, K9 and K36 in distinct ways depending on the methylation level and the location in the locus. All three lysine residues were highly tri‐methylated in the coding region of the gene linked to the active enhancer but not the inactive enhancer. However di‐methylation of K9 and K36 was not affected by the enhancer. The enhancer region itself was marked by mono‐methylation at K4 and K9, distinguishing it from the methyl marks in the gene coding region. These results indicate that an enhancer has roles in establishing active histone methylation patterns linked with gene transcription rather than removing methylation linked with gene inactivation.