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Structure and acetyl-lysine recognition of the bromodomain

Oncogene volume 26, pages 5521–5527 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Histone lysine acetylation is central to epigenetic control of gene transcription. The bromodomain, found in chromatin-associated proteins and histone acetyltranferases, functions as the sole protein module known to bind acetyl-lysine motifs. Recent structural and functional analyses of bromodomains' recognition of lysine-acetylated peptides derived from major acetylation sites in histones and cellular proteins provide new insights into differences in ligand binding selectivity as well as unifying features of histone recognition by the bromodomains. These new findings highlight the functional importance of bromodomain/acetyl-lysine binding as a pivotal mechanism for regulating protein–protein interactions in histone-directed chromatin remodeling and gene transcription. These new studies also support the notion that functional diversity of a conserved bromodomain structural fold is achieved by evolutionary changes of structurally flexible amino-acid sequences in the ligand binding site such as the ZA and BC loops.

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Abbreviations

CBP:

CREB-binding protein

PCAF:

p300/CBP-associated factor

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (M-MZ and SM) and by the funding from the National Science Foundation and the Dr Harold and Golden Lamport Chair (M-MZ).

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  1. Department of Structural and Chemical Biology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    S Mujtaba, L Zeng & M-M Zhou

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  1. S Mujtaba
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  2. L Zeng
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Correspondence to M-M Zhou.

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Mujtaba, S., Zeng, L. & Zhou, MM. Structure and acetyl-lysine recognition of the bromodomain. Oncogene 26, 5521–5527 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1210618

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