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Regulation of nucleosome dynamics by histone modifications

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology volume 20, pages 259–266 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

Chromatin is a dynamic structure that must respond to myriad stimuli to regulate access to DNA, and chemical modification of histones is a major means by which the cell modulates nucleosome mobility and turnover. Histone modifications are linked to essentially every cellular process requiring DNA access, including transcription, replication and repair. Here we consider properties of the major types of histone modification in the context of their associated biological processes to view them in light of the cellular mechanisms that regulate nucleosome dynamics.

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Figure 1: Cumulative charge neutralization as the predominant mechanism of transcriptional regulation by lysine acetylation.
Figure 2: Swi6-mediated chromatin stabilization.
Figure 3: Models for the establishment of distinct methylation states.
Figure 4: Model for maintenance of a histone modification through replication-independent nucleosome turnover.
Figure 5: Histone modifications as consequences of dynamic chromatin processes.

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Acknowledgements

We thank S. Kasanathan and P. Talbert for helpful comments on the manuscript. Work in our laboratory is supported by US National Institutes of Health grants 5U01 HG004274, U54 CA143862 and R01 ES020116 and by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

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  1. Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA

    Gabriel E Zentner & Steven Henikoff

  2. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA

    Steven Henikoff

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Correspondence to Steven Henikoff.

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Zentner, G., Henikoff, S. Regulation of nucleosome dynamics by histone modifications. Nat Struct Mol Biol 20, 259–266 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.2470

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