小柯机器人

美国西北大学Ali Shilatifard等研究人员重新评估了组蛋白修饰酶及其相关染色质修饰在转录调控中的作用。相关论文于2020年11月30日在线发表在《自然—遗传学》杂志上。

研究人员概述了有关组蛋白修饰及其相关酶功能的历史和当前想法。目前的一个主要观点认为，组蛋白修饰对于转录调控具有指导意义，并代表表观遗传学的“密码”。最近的研究挑战了该模型，并表明先前与活跃基因相关的组蛋白标记不会直接引起转录激活。另外，许多组蛋白修饰蛋白具有非催化功能，从而掩盖了其酶促活性。

鉴于关于这些蛋白质的功能尚不清楚，该领域在解释功能丧失表型时应谨慎，并且必须考虑细胞和发育情况。研究人员重点关注了与Trithorax–COMPASS复合物、Polycomb抑制复合物和Clr4/Suv39组蛋白修饰机器的催化和非催化功能相关的最新进展。

据介绍，组蛋白修饰酶与包括基因表达在内的各种DNA模板加工的控制有关。

附：英文原文

Title: Reevaluating the roles of histone-modifying enzymes and their associated chromatin modifications in transcriptional regulation

Author: Marc A. J. Morgan, Ali Shilatifard

Issue&Volume: 2020-11-30

Abstract: Histone-modifying enzymes are implicated in the control of diverse DNA-templated processes including gene expression. Here, we outline historical and current thinking regarding the functions of histone modifications and their associated enzymes. One current viewpoint, based largely on correlative evidence, posits that histone modifications are instructive for transcriptional regulation and represent an epigenetic ‘code’. Recent studies have challenged this model and suggest that histone marks previously associated with active genes do not directly cause transcriptional activation. Additionally, many histone-modifying proteins possess non-catalytic functions that overshadow their enzymatic activities. Given that much remains unknown regarding the functions of these proteins, the field should be cautious in interpreting loss-of-function phenotypes and must consider both cellular and developmental context. In this Perspective, we focus on recent progress relating to the catalytic and non-catalytic functions of the Trithorax–COMPASS complexes, Polycomb repressive complexes and Clr4/Suv39 histone-modifying machineries.

DOI: 10.1038/s41588-020-00736-4

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-020-00736-4

Nature Genetics：《自然—遗传学》，创刊于1992年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团，最新IF：41.307
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