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Chromatin, the physiological template of all
eukaryotic genetic information, is subject to a diverse array of
posttranslationalmodifications that largely impinge on histone amino
termini, therebyregulating access to the underlying DNA. Distinct
histone amino-terminalmodifications can generate synergistic or
antagonistic interactionaffinities for chromatin-associated proteins,
which in turn dictatedynamic transitions between transcriptionally
active or transcriptionallysilent chromatin states. The combinatorial
nature of histone amino-terminalmodifications thus reveals a
"histone code" that considerablyextends the information potential
of the genetic code. We proposethat this epigenetic marking system
represents a fundamental regulatorymechanism that has an impact on
most, if not all, chromatin-templatedprocesses, with far-reaching
consequences for cell fate decisionsand both normal and pathological
development.
1 Research Institute of Molecular Pathology
(IMP) at the Vienna Biocenter, Dr. Bohrgasse 7, A-1030 Vienna, Austria.
E-mail: jenuwein{at}nt.imp.univie.ac.at 2 Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia Health
Science Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA. E-mail:
allis{at}virginia.edu
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LETTERS
Matthew J. Wargo and Peter J. Rizzo (21 December 2001) Science294 (5551), 2477b.
[DOI: 10.1126/science.294.5551.2477b] |Full Text »
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