title: A direct link between core histone acetylation and transcriptionally active chromatin.
abstract: An antiserum raised against chemically acetylated histone H4 was found to recognize the epitope epsilon-N-acetyl lysine. Affinity-purified antibodies were used to fractionate oligo- and mononucleosomal chromatin fragments from the nuclei of 15-day chicken embryo erythrocytes. Antibody-bound chromatin was found to contain elevated levels of acetylated core histones. On probing with sequences of alpha D globin, an actively transcribed gene, the antibody-bound chromatin was 15- to 30-fold enriched relative to the input chromatin. Using ovalbumin sequences as a probe, no enrichment was observed. The results demonstrate directly that transcriptionally active genes carry acetylated core histones.
authors.affiliation: Biophysics Laboratories, Portsmouth Polytechnic, UK.
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Hebbes
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Thorne
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crane-Robinson
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D000818:Animals; D002642:Chick Embryo; D002843:Chromatin / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D005914:Globins / Q000235:genetics; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones; D005914:Globins