title: Tetrahymena histone acetyltransferase A: a homolog to yeast Gcn5p linking histone acetylation to gene activation.
abstract: We report the cloning of a transcription-associated histone acetyltransferase type A(HAT A). This Tetrahymena enzyme is strikingly homologous to the yeast protein Gcn5, a putative transcriptional adaptor, and we demonstrate that recombinant Gcn5p possesses HAT activity. Both the ciliate enzyme and Gcn5p contain potential active site residues found in other acetyltransferases and a highly conserved bromodomain. The presence of this domain in nuclear A-type HATs, but not in cytoplasmic B-type HATs, suggests a mechanism whereby HAT A is directed to chromatin to facilitate transcriptional activation. These findings shed light on the biochemical function of the evolutionarily conserved Gcn5p-Ada complex, directly linking histone acetylation to gene activation, and indicate that histone acetylation is a targeted phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, New York, 14627, USA.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Brownell
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ranalli
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Edmondson
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Allis
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D000123:Acetyltransferases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000502:physiology; D017125:Genes, Protozoan / Q000502:physiology; D051548:Histone Acetyltransferases; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D016808:Tetrahymena thermophila / Q000235:genetics*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D015003:Yeasts / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D000123:Acetyltransferases; D051548:Histone Acetyltransferases