title: A trans-tail histone code defined by monomethylated H4 Lys-20 and H3 Lys-9 demarcates distinct regions of silent chromatin.
abstract: The specific post-translational modifications of the histone proteins are associated with specific DNA-templated processes, such as transcriptional activation or repression. To investigate the biological role(s) of histone H4 lysine 20 (H4 Lys-20) methylation, we created a novel panel of antibodies that specifically detected mono-, di-, or trimethylated H4 Lys-20. We report that the different methylated forms of H4 Lys-20 are compartmentalized within visually distinct, transcriptionally silent regions in the mammalian nucleus. Interestingly, direct comparison of methylated H4 Lys-20 with the different methylated states of histone H3 lysine 9 (H3 Lys-9) revealed significant overlap and exclusion between the specific groups of methyl modifications. Trimethylated H4 Lys-20 and H3 Lys-9 were both selectively enriched within pericentric heterochromatin. Similarly, monomethylated H4 Lys-20 and H3 Lys-9 partitioned together and the dimethylated forms partitioned together within the chromosome arms; however, the mono- and dimethylated modifications were virtually exclusive. These findings strongly suggest that the combinatorial presence or absence of the different methylated states of H4 Lys-20 and H3 Lys-9 define particular types of silent chromatin. Consistent with this, detailed analysis of monomethylated H4 Lys-20 and H3 Lys-9 revealed that both were preferentially and selectively enriched within the same nucleosome particle in vivo. Collectively, these findings define a novel trans-tail histone code involving monomethylated H4 Lys-20 and H3 Lys-9 that act cooperatively to mark distinct regions of silent chromatin within the mammalian epigenome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Sims
authors.forename: Sabrina I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Houston
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Magazinnik
authors.forename: Judd C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rice
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006657:Histones / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008239:Lysine / Q000737:chemistry*; D008745:Methylation; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones; D008239:Lysine