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Packing for the germy: the role of histone H4 Ser1 phosphorylation in chromatin compaction and germ cell development: Figure 1.

Year: 2006
Type: preprint
Abstract: Genetic and epigenetic information is passed to the next generation through germ cells.In this issue of Genes and Development, Krishnamoorthy et al. (2006) have elegantly demonstrated that a conserved histone modification, phosphorylation of Ser1 on histone 4 (H4 S1ph) is involved in chromatin compaction during sporulation in yeast, and that it is an evolutionarily conserved mark found during Drosophila melanogaster and mouse germ cell development.Post-translational modifications of core histones (PTMs) and incorporation of histone variants/replacement proteins during gametogenesis provide an exceptional example of the relationship between chromatin structure and function.In these instances, histones fulfill their more traditional role as structural regulators and DNA packaging proteins, while providing modification-or variant-specific regulation.Significant changes in chromatin architecture are mediated in part by evolutionarily conserved modifications of histone within the nucleosomes, including ubiquitination, methylation, acetylation, and phosphorylation (Workman and Kingston 1998;Shilatifard 2006).These histone modifications serve to alter chromatin structure and thus regulate transcription factor accessibility to chromatin and affect transcriptional readout.During metazoan gametogenesis, cells incorporate somatic and gamete-specific histone variants, as well as generalized histone modifications into their chromatin prior to replacement by DNA packaging proteins (Lewis et al. 2003).Spermatogenesis in Drosophila requires the differentiation of round spermatids into an elongated, needle-like structure, with a 200-fold drop in nuclear volume.This is accomplished in part by modification of histones, as well as a highly orchestrated succession of histone replacements by sperm-specific histone variants, then by basic transition proteins, and finally protamines (Sassone-Corsi 2002;Govin et al.
DOI: 10.1101/gad.1477706
Language: English
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2164764154
Cites: 31
Cited by: 18
Related to: 10