Background
Histones are subject to a variety of enzyme catalyzed modifications, including acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitylation, etc. Butyrylation of lysine, structurally similar to lysine acetylation and propionylation, is a newly identified reversible modification controlling chromosome structure and gene transcription. With integrated proteomic approaches and biochemistry analysis, lysine butyrylation has been well demonstrated in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The unique structure and genomic localization of histone lysine butyrylation suggest that it is mechanistically and functionally different from histone lysine acetylation. Butyrylation of histone H3 at Lys18 may play a vital role in the epigenetic modulation, including chromatin remodeling and DNA transcriptional regulation.
Cellular location
Nucleus