Background
Histones are subject to a variety of enzyme catalyzed modifications, including acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitylation, etc. Crotonylation of lysine is a newly identified reversible modification controlling chromosome structure and gene transcription. Lysine crotonylation is highly conserved in eukaryotic cellsfrom worm to human. The unique structure and genomic localization of histone lysine crotonylation suggest that it is mechanistically and functionally different from histone lysine acetylation. Specifically, in both human somatic and rabbit male germ cell genomes, histone crotonylation marks either active promoters or potential enhancers. Crotonylation of histone H2A at Lys119 may play a vital role in the epigenetic modulation, including chromatin remodeling and DNA transcriptional regulation.
Cellular location
Nucleus
