Abstract
Chromatin is the physiologically relevant substrate for all genetic processes inside the nuclei of eukaryotic cells. Dynamic changes in the local and global organization of chromatin are emerging as key regulators of genomic function. Indeed, a multitude of signals from outside and inside the cell converges on this gigantic signaling platform. Numerous post-translational modifications of histones, the main protein components of chromatin, have been documented and analyzed in detail. These 'marks' appear to crucially mediate the functional activity of the genome in response to upstream signaling pathways. Different layers of cross-talk between several components of this complex regulatory system are emerging, and these epigenetic circuits are the focus of this review.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 172-183 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Current Opinion in Cell Biology |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 2003 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank Peter Cheung for stimulating discussions and multiple rounds of proof reading as well as past and present members of the Allis laboratory for helping us to shape and formulate some of the concepts presented here. We also acknowledge the many colleagues and collaborators with whom we have worked or discussed ideas. Because of space limitations, not all the original work could be cited and wherever possible we refer the reader to excellent reviews in the current literature. W Fischle is a Damon Runyon Fellow supported by the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. Work in the laboratory of CD Allis is supported by several National Institutes of Health grants (GM40922 and GM63959), including a MERIT award (GM53512).
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cell Biology