Recent Advances in Understanding Histone Modification Events

Abstract

This review will discuss histone modification events that have been recently discovered or significant technical advancements made in the last year. The physiological state of the eukaryotic genome is chromatin. Chromatin is a complex of DNA and primarily histone proteins. The post-translational modification of histones and the occupancy of specific histone variants in a given nucleosome play a central role in the regulation of the genome. Histone variants and modifications exist in complex and unique combinations. The resulting diversity allows for histones to play key roles in almost all cellular processes and their dysregulation is often the root cause of many diseases. In particular, epigenetic alterations have been noted in cancer, are associated with its progression, aggressiveness, and metastasis, and are useful in its prognosis. Thus, a deep understanding of histone variants and modifications is needed to comprehend both normal cellular function and disease. Technological advancements have dramatically improved our quantitative understanding of histone modification events, decreased sample requirements, and revealed nuances about how these events work together. Specifically, the miniaturization of ChIP-seq and the continuing use and development of mass spectrometric approaches for histone analysis have revealed interesting and diverse new aspects of chromatin biology. This review will explore the causes, mechanisms, and downstream functions of these newly discovered events. We will conclude with an outlook on the future of histone modification analysis and its biological impact.