Active genes are tri-methylated at K4 of histone H3

Helena Santos-Rosa, Robert Schneider, Andrew J. Bannister, Julia Sherriff, Bradley E. Bernstein, N. C. Tolga Emre, Stuart L. Schreiber, Jane Mellor and Tony Kouzarides ()
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Helena Santos-Rosa: Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Institute and Department of Pathology
Robert Schneider: Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Institute and Department of Pathology
Andrew J. Bannister: Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Institute and Department of Pathology
Julia Sherriff: University of Oxford
Bradley E. Bernstein: Harvard University
N. C. Tolga Emre: Wilstar Institute
Stuart L. Schreiber: Harvard University
Jane Mellor: University of Oxford
Tony Kouzarides: Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Institute and Department of Pathology

Nature, 2002, vol. 419, issue 6905, 407-411

Abstract: Abstract Lysine methylation of histones in vivo occurs in three states: mono-, di- and tri-methyl1. Histone H3 has been found to be di-methylated at lysine 4 (K4) in active euchromatic regions but not in silent heterochromatic sites2. Here we show that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Set1 protein can catalyse di- and tri-methylation of K4 and stimulate the activity of many genes. Using antibodies that discriminate between the di- and tri-methylated state of K4 we show that di-methylation occurs at both inactive and active euchromatic genes, whereas tri-methylation is present exclusively at active genes. It is therefore the presence of a tri-methylated K4 that defines an active state of gene expression. These findings establish the concept of methyl status as a determinant for gene activity and thus extend considerably the complexity of histone modifications.

Date: 2002
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DOI: 10.1038/nature01080

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