Acetylation and deacetylation of core histone lysine residues, by histone acetyltransferases (HAT) and histone deacetylases (HDAC) respectively, have been shown to be necessary for some crucial nuclear events such as gene transcription, DNA replication and repair. HDACs are found in multi-protein complexes with...

DNA is wrapped around histone proteins to form nucleosomes and chromatin fiber, a higher-order structure. Chromatin can become alternatively revealed to or concealed from transcription factors. Acetylation of lysine residues induces conformational changes in core histones by destabilizing nucleosomes and allowing...