Lysine residues within histones can be mono-, di - or tri-methylated. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae tri-methylation of Lys 4 of histone H3 (K4/H3) correlates with transcriptional activity, but little is known about this methylation state in higher eukaryotes. Here, we examine the K4/H3 methylation pattern at the promoter and transcribed region of metazoan genes. We analysed chicken genes that are developmentally regulated, constitutively active or inactive. We found that the pattern of K4/H3 methylation shows similarities to S. cerevisiae. Tri-methyl K4/H3 peaks in the 5' transcribed region and active genes can be discriminated by high levels of tri-methyl K4/H3 compared with inactive genes. However, our results also identify clear differences compared to yeast, as significant levels of K4/H3 methylation are present on inactive genes within the beta-globin locus, implicating this modification in maintaining a 'poised' chromatin state. In addition, K4/H3 di-methylation is not genome-wide and di-methylation is not uniformly distributed throughout the transcribed region. These results indicate that in metazoa, di- and tri-methylation of K4/H3 is linked to active transcription and that significant differences exist in the genome-wide methylation pattern as compared with S. cerevisiae.

Methylation of lysine 4 of histone H3 (K4/H3) is linked to transcriptional activity, whereas methylation of K9/H3 is tightly associated with gene inactivity. These are well characterized sites of methylation within histones, but there are numerous other, less characterized, sites of modification. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, methylation of K36/H3 has been linked to active genes, but little is known about this methylation in higher eukaryotes. Here we analyzed for the first time the levels and spatial distribution of di-and tri-methyl (di-and tri-Me) K36/H3 in metazoan genes. We analyzed chicken genes that are developmentally regulated, constitutively active, or inactive. We found that active genes contain high levels of these modifications compared with inactive genes. Furthermore, in actively transcribed regions the levels of di-and tri-Me K36/H3 peak toward the 3 end of the gene. This is in striking contrast to the distributions of di-and tri-Me K4/H3, which peak early in actively transcribed regions. Thus, di/tri-Me K4/H3 and di/tri-Me K36/H3 are both useful markers of active genes, but their genic distribution indicates differing roles. Our data suggest that the unique spatial distribution of di-and tri-Me K36/H3 plays a role in transcriptional termination and/or early RNA processing.

The replacement histone H2A.Z is variously reported as being linked to gene expression and preventing the spread of heterochromatin in yeast, or concentrated at heterochromatin in mammals. To resolve this apparent dichotomy, affinity-purified antibodies against the N-terminal region of H2A.Z, in both a triacetylated and non-acetylated state, are used in native chromatin immmuno-precipitation experiments with mononucleosomes from three chicken cell types. The hyperacetylated species concentrates at the 5′ end of active genes, both tissue specific and housekeeping but is absent from inactive genes, while the unacetylated form is absent from both active and inactive genes. A concentration of H2A.Z is also found at insulators under circumstances implying a link to barrier activity but not to enhancer blocking. Although acetylated H2A.Z is widespread throughout the interphase genome, at mitosis its acetylation is erased, the unmodified form remaining. Thus, although H2A.Z may operate as an epigenetic marker for active genes, its N-terminal acetylation does not.

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Affinity-purified polyclonal antibodies recognizing the most highly acetylated forms of histones H3 and H4 were used in immunoprecipitation assays with chromatin fragments derived from 15-day chicken embryo erythrocytes by micrococcal nuclease digestion. The distribution of hyperacetylated H4 and H3 was mapped at the housekeeping gene, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and the tissue-specific gene, carbonic anhydrase (CA). H3 and H4 acetylation was found targeted to the CpG island region at the 5 end of both these genes, falling off in the downstream direction. In contrast, at the ␤ A -globin gene, both H3 and H4 are highly acetylated throughout the gene and at the downstream enhancer, with a maximum at the promoter. Low level acetylation was observed at the 5 end of the inactive ovalbumin gene. Run-on assays to measure ongoing transcription showed that the GAPDH and CA genes are transcribed at a much lower rate than the adult ␤ Aglobin gene. The extensive high level acetylation at the ␤ A -globin gene correlates most simply with its high rate of transcription. The targeted acetylation of histones H3 and H4 at the GAPDH and CA genes is consistent with a role in transcriptional initiation and implies that transcriptional elongation does not necessarily require hyperacetylation.