A Structural Perspective on Readout of Epigenetic Histone and DNA Methylation Marks

SUMMARY

This article outlines the protein modules that target methylated lysine histone marks and 5mC DNA marks, and the molecular principles underlying recognition. The article focuses on the structural basis underlying readout of isolated marks by single reader molecules, as well as multivalent readout of multiple marks by linked reader cassettes at the histone tail and nucleosome level. Additional topics addressed include the role of histone mimics, cross talk between histone marks, technological developments at the genome-wide level, advances using chemical biology approaches, the linkage between histone and DNA methylation, the role for regulatory lncRNAs, and the promise of chromatin-based therapeutic modalities.