Histone Deacetylase (Katie Richeson)
Contents
Histone Deacetylase (644029844)
What is this gene?
The Adopt a Genome Project claims that this gene's functionality is as a [http://img.jgi.doe.gov/cgi-bin/geba/main.cgi?section=GeneDetail&page=geneDetail&gene_oid=644029844 deacetylase, histone deacetylase/acetoin utilization protein.
These two proteins facilitate the removal of acetyl groups from histones in eukarya and are share 9 motifs with similar genes/proteins in archaea and eubacteria [Leipe and Landsman]. This is where our species comes into play: as an archaea we should ask ourselves where this gene comes from and whether or not the normal functioning of the gene in eukaraya is also seen in our species. If so this means that our archaea has the ability to epigenetically alter transcription of specific genes. This would be an interesting study to show evolutionary patterns, as bacteria do not normally posses histone deacetylases.
What is a Histone Deacetylase?
Histone deacetylase (HDAC) and histone acetyltransferase (HAT) are enzymes that influence transcription by removing or adding acetyl groups to lysine located near the amino termini of histone proteins. When HAT adds an acetyl group to a histone transcriptional activity changes, whereas deactylation leads to gene silencing. "HDACs are also involved in the reversible acetylation of non-histone proteins" [Vinci-Biochem].
Histone Acetylation in eukarya is a form of epigenetic regulation, where the density of chromatin is affected leading to changes in transcriptional rates.
