Sanchez R, Meslamani J, Zhou MM. The bromodomain: from epigenome reader to druggable target.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2014;
1839:676-85. [PMID:
24686119 DOI:
10.1016/j.bbagrm.2014.03.011]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2014] [Revised: 03/15/2014] [Accepted: 03/23/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Lysine acetylation is a fundamental post-translational modification that plays an important role in the control of gene transcription in chromatin in an ordered fashion. The bromodomain, the conserved structural module present in transcription-associated proteins, functions exclusively to recognize acetyl-lysine on histones and non-histone proteins. The structural analyses of bromodomains' recognition of lysine-acetylated peptides derived from histones and cellular proteins provide detailed insights into the differences and unifying features of biological ligand binding selectivity by the bromodomains. Newly developed small-molecule inhibitors targeting bromodomain proteins further highlight the functional importance of bromodomain/acetyl-lysine binding as a key mechanism in orchestrating molecular interactions and regulation in chromatin biology and gene transcription. These new studies argue that modulating bromodomain/acetyl-lysine interactions with small-molecule chemicals offer new opportunities to control gene expression in a wide array of human diseases including cancer and inflammation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Molecular mechanisms of histone modification function.
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