Acylation of key sites in the histone octamer core destabilizes nucleosome arrays

The nucleosome is the fundamental structure of DNA organization in eukaryotic cells. Post-translational histone modifications in nucleosomes strongly influence transcription, presumably through regulation of access to DNA. Although many post-translational modifications have been studied as elements of the “histone code,” most of the implications and functions of these modifications are not well known, and we do not understand which, if any, modifications have intrinsic effects apart from “readers.” A key modification is lysine acylation.