Active transcription without histone modifications

Abstract

Gene expression is regulated by proteins such as transcription factors, as well as by chromatin modifications on DNA and histones. Some histone modifications have been associated to transcriptional activation (i.e. H3K4me1, H3K4me3, H3K9ac, H3K27ac or H3K36me3) whereas others with gene silencing (H3K9me3 and H3K27me3). However, and challenging this premise, we have identified a set of genes in Drosophila melanogaster that are actively expressed in the absence of the canonical histone marks.