Histone Methylation

Methylation of certain histone residues is strongly indicative of euchromatin and transcriptional activation, while other methylation events are hallmarks of heterochromatin and correlate with transcriptional repression. Histone methylation can be reversed by site specific histone demethylases, such as LSD1, UTX, and the JMJD family of enzymes. The coordinated activity of histone methylases and demethylases temporally and spatially regulates gene expression, particularly during embryonic development.