Histone code

Histone H1

Promoter

Gene

Gene expression

Histone methyltransferase

Chromatin remodeling

SUMO protein

DNA methylation

Histone methylation

Ubiquitin

Genetics

Histone H2A

Histone-modifying enzymes

RNA polymerase II

Histone

Chromatin

Nucleosome

Biology

Cell biology

Nucleic Acids Research

Chromatin structure and gene expression are dynamically controlled by post-translational modifications (PTMs) on histone proteins, including ubiquitylation, methylation, acetylation and small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) conjugation. It was initially thought that histone sumoylation exclusively suppressed gene transcription, but recent advances in proteomics and genomics have uncovered its diverse functions in cotranscriptional processes, including chromatin remodeling, transcript elongation, and blocking cryptic initiation. Histone sumoylation is integral to complex signaling codes that prime additional histone PTMs as well as modifications of the RNA polymerase II carboxy-terminal domain (RNAPII-CTD) during transcription. In addition, sumoylation of histone variants is critical for the DNA double-strand break (DSB) response and for chromosome segregation during mitosis. This review describes recent findings on histone sumoylation and its coordination with other histone and RNAPII-CTD modifications in the regulation of chromatin dynamics.

Histone sumoylation and chromatin dynamics