Visualization of the Dynamics of Histone Modifications and Their Crosstalk Using PTM-CrossTalkMapper

Publication date: Available online 21 January 2020Source: MethodsAuthor(s): Rebecca Kirsch, Ole N. Jensen, Veit SchwämmleAbstractVisualization of large-scale, multi-dimensional omics data is a major challenge. Experimental study designs in proteomics research produce multiple data layers, e.g. relationships between hundreds of proteins, their interactions and abundances as a function of time or perturbation, as well as dynamics of post-translational modifications (PTMs) and allelic variants (proteoforms). These different levels and types of information of proteins and proteoforms complicate data analysis and generation of insightful and comprehensible graphic visualizations. Middle-down mass spectrometry of histone proteins now allows quantifying hundreds of histone proteoforms including co-existing methylation, acetylation and phosphorylation events at distinct amino acid residues within histone molecules. The histone PTM landscape plays a dominant role in the regulation of chromatin activity and transcriptional and epigenetic control. The dynamics of these reversible modifications are governed by reader, writer and eraser enzymes that cooperate to regulate molecular mechanisms that rely on multiple interdependent PTM marks in histones and nucleosomes in chromatin. This PTM crosstalk can be quantified and provides a detailed picture of the underlying rules for setting the histone PTM landscape and chromatin activity, and is available to the community via our CrosstalkDB pla...

Source: Methods - January 21, 2020 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research