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Updated: May 12, 2026

Site Specific Lysine Acetylation of Histones for Nucleosome Reconstitution using Genetic Code Expansion in Escherichia coli
Published on: December 26, 2020
Histone modification via rapid cleavage of C4'-oxidized abasic sites in nucleosome core particles
Chuanzheng Zhou1, Jonathan T Sczepanski, Marc M Greenberg
1Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.
Abstract:
The C4'-oxidized abasic site is produced in DNA by a variety of oxidizing agents, including potent cytotoxic antitumor agents. Independent generation of this alkali-labile lesion at defined positions within nucleosome core particles reveals that the histone proteins increase strand scission between 130- and 550-fold. Strand scission proceeds via a Schiff base intermediate, but the DNA-protein cross-links are unstable. The oxidized abasic site is removed in its entirety from the DNA and transferred to the lysine-rich tail region of the proximal histone protein in the form of a lactam. The modification is distributed over several residues within the amino-terminal tail of the proximal histone. Transfer of DNA damage to histones could affect gene regulation.
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