dbHiMo: a web-based epigenomics platform for histone-modifying enzymes.

Area of Science:

• Molecular Biology
• Genomics
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Epigenetics is central to gene expression regulation.
• Histone modifications, like acetylation and methylation, are key epigenetic mechanisms.
• Histone-modifying enzymes (HMEs) play critical roles in these processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce dbHiMo, a comprehensive database for histone-modifying enzymes (HMEs).
• To facilitate functional, comparative, and evolutionary genomics analyses of HMEs.
• To provide a centralized resource for epigenetics and epigenomics research.

Main Methods:

• HMEs were identified using a profile hidden Markov model (HMM) search pipeline.
• The pipeline was applied to 603 proteomes across fungal, plant, and metazoan species.
• The database was populated with 11,576 identified HMEs.

Main Results:

• The dbHiMo database contains 11,576 HMEs from diverse species.
• It offers web-based tools for data browsing and personalized analysis.
• Supports comparative and evolutionary genomics of HMEs.

Conclusions:

• dbHiMo serves as a valuable resource for the epigenetics and epigenomics community.
• The database facilitates in-depth analysis and comparative studies of HMEs.
• It will advance future research in gene regulation and evolutionary biology.