K(lysine) acetyltransferase 8 (KAT8) is an
enzyme
An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''KAT8''
gene
In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
.
Function
The MYST family of
histone acetyltransferase
Histone acetyltransferases (HATs) are enzymes that acetylation, acetylate conserved lysine amino acids on histone proteins by transferring an acetyl group from acetyl-CoA to form ε-N-acetyllysine, ε-''N''-acetyllysine. DNA is wrapped around his ...
s, which includes KAT8, was named for the founding members MOZ (MYST3; MIM 601408), yeast YBF2 and SAS2, and TIP60 (HTATIP; MIM 601409). All members of this family contain a MYST region of about 240 amino acids with a canonical acetyl-CoA-binding site and a C2HC-type zinc finger motif. Most MYST proteins also have a chromodomain involved in protein-protein interactions and targeting transcriptional regulators to chromatin.
KAT8 is also known as MOF, and in humans hMOF. Given its fundamental role in modulating higher-order
chromatin
Chromatin is a complex of DNA and protein found in eukaryote, eukaryotic cells. The primary function is to package long DNA molecules into more compact, denser structures. This prevents the strands from becoming tangled and also plays important r ...
structure, hMOF is involved in many of the steps of the
DNA damage
DNA repair is a collection of processes by which a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA molecules that encode its genome. A weakened capacity for DNA repair is a risk factor for the development of cancer. DNA is constantly modified ...
response.
The human hMOF gene encodes an enzyme that specifically
acetylates histone H4
Histone H4 is one of the five main histone proteins involved in the structure of chromatin in eukaryote, eukaryotic cells. Featuring a main globular domain and a long N-terminus, N-terminal tail, H4 is involved with the structure of the nucleo ...
at lysine 16.
[ The depletion of hMOF greatly decreases DNA double-strand break repair by both ]non-homologous end joining
Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) is a pathway that repairs double-strand breaks in DNA. It is called "non-homologous" because the break ends are directly ligated without the need for a homologous template, in contrast to homology directed repair ...
and homologous recombination
Homologous recombination is a type of genetic recombination in which genetic information is exchanged between two similar or identical molecules of double-stranded or single-stranded nucleic acids (usually DNA as in Cell (biology), cellular organi ...
.[
]
Interactions
KAT8 has been shown to interact
Advocates for Informed Choice, dba interACT or interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization advocating for the legal and human rights of children with intersex traits. The organization was founded in 2006 and fo ...
with MORF4L1.
References
Further reading
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External links
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