Increased histone acetylation has long been linked to gene activation, but little is known about how acetylation levels are regulated, largely because the histone acetyltransferase activities (HATs) responsible for this modification have been cloned only recently. Comparison of the biochemical nature of the Tetrahymena HAT A complex with the genetic and biochemical properties of the Saccharomyces Gcn5p-Ado complex leads us to propose that histone acetylase assemblies may be modular in nature and that this modularity may be an intimate part of the association of these enzymes with chromatin. The 'subunit-exchange' model provides a mechanism for the regulation and targeting of both histone acetylases and deacetylases and has implications for the control of cell growth, proliferation and tumorigenesis.

中文翻译：

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组蛋白乙酰化的亚基交换模型。

组蛋白乙酰化的提高一直与基因激活有关，但是对乙酰化水平的调控知之甚少，主要是因为负责这种修饰的组蛋白乙酰基转移酶活性（HATs）是最近才克隆的。四膜虫HAT A的生化性质与酵母菌Gcn5p-Ado的遗传和生化特性的比较导致我们提出组蛋白乙酰化酶组件在性质上可能是模块化的，并且这种模块化可能是与之关联的紧密部分。这些酶带有染色质。“亚基交换”模型为组蛋白乙酰化酶和脱乙酰基酶的调节和靶向提供了一种机制，并且对控制细胞生长，增殖和肿瘤发生具有重要意义。