Histone acetylases are required for iron homeostasis

Histones and their modifications such as methylation and acetylation play an important role in the regulation of gene transcription and cellular metabolism. Cells in response to iron deficiency induce iron metabolism, especially the expression of iron uptake-related genes, but the role of histone modifications in their induction is unclear. We report here that compared to other histone modification enzymes, loss of histone acetylates Gcn5p and Sas2p has a stronger effect on the induction of iron homeostasis genes. Among the studied histone modification enzymes, Gcn5p and Rtt109p have a specific role in regulating the cellular response under the deficiency of the mitochondrial iron-sulfur cluster biosynthesis. Therefore, the histone acetylation, specifically regulated by Gcn5p, Rtt109p and Sas2p, plays an important role in the response to iron-deficiency conditions.