Hangover regulates gene expression ?by limiting NSL-mediated H4K16 acetylation

The RNA-binding protein hangover is essential for several stress responses in Drosophila melanogaster. Here, we discover a novel function of hangover in the regulation of gene expression. Hangover binds to more than 2000 genes in the Drosophila genome and modulates transcription. We identify a diverse set of chromatin regulators as hangover interactors, including NSL, dMec, Sin3A, dREAM and Ino80. Among these the non-specific lethal complex (NSL) is the most prominent one. We show that hangover attenuates NSL-mediated H4K16 acetylation at transcriptional start sites to downregulate gene expression. Our work uncovers a novel role for hangover in epigenetic gene regulation and suggests that it coordinates the function of multiple chromatin regulators.