Histone H3 globular domain acetylation identifies new class of enhancers

We report the acetylation of lysine residues in the globular domain of H3 (H3K64ac and H3K122ac) marks active gene promoters and also a subset of active enhancers in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), human erythroleukemic cell line (K562). Moreover, we find a novel class of active functional enhancers in ESCs that are marked by H3K122ac but which lack H3K27ac. This work suggests that a more complex analysis of histone acetylation is required to identify enhancers than was previously considered. Overall design: Examination of histone modifications in mouse ESCs (2 biological replicates) and K562 cells