A tale of early response genes

Biol Pharm Bull. 2004 May;27(5):606-12. doi: 10.1248/bpb.27.606.

Abstract

Immediate early genes (IEG) are rapidly but transiently induced directly by intracellular signaling cascades to alter patterns of gene expression. It has been proposed that histone modifications could be the key to the quick alteration of chromatin structure, as this spread occurs too rapidly to be the consequence of passage of RNA polymerase II. In this review, we will discuss the different modifications on histones and the chromatin remodeling enzymes, allowing the promoter regions of two IEGs, c-fos and c-jun, to be accessed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Genes, Immediate-Early / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Immediate-Early Proteins / chemistry
  • Immediate-Early Proteins / genetics*
  • Immediate-Early Proteins / metabolism
  • Immediate-Early Proteins / physiology
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / chemistry
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / physiology
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / chemistry
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / physiology

Substances

  • Immediate-Early Proteins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun