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Background:Histone H4 is one of the core components of the nucleosome. The nucleosome is the smallest subunit of chromatin and consists of 147 base pairs of DNA wrapped around an octamer of core histone proteins (two each of Histone H2A, Histone H2B, Histone H3 and Histone H4). Histone H1 is a linker histone, present at the interface between the nucleosome core and DNA entry/exit points; it is responsible for establishing higher-order chromatin structure. Chromatin is subject to a variety of chemical modifications, including post-translational modifications of the histone proteins and the methylation of cytosine residues in the DNA. Reported histone modifications include acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitylation, glycosylation, ADP-ribosylation, carbonylation and SUMOylation; they play a major role in regulating gene expression. Histone 4 lysine 20 (H4K20) can be mono-, di- or trimethylated by different histone methyltransferases such as NSD1 or ASH1. The methylation of this lysine is often associated with transcriptional repression. Monomethylation of histone H4 at lysine 20 is detected on the inactive X chromosome in female mammals and implicated in chromosome condensation.
