Epigenetic Control of Cell Division

Abstract

Posttranslational modification (PTM) of histone tails plays a critical role in the dynamic of chromatin and chromosomes. However, emerging evidence suggests that individual histone modifications do not reliably predict a single functional output [Sims and Reinberg (Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 9:815–820, 2008)]. In plants, the cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation of histone H3 has been described best; it is hyperphosphorylated at serines 10/28 and at threonines 3/11/32 during both mitosis and meiosis in patterns that are specifically coordinated in both space and time. Although this posttranslational modification is highly conserved, data show that the chromosomal distribution of individual modifications can differ between groups of eukaryotes. We describe the function of plant Aurora and Haspin kinases which have the capacity to phosphorylate H3 and discuss the cross talk between phosphorylation and other PTMs.