text: Experiments investigating acetylation patterns of H4 histones suggested that these modification patterns are collectively maintained in mitosis and meiosis in order to modify long-term gene expression.  The acetylation pattern is regulated by HAT and HADC enzymes and, in turn, sets the local chromatin structure. In this way, acetylation patterns are transmitted and interconnected with protein binding ability and functions in subsequent cell generation.
  Bromodomain
  The bromodomain is a motif that is responsible for acetylated lysine recognition on histones by nucleosome remodelling proteins. Posttranslational modifications of N- and C-terminal histone tails attracts various transcription initiation factors that contain bromodomains, including human transcriptional coactivator PCAF, TAF1, GCN5 and CREB-binding protein (CBP), to the promoter and have a significance in regulating gene expression. Structural analysis of transcription factors has shown that highly conserved bromodomains are essential for protein to bind to acetylated lysine. This suggests that specific histone site acetylation has a regulatory role in gene transcriptional activation.
  Human diseases
  Inflammatory diseases
  Gene expression is regulated by histone acetylation and deacetylation, and this regulation is also applicable to inflammatory genes. Inflammatory lung diseases are characterized by expression of specific inflammatory genes such as NF-κB and AP-1 transcription factor. Treatments with corticosteroids and theophylline for inflammatory lung diseases interfere with HAT/HDAC activity to turn off inflammatory genes.