Review
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World J Clin Oncol. Apr 10, 2012; 3(4): 48-56
Published online Apr 10, 2012. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v3.i4.48
Analysis of the Hox epigenetic code
Zoheir Ezziane
Zoheir Ezziane, Welcome Trust Centre For Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Ezziane Z soley contributed to the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Zoheir Ezziane, Scientific Leadership Fellow, Welcome Trust Centre For Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX 3 7BN, United Kingdom. ezziane@well.ox.ac.uk
Telephone: +44-1865287652 Fax: +44-1865287501
Received: August 30, 2011
Revised: November 21, 2011
Accepted: April 1, 2012
Published online: April 10, 2012
Abstract

Archetypes of histone modifications associated with diverse chromosomal states that regulate access to DNA are leading the hypothesis of the histone code (or epigenetic code). However, it is still not evident how these post-translational modifications of histone tails lead to changes in chromatin structure. Histone modifications are able to activate and/or inactivate several genes and can be transmitted to next generation cells due to an epigenetic memory. The challenging issue is to identify or “decrypt” the code used to transmit these modifications to descent cells. Here, an attempt is made to describe how histone modifications operate as part of histone code that stipulates patterns of gene expression. This papers emphasizes particularly on the correlation between histone modifications and patterns of Hox gene expression in Caenorhabditis elegans. This work serves as an example to illustrate the power of the epigenetic machinery and its use in drug design and discovery.

Keywords: Epigenetic code; Histone code; Histone modifications; Hox gene expression