Question

Using the cation-π interactions, summarize how molecular recognition of histone tail post-translational modifications by reader proteins helps to regulate gene expression.

Answer 1

Lysine methylation is most often found on histone proteins, and that is responsible to effect gene regulation and epigenetic inheritance. Lysine or arginine methylation is a subtle modification that does not affect in change of charge or can affect small changes in size, but it significantly alters the hydration energies and hydrogen bonding potential of these side chains. Methylation state of lysine that is the collection of aromatic protein residues, often accompanied by one or more neighbouring anionic residues. The combination of cation-π interactions, electrostatic, and van der waals force, size matching, provides these proteins a high degree of specificity for methylation state.