Gene Regulation and Epigenetics · USMLE Step 1

Which of the following statements about histone “code” is most accurate?

  1. Only acetylation of histone tails carries any functional significance
  2. Patterns of histone tail modifications encode gene-regulatory information
  3. Histone modifications permanently rewrite the underlying DNA sequence
  4. Histone tail modifications always act to activate gene expression
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Correct answer: Patterns of histone tail modifications encode gene-regulatory information

The histone-code hypothesis posits that specific combinations of post-translational histone modifications (acetylation, methylation, etc.) on histone tails create a regulatory language that determines chromatin state and gene expression.

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