Going global: novel histone modifications in the globular domain of H3.

Post-translational modifications (PTM) of histones are key regulators of chromatin function. New mass spectrometrical technologies have revealed that PTMs are not restricted to the histone tails, but can also be found in the globular domains, especially at the DNA-binding surface of the nucleosomes. Recent work on this new group of epigenetic marks showed that these modifications have not only the potential to alter the physical properties of the nucleosome, but may act as signals that regulate the recruitment of effector proteins to chromatin as well.