ELP3: Elp3, a yeast A-type HAT, appears to have a direct role in transcription in that it is part of the RNA polymerase II holoenzyme and is involved in transcriptional elongation. In S. cerevisiae, the three-subunit elongator complex binds tightly to RNA polymerase II and its hyperphosphorylated C-terminal repeat domain (CTD), participating in an elongation-competent form of holoenzyme. Elp3, the smallest elongator subunit, was identified by peptide mass spectrometry and found to have GNAT homology. Because of its GNAT homology, recombinant Elp3 was produced from insect cells and tested for HAT activity in in-gel assays. Under these conditions, Elp3 was able to acetylate all four core histones when presented with them individually (1)
Reference
1. Sterner, D.E.&Berger, S.L.Acetylation of histones and transcription-related factors. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev.2000;64(2):435-459. PMID: 10839822.
GCN5: The members of Gcn5-related N-acetyltransferase (GNAT) family structurally resemble the archetypal HAT Gcn5 and have been relatively well studied. They share the highly conserved catalytic HAT domain with characteristic sequence motifs, of which motif A notably binds acetyl-coA. Some members additionally have an N-terminal PCAF homology domain for substrate selectivity and a C-terminal bromodomain for binding acetylated lysine residues. As is the case with most HATs, GCN5 functions as the catalytic component in multi-subunit complexes SAGA, ADA and SLIK, playing important roles in transcriptional activation and various chromatin activities (1)
Reference
1. Jeon J. H., Lee Y. H.Histone acetylation in fungal pathogens of plants. Plant Pathol.J.2014;30(1):1-9. PMID: 25288980.
HAT1: The best-understood set of acetyltransferases is the GNAT (Gcn5-related N-acetyltransferase) superfamily, which have been grouped together on the basis of their similarity in several homology regions and acetylation-related motifs. This group includes the HAT Gcn5, its close relatives, and at least three more distantly related HATs, Hat1, Elp3, and Hpa2. (1)
Hat1 is the sole known example of a type B histone acetyltransferase. While it has long been presumed that type B histone acetyltransferases participate in the acetylation of newly synthesized histones during the process of chromatin assembly.
Reference
1. Sterner, D.E. & Berger, S.L.Acetylation of histones and transcription-related factors. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev.2000;64(2):435-459. PMID: 10839822.