Histone Arginine methylation

Histone arginines undergo mono (me1) or dimethylation (me2). Dimethylation can occur either in a symmetric or asymmetric manner. Symmetric dimethylation refers to methylation on 2 separate nitrogens (N,N') whereas asymmetric dimethylation means methylation that occurs on the same Nitrogen atom (N,N) present on the side chain of the arginine residue. Enzymes that catalyse these two types of dimethylation are present in 2 separate classes of arginine methyltransferases. Arginine methylation adds ~14 daltons to the overall size of the histone protein but do not perturb the charge on the residue. Methyl donor in this case is S-adenosyl-L-methionine. Histone arginine methylation is strongly associated with gene activation.


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Sites of histone Arginine methylation
Site of modification Writers Erasers
H2AR3me2 Protein arginine N-methyltransferase 6
H3R17me1 Histone-arginine methyltransferase CARM1
H3R17me2 Histone-arginine methyltransferase CARM1
H3R26me1 Histone-arginine methyltransferase CARM1
H3R2me1 Histone-arginine methyltransferase CARM1
H3R2me2 Protein arginine N-methyltransferase 6 Bifunctional arginine demethylase and lysyl-hydroxylase JMJD6
H3R8me2 Protein arginine N-methyltransferase 5
H4R3me1 Protein arginine N-methyltransferase 1 Bifunctional arginine demethylase and lysyl-hydroxylase JMJD6
H4R3me2 Protein arginine N-methyltransferase 1, Protein arginine N-methyltransferase 5, Protein arginine N-methyltransferase 6 Bifunctional arginine demethylase and lysyl-hydroxylase JMJD6