KAT8 Regulatory NSL Complex Subunit 1 (KANSL1)

In mammals, MYST family histone acetyltransferase MOF plays important roles in transcription activation by acetylating histone H4 on K16, a prevalent mark associated with chromatin decondensation, and transcription factor p53 on K120, which is important for activation of pro-apoptotic genes. However, little is known about MOF regulation in higher eukaryotes. The acetyltransferase activity of MOF is tightly regulated in two different but evolutionarily conserved complexes, MSL and MOF-MSL1v1. While the two MOF complexes have indistinguishable activity on histone H4 K16, they differ dramatically in acetylating non-histone substrate p53. MOF-MSL1v1 is specifically required for optimal transcription activation of p53 target genes both in vitro and in vivo.