Abstract: Histone is one of critical components of chromatin, which amino acid residues at the N-terminus can be covalently modified. Histone modification (HM) can change the chromatin conformation and induce transcription or gene silencing. Not only can HM control gene expression, but also participate in cell division, cell apoptosis and memory formation by recruiting protein complex and affecting downstream proteins. HM can also have the impact on immune system and inflammatory reaction. In addition, lots of recent studies have indicated that histone code (or HM) is related to the CTD code, circadian clock and DNA repair, implying the significance of HM. The domains of protein complex can never be replaced, because they play a mediating role during the formation and deciphering of histone code, as well as the modification cascade and the recruitment of protein complex. Therefore, these domains are very important to comprehend the histone code. Because of the widespread use of analytical techniques, such as mass-spectrometry, new domains will be discovered. Herein, our review focuses on the basic concept, recent progress and hot points of the histone code study.

Key words: histone modification, chromatin, gene expression, domain, protein complex