Expression profiling of S. pombe acetyltransferase mutants identifies redundant pathways of gene regulation

Background: Histone acetyltransferase enzymes (HATs) are implicated in regulation of transcription. HATs from different families may overlap in target and substrate specificity. Results: We isolated the elp3(+) gene encoding the histone acetyltransferase subunit of the Elongator complex in fission yeast and characterized the phenotype of an Delta elp3 mutant. We examined genetic interactions between Delta elp3 and two other HAT mutants, Delta mst2 and Delta gcn5 and used whole genome microarray analysis to analyze their effects on gene expression. Conclusions: Comparison of phenotypes and expression profiles in single, double and triple mutants indicate that these HAT enzymes have overlapping functions. Consistent with this, overlapping specificity in histone H3 acetylation is observed. However, there is no evidence for overlap with another HAT enzyme, encoded by the essential mst1(+) gene.