Genome-wide profiling of H3K56ac in Drosophila melanogaster Kc167 cell lines with Lz overexpression

The conserved Notch pathway functions in diverse developmental and disease-related processes, requiring mechanisms to ensure appropriate target-selection and gene activation in each context. To investigate, we partitioned Drosophila chromatin into different states, based on histone modifications, establishing the preferred chromatin conditions for binding of CSL, the Notch pathway transcription factor and showing that a co-operating factor, Lozenge/Runx, can help establish these conditions. While most histone modifications were unchanged by CSL binding or Notch activation, rapid changes in H3K56 acetylation occurred at Notch regulated-enhancers. This modification extended over large regions, required the histone acetyl-transferase CBP and was independent of transcription. Such rapid changes in H3K56 acetylation are a conserved indicator of enhancer activation, also occurring at mammalian Notch-regulated Hey1 and at Drosophila ecdysone-regulated genes. This core histone modification may therefore underpin the changes in chromatin accessibility needed to promote transcription following signaling activation. H3K56ac profile of control cells (KP) and of Lz overexpression cells (KL). In total 3 samples, H3K56ac ChIP in KP cells and 2 replicates of H3K56ac ChIP in KL cells.