Automated setup for characterization of intact histone tails in Suz12-/- stem cells

Epigenetics is defined as the study of heritable changes that occur without modifying the DNA sequence. Histone proteins are crucial components of epigenetic mechanisms and regulation, since they are fundamental for chromatin structure. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics is already an integrated and indispensable tool in modern chromatin biology, in particular for characterization of protein post-translational modifications (Trelle et al. 2007)

Here, we describe new insights in Suz12 activity, a crucial protein of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), which is involved in stem cell differentiation. We developed a high-resolving and automated LC-MS/MS setup to characterize intact histone tails (middle-down strategy)