N-acetylation, or the transfer of an acetyl group to nitrogen, occurs in almost all eukaryotic proteins through both irreversible and reversible mechanisms. N-terminal acetylation requires the cleavage of the N-terminal methionine by methionine aminopeptidase (MAP) before replacing the amino acid with an acetyl group from acetyl-CoA by N-acetyltransferase (NAT) enzymes. This type of acetylation is co-translational, in that N-terminus is acetylated on growing polypeptide chains that are still attached to the ribosome. While 80-90% of eukaryotic proteins are acetylated in this manner, the exact biological significance is still unclear.
Acetylation at the ε-NH2 of lysine (termed lysine acetylation) on histone N-termini is a common method of regulating gene transcription. Histone acetylation is a reversible event that reduces chromosomal condensation to promote transcription, and the acetylation of these lysine residues is regulated by transcription factors that contain histone acetyletransferase (HAT) activity. While transcription factors with HAT activity act as transcription co-activators, histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes are co-repressors that reverse the effects of acetylation by reducing the level of lysine acetylation and increasing chromosomal condensation.
Sirtuins (silent information regulator) are a group of NAD-dependent deacetylases that target histones. As their name implies, they maintain gene silencing by hypoacetylating histones and have been reported to aid in maintaining genomic stability.
While acetylation was first detected in histones, cytoplasmic proteins have been reported to also be acetylated, and therefore acetylation seems to play a greater role in cell biology than simply transcriptional regulation. Furthermore, crosstalk between acetylation and other post-translational modifications, including phosphorylation, ubiquitination and methylation, can modify the biological function of the acetylated protein.
Protein acetylation can be detected by chromosome immunoprecipitation (ChIP) using acetyllysine-specific antibodies or by mass spectrometry, where an increase in histone by 42 mass units represents a single acetylation.