Lysine methylation and ‘signaling memory’

A combination of various post-translational modifications regulates the formation of signaling networks in both the nucleus and the cytosol. Of these, lysine methylation provides a relatively stable marker on histones and contributes to the formation of a distinct pattern of histone-dependent gene regulation (‘transcriptional memory’). Thus far, lysine methylation was considered to be nucleus specific; however, recent findings indicate that lysine methylation contributes to receptor-mediated signal transduction in the cytosol.