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The pieces that Huang and his colleagues were most interested in were biologically active molecular components known as amines and acetyl groups that adorn PNAG's sugary backbone.

HDAC8 removes chemical modifications called acetyl groups from other proteins, leading to alterations in gene expression patterns.

ACSS2 does not modify the histones directly, but rather generates acetyl groups that are then coupled to histones by a separate class of enzymes known as acetyltransferases.

These include processes that add or remove either methyl groups on DNA or acetyl groups on DNA-binding proteins called histones.

Several years ago, Oberdoerffer followed a hunch that cells might use another simple chemical unit, an acetyl group, on mRNA.