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GCN5 histone acetyltransferase GCN5 [ Saccharomyces cerevisiae S288C ]

Gene ID: 853167, updated on 3-Jun-2026
Official Symbol
GCN5
Official Full Name
histone acetyltransferase GCN5
Primary source
SGD:S000003484
Locus tag
YGR252W
See related
AllianceGenome:SGD:S000003484; FungiDB:YGR252W; VEuPathDB:YGR252W
Gene type
protein coding
RefSeq status
REVIEWED
Organism
Saccharomyces cerevisiae S288C (strain: S288C)
Lineage
Eukaryota; Fungi; Dikarya; Ascomycota; Saccharomycotina; Saccharomycetes; Saccharomycetales; Saccharomycetaceae; Saccharomyces
Also known as
AAS104; ADA4; KAT2; SWI9
Summary
Enables N-acyltransferase activity; lysine-acetylated histone binding activity; and transcription coregulator activity. Involved in chromatin remodeling and positive regulation of transcription elongation by RNA polymerase II. Located in chromosome, centromeric region; cytosol; and nucleus. Part of ADA complex; SAGA complex; and SLIK (SAGA-like) complex. Orthologous to several human genes including KAT2A (lysine acetyltransferase 2A). [provided by Alliance of Genome Resources, Apr 2025]
Orthologs
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See GCN5 in Genome Data Viewer
Location:
chromosome: VII
Exon count:
1
Sequence:
Chromosome: VII; NC_001139.9 (996869..998188)

Chromosome VII - NC_001139.9Genomic Context describing neighboring genes Neighboring gene Rie1p Neighboring gene Nop19p Neighboring gene proteasome core particle subunit alpha 5 Neighboring gene phosphopyruvate hydratase ENO1

Genomic Sequence:
NC_001139.9

Go to nucleotide: Graphics FASTA GenBank

Related articles in PubMed

  1. Stress-specific role of fission yeast Gcn5 histone acetyltransferase in programming a subset of stress response genes. Johnsson A, et al. Eukaryot Cell, 2006 Aug. PMID 16896217, Free PMC Article
  2. The structural basis for the recognition of acetylated histone H4 by the bromodomain of histone acetyltransferase gcn5p. Owen DJ, et al. EMBO J, 2000 Nov 15. PMID 11080160, Free PMC Article
  3. Mutational analysis of conserved residues in the GCN5 family of histone acetyltransferases. Langer MR, et al. J Biol Chem, 2001 Aug 17. PMID 11397810
  4. Modulating acetyl-CoA binding in the GCN5 family of histone acetyltransferases. Langer MR, et al. J Biol Chem, 2002 Jul 26. PMID 11994311
  5. A native peptide ligation strategy for deciphering nucleosomal histone modifications. Shogren-Knaak MA, et al. J Biol Chem, 2003 May 2. PMID 12595522

See all (456) citations in PubMed

GeneRIFs: Gene References Into Functions

What's a GeneRIF?
  1. Differential requirements for Gcn5 and NuA4 HAT activities in the starvation-induced versus basal transcriptomes.
    Title: Differential requirements for Gcn5 and NuA4 HAT activities in the starvation-induced versus basal transcriptomes.
  2. Acetylation of the influenza A virus polymerase subunit PA in the N-terminal domain positively regulates its endonuclease activity.
    Title: Acetylation of the influenza A virus polymerase subunit PA in the N-terminal domain positively regulates its endonuclease activity.
  3. Gcn5p and Ubp8p Affect Protein Ubiquitylation and Cell Proliferation by Altering the Fermentative/Respiratory Flux Balance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
    Title: Gcn5p and Ubp8p Affect Protein Ubiquitylation and Cell Proliferation by Altering the Fermentative/Respiratory Flux Balance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
  4. Gcn5 and Rpd3 have a limited role in the regulation of cell cycle transcripts during the G1 and S phases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
    Title: Gcn5 and Rpd3 have a limited role in the regulation of cell cycle transcripts during the G1 and S phases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
  5. The Gcn5-Ada2-Ada3 (ADA) histone acetyltransferase complexes have the capacity to crotonylate histones and crotonylate lysines in the N-terminal tails of histone H3 and H4. Crotonylation selectively affects gene transcription in vivo in a manner dependent on Gcn5 and Esa1.
    Title: Gcn5 and Esa1 function as histone crotonyltransferases to regulate crotonylation-dependent transcription.
  6. work argues that nonhistone protein acetylation by Gcn5 is determined in part by specific amino acids surrounding target lysines but that even optimal sequences require both Ada2 and Ada3 for robust acetylation.
    Title: A synthetic non-histone substrate to study substrate targeting by the Gcn5 HAT and sirtuin HDACs.
  7. the Ada2 SANT domain does not activate Gcn5's activity by directly affecting histone peptide binding as previously proposed. Instead, the Ada2 SANT domain enhances Gcn5 binding of the enzymatic cosubstrate acetyl-CoA.
    Title: Structural basis for activation of SAGA histone acetyltransferase Gcn5 by partner subunit Ada2.
  8. This replication-guided H3K9ac was fully dependent on the acetyltransferase Rtt109, while expression-guided H3K9ac was deposited by Gcn5. Further, topoisomerase depletion intensified H3K9ac in front of the replication fork and in sites where RNA polymerase II was trapped, suggesting supercoiling stresses trigger H3K9 acetylation.
    Title: Chromatin dynamics during DNA replication.
  9. It conserved Spt-Ada-Gcn5 acetyltransferase (SAGA) complex as a paradigm to illustrate how co-activators share and combine a relatively limited set of functional tools.
    Title: Sharing the SAGA.
  10. Gcn5 acetyltransferase synergizes with Spt3 (TBP-binding) to promote transcription.
    Title: SAGA Is a General Cofactor for RNA Polymerase II Transcription.
Submit: New GeneRIF Correction See all GeneRIFs (50)
Products Interactant Other Gene Complex Source Pubs Description

Homology

Gene Ontology Provided by SGD

Function Evidence Code Pubs
enables acyltransferase activity, transferring groups other than amino-acyl groups IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables histone H3 acetyltransferase activity IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
enables histone H3 acetyltransferase activity IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
enables histone H3 acetyltransferase activity IGI
Inferred from Genetic Interaction
more info
 PubMed 
enables histone H3 acetyltransferase activity IMP
Inferred from Mutant Phenotype
more info
 PubMed 
enables histone H3K56ac reader activity IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
enables histone H4K12ac reader activity IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
enables histone H4K16ac reader activity IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
enables histone acetyltransferase activity IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
enables histone acetyltransferase activity IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables histone crotonyltransferase activity IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
enables histone reader activity IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
enables peptide crotonyltransferase activity EXP
Inferred from Experiment
more info
 PubMed 
enables peptide crotonyltransferase activity IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables protein binding IPI
Inferred from Physical Interaction
more info
 PubMed 
enables protein-lysine-acetyltransferase activity EXP
Inferred from Experiment
more info
 PubMed 
enables protein-lysine-acetyltransferase activity IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
enables protein-lysine-acetyltransferase activity IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables transcription coregulator activity IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
Process Evidence Code Pubs
involved_in chromatin organization IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
involved_in chromatin remodeling IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
involved_in chromatin remodeling IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
involved_in chromatin remodeling IMP
Inferred from Mutant Phenotype
more info
 PubMed 
involved_in positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
involved_in positive regulation of transcription elongation by RNA polymerase II IGI
Inferred from Genetic Interaction
more info
 PubMed 
involved_in positive regulation of transcription elongation by RNA polymerase II IMP
Inferred from Mutant Phenotype
more info
 PubMed 
involved_in regulation of gene expression IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
involved_in regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
involved_in regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II NAS
Non-traceable Author Statement
more info
 PubMed 
Component Evidence Code Pubs
part_of ADA complex IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
part_of ADA complex IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
part_of ADA complex IPI
Inferred from Physical Interaction
more info
 PubMed 
part_of SAGA complex IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
part_of SAGA complex IPI
Inferred from Physical Interaction
more info
 PubMed 
part_of SLIK (SAGA-like) complex IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
part_of SLIK (SAGA-like) complex IPI
Inferred from Physical Interaction
more info
 PubMed 
located_in chromosome, centromeric region IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
located_in cytoplasm EXP
Inferred from Experiment
more info
 PubMed 
located_in cytoplasm IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
located_in cytosol IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
part_of histone acetyltransferase complex IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
located_in nucleus IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
located_in nucleus IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
located_in nucleus NAS
Non-traceable Author Statement
more info
 PubMed 
Preferred Names
histone acetyltransferase GCN5
NP_011768.1
  • Catalytic subunit of ADA and SAGA histone acetyltransferase complexes; modifies N-terminal lysines on histones H2B and H3; acetylates Rsc4p, a subunit of the RSC chromatin-remodeling complex, altering replication stress tolerance; relocalizes to the cytosol in response to hypoxia; mutant displays reduced transcription elongation in the G-less-based run-on (GLRO) assay; greater involvement in repression of RNAPII-dependent transcription than in activation

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Genome Annotation

The following sections contain reference sequences that belong to a specific genome build. Explain

Reference assembly

Genomic

  1. NC_001139.9 Reference assembly

    Range
    996869..998188
    Download
    GenBank, FASTA, Sequence Viewer (Graphics)

mRNA and Protein(s)

  1. NM_001181381.1 → NP_011768.1  histone acetyltransferase GCN5

    See identical proteins and their annotated locations for NP_011768.1

    Status: REVIEWED

    UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot
    D6VV32, Q03330, Q6B165
    UniProtKB/TrEMBL
    B3LHY8, B5VJJ4, C7GNH8, C8Z9E4, G2WEX8, N1P4F7
    Conserved Domains (1) summary
    COG5076
    Location:77 → 439
    COG5076; Transcription factor involved in chromatin remodeling, contains bromodomain [Chromatin structure and dynamics / Transcription]
Nucleotide Protein
Heading Accession and Version
Protein Accession Links
GenPept Link UniProtKB Link
Q03330.1

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