Gcn5 is a chromatin modifying factor whose HAT activity is required to acetylate histone H3 lysine 9 (K9) and K14, which facilitates transcription elongation by relaxing nucleosomes. CPTH2 inhibits the HAT activity of Gcn5 both in vitro and in vivo, reducing histone H3K14 acetylation at a concentration of 0.8 mM. It is a useful tool to study the impact of Gcn5-dependent acetylation in various biological systems and recently has been used to control the replication of human adenovirus.
