Core component of nucleosome. Nucleosomes wrap and compact DNA into chromatin, limiting DNA accessibility to the cellular machineries which require DNA as a template. Histones thereby play a central role in transcription regulation, DNA repair, DNA replication and chromosomal stability. DNA accessibility is regulated via a complex set of post-translational modifications of histones, also called histone code, and nucleosome remodeling. H4K8ac is part of 17 modifications of a group of active promoters. H4K8ac is found more often in active promoters and transcribed regions than other marks. H4K8ac is modified by a different group of enzymes than other H4 lysines.