Structure and function of SET and MYND domain-containing proteins

Protein Methyltransferases: A Distinct, Diverse, and Dynamic Family of Enzymes

Methyltransferase proteins make up a superfamily of enzymes that add one or more methyl groups to substrates that include protein, DNA, RNA, and small molecules. The subset of proteins that act upon arginine and lysine side chains are characterized as epigenetic targets because of their activity on histone molecules and their ability to affect transcriptional regulation. However, it is now clear that these enzymes target other protein substrates, as well, greatly expanding their potential impact on normal and disease biology. Protein methyltransferases are well-characterized structurally. In addition to revealing the overall architecture of the subfamilies of enzymes, structures of complexes with substrates and ligands have permitted detailed analysis of biochemical mechanism, substrate recognition, and design of potent and selective inhibitors. This review focuses on how knowledge gained from structural studies has impacted the understanding of this large class of epigenetic enzymes.

Defective myogenesis in the absence of the muscle-specific lysine methyltransferase SMYD1

The SMYD (SET and MYND domain) family of lysine methyltransferases harbor a unique structure in which the methyltransferase (SET) domain is intervened by a zinc finger protein-protein interaction MYND domain. SMYD proteins methylate both histone and non-histone substrates and participate in diverse biological processes including transcriptional regulation, DNA repair, proliferation and apoptosis. Smyd1 is unique among the five family members in that it is specifically expressed in striated muscles. Smyd1 is critical for development of the right ventricle in mice. In zebrafish, Smyd1 is necessary for sarcomerogenesis in fast-twitch muscles. Smyd1 is expressed in the skeletal muscle lineage throughout myogenesis and in mature myofibers, shuttling from nucleus to cytosol during myoblast differentiation. Because of this expression pattern, we hypothesized that Smyd1 plays multiple roles at different stages of myogenesis. To determine the role of Smyd1 in mammalian myogenesis, we conditionally eliminated Smyd1 from the skeletal muscle lineage at the myoblast stage using Myf5(cre). Deletion of Smyd1 impaired myoblast differentiation, resulted in fewer myofibers and decreased expression of muscle-specific genes. Muscular defects were temporally restricted to the second wave of myogenesis. Thus, in addition to the previously described functions for Smyd1 in heart development and skeletal muscle sarcomerogenesis, these results point to a novel role for Smyd1 in myoblast differentiation.

Hsp90 as a "Chaperone" of the Epigenome: Insights and Opportunities for Cancer Therapy

The cellular functions of Hsp90 have historically been attributed to its ability to chaperone client proteins involved in signal transduction. Although numerous stimuli and the signaling cascades they activate contribute to cancer progression, many of these pathways ultimately require transcriptional effectors to elicit tumor-promoting effects. Despite this obvious connection, the majority of studies evaluating Hsp90 function in malignancy have focused upon its regulation of cytosolic client proteins, and particularly members of receptor and/or kinase families. However, in recent years, Hsp90 has emerged as a pivotal orchestrator of nuclear events. Discovery of an expanding repertoire of Hsp90 clients has illuminated a vital role for Hsp90 in overseeing nuclear events and influencing gene transcription. Hence, this chapter will cast a spotlight upon several regulatory themes involving Hsp90-dependent nuclear functions. Highlighted topics include a summary of chaperone-dependent regulation of key transcription factors (TFs) and epigenetic effectors in malignancy, as well as a discussion of how the complex interplay among a subset of these TFs and epigenetic regulators may generate feed-forward loops that further support cancer progression. This chapter will also highlight less recognized indirect mechanisms whereby Hsp90-supported signaling may impinge upon epigenetic regulation. Finally, the relevance of these nuclear events is discussed within the framework of Hsp90's capacity to enable phenotypic variation and drug resistance. These newly acquired insights expanding our understanding of Hsp90 function support the collective notion that nuclear clients are major beneficiaries of Hsp90 action, and their impairment is likely responsible for many of the anticancer effects elicited by Hsp90-targeted approaches.

Histone methyltransferases: novel targets for tumor and developmental defects

Histone lysine methylation plays a critical role in epigenetic regulation of eukaryotes. To date, studies have shown that lysine residues of K4, K9, K27, K36 and K79 in histone H3 and K20 in histone H4 can be modified by histone methyltransferases (HMTs). Such histone methylation can specifically activate or repress the transcriptional activity to play a key role in gene expression/regulation and biological genetics. Importantly, abnormities of patterns or levels of histone methylation in higher eukaryotes may result in tumorigenesis and developmental defects, suggesting histone methylation will be one of the important targets or markers for treating these diseases. This review will outline the structural characteristics, active sites and specificity of HMTs, correlation between histone methylation and human diseases and lay special emphasis on the progress of the research on H3K36 methylation.

Evolutionary History of the Smyd Gene Family in Metazoans: A Framework to Identify the Orthologs of Human Smyd Genes in Drosophila and Other Animal Species

The Smyd gene family code for proteins containing a conserved core consisting of a SET domain interrupted by a MYND zinc finger. Smyd proteins are important in epigenetic control of development and carcinogenesis, through posttranslational modifications in histones and other proteins. Previous reports indicated that the Smyd family is quite variable in metazoans, so a rigorous phylogenetic reconstruction of this complex gene family is of central importance to understand its evolutionary history and functional diversification or conservation. We have performed a phylogenetic analysis of Smyd protein sequences, and our results show that the extant metazoan Smyd genes can be classified in three main classes, Smyd3 (which includes chordate-specific Smyd1 and Smyd2 genes), Smyd4 and Smyd5. In addition, there is an arthropod-specific class, SmydA. While the evolutionary history of the Smyd3 and Smyd5 classes is relatively simple, the Smyd4 class has suffered several events of gene loss, gene duplication and lineage-specific expansions in the animal phyla included in our analysis. A more specific study of the four Smyd4 genes in Drosophila melanogaster shows that they are not redundant, since their patterns of expression are different and knock-down of individual genes can have dramatic phenotypes despite the presence of the other family members.