Nucleosome sliding mechanisms: new twists in a looped history

Conformational Dynamics of the Nucleosomal Histone H2B Tails Revealed by Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Epigenetic modifications of histone N-terminal tails play a critical role in regulating the chromatin structure and biological processes such as transcription and DNA repair. One of the key post-translational modifications (PTMs) is the acetylation of lysine residues on histone tails. Epigenetic modifications are ubiquitous in the development of diseases, such as cancer and neurological disorders. Histone H2B tails are critical regulators of nucleosome dynamics, biological processes, and certain diseases. Here, we report all-atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the nucleosome to demonstrate that acetylation of the histone tails changes their conformational space and interaction with DNA. We perform simulations of H2B tails, critical regulators of gene regulation, in both the lysine-acetylated (ACK) and unacetylated wild type (WT) states. To explore the effects of salt concentration, we use two different NaCl concentrations to perform simulations at microsecond time scales. Salt can modulate the effects of electrostatic interactions between the DNA phosphate backbone and histone tails. Upon acetylation, H2B tails shift their secondary structure helical propensity. The number of contacts between the DNA and the H2B tail decreases. We characterize the conformational dynamics of the H2B tails by principal component analysis (PCA). The ACK tails become more compact at increased salt concentrations, but conformations from the WT tails display the most contacts with DNA at both salt concentrations. Mainly, H2B acetylation may increase the DNA accessibility for regulatory proteins to bind, which can aid in gene regulation and NCP stability.

Epigenetic regulators controlling osteogenic lineage commitment and bone formation

Bone formation and homeostasis are controlled by environmental factors and endocrine regulatory cues that initiate intracellular signaling pathways capable of modulating gene expression in the nucleus. Bone-related gene expression is controlled by nucleosome-based chromatin architecture that limits the accessibility of lineage-specific gene regulatory DNA sequences and sequence-specific transcription factors. From a developmental perspective, bone-specific gene expression must be suppressed during the early stages of embryogenesis to prevent the premature mineralization of skeletal elements during fetal growth in utero. Hence, bone formation is initially inhibited by gene suppressive epigenetic regulators, while other epigenetic regulators actively support osteoblast differentiation. Prominent epigenetic regulators that stimulate or attenuate osteogenesis include lysine methyl transferases (e.g., EZH2, SMYD2, SUV420H2), lysine deacetylases (e.g., HDAC1, HDAC3, HDAC4, HDAC7, SIRT1, SIRT3), arginine methyl transferases (e.g., PRMT1, PRMT4/CARM1, PRMT5), dioxygenases (e.g., TET2), bromodomain proteins (e.g., BRD2, BRD4) and chromodomain proteins (e.g., CBX1, CBX2, CBX5). This narrative review provides a broad overview of the covalent modifications of DNA and histone proteins that involve hundreds of enzymes that add, read, or delete these epigenetic modifications that are relevant for self-renewal and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells, skeletal stem cells and osteoblasts during osteogenesis.

Mi-2β promotes immune evasion in melanoma by activating EZH2 methylation

Recent development of new immune checkpoint inhibitors has been particularly successfully in cancer treatment, but still the majority patients fail to benefit. Converting resistant tumors to immunotherapy sensitive will provide a significant improvement in patient outcome. Here we identify Mi-2β as a key melanoma-intrinsic effector regulating the adaptive anti-tumor immune response. Studies in genetically engineered mouse melanoma models indicate that loss of Mi-2β rescues the immune response to immunotherapy in vivo. Mechanistically, ATAC-seq analysis shows that Mi-2β controls the accessibility of IFN-γ-stimulated genes (ISGs). Mi-2β binds to EZH2 and promotes K510 methylation of EZH2, subsequently activating the trimethylation of H3K27 to inhibit the transcription of ISGs. Finally, we develop an Mi-2β-targeted inhibitor, Z36-MP5, which reduces Mi-2β ATPase activity and reactivates ISG transcription. Consequently, Z36-MP5 induces a response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in otherwise resistant melanoma models. Our work provides a potential therapeutic strategy to convert immunotherapy resistant melanomas to sensitive ones.

Genome-wide mapping and cryo-EM structural analyses of the overlapping tri-nucleosome composed of hexasome-hexasome-octasome moieties

The nucleosome is a fundamental unit of chromatin in which about 150 base pairs of DNA are wrapped around a histone octamer. The overlapping di-nucleosome has been proposed as a product of chromatin remodeling around the transcription start site, and previously found as a chromatin unit, in which about 250 base pairs of DNA continuously bind to the histone core composed of a hexamer and an octamer. In the present study, our genome-wide analysis of human cells suggests another higher nucleosome stacking structure, the overlapping tri-nucleosome, which wraps about 300-350 base-pairs of DNA in the region downstream of certain transcription start sites of actively transcribed genes. We determine the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the overlapping tri-nucleosome, in which three subnucleosome moieties, hexasome, hexasome, and octasome, are associated by short connecting DNA segments. Small angle X-ray scattering and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation analyses reveal that the cryo-EM structure of the overlapping tri-nucleosome may reflect its structure in solution. Our findings suggest that nucleosome stacking structures composed of hexasome and octasome moieties may be formed by nucleosome remodeling factors around transcription start sites for gene regulation.

Role of Nucleosome Sliding in the Protein Target Search for Covered DNA Sites

Associations of transcription factors (TFs) with specific sites on DNA initiate major cellular processes. But DNA in eukaryotic cells is covered by nucleosomes which prevent TFs from binding. However, nucleosome structures on DNA are not static and exhibit breathing and sliding. We develop a theoretical framework to investigate the effect of nucleosome sliding on a protein target search. By analysis of a discrete-state stochastic model of nucleosome sliding, search dynamics are explicitly evaluated. It is found that for long sliding lengths the target search dynamics are faster for normal TFs that cannot enter the nucleosomal DNA. But for more realistic short sliding lengths, the so-called pioneer TFs, which can invade nucleosomal DNA, locate specific sites faster. It is also suggested that nucleosome breathing, which is a faster process, has a stronger effect on protein search dynamics than that of nucleosome sliding. Theoretical arguments to explain these observations are presented.

Structure and Dynamics of Compact Dinucleosomes: Analysis by Electron Microscopy and spFRET

Formation of compact dinucleosomes (CODIs) occurs after collision between adjacent nucleosomes at active regulatory DNA regions. Although CODIs are likely dynamic structures, their structural heterogeneity and dynamics were not systematically addressed. Here, single-particle Förster resonance energy transfer (spFRET) and electron microscopy were employed to study the structure and dynamics of CODIs. spFRET microscopy in solution and in gel revealed considerable uncoiling of nucleosomal DNA from the histone octamer in a fraction of CODIs, suggesting that at least one of the nucleosomes is destabilized in the presence of the adjacent closely positioned nucleosome. Accordingly, electron microscopy analysis suggests that up to 30 bp of nucleosomal DNA are involved in transient uncoiling/recoiling on the octamer. The more open and dynamic nucleosome structure in CODIs cannot be stabilized by histone chaperone Spt6. The data suggest that proper internucleosomal spacing is an important determinant of chromatin stability and support the possibility that CODIs could be intermediates of chromatin disruption.

Reorientation of INO80 on hexasomes reveals basis for mechanistic versatility

Unlike other chromatin remodelers, INO80 preferentially mobilizes hexasomes, which can form during transcription. Why INO80 prefers hexasomes over nucleosomes remains unclear. Here, we report structures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae INO80 bound to a hexasome or a nucleosome. INO80 binds the two substrates in substantially different orientations. On a hexasome, INO80 places its ATPase subunit, Ino80, at superhelical location -2 (SHL -2), in contrast to SHL -6 and SHL -7, as previously seen on nucleosomes. Our results suggest that INO80 action on hexasomes resembles action by other remodelers on nucleosomes such that Ino80 is maximally active near SHL -2. The SHL -2 position also plays a critical role for nucleosome remodeling by INO80. Overall, the mechanistic adaptations used by INO80 for preferential hexasome sliding imply that subnucleosomal particles play considerable regulatory roles.

Structural basis for TBP displacement from TATA box DNA by the Swi2/Snf2 ATPase Mot1

The Swi2/Snf2 family transcription regulator Modifier of Transcription 1 (Mot1) uses adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to dissociate and reallocate the TATA box-binding protein (TBP) from and between promoters. To reveal how Mot1 removes TBP from TATA box DNA, we determined cryogenic electron microscopy structures that capture different states of the remodeling reaction. The resulting molecular video reveals how Mot1 dissociates TBP in a process that, intriguingly, does not require DNA groove tracking. Instead, the motor grips DNA in the presence of ATP and swings back after ATP hydrolysis, moving TBP to a thermodynamically less stable position on DNA. Dislodged TBP is trapped by a chaperone element that blocks TBP's DNA binding site. Our results show how Swi2/Snf2 proteins can remodel protein-DNA complexes through DNA bending without processive DNA tracking and reveal mechanistic similarities to RNA gripping DEAD box helicases and RIG-I-like immune sensors.

A simulation model of heterochromatin formation at submolecular detail

Heterochromatin is a physical state of the chromatin fiber that maintains gene repression during cell development. Although evidence exists on molecular mechanisms involved in heterochromatin formation, a detailed structural mechanism of heterochromatin formation needs a better understanding. We made use of a simple Monte Carlo simulation model with explicit representation of key molecular events to observe molecular self-organization leading to heterochromatin formation. Our simulations provide a structural interpretation of several important traits of the heterochromatinization process. In particular, this study provides a depiction of how small amounts of HP1 are able to induce a highly condensed chromatin state through HP1 dimerization and bridging of sequence-remote nucleosomes. It also elucidates structural roots of a yet poorly understood phenomenon of a nondeterministic nature of heterochromatin formation and subsequent gene repression. Experimental chromatin in vivo assay provides an unbiased estimate of time scale of repressive response to a heterochromatin-triggering event.

Reb1, Cbf1, and Pho4 bias histone sliding and deposition away from their binding sites

In transcriptionally active genes, nucleosome positions in promoters are regulated by nucleosome displacing factors (NDFs) and chromatin remodeling enzymes. Depletion of NDFs or the RSC chromatin remodeler shrinks or abolishes the nucleosome depleted regions (NDRs) in promoters, which can suppress gene activation and result in cryptic transcription. Despite their vital cellular functions, how the action of chromatin remodelers may be directly affected by site-specific binding factors like NDFs is poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that two NDFs, Reb1 and Cbf1, can direct both Chd1 and RSC chromatin remodeling enzymes in vitro, stimulating repositioning of the histone core away from their binding sites. Interestingly, although the Pho4 transcription factor had a much weaker effect on nucleosome positioning, both NDFs and Pho4 were able to similarly redirect positioning of hexasomes. In chaperone-mediated nucleosome assembly assays, Reb1 but not Pho4 showed an ability to block deposition of the histone H3/H4 tetramer, but Reb1 did not block addition of the H2A/H2B dimer to hexasomes. Our in vitro results show that NDFs bias the action of remodelers to increase the length of the free DNA in the vicinity of their binding sites. These results suggest that NDFs could directly affect NDR architecture through chromatin remodelers.

Sentinels of chromatin: chromodomain helicase DNA-binding proteins in development and disease

Chromatin is highly dynamic, undergoing continuous global changes in its structure and type of histone and DNA modifications governed by processes such as transcription, repair, replication, and recombination. Members of the chromodomain helicase DNA-binding (CHD) family of enzymes are ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers that are intimately involved in the regulation of chromatin dynamics, altering nucleosomal structure and DNA accessibility. Genetic studies in yeast, fruit flies, zebrafish, and mice underscore essential roles of CHD enzymes in regulating cellular fate and identity, as well as proper embryonic development. With the advent of next-generation sequencing, evidence is emerging that these enzymes are subjected to frequent DNA copy number alterations or mutations and show aberrant expression in malignancies and other human diseases. As such, they might prove to be valuable biomarkers or targets for therapeutic intervention.

A High-throughput Pipeline to Determine DNA and Nucleosome Conformations by AFM Imaging

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a powerful tool to image macromolecular complexes with nanometer resolution and exquisite single-molecule sensitivity. While AFM imaging is well-established to investigate DNA and nucleoprotein complexes, AFM studies are often limited by small datasets and manual image analysis that is slow and prone to user bias. Recently, we have shown that a combination of large scale AFM imaging and automated image analysis of nucleosomes can overcome these previous limitations of AFM nucleoprotein studies. Using our high-throughput imaging and analysis pipeline, we have resolved nucleosome wrapping intermediates with five base pair resolution and revealed how distinct nucleosome variants and environmental conditions affect the unwrapping pathways of nucleosomal DNA. Here, we provide a detailed protocol of our workflow to analyze DNA and nucleosome conformations focusing on practical aspects and experimental parameters. We expect our protocol to drastically enhance AFM analyses of DNA and nucleosomes and to be readily adaptable to a wide variety of other protein and protein-nucleic acid complexes.

Parsing the Functional Impact of Noncoding Genetic Variants in the Brain Epigenome

The heritability of common psychiatric disorders has motivated global efforts to identify risk-associated genetic variants and elucidate molecular pathways connecting DNA sequence to disease-associated brain dysfunction. The overrepresentation of risk variants among gene regulatory loci instead of protein-coding loci, however, poses a unique challenge in discerning which among the many thousands of variants identified contribute functionally to disease etiology. Defined broadly, psychiatric epigenomics seeks to understand the effects of disease-associated genetic variation on functional readouts of chromatin in an effort to prioritize variants in terms of their impact on gene expression in the brain. Here, we provide an overview of epigenomic mapping in the human brain and highlight findings of particular relevance to psychiatric genetics. Computational methods, including convolutional neuronal networks, and other machine learning approaches hold great promise for elucidating the functional impact of both common and rare genetic variants, thereby refining the epigenomic architecture of psychiatric disorders and enabling integrative analyses of regulatory noncoding variants in the context of large population-level genome and phenome databases.

Remodeler Catalyzed Nucleosome Repositioning: Influence of Structure and Stability

The packaging of the eukaryotic genome into chromatin regulates the storage of genetic information, including the access of the cell’s DNA metabolism machinery. Indeed, since the processes of DNA replication, translation, and repair require access to the underlying DNA, several mechanisms, both active and passive, have evolved by which chromatin structure can be regulated and modified. One mechanism relies upon the function of chromatin remodeling enzymes which couple the free energy obtained from the binding and hydrolysis of ATP to the mechanical work of repositioning and rearranging nucleosomes. Here, we review recent work on the nucleosome mobilization activity of this essential family of molecular machines.

Pif1, RPA, and FEN1 modulate the ability of DNA polymerase δ to overcome protein barriers during DNA synthesis

Successful DNA replication requires carefully regulated mechanisms to overcome numerous obstacles that naturally occur throughout chromosomal DNA. Scattered across the genome are tightly bound proteins, such as transcription factors and nucleosomes, that are necessary for cell function, but that also have the potential to impede timely DNA replication. Using biochemically reconstituted systems, we show that two transcription factors, yeast Reb1 and Tbf1, and a tightly positioned nucleosome, are strong blocks to the strand displacement DNA synthesis activity of DNA polymerase δ. Although the block imparted by Tbf1 can be overcome by the DNA-binding activity of the single-stranded DNA-binding protein RPA, efficient DNA replication through either a Reb1 or a nucleosome block occurs only in the presence of the 5'-3' DNA helicase Pif1. The Pif1-dependent stimulation of DNA synthesis across strong protein barriers may be beneficial during break-induced replication where barriers are expected to pose a problem to efficient DNA bubble migration. However, in the context of lagging strand DNA synthesis, the efficient disruption of a nucleosome barrier by Pif1 could lead to the futile re-replication of newly synthetized DNA. In the presence of FEN1 endonuclease, the major driver of nick translation during lagging strand replication, Pif1-dependent stimulation of DNA synthesis through a nucleosome or Reb1 barrier is prevented. By cleaving the short 5' tails generated during strand displacement, FEN1 eliminates the entry point for Pif1. We propose that this activity would protect the cell from potential DNA re-replication caused by unwarranted Pif1 interference during lagging strand replication.

Exploring the virulence gene interactome with CRISPR/dCas9 in the human malaria parasite

Mutually exclusive expression of the var multigene family is key to immune evasion and pathogenesis in Plasmodium falciparum, but few factors have been shown to play a direct role. We adapted a CRISPR-based proteomics approach to identify novel factors associated with var genes in their natural chromatin context. Catalytically inactive Cas9 ("dCas9") was targeted to var gene regulatory elements, immunoprecipitated, and analyzed with mass spectrometry. Known and novel factors were enriched including structural proteins, DNA helicases, and chromatin remodelers. Functional characterization of PfISWI, an evolutionarily divergent putative chromatin remodeler enriched at the var gene promoter, revealed a role in transcriptional activation. Proteomics of PfISWI identified several proteins enriched at the var gene promoter such as acetyl-CoA synthetase, a putative MORC protein, and an ApiAP2 transcription factor. These findings validate the CRISPR/dCas9 proteomics method and define a new var gene-associated chromatin complex. This study establishes a tool for targeted chromatin purification of unaltered genomic loci and identifies novel chromatin-associated factors potentially involved in transcriptional control and/or chromatin organization of virulence genes in the human malaria parasite.

Restraining and unleashing chromatin remodelers - structural information guides chromatin plasticity

Chromatin remodeling enzymes are large molecular machines that guard the genome by reorganizing chromatin structure. They can reposition, space and evict nucleosomes and thus control gene expression, DNA replication and repair. Recent cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) analyses have captured snapshots of various chromatin remodelers as they interact with nucleosomes. In this review, we summarize and discuss the advances made in our understanding of the regulation of chromatin remodelers, the mode of DNA translocation, as well as the influence of associated protein domains and remodeler subunits on the specific functions of chromatin remodeling complexes. The emerging structural information will help our understanding of disease mechanisms and guide our knowledge toward innovative therapeutic interventions.

How Epigenetic Modifications Drive the Expression and Mediate the Action of PGC-1α in the Regulation of Metabolism

Epigenetic changes are a hallmark of short- and long-term transcriptional regulation, and hence instrumental in the control of cellular identity and plasticity. Epigenetic mechanisms leading to changes in chromatin structure, accessibility for recruitment of transcriptional complexes, and interaction of enhancers and promoters all contribute to acute and chronic adaptations of cells, tissues and organs to internal and external perturbations. Similarly, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) is activated by stimuli that alter the cellular energetic demand, and subsequently controls complex transcriptional networks responsible for cellular plasticity. It thus is of no surprise that PGC-1α is under the control of epigenetic mechanisms, and constitutes a mediator of epigenetic changes in various tissues and contexts. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the link between epigenetics and PGC-1α in health and disease.

Epigenetic Regulation Of Axon Regeneration and Glial Activation in Injury Responses

Injury to the nervous system triggers a multicellular response in which epigenetic mechanisms play an important role in regulating cell type-specific transcriptional changes. Here, we summarize recent progress in characterizing neuronal intrinsic and extrinsic chromatin reconfigurations and epigenetic changes triggered by axonal injury that shape neuroplasticity and glial functions. We specifically discuss regeneration-associated transcriptional modules comprised of transcription factors and epigenetic regulators that control axon growth competence. We also review epigenetic regulation of neuroinflammation and astroglial responses that impact neural repair. These advances provide a framework for developing epigenetic strategies to maximize adaptive alterations while minimizing maladaptive stress responses in order to enhance axon regeneration and achieve functional recovery after injury.

1CPN: A coarse-grained multi-scale model of chromatin

A central question in epigenetics is how histone modifications influence the 3D structure of eukaryotic genomes and, ultimately, how this 3D structure is manifested in gene expression. The wide range of length scales that influence the 3D genome structure presents important challenges; epigenetic modifications to histones occur on scales of angstroms, yet the resulting effects of these modifications on genome structure can span micrometers. There is a scarcity of computational tools capable of providing a mechanistic picture of how molecular information from individual histones is propagated up to large regions of the genome. In this work, a new molecular model of chromatin is presented that provides such a picture. This new model, referred to as 1CPN, is structured around a rigorous multiscale approach, whereby free energies from an established and extensively validated model of the nucleosome are mapped onto a reduced coarse-grained topology. As such, 1CPN incorporates detailed physics from the nucleosome, such as histone modifications and DNA sequence, while maintaining the computational efficiency that is required to permit kilobase-scale simulations of genomic DNA. The 1CPN model reproduces the free energies and dynamics of both single nucleosomes and short chromatin fibers, and it is shown to be compatible with recently developed models of the linker histone. It is applied here to examine the effects of the linker DNA on the free energies of chromatin assembly and to demonstrate that these free energies are strongly dependent on the linker DNA length, pitch, and even DNA sequence. The 1CPN model is implemented in the LAMMPS simulation package and is distributed freely for public use.

Distinct DNA Sequence Preference for Histone Occupancy in Primary and Transformed Cells

Genome-wide occupancy of several histone modifications in various cell types has been studied using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) sequencing. Histone occupancy depends on DNA sequence features like inter-strand symmetry of base composition and periodic occurrence of TT/AT. However, whether DNA sequence motifs act as an additional effector of histone occupancy is not known. We have analyzed the presence of DNA sequence motifs in publicly available ChIP-sequence datasets for different histone modifications. Our results show that DNA sequence motifs are associated with histone occupancy, some of which are different between primary and transformed cells. The motifs for primary and transformed cells showed different levels of GC-richness and proximity to transcription start sites (TSSs). The TSSs associated with transformed or primary cell-specific motifs showed different levels of TSS flank transcription in primary and transformed cells. Interestingly, TSSs with a motif-linked occupancy of H2AFZ, a component of positioned nucleosomes, showed a distinct pattern of RNA Polymerase II (POLR2A) occupancy and TSS flank transcription in primary and transformed cells. These results indicate that DNA sequence features dictate differential histone occupancy in primary and transformed cells, and the DNA sequence motifs affect transcription through regulation of histone occupancy.

Direct observation of coordinated DNA movements on the nucleosome during chromatin remodelling

ATP-dependent chromatin remodelling enzymes (remodellers) regulate DNA accessibility in eukaryotic genomes. Many remodellers reposition (slide) nucleosomes, however, how DNA is propagated around the histone octamer during this process is unclear. Here we examine the real-time coordination of remodeller-induced DNA movements on both sides of the nucleosome using three-colour single-molecule FRET. During sliding by Chd1 and SNF2h remodellers, DNA is shifted discontinuously, with movement of entry-side DNA preceding that of exit-side DNA. The temporal delay between these movements implies a single rate-limiting step dependent on ATP binding and transient absorption or buffering of at least one base pair. High-resolution cross-linking experiments show that sliding can be achieved by buffering as few as 3 bp between entry and exit sides of the nucleosome. We propose that DNA buffering ensures nucleosome stability during ATP-dependent remodelling, and provides a means for communication between remodellers acting on opposite sides of the nucleosome.

Chromatin remodelling enzymes (remodellers) regulate DNA accessibility of eukaryotic genomes, which rely in large part on an ability to reposition nucleosomes. Here the authors use three-colour single-molecule FRET to simultaneously monitor remodeller-induced DNA movements on both sides of the nucleosome in real-time.

Structures of the ISWI-nucleosome complex reveal a conserved mechanism of chromatin remodeling

Chromatin remodelers are diverse enzymes, and different models have been proposed to explain how these proteins work. Here we report the 3.3 Å-resolution cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ISWI (ISW1) in complex with the nucleosome in adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-bound and ADP-BeF_x-bound states. The data show that after nucleosome binding, ISW1 is activated by substantial rearrangement of the catalytic domains, with the regulatory AutoN domain packing the first RecA-like core and the NegC domain being disordered. The high-resolution structure reveals local DNA distortion and translocation induced by ISW1 in the ADP-bound state, which is essentially identical to that induced by the Snf2 chromatin remodeler, suggesting a common mechanism of DNA translocation. The histone core remains largely unperturbed, and prevention of histone distortion by crosslinking did not inhibit the activity of yeast ISW1 or its human homolog. Together, our findings suggest a general mechanism of chromatin remodeling involving local DNA distortion without notable histone deformation.

Crystallographic analysis of the overlapping dinucleosome as a novel chromatin unit

Recent evidence has suggested that chromatin is not simply repeats of the canonical nucleosome, called the “octasome”, but may include diverse repertoires of basic structural units. During the transcription process, a nucleosome is repositioned by a chromatin remodeler and collides with a neighboring nucleosome, thus creating an unusual nucleosome substructure termed the “overlapping dinucleosome”. We previously developed a method for the large-scale preparation of the overlapping dinucleosome. This method enabled us to solve the crystal structure of the overlapping dinucleosome, which revealed an unexpected structure composed of an octameric histone core associated with a hexameric histone core lacking one H2A-H2B dimer.

Chromatin remodelers couple inchworm motion with twist-defect formation to slide nucleosomal DNA

ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers are molecular machines that control genome organization by repositioning, ejecting, or editing nucleosomes, activities that confer them essential regulatory roles on gene expression and DNA replication. Here, we investigate the molecular mechanism of active nucleosome sliding by means of molecular dynamics simulations of the Snf2 remodeler translocase in complex with a nucleosome. During its inchworm motion driven by ATP consumption, the translocase overwrites the original nucleosome energy landscape via steric and electrostatic interactions to induce sliding of nucleosomal DNA unidirectionally. The sliding is initiated at the remodeler binding location via the generation of a pair of twist defects, which then spontaneously propagate to complete sliding throughout the entire nucleosome. We also reveal how remodeler mutations and DNA sequence control active nucleosome repositioning, explaining several past experimental observations. These results offer a detailed mechanistic picture of remodeling important for the complete understanding of these key biological processes.

Nucleosomes are the protein-DNA complexes underlying Eukaryotic genome organization, and serve as regulators of gene expression by occluding DNA to other proteins. This regulation requires the precise positioning of nucleosomes along DNA. Chromatin remodelers are the molecular machines that consume ATP to slide nucleosome at their correct locations, but the mechanisms of remodeling are still unclear. Based on the static structural information of a remodeler bound on nucleosome, we performed molecular dynamics computer simulations revealing the details of how remodelers slide nucleosomal DNA: the inchworm-like motion of remodelers create small DNA deformations called twist defects, which then spontaneously propagate throughout the nucleosome to induce sliding. These simulations explain several past experimental findings and are important for our understanding of genome organization.

DNA sliding in nucleosomes via twist defect propagation revealed by molecular simulations

While nucleosomes are highly stable structures as fundamental units of chromatin, they also slide along the DNA, either spontaneously or by active remodelers. Here, we investigate the microscopic mechanisms of nucleosome sliding by multiscale molecular simulations, characterizing how the screw-like motion of DNA proceeds via the formation and propagation of twist defects. Firstly, coarse-grained molecular simulations reveal that the sliding dynamics is highly dependent on DNA sequence. Depending on the sequence and the nucleosome super-helical location, we find two distinct types of twist defects: a locally under-twisted DNA region, previously observed in crystal structures, and a locally over-twisted DNA, an unprecedented feature. The stability of the over-twist defect was confirmed via all-atom simulations. Analysis of our trajectories via Markov state modeling highlights how the sequence-dependence of the sliding dynamics is due to the different twist defect energy costs, and in particular how nucleosome regions where defects cannot easily form introduce the kinetic bottlenecks slowing down repositioning. Twist defects can also mediate sliding of nucleosomes made with strong positioning sequences, albeit at a much lower diffusion coefficient, due to a high-energy intermediate state. Finally, we discuss how chromatin remodelers may exploit these spontaneous fluctuations to induce unidirectional sliding of nucleosomes.

Structural rearrangements of the histone octamer translocate DNA

Nucleosomes, the basic unit of chromatin, package and regulate expression of eukaryotic genomes. Nucleosomes are highly dynamic and are remodeled with the help of ATP-dependent remodeling factors. Yet, the mechanism of DNA translocation around the histone octamer is poorly understood. In this study, we present several nucleosome structures showing histone proteins and DNA in different organizational states. We observe that the histone octamer undergoes conformational changes that distort the overall nucleosome structure. As such, rearrangements in the histone core α-helices and DNA induce strain that distorts and moves DNA at SHL 2. Distortion of the nucleosome structure detaches histone α-helices from the DNA, leading to their rearrangement and DNA translocation. Biochemical assays show that cross-linked histone octamers are immobilized on DNA, indicating that structural changes in the octamer move DNA. This intrinsic plasticity of the nucleosome is exploited by chromatin remodelers and might be used by other chromatin machineries.

Effects of nucleosome stability on remodeler-catalyzed repositioning

Chromatin remodelers are molecular motors that play essential roles in the regulation of nucleosome positioning and chromatin accessibility. These machines couple the energy obtained from the binding and hydrolysis of ATP to the mechanical work of manipulating chromatin structure through processes that are not completely understood. Here we present a quantitative analysis of nucleosome repositioning by the imitation switch (ISWI) chromatin remodeler and demonstrate that nucleosome stability significantly impacts the observed activity. We show how DNA damage induced changes in the affinity of DNA wrapping within the nucleosome can affect ISWI repositioning activity and demonstrate how assay-dependent limitations can bias studies of nucleosome repositioning. Together, these results also suggest that some of the diversity seen in chromatin remodeler activity can be attributed to the variations in the thermodynamics of interactions between the remodeler, the histones, and the DNA, rather than reflect inherent properties of the remodeler itself.

CHRAC/ACF contribute to the repressive ground state of chromatin

Chromatin accessibility complex/ATP-utilizing chromatin assembly and remodeling factor help to establish basal transcriptional repression, conceivably through improving the regular spacing of nucleosomes in euchromatin.

The chromatin remodeling complexes chromatin accessibility complex and ATP-utilizing chromatin assembly and remodeling factor (ACF) combine the ATPase ISWI with the signature subunit ACF1. These enzymes catalyze well-studied nucleosome sliding reactions in vitro, but how their actions affect physiological gene expression remains unclear. Here, we explored the influence of Drosophila melanogaster chromatin accessibility complex/ACF on transcription by using complementary gain- and loss-of-function approaches. Targeting ACF1 to multiple reporter genes inserted at many different genomic locations revealed a context-dependent inactivation of poorly transcribed reporters in repressive chromatin. Accordingly, single-embryo transcriptome analysis of an Acf knock-out allele showed that only lowly expressed genes are derepressed in the absence of ACF1. Finally, the nucleosome arrays in Acf-deficient chromatin show loss of physiological regularity, particularly in transcriptionally inactive domains. Taken together, our results highlight that ACF1-containing remodeling factors contribute to the establishment of an inactive ground state of the genome through chromatin organization.

Structural Architecture of the Nucleosome Remodeler ISWI Determined from Cross-Linking, Mass Spectrometry, SAXS, and Modeling

Chromatin remodeling factors assume critical roles by regulating access to nucleosomal DNA. To determine the architecture of the Drosophila ISWI remodeling enzyme, we developed an integrative structural approach that combines protein cross-linking, mass spectrometry, small-angle X-ray scattering, and computational modeling. The resulting structural model shows the ATPase module in a resting state with both ATPase lobes twisted against each other, providing support for a conformation that was recently trapped by crystallography. The autoinhibiting NegC region does not protrude from the ATPase module as suggested previously. The regulatory NTR domain is located near both ATPase lobes. The full-length enzyme is flexible and can adopt a compact structure in solution with the C-terminal HSS domain packing against the ATPase module. Our data imply a series of conformational changes upon activation of the enzyme and illustrate how the NTR, NegC, and HSS domains contribute to regulation of the ATPase module.

Actin-related proteins regulate the RSC chromatin remodeler by weakening intramolecular interactions of the Sth1 ATPase

The catalytic subunits of SWI/SNF-family and INO80-family chromatin remodelers bind actin and actin-related proteins (Arps) through an N-terminal helicase/SANT-associated (HSA) domain. Between the HSA and ATPase domains lies a conserved post-HSA (pHSA) domain. The HSA domain of Sth1, the catalytic subunit of the yeast SWI/SNF-family remodeler RSC, recruits the Rtt102-Arp7/9 heterotrimer. Rtt102-Arp7/9 regulates RSC function, but the mechanism is unclear. We show that the pHSA domain interacts directly with another conserved region of the catalytic subunit, protrusion-1. Rtt102-Arp7/9 binding to the HSA domain weakens this interaction and promotes the formation of stable, monodisperse complexes with DNA and nucleosomes. A crystal structure of Rtt102-Arp7/9 shows that ATP binds to Arp7 but not Arp9. However, Arp7 does not hydrolyze ATP. Together, the results suggest that Rtt102 and ATP stabilize a conformation of Arp7/9 that potentiates binding to the HSA domain, which releases intramolecular interactions within Sth1 and controls DNA and nucleosome binding.

Bengi Turegun et al. report an interaction of the highly-conserved pHSA and P1 domains of Sth1, the catalytic subunit of the SWI/SNF-family chromatin remodeler RSC. This interaction is released when ATP-bound Rtt102-Arp7/9 binds to the HSA domain, modulating DNA and nucleosome binding by Sth.

Epigenetic mechanisms underlying nervous system diseases

Epigenetic mechanisms act as control systems for modulating genomic structure and activity in response to evolving profiles of cell-extrinsic, cell-cell, and cell-intrinsic signals. These dynamic processes are responsible for mediating cell- and tissue-specific gene expression and function and gene-gene and gene-environmental interactions. The major epigenetic mechanisms include DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation; histone protein posttranslational modifications, nucleosome remodeling/repositioning, and higher-order chromatin reorganization; noncoding RNA regulation; and RNA editing. These mechanisms are intimately involved in executing fundamental genomic programs, including gene transcription, posttranscriptional RNA processing and transport, translation, X-chromosome inactivation, genomic imprinting, retrotransposon regulation, DNA replication, and DNA repair and the maintenance of genomic stability. For the nervous system, epigenetics offers a novel and robust framework for explaining how brain development and aging occur, neural cellular diversity is generated, synaptic and neural network connectivity and plasticity are mediated, and complex cognitive and behavioral phenotypes are inherited transgenerationally. Epigenetic factors and processes are, not surprisingly, implicated in nervous system disease pathophysiology through several emerging paradigms - mutations and genetic variation in genes encoding epigenetic factors; impairments in epigenetic factor expression, localization, and function; epigenetic mechanisms modulating disease-associated factors and pathways; and the presence of deregulated epigenetic profiles in central and peripheral tissues.

Crystal structure of the overlapping dinucleosome composed of hexasome and octasome

Nucleosomes are dynamic entities that are repositioned along DNA by chromatin remodeling processes. A nucleosome repositioned by the switch-sucrose nonfermentable (SWI/SNF) remodeler collides with a neighbor and forms the intermediate "overlapping dinucleosome." Here, we report the crystal structure of the overlapping dinucleosome, in which two nucleosomes are associated, at 3.14-angstrom resolution. In the overlapping dinucleosome structure, the unusual "hexasome" nucleosome, composed of the histone hexamer lacking one H2A-H2B dimer from the conventional histone octamer, contacts the canonical "octasome" nucleosome, and they intimately associate. Consequently, about 250 base pairs of DNA are left-handedly wrapped in three turns, without a linker DNA segment between the hexasome and octasome moieties. The overlapping dinucleosome structure may provide important information to understand how nucleosome repositioning occurs during the chromatin remodeling process.

Refinement of the subunit interaction network within the nucleosome remodelling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex

The nucleosome remodelling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex is essential for the development of complex animals. NuRD has roles in regulating gene expression and repairing damaged DNA. The complex comprises at least six proteins with two or more paralogues of each protein routinely identified when the complex is purified from cell extracts. To understand the structure and function of NuRD, a map of direct subunit interactions is needed. Dozens of published studies have attempted to define direct inter-subunit connectivities. We propose that conclusions reported in many such studies are in fact ambiguous for one of several reasons. First, the expression of many NuRD subunits in bacteria is unlikely to lead to folded, active protein. Second, interaction studies carried out in cells that contain endogenous NuRD complex can lead to false positives through bridging of target proteins by endogenous components. Combining existing information on NuRD structure with a protocol designed to minimize false positives, we report a conservative and robust interaction map for the NuRD complex. We also suggest a 3D model of the complex that brings together the existing data on the complex. The issues and strategies discussed herein are also applicable to the analysis of a wide range of multi-subunit complexes.

ENZYMES

Micrococcal nuclease (MNase), EC 3.1.31.1; histone deacetylase (HDAC), EC 3.5.1.98.

In silico evidence for sequence-dependent nucleosome sliding

Nucleosomes represent the basic building block of chromatin and provide an important mechanism by which cellular processes are controlled. The locations of nucleosomes across the genome are not random but instead depend on both the underlying DNA sequence and the dynamic action of other proteins within the nucleus. These processes are central to cellular function, and the molecular details of the interplay between DNA sequence and nucleosome dynamics remain poorly understood. In this work, we investigate this interplay in detail by relying on a molecular model, which permits development of a comprehensive picture of the underlying free energy surfaces and the corresponding dynamics of nucleosome repositioning. The mechanism of nucleosome repositioning is shown to be strongly linked to DNA sequence and directly related to the binding energy of a given DNA sequence to the histone core. It is also demonstrated that chromatin remodelers can override DNA-sequence preferences by exerting torque, and the histone H4 tail is then identified as a key component by which DNA-sequence, histone modifications, and chromatin remodelers could in fact be coupled.

The BRG1 ATPase of human SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling enzymes as a driver of cancer

Mammalian SWI/SNF enzymes are ATP-dependent remodelers of chromatin structure. These multisubunit enzymes are heterogeneous in composition; there are two catalytic ATPase subunits, BRM and BRG1, that are mutually exclusive, and additional subunits are incorporated in a combinatorial manner. Recent findings indicate that approximately 20% of human cancers contain mutations in SWI/SNF enzyme subunits, leading to the conclusion that the enzyme subunits are critical tumor suppressors. However, overexpression of specific subunits without apparent mutation is emerging as an alternative mechanism by which cellular transformation may occur. Here we highlight recent evidence linking elevated expression of the BRG1 ATPase to tissue-specific cancers and work suggesting that inhibiting BRG1 may be an effective therapeutic strategy.

Mechanism of chromatin remodelling revealed by the Snf2-nucleosome structure

Chromatin remodellers are helicase-like, ATP-dependent enzymes that alter chromatin structure and nucleosome positions to allow regulatory proteins access to DNA. Here we report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of chromatin remodeller Switch/sucrose non-fermentable (SWI2/SNF2) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae bound to the nucleosome. The structure shows that the two core domains of Snf2 are realigned upon nucleosome binding, suggesting activation of the enzyme. The core domains contact each other through two induced Brace helices, which are crucial for coupling ATP hydrolysis to chromatin remodelling. Snf2 binds to the phosphate backbones of one DNA gyre of the nucleosome mainly through its helicase motifs within the major domain cleft, suggesting a conserved mechanism of substrate engagement across different remodellers. Snf2 contacts the second DNA gyre via a positively charged surface, providing a mechanism to anchor the remodeller at a fixed position of the nucleosome. Snf2 locally deforms nucleosomal DNA at the site of binding, priming the substrate for the remodelling reaction. Together, these findings provide mechanistic insights into chromatin remodelling.

ATR inhibitors as a synthetic lethal therapy for tumours deficient in ARID1A

Identifying genetic biomarkers of synthetic lethal drug sensitivity effects provides one approach to the development of targeted cancer therapies. Mutations in ARID1A represent one of the most common molecular alterations in human cancer, but therapeutic approaches that target these defects are not yet clinically available. We demonstrate that defects in ARID1A sensitize tumour cells to clinical inhibitors of the DNA damage checkpoint kinase, ATR, both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, ARID1A deficiency results in topoisomerase 2A and cell cycle defects, which cause an increased reliance on ATR checkpoint activity. In ARID1A mutant tumour cells, inhibition of ATR triggers premature mitotic entry, genomic instability and apoptosis. The data presented here provide the pre-clinical and mechanistic rationale for assessing ARID1A defects as a biomarker of single-agent ATR inhibitor response and represents a novel synthetic lethal approach to targeting tumour cells.

Distinct Trends of DNA Methylation Patterning in the Innate and Adaptive Immune Systems

DNA methylation and the localization and post-translational modification of nucleosomes are interdependent factors that contribute to the generation of distinct phenotypes from genetically identical cells. With 112 whole-genome bisulfite sequencing datasets from the BLUEPRINT Epigenome Project, we analyzed the global development of DNA methylation patterns during lineage commitment and maturation of a range of immune system effector cells and the cancers that arise from them. We show clear trends in methylation patterns that are distinct in the innate and adaptive arms of the human immune system, both globally and in relation to consistently positioned nucleosomes. Most notable are a progressive loss of methylation in developing lymphocytes and the consistent occurrence of non-CG methylation in specific cell types. Cancer samples from the two lineages are further polarized, suggesting the involvement of distinct lineage-specific epigenetic mechanisms. We anticipate broad utility for this resource as a basis for further comparative epigenetic analyses.

DNA-HMGB1 interaction: The nuclear aggregates of polyamine mediation

Nuclear aggregates of polyamines (NAPs) are supramolecular compounds generated by the self-assembly of protonated nuclear polyamines (spermine, spermidine and putrescine) and phosphate ions. In the presence of genomic DNA, the hierarchical process of self-structuring ultimately produces nanotube-like polymers that envelop the double helix. Because of their modular nature and their aggregation-disaggregation dynamics, NAPs confer plasticity and flexibility to DNA. Through the disposition of charges, NAPs also enable a bidirectional stream of information between the genome and interacting moieties. High mobility group (HMG) B1 is a non-histone chromosomal protein that binds to DNA and that influences multiple nuclear processes. Because genomic DNA binds to either NAPs or HMGB1 protein, we explored the ability of in vitro self-assembled NAPs (ivNAPs) to mediate the DNA-HMGB1 interaction. To this end, we structured DNA-NAPs-HMGB1 and DNA-HMGB1-NAPs ternary complexes in vitro through opportune sequential incubations. Mobility shift electrophoresis and atomic force microscopy showed that the DNA-ivNAPs-HGMB1 complex had conformational assets supposedly more suitable those of the DNA-HGMB1-ivNAPs to comply with the physiological and functional requirements of DNA. Our findings indicated that ivNAPs act as mediators of the DNA-HMGB1 interaction.

Structure of chromatin remodeler Swi2/Snf2 in the resting state

SWI2/SNF2 family proteins regulate a myriad of nucleic acid transactions by sliding, removing and reconstructing nucleosomes in eukaryotic cells. They contain two RecA-like core domains, which couple ATP hydrolysis and DNA translocation to chromatin remodeling. Here we report the crystal structure of Snf2 from the yeast Myceliophthora thermophila. The data show the two RecA-like core domains of Snf2 stacking together and twisting their ATP-binding motifs away from each other, thus explaining the inactivity of the protein in the ground state. We identified several DNA-binding elements, which are fully exposed to solvent, thus suggesting that the protein is poised for its incoming substrate. The catalytic core of Snf2 showed a high chromatin-remodeling activity, which was suppressed by the N-terminal HSA domain. Our findings reveal that the catalytic core of Snf2 is a competent remodeling machine, which rests in an inactive conformation and requires a large conformational change upon activation.

Structure and dynamics of DNA loops on nucleosomes studied with atomistic, microsecond-scale molecular dynamics

DNA loop formation on nucleosomes is strongly implicated in chromatin remodeling and occurs spontaneously in nucleosomes subjected to superhelical stress. The nature of such loops depends crucially on the balance between DNA deformation and DNA interaction with the nucleosome core. Currently, no high-resolution structural data on these loops exist. Although uniform rod models have been used to study loop size and shape, these models make assumptions concerning DNA mechanics and DNA-core binding. We present here atomic-scale molecular dynamics simulations for two different loop sizes. The results point to the key role of localized DNA kinking within the loops. Kinks enable the relaxation of DNA bending strain to be coupled with improved DNA-core interactions. Kinks lead to small, irregularly shaped loops that are asymmetrically positioned with respect to the nucleosome core. We also find that loop position can influence the dynamics of the DNA segments at the extremities of the nucleosome.

CHD4 Is a Peripheral Component of the Nucleosome Remodeling and Deacetylase Complex

Chromatin remodeling enzymes act to dynamically regulate gene accessibility. In many cases, these enzymes function as large multicomponent complexes that in general comprise a central ATP-dependent Snf2 family helicase that is decorated with a variable number of regulatory subunits. The nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex, which is essential for normal development in higher organisms, is one such macromolecular machine. The NuRD complex comprises ∼10 subunits, including the histone deacetylases 1 and 2 (HDAC1 and HDAC2), and is defined by the presence of a CHD family remodeling enzyme, most commonly CHD4 (chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 4). The existing paradigm holds that CHD4 acts as the central hub upon which the complex is built. We show here that this paradigm does not, in fact, hold and that CHD4 is a peripheral component of the NuRD complex. A complex lacking CHD4 that has HDAC activity can exist as a stable species. The addition of recombinant CHD4 to this nucleosome deacetylase complex reconstitutes a NuRD complex with nucleosome remodeling activity. These data contribute to our understanding of the architecture of the NuRD complex.