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Acs-Szabo L, Papp LA, Miklos I. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of human diseases: the benefits of fission yeasts. MICROBIAL CELL (GRAZ, AUSTRIA) 2024; 11:288-311. [PMID: 39104724 PMCID: PMC11299203 DOI: 10.15698/mic2024.08.833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 07/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
The role of model organisms such as yeasts in life science research is crucial. Although the baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is the most popular model among yeasts, the contribution of the fission yeasts (Schizosaccharomyces) to life science is also indisputable. Since both types of yeasts share several thousands of common orthologous genes with humans, they provide a simple research platform to investigate many fundamental molecular mechanisms and functions, thereby contributing to the understanding of the background of human diseases. In this review, we would like to highlight the many advantages of fission yeasts over budding yeasts. The usefulness of fission yeasts in virus research is shown as an example, presenting the most important research results related to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) Vpr protein. Besides, the potential role of fission yeasts in the study of prion biology is also discussed. Furthermore, we are keen to promote the uprising model yeast Schizosaccharomyces japonicus, which is a dimorphic species in the fission yeast genus. We propose the hyphal growth of S. japonicus as an unusual opportunity as a model to study the invadopodia of human cancer cells since the two seemingly different cell types can be compared along fundamental features. Here we also collect the latest laboratory protocols and bioinformatics tools for the fission yeasts to highlight the many possibilities available to the research community. In addition, we present several limiting factors that everyone should be aware of when working with yeast models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lajos Acs-Szabo
- Department of Genetics and Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of DebrecenDebrecen, 4032Hungary
| | - Laszlo Attila Papp
- Department of Genetics and Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of DebrecenDebrecen, 4032Hungary
| | - Ida Miklos
- Department of Genetics and Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of DebrecenDebrecen, 4032Hungary
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2
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Ames A, Seman M, Larkin A, Raiymbek G, Chen Z, Levashkevich A, Kim B, Biteen JS, Ragunathan K. Epigenetic memory is governed by an effector recruitment specificity toggle in Heterochromatin Protein 1. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6276. [PMID: 39054315 PMCID: PMC11272775 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50538-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
HP1 proteins are essential for establishing and maintaining transcriptionally silent heterochromatin. They dimerize, forming a binding interface to recruit diverse chromatin-associated factors. Although HP1 proteins are known to rapidly evolve, the extent of variation required to achieve functional specialization is unknown. To investigate how changes in amino acid sequence impacts heterochromatin formation, we performed a targeted mutagenesis screen of the S. pombe HP1 homolog, Swi6. Substitutions within an auxiliary surface adjacent to the HP1 dimerization interface produce Swi6 variants with divergent maintenance properties. Remarkably, substitutions at a single amino acid position lead to the persistent gain or loss of epigenetic inheritance. These substitutions increase Swi6 chromatin occupancy in vivo and altered Swi6-protein interactions that reprogram H3K9me maintenance. We show how relatively minor changes in Swi6 amino acid composition in an auxiliary surface can lead to profound changes in epigenetic inheritance providing a redundant mechanism to evolve HP1-effector specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Ames
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
| | - Melissa Seman
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
| | - Ajay Larkin
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
| | - Gulzhan Raiymbek
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Ziyuan Chen
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, USA
| | | | - Bokyung Kim
- Department of Biochemistry, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
| | - Julie Suzanne Biteen
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, USA
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3
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Atinbayeva N, Valent I, Zenk F, Loeser E, Rauer M, Herur S, Quarato P, Pyrowolakis G, Gomez-Auli A, Mittler G, Cecere G, Erhardt S, Tiana G, Zhan Y, Iovino N. Inheritance of H3K9 methylation regulates genome architecture in Drosophila early embryos. EMBO J 2024; 43:2685-2714. [PMID: 38831123 PMCID: PMC11217351 DOI: 10.1038/s44318-024-00127-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Constitutive heterochromatin is essential for transcriptional silencing and genome integrity. The establishment of constitutive heterochromatin in early embryos and its role in early fruitfly development are unknown. Lysine 9 trimethylation of histone H3 (H3K9me3) and recruitment of its epigenetic reader, heterochromatin protein 1a (HP1a), are hallmarks of constitutive heterochromatin. Here, we show that H3K9me3 is transmitted from the maternal germline to the next generation. Maternally inherited H3K9me3, and the histone methyltransferases (HMT) depositing it, are required for the organization of constitutive heterochromatin: early embryos lacking H3K9 methylation display de-condensation of pericentromeric regions, centromere-centromere de-clustering, mitotic defects, and nuclear shape irregularities, resulting in embryo lethality. Unexpectedly, quantitative CUT&Tag and 4D microscopy measurements of HP1a coupled with biophysical modeling revealed that H3K9me2/3 is largely dispensable for HP1a recruitment. Instead, the main function of H3K9me2/3 at this developmental stage is to drive HP1a clustering and subsequent heterochromatin compaction. Our results show that HP1a binding to constitutive heterochromatin in the absence of H3K9me2/3 is not sufficient to promote proper embryo development and heterochromatin formation. The loss of H3K9 HMTs and H3K9 methylation alters genome organization and hinders embryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nazerke Atinbayeva
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Fahnenbergplatz, 79085, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Iris Valent
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Zoological Institute, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Fides Zenk
- Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences EPFL, SV3809, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Eva Loeser
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Michael Rauer
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Shwetha Herur
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Piergiuseppe Quarato
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgos Pyrowolakis
- Centre for Biological signaling studies, University of Freiburg, 79104, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Alejandro Gomez-Auli
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Gerhard Mittler
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Germano Cecere
- Institute Pasteur, Mechanisms of Epigenetic Inheritance, Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, UMR3738, CNRS, 75724, Cedex 15, Paris, France
| | - Sylvia Erhardt
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Zoological Institute, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Guido Tiana
- Università degli Studi di Milano and INFN, Milan, Italy
| | - Yinxiu Zhan
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology-IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
| | - Nicola Iovino
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
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4
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Ames A, Seman M, Larkin A, Raiymbek G, Chen Z, Levashkevich A, Kim B, Biteen JS, Ragunathan K. Epigenetic memory is governed by an effector recruitment specificity toggle in Heterochromatin Protein 1. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.11.28.569027. [PMID: 38077059 PMCID: PMC10705379 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.28.569027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
HP1 proteins are essential for establishing and maintaining transcriptionally silent heterochromatin. They dimerize, forming a binding interface to recruit diverse chromatin-associated factors. HP1 proteins are specialized and rapidly evolve, but the extent of variation required to achieve functional specialization is unknown. To investigate how changes in amino acid sequence impacts epigenetic inheritance, we performed a targeted mutagenesis screen of the S. pombe HP1 homolog, Swi6. Substitutions within an auxiliary surface adjacent to the HP1 dimerization interface produced Swi6 variants with divergent maintenance properties. Remarkably, substitutions at a single amino acid position led to the persistent gain or loss of epigenetic inheritance. These substitutions increased Swi6 chromatin occupancy in vivo and altered Swi6-protein interactions that reprogram H3K9me maintenance. We show that relatively minor changes in Swi6 amino acid composition can lead to profound changes in epigenetic inheritance which provides a redundant mechanism to evolve novel effector specificity. .
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5
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Li T, Petreaca RC, Forsburg SL. Chromodomain mutation in S. pombe Kat5/Mst1 affects centromere dynamics and DNA repair. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300732. [PMID: 38662722 PMCID: PMC11045136 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
KAT5 (S. pombe Mst1, human TIP60) is a MYST family histone acetyltransferase conserved from yeast to humans that is involved in multiple cellular activities. This family is characterized in part by containing a chromodomain, a motif associated with binding methylated histones. We show that a chromodomain mutation in the S. pombe Kat5, mst1-W66R, has defects in pericentromere silencing. mst1-W66R is sensitive to camptothecin (CPT) but only at an increased temperature of 36°C, although it is proficient for growth at this temperature. We also describe a de-silencing effect at the pericentromere by CPT that is independent of RNAi and methylation machinery. We also show that mst1-W66R disrupts recruitment of proteins to repair foci in response to camptothecin-induced DNA damage. Our data suggest a function of Mst1 chromodomain in centromere heterochromatin formation and a separate role in genome-wide damage repair in CPT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Li
- Program in Molecular & Computational Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Ruben C. Petreaca
- Program in Molecular & Computational Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Susan L. Forsburg
- Program in Molecular & Computational Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
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6
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Ghimire P, Motamedi M, Joh R. Mathematical model for the role of multiple pericentromeric repeats on heterochromatin assembly. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1012027. [PMID: 38598558 PMCID: PMC11034663 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Although the length and constituting sequences for pericentromeric repeats are highly variable across eukaryotes, the presence of multiple pericentromeric repeats is one of the conserved features of the eukaryotic chromosomes. Pericentromeric heterochromatin is often misregulated in human diseases, with the expansion of pericentromeric repeats in human solid cancers. In this article, we have developed a mathematical model of the RNAi-dependent methylation of H3K9 in the pericentromeric region of fission yeast. Our model, which takes copy number as an explicit parameter, predicts that the pericentromere is silenced only if there are many copies of repeats. It becomes bistable or desilenced if the copy number of repeats is reduced. This suggests that the copy number of pericentromeric repeats alone can determine the fate of heterochromatin silencing in fission yeast. Through sensitivity analysis, we identified parameters that favor bistability and desilencing. Stochastic simulation shows that faster cell division and noise favor the desilenced state. These results show the unexpected role of pericentromeric repeat copy number in gene silencing and provide a quantitative basis for how the copy number allows or protects repetitive and unique parts of the genome from heterochromatin silencing, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puranjan Ghimire
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Mo Motamedi
- Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Richard Joh
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
- Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond Virginia, United States of America
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7
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Folco H, Xiao H, Wheeler D, Feng H, Bai Y, Grewal SS. The cysteine-rich domain in CENP-A chaperone Scm3HJURP ensures centromere targeting and kinetochore integrity. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:1688-1701. [PMID: 38084929 PMCID: PMC10899784 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Centromeric chromatin plays a crucial role in kinetochore assembly and chromosome segregation. Centromeres are specified through the loading of the histone H3 variant CENP-A by the conserved chaperone Scm3/HJURP. The N-terminus of Scm3/HJURP interacts with CENP-A, while the C-terminus facilitates centromere localization by interacting with the Mis18 holocomplex via a small domain, called the Mis16-binding domain (Mis16-BD) in fission yeast. Fungal Scm3 proteins contain an additional conserved cysteine-rich domain (CYS) of unknown function. Here, we find that CYS binds zinc in vitro and is essential for the localization and function of fission yeast Scm3. Disrupting CYS by deletion or introduction of point mutations within its zinc-binding motif prevents Scm3 centromere localization and compromises kinetochore integrity. Interestingly, CYS alone can localize to the centromere, albeit weakly, but its targeting is greatly enhanced when combined with Mis16-BD. Expressing a truncated protein containing both Mis16-BD and CYS, but lacking the CENP-A binding domain, causes toxicity and is accompanied by considerable chromosome missegregation and kinetochore loss. These effects can be mitigated by mutating the CYS zinc-binding motif. Collectively, our findings establish the essential role of the cysteine-rich domain in fungal Scm3 proteins and provide valuable insights into the mechanism of Scm3 centromere targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Diego Folco
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Hua Xiao
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - David Wheeler
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Hanqiao Feng
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Yawen Bai
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Shiv I S Grewal
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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8
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Muhammad A, Sarkadi Z, van Emden T, Mazumder A, Capella M, Fekete G, Sreechakram VNS, Al-Sady B, Papp B, Barrales RR, Braun S. A systematic quantitative approach comprehensively defines domain-specific functional pathways linked to Schizosaccharomyces pombe heterochromatin regulation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.13.579970. [PMID: 38405799 PMCID: PMC10888830 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.13.579970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Heterochromatin plays a critical role in regulating gene expression and maintaining genome integrity. While structural and enzymatic components have been linked to heterochromatin establishment, a comprehensive view of the underlying pathways at diverse heterochromatin domains remains elusive. Here, we developed a systematic approach to identify factors involved in heterochromatin silencing at pericentromeres, subtelomeres, and the silent mating type locus in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Using quantitative measures, iterative genetic screening, and domain-specific heterochromatin reporters, we identified 369 mutants with different degrees of reduced or enhanced silencing. As expected, mutations in the core heterochromatin machinery globally decreased silencing. However, most other mutants exhibited distinct qualitative and quantitative profiles that indicate domain-specific functions. For example, decreased mating type silencing was linked to mutations in heterochromatin maintenance genes, while compromised subtelomere silencing was associated with metabolic pathways. Furthermore, similar phenotypic profiles revealed shared functions for subunits within complexes. We also discovered that the uncharacterized protein Dhm2 plays a crucial role in maintaining constitutive and facultative heterochromatin, while its absence caused phenotypes akin to DNA replication-deficient mutants. Collectively, our systematic approach unveiled a landscape of domain-specific heterochromatin regulators controlling distinct states and identified Dhm2 as a previously unknown factor linked to heterochromatin inheritance and replication fidelity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abubakar Muhammad
- Institute for Genetics, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- BioMedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Zsuzsa Sarkadi
- BioMedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Institute of Biochemistry, HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Hungary
- HCEMM-BRC Metabolic Systems Biology Lab, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Thomas van Emden
- BioMedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Agnisrota Mazumder
- Institute for Genetics, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- BioMedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Matias Capella
- BioMedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Present address: Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Gergely Fekete
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Institute of Biochemistry, HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Hungary
- HCEMM-BRC Metabolic Systems Biology Lab, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Vishnu N Suma Sreechakram
- Institute for Genetics, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- BioMedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Bassem Al-Sady
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, George Williams Hooper Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Balázs Papp
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Institute of Biochemistry, HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Hungary
- HCEMM-BRC Metabolic Systems Biology Lab, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Ramón Ramos Barrales
- BioMedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Present address: Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Universidad Pablo de Olavide-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Junta de Andalucía, Seville, Spain
| | - Sigurd Braun
- Institute for Genetics, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- BioMedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
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9
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Strachan J, Leidecker O, Spanos C, Le Coz C, Chapman E, Arsenijevic A, Zhang H, Zhao N, Spoel SH, Bayne EH. SUMOylation regulates Lem2 function in centromere clustering and silencing. J Cell Sci 2023; 136:jcs260868. [PMID: 37970674 PMCID: PMC10730020 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.260868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulation by the small modifier SUMO is heavily dependent on spatial control of enzymes that mediate the attachment and removal of SUMO on substrate proteins. Here, we show that in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, delocalisation of the SUMO protease Ulp1 from the nuclear envelope results in centromeric defects that can be attributed to hyper-SUMOylation at the nuclear periphery. Unexpectedly, we find that although this localised hyper-SUMOylation impairs centromeric silencing, it can also enhance centromere clustering. Moreover, both effects are at least partially dependent on SUMOylation of the inner nuclear membrane protein Lem2. Lem2 has previously been implicated in diverse biological processes, including the promotion of both centromere clustering and silencing, but how these distinct activities are coordinated was unclear; our observations suggest a model whereby SUMOylation serves as a regulatory switch, modulating Lem2 interactions with competing partner proteins to balance its roles in alternative pathways. Our findings also reveal a previously unappreciated role for SUMOylation in promoting centromere clustering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Strachan
- Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Orsolya Leidecker
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 9b, Cologne 50931, Germany
| | - Christos Spanos
- Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Clementine Le Coz
- Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Elliott Chapman
- Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Ana Arsenijevic
- Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Haidao Zhang
- Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Ning Zhao
- Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
| | - Steven H. Spoel
- Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Elizabeth H. Bayne
- Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
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10
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Hamali B, Amine AAA, Al-Sady B. Regulation of the heterochromatin spreading reaction by trans-acting factors. Open Biol 2023; 13:230271. [PMID: 37935357 PMCID: PMC10645111 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.230271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Heterochromatin is a gene-repressive protein-nucleic acid ultrastructure that is initially nucleated by DNA sequences. However, following nucleation, heterochromatin can then propagate along the chromatin template in a sequence-independent manner in a reaction termed spreading. At the heart of this process are enzymes that deposit chemical information on chromatin, which attracts the factors that execute chromatin compaction and transcriptional or co/post-transcriptional gene silencing. Given that these enzymes deposit guiding chemical information on chromatin they are commonly termed 'writers'. While the processes of nucleation and central actions of writers have been extensively studied and reviewed, less is understood about how the spreading process is regulated. We discuss how the chromatin substrate is prepared for heterochromatic spreading, and how trans-acting factors beyond writer enzymes regulate it. We examine mechanisms by which trans-acting factors in Suv39, PRC2, SETDB1 and SIR writer systems regulate spreading of the respective heterochromatic marks across chromatin. While these systems are in some cases evolutionarily and mechanistically quite distant, common mechanisms emerge which these trans-acting factors exploit to tune the spreading reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bulut Hamali
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- The G. W. Hooper Foundation, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- College of Dentistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Ahmed A A Amine
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- The G. W. Hooper Foundation, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Bassem Al-Sady
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- The G. W. Hooper Foundation, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
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11
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Rahayu AF, Hayashi A, Yoshimura Y, Nakagawa R, Arita K, Nakayama JI. Cooperative DNA-binding activities of Chp2 are critical for its function in heterochromatin assembly. J Biochem 2023; 174:371-382. [PMID: 37400983 DOI: 10.1093/jb/mvad050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) is an evolutionarily conserved protein that plays a critical role in heterochromatin assembly. HP1 proteins share a basic structure consisting of an N-terminal chromodomain (CD) and a C-terminal chromoshadow domain (CSD) linked by a disordered hinge region. The CD recognizes histone H3 lysine 9 methylation, a hallmark of heterochromatin, while the CSD forms a dimer to recruit other chromosomal proteins. HP1 proteins have been shown to bind DNA or RNA primarily through the hinge region. However, how DNA or RNA binding contributes to their function remains elusive. Here, we focus on Chp2, one of the two HP1 proteins in fission yeast, and investigate how Chp2's DNA-binding ability contributes to its function. Similar to other HP1 proteins, the Chp2 hinge exhibits clear DNA-binding activity. Interestingly, the Chp2 CSD also shows robust DNA-binding activity. Mutational analysis revealed that basic residues in the Chp2 hinge and at the N-terminus of the CSD are essential for DNA binding, and the combined amino acid substitutions of these residues alter Chp2 stability, impair Chp2 heterochromatin localization and lead to a silencing defect. These results demonstrate that the cooperative DNA-binding activities of Chp2 play an important role in heterochromatin assembly in fission yeast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anisa Fitri Rahayu
- Division of Chromatin Regulation, National Institute for Basic Biology, 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaiji, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
- Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaiji, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
| | - Aki Hayashi
- Division of Chromatin Regulation, National Institute for Basic Biology, 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaiji, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
| | - Yuriko Yoshimura
- Division of Chromatin Regulation, National Institute for Basic Biology, 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaiji, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
| | - Reiko Nakagawa
- Laboratory for Cell-Free Protein Synthesis, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-1 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Kyohei Arita
- Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Jun-Ichi Nakayama
- Division of Chromatin Regulation, National Institute for Basic Biology, 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaiji, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
- Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaiji, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
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12
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Tapia Del Fierro A, den Hamer B, Benetti N, Jansz N, Chen K, Beck T, Vanyai H, Gurzau AD, Daxinger L, Xue S, Ly TTN, Wanigasuriya I, Iminitoff M, Breslin K, Oey H, Krom YD, van der Hoorn D, Bouwman LF, Johanson TM, Ritchie ME, Gouil QA, Reversade B, Prin F, Mohun T, van der Maarel SM, McGlinn E, Murphy JM, Keniry A, de Greef JC, Blewitt ME. SMCHD1 has separable roles in chromatin architecture and gene silencing that could be targeted in disease. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5466. [PMID: 37749075 PMCID: PMC10519958 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40992-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The interplay between 3D chromatin architecture and gene silencing is incompletely understood. Here, we report a novel point mutation in the non-canonical SMC protein SMCHD1 that enhances its silencing capacity at endogenous developmental targets. Moreover, it also results in enhanced silencing at the facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy associated macrosatellite-array, D4Z4, resulting in enhanced repression of DUX4 encoded by this repeat. Heightened SMCHD1 silencing perturbs developmental Hox gene activation, causing a homeotic transformation in mice. Paradoxically, the mutant SMCHD1 appears to enhance insulation against other epigenetic regulators, including PRC2 and CTCF, while depleting long range chromatin interactions akin to what is observed in the absence of SMCHD1. These data suggest that SMCHD1's role in long range chromatin interactions is not directly linked to gene silencing or insulating the chromatin, refining the model for how the different levels of SMCHD1-mediated chromatin regulation interact to bring about gene silencing in normal development and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andres Tapia Del Fierro
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Bianca den Hamer
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Natalia Benetti
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Natasha Jansz
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Kelan Chen
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Tamara Beck
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Hannah Vanyai
- Crick Advanced Light Microscopy Facility, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Alexandra D Gurzau
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Lucia Daxinger
- Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Shifeng Xue
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Thanh Thao Nguyen Ly
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Iromi Wanigasuriya
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Megan Iminitoff
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Kelsey Breslin
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Harald Oey
- Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Yvonne D Krom
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Dinja van der Hoorn
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Linde F Bouwman
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Timothy M Johanson
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Matthew E Ritchie
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Quentin A Gouil
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Bruno Reversade
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore
- Genome Institute of Singapore, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Fabrice Prin
- Crick Advanced Light Microscopy Facility, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Timothy Mohun
- Crick Advanced Light Microscopy Facility, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | | | - Edwina McGlinn
- EMBL Australia, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - James M Murphy
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Andrew Keniry
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jessica C de Greef
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Marnie E Blewitt
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
- The Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
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13
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Panzeri I, Fagnocchi L, Apostle S, Tompkins M, Wolfrum E, Madaj Z, Hostetter G, Liu Y, Schaefer K, Chih-Hsiang Y, Bergsma A, Drougard A, Dror E, Chandler D, Schramek D, Triche TJ, Pospisilik JA. Developmental priming of cancer susceptibility. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.12.557446. [PMID: 37745326 PMCID: PMC10515831 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.12.557446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
DNA mutations are necessary drivers of cancer, yet only a small subset of mutated cells go on to cause the disease. To date, the mechanisms that determine which rare subset of cells transform and initiate tumorigenesis remain unclear. Here, we take advantage of a unique model of intrinsic developmental heterogeneity (Trim28+/D9) and demonstrate that stochastic early life epigenetic variation can trigger distinct cancer-susceptibility 'states' in adulthood. We show that these developmentally primed states are characterized by differential methylation patterns at typically silenced heterochromatin, and that these epigenetic signatures are detectable as early as 10 days of age. The differentially methylated loci are enriched for genes with known oncogenic potential. These same genes are frequently mutated in human cancers, and their dysregulation correlates with poor prognosis. These results provide proof-of-concept that intrinsic developmental heterogeneity can prime individual, life-long cancer risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Panzeri
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Department of Epigenetics, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Luca Fagnocchi
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Stefanos Apostle
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Megan Tompkins
- Vivarium and Transgenics Core, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Emily Wolfrum
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Core, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Zachary Madaj
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Core, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Galen Hostetter
- Pathology and Biorepository Core, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Yanqing Liu
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Kristen Schaefer
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genome Science, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Yang Chih-Hsiang
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Department of Epigenetics, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA USA
| | - Alexis Bergsma
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Parkinson’s Disease Center, Department of Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Anne Drougard
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Erez Dror
- Department of Epigenetics, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Darrell Chandler
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Daniel Schramek
- Centre for Molecular and Systems Biology, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Timothy J. Triche
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - J. Andrew Pospisilik
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Department of Epigenetics, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
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14
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Lim KK, Koh NZH, Zeng YB, Chuan JK, Raechell R, Chen ES. Resistance to Chemotherapeutic 5-Fluorouracil Conferred by Modulation of Heterochromatic Integrity through Ino80 Function in Fission Yeast. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10687. [PMID: 37445861 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241310687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a conventional chemotherapeutic drug widely used in clinics worldwide, but development of resistance that compromises responsiveness remains a major hurdle to its efficacy. The mechanism underlying 5-FU resistance is conventionally attributed to the disruption of nucleotide synthesis, even though research has implicated other pathways such as RNA processing and chromatin dysregulation. Aiming to clarify resistance mechanisms of 5-FU, we tested the response of a collection of fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) null mutants, which confer multiple environmental factor responsiveness (MER). Our screen identified disruption of membrane transport, chromosome segregation and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to increase cellular susceptibility towards 5-FU. Conversely, we revealed several null mutants of Ino80 complex factors exhibited resistance to 5-FU. Furthermore, attenuation of Ino80 function via deleting several subunit genes reversed loss of chromosome-segregation fidelity in 5-FU in the loss-of-function mutant of the Argonaute protein, which regulates RNA interference (RNAi)-dependent maintenance of pericentromeric heterochromatin. Our study thus uncovered a critical role played by chromatin remodeling Ino80 complex factors in 5-FU resistance, which may constitute a possible target to modulate in reversing 5-FU resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Kiat Lim
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117596, Singapore
| | - Nathaniel Zhi Hao Koh
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117596, Singapore
| | - Yi Bing Zeng
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117596, Singapore
| | - Jun Kai Chuan
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117596, Singapore
| | - Raechell Raechell
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117596, Singapore
| | - Ee Sin Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117596, Singapore
- National University Health System (NUHS), Singapore 119228, Singapore
- NUS Center for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore
- NUS Graduate School-Integrative Sciences & Engineering Programme, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore
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15
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Malik KK, Sridhara SC, Lone KA, Katariya PD, Pulimamidi D, Tyagi S. MLL methyltransferases regulate H3K4 methylation to ensure CENP-A assembly at human centromeres. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002161. [PMID: 37379335 PMCID: PMC10335677 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The active state of centromeres is epigenetically defined by the presence of CENP-A interspersed with histone H3 nucleosomes. While the importance of dimethylation of H3K4 for centromeric transcription has been highlighted in various studies, the identity of the enzyme(s) depositing these marks on the centromere is still unknown. The MLL (KMT2) family plays a crucial role in RNA polymerase II (Pol II)-mediated gene regulation by methylating H3K4. Here, we report that MLL methyltransferases regulate transcription of human centromeres. CRISPR-mediated down-regulation of MLL causes loss of H3K4me2, resulting in an altered epigenetic chromatin state of the centromeres. Intriguingly, our results reveal that loss of MLL, but not SETD1A, increases co-transcriptional R-loop formation, and Pol II accumulation at the centromeres. Finally, we report that the presence of MLL and SETD1A is crucial for kinetochore maintenance. Altogether, our data reveal a novel molecular framework where both the H3K4 methylation mark and the methyltransferases regulate stability and identity of the centromere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kausika Kumar Malik
- Laboratory of Cell Cycle Regulation, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), Uppal, Hyderabad, India
- Graduate Studies, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Sreerama Chaitanya Sridhara
- Laboratory of Cell Cycle Regulation, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), Uppal, Hyderabad, India
| | - Kaisar Ahmad Lone
- Laboratory of Cell Cycle Regulation, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), Uppal, Hyderabad, India
- Graduate Studies, Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, India
| | - Payal Deepakbhai Katariya
- Laboratory of Cell Cycle Regulation, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), Uppal, Hyderabad, India
- Graduate Studies, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Deepshika Pulimamidi
- Laboratory of Cell Cycle Regulation, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), Uppal, Hyderabad, India
| | - Shweta Tyagi
- Laboratory of Cell Cycle Regulation, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), Uppal, Hyderabad, India
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16
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Mongia P, Toyofuku N, Pan Z, Xu R, Kinoshita Y, Oki K, Takahashi H, Ogura Y, Hayashi T, Nakagawa T. Fission yeast Srr1 and Skb1 promote isochromosome formation at the centromere. Commun Biol 2023; 6:551. [PMID: 37237082 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04925-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Rad51 maintains genome integrity, whereas Rad52 causes non-canonical homologous recombination leading to gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs). Here we find that fission yeast Srr1/Ber1 and Skb1/PRMT5 promote GCRs at centromeres. Genetic and physical analyses show that srr1 and skb1 mutations reduce isochromosome formation mediated by centromere inverted repeats. srr1 increases DNA damage sensitivity in rad51 cells but does not abolish checkpoint response, suggesting that Srr1 promotes Rad51-independent DNA repair. srr1 and rad52 additively, while skb1 and rad52 epistatically reduce GCRs. Unlike srr1 or rad52, skb1 does not increase damage sensitivity. Skb1 regulates cell morphology and cell cycle with Slf1 and Pom1, respectively, but neither Slf1 nor Pom1 causes GCRs. Mutating conserved residues in the arginine methyltransferase domain of Skb1 greatly reduces GCRs. These results suggest that, through arginine methylation, Skb1 forms aberrant DNA structures leading to Rad52-dependent GCRs. This study has uncovered roles for Srr1 and Skb1 in GCRs at centromeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piyusha Mongia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
- Forefront Research Center, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
| | - Naoko Toyofuku
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
| | - Ziyi Pan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
- Forefront Research Center, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
| | - Ran Xu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
- Forefront Research Center, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
| | - Yakumo Kinoshita
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
- Forefront Research Center, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
| | - Keitaro Oki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
| | - Hiroki Takahashi
- Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University, Chiba, 260-8673, Japan
| | - Yoshitoshi Ogura
- Division of Microbiology, Department of Infectious Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Fukuoka, 830-0011, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Hayashi
- Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan
| | - Takuro Nakagawa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan.
- Forefront Research Center, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan.
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17
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Cissé OH, Curran S, Folco HD, Liu Y, Bishop L, Wang H, Fischer ER, Davis AS, Babb-Biernacki S, Doyle VP, Richards JK, Hassan SA, Dekker JP, Khil PP, Brenchley JM, Grewal S, Cushion M, Ma L, Kovacs JA. The Host Adapted Fungal Pathogens of Pneumocystis Genus Utilize Genic Regional Centromeres. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.12.540427. [PMID: 37425787 PMCID: PMC10327204 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.12.540427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Centromeres are genomic regions that coordinate accurate chromosomal segregation during mitosis and meiosis. Yet, despite their essential function, centromeres evolve rapidly across eukaryotes. Centromeres are often the sites of chromosomal breaks which contribute to genome shuffling and promote speciation by inhibiting gene flow. How centromeres form in strongly host-adapted fungal pathogens has yet to be investigated. Here, we characterized the centromere structures in closely related species of mammalian-specific pathogens of the fungal phylum of Ascomycota. Methods allowing reliable continuous culture of Pneumocystis species do not currently exist, precluding genetic manipulation. CENP-A, a variant of histone H3, is the epigenetic marker that defines centromeres in most eukaryotes. Using heterologous complementation, we show that the Pneumocystis CENP-A ortholog is functionally equivalent to CENP-ACnp1 of Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Using organisms from a short-term in vitro culture or infected animal models and ChIP-seq, we identified centromeres in three Pneumocystis species that diverged ~100 million years ago. Each species has a unique short regional centromere (< 10kb) flanked by heterochromatin in 16-17 monocentric chromosomes. They span active genes and lack conserved DNA sequence motifs and repeats. CENP-C, a scaffold protein that links the inner centromere to the kinetochore appears dispensable in one species, suggesting a kinetochore rewiring. Despite the loss of DNA methyltransferases, 5-methylcytosine DNA methylation occurs in these species, though not related to centromere function. These features suggest an epigenetic specification of centromere function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ousmane H Cissé
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Shelly Curran
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - H Diego Folco
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Yueqin Liu
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Lisa Bishop
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Honghui Wang
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Elizabeth R Fischer
- Microscopy Unit, Research Technologies Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - A Sally Davis
- Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Manhattan, USA
| | - Spenser Babb-Biernacki
- Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Vinson P Doyle
- Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, Lousiana State University AgCenter, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Jonathan K Richards
- Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, Lousiana State University AgCenter, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Sergio A Hassan
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biosciences Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - John P Dekker
- Bacterial Pathogenesis and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, National Institute of Allergy, and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Pavel P Khil
- Bacterial Pathogenesis and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, National Institute of Allergy, and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jason M Brenchley
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy, and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Shiv Grewal
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Melanie Cushion
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Liang Ma
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Joseph A Kovacs
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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18
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Otake K, Kugou K, Robertlee J, Ohzeki JI, Okazaki K, Hanano S, Takahashi S, Shibata D, Masumoto H. De novo induction of a DNA-histone H3K9 methylation loop on synthetic human repetitive DNA in cultured tobacco cells. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 114:668-682. [PMID: 36825961 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Genetic modifications in plants are crucial tools for fundamental and applied research. Transgene expression usually varies among independent lines or their progeny and is associated with the chromatin structure of the insertion site. Strategies based on understanding how to manipulate the epigenetic state of the inserted gene cassette would help to ensure transgene expression. Here, we report a strategy for chromatin manipulation by the artificial tethering of epigenetic effectors to a synthetic human centromeric repetitive DNA (alphoid DNA) platform in plant Bright-Yellow-2 (BY-2) culture cells. By tethering DNA-methyltransferase (Nicotiana tabacum DRM1), we effectively induced DNA methylation and histone methylation (H3K9me2) on the alphoid DNA platform. Tethering of the Arabidopsis SUVH9, which has been reported to lack histone methyltransferase activity, also induced a similar epigenetic state on the alphoid DNA in BY-2 cells, presumably by activating the RNA-dependent DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway. Our results emphasize that the interplay between DNA and histone methylation mechanisms is intrinsic to plant cells. We also found that once epigenetic modification states were induced by the tethering of either DRM1 or SUVH9, the modification was maintained even when the direct tethering of the effector was inhibited. Our system enables the analysis of more diverse epigenetic effectors and will help to elucidate the chromatin assembly mechanisms of plant cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koichiro Otake
- Laboratory of Chromosome Engineering, Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 2-6-7 Kazusa-Kamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba, 292-0818, Japan
| | - Kazuto Kugou
- Laboratory of Chromosome Engineering, Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 2-6-7 Kazusa-Kamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba, 292-0818, Japan
| | - Jekson Robertlee
- Laboratory of Chromosome Engineering, Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 2-6-7 Kazusa-Kamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba, 292-0818, Japan
| | - Jun-Ichirou Ohzeki
- Laboratory of Chromosome Engineering, Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 2-6-7 Kazusa-Kamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba, 292-0818, Japan
| | - Koei Okazaki
- Laboratory of Chromosome Engineering, Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 2-6-7 Kazusa-Kamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba, 292-0818, Japan
| | - Shigeru Hanano
- Laboratory of Chromosome Engineering, Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 2-6-7 Kazusa-Kamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba, 292-0818, Japan
| | - Seiji Takahashi
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8579, Japan
| | - Daisuke Shibata
- Laboratory of Chromosome Engineering, Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 2-6-7 Kazusa-Kamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba, 292-0818, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Masumoto
- Laboratory of Chromosome Engineering, Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, 2-6-7 Kazusa-Kamatari, Kisarazu, Chiba, 292-0818, Japan
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19
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Fukagawa T, Kakutani T. Transgenerational epigenetic control of constitutive heterochromatin, transposons, and centromeres. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2023; 78:102021. [PMID: 36716679 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2023.102021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms are important not only for development but also for genome stability and chromosome dynamics. The latter types of epigenetic controls can often be transgenerational. Here, we review recent progress in two examples of transgenerational epigenetic control: i) the control of constitutive heterochromatin and transposable elements and ii) epigenetic mechanisms that regulate centromere specification and functions. We also discuss the biological significance of enigmatic associations among centromeres, transposons, and constitutive heterochromatin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuo Fukagawa
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. https://twitter.com/tatsuofukagawa1
| | - Tetsuji Kakutani
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
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20
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Kuzdere T, Flury V, Schalch T, Iesmantavicius V, Hess D, Bühler M. Differential phosphorylation of Clr4 SUV39H by Cdk1 accompanies a histone H3 methylation switch that is essential for gametogenesis. EMBO Rep 2022; 24:e55928. [PMID: 36408846 PMCID: PMC9827552 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202255928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Methylation of histone H3 at lysine 9 (H3K9) is a hallmark of heterochromatin that plays crucial roles in gene silencing, genome stability, and chromosome segregation. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Clr4 mediates both di- and tri-methylation of H3K9. Although H3K9 methylation has been intensely studied in mitotic cells, its role during sexual differentiation remains unclear. Here, we map H3K9 methylation genome-wide during meiosis and show that constitutive heterochromatin temporarily loses H3K9me2 and becomes H3K9me3 when cells commit to meiosis. Cells lacking the ability to tri-methylate H3K9 exhibit meiotic chromosome segregation defects. Finally, the H3K9 methylation switch is accompanied by differential phosphorylation of Clr4 by the cyclin-dependent kinase Cdk1. Our results suggest that a conserved master regulator of the cell cycle controls the specificity of an H3K9 methyltransferase to prevent ectopic H3K9 methylation and to ensure faithful gametogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahsin Kuzdere
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical ResearchBaselSwitzerland,University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Valentin Flury
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical ResearchBaselSwitzerland,University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Thomas Schalch
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical BiologyUniversity of LeicesterLeicesterUK
| | | | - Daniel Hess
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical ResearchBaselSwitzerland
| | - Marc Bühler
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical ResearchBaselSwitzerland,University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
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21
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Phylogenomic and Evolutionary Analyses Reveal Diversifications of SET-Domain Proteins in Fungi. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8111159. [DOI: 10.3390/jof8111159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, many publications have established histone lysine methylation as a central epigenetic modification in the regulation of chromatin and transcription. The histone lysine methyltransferases contain a conserved SET domain and are widely distributed in various organisms. However, a comprehensive study on the origin and diversification of the SET-domain-containing genes in fungi has not been conducted. In this study, a total of 3816 SET-domain-containing genes, which were identified and characterized using HmmSearch from 229 whole genomes sequenced fungal species, were used to ascertain their evolution and diversification in fungi. Using the CLANS program, all the SET-domain-containing genes were grouped into three main clusters, and each cluster contains several groups. Domain organization analysis showed that genes belonging to the same group have similar sequence structures. In contrast, different groups process domain organizations or locations differently, suggesting the SET-domain-containing genes belonging to different groups may have obtained distinctive regulatory mechanisms during their evolution. These genes that conduct the histone methylations (such as H3K4me, H3K9me, H3K27me, H4K20me, H3K36me) are mainly grouped into Cluster 1 while the other genes grouped into Clusters 2 and 3 are still functionally undetermined. Our results also showed that numerous gene duplication and loss events have happened during the evolution of those fungal SET-domain-containing proteins. Our results provide novel insights into the roles of SET-domain genes in fungal evolution and pave a fundamental path to further understanding the epigenetic basis of gene regulation in fungi.
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22
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Esquivel-Chávez A, Maki T, Tsubouchi H, Handa T, Kimura H, Haber JE, Thon G, Iwasaki H. Euchromatin factors HULC and Set1C affect heterochromatin organization and mating-type switching in fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Genes Genet Syst 2022; 97:123-138. [PMID: 35908934 DOI: 10.1266/ggs.22-00012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Mating-type (P or M) of fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is determined by the transcriptionally active mat1 cassette and is switched by gene conversion using a donor, either mat2 or mat3, located in an adjacent heterochromatin region (mating-type switching; MTS). In the switching process, heterochromatic donors of genetic information are selected based on the P or M cell type and on the action of two recombination enhancers, SRE2 promoting the use of mat2-P and SRE3 promoting the use of mat3-M, leading to replacement of the content of the expressed mat1 cassette. Recently, we found that the histone H3K4 methyltransferase complex Set1C participates in donor selection, raising the question of how a complex best known for its effects in euchromatin controls recombination in heterochromatin. Here, we report that the histone H2BK119 ubiquitin ligase complex HULC functions with Set1C in MTS, as mutants in the shf1, brl1, brl2 and rad6 genes showed defects similar to Set1C mutants and belonged to the same epistasis group as set1Δ. Moreover, using H3K4R and H2BK119R histone mutants and a Set1-Y897A catalytic mutant, we found that ubiquitylation of histone H2BK119 by HULC and methylation of histone H3K4 by Set1C are functionally coupled in MTS. Cell-type biases in MTS in these mutants suggested that HULC and Set1C inhibit the use of the SRE3 recombination enhancer in M cells, thus favoring SRE2 and mat2-P. Consistent with this, imbalanced switching in the mutants was traced to compromised association of the directionality factor Swi6 with the recombination enhancers in M cells. Based on their known effects at other chromosomal locations, we speculate that HULC and Set1C control nucleosome mobility and strand invasion near the SRE elements. In addition, we uncovered distinct effects of HULC and Set1C on histone H3K9 methylation and gene silencing, consistent with additional functions in the heterochromatic domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Esquivel-Chávez
- Department of Life Science and Technology, School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology
- Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology
| | - Takahisa Maki
- Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology
| | - Hideo Tsubouchi
- Department of Life Science and Technology, School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology
- Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology
| | - Testuya Handa
- Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology
| | - Hiroshi Kimura
- Department of Life Science and Technology, School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology
- Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology
| | - James E Haber
- Department of Biology and Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, Brandeis University
| | | | - Hiroshi Iwasaki
- Department of Life Science and Technology, School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology
- Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology
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23
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A stress-blinded Atf1 can fully assemble heterochromatin in a RNAi-independent minimal mat locus but impairs directionality of mat2/3 switching. iScience 2022; 25:104820. [PMID: 35992058 PMCID: PMC9389250 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The MAP kinase Sty1 phosphorylates and activates the transcription factor Atf1 in response to several stress conditions, which then shifts from a transcriptional repressor to an activator. Atf1 also participates in heterochromatin assembly at the mat locus, in combination with the RNA interference (RNAi) machinery. Here, we study the role of signal-dependent phosphorylation of Atf1 in heterochromatin establishment at mat, using different Atf1 phospho mutants. Although a hypo-phosphorylation Atf1 mutant, Atf1.10M, mediates heterochromatin assembly, the phosphomimic Atf1.10D is unable to maintain silencing. In a minimal mat locus, lacking the RNAi-recruiting cis elements and displaying intermediate silencing, Atf1.10M restores full heterochromatin and silencing. However, evolution experiments with this stress-blinded Atf1.10M show that it is unable to facilitate switching between the donor site mat3 and mat1. We propose that the unphosphorylated, inactive Atf1 contributes to proper heterochromatin assembly by recruiting repressive complexes, but its stress-dependent phosphorylation is required for recombination/switching to occur. The phosphorylation domain of Atf1 TF is required for heterochromatin assembly at mat Hypo-phosphorylated Atf1.10M mediates silencing by recruiting repressive complexes Stress-dependent phosphorylation of Atf1 is required for recombination and switching Atf1.10M is a heterochromatin assembly factor but impairs mat2/3 switching
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24
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Wu W, McHugh T, Kelly DA, Pidoux AL, Allshire RC. Establishment of centromere identity is dependent on nuclear spatial organization. Curr Biol 2022; 32:3121-3136.e6. [PMID: 35830853 PMCID: PMC9616734 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The establishment of centromere-specific CENP-A chromatin is influenced by epigenetic and genetic processes. Central domain sequences from fission yeast centromeres are preferred substrates for CENP-ACnp1 incorporation, but their use is context dependent, requiring adjacent heterochromatin. CENP-ACnp1 overexpression bypasses heterochromatin dependency, suggesting that heterochromatin ensures exposure to conditions or locations permissive for CENP-ACnp1 assembly. Centromeres cluster around spindle-pole bodies (SPBs). We show that heterochromatin-bearing minichromosomes localize close to SPBs, consistent with this location promoting CENP-ACnp1 incorporation. We demonstrate that heterochromatin-independent de novo CENP-ACnp1 chromatin assembly occurs when central domain DNA is placed near, but not far from, endogenous centromeres or neocentromeres. Moreover, direct tethering of central domain DNA at SPBs permits CENP-ACnp1 assembly, suggesting that the nuclear compartment surrounding SPBs is permissive for CENP-ACnp1 incorporation because target sequences are exposed to high levels of CENP-ACnp1 and associated assembly factors. Thus, nuclear spatial organization is a key epigenetic factor that influences centromere identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weifang Wu
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, Scotland, UK
| | - Toni McHugh
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, Scotland, UK
| | - David A Kelly
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, Scotland, UK
| | - Alison L Pidoux
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, Scotland, UK
| | - Robin C Allshire
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, Scotland, UK.
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25
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Biswas S, Chen Z, Karslake JD, Farhat A, Ames A, Raiymbek G, Freddolino PL, Biteen JS, Ragunathan K. HP1 oligomerization compensates for low-affinity H3K9me recognition and provides a tunable mechanism for heterochromatin-specific localization. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabk0793. [PMID: 35857444 PMCID: PMC9269880 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abk0793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
HP1 proteins traverse a complex and crowded chromatin landscape to bind with low affinity but high specificity to histone H3K9 methylation (H3K9me) and form transcriptionally inactive genomic compartments called heterochromatin. Here, we visualize single-molecule dynamics of an HP1 homolog, the fission yeast Swi6, in its native chromatin environment. By tracking single Swi6 molecules, we identify mobility states that map to discrete biochemical intermediates. Using Swi6 mutants that perturb H3K9me recognition, oligomerization, or nucleic acid binding, we determine how each biochemical property affects protein dynamics. We estimate that Swi6 recognizes H3K9me3 with ~94-fold specificity relative to unmodified nucleosomes in living cells. While nucleic acid binding competes with Swi6 oligomerization, as few as four tandem chromodomains can overcome these inhibitory effects to facilitate Swi6 localization at heterochromatin formation sites. Our studies indicate that HP1 oligomerization is essential to form dynamic, higher-order complexes that outcompete nucleic acid binding to enable specific H3K9me recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saikat Biswas
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Ziyuan Chen
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
| | - Joshua D. Karslake
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
| | - Ali Farhat
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Amanda Ames
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Gulzhan Raiymbek
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Peter L. Freddolino
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Julie S. Biteen
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
| | - Kaushik Ragunathan
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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26
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Ohzeki J, Kugou K, Otake K, Okazaki K, Takahashi S, Shibata D, Masumoto H. Introduction of a long synthetic repetitive DNA sequence into cultured tobacco cells. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY (TOKYO, JAPAN) 2022; 39:101-110. [PMID: 35937535 PMCID: PMC9300429 DOI: 10.5511/plantbiotechnology.21.1210a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Genome information has been accumulated for many species, and these genes and regulatory sequences are expected to be applied in plants by enhancing or creating new metabolic pathways. We hypothesized that manipulating a long array of repetitive sequences using tethered chromatin modulators would be effective for robust regulation of gene expression in close proximity to the arrays. This approach is based on a human artificial chromosome made of long synthetic repetitive DNA sequences in which we manipulated the chromatin by tethering the modifiers. However, a method for introducing long repetitive DNA sequences into plants has not yet been established. Therefore, we constructed a bacterial artificial chromosome-based binary vector in Escherichia coli cells to generate a construct in which a cassette of marker genes was inserted into 60-kb synthetic human centromeric repetitive DNA. The binary vector was then transferred to Agrobacterium cells and its stable maintenance confirmed. Next, using Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation, this construct was successfully introduced into the genome of cultured tobacco BY-2 cells to obtain a large number of stable one-copy strains. ChIP analysis of obtained BY-2 cell lines revealed that the introduced synthetic repetitive DNA has moderate chromatin modification levels with lower heterochromatin (H3K9me2) or euchromatin (H3K4me3) modifications compared to the host centromeric repetitive DNA or an active Tub6 gene, respectively. Such a synthetic DNA sequence with moderate chromatin modification levels is expected to facilitate manipulation of the chromatin structure to either open or closed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junichirou Ohzeki
- Laboratory of Chromosome Engineering, Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0818, Japan
| | - Kazuto Kugou
- Laboratory of Chromosome Engineering, Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0818, Japan
| | - Koichiro Otake
- Laboratory of Chromosome Engineering, Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0818, Japan
| | - Koei Okazaki
- Laboratory of Chromosome Engineering, Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0818, Japan
| | - Seiji Takahashi
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan
| | - Daisuke Shibata
- Laboratory of Chromosome Engineering, Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0818, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Masumoto
- Laboratory of Chromosome Engineering, Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0818, Japan
- E-mail: Tel: +81-438-52-3952 Fax: +81-438-52-3946
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27
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Monteagudo-Mesas P, Brönner C, Kohvaei P, Amedi H, Canzar S, Halic M. Ccr4-Not complex reduces transcription efficiency in heterochromatin. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:5565-5576. [PMID: 35640578 PMCID: PMC9177971 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Heterochromatic silencing is thought to occur through a combination of transcriptional silencing and RNA degradation, but the relative contribution of each pathway is not known. In this study, we analyzed RNA Polymerase II (RNA Pol II) occupancy and levels of nascent and steady-state RNA in different mutants of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, in order to quantify the contribution of each pathway to heterochromatic silencing. We found that transcriptional silencing consists of two components, reduced RNA Pol II accessibility and, unexpectedly, reduced transcriptional efficiency. Heterochromatic loci showed lower transcriptional output compared to euchromatic loci, even when comparable amounts of RNA Pol II were present in both types of regions. We determined that the Ccr4-Not complex and H3K9 methylation are required for reduced transcriptional efficiency in heterochromatin and that a subset of heterochromatic RNA is degraded more rapidly than euchromatic RNA. Finally, we quantified the contribution of different chromatin modifiers, RNAi and RNA degradation to each silencing pathway. Our data show that several pathways contribute to heterochromatic silencing in a locus-specific manner and reveal transcriptional efficiency as a new mechanism of silencing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cornelia Brönner
- Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Parastou Kohvaei
- Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Haris Amedi
- Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Stefan Canzar
- Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Mario Halic
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 263 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
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28
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Boldyreva LV, Andreyeva EN, Pindyurin AV. Position Effect Variegation: Role of the Local Chromatin Context in Gene Expression Regulation. Mol Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026893322030049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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29
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Cohen A, Pataki E, Kupiec M, Weisman R. TOR complex 2 contributes to regulation of gene expression via inhibiting Gcn5 recruitment to subtelomeric and DNA replication stress genes. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010061. [PMID: 35157728 PMCID: PMC8880919 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The fission yeast TOR complex 2 (TORC2) is required for gene silencing at subtelomeric regions and for the induction of gene transcription in response to DNA replication stress. Thus, TORC2 affects transcription regulation both negatively and positively. Whether these two TORC2-dependent functions share a common molecular mechanism is currently unknown. Here, we show that Gad8 physically interacts with proteins that regulate transcription, including subunits of the Spt-Ada-Gcn5-acetyltransferase (SAGA) complex and the BET bromodomain protein Bdf2. We demonstrate that in the absence of TORC2, Gcn5, the histone acetyltransferase subunit of SAGA, accumulates at subtelomeric genes and at non-induced promoters of DNA replication genes. Remarkably, the loss of Gcn5 in TORC2 mutant cells restores gene silencing as well as transcriptional induction in response to DNA replication stress. Loss of Bdf2 alleviates excess of Gcn5 binding in TORC2 mutant cells and also rescues the aberrant regulation of transcription in these cells. Furthermore, the loss of either SAGA or Bdf2 suppresses the sensitivity of TORC2 mutant cells to a variety of stresses, including DNA replication, DNA damage, temperature and nutrient stresses. We suggest a role of TORC2 in transcriptional regulation that is critical for gene silencing and gene induction in response to stress and involves the binding of Gcn5 to the chromatin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adiel Cohen
- Department of Natural and Life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Ra’anana, Israel
| | - Emese Pataki
- Department of Natural and Life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Ra’anana, Israel
| | - Martin Kupiec
- The Shmunis School of Biomedicine & Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ronit Weisman
- Department of Natural and Life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Ra’anana, Israel
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30
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Thakur RK, Prasad P, Bhardwaj SC, Gangwar OP, Kumar S. Epigenetics of wheat-rust interaction: an update. PLANTA 2022; 255:50. [PMID: 35084577 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-022-03829-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The outcome of different host-pathogen interactions is influenced by both genetic and epigenetic systems, which determine the response of plants to pathogens and vice versa. This review highlights key molecular mechanisms and conceptual advances involved in epigenetic research and the progress made in epigenetics of wheat-rust interactions. Epigenetics implies the heritable changes in the way of gene expression as a consequence of the modification of DNA bases, histone proteins, and/or non-coding-RNA biogenesis without disturbing the underlying nucleotide sequence. The changes occurring between DNA and its surrounding chromatin without altering its DNA sequence and leading to significant changes in the genome of any organism are called epigenetic changes. Epigenetics has already been used successfully to explain the mechanism of human pathogens and in the identification of pathogen-induced modifications within various host plants. Wheat rusts are one of the most vital fungal diseases throughout the major wheat-growing areas of the world. The epigenome in plant pathogens causing diseases such as wheat rusts is mysterious. The investigations of host and pathogen epigenetics in the wheat rusts system can offer a piece of suitable evidence for elucidation of the molecular basis of host-pathogen interaction. Besides, the information on the epigenetic regulation of the genes involved in resistance or pathogenicity will provide better insights into the complex resistance signaling pathways and could provide answers to certain key questions, such as whether epigenetic regulation of certain genes is imparting resistance to host in response of certain pathogen elicitors or not. In the last few years, there has been an upsurge in research on the host as well as pathogen epigenetics and its outcome in plant-pathogen interactions. This review summarizes the progress made in the areas related to the epigenetic control of host-pathogen interaction with particular emphasis on wheat rusts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajni Kant Thakur
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Regional Station, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, 171002, India
| | - Pramod Prasad
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Regional Station, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, 171002, India.
| | - S C Bhardwaj
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Regional Station, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, 171002, India.
| | - O P Gangwar
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Regional Station, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, 171002, India
| | - Subodh Kumar
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Regional Station, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, 171002, India
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31
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The histone chaperone FACT facilitates heterochromatin spreading by regulating histone turnover and H3K9 methylation states. Cell Rep 2021; 37:109944. [PMID: 34731638 PMCID: PMC8608617 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Heterochromatin formation requires three distinct steps: nucleation, self-propagation (spreading) along the chromosome, and faithful maintenance after each replication cycle. Impeding any of those steps induces heterochromatin defects and improper gene expression. The essential histone chaperone FACT (facilitates chromatin transcription) has been implicated in heterochromatin silencing, but the mechanisms by which FACT engages in this process remain opaque. Here, we pinpoint its function to the heterochromatin spreading process in fission yeast. FACT impairment reduces nucleation-distal H3K9me3 and HP1/Swi6 accumulation at subtelomeres and derepresses genes in the vicinity of heterochromatin boundaries. FACT promotes spreading by repressing heterochromatic histone turnover, which is crucial for the H3K9me2 to me3 transition that enables spreading. FACT mutant spreading defects are suppressed by removal of the H3K9 methylation antagonist Epe1. Together, our study identifies FACT as a histone chaperone that promotes heterochromatin spreading and lends support to the model that regulated histone turnover controls the propagation of repressive methylation marks. Heterochromatin establishment requires distinct nucleation and spreading steps. Murawska et al. show that the conserved and essential histone chaperone FACT facilitates the heterochromatin spreading process by maintaining low heterochromatic histone turnover, which enables a productive H3K9 trimethylation step by the methyltransferase Clr4 in fission yeast.
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Mathison AJ, Kerketta R, de Assuncao TM, Leverence E, Zeighami A, Urrutia G, Stodola TJ, di Magliano MP, Iovanna JL, Zimmermann MT, Lomberk G, Urrutia R. Kras G12D induces changes in chromatin territories that differentially impact early nuclear reprogramming in pancreatic cells. Genome Biol 2021; 22:289. [PMID: 34649604 PMCID: PMC8518179 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-021-02498-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma initiation is most frequently caused by Kras mutations. RESULTS Here, we apply biological, biochemical, and network biology methods to validate GEMM-derived cell models using inducible KrasG12D expression. We describe the time-dependent, chromatin remodeling program that impacts function during early oncogenic signaling. We find that the KrasG12D-induced transcriptional response is dominated by downregulated expression concordant with layers of epigenetic events. More open chromatin characterizes the ATAC-seq profile associated with a smaller group of upregulated genes and epigenetic marks. RRBS demonstrates that promoter hypermethylation does not account for the silencing of the extensive gene promoter network. Moreover, ChIP-Seq reveals that heterochromatin reorganization plays little role in this early transcriptional program. Notably, both gene activation and silencing primarily depend on the marking of genes with a combination of H3K27ac, H3K4me3, and H3K36me3. Indeed, integrated modeling of all these datasets shows that KrasG12D regulates its transcriptional program primarily through unique super-enhancers and enhancers, and marking specific gene promoters and bodies. We also report chromatin remodeling across genomic areas that, although not contributing directly to cis-gene transcription, are likely important for KrasG12D functions. CONCLUSIONS In summary, we report a comprehensive, time-dependent, and coordinated early epigenomic program for KrasG12D in pancreatic cells, which is mechanistically relevant to understanding chromatin remodeling events underlying transcriptional outcomes needed for the function of this oncogene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela J Mathison
- Genomic Science and Precision Medicine Center (GSPMC), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
- Division of Research, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Romica Kerketta
- Genomic Science and Precision Medicine Center (GSPMC), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
- Division of Research, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | | | - Elise Leverence
- Genomic Science and Precision Medicine Center (GSPMC), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Atefeh Zeighami
- Genomic Science and Precision Medicine Center (GSPMC), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Guillermo Urrutia
- Division of Research, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Timothy J Stodola
- Genomic Science and Precision Medicine Center (GSPMC), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
- Division of Research, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | | | - Juan L Iovanna
- Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Marseille (CRCM), INSERM U1068, CNRS UMR 7258, Aix-Marseille Université and Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Parc Scientifique et Technologique de Luminy, Marseille, France
| | - Michael T Zimmermann
- Genomic Science and Precision Medicine Center (GSPMC), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
- Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Gwen Lomberk
- Genomic Science and Precision Medicine Center (GSPMC), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
- Division of Research, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
| | - Raul Urrutia
- Genomic Science and Precision Medicine Center (GSPMC), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
- Division of Research, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
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Zhang Z, He C, Chen Y, Li B, Tian S. DNA Methyltransferases Regulate Pathogenicity of Botrytis cinerea to Horticultural Crops. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7080659. [PMID: 34436198 PMCID: PMC8399656 DOI: 10.3390/jof7080659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Botrytis cinerea is one of the most destructive fungal pathogens that cause gray mold rot in horticultural products, including fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers, leading to serious economic losses. B. cinerea is difficult to control because it has strong stress resistance and complex infection modes. The pathogenic mechanisms of B. cinerea have been revealed at multiple levels, but little is known at the epigenetic level. In this study, we first revealed the important role of DNA methyltransferases in regulating the development and pathogenicity of B. cinerea. We showed that two DNA methyltransferases, BcDIM2 and BcRID2, showed a strong synergistic effect in regulating the pathogenicity of B. cinerea. The double knockout mutant ΔBcdim2rid2 showed slower mycelial growth, lower spore germination, attenuated oxidative tolerance, and complete pathogenicity loss on various hosts, which is related to the reduced expression of virulence-related genes in ΔBcdim2rid2 and the induced resistance of the host. Although B. cinerea has multiple DNA methyltransferases, the global methylation level is very low, and few 5mC sites can be detected by BS-seq. These results first revealed the important role and the action mode of DNA methyltransferases in B. cinerea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhanquan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; (Z.Z.); (C.H.); (Y.C.); (B.L.)
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chang He
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; (Z.Z.); (C.H.); (Y.C.); (B.L.)
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; (Z.Z.); (C.H.); (Y.C.); (B.L.)
| | - Boqiang Li
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; (Z.Z.); (C.H.); (Y.C.); (B.L.)
| | - Shiping Tian
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; (Z.Z.); (C.H.); (Y.C.); (B.L.)
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Correspondence:
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Joshi A, Musicante MJ, Wheeler BS. Defining the consequences of endogenous genetic variation within a novel family of Schizosaccharomyces pombe heterochromatin nucleating sequences. G3 GENES|GENOMES|GENETICS 2021; 11:6291246. [PMID: 34849813 PMCID: PMC8496282 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Centromeres are essential for genetic inheritance—they prevent aneuploidy by providing a physical link between DNA and chromosome segregation machinery. In many organisms, centromeres form at sites of repetitive DNAs that help establish the chromatin architecture required for centromere function. These repeats are often rapidly evolving and subject to homogenization, which causes the expansion of novel repeats and sequence turnover. Thus, centromere sequence varies between individuals and across species. This variation can affect centromere function. We utilized Schizosaccharomyces pombe to assess the relationship between centromere sequence and chromatin structure and determine how sensitive this relationship is to genetic variation. In S. pombe, nucleating sequences within centromere repeats recruit heterochromatin via multiple mechanisms, which include RNA-interference (RNAi) . Heterochromatin, in turn, contributes to centromere function through its participation in three essential processes; establishment of a kinetochore, cohesion of sister chromatids, and suppression of recombination. Here, we show that a centromere element containing RevCen, a target of the RNAi pathway, establishes heterochromatin and gene silencing when relocated to a chromosome arm. Within this RevCen-containing element (RCE), a highly conserved domain is necessary for full heterochromatin nucleation but cannot establish heterochromatin independently. We characterize the 10 unique RCEs in the S. pombe centromere assembly, which range from 60% to 99.6% identical, and show that all are sufficient to establish heterochromatin. These data affirm the importance of centromere repeats in establishing heterochromatin and suggest there is flexibility within the sequences that mediate this process. Such flexibility may preserve centromere function despite the rapid evolution of centromere repeats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arati Joshi
- Department of Biology, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN 38112, USA
| | | | - Bayly S Wheeler
- Department of Biology, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN 38112, USA
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Breakers and amplifiers in chromatin circuitry: acetylation and ubiquitination control the heterochromatin machinery. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2021; 71:156-163. [PMID: 34303934 PMCID: PMC8667873 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2021.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Eukaryotic genomes are segregated into active euchromatic and repressed heterochromatic compartments. Gene regulatory networks, chromosomal structures, and genome integrity rely on the timely and locus-specific establishment of active and silent states to protect the genome and provide the basis for cell division and specification of cellular identity. Here, we focus on the mechanisms and molecular machinery that establish heterochromatin in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and compare it with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the mammalian polycomb system. We present recent structural and mechanistic evidence, which suggests that histone acetylation protects active transcription by disrupting the positive feedback loops used by the heterochromatin machinery and that H2A and H3 monoubiquitination actively drives heterochromatin, whereas H2B monoubiquitination mobilizes the defenses to quench heterochromatin. Heterochromatin-associated complexes are attracted and repelled by histone marks. Acetylation of specific lysine residues protects euchromatin from silencing. Methylation of histone H3 lysine 9 and 27 amplifies heterochromatin. Nucleosome ubiquitination licences and enforces feedback loops.
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Vyas A, Freitas AV, Ralston ZA, Tang Z. Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe: A Unicellular "Micromammal" Model Organism. Curr Protoc 2021; 1:e151. [PMID: 34101381 PMCID: PMC8193909 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is a rod-shaped unicellular eukaryote, well known for its contributions as a model organism for our understanding of regulation and conservation of the eukaryotic cell cycle. As a yeast divergent from the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, S. pombe shares more common features with humans including gene structures, chromatin dynamics, and the prevalence of introns, as well as the control of gene expression through pre-mRNA splicing, epigenetic gene silencing, and RNAi pathways. With the advent of new methodologies for research, S. pombe has become an increasingly used model to investigate various molecular and cellular processes over the last 50 years. Also, S. pombe serves as an excellent system for undergraduate students to obtain hands-on research experience. Versatile experimental approaches are amenable using the fission yeast system due to its relative ease of maintenance, its inherent cellular properties, its power in classic and molecular genetics, and its feasibility in genomics and proteomics analyses. This article provides an overview of S. pombe's rise as a valuable model organism and presents examples to highlight the significance of S. pombe as a unicellular "micromammal" in investigating biological questions. We especially focus on the advantages of and the advancements in using fission yeast for studying biological processes that are characteristic of metazoans to decipher the underlining molecular mechanisms fundamental to all eukaryotes. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi Vyas
- W.M. Keck Science Department, The Claremont Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Anna V. Freitas
- W.M. Keck Science Department, The Claremont Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Zachary A. Ralston
- W.M. Keck Science Department, The Claremont Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Zhaohua Tang
- W.M. Keck Science Department, The Claremont Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
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H3K4me2 ChIP-Seq reveals the epigenetic landscape during mushroom formation and novel developmental regulators of Schizophyllum commune. Sci Rep 2021; 11:8178. [PMID: 33854169 PMCID: PMC8046757 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-87635-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Mushroom formation represents the most complex multicellular development in fungi. In the model mushroom Schizophyllum commune, comparative genomics and transcriptomics have previously resulted in a regulatory model of mushroom development. However, little is known about the role of epigenetic regulation. We used chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-Seq) to determine the distribution of dimethylation of lysine 4 on histone H3 (H3K4me2), a mark for transcriptionally active genes, during monokaryotic and dikaryotic development. We identified a total of 6032 and 5889 sites during monokaryotic and dikaryotic development, respectively. The sites were strongly enriched near translation initiation sites of genes. Although the overall epigenetic landscape was similar between both conditions, we identified 837 sites of differential enrichment during monokaryotic or dikaryotic development, associated with 965 genes. Six transcription factor genes were enriched in H3K4me2 during dikaryotic development, indicating that these are epigenetically regulated during development. Deletion of two of these genes (fst1 and zfc7) resulted in arrested development of fruiting bodies, resulting in immature mushrooms. Together these results indicate that H3K4me2 ChIP-Seq is a powerful new tool to map the restructuring of the epigenetic landscape during mushroom development. Moreover, it can be used to identify novel developmental regulators.
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Lee SY, Hung S, Esnault C, Pathak R, Johnson KR, Bankole O, Yamashita A, Zhang H, Levin HL. Dense Transposon Integration Reveals Essential Cleavage and Polyadenylation Factors Promote Heterochromatin Formation. Cell Rep 2021; 30:2686-2698.e8. [PMID: 32101745 PMCID: PMC9497450 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.01.094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Heterochromatin functions as a scaffold for factors responsible for gene
silencing and chromosome segregation. Heterochromatin can be assembled by
multiple pathways, including RNAi and RNA surveillance. We identified factors
that form heterochromatin using dense profiles of transposable element
integration in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The candidates
include a large number of essential proteins such as four canonical mRNA
cleavage and polyadenylation factors. We find that Iss1, a subunit of the
poly(A) polymerase module, plays a role in forming heterochromatin in centromere
repeats that is independent of RNAi. Genome-wide maps reveal that Iss1
accumulates at genes regulated by RNA surveillance. Iss1 interacts with RNA
surveillance factors Mmi1 and Rrp6, and importantly, Iss1 contributes to RNA
elimination that forms heterochromatin at meiosis genes. Our profile of
transposable element integration supports the model that a network of mRNA
cleavage and polyadenylation factors coordinates RNA surveillance, including the
mechanism that forms heterochromatin at meiotic genes. Lee et al. use dense profiles of transposon integration to identify genes
important for the formation of heterochromatin. Among many candidates, Iss1 is a
canonical mRNA cleavage and polyadenylation factor found to be important for
heterochromatin at meiotic genes by recruiting the nuclear exosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si Young Lee
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Stevephen Hung
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Caroline Esnault
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Rakesh Pathak
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kory R Johnson
- Bioinformatics Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Oluwadamilola Bankole
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Akira Yamashita
- National Institute for Basic Biology, Nishigonaka 38, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
| | - Hongen Zhang
- Bioinformatics and Scientific Programming Core, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Henry L Levin
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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Misova I, Pitelova A, Budis J, Gazdarica J, Sedlackova T, Jordakova A, Benko Z, Smondrkova M, Mayerova N, Pichlerova K, Strieskova L, Prevorovsky M, Gregan J, Cipak L, Szemes T, Polakova SB. Repression of a large number of genes requires interplay between homologous recombination and HIRA. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:1914-1934. [PMID: 33511417 PMCID: PMC7913671 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
During homologous recombination, Dbl2 protein is required for localisation of Fbh1, an F-box helicase that efficiently dismantles Rad51-DNA filaments. RNA-seq analysis of dbl2Δ transcriptome showed that the dbl2 deletion results in upregulation of more than 500 loci in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Compared with the loci with no change in expression, the misregulated loci in dbl2Δ are closer to long terminal and long tandem repeats. Furthermore, the misregulated loci overlap with antisense transcripts, retrotransposons, meiotic genes and genes located in subtelomeric regions. A comparison of the expression profiles revealed that Dbl2 represses the same type of genes as the HIRA histone chaperone complex. Although dbl2 deletion does not alleviate centromeric or telomeric silencing, it suppresses the silencing defect at the outer centromere caused by deletion of hip1 and slm9 genes encoding subunits of the HIRA complex. Moreover, our analyses revealed that cells lacking dbl2 show a slight increase of nucleosomes at transcription start sites and increased levels of methylated histone H3 (H3K9me2) at centromeres, subtelomeres, rDNA regions and long terminal repeats. Finally, we show that other proteins involved in homologous recombination, such as Fbh1, Rad51, Mus81 and Rad54, participate in the same gene repression pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Misova
- Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Centre of Biosciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 840 05 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Alexandra Pitelova
- Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Centre of Biosciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 840 05 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jaroslav Budis
- Comenius University Science Park, 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
- Geneton Ltd., 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
- Slovak Centre of Scientific and Technical Information, 811 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Juraj Gazdarica
- Geneton Ltd., 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
- Slovak Centre of Scientific and Technical Information, 811 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Tatiana Sedlackova
- Comenius University Science Park, 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
- Geneton Ltd., 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Anna Jordakova
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 128 00 Praha 2, Czechia
| | - Zsigmond Benko
- Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Centre of Biosciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 840 05 Bratislava, Slovakia
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, H-4010 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Maria Smondrkova
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Nina Mayerova
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Karoline Pichlerova
- Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Centre of Biosciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 840 05 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Lucia Strieskova
- Comenius University Science Park, 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
- Geneton Ltd., 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Martin Prevorovsky
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 128 00 Praha 2, Czechia
| | - Juraj Gregan
- Advanced Microscopy Facility, VBCF and Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna Biocenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Lubos Cipak
- Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Tomas Szemes
- Comenius University Science Park, 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
- Geneton Ltd., 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
- Slovak Centre of Scientific and Technical Information, 811 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Silvia Bagelova Polakova
- Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Centre of Biosciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 840 05 Bratislava, Slovakia
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, 841 04 Bratislava, Slovakia
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The Role of Non-Catalytic Domains of Hrp3 in Nucleosome Remodeling. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22041793. [PMID: 33670267 PMCID: PMC7918567 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22041793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The Helicase-related protein 3 (Hrp3), an ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling enzyme from the CHD family, is crucial for maintaining global nucleosome occupancy in Schizosaccharomyces pombe (S. pombe). Although the ATPase domain of Hrp3 is essential for chromatin remodeling, the contribution of non-ATPase domains of Hrp3 is still unclear. Here, we investigated the role of non-ATPase domains using in vitro methods. In our study, we expressed and purified recombinant S. pombe histone proteins, reconstituted them into histone octamers, and assembled nucleosome core particles. Using reconstituted nucleosomes and affinity-purified wild type and mutant Hrp3 from S. pombe we created a homogeneous in vitro system to evaluate the ATP hydrolyzing capacity of truncated Hrp3 proteins. We found that all non-ATPase domain deletions (∆chromo, ∆SANT, ∆SLIDE, and ∆coupling region) lead to reduced ATP hydrolyzing activities in vitro with DNA or nucleosome substrates. Only the coupling region deletion showed moderate stimulation of ATPase activity with the nucleosome. Interestingly, affinity-purified Hrp3 showed co-purification with all core histones suggesting a strong association with the nucleosomes in vivo. However, affinity-purified Hrp3 mutant with SANT and coupling regions deletion showed complete loss of interactions with the nucleosomes, while SLIDE and chromodomain deletions reduced Hrp3 interactions with the nucleosomes. Taken together, nucleosome association and ATPase stimulation by DNA or nucleosomes substrate suggest that the enzymatic activity of Hrp3 is fine-tuned by unique contributions of all four non-catalytic domains.
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Parental nucleosome segregation and the inheritance of cellular identity. Nat Rev Genet 2021; 22:379-392. [PMID: 33500558 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-020-00312-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Gene expression programmes conferring cellular identity are achieved through the organization of chromatin structures that either facilitate or impede transcription. Among the key determinants of chromatin organization are the histone modifications that correlate with a given transcriptional status and chromatin state. Until recently, the details for the segregation of nucleosomes on DNA replication and their implications in re-establishing heritable chromatin domains remained unclear. Here, we review recent findings detailing the local segregation of parental nucleosomes and highlight important advances as to how histone methyltransferases associated with the establishment of repressive chromatin domains facilitate epigenetic inheritance.
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Fission Yeast Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase Ensures Mitotic and Meiotic Chromosome Segregation Fidelity. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22020639. [PMID: 33440639 PMCID: PMC7827777 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a key enzyme in the folate metabolic pathway, and its loss of function through polymorphisms is often associated with human conditions, including cancer, congenital heart disease, and Down syndrome. MTHFR is also required in the maintenance of heterochromatin, a crucial determinant of genomic stability and precise chromosomal segregation. Here, we characterize the function of a fission yeast gene met11+, which encodes a protein that is highly homologous to the mammalian MTHFR. We show that, although met11+ is not essential for viability, its disruption increases chromosome missegregation and destabilizes constitutive heterochromatic regions at pericentromeric, sub-telomeric and ribosomal DNA (rDNA) loci. Transcriptional silencing at these sites were disrupted, which is accompanied by the reduction in enrichment of histone H3 lysine 9 dimethylation (H3K9me2) and binding of the heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1)-like Swi6. The met11 null mutant also dominantly disrupts meiotic fidelity, as displayed by reduced sporulation efficiency and defects in proper partitioning of the genetic material during meiosis. Interestingly, the faithful execution of these meiotic processes is synergistically ensured by cooperation among Met11, Rec8, a meiosis-specific cohesin protein, and the shugoshin protein Sgo1, which protects Rec8 from untimely cleavage. Overall, our results suggest a key role for Met11 in maintaining pericentromeric heterochromatin for precise genetic inheritance during mitosis and meiosis.
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Reevaluating the roles of histone-modifying enzymes and their associated chromatin modifications in transcriptional regulation. Nat Genet 2020; 52:1271-1281. [PMID: 33257899 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-020-00736-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 183] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Histone-modifying enzymes are implicated in the control of diverse DNA-templated processes including gene expression. Here, we outline historical and current thinking regarding the functions of histone modifications and their associated enzymes. One current viewpoint, based largely on correlative evidence, posits that histone modifications are instructive for transcriptional regulation and represent an epigenetic 'code'. Recent studies have challenged this model and suggest that histone marks previously associated with active genes do not directly cause transcriptional activation. Additionally, many histone-modifying proteins possess non-catalytic functions that overshadow their enzymatic activities. Given that much remains unknown regarding the functions of these proteins, the field should be cautious in interpreting loss-of-function phenotypes and must consider both cellular and developmental context. In this Perspective, we focus on recent progress relating to the catalytic and non-catalytic functions of the Trithorax-COMPASS complexes, Polycomb repressive complexes and Clr4/Suv39 histone-modifying machineries.
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Liu J, Ali M, Zhou Q. Establishment and evolution of heterochromatin. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2020; 1476:59-77. [PMID: 32017156 PMCID: PMC7586837 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The eukaryotic genome is packaged into transcriptionally active euchromatin and silent heterochromatin, with most studies focused on the former encompassing the majority of protein-coding genes. The recent development of various sequencing techniques has refined this classic dichromatic partition and has better illuminated the composition, establishment, and evolution of this genomic and epigenomic "dark matter" in the context of topologically associated domains and phase-separated droplets. Heterochromatin includes genomic regions that can be densely stained by chemical dyes, which have been shown to be enriched for repetitive elements and epigenetic marks, including H3K9me2/3 and H3K27me3. Heterochromatin is usually replicated late, concentrated at the nuclear periphery or around nucleoli, and usually lacks highly expressed genes; and now it is considered to be as neither genetically inert nor developmentally static. Heterochromatin guards genome integrity against transposon activities and exerts important regulatory functions by targeting beyond its contained genes. Both its nucleotide sequences and regulatory proteins exhibit rapid coevolution between species. In addition, there are dynamic transitions between euchromatin and heterochromatin during developmental and evolutionary processes. We summarize here the ever-changing characteristics of heterochromatin and propose models and principles for the evolutionary transitions of heterochromatin that have been mainly learned from studies of Drosophila and yeast. Finally, we highlight the role of sex chromosomes in studying heterochromatin evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Liu
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, Life Sciences InstituteZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- Department of Molecular Evolution and DevelopmentUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Mujahid Ali
- Department of Molecular Evolution and DevelopmentUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Qi Zhou
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, Life Sciences InstituteZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- Department of Molecular Evolution and DevelopmentUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of MedicineZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
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Nuclear Envelope Proteins Modulating the Heterochromatin Formation and Functions in Fission Yeast. Cells 2020; 9:cells9081908. [PMID: 32824370 PMCID: PMC7464478 DOI: 10.3390/cells9081908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The nuclear envelope (NE) consists of the inner and outer nuclear membranes (INM and ONM), and the nuclear pore complex (NPC), which penetrates the double membrane. ONM continues with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). INM and NPC can interact with chromatin to regulate the genetic activities of the chromosome. Studies in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe have contributed to understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying heterochromatin formation by the RNAi-mediated and histone deacetylase machineries. Recent studies have demonstrated that NE proteins modulate heterochromatin formation and functions through interactions with heterochromatic regions, including the pericentromeric and the sub-telomeric regions. In this review, we first introduce the molecular mechanisms underlying the heterochromatin formation and functions in fission yeast, and then summarize the NE proteins that play a role in anchoring heterochromatic regions and in modulating heterochromatin formation and functions, highlighting roles for a conserved INM protein, Lem2.
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Arunkumar G, Melters DP. Centromeric Transcription: A Conserved Swiss-Army Knife. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:E911. [PMID: 32784923 PMCID: PMC7463856 DOI: 10.3390/genes11080911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In most species, the centromere is comprised of repetitive DNA sequences, which rapidly evolve. Paradoxically, centromeres fulfill an essential function during mitosis, as they are the chromosomal sites wherein, through the kinetochore, the mitotic spindles bind. It is now generally accepted that centromeres are transcribed, and that such transcription is associated with a broad range of functions. More than a decade of work on this topic has shown that centromeric transcripts are found across the eukaryotic tree and associate with heterochromatin formation, chromatin structure, kinetochore structure, centromeric protein loading, and inner centromere signaling. In this review, we discuss the conservation of small and long non-coding centromeric RNAs, their associations with various centromeric functions, and their potential roles in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniël P. Melters
- Chromatin Structure and Epigenetic Mechanisms, Laboratory of Receptor Biology and Gene Expression, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA;
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Ramírez-Tejero JA, Cabanás CGL, Valverde-Corredor A, Mercado-Blanco J, Luque F. Epigenetic Regulation of Verticillium dahliae Virulence: Does DNA Methylation Level Play A Role? Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21155197. [PMID: 32707958 PMCID: PMC7432615 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21155197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Verticillium dahliae is the etiological agent of Verticillium wilt of olive. The virulence of Defoliating V. dahliae isolates usually displays differences and high plasticity. This work studied whether an epigenetic mechanism was involved in this plasticity. An inverse correlation between virulence and DNA methylation of protein-coding genes was found. A set of 831 genes was selected for their highly consistent inverse methylation profile and virulence in the five studied isolates. Of these genes, ATP-synthesis was highly represented, which indicates that the more virulent D isolates are, the more energy requirements they may have. Furthermore, there were numerous genes in the protein biosynthesis process: genes coding for the chromatin structure, which suggests that epigenetic changes may also affect chromatin condensation; many transmembrane transporter genes, which is consistent with denser compounds, traffic through membranes in more virulent isolates; a fucose-specific lectin that may play a role in the attachment to plant cell walls during the host infection process; and pathogenic cutinases that facilitate plant invasion and sporulation genes for rapid spreading alongside plants. Our findings support the notion that differences in the virulence of the Defoliating V. dahliae isolates may be controlled, at least to some extent, by an epigenetic mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge A. Ramírez-Tejero
- Center for Advanced Studies in Olive Grove and Olive Oils, Department of Experimental Biology, Univ. Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain;
| | - Carmen Gómez-Lama Cabanás
- Department of Crop Protection, Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Campus ‘Alameda del Obispo’, Avenida Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004 Apartado, Córdoba, Spain; (C.G.-L.C.); (A.V.-C.); (J.M.-B.)
| | - Antonio Valverde-Corredor
- Department of Crop Protection, Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Campus ‘Alameda del Obispo’, Avenida Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004 Apartado, Córdoba, Spain; (C.G.-L.C.); (A.V.-C.); (J.M.-B.)
| | - Jesús Mercado-Blanco
- Department of Crop Protection, Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Campus ‘Alameda del Obispo’, Avenida Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004 Apartado, Córdoba, Spain; (C.G.-L.C.); (A.V.-C.); (J.M.-B.)
| | - Francisco Luque
- Center for Advanced Studies in Olive Grove and Olive Oils, Department of Experimental Biology, Univ. Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain;
- Correspondence:
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Takayama Y. Identification of Genes Encoding CENP-A and Heterochromatin Protein 1 of Lipomyces starkeyi and Functional Analysis Using Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11070769. [PMID: 32650514 PMCID: PMC7397231 DOI: 10.3390/genes11070769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Centromeres function as a platform for the assembly of multiple kinetochore proteins and are essential for chromosome segregation. An active centromere is characterized by the presence of a centromere-specific histone H3 variant, CENP-A. Faithful centromeric localization of CENP-A is supported by heterochromatin in almost all eukaryotes; however, heterochromatin proteins have been lost in most Saccharomycotina. Here, identification of CENP-A (CENP-AL.s.) and heterochromatin protein 1 (Lsw1) in a Saccharomycotina species, the oleaginous yeast Lipomyces starkeyi, is reported. To determine if these proteins are functional, the proteins in S. pombe, a species widely used to study centromeres, were ectopically expressed. CENP-AL.s. localizes to centromeres and can be replaced with S. pombe CENP-A, indicating that CENP-AL.s. is a functional centromere-specific protein. Lsw1 binds at heterochromatin regions, and chromatin binding is dependent on methylation of histone H3 at lysine 9. In other species, self-interaction of heterochromatin protein 1 is thought to cause folding of chromatin, triggering transcription repression and heterochromatin formation. Consistent with this, it was found that Lsw1 can self-interact. L. starkeyi chromatin contains the methylation of histone H3 at lysine 9. These results indicated that L. starkeyi has a primitive heterochromatin structure and is an attractive model for analysis of centromere heterochromatin evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuko Takayama
- Department of Biosciences, School of Science and Engineering, Teikyo University, 1-1 Toyosatodai, Utsunomiya, Tochigi 320–8551, Japan; ; Tel.: +81-28-627-7242
- Division of Integrated Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Teikyo University Graduate Schools, 1–1 Toyosatodai, Utsunomiya, Tochigi 320–8551, Japan
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Laribee RN, Weisman R. Nuclear Functions of TOR: Impact on Transcription and the Epigenome. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:E641. [PMID: 32532005 PMCID: PMC7349558 DOI: 10.3390/genes11060641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The target of rapamycin (TOR) protein kinase is at the core of growth factor- and nutrient-dependent signaling pathways that are well-known for their regulation of metabolism, growth, and proliferation. However, TOR is also involved in the regulation of gene expression, genomic and epigenomic stability. TOR affects nuclear functions indirectly through its activity in the cytoplasm, but also directly through active nuclear TOR pools. The mechanisms by which TOR regulates its nuclear functions are less well-understood compared with its cytoplasmic activities. TOR is an important pharmacological target for several diseases, including cancer, metabolic and neurological disorders. Thus, studies of the nuclear functions of TOR are important for our understanding of basic biological processes, as well as for clinical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. Nicholas Laribee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine and Center for Cancer Research, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 19 South Manassas, Cancer Research Building Rm 318, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Ronit Weisman
- Department of Natural and Life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, University Road 1, Ra’anana 4353701, Israel
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