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Challal D, Menant A, Goksal C, Leroy E, Al-Sady B, Rougemaille M. A dual, catalytic role for the fission yeast Ccr4-Not complex in gene silencing and heterochromatin spreading. Genetics 2023; 224:iyad108. [PMID: 37279920 PMCID: PMC10411572 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad108] [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: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Heterochromatic gene silencing relies on combinatorial control by specific histone modifications, the occurrence of transcription, and/or RNA degradation. Once nucleated, heterochromatin propagates within defined chromosomal regions and is maintained throughout cell divisions to warrant proper genome expression and integrity. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the Ccr4-Not complex partakes in gene silencing, but its relative contribution to distinct heterochromatin domains and its role in nucleation versus spreading have remained elusive. Here, we unveil major functions for Ccr4-Not in silencing and heterochromatin spreading at the mating type locus and subtelomeres. Mutations of the catalytic subunits Caf1 or Mot2, involved in RNA deadenylation and protein ubiquitinylation, respectively, result in impaired propagation of H3K9me3 and massive accumulation of nucleation-distal heterochromatic transcripts. Both silencing and spreading defects are suppressed upon disruption of the heterochromatin antagonizing factor Epe1. Overall, our results position the Ccr4-Not complex as a critical, dual regulator of heterochromatic gene silencing and spreading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drice Challal
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France
| | - Alexandra Menant
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France
| | - Can Goksal
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, George Williams Hooper Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Estelle Leroy
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France
| | - Bassem Al-Sady
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, George Williams Hooper Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Mathieu Rougemaille
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France
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Bao K, Shan CM, Chen X, Raiymbek G, Monroe JG, Fang Y, Toda T, Koutmou KS, Ragunathan K, Lu C, Berchowitz LE, Jia S. The cAMP signaling pathway regulates Epe1 protein levels and heterochromatin assembly. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010049. [PMID: 35171902 PMCID: PMC8887748 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The epigenetic landscape of a cell frequently changes in response to fluctuations in nutrient levels, but the mechanistic link is not well understood. In fission yeast, the JmjC domain protein Epe1 is critical for maintaining the heterochromatin landscape. While loss of Epe1 results in heterochromatin expansion, overexpression of Epe1 leads to defective heterochromatin. Through a genetic screen, we found that mutations in genes of the cAMP signaling pathway suppress the heterochromatin defects associated with Epe1 overexpression. We further demonstrated that the activation of Pka1, the downstream effector of cAMP signaling, is required for the efficient translation of epe1+ mRNA to maintain Epe1 overexpression. Moreover, inactivation of the cAMP-signaling pathway, either through genetic mutations or glucose deprivation, leads to the reduction of endogenous Epe1 and corresponding heterochromatin changes. These results reveal the mechanism by which the cAMP signaling pathway regulates heterochromatin landscape in fission yeast. Genomic DNA is folded with histones into chromatin and posttranslational modifications on histones separate chromatin into active euchromatin and repressive heterochromatin. These chromatin domains often change in response to environmental cues, such as nutrient levels. How environmental changes affect histone modifications is not well understood. Here, we found that in fission yeast, the cAMP signaling pathway is required for the function of Epe1, an enzyme that removes histone modifications associated with heterochromatin. Moreover, we found that active cAMP signaling ensures the efficient translation of epe1+ mRNA and therefore maintains high Epe1 protein levels. Finally, we show that changing glucose levels, which modulate cAMP signaling, also affect heterochromatin in a way consistent with cAMP signaling-mediated Epe1 protein level changes. As histone-modifying enzymes often require cofactors that are metabolic intermediates, previous studies on the impact of nutrient levels on chromatin states have mainly focused on metabolites. Our results suggest that nutrient-sensing signaling pathways also regulate histone-modifying enzymes in response to nutritional conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kehan Bao
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Chun-Min Shan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Xiao Chen
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, United States of America
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Gulzhan Raiymbek
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Jeremy G. Monroe
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Yimeng Fang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Takenori Toda
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Kristin S. Koutmou
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Kaushik Ragunathan
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Chao Lu
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, United States of America
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Luke E. Berchowitz
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Songtao Jia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
The fission yeast silent mating-type region provides an excellent system to ask how chromatic domains with opposite effects on gene expression coexist side by side along chromosomes and to investigate roles played by DNA elements and architectural proteins in the phenomenon. By showing that the IR-L and IR-R chromatin boundaries favor heterochromatin formation in the domain that separates them, dependent on each other and on binding sites for the architectural factor TFIIIC, our work brings to light an important function of these elements and supports the notion that similar types of interactions between boundaries might in other organisms as well stimulate heterochromatin formation in intervening chromosomal loops to actively shape gene expression landscapes. In fission yeast, the inverted repeats IR-L and IR-R function as boundary elements at the edges of a 20-kb silent heterochromatic domain where nucleosomes are methylated at histone H3K9. Each repeat contains a series of B-box motifs physically associated with the architectural TFIIIC complex and with other factors including the replication regulator Sap1 and the Rix1 complex (RIXC). We demonstrate here the activity of these repeats in heterochromatin formation and maintenance. Deletion of the entire IR-R repeat or, to a lesser degree, deletion of just the B boxes impaired the de novo establishment of the heterochromatic domain. Nucleation proceeded normally at the RNA interference (RNAi)-dependent element cenH but subsequent propagation to the rest of the region occurred at reduced rates in the mutants. Once established, heterochromatin was unstable in the mutants. These defects resulted in bistable populations of cells occupying alternate “on” and “off” epigenetic states. Deleting IR-L in combination with IR-R synergistically tipped the balance toward the derepressed state, revealing a concerted action of the two boundaries at a distance. The nuclear rim protein Amo1 has been proposed to tether the mating-type region and its boundaries to the nuclear envelope, where Amo1 mutants displayed milder phenotypes than boundary mutants. Thus, the boundaries might facilitate heterochromatin propagation and maintenance in ways other than just through Amo1, perhaps by constraining a looped domain through pairing.
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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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Greenstein RA, Barrales RR, Sanchez NA, Bisanz JE, Braun S, Al-Sady B. Set1/COMPASS repels heterochromatin invasion at euchromatic sites by disrupting Suv39/Clr4 activity and nucleosome stability. Genes Dev 2020; 34:99-117. [PMID: 31805521 PMCID: PMC6938669 DOI: 10.1101/gad.328468.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Protection of euchromatin from invasion by gene-repressive heterochromatin is critical for cellular health and viability. In addition to constitutive loci such as pericentromeres and subtelomeres, heterochromatin can be found interspersed in gene-rich euchromatin, where it regulates gene expression pertinent to cell fate. While heterochromatin and euchromatin are globally poised for mutual antagonism, the mechanisms underlying precise spatial encoding of heterochromatin containment within euchromatic sites remain opaque. We investigated ectopic heterochromatin invasion by manipulating the fission yeast mating type locus boundary using a single-cell spreading reporter system. We found that heterochromatin repulsion is locally encoded by Set1/COMPASS on certain actively transcribed genes and that this protective role is most prominent at heterochromatin islands, small domains interspersed in euchromatin that regulate cell fate specifiers. Sensitivity to invasion by heterochromatin, surprisingly, is not dependent on Set1 altering overall gene expression levels. Rather, the gene-protective effect is strictly dependent on Set1's catalytic activity. H3K4 methylation, the Set1 product, antagonizes spreading in two ways: directly inhibiting catalysis by Suv39/Clr4 and locally disrupting nucleosome stability. Taken together, these results describe a mechanism for spatial encoding of euchromatic signals that repel heterochromatin invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- R A Greenstein
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, George Williams Hooper Foundation, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
- TETRAD Graduate Program, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
| | - Ramon R Barrales
- Department of Physiological Chemistry, Biomedical Center (BMC), Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Nicholas A Sanchez
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, George Williams Hooper Foundation, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
- TETRAD Graduate Program, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
| | - Jordan E Bisanz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, George Williams Hooper Foundation, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
| | - Sigurd Braun
- Department of Physiological Chemistry, Biomedical Center (BMC), Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Bassem Al-Sady
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, George Williams Hooper Foundation, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
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Bao K, Shan CM, Moresco J, Yates J, Jia S. Anti-silencing factor Epe1 associates with SAGA to regulate transcription within heterochromatin. Genes Dev 2018; 33:116-126. [PMID: 30573453 PMCID: PMC6317313 DOI: 10.1101/gad.318030.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In this study, Bao et al. investigated how transcription is regulated within heterochromatin in fission yeast. They show that overexpressed Epe1 associates with SAGA and recruits SAGA to heterochromatin regions (which leads to an increase in histone acetylation, transcription of repeats, and the disruption of heterochromatin) and that Epe1 recruits SAGA to regulate transcription within heterochromatin when expressed at normal levels. Heterochromatin is a highly condensed form of chromatin that silences gene transcription. Although high levels of transcriptional activities disrupt heterochromatin, transcription of repetitive DNA elements and subsequent processing of the transcripts by the RNAi machinery are required for heterochromatin assembly. In fission yeast, a JmjC domain protein, Epe1, promotes transcription of DNA repeats to facilitate heterochromatin formation, but overexpression of Epe1 leads to heterochromatin defects. However, the molecular function of Epe1 is not well understood. By screening the fission yeast deletion library, we found that heterochromatin defects associated with Epe1 overexpression are alleviated by mutations of the SAGA histone acetyltransferase complex. Overexpressed Epe1 associates with SAGA and recruits SAGA to heterochromatin regions, which leads to increased histone acetylation, transcription of repeats, and the disruption of heterochromatin. At its normal expression levels, Epe1 also associates with SAGA, albeit weakly. Such interaction regulates histone acetylation levels at heterochromatin and promotes transcription of repeats for heterochromatin assembly. Our results also suggest that increases of certain chromatin protein levels, which frequently occur in cancer cells, might strengthen relatively weak interactions to affect the epigenetic landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kehan Bao
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
| | - Chun-Min Shan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
| | - James Moresco
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Neurobiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - John Yates
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Neurobiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Songtao Jia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
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Greenstein RA, Jones SK, Spivey EC, Rybarski JR, Finkelstein IJ, Al-Sady B. Noncoding RNA-nucleated heterochromatin spreading is intrinsically labile and requires accessory elements for epigenetic stability. eLife 2018; 7:32948. [PMID: 30020075 PMCID: PMC6070336 DOI: 10.7554/elife.32948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The heterochromatin spreading reaction is a central contributor to the formation of gene-repressive structures, which are re-established with high positional precision, or fidelity, following replication. How the spreading reaction contributes to this fidelity is not clear. To resolve the origins of stable inheritance of repression, we probed the intrinsic character of spreading events in fission yeast using a system that quantitatively describes the spreading reaction in live single cells. We show that spreading triggered by noncoding RNA-nucleated elements is stochastic, multimodal, and fluctuates dynamically across time. This lack of stability correlates with high histone turnover. At the mating type locus, this unstable behavior is restrained by an accessory cis-acting element REIII, which represses histone turnover. Further, REIII safeguards epigenetic memory against environmental perturbations. Our results suggest that the most prevalent type of spreading, driven by noncoding RNA-nucleators, is epigenetically unstable and requires collaboration with accessory elements to achieve high fidelity.
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Affiliation(s)
- R A Greenstein
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, George Williams Hooper Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,TETRAD graduate program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Stephen K Jones
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States
| | - Eric C Spivey
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States
| | - James R Rybarski
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States
| | - Ilya J Finkelstein
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States.,Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States
| | - Bassem Al-Sady
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, George Williams Hooper Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
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Abstract
Heterochromatin is a key architectural feature of eukaryotic chromosomes, which endows particular genomic domains with specific functional properties. The capacity of heterochromatin to restrain the activity of mobile elements, isolate DNA repair in repetitive regions and ensure accurate chromosome segregation is crucial for maintaining genomic stability. Nucleosomes at heterochromatin regions display histone post-translational modifications that contribute to developmental regulation by restricting lineage-specific gene expression. The mechanisms of heterochromatin establishment and of heterochromatin maintenance are separable and involve the ability of sequence-specific factors bound to nascent transcripts to recruit chromatin-modifying enzymes. Heterochromatin can spread along the chromatin from nucleation sites. The propensity of heterochromatin to promote its own spreading and inheritance is counteracted by inhibitory factors. Because of its importance for chromosome function, heterochromatin has key roles in the pathogenesis of various human diseases. In this Review, we discuss conserved principles of heterochromatin formation and function using selected examples from studies of a range of eukaryotes, from yeast to human, with an emphasis on insights obtained from unicellular model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Freitag
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331
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10
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Mizuguchi T, Barrowman J, Grewal SIS. Chromosome domain architecture and dynamic organization of the fission yeast genome. FEBS Lett 2015; 589:2975-86. [PMID: 26096785 PMCID: PMC4598268 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2015.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2015] [Revised: 06/08/2015] [Accepted: 06/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Advanced techniques including the chromosome conformation capture (3C) methodology and its derivatives are complementing microscopy approaches to study genome organization, and are revealing new details of three-dimensional (3D) genome architecture at increasing resolution. The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe (S. pombe) comprises a small genome featuring organizational elements of more complex eukaryotic systems, including conserved heterochromatin assembly machinery. Here we review key insights into genome organization revealed in this model system through a variety of techniques. We discuss the predominant role of Rabl-like configuration for interphase chromosome organization and the dynamic changes that occur during mitosis and meiosis. High resolution Hi-C studies have also revealed the presence of locally crumpled chromatin regions called "globules" along chromosome arms, and implicated a critical role for pericentromeric heterochromatin in imposing fundamental constraints on the genome to maintain chromosome territoriality and stability. These findings have shed new light on the connections between genome organization and function. It is likely that insights gained from the S. pombe system will also broadly apply to higher eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Mizuguchi
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Jemima Barrowman
- 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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