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Anyetei-Anum CS, Leatham-Jensen MP, Fox GC, Smith BR, Krajewski K, Strahl BD, Dowen JM, Matera AG, Duronio RJ, McKay DJ. Dual roles of histone H3 lysine-4 in antagonizing Polycomb group function and promoting target gene expression. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.25.600669. [PMID: 38979215 PMCID: PMC11230394 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.25.600669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Tight control over cell identity gene expression is necessary for proper adult form and function. The opposing activities of Polycomb and trithorax complexes determine the ON/OFF state of targets like the Hox genes. Trithorax encodes a methyltransferase specific to histone H3 lysine-4 (H3K4). However, there is no direct evidence that H3K4 regulates Polycomb group target genes in vivo . Here, we demonstrate two key roles for replication-dependent histone H3.2K4 in target control. We find that H3.2K4 antagonizes Polycomb group catalytic activity and that it is required for proper target gene activation. We conclude that H3.2K4 directly regulates expression of Polycomb targets.
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Möller M, Ridenour JB, Wright DF, Martin FA, Freitag M. H4K20me3 is important for Ash1-mediated H3K36me3 and transcriptional silencing in facultative heterochromatin in a fungal pathogen. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010945. [PMID: 37747878 PMCID: PMC10553808 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010945] [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: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Facultative heterochromatin controls development and differentiation in many eukaryotes. In metazoans, plants, and many filamentous fungi, facultative heterochromatin is characterized by transcriptional repression and enrichment with nucleosomes that are trimethylated at histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3). While loss of H3K27me3 results in derepression of transcriptional gene silencing in many species, additional up- and downstream layers of regulation are necessary to mediate control of transcription in chromosome regions enriched with H3K27me3. Here, we investigated the effects of one histone mark on histone H4, namely H4K20me3, in the fungus Zymoseptoria tritici, a globally important pathogen of wheat. Deletion of kmt5, the gene encoding the sole methyltransferase responsible for H4K20 methylation, resulted in global derepression of transcription, especially in regions of facultative heterochromatin. Derepression in the absence of H4K20me3 not only affected known genes but also a large number of novel, previously undetected transcripts generated from regions of facultative heterochromatin on accessory chromosomes. Transcriptional activation in kmt5 deletion strains was accompanied by a complete loss of Ash1-mediated H3K36me3 and chromatin reorganization affecting H3K27me3 and H3K4me2 distribution in regions of facultative heterochromatin. Strains with H4K20L, M or Q mutations in the single histone H4 gene of Z. tritici recapitulated these chromatin changes, suggesting that H4K20me3 is important for Ash1-mediated H3K36me3. The ∆kmt5 mutants we obtained were more sensitive to genotoxic stressors than wild type and both, ∆kmt5 and ∆ash1, showed greatly increased rates of accessory chromosome loss. Taken together, our results provide insights into an unsuspected mechanism involved in the assembly and maintenance of facultative heterochromatin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mareike Möller
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - John B. Ridenour
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Devin F. Wright
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Faith A. Martin
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Michael Freitag
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
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Yoon E, Song JJ. Caf1 regulates the histone methyltransferase activity of Ash1 by sensing unmodified histone H3. Epigenetics Chromatin 2023; 16:15. [PMID: 37118845 PMCID: PMC10148413 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-023-00487-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Histone modifications are one of the many key mechanisms that regulate gene expression. Ash1 is a histone H3K36 methyltransferase and is involved in gene activation. Ash1 forms a large complex with Mrg15 and Caf1/p55/Nurf55/RbAp48 (AMC complex). The Ash1 subunit alone exhibits very low activity due to the autoinhibition, and the binding of Mrg15 releases the autoinhibition. Caf1 is a scaffolding protein commonly found in several chromatin modifying complexes and has two histone binding pockets: one for H3 and the other for H4. Caf1 has the ability to sense unmodified histone H3K4 residues using the H3 binding pocket. However, the role of Caf1 in the AMC complex has not been investigated. Here, we dissected the interaction among the AMC complex subunits, revealing that Caf1 uses the histone H4 binding pocket to interact with Ash1 near the histone binding module cluster. Furthermore, we showed that H3K4 methylation inhibits AMC HMTase activity via Caf1 sensing unmodified histone H3K4 to regulate the activity in an internucleosomal manner, suggesting that crosstalk between H3K4 and H3K36 methylation. Our work revealed a delicate mechanism by which the AMC histone H3K36 methyltransferase complex is regulated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eojin Yoon
- Department of Biological Sciences, KI for BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Korea
| | - Ji-Joon Song
- Department of Biological Sciences, KI for BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Korea.
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Ma Q, Song C, Yin B, Shi Y, Ye L. The role of Trithorax family regulating osteogenic and Chondrogenic differentiation in mesenchymal stem cells. Cell Prolif 2022; 55:e13233. [PMID: 35481717 PMCID: PMC9136489 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.13233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) hold great promise and clinical efficacy in bone/cartilage regeneration. With a deeper understanding of stem cell biology over the past decade, epigenetics stands out as one of the most promising ways to control MSCs differentiation. Trithorax group (TrxG) proteins, including the COMPASS family, ASH1L, CBP/p300 as histone modifying factors, and the SWI/SNF complexes as chromatin remodelers, play an important role in gene expression regulation during the process of stem cell differentiation. This review summarises the components and functions of TrxG complexes. We provide an overview of the regulation mechanisms of TrxG in MSCs osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation, and discuss the prospects of epigenetic regulation mediated by TrxG in bone and cartilage regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingge Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Department of Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Chenghao Song
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Department of Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Bei Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yu Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ling Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Department of Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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Erlendson AA, Freitag M. Not all Is SET for Methylation: Evolution of Eukaryotic Protein Methyltransferases. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2529:3-40. [PMID: 35733008 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2481-4_1] [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] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Dynamic posttranslational modifications to canonical histones that constitute the nucleosome (H2A, H2B, H3, and H4) control all aspects of enzymatic transactions with DNA. Histone methylation has been studied heavily for the past 20 years, and our mechanistic understanding of the control and function of individual methylation events on specific histone arginine and lysine residues has been greatly improved over the past decade, driven by excellent new tools and methods. Here, we will summarize what is known about the distribution and some of the functions of protein methyltransferases from all major eukaryotic supergroups. The main conclusion is that protein, and specifically histone, methylation is an ancient process. Many taxa in all supergroups have lost some subfamilies of both protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMT) and the heavily studied SET domain lysine methyltransferases (KMT). Over time, novel subfamilies, especially of SET domain proteins, arose. We use the interactions between H3K27 and H3K36 methylation as one example for the complex circuitry of histone modifications that make up the "histone code," and we discuss one recent example (Paramecium Ezl1) for how extant enzymes that may resemble more ancient SET domain KMTs are able to modify two lysine residues that have divergent functions in plants, fungi, and animals. Complexity of SET domain KMT function in the well-studied plant and animal lineages arose not only by gene duplication but also acquisition of novel DNA- and histone-binding domains in certain subfamilies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allyson A Erlendson
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Michael Freitag
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.
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The Trithorax group protein ASH1 requires a combination of BAH domain and AT hooks, but not the SET domain, for mitotic chromatin binding and survival. Chromosoma 2021; 130:215-234. [PMID: 34331109 PMCID: PMC8426247 DOI: 10.1007/s00412-021-00762-z] [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: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The Drosophila Trithorax group (TrxG) protein ASH1 remains associated with mitotic chromatin through mechanisms that are poorly understood. ASH1 dimethylates histone H3 at lysine 36 via its SET domain. Here, we identify domains of the TrxG protein ASH1 that are required for mitotic chromatin attachment in living Drosophila. Quantitative live imaging demonstrates that ASH1 requires AT hooks and the BAH domain but not the SET domain for full chromatin binding in metaphase, and that none of these domains are essential for interphase binding. Genetic experiments show that disruptions of the AT hooks and the BAH domain together, but not deletion of the SET domain alone, are lethal. Transcriptional profiling demonstrates that intact ASH1 AT hooks and the BAH domain are required to maintain expression levels of a specific set of genes, including several involved in cell identity and survival. This study identifies in vivo roles for specific ASH1 domains in mitotic binding, gene regulation, and survival that are distinct from its functions as a histone methyltransferase.
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Cui LX, Tian YQ, Hao HS, Zou HY, Pang YW, Zhao SJ, Zhao XM, Zhu HB, Du WH. Knockdown of ASH1L methyltransferase induced apoptosis inhibiting proliferation and H3K36 methylation in bovine cumulus cells. Theriogenology 2020; 161:65-73. [PMID: 33296745 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2020.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the expression and function of absent, small, or homeotic 1-like (ASH1L) methyltransferase in bovine cumulus cells in order to reveal by which mechanisms ASH1L regulates epigenetic modification and apoptosis in cumulus cells. The location of ASH1L and the methylation pattern of H3K36 were detected using immunofluorescence staining in cumulus cells. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) and western blotting were used to screen for effective siRNA targeting the ASH1L gene. Also, the mRNA expression levels of apoptosis-related genes and polycomb inhibitory complex genes were estimated by qPCR after knocking down the ASH1L gene in bovine cumulus cells. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were measured with the CCK-8 method and Annexin V-FITC by flow cytometry, respectively. The results of immunofluorescence analysis showed that ASH1L is located in the nucleus of bovine cumulus cells and is distributed in a dotted pattern. ASH1L knockdown in cumulus cells induced a decrease in the levels of H3K36me1/2/3 methylation (P < 0.05). Additionally, ASH1L knockdown inhibited cell proliferation, increased the apoptosis rate, and upregulated the expression of apoptosis genes CASPASE-3, BAX and BAX/BCL-2 ratio (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the mRNA expression levels of EZH2 and SUZ12, two subunits of PRC2 protein, were increased in cells with ASH1L knockdown (P < 0.05). Therefore, the expression of ASH1L methyltransferase and its function in on the apoptosis of bovine cumulus cells were first studied. The mechanism by which ASH1L regulates the histone methylation and apoptosis in cumulus cells was also revealed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Xin Cui
- Embryo Biotechnology and Reproduction Laboratory, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ya-Qing Tian
- Embryo Biotechnology and Reproduction Laboratory, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hai-Sheng Hao
- Embryo Biotechnology and Reproduction Laboratory, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hui-Ying Zou
- Embryo Biotechnology and Reproduction Laboratory, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yun-Wei Pang
- Embryo Biotechnology and Reproduction Laboratory, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shan-Jiang Zhao
- Embryo Biotechnology and Reproduction Laboratory, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xue-Ming Zhao
- Embryo Biotechnology and Reproduction Laboratory, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hua-Bin Zhu
- Embryo Biotechnology and Reproduction Laboratory, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei-Hua Du
- Embryo Biotechnology and Reproduction Laboratory, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
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