Nucleosome dynamics. VI. Histone tail regulation of tetrasome chiral transition. A relaxation study of tetrasomes on DNA minicircles

DNA Sequence Is a Major Determinant of Tetrasome Dynamics

Eukaryotic genomes are hierarchically organized into protein-DNA assemblies for compaction into the nucleus. Nucleosomes, with the (H3-H4)2 tetrasome as a likely intermediate, are highly dynamic in nature by way of several different mechanisms. We have recently shown that tetrasomes spontaneously change the direction of their DNA wrapping between left- and right-handed conformations, which may prevent torque buildup in chromatin during active transcription or replication. DNA sequence has been shown to strongly affect nucleosome positioning throughout chromatin. It is not known, however, whether DNA sequence also impacts the dynamic properties of tetrasomes. To address this question, we examined tetrasomes assembled on a high-affinity DNA sequence using freely orbiting magnetic tweezers. In this context, we also studied the effects of mono- and divalent salts on the flipping dynamics. We found that neither DNA sequence nor altered buffer conditions affect overall tetrasome structure. In contrast, tetrasomes bound to high-affinity DNA sequences showed significantly altered flipping kinetics, predominantly via a reduction in the lifetime of the canonical state of left-handed wrapping. Increased mono- and divalent salt concentrations counteracted this behavior. Thus, our study indicates that high-affinity DNA sequences impact not only the positioning of the nucleosome but that they also endow the subnucleosomal tetrasome with enhanced conformational plasticity. This may provide a means to prevent histone loss upon exposure to torsional stress, thereby contributing to the integrity of chromatin at high-affinity sites.

Modification of the histone tetramer at the H3-H3 interface impacts tetrasome conformations and dynamics

Nucleosomes consisting of a short piece of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) wrapped around an octamer of histone proteins form the fundamental unit of chromatin in eukaryotes. Their role in DNA compaction comes with regulatory functions that impact essential genomic processes such as replication, transcription, and repair. The assembly of nucleosomes obeys a precise pathway in which tetramers of histones H3 and H4 bind to the DNA first to form tetrasomes, and two dimers of histones H2A and H2B are subsequently incorporated to complete the complex. As viable intermediates, we previously showed that tetrasomes can spontaneously flip between a left-handed and right-handed conformation of DNA-wrapping. To pinpoint the underlying mechanism, here we investigated the role of the H3-H3 interface for tetramer flexibility in the flipping process at the single-molecule level. Using freely orbiting magnetic tweezers, we studied the assembly and structural dynamics of individual tetrasomes modified at the cysteines close to this interaction interface by iodoacetamide (IA) in real time. While such modification did not affect the structural properties of the tetrasomes, it caused a 3-fold change in their flipping kinetics. The results indicate that the IA-modification enhances the conformational plasticity of tetrasomes. Our findings suggest that subnucleosomal dynamics may be employed by chromatin as an intrinsic and adjustable mechanism to regulate DNA supercoiling.

Free-energy landscape of mono- and dinucleosomes: Enhanced rotational flexibility of interconnected nucleosomes

The nucleosome represents the basic unit of eukaryotic genome organization, and its conformational fluctuations play a crucial role in various cellular processes. Here we provide insights into the flipping transition of a nucleosome by computing its free-energy landscape as a function of the linking number and nucleosome orientation using the density-of-states Monte Carlo approach. To investigate how the energy landscape is affected by the presence of neighboring nucleosomes in a chromatin fiber, we also compute the free-energy landscape for a dinucleosome array. We find that the mononucleosome is bistable between conformations with negatively and positively crossed linkers while the conformation with open linkers appears as a transition state. The dinucleosome exhibits a markedly different energy landscape in which the conformation with open linkers populates not only the transition state but also the global minimum. This enhanced stability of the open state is attributed to increased rotational flexibility of nucleosomes arising from their mechanical coupling with neighboring nucleosomes. Our results provide a possible mechanism by which chromatin may enhance the accessibility of its DNA and facilitate the propagation and mitigation of DNA torsional stresses.

Use of double-stranded DNA mini-circles to characterize the covalent topoisomerase-DNA complex

The enzymatic DNA relaxation requires the DNA to be transiently nicked and rejoined, the covalent topoisomerase-DNA complex being a key intermediate of the nicking-joining reaction. Practically, this reaction is most often characterized by oligonucleotides. However, the incision-religation of an oligonucleotide does not fully recapitulate the incision-religation occuring during relaxation and the preferred substrate for such reaction characterization is supercoiled DNA. We therefore developed a method that used radiolabeled supercoiled DNA mini-circles to characterize the covalent enzyme-DNA complex formed during a relaxation reaction. Resolution of the relaxation products under different conditions permitted to quantify the proportion of covalent complex formed during the relaxation catalyzed by two topoisomerase models, the Escherichia coli topoisomerase I and the calf thymus topoisomerase I. As expected, the covalent complex formed with the calf thymus topoisomerase I was significantly enriched by camptothecin, a widely-used inhibitor of this topoisomerase, and a salt jump permitted the multiple topoisomerases trapped per mini-circle to complete the reaction cycle. The identified positions of the camptothecin-induced incision sites were shown to be independent of the linking number and the substrate circular nature Overall, our results demonstrate that supercoiled mini-circles constitute a powerful and polyvalent substrate to characterize the mechanism of action of novel topoisomerases and inhibitors, including the incision-religation reaction.

A brief review of nucleosome structure

The nucleosomal subunit organization of chromatin provides a multitude of functions. Nucleosomes elicit an initial ∼7-fold linear compaction of genomic DNA. They provide a critical mechanism for stable repression of genes and other DNA-dependent activities by restricting binding of trans-acting factors to cognate DNA sequences. Conversely they are engineered to be nearly meta-stable and disassembled (and reassembled) in a facile manner to allow rapid access to the underlying DNA during processes such as transcription, replication and DNA repair. Nucleosomes protect the genome from DNA damaging agents and provide a lattice onto which a myriad of epigenetic signals are deposited. Moreover, vast strings of nucleosomes provide a framework for assembly of the chromatin fiber and higher-order chromatin structures. Thus, in order to provide a foundation for understanding these functions, we present a review of the basic elements of nucleosome structure and stability, including the association of linker histones.

A mutational mimic analysis of histone H3 post-translational modifications: specific sites influence the conformational state of H3/H4, causing either positive or negative supercoiling of DNA

Histone H3 has specific sites of post-translational modifications that serve as epigenetic signals to cellular machinery to direct various processes. Mutational mimics of these modifications (glutamine for acetylation, methionine and leucine for methylation, and glutamic acid for phosphorylation) were constructed at the relevant sites of the major histone variant, H3.2, and their effects on the conformational equilibrium of the H3/H4 tetramer at physiological ionic strength were determined when bound to or free of DNA. The deposition vehicle used for this analysis was NAP1, nucleosome assembly protein 1. Acetylation mimics in the N-terminus preferentially stabilized the left-handed conformer (DNA negatively supercoiled), and mutations within the globular region preferred the right-handed conformer (DNA positively supercoiled). The methylation mimics in the N-terminus tended to maintain characteristics similar to those of wild-type H3/H4; i.e., the conformational equilibrium maintains similar levels of both left- and right-handed conformers. Phosphorylation mimics facilitated a mixed effect, i.e., when at serines, the left-handed conformer, and at threonines, a mixture of both conformers. When double mutations were present, the conformational equilibrium was shifted dramatically, either leftward or rightward depending on the specific sites. In contrast, these mutations tended not to affect the direction and extent of supercoiling for variants H3.1 and H3.3. Variant H3.3 promoted only the left-handed conformer, and H3.1 tended to maintain both conformers. Additional experiments indicate the importance of a propagation mechanism for ensuring the formation of a particular superhelical state over an extended region of the DNA. The potential relevance of these results to the maintenance of epigenetic information on a gene is discussed.

Chromatin under mechanical stress: from single 30 nm fibers to single nucleosomes

About a decade ago, the elastic properties of a single chromatin fiber and, subsequently, those of a single nucleosome started to be explored using optical and magnetic tweezers. These techniques have allowed direct measurements of several essential physical parameters of individual nucleosomes and nucleosomal arrays, including the forces responsible for the maintenance of the structure of both the chromatin fiber and the individual nucleosomes, as well as the mechanism of their unwinding under mechanical stress. Experiments on the assembly of individual chromatin fibers have illustrated the complexity of the process and the key role of certain specific components. Nevertheless a substantial disparity exists in the data reported from various experiments. Chromatin, unlike naked DNA, is a system which is extremely sensitive to environmental conditions, and studies carried out under even slightly different conditions are difficult to compare directly. In this review we summarize the available data and their impact on our knowledge of both nucleosomal structure and the dynamics of nucleosome and chromatin fiber assembly and organization.

Histone N-terminal tails interfere with nucleosome traversal by RNA polymerase II

We determined the effect of the N-terminal histone tails on nucleosome traversal by yeast and human RNA polymerase II (pol II). Removal of H2A/H2B tails, H3/H4 tails, or all tails increased complete traversal of the nucleosome by human pol II, although the increase varied considerably depending on the template and on which tails were removed. Human pol II achieved >80% traversal of one nucleosomal template lacking the H2A/H2B tails, but even in those reactions, the transcript elongation rate was lower than the rate on pure DNA templates. For yeast pol II, transcription proceeded much farther into the nucleosome in the absence of tails, but complete read-through was not substantially increased by tail removal. Transcription factor IIS provided roughly the same level of read-through stimulation for transcript elongation in the presence or absence of tails. FACT also stimulated elongation on nucleosomal templates, and this effect was similar regardless of the presence of tails. For both polymerases, removal of the H2A/H2B tails reduced pausing throughout the nucleosome, suggesting that histone tails affect a common step at most points during nucleosome traversal. We conclude that histone tails provide a significant part of the nucleosomal barrier to pol II transcript elongation.

Acetylation of H4 suppresses the repressive effects of the N-termini of histones H3/H4 and facilitates the formation of positively coiled DNA

We have studied the role of the N-termini of histones H3/H4 in the regulation of the conformational changes that occur in H3/H4 during their deposition on DNA by NAP1 (nucleosome assembly protein 1). Removal of the N-termini extensively increased the right-handed conformation of H3/H4 as assayed by the increased levels of positive coils that were formed on DNA. The osmolytes, TMAO, betaine, sarcosine, alanine, glycine, and proline to varying degrees, facilitated the formation of positive coils. The denaturant, urea (0.6 M), blocked the osmolyte effects, causing a preference of H3/H4 to form negative coils (the left-handed conformation). Acetylated H3/H4 also formed high levels of positive coils, and it is proposed that both the osmolytes and acetylation promote the formation of an alpha-helix in the N-termini. This structural change may ultimately explain a unique feature of transcription through nucleosomes, i.e., that H2A/H2B tends to be more mobile than H3/H4. By using combinations of H3 and H4 that were either acetylated or the N-termini removed, it was also determined that the N-terminus of H4 is primarily responsible for repressing the formation of positive coils. Additional gradient analyses indicate that NAP1 establishes an equilibrium with the H3/H4-DNA complexes. This equilibrium facilitates a histone saturation of the DNA, a unique state that promotes the right-handed conformation. NAP1 persists in the binding of the complexes through interaction with the N-terminus of H3, which may be a mechanism for subsequent remodeling of the nucleosome during transcription and replication.

A high-resolution atlas of nucleosome occupancy in yeast

We present the first complete high-resolution map of nucleosome occupancy across the whole Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome, identifying over 70,000 positioned nucleosomes occupying 81% of the genome. On a genome-wide scale, the persistent nucleosome-depleted region identified previously in a subset of genes demarcates the transcription start site. Both nucleosome occupancy signatures and overall occupancy correlate with transcript abundance and transcription rate. In addition, functionally related genes can be clustered on the basis of the nucleosome occupancy patterns observed at their promoters. A quantitative model of nucleosome occupancy indicates that DNA structural features may account for much of the global nucleosome occupancy.

Nucleosome chiral transition under positive torsional stress in single chromatin fibers

Using magnetic tweezers to investigate the mechanical response of single chromatin fibers, we show that fibers submitted to large positive torsion transiently trap positive turns at a rate of one turn per nucleosome. A comparison with the response of fibers of tetrasomes (the [H3-H4](2) tetramer bound with approximately 50 bp of DNA) obtained by depletion of H2A-H2B dimers suggests that the trapping reflects a nucleosome chiral transition to a metastable form built on the previously documented right-handed tetrasome. In view of its low energy, <8 kT, we propose that this transition is physiologically relevant and serves to break the docking of the dimers on the tetramer that in the absence of other factors exerts a strong block against elongation of transcription by the main RNA polymerase.

CENP-A-containing nucleosomes: easier disassembly versus exclusive centromeric localization

CENP-A is a histone variant that replaces conventional H3 in nucleosomes of functional centromeres. We report here, from reconstitutions of CENP-A- and H3-containing nucleosomes on linear DNA fragments and the comparison of their electrophoretic mobility, that CENP-A induces some positioning of its own and some unwrapping at the entry-exit relative to canonical nucleosomes on both 5 S DNA and the alpha-satellite sequence on which it is normally loaded. This steady-state unwrapping was quantified to 7(+/-2) bp by nucleosome reconstitutions on a series of DNA minicircles, followed by their relaxation with topoisomerase I. The unwrapping was found to ease nucleosome invasion by exonuclease III, to hinder the binding of a linker histone, and to promote the release of an H2A-H2B dimer by nucleosome assembly protein 1 (NAP-1). The (CENP-A-H4)2 tetramer was also more readily destabilized with heparin than the (H3-H4)2 tetramer, suggesting that CENP-A has evolved to confer its nucleosome a specific ability to disassemble. This dual relative instability is proposed to facilitate the progressive clearance of CENP-A nucleosomes that assemble promiscuously in euchromatin, especially as is seen following CENP-A transient over-expression.

Histone tails and the H3 alphaN helix regulate nucleosome mobility and stability

Nucleosomes fulfill the apparently conflicting roles of compacting DNA within eukaryotic genomes while permitting access to regulatory factors. Central to this is their ability to stably associate with DNA while retaining the ability to undergo rearrangements that increase access to the underlying DNA. Here, we have studied different aspects of nucleosome dynamics including nucleosome sliding, histone dimer exchange, and DNA wrapping within nucleosomes. We find that alterations to histone proteins, especially the histone tails and vicinity of the histone H3 alphaN helix, can affect these processes differently, suggesting that they are mechanistically distinct. This raises the possibility that modifications to histone proteins may provide a means of fine-tuning specific aspects of the dynamic properties of nucleosomes to the context in which they are located.

Nucleosome conformational flexibility and implications for chromatin dynamics

The active role of chromatin in the regulation of gene activity seems to imply a conformational flexibility of the basic chromatin structural unit, the nucleosome. This review is devoted to our recent results pertaining to this subject, using an original approach based on the topology of single particles reconstituted on DNA minicircles, combined with their theoretical simulation. Three types of chromatin particles have been studied so far: a subnucleosome, that is, the (H3-H4)(2) histone tetramer-containing particle, now known as the tetrasome; the nucleosome; and the linker histone H5/H1-bearing nucleosome (the chromatosome). All the particles were found to exist in two to three conformational states, which differ by their topological and mechanical properties. Our approach unveiled the molecular mechanisms of nucleosome conformational dynamics and will help to understand its functional relevance. A most surprising conclusion of the work was perhaps that DNA overall flexibility increases considerably upon particle formation, which might indeed be a requirement of genome function.

Linker histone-dependent organization and dynamics of nucleosome entry/exit DNAs

A DNA sequence-dependent nucleosome structural and dynamic polymorphism was recently uncovered through topoisomerase I relaxation of mononucleosomes on two homologous approximately 350-370 bp DNA minicircle series, one originating from pBR322, the other from the 5S nucleosome positioning sequence. Whereas both pBR and 5S nucleosomes had access to the closed, negatively crossed conformation, only the pBR nucleosome had access to the positively crossed conformation. Simulation suggested this discrepancy was the result of a reorientation of entry/exit DNAs, itself proposed to be the consequence of specific DNA untwistings occurring in pBR nucleosome where H2B N-terminal tails pass between the two gyres. The present work investigates the behavior of the same two nucleosomes after binding of linker histone H5, its globular domain, GH5, and engineered H5 C-tail deletion mutants. Nucleosome access to the open uncrossed conformation was suppressed and, more surprisingly, the ability of 5S nucleosome to positively cross was largely restored. This, together with the paradoxical observation of a less extensive crossing in the negative conformation with GH5 than without, favored an asymmetrical location of the globular domain in interaction with the central gyre and only entry (or exit) DNA, and raised the possibility of the domain physical rotation as a mechanism assisting nucleosome fluctuation from one conformation to the other. Moreover, both negative and positive conformations showed a high degree of loop conformational flexibility in the presence of the full-length H5 C-tail, which the simulation suggested to reflect the unique feature of the resulting stem to bring entry/exit DNAs in contact and parallel. The results point to the stem being a fundamental structural motif directing chromatin higher order folding, as well as a major player in its dynamics.

Sequence-dependent nucleosome structural and dynamic polymorphism. Potential involvement of histone H2B N-terminal tail proximal domain

Relaxation of nucleosomes on an homologous series (pBR) of ca 350-370 bp DNA minicircles originating from plasmid pBR322 was recently used as a tool to study their structure and dynamics. These nucleosomes thermally fluctuated between three distinct DNA conformations within a histone N-terminal tail-modulated equilibrium: one conformation was canonical, with 1.75 turn wrapping and negatively crossed entering and exiting DNAs; another was also "closed", but with these DNAs positively crossed; and the third was "open", with a lower than 1.5 turn wrapping and uncrossed DNAs. In this work, a new minicircle series (5S) of similar size was used, which contained the 5S nucleosome positioning sequence. Results showed that DNA in pBR nucleosomes was untwisted by approximately 0.2 turn relative to 5S nucleosomes, which DNase I footprinting confirmed in revealing a approximately 1 bp untwisting at each of the two dyad-distal sites where H2B N-terminal tails pass between the two gyres. In contrast, both nucleosomes showed untwistings at the dyad-proximal sites, i.e. on the other gyre, which were also observed in the high-resolution crystal structure. 5S nucleosomes also differ with respect to their dynamics: they hardly accessed the positively crossed conformation, but had an easier access to the negatively crossed conformation. Simulation showed that such reverse effects on the conformational free energies could be simply achieved by slightly altering the trajectories of entering and exiting DNAs. We propose that this is accomplished by H2B tail untwisting at the distal sites through action at a distance ( approximately 20 bp) on H3-tail interactions with the small groove at the nucleosome entry-exit. These results may help to gain a first glimpse into the two perhaps most intriguing features of the high-resolution structure: the alignment of the grooves on the two gyres and the passage of H2B and H3 N-terminal tails between them.

Chromatin structure and dynamics: state-of-the-art

A meeting entitled "Chromatin Structure and Dynamics: State-of-the-Art" organized by Jordanka Zlatanova and Sanford Leuba was held at the NIH from May 8-10, 2002. It was a timely meeting and addressed our current understanding of chromatin structure, dynamics, and function.

Selective requirements for histone H3 and H4 N termini in p300-dependent transcriptional activation from chromatin

The N-terminal tails of the core histones play important roles in transcriptional regulation, but their mechanism(s) of action are poorly understood. Here, pure chromatin templates assembled with varied combinations of recombinant wild-type and mutant core histones have been employed to ascertain the role of individual histone tails, both in overall acetylation patterns and in transcription. In vitro assays show an indispensable role for H3 and H4 tails, especially major lysine substrates, in p300-dependent transcriptional activation, as well as activator-targeted acetylation of promoter-proximal histone tails by p300. These results indicate, first, that constraints to transcription are imposed by nucleosomal histone components other than histone N-terminal tails and, second, that the histone N-terminal tails have selective roles, which can be modulated by targeted acetylation, in transcriptional activation by p300.

Protein modules that manipulate histone tails for chromatin regulation

Histones are the predominant protein components of chromatin and are subject to specific post-translational modifications that are correlated with transcriptional competence. Among these histone modifications are acetylation, phosphorylation and methylation, and recent studies reveal that conserved protein modules mediate the attachment, removal or recognition of these modifications. It is becoming clear that appropriate coordination of histone modifications and their manipulations by conserved protein modules are integral to gene-specific transcriptional regulation within chromatin.

Nucleosomes and the chromatin fiber

During the past year and a half, significant progress has been made in understanding the structure and dynamics of nucleosomes and the chromatin fiber, the mechanism of action of the core histone amino termini, the structure and function of histone variants, and the function of linker histones in the chromatin fiber.

RSC unravels the nucleosome

RSC and SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complexes were previously reported to generate a stably altered nucleosome. We now describe the formation of hybrids between nucleosomes of different sizes, showing that the stably altered structure is a noncovalent dimer. A basis for dimer formation is suggested by an effect of RSC on the supercoiling of closed, circular arrays of nucleosomes. The effect may be explained by the interaction of RSC with DNA at the ends of the nucleosome, which could lead to the release 60--80 bp or more from the ends. DNA released in this way may be trapped in the stable dimer or lead to alternative fates such as histone octamer transfer to another DNA or sliding along the same DNA molecule.

Role of histone N-terminal tails and their acetylation in nucleosome dynamics

Histone N-terminal tails are central to the processes that modulate nucleosome structure and function. We have studied the contribution of core histone tails to the structure of a single nucleosome and to a histone (H3-H4)(2) tetrameric particle assembled on a topologically constrained DNA minicircle. The effect of histone tail cleavage and histone tail acetylation on the structure of the nucleoprotein particle was investigated by analyzing the DNA topoisomer equilibrium after relaxation of DNA torsional stress by topoisomerase I. Removal of the H3 and H4 N-terminal tails, as well as their acetylation, provoked a dramatic change in the linking-number difference of the (H3-H4)(2) tetrameric particle, with a release of up to 70% of the negative supercoiling previously constrained by this structure. The (H3-H4)(2) tetramers containing tailless or hyperacetylated histones showed a striking preference for relaxed DNA over negatively supercoiled DNA. This argues in favor of a change in tetramer structure that constrains less DNA and adopts a relaxed flat conformation instead of its left-handed conformation within the nucleosome. In contrast neither removal or hyperacetylation of H3 and H4 tails nor removal or hyperacetylation of H2A and H2B N-terminal tails affected the nucleosome structure. This indicates that the globular domain of H2A and H2B is sufficient to stabilize the tailless or the hyperacetylated (H3-H4)(2) tetramer in a left-handed superhelix conformation. These results suggest that the effect of histone tail acetylation that facilitates transcription may be mediated via transient formation of an (H3-H4)(2) tetrameric particle that could adopt an open structure only when H3 and/or H4 tails are hyperacetylated.

Nucleosome dynamics V. Ethidium bromide versus histone tails in modulating ethidium bromide-driven tetrasome chiral transition. A fluorescence study of tetrasomes on DNA minicircles

Protein and DNA contributions in the chiral transition of DNA minicircle-reconstituted tetrasomes (the particles made of DNA wrapped around the histone (H3-H4)(2) tetramer) to a right-handed conformation have been investigated in a recent article from this laboratory. As the evidence for a protein contribution, a sterical hindrance introduced at the H3/H3 interface of the two constituent H3-H4 dimers by oxidation of H3 cysteine 110 blocked the tetramer in a half-left-handed or semi-right-handed conformation, depending on the SH-reagent used. The DNA contributed at the level of the dyad region, which appeared to act through its sequence-dependent deformability in modulating both the loop threshold positive constraint required to trigger the transition, and the tetrasome lateral opening. This opening, which electron microscopic visualizations directly showed to be associated with the transition, is expected to help remove the clash between the entering and exiting DNAs. In this work, the transition mechanism was further investigated by applying a positive constraint in the loop through ethidium bromide (EtBr) intercalation. This technique, including the determination of binding isotherms, has first been used with mononucleosomes on DNA minicircles, and has revealed that these particles could tolerate large positive supercoilings without disruption, owing to the loop ability to cross positively in a histone tail-dependent manner. The transition of 359 bp tetrasomes was found to go to completion in lower salt (10 mM), but not in higher salt (100 mM), whereas the transition of 256 bp tetrasomes was already hindered in lower salt. Histone acetylation relieved that lower salt hindrance but enhanced the higher salt hindrances. These data again pointed to the DNA in the dyad region as a regulator of the transition. The block was indeed expected to originate from a local EtBr intercalation in that DNA, which opposed its overtwisting during the transition. The occurrence of the block, or its relief, then depended on the outcome of the competition between the tails and EtBr for binding to that region, that is, on whether the tails could prevent EtBr intercalation before the ongoing transition hampered both bindings. Destabilization of the tails in the course of the transition is documented in an accompanying article through a relaxation study of a 351-366 bp tetrasome series.