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Xiao C, Fan T, Zheng Y, Tian H, Deng Z, Liu J, Li C, He J. H3K4 trimethylation regulates cancer immunity: a promising therapeutic target in combination with immunotherapy. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:e005693. [PMID: 37553181 PMCID: PMC10414074 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-005693] [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] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
With the advances in cancer immunity regulation and immunotherapy, the effects of histone modifications on establishing antitumor immunological ability are constantly being uncovered. Developing combination therapies involving epigenetic drugs (epi-drugs) and immune checkpoint blockades or chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapies are promising to improve the benefits of immunotherapy. Histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) is a pivotal epigenetic modification in cancer immunity regulation, deeply involved in modulating tumor immunogenicity, reshaping tumor immune microenvironment, and regulating immune cell functions. However, how to integrate these theoretical foundations to create novel H3K4 trimethylation-based therapeutic strategies and optimize available therapies remains uncertain. In this review, we delineate the mechanisms by which H3K4me3 and its modifiers regulate antitumor immunity, and explore the therapeutic potential of the H3K4me3-related agents combined with immunotherapies. Understanding the role of H3K4me3 in cancer immunity will be instrumental in developing novel epigenetic therapies and advancing immunotherapy-based combination regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chu Xiao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Fan
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yujia Zheng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - He Tian
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ziqin Deng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jingjing Liu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Chunxiang Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jie He
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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2
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Bonitto K, Sarathy K, Atai K, Mitra M, Coller HA. Is There a Histone Code for Cellular Quiescence? Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:739780. [PMID: 34778253 PMCID: PMC8586460 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.739780] [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: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Many of the cells in our bodies are quiescent, that is, temporarily not dividing. Under certain physiological conditions such as during tissue repair and maintenance, quiescent cells receive the appropriate stimulus and are induced to enter the cell cycle. The ability of cells to successfully transition into and out of a quiescent state is crucial for many biological processes including wound healing, stem cell maintenance, and immunological responses. Across species and tissues, transcriptional, epigenetic, and chromosomal changes associated with the transition between proliferation and quiescence have been analyzed, and some consistent changes associated with quiescence have been identified. Histone modifications have been shown to play a role in chromatin packing and accessibility, nucleosome mobility, gene expression, and chromosome arrangement. In this review, we critically evaluate the role of different histone marks in these processes during quiescence entry and exit. We consider different model systems for quiescence, each of the most frequently monitored candidate histone marks, and the role of their writers, erasers and readers. We highlight data that support these marks contributing to the changes observed with quiescence. We specifically ask whether there is a quiescence histone “code,” a mechanism whereby the language encoded by specific combinations of histone marks is read and relayed downstream to modulate cell state and function. We conclude by highlighting emerging technologies that can be applied to gain greater insight into the role of a histone code for quiescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenya Bonitto
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Kirthana Sarathy
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Kaiser Atai
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Molecular Biology Interdepartmental Doctoral Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Mithun Mitra
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Hilary A Coller
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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3
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Morrison O, Thakur J. Molecular Complexes at Euchromatin, Heterochromatin and Centromeric Chromatin. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:6922. [PMID: 34203193 PMCID: PMC8268097 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22136922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Chromatin consists of a complex of DNA and histone proteins as its core components and plays an important role in both packaging DNA and regulating DNA metabolic pathways such as DNA replication, transcription, recombination, and chromosome segregation. Proper functioning of chromatin further involves a network of interactions among molecular complexes that modify chromatin structure and organization to affect the accessibility of DNA to transcription factors leading to the activation or repression of the transcription of target DNA loci. Based on its structure and compaction state, chromatin is categorized into euchromatin, heterochromatin, and centromeric chromatin. In this review, we discuss distinct chromatin factors and molecular complexes that constitute euchromatin-open chromatin structure associated with active transcription; heterochromatin-less accessible chromatin associated with silencing; centromeric chromatin-the site of spindle binding in chromosome segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jitendra Thakur
- Department of Biology, Emory University, 1510 Clifton Rd #2006, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA;
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4
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Jeon J, McGinty RK, Muir TW, Kim JA, Kim J. Crosstalk among Set1 complex subunits involved in H2B ubiquitylation-dependent H3K4 methylation. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:11129-11143. [PMID: 30325428 PMCID: PMC6265457 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2018] [Accepted: 10/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
H2B ubiquitylation (H2Bub)-dependent H3K4 methylation is mediated by the multisubunit Set1 complex (Set1C) in yeast, but precisely how Set1C subunits contribute to this histone modification remains unclear. Here, using reconstituted Set1Cs and recombinant H2Bub chromatin, we identified Set1C subunits and domains involved in the H2Bub-dependent H3K4 methylation process, showing that the Spp1 PHDL domain, in conjunction with the Set1 n-SET domain, interacts with Swd1/Swd3 and that this interaction is essential for H2Bub-dependent H3K4 methylation. Importantly, Set1C containing an Spp1-Swd1 fusion bypasses the requirement for H2Bub for H3K4 methylation, suggesting that the role of H2Bub is to induce allosteric rearrangements of the subunit-interaction network within the active site of Set1C that are necessary for methylation activity. Moreover, the interaction between the Set1 N-terminal region and Swd1 renders the Spp1-lacking Set1C competent for H2Bub-dependent H3K4 methylation. Collectively, our results suggest that H2Bub induces conformational changes in Set1C that support H3K4 methylation activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jongcheol Jeon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, South Korea
| | - Robert K McGinty
- Laboratory of Synthetic Protein Chemistry, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Tom W Muir
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Frick Laboratory, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Jung-Ae Kim
- Personalized Genomic Medicine Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon 34141, South Korea.,Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, South Korea
| | - Jaehoon Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, South Korea
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5
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Imai Y, Baudat F, Taillepierre M, Stanzione M, Toth A, de Massy B. The PRDM9 KRAB domain is required for meiosis and involved in protein interactions. Chromosoma 2017; 126:681-695. [PMID: 28527011 PMCID: PMC5688218 DOI: 10.1007/s00412-017-0631-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Revised: 05/03/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
PR domain-containing protein 9 (PRDM9) is a major regulator of the localization of meiotic recombination hotspots in the human and mouse genomes. This role involves its DNA-binding domain, which is composed of a tandem array of zinc fingers, and PRDM9-dependent trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 4. PRDM9 is a member of the PRDM family of transcription regulators, but unlike other family members, it contains a Krüppel-associated box (KRAB)-related domain that is predicted to be a potential protein interaction domain. Here, we show that truncation of the KRAB domain of mouse PRDM9 leads to loss of PRDM9 function and altered meiotic prophase and gametogenesis. In addition, we identified proteins that interact with the KRAB domain of PRDM9 in yeast two-hybrid assay screens, particularly CXXC1, a member of the COMPASS complex. We also show that CXXC1 interacts with IHO1, an essential component of the meiotic double-strand break (DSB) machinery. As CXXC1 is orthologous to Saccharomyces cerevisiae Spp1 that links DSB sites to the DSB machinery on the chromosome axis, we propose that these molecular interactions involved in the regulation of meiotic DSB formation are conserved in mouse meiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukiko Imai
- Institut de Génétique Humaine UMR9002 CNRS-Université de Montpellier, 141 rue de la cardonille, 34396, Montpellier cedex 05, France
| | - Frédéric Baudat
- Institut de Génétique Humaine UMR9002 CNRS-Université de Montpellier, 141 rue de la cardonille, 34396, Montpellier cedex 05, France
| | | | - Marcello Stanzione
- Faculty of Medicine at the TU Dresden, Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Fetscherstraße 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Attila Toth
- Faculty of Medicine at the TU Dresden, Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Fetscherstraße 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Bernard de Massy
- Institut de Génétique Humaine UMR9002 CNRS-Université de Montpellier, 141 rue de la cardonille, 34396, Montpellier cedex 05, France.
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6
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Zhang T, Cooper S, Brockdorff N. The interplay of histone modifications - writers that read. EMBO Rep 2015; 16:1467-81. [PMID: 26474904 PMCID: PMC4641500 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201540945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 497] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 09/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Histones are subject to a vast array of posttranslational modifications including acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitylation. The writers of these modifications play important roles in normal development and their mutation or misregulation is linked with both genetic disorders and various cancers. Readers of these marks contain protein domains that allow their recruitment to chromatin. Interestingly, writers often contain domains which can read chromatin marks, allowing the reinforcement of modifications through a positive feedback loop or inhibition of their activity by other modifications. We discuss how such positive reinforcement can result in chromatin states that are robust and can be epigenetically maintained through cell division. We describe the implications of these regulatory systems in relation to modifications including H3K4me3, H3K79me3, and H3K36me3 that are associated with active genes and H3K27me3 and H3K9me3 that have been linked to transcriptional repression. We also review the crosstalk between active and repressive modifications, illustrated by the interplay between the Polycomb and Trithorax histone-modifying proteins, and discuss how this may be important in defining gene expression states during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyi Zhang
- Developmental Epigenetics, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sarah Cooper
- Developmental Epigenetics, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Neil Brockdorff
- Developmental Epigenetics, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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7
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Lam I, Keeney S. Mechanism and regulation of meiotic recombination initiation. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2014; 7:a016634. [PMID: 25324213 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a016634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 279] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Meiotic recombination involves the formation and repair of programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) catalyzed by the conserved Spo11 protein. This review summarizes recent studies pertaining to the formation of meiotic DSBs, including the mechanism of DNA cleavage by Spo11, proteins required for break formation, and mechanisms that control the location, timing, and number of DSBs. Where appropriate, findings in different organisms are discussed to highlight evolutionary conservation or divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Lam
- Louis V. Gerstner Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065 Molecular Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065
| | - Scott Keeney
- Louis V. Gerstner Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065 Molecular Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065
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8
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Howe FS, Boubriak I, Sale MJ, Nair A, Clynes D, Grijzenhout A, Murray SC, Woloszczuk R, Mellor J. Lysine acetylation controls local protein conformation by influencing proline isomerization. Mol Cell 2014; 55:733-44. [PMID: 25127513 PMCID: PMC4157579 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2014.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2013] [Revised: 05/15/2014] [Accepted: 07/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Gene transcription responds to stress and metabolic signals to optimize growth and survival. Histone H3 (H3) lysine 4 trimethylation (K4me3) facilitates state changes, but how levels are coordinated with the environment is unclear. Here, we show that isomerization of H3 at the alanine 15-proline 16 (A15-P16) peptide bond is influenced by lysine 14 (K14) and controls gene-specific K4me3 by balancing the actions of Jhd2, the K4me3 demethylase, and Spp1, a subunit of the Set1 K4 methyltransferase complex. Acetylation at K14 favors the A15-P16trans conformation and reduces K4me3. Environmental stress-induced genes are most sensitive to the changes at K14 influencing H3 tail conformation and K4me3. By contrast, ribosomal protein genes maintain K4me3, required for their repression during stress, independently of Spp1, K14, and P16. Thus, the plasticity in control of K4me3, via signaling to K14 and isomerization at P16, informs distinct gene regulatory mechanisms and processes involving K4me3. H3K14 acetylation influences cis-trans isomerization at the H3A15-P16 peptide bond H3A15-P16trans is associated with H3K14ac and reduced global H3K4me3 A15-P16cis-trans isomerization balances K4me3 (Set1/Spp1) and demethylation (Jhd2) K4me3 on RPGs is largely Spp1- and K14/P16-insensitive while ESR genes are dependent
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Affiliation(s)
- Françoise S Howe
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Ivan Boubriak
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Matthew J Sale
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Anitha Nair
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - David Clynes
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Anne Grijzenhout
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Struan C Murray
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Ronja Woloszczuk
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Jane Mellor
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK.
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Acquaviva L, Drogat J, Dehé PM, de La Roche Saint-André C, Géli V. Spp1 at the crossroads of H3K4me3 regulation and meiotic recombination. Epigenetics 2013; 8:355-60. [PMID: 23511748 PMCID: PMC3674044 DOI: 10.4161/epi.24295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, all H3K4 methylation is performed by a single Set1 Complex (Set1C) that is composed of the catalytic (Set1) and seven other subunits (Swd1, Swd2, Swd3, Bre2, Sdc1, Spp1 and Shg1). It has been known for quite some time that trimethylated H3K4 (H3K4me3) is enriched in the vicinity of meiotic double-strand breaks (DSBs), but the link between H3K4me3 and the meiotic nuclease Spo11 was uncovered only recently. The PHD-containing subunit Spp1, by interacting with H3K4me3 and Mer2, was shown to promote the recruitment of potential meiotic DSB sites to the chromosomal axis allowing their subsequent cleavage by Spo11. Therefore, Spp1 emerged as a key regulator of the H3K4 trimethylation catalyzed by Set1C and of the formation of meiotic DSBs. These findings illustrate the remarkable multifunctionality of Spp1, which not only regulates the catalytic activity of the enzyme (Set1), but also interacts with the deposited mark, and mediates its biological effect (meiotic DSB formation) independently of the complex. As it was previously described for Swd2, and now for Spp1, we anticipate that other Set1C subunits, in addition to regulating H3K4 methylation, may participate in diverse biological functions inside or outside of the complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Acquaviva
- Marseille Cancer Research Center (CRCM);U1068 Inserm; UMR7258 CNRS; Aix-Marseille Univ; Institut Paoli-Calmettes; Marseille, France
| | - Julie Drogat
- Marseille Cancer Research Center (CRCM);U1068 Inserm; UMR7258 CNRS; Aix-Marseille Univ; Institut Paoli-Calmettes; Marseille, France
| | - Pierre-Marie Dehé
- Marseille Cancer Research Center (CRCM);U1068 Inserm; UMR7258 CNRS; Aix-Marseille Univ; Institut Paoli-Calmettes; Marseille, France
| | | | - Vincent Géli
- Marseille Cancer Research Center (CRCM);U1068 Inserm; UMR7258 CNRS; Aix-Marseille Univ; Institut Paoli-Calmettes; Marseille, France
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Acquaviva L, Székvölgyi L, Dichtl B, Dichtl BS, de La Roche Saint André C, Nicolas A, Géli V. The COMPASS subunit Spp1 links histone methylation to initiation of meiotic recombination. Science 2012; 339:215-8. [PMID: 23160953 DOI: 10.1126/science.1225739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
During meiosis, combinatorial associations of genetic traits arise from homologous recombination between parental chromosomes. Histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation marks meiotic recombination hotspots in yeast and mammals, but how this ubiquitous chromatin modification relates to the initiation of double-strand breaks (DSBs) dependent on Spo11 remains unknown. Here, we show that the tethering of a PHD-containing protein, Spp1 (a component of the COMPASS complex), to recombinationally cold regions is sufficient to induce DSB formation. Furthermore, we found that Spp1 physically interacts with Mer2, a key protein of the differentiated chromosomal axis required for DSB formation. Thus, by interacting with H3K4me3 and Mer2, Spp1 promotes recruitment of potential meiotic DSB sites to the chromosomal axis, allowing Spo11 cleavage at nearby nucleosome-depleted regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Acquaviva
- Marseille Cancer Research Center, U1068 Inserm, UMR7258 CNRS, Aix-Marseille University, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Marseille 13009, France
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Abstract
The Caenorhabditis elegans pRb ortholog, LIN-35, functions in a wide range of cellular and developmental processes. This includes a role of LIN-35 in nutrient utilization by the intestine, which it carries out redundantly with SLR-2, a zinc-finger protein. This and other redundant functions of LIN-35 were identified in genetic screens for mutations that display synthetic phenotypes in conjunction with loss of lin-35. To explore the intestinal role of LIN-35, we conducted a genome-wide RNA-interference-feeding screen for suppressors of lin-35; slr-2 early larval arrest. Of the 26 suppressors identified, 17 fall into three functional classes: (1) ribosome biogenesis genes, (2) mitochondrial prohibitins, and (3) chromatin regulators. Further characterization indicates that different categories of suppressors act through distinct molecular mechanisms. We also tested lin-35; slr-2 suppressors, as well as suppressors of the synthetic multivulval phenotype, to determine the spectrum of lin-35-synthetic phenotypes that could be suppressed following inhibition of these genes. We identified 19 genes, most of which are evolutionarily conserved, that can suppress multiple unrelated lin-35-synthetic phenotypes. Our study reveals a network of genes broadly antagonistic to LIN-35 as well as genes specific to the role of LIN-35 in intestinal and vulval development. Suppressors of multiple lin-35 phenotypes may be candidate targets for anticancer therapies. Moreover, screening for suppressors of phenotypically distinct synthetic interactions, which share a common altered gene, may prove to be a novel and effective approach for identifying genes whose activities are most directly relevant to the core functions of the shared gene.
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Ardehali MB, Mei A, Zobeck KL, Caron M, Lis JT, Kusch T. Drosophila Set1 is the major histone H3 lysine 4 trimethyltransferase with role in transcription. EMBO J 2011; 30:2817-28. [PMID: 21694722 DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2011.194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2011] [Accepted: 05/20/2011] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) is a major hallmark of promoter-proximal histones at transcribed genes. Here, we report that a previously uncharacterized Drosophila H3K4 methyltransferase, dSet1, and not the other putative histone H3K4 methyltransferases (Trithorax; Trithorax-related protein), is predominantly responsible for histone H3K4 trimethylation. Functional and proteomics studies reveal that dSet1 is a component of a conserved H3K4 trimethyltransferase complex and polytene staining and live cell imaging assays show widespread association of dSet1 with transcriptionally active genes. dSet1 is present at the promoter region of all tested genes, including activated Hsp70 and Hsp26 heat shock genes and is required for optimal mRNA accumulation from the tested genes. In the case of Hsp70, the mRNA production defect in dSet1 RNAi-treated cells is accompanied by retention of Pol II at promoters. Our data suggest that dSet1-dependent H3K4me3 is responsible for the generation of a chromatin structure at active promoters that ensures optimal Pol II release into productive elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Behfar Ardehali
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
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