Histone variants--the structure behind the function.

In recent years, the chromatin field has witnessed a renewed interest in histone variants as pertaining to their structural role, but mainly because of the functional specificity they impart to chromatin. In this review, I am going to discuss several of the most recent structural studies on core histone (H2A.Bbd, H2A.Z, H2A.X, macroH2A, H3.3, CENP-A) and linker histone variants (histone H1 microheterogeneity) focusing on their role in nucleosome stability and chromatin fibre dynamics with special emphasis on their possible functional implications. The data accumulated to date indicates that histone variability plays an important role in the histone-mediated regulation of chromatin metabolism. Understanding and deciphering the underlying structural amino acid code behind such variability remains one of the most exciting future challenges in chromatin research.     

综述: 组蛋白变体的染色质组装

真核细胞的染色质组装是组蛋白和DNA有序地形成核小体和染色质的过程．通过调节DNA的开放或折叠状态,染色质组装不但影响遗传信息的编码和存储,也决定了遗传信息的提取和解读．作为染色质组装的重要调控因子,组蛋白变体和组蛋白伴侣在与DNA相关的生命活动进程中发挥着至关重要的作用．本文综述了组蛋白变体H2A.Z以及CENP-A进行染色质组装的研究进展,并着重讨论了组蛋白变体和组蛋白伴侣在染色质组装中的重要作用．     

抗原受体基因重组的表观遗传学调控研究新进展

淋巴细胞是哺乳动物唯一能发生体细胞基因组变化的一类细胞,淋巴细胞在发育过程中通过V(D)J重组获得成熟的特异的抗原受体基因,实现了免疫细胞抗原识别惊人的多样性.关于V(D)J重组的调控机制一直是免疫学研究的重要问题,然而直到将表观遗传学研究引入这一领域,综合遗传学和表观遗传学的研究才真正揭示V(D)J重组精细的调控机制.综述了新近发现的V(D)J重组过程中重要的表观遗传学调控机制,如CpG甲基化,组蛋白修饰,核小体重塑及核拓扑学变化.     

Specialized RSC: Substrate Specificities for a Conserved Chromatin Remodeler

The remodel the structure of chromatin (RSC) nucleosome remodeling complex is a conserved chromatin regulator with roles in chromatin organization, especially over nucleosome depleted regions therefore functioning in gene expression. Recent reports in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have identified specificities in RSC activity toward certain types of nucleosomes. RSC has now been shown to preferentially evict nucleosomes containing the histone variant H2A.Z in vitro. Furthermore, biochemical activities of distinct RSC complexes has been found to differ when their nucleosome substrate is partially unraveled. Mammalian BAF complexes, the homologs of yeast RSC and SWI/SNF complexes, are also linked to nucleosomes with H2A.Z, but this relationship may be complex and extent of conservation remains to be determined. The interplay of remodelers with specific nucleosome substrates and regulation of remodeler outcomes by nucleosome composition are tantalizing questions given the wave of structural data emerging for RSC and other SWI/SNF family remodelers.     

Histone H3 K56 acetylation, chromatin assembly, and the DNA damage checkpoint

The role of chromatin and its modulation during DNA repair has become increasingly understood in recent years. A number of histone modifications that contribute towards the cellular response to DNA damage have been identified, including the acetylation of histone H3 at lysine 56. H3 K56 acetylation occurs normally during S phase, but persists in the presence of DNA damage. In the absence of this modification, cellular survival following DNA damage is impaired. Two recent reports provide additional insights into how H3 K56 acetylation functions in DNA damage responses. In particular, this modification appears to be important for both normal replication-coupled nucleosome assembly as well as nucleosome assembly at sites of DNA damage following repair.     

ATP依赖的染色质改构复合物及其作用机制

染色质高度紧密的折叠阻止了转录因子和辅因子与DNA的结合, 因而通过染色质重塑以解除这样的抑制环境, 对于转录活动的正常进行是至关重要的。目前认为, 染色质重塑至少是通过两种机制来完成的, 一种是通过ATP依赖的染色质改构复合物, 另一种是通过对组蛋白尾部进行共价修饰的组蛋白修饰酶复合物。文章结合近年来的研究进展, 对前者进行染色质重塑的机制及两者在基因转录调控过程中如何相互协作等进行了论述。     

Histone tail network and modulation in a nucleosome

The structural unit of eukaryotic chromatin is a nucleosome, comprising two histone H2A/H2B heterodimers and one histone (H3/H4)₂ tetramer, wrapped around by ∼146-bp core DNA and linker DNA. Flexible histone tails sticking out from the core undergo posttranslational modifications that are responsible for various epigenetic functions. Recently, the functional dynamics of histone tails and their modulation within the nucleosome and nucleosomal complexes have been investigated by integrating NMR, molecular dynamics simulations, and cryo-electron microscopy approaches. In particular, recent NMR studies have revealed correlations in the structures of histone N-terminal tails between H2A and H2B, as well as between H3 and H4 depending on linker DNA, suggesting that histone tail networks exist even within the nucleosome.     

Histone transfer among chaperones

The eukaryotic processes of nucleosome assembly and disassembly govern chromatin dynamics, in which histones exchange in a highly regulated manner to promote genome accessibility for all DNA-dependent processes. This regulation is partly carried out by histone chaperones, which serve multifaceted roles in co-ordinating the interactions of histone proteins with modification enzymes, nucleosome remodellers, other histone chaperones and nucleosomal DNA. The molecular details of the processes by which histone chaperones promote delivery of histones among their many functional partners are still largely undefined, but promise to offer insights into epigenome maintenance. In the present paper, we review recent findings on the histone chaperone interactions that guide the assembly of histones H3 and H4 into chromatin. This evidence supports the concepts of histone post-translational modifications and specific histone chaperone interactions as guiding principles for histone H3/H4 transactions during chromatin assembly.     

Homodimeric PHD Domain-containing Rco1 Subunit Constitutes a Critical Interaction Hub within the Rpd3S Histone Deacetylase Complex

Recognition of histone post-translational modifications is pivotal for directing chromatin-modifying enzymes to specific genomic regions and regulating their activities. Emerging evidence suggests that other structural features of nucleosomes also contribute to precise targeting of downstream chromatin complexes, such as linker DNA, the histone globular domain, and nucleosome spacing. However, how chromatin complexes coordinate individual interactions to achieve high affinity and specificity remains unclear. The Rpd3S histone deacetylase utilizes the chromodomain-containing Eaf3 subunit and the PHD domain-containing Rco1 subunit to recognize nucleosomes that are methylated at lysine 36 of histone H3 (H3K36me). We showed previously that the binding of Eaf3 to H3K36me can be allosterically activated by Rco1. To investigate how this chromatin recognition module is regulated in the context of the Rpd3S complex, we first determined the subunit interaction network of Rpd3S. Interestingly, we found that Rpd3S contains two copies of the essential subunit Rco1, and both copies of Rco1 are required for full functionality of Rpd3S. Our functional dissection of Rco1 revealed that besides its known chromatin-recognition interfaces, other regions of Rco1 are also critical for Rpd3S to recognize its nucleosomal substrates and functionin vivo. This unexpected result uncovered an important and understudied aspect of chromatin recognition. It suggests that precisely reading modified chromatin may not only need the combined actions of reader domains but also require an internal signaling circuit that coordinates the individual actions in a productive way.     

Generation and Purification of Human INO80 Chromatin Remodeling Complexes and Subcomplexes

INO80 chromatin remodeling complexes regulate nucleosome dynamics and DNA accessibility by catalyzing ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeling. Human INO80 complexes consist of 14 protein subunits including Ino80, a SNF2-like ATPase, which serves both as the catalytic subunit and the scaffold for assembly of the complexes. Functions of the other subunits and the mechanisms by which they contribute to the INO80 complex''s chromatin remodeling activity remain poorly understood, in part due to the challenge of generating INO80 subassemblies in human cells or heterologous expression systems. This JOVE protocol describes a procedure that allows purification of human INO80 chromatin remodeling subcomplexes that are lacking a subunit or a subset of subunits. N-terminally FLAG epitope tagged Ino80 cDNA are stably introduced into human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cell lines using Flp-mediated recombination. In the event that a subset of subunits of the INO80 complex is to be deleted, one expresses instead mutant Ino80 proteins that lack the platform needed for assembly of those subunits. In the event an individual subunit is to be depleted, one transfects siRNAs targeting this subunit into an HEK 293 cell line stably expressing FLAG tagged Ino80 ATPase. Nuclear extracts are prepared, and FLAG immunoprecipitation is performed to enrich protein fractions containing Ino80 derivatives. The compositions of purified INO80 subcomplexes can then be analyzed using methods such as immunoblotting, silver staining, and mass spectrometry. The INO80 and INO80 subcomplexes generated according to this protocol can be further analyzed using various biochemical assays, which are described in the accompanying JOVE protocol. The methods described here can be adapted for studies of the structural and functional properties of any mammalian multi-subunit chromatin remodeling and modifying complexes.     

Principles of nucleosome recognition by chromatin factors and enzymes

The recent torrent of structures of chromatin complexes determined by cryoelectron microscopy provides an opportunity to discern general principles for how chromatin factors and enzymes interact with their nucleosome substrate. We find that many chromatin proteins use a strikingly similar arginine anchor and variant arginine interactions to bind to the nucleosome acidic patch. We also observe that many chromatin proteins target the H3 and H2B histone fold α1-loop1 elbows and the H2B C-terminal helix on the nucleosomal histone face. These interactions with the histones can be complemented with interactions with and distortions of nucleosomal DNA.     

Histone monoubiquitylation position determines specificity and direction of enzymatic cross-talk with histone methyltransferases Dot1L and PRC2

It is well established that chromatin is a destination for signal transduction, affecting many DNA-templated processes. Histone proteins in particular are extensively post-translationally modified. We are interested in how the complex repertoire of histone modifications is coordinately regulated to generate meaningful combinations of "marks" at physiologically relevant genomic locations. One important mechanism is "cross-talk" between pre-existing histone post-translational modifications and enzymes that subsequently add or remove modifications on chromatin. Here, we use chemically defined "designer" nucleosomes to investigate novel enzymatic cross-talk relationships between the most abundant histone ubiquitylation sites, H2AK119ub and H2BK120ub, and two important histone methyltransferases, Dot1L and PRC2. Although the presence of H2Bub in nucleosomes greatly stimulated Dot1L methylation of H3K79, we found that H2Aub did not influence Dot1L activity. In contrast, we show that H2Aub inhibited PRC2 methylation of H3K27, but H2Bub did not influence PRC2 activity. Taken together, these results highlight how the position of nucleosome monoubiquitylation affects the specificity and direction of cross-talk with enzymatic activities on chromatin.