Normal spermatogenesis in mice lacking the testis-specific linker histone H1t

H1 histones bind to linker DNA and nucleosome core particles and facilitate the folding of chromatin into a more compact structure. Mammals contain seven nonallelic subtypes of H1, including testis-specific subtype H1t, which varies considerably in primary sequence from the other H1 subtypes. H1t is found only in pachytene spermatocytes and early, haploid spermatids, constituting as much as 55% of the linker histone associated with chromatin in these cell types. To investigate the role of H1t in spermatogenesis, we disrupted the H1t gene by homologous recombination in mouse embryonic stem cells. Mice homozygous for the mutation and completely lacking H1t protein in their germ cells were fertile and showed no detectable defect in spermatogenesis. Chromatin from H1t-deficient germ cells had a normal ratio of H1 to nucleosomes, indicating that other H1 subtypes are deposited in chromatin in place of H1t and presumably compensate for most or all H1t functions. The results indicate that despite the unique primary structure and regulated synthesis of H1t, it is not essential for proper development of mature, functional sperm.     

Reduction of Hox gene expression by histone H1 depletion

The evolutionarily conserved homeotic (Hox) genes are organized in clusters and expressed collinearly to specify body patterning during embryonic development. Chromatin reorganization and decompaction are intimately connected with Hox gene activation. Linker histone H1 plays a key role in facilitating folding of higher order chromatin structure. Previous studies have shown that deletion of three somatic H1 subtypes together leads to embryonic lethality and that H1c/H1d/H1e triple knockout (TKO) embryonic stem cells (ESCs) display bulk chromatin decompaction. To investigate the potential role of H1 and higher order chromatin folding in the regulation of Hox gene expression, we systematically analyzed the expression of all 39 Hox genes in triple H1 null mouse embryos and ESCs by quantitative RT-PCR. Surprisingly, we find that H1 depletion causes significant reduction in the expression of a broad range of Hox genes in embryos and ESCs. To examine if any of the three H1 subtypes (H1c, H1d and H1e) is responsible for decreased expression of Hox gene in triple-H1 null ESCs, we derived and characterized H1c(-/-), H1d(-/-), and H1e(-/-) single-H1 null ESCs. We show that deletion of individual H1 subtypes results in down-regulation of specific Hox genes in ESCs. Finally we demonstrate that, in triple-H1- and single-H1-null ESCs, the levels of H3K4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) and H3K27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) were affected at specific Hox genes with decreased expression. Our data demonstrate that marked reduction in total H1 levels causes significant reduction in both expression and the level of active histone mark H3K4me3 at many Hox genes and that individual H1 subtypes may also contribute to the regulation of specific Hox gene expression. We suggest possible mechanisms for such an unexpected role of histone H1 in Hox gene regulation.     

Male mice lacking three germ cell expressed genes are fertile

In recent years, much knowledge about the functions of defined genes in spermatogenesis has been gained by making use of mouse transgenic and gene knockout models. Single null mutations in mouse genes encoding four male germ cell proteins, transition protein 2 (Tnp-2), proacrosin (Acr), histone H1.1 (H1.1), and histone H1t (H1t), have been generated and analyzed. Tnp-2 is believed to participate in the removal of the nuclear histones and initial condensation of the spermatid nucleus. Proacrosin is an acrosomal protease synthesized as a proenzyme and activated into acrosin during the acrosome reaction. The linker histone subtype H1.1 belongs to the group of main-type histones and is synthesized in somatic tissues and germ cells during the S-phase of the cell cycle. The histone gene H1t is expressed exclusively in spermatocytes and may have a function in establishing an open chromatin structure for the replacement of histones by transition proteins and protamines. Male mutant mice lacking any of these proteins show no apparent defects in spermatogenesis or fertility. To examine the synergistic effects of these proteins in spermatogenesis and during fertilization, two lines of triple null mice (Tnp-2-/-/Acr-/-/H1.1-/- and Tnp-2-/-/Acr-/-/H1t-/-) were established. Both lines are fertile and show normal sperm parameters, which clearly demonstrate the functional redundancy of these proteins in male mouse fertility. However, sperm only deficient for Acr (Acr-/-) are able to compete significantly with sperm from triple knockout mice Tnp-2-/-/Acr-/-/H1.1-/- (70.7% vs. 29.3%) but not with sperm from triple knockout mice Tnp-2-/-/Acr-/-/H1t-/- (53.6% vs. 46.4%). These results are consistent with a model that suggests that some sperm proteins play a role during sperm competition.     

Synergistic effects of germ cell expressed genes on male fertility in mice

Over 200 genes have been shown to be associated with infertility in mouse models. However, knockout mice reveal unexpected functional redundancy of some germ cell expressed genes. Single null mutations in mouse genes encoding four male germ cell proteins, transition protein 2 (Tnp2), proacrosin (Acr), histone H1.1 (H1.1), histone H1t (H1t) and sperm mitochondria-associated cysteine-rich protein (Smcp) have been generated and analysed. Tnp2 is believed to participate in the removal of the nuclear histones and initial condensation of the spermatid nucleus. Proacrosin is an acrosomal protease synthesized as a proenzyme and activated into acrosin during the acrosome reaction. The linker histone subtype H1.1 belongs to the group of main-type histones and is synthesized in somatic tissues as well as in germ cells during the S-phase of the cell cycle. The histone gene Hist1h1t is expressed exclusively in spermatocytes and may have a function in establishing an open chromatin structure for the replacement of histones by transition proteins and protamines. Sperm mitochondria-associated cysteine-rich protein (Smcp) is a major structural element of the mitochondria in the midpiece of the sperm tail. Male mutant mice lacking any of these proteins show no apparent defects in spermatogenesis or fertility. To examine the synergistic effects of these proteins in spermatogenesis and during fertilization four lines of double knockout mice Hist1h1a/Mcsp, Hist1h1t/Mcsp, Tnp2/Mcsp and Acr/Mcsp were established. It was found that even when knockout mice are heterozygous for one allele (-/+) and homozygous for the other allele (-/-), mice were subfertile. Homozygous double knockout mice of all four lines are nearly infertile. However, in the four homozygous double knockout mouse lines, different characteristic abnormalities are prominently manifested: In Hist1h1a-/-/Mcsp-/- the migration of spermatozoa is disturbed in female genital tract, in Hist1h1t-/-/Mcsp-/- spermatozoa show morphological head abnormalities, in Tnp2-/-/Mcsp-/- the motility of sperm is affected, and in Acr-/-/Mcsp-/- the sperm-oocyte interaction is impaired. These findings indicate strongly that male germ cell expressed genes have synergistic effects on male fertility.     

The alterations in H1 histone complement during mouse spermatogenesis and their significance for H1 subtype function

The principal histone H1 subtypes of mouse prepachytene spermatocytes were identified as H1a and H1c, proteins that are metabolically unstable and have been postulated to promote extended or flexible chromatin conformations. We suggest that the unusual H1 subtype composition in these cells favors chromatin conformations compatible with the precise chromosomal pairing necessary for genetic recombination and also that it may expedite histone replacement during spermiogenesis.     

Mouse oocytes and early embryos express multiple histone H1 subtypes

Oocytes and embryos of many species, including mammals, contain a unique linker (H1) histone, termed H1oo in mammals. It is uncertain, however, whether other H1 histones also contribute to the linker histone complement of these cells. Using immunofluorescence and radiolabeling, we have examined whether histone H10, which frequently accumulates in the chromatin of nondividing cells, and the somatic subtypes of H1 are present in mouse oocytes and early embryos. We report that oocytes and embryos contain mRNA encoding H10. A polymerase chain reaction-based test indicated that the poly(A) tail did not lengthen during meiotic maturation, although it did so beginning at the four-cell stage. Antibodies raised against histone H10 stained the nucleus of wild-type prophase-arrested oocytes but not of mice lacking the H10 gene. Following fertilization, H10 was detected in the nuclei of two-cell embryos and less strongly at the four-cell stage. No signal was detected in H10 -/- embryos. Radiolabeling revealed that species comigrating with the somatic H1 subtypes H1a and H1c were synthesized in maturing oocytes and in one- and two-cell embryos. Beginning at the four-cell stage in both wild-type and H10 -/- embryos, species comigrating with subtypes H1b, H1d, and H1e were additionally synthesized. These results establish that histone H10 constitutes a portion of the linker histone complement in oocytes and early embryos and that changes in the pattern of somatic H1 synthesis occur during early embryonic development. Taken together with previous results, these findings suggest that multiple H1 subtypes are present on oocyte chromatin and that following fertilization changes in the histone H1 complement accompany the establishment of regulated embryonic gene expression.     

Spermatogenesis in mice is not affected by histone H1.1 deficiency

The linker histone subtype H1.1 belongs to the group of main-type histones and is synthesized in somatic tissues as well as in germ cells during the S phase of the cell cycle. In adult mice the histone gene H1.1 is expressed mainly in thymus, spleen, and testis. The single-copy gene coding for the H1.1 protein was eliminated by homologous recombination in mouse embryonic stem cells. Mice homozygous for the deficient H1.1 gene developed normally until the adult stage without H1.1 mRNA and H1.1 protein. No anatomic abnormalities could be detected. In addition, mice lacking the H1.1 gene were fertile and they showed normal spermatogenesis and testicular morphology.     

Sphingosine 1-phosphate S1P2 and S1P3 receptor-mediated Akt activation protects against in vivo myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is released at sites of tissue injury and effects cellular responses through activation of G protein-coupled receptors. The role of S1P in regulating cardiomyocyte survival following in vivo myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury was examined by using mice in which specific S1P receptor subtypes were deleted. Mice lacking either S1P(2) or S1P(3) receptors and subjected to 1-h coronary occlusion followed by 2 h of reperfusion developed infarcts equivalent to those of wild-type (WT) mice. However, in S1P(2,3) receptor double-knockout mice, infarct size following I/R was increased by >50%. I/R leads to activation of ERK, JNK, and p38 MAP kinases; however, these responses were not diminished in S1P(2,3) receptor knockout compared with WT mice. In contrast, activation of Akt in response to I/R was markedly attenuated in S1P(2,3) receptor knockout mouse hearts. Neither S1P(2) nor S1P(3) receptor deletion alone impaired I/R-induced Akt activation, which suggests redundant signaling through these receptors and is consistent with the finding that deletion of either receptor alone did not increase I/R injury. The involvement of cardiomyocytes in S1P(2) and S1P(3) receptor mediated activation of Akt was tested by using cells from WT and S1P receptor knockout hearts. Akt was activated by S1P, and this was modestly diminished in cardiomyocytes from S1P(2) or S1P(3) receptor knockout mice and completely abolished in the S1P(2,3) receptor double-knockout myocytes. Our data demonstrate that activation of S1P(2) and S1P(3) receptors plays a significant role in protecting cardiomyocytes from I/R damage in vivo and implicate the release of S1P and receptor-mediated Akt activation in this process.     

Differential affinity of mammalian histone H1 somatic subtypes for DNA and chromatin

Background  

Histone H1 is involved in the formation and maintenance of chromatin higher order structure. H1 has multiple isoforms; the subtypes differ in timing of expression, extent of phosphorylation and turnover rate. In vertebrates, the amino acid substitution rates differ among subtypes by almost one order of magnitude, suggesting that each subtype might have acquired a unique function. We have devised a competitive assay to estimate the relative binding affinities of histone H1 mammalian somatic subtypes H1a-e and H1° for long chromatin fragments (30–35 nucleosomes) in physiological salt (0.14 M NaCl) at constant stoichiometry.     

Interferon-lambda contributes to innate immunity of mice against influenza A virus but not against hepatotropic viruses

Virus-infected cells secrete a broad range of interferon (IFN) subtypes which in turn trigger the synthesis of antiviral factors that confer host resistance. IFN-alpha, IFN-beta and other type I IFNs signal through a common universally expressed cell surface receptor, whereas IFN-lambda uses a distinct receptor complex for signaling that is not present on all cell types. Since type I IFN receptor-deficient mice (IFNAR1(0/0)) exhibit greatly increased susceptibility to various viral diseases, it remained unclear to which degree IFN-lambda might contribute to innate immunity. To address this issue we performed influenza A virus infections of mice which carry functional alleles of the influenza virus resistance gene Mx1 and which, therefore, develop a more complete innate immune response to influenza viruses than standard laboratory mice. We demonstrate that intranasal administration of IFN-lambda readily induced the antiviral factor Mx1 in mouse lungs and efficiently protected IFNAR1(0/0) mice from lethal influenza virus infection. By contrast, intraperitoneal application of IFN-lambda failed to induce Mx1 in the liver of IFNAR1(0/0) mice and did not protect against hepatotropic virus infections. Mice lacking functional IFN-lambda receptors were only slightly more susceptible to influenza virus than wild-type mice. However, mice lacking functional receptors for both IFN-alpha/beta and IFN-lambda were hypersensitive and even failed to restrict usually non-pathogenic influenza virus mutants lacking the IFN-antagonistic factor NS1. Interestingly, the double-knockout mice were not more susceptible against hepatotropic viruses than IFNAR1(0/0) mice. From these results we conclude that IFN-lambda contributes to inborn resistance against viral pathogens infecting the lung but not the liver.     

Pathogenesis of Neonatal Herpes Simplex 2 Disease in a Mouse Model Is Dependent on Entry Receptor Expression and Route of Inoculation

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) pathogenesis in mice differs based on availability of the principal entry receptors herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM) and nectin-1 in a manner dependent upon route of inoculation. After intravaginal or intracranial inoculation of adult mice, nectin-1 is a major mediator of neurologic disease, while the absence of either receptor attenuates disease after ocular infection. We tested the importance of receptor availability and route of infection on disease in mouse models of neonatal HSV. We infected 7-day-old mice lacking neither or one principal HSV receptor or both principal HSV receptors with HSV-2 via a peripheral route (intranasal), via a systemic route (intraperitoneal), or by inoculation directly into the central nervous system (intracranial). Mortality, neurologic disease, and visceral dissemination of virus were significantly attenuated in nectin-1 knockout mice compared with HVEM knockout or wild-type mice after intranasal inoculation. Mice lacking both entry receptors (double-knockout mice) showed no evidence of disease after inoculation by any route. Nectin-1 knockout mice had delayed mortality after intraperitoneal inoculation relative to wild-type and HVEM knockout mice, but virus was able to spread to the brain and viscera in all genotypes except double-knockout mice. Unlike in adult mice, HVEM was sufficient to mediate disease in neonatal mice after direct intracranial inoculation, and the absence of HVEM delayed time to mortality relative to that of wild-type mice. Additionally, in wild-type neonatal mice inoculated intracranially, HSV antigen did not primarily colocalize with NeuN-positive neurons. Our results suggest that differences in receptor expression between adults and newborns may partially explain differences in susceptibility to HSV-2.     

Isolation and characterisation of five histone H1 subtypes from adult rat liver

A procedure is described for quantitative purification of H10 and five H1-1 subtypes--named H1-1a to e--from adult rat liver by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography. Milligram amounts of each fraction have been obtained. The H1-1a subtype shows a very high lysine content (34%) and H1-1d subtype has an amino-acid composition close to that of H10, but its electrophoretic mobility is different. Salt dependent folding of these subtypes has been studied by circular dichroism. In the presence of 2 or 10 mM sodium phosphate buffers at pH 7.5, H1-1a shows the lowest alpha-helix content. In phosphate-buffer containing 1 M NaCl the number of residues in alpha-helix for all the subtypes rises to 9-10%. Partial cleavage of these subtypes by endoproteinase Glu-C produce three main peptides arising from C-terminal domains. The interaction of the H1-1 subtypes with 196 basepairs linear DNA, purified from rat liver chromatin by high-pressure ion-exchange liquid chromatography, has for consequences a modification of the patterns of digestion: partial proteolysis of the H1-1a and H1-1b subtypes shows differences in the presence or in absence of DNA; on the contrary, H1-1c and H1-1d seem to have the same organization. So these subtypes may play a role in the differential packing of specific region of chromatin.     

Quantitative changes in the expression of histone H1 and H2B subtypes and their relationship to the differentiation of mouse embryonal carcinoma cells

The pattern of histones from several mouse embryonal carcinoma cell (ECC) lines, differentiated cell lines, and adult organs was analyzed using acid-urea gels containing Triton X-100 and long SDS-gel electrophoresis. All cell lines had comparable histone types except for a unique H2B-like component that was found only in the ECC line PCC4. The mouse histone H1 has four different subtypes (H1a, H1b, H1c, and H1d), as resolved in SDS-gel electrophoresis. The expression of the four subtypes was shown to be cell line specific. Subtypes H1a and H1d are present in approximately the same relative amounts in all cell lines investigated. Subtype H1b is found in higher relative amounts than subtype H1c in ECC lines and testis. The ratio of H1b and H1c is reversed in differentiated cell lines and in kidney, white blood cells, liver and spleen. All four subtypes of H1 are phosphorylated although to a different extent in different cell lines. In ECC lines, subtypes H1b and especially H1d incorporate most of a ³²P label, whereas H1c is predominately phosphorylated in differentiated parietal endoderm cell lines. These data indicate that H1 subtypes differ depending on the stage of cell differentiation. Difference in ratio between H1 subtypes and in phosphorylation might influence the chromatin configuration and thus gene expression in these cells.     

H1 linker histones are essential for mouse development and affect nucleosome spacing in vivo

Most eukaryotic cells contain nearly equimolar amounts of nucleosomes and H1 linker histones. Despite their abundance and the potential functional specialization of H1 subtypes in multicellular organisms, gene inactivation studies have failed to reveal essential functions for linker histones in vivo. Moreover, in vitro studies suggest that H1 subtypes may not be absolutely required for assembly of chromosomes or nuclei. By sequentially inactivating the genes for three mouse H1 subtypes (H1c, H1d, and H1e), we showed that linker histones are essential for mammalian development. Embryos lacking the three H1 subtypes die by mid-gestation with a broad range of defects. Triple-H1-null embryos have about 50% of the normal ratio of H1 to nucleosomes. Mice null for five of these six H1 alleles are viable but are underrepresented in litters and are much smaller than their littermates. Marked reductions in H1 content were found in certain tissues of these mice and in another compound H1 mutant. These results demonstrate that the total amount of H1 is crucial for proper embryonic development. Extensive reduction of H1 in certain tissues did not lead to changes in nuclear size, but it did result in global shortening of the spacing between nucleosomes.     

Nucleosome Interaction Surface of Linker Histone H1c Is Distinct from That of H10

The fully organized structure of the eukaryotic nucleosome remains unsolved, in part due to limited information regarding the binding site of the H1 or linker histone. The central globular domain of H1 is believed to interact with the nucleosome core at or near the dyad and to bind at least two strands of DNA. We utilized site-directed mutagenesis and in vivo photobleaching to identify residues that contribute to the binding of the globular domain of the somatic H1 subtype H1c to the nucleosome. As was previously observed for the H1⁰ subtype, the binding residues for H1c are clustered on the surface of one face of the domain. Despite considerable structural conservation between the globular domains of these two subtypes, the locations of the binding sites identified for H1c are distinct from those of H1⁰. We suggest that the globular domains of these two linker histone subtypes will bind to the nucleosome with distinct orientations that may contribute to higher order chromatin structure heterogeneity or to differences in dynamic interactions with other DNA or chromatin-binding proteins.     

N- and C-terminal domains determine differential nucleosomal binding geometry and affinity of linker histone isotypes H1(0) and H1c

Eukaryotic linker or H1 histones modulate DNA compaction and gene expression in vivo. In mammals, these proteins exist as multiple isotypes with distinct properties, suggesting a functional significance to the heterogeneity. Linker histones typically have a tripartite structure composed of a conserved central globular domain flanked by a highly variable short N-terminal domain and a longer highly basic C-terminal domain. We hypothesized that the variable terminal domains of individual subtypes contribute to their functional heterogeneity by influencing chromatin binding interactions. We developed a novel dual color fluorescence recovery after photobleaching assay system in which two H1 proteins fused to spectrally separable fluorescent proteins can be co-expressed and their independent binding kinetics simultaneously monitored in a single cell. This approach was combined with domain swap and point mutagenesis to determine the roles of the terminal domains in the differential binding characteristics of the linker histone isotypes, mouse H1(0) and H1c. Exchanging the N-terminal domains between H1(0) and H1c changed their overall binding affinity to that of the other variant. In contrast, switching the C-terminal domains altered the chromatin interaction surface of the globular domain. These results indicate that linker histone subtypes bind to chromatin in an intrinsically specific manner and that the highly variable terminal domains contribute to differences between subtypes. The methods developed in this study will have broad applications in studying dynamic properties of additional histone subtypes and other mobile proteins.     

Prostaglandin E prevents indomethacin-induced gastric and intestinal damage through different EP receptor subtypes

Gastrointestinal ulcerogenic effect of indomethacin is causally related with an endogenous prostaglandin (PG) deficiency, yet the detailed mechanism remains unknown. We examined the effect of various PGE analogues specific to EP receptor subtypes on these lesions in rats and mice, and investigated which EP receptor subtype is involved in the protective action of PGE(2). Fasted or non-fasted animals were given indomethacin s.c. at 35 mg/kg for induction of gastric lesions or 10-30 mg/kg for intestinal lesions, and they were killed 4 or 24 h later, respectively. Various EP agonists were given i.v. 10 min before indomethacin. Indomethacin caused hemorrhagic lesions in both the stomach and intestine. Prior administration of 16,16-dimethyl PGE(2) (dmPGE(2)) prevented the development of damage in both tissues, and the effect in the stomach was mimicked by 17-phenyl PGE2 (EP1), while that in the small intestine was reproduced by ONO-NT-012 (EP3) and ONO-AE-329 (EP4). Butaprost (EP2) did not have any effect on either gastric or intestinal lesions induced by indomethacin. Similar to the findings in rats, indomethacin caused gastric and intestinal lesions in both wild-type and knockout mice lacking EP1 or EP3 receptors. However, the protective action of dmPGE(2) in the stomach was observed in wild-type and EP3 receptor knockout mice but not in mice lacking EP1 receptors, while that in the intestine was observed in EP1 knockout as well as wild-type mice but not in the animals lacking EP3 receptors. These results suggest that indomethacin produced damage in the stomach and intestine in a PGE(2)-sensitive manner, and exogenous PGE(2) prevents gastric and intestinal ulcerogenic response to indomethacin through different EP receptor subtypes; the protection in the stomach is mediated by EP1 receptors, while that in the intestine mediated by EP3/EP4 receptors.     

Compensation by fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) does not account for the mild phenotypic defects observed in FGF2 null mice

Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) and FGF2, the prototypic members of the FGF family of growth factors, have been implicated in a variety of physiological and pathological processes. Unlike most other FGFs, FGF1 and FGF2 are ubiquitously expressed and are not efficiently secreted. Gene knockouts in mice have previously demonstrated a role for FGF2 in brain development, blood pressure regulation, and wound healing. The relatively mild phenotypic defects associated with FGF2 deletion led to the hypothesis that the continued expression of other FGFs partially compensated for the absence of FGF2 in these mice. We now report our generation of mice lacking FGF1 and their use, in combination with our previously described FGF2 null mice, to produce mice lacking both FGF1 and FGF2. FGF1-FGF2 double-knockout mice are viable and fertile and do not display any gross phenotypic defects. In the double-knockout mice we observed defects that were similar in extent to those previously described for the FGF2 null mice. Differences in the organization of neurons of the frontal motor cortex and in the rates of wound healing were observed. We also observed in FGF2(-/-) mice and in FGF1-FGF2 double-knockout mice novel impairments in hematopoiesis that were similar in severity. Essentially no abnormalities were found in mice lacking only FGF1. Our results suggest that the relatively mild defects in FGF2 knockout animals are not a consequence of compensation by FGF1 and suggest highly restricted roles for both factors under normal developmental and physiological conditions.     

Subtype-specific cyclic AMP-dependent histone H1 phosphorylation at the differentiation of mouse neuroblastoma cells.

At the initial phase of cell differentiation in mouse neuroblastoma (N18) induced by dibutyrylcyclic AMP (dbcAMP), an additional site of histone H1 was extensively phosphorylated. Forskolin and various phosphodiesterase inhibitors also induced both cell differentiation and H1 phosphorylation at the identical site. The phosphorylation preferentially occurred in a single H1 subtype (H1c) among the five (H1a-e) fractionated by high performance liquid chromatography. The three H1 subtypes of N18 (H1c, H1d, and H1e) were phosphorylated in vitro, and their amino acid sequences of the phosphopeptides were identical to the known sequence of rabbit H1 peptides containing a serine 37 residue. However, the amount of H1a and H1b phosphorylations was negligible. The serine residue was replaced by threonine residue in H1a, and H1b did not have a homologous peptide. The tryptic phosphopeptides of H1 in N18 were identical to that in rat liver H1 induced by glucagon (Langan, T.A. (1969) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 64, 1276-1283). The results indicate that 1) the response of H1 subtypes to cAMP-dependent protein kinase in vivo and in vitro is H1 subtype-specific, and 2) the H1c phosphorylation may play an important role in the restrictive area of chromatin in both cell differentiation and hormonal stimulation mediated by cAMP.     

Effects of H1 histone variant overexpression on chromatin structure

The importance of histone H1 heterogeneity and total H1 stoichiometry in chromatin has been enigmatic. Here we report a detailed characterization of the chromatin structure of cells overexpressing either H1(0) or H1c. Nucleosome spacing was found to change during cell cycle progression, and overexpression of either variant in exponentially growing cells results in a 15-base pair increase in nucleosome repeat length. H1 histones can also assemble on chromatin and influence nucleosome spacing in the absence of DNA replication. Overexpression of H1(0) and, to a lesser extent, H1c results in a decreased rate of digestion of chromatin by micrococcal nuclease. Using green fluorescent protein-tagged H1 variants, we show that micrococcal nuclease-resistant chromatin is specifically enriched in the H1(0) variant. Overexpression of H1(0) results in the appearance of a unique mononucleosome species of higher mobility on nucleoprotein gels. Domain switch mutagenesis revealed that either the N-terminal tail or the central globular domain of the H1(0) protein could independently give rise to this unique mononucleosome species. These results in part explain the differential effects of H1(0) and H1c in regulating chromatin structure and function.