Stage-Specific Expression and Localization of MENT, a Nuclear Protein Associated with Chromatin Condensation in Terminally Differentiating Avian Erythroid Cells

Polyclonal antibodies have been raised against a nonhistone protein (MENT) which has been previously shown to be associated with the repressed chromatin of mature chicken erythrocytes and to promote the in vitro condensation of chromatin of immature erythrocyte nuclei. Here we report that the expression pattern of MENT closely follows chromatin condensation in maturing arian erythrocytes of definitive and primary lineages. Accumulation of MENT correlates more strongly with chromatin condensation than does accumulation of histone H5. In addition to being present in erythrocytes, the protein was also found in neutrophil nuclei and an immunofluorescence reaction was observed with embryonic (nucleated) thrombocytes. MENT was not detected in other chicken tissues (brain, liver, testis). In intact erythrocytes, MENT immunofluorescence was found in foci close to the nuclear periphery, while in isolated, decondensed nuclei, the fluorescence signal was uniformly distributed. In neutrophil nuclei, containing approximately 10 times more MENT than adult erythrocytes, intense staining associated with the peripheral heterochromatin was observed. These findings are discussed in regard to a possible mechanism for chromatin condensation by MENT.     

Insulation of the chicken beta-globin chromosomal domain from a chromatin-condensing protein,MENT

Active genes are insulated from developmentally regulated chromatin condensation in terminally differentiated cells. We mapped the topography of a terminal stage-specific chromatin-condensing protein, MENT, across the active chicken beta-globin domain. We observed two sharp transitions of MENT concentration coinciding with the beta-globin boundary elements. The MENT distribution profile was opposite to that of acetylated core histones but correlated with that of histone H3 dimethylated at lysine 9 (H3me2K9). Ectopic MENT expression in NIH 3T3 cells caused a large-scale and specific remodeling of chromatin marked by H3me2K9. MENT colocalized with H3me2K9 both in chicken erythrocytes and NIH 3T3 cells. Mutational analysis of MENT and experiments with deacetylase inhibitors revealed the essential role of the reaction center loop domain and an inhibitory affect of histone hyperacetylation on the MENT-induced chromatin remodeling in vivo. In vitro, the elimination of the histone H3 N-terminal peptide containing lysine 9 by trypsin blocked chromatin self-association by MENT, while reconstitution with dimethylated but not acetylated N-terminal domain of histone H3 specifically restored chromatin self-association by MENT. We suggest that histone H3 modification at lysine 9 directly regulates chromatin condensation by recruiting MENT to chromatin in a fashion that is spatially constrained from active genes by gene boundary elements and histone hyperacetylation.     

Linker histone subtype composition and affinity for chromatin in situ in nucleated mature erythrocytes

The replacement linker histones H1(0) and H5 are present in frog and chicken erythrocytes, respectively, and their accumulation coincides with cessation of proliferation and compaction of chromatin. These cells have been analyzed for the affinity of linker histones for chromatin with cytochemical and biochemical methods. Our results show a stronger association between linker histones and chromatin in chicken erythrocyte nuclei than in frog erythrocyte nuclei. Analyses of linker histones from chicken erythrocytes using capillary electrophoresis showed H5 to be the subtype strongest associated with chromatin. The corresponding analyses of frog erythrocyte linker histones using reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography showed that H1(0) dissociated from chromatin at somewhat higher ionic strength than the three additional subtypes present in frog blood but at lower ionic strength than chicken H5. Which of the two H1(0) variants in frog is expressed in erythrocytes has thus far been unknown. Amino acid sequencing showed that H1(0)-2 is the only H1(0) subtype present in frog erythrocytes and that it is 100% acetylated at its N termini. In conclusion, our results show differences between frog and chicken linker histone affinity for chromatin probably caused by the specific subtype composition present in each cell type. Our data also indicate a lack of correlation between linker histone affinity and chromatin condensation.     

Nuclear factor 1 is a component of the nuclear matrix

Chicken histone H5 is an H1-like linker histone that is expressed only in nucleated erythrocytes. The histone H5 promoter has binding sites for Sp1 (a high affinity site) and UPE-binding protein, while the 3′ erythroid-specific enhancer has binding sites for Sp1 (one moderate and three weak affinity), GATA-1, and NF1. In this study we investigated whether trans-acting factors that bind to the chicken histone H5 promoter or enhancer are associated with adult chicken immature and mature erythrocyte nuclear matrices. We show that NF1, but not Sp1, GATA-1, or UPE-binding protein, is associated with the internal nuclear matrices of these erythroid cells. Further, we found that a subset of the NF1 family of proteins is bound to the mature erythrocyte nuclear matrix. These results suggest that in chicken erythrocytes NF1 may mediate an interaction between the histone H5 enhancer and the erythroid internal nuclear matrix. NF1 was also present in the internal nuclear matrices of chicken liver and trout liver. The observations of this study provide evidence that NF1 may have a role in a variety of cell types in targeting specific DNA sequences to the nuclear matrix. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Reactivation of DNA replication in erythrocyte nuclei by Xenopus egg extract involves energy-dependent chromatin decondensation and changes in histone phosphorylation.

Reactivation of chicken erythrocyte nuclei for DNA replication in Xenopus egg extracts involves two phases of chromatin remodelling: a fast decondensation leading to a small volume increase and chromatin dispersion occurring within a few minutes (termed stage I decondensation), followed by a slower membrane-dependent decondensation and enlargement of up to 40-fold from the initial volume (stage II decondensation). Chromatin decondensation as measured by nuclear swelling and micrococcal nuclease digestion required ATP. We observed a characteristic change in the phosphorylation pattern of erythrocyte proteins upon incubation in egg extract. While histones H5, H2A, and H4 became selectively phosphorylated during decondensation, the phosphorylation of histone H3 and of several nonhistone proteins was prevented. Furthermore, histone H5 was selectively released from erythrocyte nuclei in an energy-dependent reaction. These molecular changes already occurred during stage I decondensation and they persisted during stage II decondensation. DNA replication was confined to nuclei of stage II decondensation which incorporated lamin LIII from the egg extract. These results show that initiation of DNA replication in chicken erythrocytes requires in addition to ATP-dependent chromatin remodelling (stage I), further changes in chromatin structure that correlates with lamin LIII incorporation, and stage II decondensation.     

DNA repeat lengths of erythrocyte chromatins differing in content of histones H1 and H5

Among the erythrocytes of chicken, trout, carp, and sucker, the relative proportion of the lysine-rich histone H5 varied from 20 to 0% of the total histones. Following digestion of nuclear chromatin with micrococcal nuclease, each of them displayed a longer DNA repeat length and greater repeat length heterogeneity than found in liver chromatin. Fish erythrocytes possessed similar repeat lengths of 207-209 base pairs which was 10-12 base pairs shorter than in chicken erythrocyte chromatin and approximately 10 base pairs longer than in liver chromatin. No correlation existed between the DNA repeat length or repeat length heterogeneity and the relative proportion of H5.     

Chicken erythrocyte chromatin and nuclear envelope antigens

Chromatin and inner layer nuclear envelope were isolated from chicken erythrocyte nuclei. Two antisera against dehistonized chromatin and nuclear envelope of chicken erythrocytes were obtained. Using the antiserum against dehistonized chromatin of erythrocytes we found: the presence of the antigens at approximate mol. wts of 56,000 and 77,000 tightly bound with DNA and characteristic of only erythrocyte chromatin; localized antigens at approximate mol. wts of 63,000, 68,000 and 92,000 tightly bound with DNA and common only for chromatin and nuclear envelope of chicken erythrocytes; heterogeneity of the antigens tightly bound with DNA. Using the antiserum against inner layer nuclear envelope we did not find antigens specific only for nuclear envelope and absent in erythrocyte chromatin. Some of the antigens were present in the control preparations of chicken liver chromatin and may be regarded as being species specific.     

Features of the chromatin structure of erythrocytes depending on the properties of lysine-rich histones

A comparative analysis of chromatin from erythrocytes of frog, trout and hen has been performed in correlation with properties of the nucleosomal linker histones of H1 family. In the nucleosomes from frog erythrocytes the linker histone is represented by H1(0)-like variant with amino acid sequence highly homologous to that of the hen histone H5, however the arginine content in the proteins differs (3 mol% in the frog erythrocyte H1 and 12 mol% in the hen erythrocyte H5). On the other hand histone H5 from trout being significantly different in the primary structure from the hen histone H5 is at the same time rich in arginine (9 mol%). The nucleosomal repeat length, estimated by using agarose gel electrophoresis is 201, 213 and 213 b.p. in erythrocyte chromatin from frog, trout and hen, correspondingly. Chromatin packing density in fixed nuclei from erythrocytes of frog, trout and hen as determined using cytophotometric measurements is 0.144, 0.444 and 530 pg/mu 3, correspondingly. The data support the previously made suggestion that the increase in arginine content in nucleosomal linker proteins is connected with the increase of chromatin compaction in the nuclei and elongation of the linker in the nucleosome.     

Nuclear matrix proteins bind very tightly to specific regions of the chicken histone H5 gene.

The nuclear matrix is operationally defined as the structure remaining after nuclease-digested nuclei are extracted with high concentrations of salt. The nuclear matrix is thought to have a role in organizing higher order chromatin into loop domains. We determined whether specific regions of the histone H5 gene were very tightly bound to protein of erythrocyte and liver nuclear matrices in vitro. We demonstrate that DNA fragments spanning sequences 5' to the promoter and the 3' enhancer region of the histone H5 gene, but not DNA fragments spanning the promoter, were very tightly bound to protein of nuclear matrices of erythrocytes and liver. The nuclear matrix consists of internal nuclear matrix and nuclear pore-lamina complex. Recently, we demonstrated that histone deacetylase could be used as a marker enzyme of the internal nuclear matrix. We demonstrate that nuclear pore-lamina complex preparations that were depleted of histone deacetylase activity, and thus of internal nuclear matrix, retained the protein that bound very tightly to the beta-globin and histone H5 enhancers. These results provide evidence that specific regions of the histone H5 gene are very tightly bound to nuclear pore-lamina complex protein.     

Status of the nuclear matrix in mature and embryonic chick erythrocyte nuclei

The adult chicken erythrocyte nucleus was found to lack an internal nuclear matrix: even milder extraction procedures resulted in the production of empty shells of pore complex-lamina together with loose aggregates of core histone. In contrast, rat liver nuclei showed a typical intranuclear salt-resistant skeleton. These results show that an internal matrix is not an obligatory nuclear component, and is not required for the spatial organization of chromatin. 5-day-old embryonic erythrocytes did, however, contain an interchromatinic nuclear matrix, suggesting a correlation between the presence of matrix structures, and nuclear 'activity'.