The p38-interacting Protein (p38IP) Regulates G2/M Progression by Promoting α-Tubulin Acetylation via Inhibiting Ubiquitination-induced Degradation of the Acetyltransferase GCN5

p38-interacting protein (p38IP) is a component of the GCN5 histone acetyltransferase-containing coactivator complex (GCN5-SAGA complex). It remains unclear whether p38IP or GCN5-SAGA is involved in cell cycle regulation. Using RNA interference to knock down p38IP, we observed that cells were arrested at the G₂/M phase, exhibiting accumulation of cyclins, shrunken spindles, and hypoacetylation of α-tubulin. Further analysis revealed that knockdown of p38IP led to proteasome-dependent degradation of GCN5. GCN5 associated with and acetylated α-tubulin, and recovering GCN5 protein levels in p38IP knockdown cells by ectopic expression of GCN5 efficiently reversed α-tubulin hypoacetylation and G₂/M arrest. During the G₂/M transition, the association of α-tubulin with GCN5 increased, and the acetylation of α-tubulin reached a peak. Biochemical analyses demonstrated that the interaction between p38IP and GCN5 depended on the p38IP N terminus (1–381 amino acids) and GCN5 histone acetyltransferase domain and bromodomain. The p38IP N terminus could effectively reverse p38IP depletion-induced GCN5 degradation, thus recovering α-tubulin acetylation and G₂/M progression. p38IP-mediated suppression of GCN5 ubiquitination most likely occurs via nuclear sequestration of GCN5. Our data indicate that the GCN5-SAGA complex is required for G₂/M progression, mainly because p38IP promotes the acetylation of α-tubulin by preventing the degradation of GCN5, in turn facilitating the formation of the mitotic spindle.     

MCM3AP, a novel acetyltransferase that acetylates replication protein MCM3

The MCM proteins are essential for the initiation of DNA replication. We have isolated an MCM3-associated protein (MCM3AP) in a two-hybrid screen using MCM3. Here we demonstrate that MCM3AP is an acetyltransferase which acetylates MCM3 and that chromatin-bound MCM3 is acetylated in vivo. The MCM3 acetylase, MCM3AP, is also chromatin-bound. This study also indicates that MCM3AP contains putative acetyl CoA binding motifs conserved within the GCN5-related N-acetyltransferase superfamily. Mutation of those motifs significantly inhibits the MCM3 acetylase activity. Over-expression of MCM3AP inhibits DNA replication, whereas mutation of the acetylase motifs abolishes this effect, suggesting that acetylation plays a role in DNA replication. Taken together, we suggest that MCM3 acetylation is a novel pathway which might regulate DNA replication.