Molecular basis for Gcn5/PCAF histone acetyltransferase selectivity for histone and nonhistone substrates

Histone acetyltransferase (HAT) proteins often exhibit a high degree of specificity for lysine-bearing protein substrates. We have previously reported on the structure of the Tetrahymena Gcn5 HAT protein (tGcn5) bound to its preferred histone H3 substrate, revealing the mode of substrate binding by the Gcn5/PCAF family of HAT proteins. Interestingly, the Gcn5/PCAF HAT family has a remarkable ability to acetylate lysine residues within diverse cognate sites such as those found around lysines 14, 8, and 320 of histones H3, H4, and p53, respectively. To investigate the molecular basis for this, we now report on the crystal structures of tGcn5 bound to 19-residue histone H4 and p53 peptides. A comparison of these structures with tGcn5 bound to histone H3 reveals that the Gcn5/PCAF HATs can accommodate divergent substrates by utilizing analogous interactions with the lysine target and two C-terminal residues with a related chemical nature, suggesting that these interactions play a general role in Gcn5/PCAF substrate binding selectivity. In contrast, while the histone H3 complex shows extensive interactions with tGcn5 and peptide residues N-terminal to the target lysine, the corresponding residues in histone H4 and p53 are disordered, suggesting that the N-terminal substrate region plays an important role in the enhanced affinity of the Gcn5/PCAF HAT proteins for histone H3. Together, these studies provide a framework for understanding the substrate selectivity of HAT proteins.     

The bromodomain of Gcn5p interacts in vitro with specific residues in the N terminus of histone H4

Whereas the histone acetyltransferase activity of yeast Gcn5p has been widely studied, its structural interactions with the histones and the role of the carboxy-terminal bromodomain are still unclear. Using a glutathione S-transferase pull down assay we show that Gcn5p binds the amino-terminal tails of histones H3 and H4, but not H2A and H2B. The deletion of bromodomain abolishes this interaction and bromodomain alone is able to interact with the H3 and H4 N termini. The amino acid residues of the H4 N terminus involved in the binding with Gcn5p have been studied by site-directed mutagenesis. The substitution of amino acid residues R19 or R23 of the H4 N terminus with a glutamine (Q) abolishes the interaction with Gcn5p and the bromodomain. These residues differ from those known to be acetylated or to be involved in binding the SIR proteins. This evidence and the known dispensability of the bromodomain for Gcn5p acetyltransferase activity suggest a new structural role for the highly evolutionary conserved bromodomain.