Regulation of HP1-chromatin binding by histone H3 methylation and phosphorylation

Tri-methylation of histone H3 lysine 9 is important for recruiting heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) to discrete regions of the genome, thereby regulating gene expression, chromatin packaging and heterochromatin formation. Here we show that HP1alpha, -beta, and -gamma are released from chromatin during the M phase of the cell cycle, even though tri-methylation levels of histone H3 lysine 9 remain unchanged. However, the additional, transient modification of histone H3 by phosphorylation of serine 10 next to the more stable methyl-lysine 9 mark is sufficient to eject HP1 proteins from their binding sites. Inhibition or depletion of the mitotic kinase Aurora B, which phosphorylates serine 10 on histone H3, causes retention of HP1 proteins on mitotic chromosomes, suggesting that H3 serine 10 phosphorylation is necessary for the dissociation of HP1 from chromatin in M phase. These findings establish a regulatory mechanism of protein-protein interactions, through a combinatorial readout of two adjacent post-translational modifications: a stable methylation and a dynamic phosphorylation mark.     

IkappaB kinase-alpha acts in the epidermis to control skeletal and craniofacial morphogenesis

IkappaB kinase-alpha (IKK-alpha) exhibits protein-kinase-dependent and -independent functions. Its kinase activity is required for lymphoid organogenesis and mammary gland development, whereas a kinase-independent activity is required for epidermal keratinocyte differentiation. In addition to failed epidermal differentiation, IKK-alpha-deficient mice exhibit abnormal skeletal and craniofacial morphogenesis. As similar defects are not exhibited by mice that experience systemic inhibition of NF-kappaB, we postulated that the morphogenetic defects in IKK-alpha-deficient mice are not caused by reduced NF-kappaB activity but instead are due to failed epidermal differentiation that disrupts proper epidermal-mesodermal interactions. We tested this hypothesis by introducing an epidermal-specific Ikka (also known as Chuk) transgene into IKK-alpha-deficient mice. Mice lacking IKK-alpha in all cell types including bone and cartilage, but not in basal epidermal keratinocytes, exhibit normal epidermal differentiation and skeletal morphology. Thus, epidermal differentiation is required for proper morphogenesis of mesodermally derived skeletal elements. One way by which IKK-alpha controls skeletal and craniofacial morphogenesis is by repressing expression of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family members, such as FGF8, whose expression is specifically elevated in the limb bud ectoderm of IKK-alpha-deficient mice.     

Calcium-dependent phosphorylation of histone H3 in butyrate-treated HeLa cells

Ca2+ is prominant in the control of cell proliferation and function. However, the biochemical mechanism(s) mediating its effects on nuclear events is unknown. We report here that Ca2+, at physiological concentrations, stimulates the phosphorylation of histone H3 by an endogenous protein kinase in HeLa cell nuclei. Also, pretreatment of cells with Na butyrate, which increases histone acetylation, selectively increases the susceptability of histone H3 to phosphorylation by the protein kinase. Our results reveal a potential link between histone H3 acetylation and phosphorylation, modifications which are thought to have important effects on chromatin structure and function and suggest a possible mechanism whereby stimuli at the cell surface (such as hormones, mitogens and drugs) may influence biochemical events at the nuclear level; changes in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration may influence the phosphorylation of chromosomal proteins, mediated by Ca2+ -dependent kinases in th nucleus.     

Chromatin remodelling at a DNA double-strand break site in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is crucial for maintaining genome stability. Eukaryotic cells repair DSBs by both non-homologous end joining and homologous recombination. How chromatin structure is altered in response to DSBs and how such alterations influence DSB repair processes are important issues. In vertebrates, phosphorylation of the histone variant H2A.X occurs rapidly after DSB formation, spreads over megabase chromatin domains, and is required for stable accumulation of repair proteins at damage foci. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, phosphorylation of the two principal H2A species is also signalled by DSB formation, which spreads approximately 40 kb in either direction from the DSB. Here we show that near a DSB phosphorylation of H2A is followed by loss of histones H2B and H3 and increased sensitivity of chromatin to digestion by micrococcal nuclease; however, phosphorylation of H2A and nucleosome loss occur independently. The DNA damage sensor MRX is required for histone loss, which also depends on INO80, a nucleosome remodelling complex. The repair protein Rad51 (ref. 6) shows delayed recruitment to DSBs in the absence of histone loss, suggesting that MRX-dependent nucleosome remodelling regulates the accessibility of factors directly involved in DNA repair by homologous recombination. Thus, MRX may regulate two pathways of chromatin changes: nucleosome displacement for efficient recruitment of homologous recombination proteins; and phosphorylation of H2A, which modulates checkpoint responses to DNA damage.     

Dephosphorylation and activation of Xenopus p34cdc2 protein kinase during the cell cycle

Genetic studies in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe have established that a critical element required for the G2----M-phase transition in the cell cycle is encoded by the cdc2+ gene. The product of this gene is a serine/threonine protein kinase, designated p34cdc, that is highly conserved functionally from yeast to man2 and has a relative molecular mass of 34,000 (34 K). Purified maturation-promoting factor (MPF) is a complex of p34cdc2 and a 45K substrate that appears in late G2 phase and is sufficient to drive cells into mitosis. This factor has been identified in all eukaryotic cells, and in vitro histone H1 is the preferred substrate for phosphorylation. The increase in the activity of H1 kinase in M-phase is associated with a large increase in total cell protein phosphorylation which is believed to be a consequence of MPF activation. We show here that the H1 kinase activity of p34cdc2 oscillates during the cell cycle in Xenopus, and maximal activity correlates with the dephosphorylated state of p34cdc2. Direct inactivation of MPF in vitro is accompanied by phosphorylation of p34cdc2 and reduction of its protein kinase activity.     

Chromosomal landscape of nucleosome-dependent gene expression and silencing in yeast

Eukaryotic genomes are packaged into nucleosomes, which are thought to repress gene expression generally. Repression is particularly evident at yeast telomeres, where genes within the telomeric heterochromatin appear to be silenced by the histone-binding silent information regulator (SIR) complex (Sir2, Sir3, Sir4) and Rap1 (refs 4-10). Here, to investigate how nucleosomes and silencing factors influence global gene expression, we use high-density arrays to study the effects of depleting nucleosomal histones and silencing factors in yeast. Reducing nucleosome content by depleting histone H4 caused increased expression of 15% of genes and reduced expression of 10% of genes, but it had little effect on expression of the majority (75%) of yeast genes. Telomere-proximal genes were found to be de-repressed over regions extending 20 kilobases from the telomeres, well beyond the extent of Sir protein binding and the effects of loss of Sir function. These results indicate that histones make Sir-independent contributions to telomeric silencing, and that the role of histones located elsewhere in chromosomes is gene specific rather than generally repressive.     

TRIM24 links a non-canonical histone signature to breast cancer

Recognition of modified histone species by distinct structural domains within 'reader' proteins plays a critical role in the regulation of gene expression. Readers that simultaneously recognize histones with multiple marks allow transduction of complex chromatin modification patterns into specific biological outcomes. Here we report that chromatin regulator tripartite motif-containing 24 (TRIM24) functions in humans as a reader of dual histone marks by means of tandem plant homeodomain (PHD) and bromodomain (Bromo) regions. The three-dimensional structure of the PHD-Bromo region of TRIM24 revealed a single functional unit for combinatorial recognition of unmodified H3K4 (that is, histone H3 unmodified at lysine 4, H3K4me0) and acetylated H3K23 (histone H3 acetylated at lysine 23, H3K23ac) within the same histone tail. TRIM24 binds chromatin and oestrogen receptor to activate oestrogen-dependent genes associated with cellular proliferation and tumour development. Aberrant expression of TRIM24 negatively correlates with survival of breast cancer patients. The PHD-Bromo of TRIM24 provides a structural rationale for chromatin activation through a non-canonical histone signature, establishing a new route by which chromatin readers may influence cancer pathogenesis.     

Dephosphorylation and activation of a p34cdc2/cyclin B complex in vitro by human CDC25 protein.

Oocytes arrested in the G2 phase of the cell cycle contain a p34cdc2/cyclin B complex which is kept in an inactive form by phosphorylation of its p34cdc2 subunit on tyrosine, threonine and perhaps serine residues. The phosphatase(s) involved in p34cdc2 dephosphorylation is unknown, but the product of the fission yeast cdc25+ gene, and its homologues in budding yeast and Drosophila are probably positive regulators of the transition from G2 to M phase. We have purified the inactive p34cdc2/cyclin B complex from G2-arrested starfish oocytes. Addition of the purified bacterially expressed product of the human homologue of the fission yeast cdc25+ gene (p54CDC25H) triggers p34cdc2 dephosphorylation and activates H1 histone kinase activity in this preparation. We propose that the cdc25+ gene product directly activates the p34cdc2-cyclin B complex.     

Myb DNA binding inhibited by phosphorylation at a site deleted during oncogenic activation

The c-Myb nuclear oncoprotein is phosphorylated in vitro and in vivo at an N-terminal site near its DNA-binding domain by casein kinase II (CK-II) or a CK-II-like activity. This in vitro phosphorylation reversibly inhibits the sequence-specific binding of c-Myb to DNA. The site of this phosphorylation is deleted in nearly all oncogenically activated Myb proteins, resulting in DNA-binding that is independent of CK-II. Because CK-II activity is modulated by growth factors, loss of the site could uncouple c-Myb from its normal physiological regulator.     

Ser28磷酸化组蛋白H3在哺乳动物有丝分裂细胞中的动态分布

利用特异性抗Ser28磷酸化组蛋白H3抗体,应用间接免疫荧光标记技术,标记人乳腺癌细胞 (MCF-7)和小鼠成纤维细胞(NIH 3T3),用激光共聚焦显微术研究这两种哺乳动物细胞中Ser28磷酸化组蛋白 H3在有丝分裂过程中的动态分布,以研究Ser28磷酸化组蛋白在细胞有丝分裂过程中的作用.结果表明,Ser28 的磷酸化作用是这两种细胞有丝分裂期的特有事件.组蛋白H3的Ser28磷酸化信号首先出现在早期的核外周, Ser28磷酸化在中期达到高峰,并扩展到染色体的所有部分,后期和末期逐渐减退,随着胞质分裂的完成而消失. 实验结果表明,组蛋白H3 Ser28的磷酸化与有丝分裂染色体的凝集和解凝集过程有着时间和空间上的相关性. Ser28磷酸化使得组蛋白H3氨基末端的正电荷数降低,这可能是导致染色质变构凝集的原因之一.有丝分裂期 间组蛋白H3在Ser28位置磷酸化过程与Ser10相比有明显的差异,因此在动物细胞中,组蛋白H3氨基末端这 两个不同丝氨酸残基的磷酸化可能有不同的生物学功能.