ABSTRACT
The anaphase-promoting complex (APC), a large evolutionarily conserved ubiquitin ligase complex, regulates cell cycle progression through mitosis and G1. Here, we present data suggesting that APC-dependent cell cycle progression relies on a specific set of posttranslational histone-modifying enzymes. Multiple APC subunit mutants were impaired in total and modified histone H3 protein content. Acetylated H3K56 (H3K56Ac) levels were as reduced as those of total H3, indicating that loading histones with H3K56Ac is unaffected in APC mutants. However, under restrictive conditions, H3K9Ac and dimethylated H3K79 (H3K79me2) levels were more greatly reduced than those of total H3. In a screen for histone acetyltransferase (HAT) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) mutants that genetically interact with the apc5
CA
(chromatin assembly) mutant, we found that deletion of GCN5 or ELP3 severely hampered apc5
CA
temperature-sensitive (ts) growth. Further analyses showed that (i) the elp3Δ gcn5Δ double mutant ts defect was epistatic to that observed in apc5
CA
cells; (ii) gcn5Δ and elp3Δ mutants accumulate in mitosis; and (iii) turnover of the APC substrate Clb2 is not impaired in elp3Δ gcn5Δ cells. Increased expression of ELP3 and GCN5, as well as genes encoding the HAT Rtt109 and the chromatin assembly factors Msi1 and Asf1, suppressed apc5
CA
defects, while increased APC5 expression partially suppressed elp3Δ gcn5Δ growth defects. Finally, we demonstrate that Gcn5 is unstable during G1 and following G1 arrest and is stabilized in APC mutants. We present our working model in which Elp3/Gcn5 and the APC work together to facilitate passage through mitosis and G1. To progress into S, we propose that at least Gcn5 must then be targeted for degradation in an APC-dependent fashion.
Kif11 dependent cell cycle progression in radial glial cells is required for proper neurogenesis in the zebrafish neural tube
