scholarly journals Constitutive centromere-associated network contacts confer differential stability on CENP-A nucleosomes in vitro and in the cell

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 751-762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shengya Cao ◽  
Keda Zhou ◽  
Zhening Zhang ◽  
Karolin Luger ◽  
Aaron F. Straight
Keyword(s):  
Protein A ◽  
Histone H3 ◽  
Intrinsic Property ◽  
Cell Cycles ◽  
Centromere Protein A ◽  
Histone H3 Variant ◽  
Differential Stability ◽  
The Stability

Eukaryotic centromeres are defined by the presence of nucleosomes containing the histone H3 variant, centromere protein A (CENP-A). Once incorporated at centromeres, CENP-A nucleosomes are remarkably stable, exhibiting no detectable loss or exchange over many cell cycles. It is currently unclear whether this stability is an intrinsic property of CENP-A containing chromatin or whether it arises from proteins that specifically associate with CENP-A chromatin. Two proteins, CENP-C and CENP-N, are known to bind CENP-A human nucleosomes directly. Here we test the hypothesis that CENP-C or CENP-N stabilize CENP-A nucleosomes in vitro and in living cells. We show that CENP-N stabilizes CENP-A nucleosomes alone and additively with CENP-C in vitro. However, removal of CENP-C and CENP-N from cells, or mutating CENP-A so that it no longer interacts with CENP-C or CENP-N, had no effect on centromeric CENP-A stability in vivo. Thus, the stability of CENP-A nucleosomes in chromatin does not arise solely from its interactions with CENP-C or CENP-N.

scholarly journals Excess histone H3 is a Chk1 inhibitor that controls embryonic cell cycle progression

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuki Shindo ◽  
Amanda A. Amodeo
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Histone H3 ◽  
Embryonic Cell ◽  
Cycle Progression ◽  
Cell Cycles ◽  
Embryonic Cell Cycle

AbstractThe early embryos of many species undergo a switch from rapid, reductive cleavage divisions to slower, cell fate-specific division patterns at the Mid-Blastula Transition (MBT). The maternally loaded histone pool is used to measure the increasing ratio of nuclei to cytoplasm (N/C ratio) to control MBT onset, but the molecular mechanism of how histones regulate the cell cycle has remained elusive. Here, we show that excess histone H3 inhibits the DNA damage checkpoint kinase Chk1 to promote cell cycle progression in the Drosophila embryo. We find that excess H3-tail that cannot be incorporated into chromatin is sufficient to shorten the embryonic cell cycle and reduce the activity of Chk1 in vitro and in vivo. Removal of the Chk1 phosphosite in H3 abolishes its ability to regulate the cell cycle. Mathematical modeling quantitatively supports a mechanism where changes in H3 nuclear concentrations over the final cell cycles leading up to the MBT regulate Chk1-dependent cell cycle slowing. We provide a novel mechanism for Chk1 regulation by H3, which is crucial for proper cell cycle remodeling during early embryogenesis.

scholarly journals SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligase (STUbL) Slx5 regulates proteolysis of centromeric histone H3 variant Cse4 and prevents its mislocalization to euchromatin

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 1500-1510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kentaro Ohkuni ◽  
Yoshimitsu Takahashi ◽  
Alyona Fulp ◽  
Josh Lawrimore ◽  
Wei-Chun Au ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ubiquitin Ligase ◽  
Genome Stability ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Histone H3 ◽  
E3 Ligases ◽  
Physiological Conditions ◽  
Histone H3 Variant ◽  
Maintain Genome Stability

Centromeric histone H3, CENP-ACse4, is essential for faithful chromosome segregation. Stringent regulation of cellular levels of CENP-ACse4 restricts its localization to centromeres. Mislocalization of CENP-ACse4 is associated with aneuploidy in yeast and flies and tumorigenesis in human cells; thus defining pathways that regulate CENP-A levels is critical for understanding how mislocalization of CENP-A contributes to aneuploidy in human cancers. Previous work in budding yeast shows that ubiquitination of overexpressed Cse4 by Psh1, an E3 ligase, partially contributes to proteolysis of Cse4. Here we provide the first evidence that Cse4 is sumoylated by E3 ligases Siz1 and Siz2 in vivo and in vitro. Ubiquitination of Cse4 by the small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO)-targeted ubiquitin ligase (STUbL) Slx5 plays a critical role in proteolysis of Cse4 and prevents mislocalization of Cse4 to euchromatin under normal physiological conditions. Accumulation of sumoylated Cse4 species and increased stability of Cse4 in slx5∆ strains suggest that sumoylation precedes ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis of Cse4. Slx5-mediated Cse4 proteolysis is independent of Psh1, since slx5∆ psh1∆ strains exhibit higher levels of Cse4 stability and mislocalization than either slx5∆ or psh1∆ strains. Our results demonstrate a role for Slx5 in ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis of Cse4 to prevent its mislocalization and maintain genome stability.

scholarly journals p53 Stabilization and Accumulation Induced by Human Vaccinia-Related Kinase 1

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (23) ◽  
pp. 10366-10380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco M. Vega ◽  
Ana Sevilla ◽  
Pedro A. Lazo
Keyword(s):  
Small Interfering Rna ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Active Suppression ◽  
Tumor Susceptibility ◽  
Human Kinome ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Interfering Rna

ABSTRACT Variations in intracellular levels of p53 regulate many cellular functions and determine tumor susceptibility. Major mechanisms modulating p53 levels include phosphorylation and interaction of p53 with specific ubiquitin ligases that promote its degradation. N-terminal phosphorylation regulates the interaction of p53 with several regulatory molecules. Vaccinia-related kinase 1 (VRK1) is the prototype of a new Ser-Thr kinase family in the human kinome. VRK1 is located in the nucleus outside the nucleolus. Overexpression of VRK1 increases the stability of p53 by a posttranslational mechanism leading to its accumulation by a mechanism independent of the Chk2 kinase. Catalytically inactive VRK1 protein (a K179E mutant) does not induce p53 accumulation. VRK1 phosphorylates human p53 in Thr18 and disrupts p53-Mdm2 interaction in vitro, although a significant decrease in p53 ubiquitination by Mdm2 in vivo was not detected. VRK1 kinase does not phosphorylate Mdm2. VRK1-mediated p53 stabilization was also detected in Mdm2−/− cells. VRK1 also has an additive effect with MdmX or p300 to stabilize p53, and p300 coactivation and acetylation of p53 is enhanced by VRK1. The p53 stabilized by VRK1 is transcriptionally active. Suppression of VRK1 expression by specific small interfering RNA provokes several defects in proliferation, situating the protein in the regulation of this process. VRK1 might function as a switch controlling the proteins that interact with p53 and thus modifying its stability and activity. We propose VRK1 as the first step in a new pathway regulating p53 activity during cell proliferation.

scholarly journals Identification and characterization of centromeric sequences in Xenopus laevis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Owen K Smith ◽  
Charles Limouse ◽  
Kelsey A Fryer ◽  
Nicole A Teran ◽  
Kousik Sundararajan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Xenopus Laevis ◽  
Repetitive Sequences ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Repeat Sequences ◽  
Centromere Protein A ◽  
Histone H3 Variant ◽  
Egg Extracts ◽  
Genomic Studies

AbstractCentromeres play an essential function in cell division by specifying the site of kinetochore formation on each chromosome for mitotic spindle attachment. Centromeres are defined epigenetically by the histone H3 variant CEntromere Protein A (CENP-A). CENP-A nucleosomes maintain the centromere by designating the site for new CENP-A assembly after dilution by replication. Vertebrate centromeres assemble on tandem arrays of repetitive sequences but the function of repeat DNA in centromere formation has been challenging to dissect due to the difficulty in manipulating centromeres in cells. Xenopus laevis egg extracts assemble centromeres in vitro, providing a system for studying centromeric DNA functions. However, centromeric sequences in X. laevis have not been extensively characterized. In this study we combine CENP-A ChIP-seq with a k-mer based analysis approach to identify the X. laevis centromere repeat sequences. By in situ hybridization we show that X. laevis centromeres contain diverse repeat sequences and we map the centromere position on each X. laevis chromosome using the distribution of centromere enriched k-mers. Our identification of X. laevis centromere sequences enables previously unapproachable centromere genomic studies. Our approach should be broadly applicable for the analysis of centromere and other repetitive sequences in any organism.

scholarly journals Trans-generational inheritance of centromere identity requires the CENP-A N-terminal tail in the C. elegans maternal germ line

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reinier F. Prosée ◽  
Joanna M. Wenda ◽  
Caroline Gabus ◽  
Kamila Delaney ◽  
Francoise Schwager ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
De Novo ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Histone H3 ◽  
Centromeric Chromatin ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Centromere Function ◽  
Centromere Protein A ◽  
Histone H3 Variant ◽  
Meiosis I

AbstractCentromere protein A (CENP-A) is a histone H3 variant that defines centromeric chromatin and is essential for centromere function. In most eukaryotes CENP-A-containing chromatin is epigenetically maintained, and centromere identity is inherited from one cell cycle to the next. In the germ line of the holocentric nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, this inheritance cycle is disrupted. CENP-A is removed at the mitosis-to-meiosis transition and is established de novo on chromatin during diplotene of meiosis I. Here we show that the N-terminal tail of CENP-A is required for the de novo establishment of centromeres, but dispensable for centromere maintenance during embryogenesis. Worms homozygous for a CENP-A tail deletion maintain a functional centromere during development, but give rise to inviable offspring because they fail to re-establish centromeres in the maternal germ line. We identify the N-terminal tail of CENP-A as a critical domain for the interaction with the conserved kinetochore protein KNL-2, and argue that this interaction plays an important role in setting centromere identity in the germ line. We conclude that centromere establishment and maintenance are functionally distinct in C. elegans.

scholarly journals CENP-C recruits M18BP1 to centromeres to promote CENP-A chromatin assembly

2011 ◽  
Vol 194 (6) ◽  
pp. 855-871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Moree ◽  
Corey B. Meyer ◽  
Colin J. Fuller ◽  
Aaron F. Straight
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Histone H3 ◽  
Chromatin Assembly ◽  
Nucleosome Assembly ◽  
Chromosomal Locus ◽  
C Protein ◽  
Centromere Protein A ◽  
Histone H3 Variant ◽  
Complex Protein

Eukaryotic chromosomes segregate by attaching to microtubules of the mitotic spindle through a chromosomal microtubule binding site called the kinetochore. Kinetochores assemble on a specialized chromosomal locus termed the centromere, which is characterized by the replacement of histone H3 in centromeric nucleosomes with the essential histone H3 variant CENP-A (centromere protein A). Understanding how CENP-A chromatin is assembled and maintained is central to understanding chromosome segregation mechanisms. CENP-A nucleosome assembly requires the Mis18 complex and the CENP-A chaperone HJURP. These factors localize to centromeres in telophase/G1, when new CENP-A chromatin is assembled. The mechanisms that control their targeting are unknown. In this paper, we identify a mechanism for recruiting the Mis18 complex protein M18BP1 to centromeres. We show that depletion of CENP-C prevents M18BP1 targeting to metaphase centromeres and inhibits CENP-A chromatin assembly. We find that M18BP1 directly binds CENP-C through conserved domains in the CENP-C protein. Thus, CENP-C provides a link between existing CENP-A chromatin and the proteins required for new CENP-A nucleosome assembly.

scholarly journals CENP-H–containing Complex Facilitates Centromere Deposition of CENP-A in Cooperation with FACT and CHD1

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (18) ◽  
pp. 3986-3995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahiro Okada ◽  
Katsuya Okawa ◽  
Toshiaki Isobe ◽  
Tatsuo Fukagawa
Keyword(s):  
Chromatin Remodeling ◽  
Mutant Cell ◽  
Histone H3 ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Centromeric Chromatin ◽  
Conditional Mutant ◽  
Histone H3 Variant ◽  
A Subunit

Centromere identity is thought to be determined by epigenetic mechanisms. The centromere-specific histone H3 variant CENP-A plays a central role in specifying the locus where the centromere is constructed. However, the precise mechanisms that target CENP-A to centromeric chromatin are poorly understood. Here, we show that facilitates chromatin transcription (FACT) localizes to centromeres in a CENP-H–containing complex-dependent manner. In conditional mutant cell lines for SSRP1, a subunit of FACT, centromere targeting of newly synthesized CENP-A is severely inhibited. The chromatin remodeling factor CHD1 binds to SSRP1 both in vivo and in vitro and associates with centromeres. The centromeric localization of CHD1 is lost in SSRP1-depleted cells. RNA interference knockdown of CHD1 leads to a decrease in the amount of centromere localized CENP-A. These findings indicate that the CENP-H–containing complex facilitates deposition of newly synthesized CENP-A into centromeric chromatin in cooperation with FACT and CHD1.

scholarly journals Phosphorylation of centromeric histone H3 variant regulates chromosome segregation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 2034-2044 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Boeckmann ◽  
Yoshimitsu Takahashi ◽  
Wei-Chun Au ◽  
Prashant K. Mishra ◽  
John S. Choy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Histone H3 ◽  
In Vitro Assays ◽  
Histone H3 Variant

The centromeric histone H3 variant (CenH3) is essential for chromosome segregation in eukaryotes. We identify posttranslational modifications of Saccharomyces cerevisiae CenH3, Cse4. Functional characterization of cse4 phosphorylation mutants shows growth and chromosome segregation defects when combined with kinetochore mutants okp1 and ame1. Using a phosphoserine-specific antibody, we show that the association of phosphorylated Cse4 with centromeres increases in response to defective microtubule attachment or reduced cohesion. We determine that evolutionarily conserved Ipl1/Aurora B contributes to phosphorylation of Cse4, as levels of phosphorylated Cse4 are reduced at centromeres in ipl1 strains in vivo, and in vitro assays show phosphorylation of Cse4 by Ipl1. Consistent with these results, we observe that a phosphomimetic cse4-4SD mutant suppresses the temperature-sensitive growth of ipl1-2 and Ipl1 substrate mutants dam1 spc34 and ndc80, which are defective for chromosome biorientation. Furthermore, cell biology approaches using a green fluorescent protein–labeled chromosome show that cse4-4SD suppresses chromosome segregation defects in dam1 spc34 strains. On the basis of these results, we propose that phosphorylation of Cse4 destabilizes defective kinetochores to promote biorientation and ensure faithful chromosome segregation. Taken together, our results provide a detailed analysis, in vivo and in vitro, of Cse4 phosphorylation and its role in promoting faithful chromosome segregation.

scholarly journals CENP-A is phosphorylated by Aurora B kinase and plays an unexpected role in completion of cytokinesis

2001 ◽  
Vol 155 (7) ◽  
pp. 1147-1158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha G. Zeitlin ◽  
Richard D. Shelby ◽  
Kevin F. Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Protein A ◽  
Phosphorylation Site ◽  
Histone H3 ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Aurora B ◽  
Human Centromere ◽  
Centromere Protein ◽  
Centromere Protein A ◽  
Chromosomal Passenger

Aurora B is a mitotic protein kinase that phosphorylates histone H3, behaves as a chromosomal passenger protein, and functions in cytokinesis. We investigated a role for Aurora B with respect to human centromere protein A (CENP-A), a centromeric histone H3 homologue. Aurora B concentrates at centromeres in early G2, associates with histone H3 and centromeres at the times when histone H3 and CENP-A are phosphorylated, and phosphorylates histone H3 and CENP-A in vitro at a similar target serine residue. Dominant negative phosphorylation site mutants of CENP-A result in a delay at the terminal stage of cytokinesis (cell separation). The only molecular defects detected in analysis of 22 chromosomal, spindle, and regulatory proteins were disruptions in localization of inner centromere protein (INCENP), Aurora B, and a putative partner phosphatase, PP1γ1. Our data support a model where CENP-A phosphorylation is involved in regulating Aurora B, INCENP, and PP1γ1 targeting within the cell. These experiments identify an unexpected role for the kinetochore in regulation of cytokinesis.

scholarly journals Centromeric chromatin gets loaded

2007 ◽  
Vol 176 (6) ◽  
pp. 735-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher W. Carroll ◽  
Aaron F. Straight
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Histone H3 ◽  
Chromatin Assembly ◽  
Centromeric Chromatin ◽  
Kinetochore Assembly ◽  
Centromere Protein A ◽  
Specific Loading ◽  
Histone H3 Variant

Centromeric nucleosomes contain a histone H3 variant called centromere protein A (CENP-A) that is required for kinetochore assembly and chromosome segregation. Two new studies, Jansen et al. (see p. 795 of this issue) and Maddox et al. (see p. 757 of this issue), address when CENP-A is deposited at centromeres during the cell division cycle and identify an evolutionally conserved protein required for CENP-A deposition. Together, these studies advance our understanding of centromeric chromatin assembly and provide a framework for investigating the molecular mechanisms that underlie the centromere-specific loading of CENP-A.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document