scholarly journals Perturbation of H3K27me3-Associated Epigenetic Processes Increases Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidekazu Iwakawa ◽  
Benjamin C. Carter ◽  
Brett C. Bishop ◽  
Joe Ogas ◽  
Stanton B. Gelvin

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is a core technology for basic plant science and agricultural biotechnology. Improving transformation frequency is a major goal for plant transgenesis. We previously showed that T-DNA insertions in some histone genes decreased transformation susceptibility, whereas overexpression of several Arabidopsis H2A and H4 isoforms increased transformation. Overexpression of several histone H2B and H3 isoforms had little effect on transformation frequency. However, overexpression of histone H3-11 (HTR11) enhanced transformation. HTR11 is a unique H3 variant that lacks lysine at positions 9 and 27. The modification status of these lysine residues in canonical H3 proteins plays a critical role in epigenetic determination of gene expression. We mutated histone H3-4 (HTR4), a canonical H3.3 protein that does not increase transformation when overexpressed, by replacing either or both K9 and K27 with the amino acids in HTR11 (either K9I, K27Q, or both). Overexpression of HTR4 with the K27Q but not the K9I substitution enhanced transformation. HTR4K27Q was incorporated into chromatin, and HTR4K27Q overexpression lines exhibited deregulated expression of H3K27me3-enriched genes. These results demonstrate that mutation of K27 in H3.3 is sufficient to perturb H3K27me3-dependent expression in plants as in animals and suggest a distinct epigenetic role for histone HTR11. Further, these observations implicate manipulation of H3K27me3-dependent gene expression as a novel strategy to increase transformation susceptibility.

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (20) ◽  
pp. 8823-8833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nevin Sabet ◽  
Sam Volo ◽  
Cailin Yu ◽  
James P. Madigan ◽  
Randall H. Morse

ABSTRACT The histone amino termini have emerged as key targets for a variety of modifying enzymes that function as transcriptional coactivators and corepressors. However, an important question that has remained largely unexplored is the extent to which specific histone amino termini are required for the activating and repressive functions of these enzymes, Here we address this issue by focusing on the prototypical histone deacetylase, Rpd3p, in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that targeting Rpd3p to a reporter gene in this yeast can partially repress transcription when either the histone H3 or the histone H4 amino terminus is deleted, indicating that the “tails” are individually dispensable for repression by Rpd3p. In contrast, we find that the effect of rpd3 gene disruption on global gene expression is considerably reduced in either a histone H3Δ1-28 (H3 lacking the amino-terminal 28 amino acids) or a histone H4(K5,8,12,16Q) (H4 with lysine residues 5, 8, 12, and 16 changed to glutamine residues) background compared to the wild-type background, indicating a requirement for one or both of these histone tails in Rpd3p-mediated regulation for many genes. These results suggest that acetylation of either the H3 or the H4 amino terminus could suffice to allow the activation of such genes. We also examine the relationship between H3 tails and H4 tails in global gene expression and find substantial overlap among the gene sets regulated by these histone tails. We also show that the effects on genome-wide expression of deleting the H3 or H4 amino terminus are similar but not identical to the effects of mutating the lysine residues in these same regions. These results indicate that the gene regulatory potential of the H3 and H4 amino termini is substantially but not entirely contained in these modifiable lysine residues.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas W. Sheahan ◽  
Viktoria Major ◽  
Kimberly M. Webb ◽  
Elana Bryan ◽  
Philipp Voigt

AbstractThe closely related acetyltransferases CBP and p300 are key regulators of gene expression in metazoans. CBP/p300 acetylate several specific lysine residues within nucleosomes, including histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27), a hallmark of active enhancers and promoters. However, it has remained largely unclear how specificity of CBP/p300 towards H3K27 is achieved. Here we show that the TAZ2 domain of CBP is required for efficient acetylation of H3K27, while curbing activity towards other lysine residues within nucleosomes. We find that TAZ2 is a sequence-independent DNA binding module, promoting interaction between CBP and nucleosomes, thereby enhancing enzymatic activity and regulating substrate specificity of CBP. TAZ2 is further required to stabilize CBP binding to chromatin in mouse embryonic stem cells, facilitating specificity towards H3K27 and modulating gene expression. These findings reveal a crucial role of TAZ2 in regulating H3K27ac, while highlighting the importance of correct site-specific acetylation for proper regulation of gene expression.


2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (12) ◽  
pp. 1936-1947
Author(s):  
Bruno Perillo ◽  
Alfonso Tramontano ◽  
Antonio Pezone ◽  
Antimo Migliaccio

AbstractLysine-specific histone demethylase 1 (LSD1) represents the first example of an identified nuclear protein with histone demethylase activity. In particular, it plays a special role in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression, as it removes methyl groups from mono- and dimethylated lysine 4 and/or lysine 9 on histone H3 (H3K4me1/2 and H3K9me1/2), behaving as a repressor or activator of gene expression, respectively. Moreover, it has been recently found to demethylate monomethylated and dimethylated lysine 20 in histone H4 and to contribute to the balance of several other methylated lysine residues in histone H3 (i.e., H3K27, H3K36, and H3K79). Furthermore, in recent years, a plethora of nonhistone proteins have been detected as targets of LSD1 activity, suggesting that this demethylase is a fundamental player in the regulation of multiple pathways triggered in several cellular processes, including cancer progression. In this review, we analyze the molecular mechanism by which LSD1 displays its dual effect on gene expression (related to the specific lysine target), placing final emphasis on the use of pharmacological inhibitors of its activity in future clinical studies to fight cancer.


2016 ◽  
Vol 310 (11) ◽  
pp. G1155-G1168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maribel Arteaga ◽  
Na Shang ◽  
Xianzhong Ding ◽  
Sherri Yong ◽  
Scott J. Cotler ◽  
...  

Liver fibrosis can progress to cirrhosis and result in serious complications of liver disease. The pathogenesis of liver fibrosis involves the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the underlying mechanisms of which are not fully known. Emerging evidence suggests that the classic histone deacetylases play a role in liver fibrosis, but the role of another subfamily of histone deacetylases, the sirtuins, in the development of hepatic fibrosis remains unknown. In this study, we found that blocking the activity of sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) by using inhibitors or shRNAs significantly suppressed fibrogenic gene expression in HSCs. We further demonstrated that inhibition of SIRT2 results in the degradation of c-MYC, which is important for HSC activation. In addition, we discovered that inhibition of SIRT2 suppresses the phosphorylation of ERK, which is critical for the stabilization of c-MYC. Moreover, we found that Sirt2 deficiency attenuates the hepatic fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and thioacetamide (TAA). Furthermore, we showed that SIRT2, p-ERK, and c-MYC proteins are all overexpressed in human hepatic fibrotic tissues. These data suggest a critical role for the SIRT2/ERK/c-MYC axis in promoting hepatic fibrogenesis. Inhibition of the SIRT2/ERK/c-MYC axis represents a novel strategy to prevent and to potentially treat liver fibrosis and cirrhosis.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gülkiz Baytek ◽  
Alexander Blume ◽  
Funda Gerceker Demirel ◽  
Selman Bulut ◽  
Philipp Mertins ◽  
...  

AbstractEpigenetic mechanisms to control chromatin accessibility and structure is important for gene expression in eukaryotic cells. Chromatin regulation ensures proper development and cell fate specification but is also essential later in life. Modifications of histone proteins as an integral component of chromatin can promote either gene expression or repression, respectively. Proteins containing specific domains such as the chromodomain recognize mono-, di- or tri-methylated lysine residues on histone H3. The chromodomain protein MRG-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans is the ortholog of mammalian MRG15, which belongs to the MORF4 Related Gene (MRG) family in humans. In C. elegans MRG-1 predominantly binds methylated histone H3 lysine residues at position 36 (H3K36me3). MRG-1 is important during germline maturation and for safeguarding the germ cell identity. However, it lacks enzymatic activity and depends on protein-protein interaction to cooperate with other factors to regulate chromatin. To elucidate the variety of MRG-1 interaction partners we performed in-depth protein-protein interaction analysis using immunoprecipitations coupled with mass-spectrometry. Besides previously described and novel interactions with other proteins, we also detected a strong association with the Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO). Since SUMO is known to be attached to proteins in order to modulate the target proteins activity we assessed whether MRG-1 is post-translationally modified by SUMOylation. Notably, we provide evidence that MRG-1 is indeed SUMOylated and that this post-translational modification influences the chromatin-binding profile of MRG-1 in the C. elegans genome. Our presented study hints towards an important role of SUMOylation in the context of epigenetic regulation via the chromodomain protein MRG-1, which may be a conserved phenomenon also in mammalian species.


2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 206-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yutaka Kondo ◽  
LanLan Shen ◽  
Jean-Pierre J. Issa

ABSTRACT The mechanism of DNA hypermethylation-associated tumor suppressor gene silencing in cancer remains incompletely understood. Here, we show by chromatin immunoprecipitation that for three genes (P16, MLH1, and the O 6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase gene, MGMT), histone H3 Lys-9 methylation directly correlates and histone H3 Lys-9 acetylation inversely correlates with DNA methylation in three neoplastic cell lines. Treatment with the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA) resulted in moderately increased Lys-9 acetylation at silenced loci with no effect on Lys-9 methylation and minimal effects on gene expression. By contrast, treatment with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5Aza-dC) rapidly reduced Lys-9 methylation at silenced loci and resulted in reactivation for all three genes. Combined treatment with 5Aza-dC and TSA was synergistic in reactivating gene expression through simultaneous effects on Lys-9 methylation and acetylation, which resulted in a robust increase in the ratio of Lys-9 acetylated and methylated histones at loci showing dense DNA methylation. By contrast to Lys-9, histone H3 Lys-4 methylation inversely correlated with promoter DNA methylation, was not affected by TSA, and was increased moderately at silenced loci by 5Aza-dC. Our results suggest that reduced H3 Lys-4 methylation and increased H3 Lys-9 methylation play a critical role in the maintenance of promoter DNA methylation-associated gene silencing in colorectal cancer.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (23) ◽  
pp. 5908 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoon-Jung Kim ◽  
Dong Hoon Lee ◽  
Yong-Sung Choi ◽  
Jin-Hyun Jeong ◽  
So Hee Kwon

Gene expression and tumor growth can be regulated by methylation levels of lysine residues on histones, which are controlled by histone lysine demethylases (KDMs). Series of benzo[b]tellurophene and benzo[b]selenophene compounds were designed and synthesized and they were evaluated for histone H3 lysine 9 demethylase (KDM4) inhibitory activity. Among the carbamates, alcohol and aromatic derivatives, tert-butyl benzo[b]tellurophen-2-ylmethylcarbamate (compound 1c) revealed KDM4 specific inhibitory activity in cervical cancer HeLa cells, whereas the corresponding selenium or oxygen substitute compounds did not display any inhibitory activity toward KDM4. Compound 1c also induced cell death in cervical and colon cancer but not in normal cells. Thus, compound 1c, a novel inhibitor of KDM4, constitutes a potential therapeutic and research tool against cancer.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahiko Okuda ◽  
Yoshifumi Nishimura

Abstract During gene expression, histone acetylation by histone acetyltransferase (HAT) loosens the chromatin structure around the promoter to allow RNA polymerase II (Pol II) to initiate transcription, while de-acetylation by histone deacetylase (HDAC) tightens the structure in the transcribing region to repress false initiation. Histone acetylation is also regulated by intracellular pH (pHi) with global hypoacetylation observed at low pHi, and hyperacetylation, causing proliferation, observed at high pHi. However, the mechanism underlying the pHi-dependent regulation of gene expression remains elusive. Here, we have explored the role of the chromodomain (CD) of budding yeast Eaf3, a common subunit of both HAT and HDAC that is thought to recognize methylated lysine residues on histone H3. We found that Eaf3 CD interacts with histone H3 peptides methylated at Lys4 (H3K4me, a promoter epigenetic marker) and Lys36 (H3K36me, a coding region epigenetic marker), as well as with many dimethyl-lysine peptides and even arginine-asymmetrically dimethylated peptides, but not with unmethylated, phosphorylated or acetylated peptides. The Eaf3 CD structure revealed an unexpected histidine residue in the aromatic cage essential for binding H3K4me and H3K36me. pH titration experiments showed that protonation of the histidine residue around physiological pH controls the charge state of the aromatic cage to regulate binding to H3K4me and H3K36me. Histidine substitution and NMR experiments confirmed the correlation of histidine pKa with binding affinity. Collectively, our findings suggest that Eaf3 CD functions as a pHi sensor and a regulator of gene expression via its pHi-dependent interaction with methylated nucleosomes.


Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 368 (6487) ◽  
pp. 197-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley E. Lepack ◽  
Craig T. Werner ◽  
Andrew F. Stewart ◽  
Sasha L. Fulton ◽  
Ping Zhong ◽  
...  

Vulnerability to relapse during periods of attempted abstinence from cocaine use is hypothesized to result from the rewiring of brain reward circuitries, particularly ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons. How cocaine exposures act on midbrain dopamine neurons to precipitate addiction-relevant changes in gene expression is unclear. We found that histone H3 glutamine 5 dopaminylation (H3Q5dop) plays a critical role in cocaine-induced transcriptional plasticity in the midbrain. Rats undergoing withdrawal from cocaine showed an accumulation of H3Q5dop in the VTA. By reducing H3Q5dop in the VTA during withdrawal, we reversed cocaine-mediated gene expression changes, attenuated dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens, and reduced cocaine-seeking behavior. These findings establish a neurotransmission-independent role for nuclear dopamine in relapse-related transcriptional plasticity in the VTA.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (51) ◽  
pp. 14858-14863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun Ju Kim ◽  
Ruozhong Wang ◽  
Lei Gao ◽  
Dongming Li ◽  
Chi Xu ◽  
...  

Histone acetylation is a major epigenetic control mechanism that is tightly linked to the promotion of gene expression. Histone acetylation levels are balanced through the opposing activities of histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs).ArabidopsisHDAC genes (AtHDACs) compose a large gene family, and distinct phenotypes amongAtHDACmutants reflect the functional specificity of individualAtHDACs. However, the mechanisms underlying this functional diversity are largely unknown. Here, we show that POWERDRESS (PWR), a SANT (SWI3/DAD2/N-CoR/TFIII-B) domain protein, interacts with HDA9 and promotes histone H3 deacetylation, possibly by facilitating HDA9 function at target regions. The developmental phenotypes ofpwrandhda9mutants were highly similar. Three lysine residues (K9, K14, and K27) of H3 retained hyperacetylation status in bothpwrandhda9mutants. Genome-wide H3K9 and H3K14 acetylation profiling revealed elevated acetylation at largely overlapping sets of target genes in the two mutants. Highly similar gene-expression profiles in the two mutants correlated with the histone H3 acetylation status in thepwrandhda9mutants. In addition,PWRandHDA9modulated flowering time by repressingAGAMOUS-LIKE 19expression through histone H3 deacetylation in the same genetic pathway. Finally, PWR was shown to physically interact with HDA9, and its SANT2 domain, which is homologous to that of subunits in animal HDAC complexes, showed specific binding affinity to acetylated histone H3. We therefore propose that PWR acts as a subunit in a complex with HDA9 to result in lysine deacetylation of histone H3 at specific genomic targets.


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