Abstract
BACKGROUND
Histone H3.3 mutation (H3F3A) occurs in 50% of cortical pediatric high-grade gliomas. This mutation replaces glycine 34 with arginine or valine (G34R/V), impairing SETD2 activity (H3K36-specific trimethyltransferase), resulting in reduced H3K36me on H3G34V nucleosomes relative to wild-type. This contributes to genomic instability and drives distinct gene expressions associated with tumorigenesis. However, it is not known if this differential H3K36me3 enrichment is due to H3G34V mutant protein alone. Therefore, we set to elucidate the effect of H3G34V on genomic H3K36me3 enrichment in vitro.
METHODS
Doxycycline-inducible short hairpin RNA (shRNA) against H3F3A was delivered via lentivirus to established H3G34V mutant pediatric glioma cell line KNS42, and H3G34V introduced into H3.3 wild type normal human astrocytes (NHA). Transfections were confirmed by western blot, fluorescent imaging, and flow cytometry, with resulting H3.3WT and H3K36me3 expression determined by western blot. H3.3WT, H3K36me3, and H3G34V ChIP-Seq was performed to evaluate genomic enrichment.
RESULTS
Complete knockdown of H3G34V was achieved with DOX-induced shRNA, with no change in total H3.3, suggesting disproportionate allelic frequency of genes encoding H3.3 (H3F3A and H3F3B). Modest increase in H3K36me3 occurred after H3F3A-knockdown from KNS42, suggesting H3G34V alone impacts observed H3K36me3 levels. Distinct H3K36me3 genomic enrichment was observed with H3G34V knock-in.
CONCLUSIONS
We demonstrate that DOX-inducible knockdown of H3F3A in an H3G34V mutant pediatric glioma cells and H3G34V mutation transduction in wild-type astrocytes affects H3K36me3 expression. Further evaluation by ChIP-Seq analysis for restoration of wild-type genomic H3K36me3 enrichment patterns with H3G34V knockdown, and mutant H3K36me3 patterns with H3G34V transduction, is currently underway.
Scaffolding proteins in pediatric glioma
