scholarly journals A glue for heterochromatin maintenance

2005 ◽  
Vol 170 (4) ◽  
pp. 537-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilke M. Krouwels ◽  
Karien Wiesmeijer ◽  
Tsion E. Abraham ◽  
Chris Molenaar ◽  
Nico P. Verwoerd ◽  
...  

Trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 9 and the subsequent binding of heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) mediate the formation and maintenance of pericentromeric heterochromatin. Trimethylation of H3K9 is governed by the histone methyltransferase SUV39H1. Recent studies of HP1 dynamics revealed that HP1 is not a stable component of heterochromatin but is highly mobile (Cheutin, T., A.J. McNairn, T. Jenuwein, D.M. Gilbert, P.B. Singh, and T. Misteli. 2003. Science. 299:721–725; Festenstein, R., S.N. Pagakis, K. Hiragami, D. Lyon, A. Verreault, B. Sekkali, and D. Kioussis. 2003. Science. 299:719–721). Because the mechanism by which SUV39H1 is recruited to and interacts with heterochromatin is unknown, we studied the dynamic properties of SUV39H1 in living cells by using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Our results show that a substantial population of SUV39H1 is immobile at pericentromeric heterochromatin, suggesting that, in addition to its catalytic activity, SUV39H1 may also play a structural role at pericentromeric regions. Analysis of SUV39H1 deletion mutants indicated that the SET domain mediates this stable binding. Furthermore, our data suggest that the recruitment of SUV39H1 to heterochromatin is at least partly independent from that of HP1 and that HP1 transiently interacts with SUV39H1 at heterochromatin.

EMBO Reports ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 733-740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Li ◽  
Qiuhe Lu ◽  
Guolun Wang ◽  
Hao Xu ◽  
Huanwei Huang ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (Supplement_6) ◽  
pp. vi49-vi50
Author(s):  
Junxia Zhang ◽  
Tianfu Yu ◽  
Ning Liu

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) displays cellular and genetical heterogeneity harboring a subpopulation of glioma stem cells (GSCs). Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), a histone lysine methyltransferase, is the core subunit of the polycomb repressor 2 (PRC2) complex, mediates gene transcriptional repression in both normal and tumor stem cells. An oncogenic role of EZH2 as a PRC2-dependent transcriptional silencer is well established; however, non-canonical functions of EZH2 are incompletely understood. Here we found a novel oncogenic mechanism for EZH2 in a PRC2-indenpend way in GSCs. Using HPLC-MS/MS and IP assay, EZH2 bound to HP1BP3 (heterochromatin protein 1 binding protein 3), a heterochromatin-related protein, with its pre-SET domain. Overexpression of H1P3B3 enhanced the proliferation, self-renewal and temozolomide (TMZ) resistance of GBM cells. Intriguingly, H1PBP3 was up-regulated in high grade gliomas with proneural (PN) subtypes and had a high predictive value on prognosis in patients with PN gliomas. Furthermore, EZH2 and HP1BP3 co-activated the expression of WNT7B by blocking the methylation of H3K9, thereby increasing TMZ resistance and tumorigenicity of glioblastoma cells. Interestingly, inhibition of WNT7B autocrine via LGK974, a specific porcupine inhibitor, effectively reversed the TMZ resistance of both GSCs and GBM glioma cells expressing HP1BP3. Hence, targeting the PRC2-independent function of EZH2 is an effective approach to enhance the efficacy of treating GBM.


2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1464-1471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio Mateos-Langerak ◽  
Maartje C. Brink ◽  
Martijn S. Luijsterburg ◽  
Ineke van der Kraan ◽  
Roel van Driel ◽  
...  

The heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) family is thought to be an important structural component of heterochromatin. HP1 proteins bind via their chromodomain to nucleosomes methylated at lysine 9 of histone H3 (H3K9me). To investigate the role of HP1 in maintaining heterochromatin structure, we used a dominant negative approach by expressing truncated HP1α or HP1β proteins lacking a functional chromodomain. Expression of these truncated HP1 proteins individually or in combination resulted in a strong reduction of the accumulation of HP1α, HP1β, and HP1γ in pericentromeric heterochromatin domains in mouse 3T3 fibroblasts. The expression levels of HP1 did not change. The apparent displacement of HP1α, HP1β, and HP1γ from pericentromeric heterochromatin did not result in visible changes in the structure of pericentromeric heterochromatin domains, as visualized by DAPI staining and immunofluorescent labeling of H3K9me. Our results show that the accumulation of HP1α, HP1β, and HP1γ at pericentromeric heterochromatin domains is not required to maintain DAPI-stained pericentromeric heterochromatin domains and the methylated state of histone H3 at lysine 9 in such heterochromatin domains.


Author(s):  
Adriana M. Fresquez ◽  
Carl White

The gaseous signaling molecule hydrogen sulfide (H2S) physiologically regulates store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). The SOCE machinery consists of the plasma membrane-localized Orai channels (Orai1-3) and endoplasmic reticulum-localized STIM1 and STIM2 proteins. H2S inhibits Orai3- but not Orai1- or Orai2-mediated SOCE. The current objective was to define the mechanism by which H2S selectively modifies Orai3. We measured SOCE and STIM1/Orai3 dynamics and interactions in HEK293 cells exogenously expressing fluorescently-tagged human STIM1 and Orai3 in the presence and absence of the H2S donor GYY4137. Two cysteines (C226 and C232) are present in Orai3 that are absent in the Orai1 and Orai2. When we mutated either of these cysteines to serine, alone or in combination, SOCE inhibition by H2S was abolished. We also established that inhibition was dependent on an interaction with STIM1. To further define the effects of H2S on STIM1/Orai3 interaction we performed a series of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), colocalization, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments. Treatment with H2S did not affect the mobility of Orai3 in the membrane, nor did it influence STIM1/Orai3 puncta formation or STIM1-Orai3 protein-protein interactions. These data support a model in which H2S modification of Orai3 at cysteines 226 and 232 limits SOCE evoked upon store depletion and STIM1 engagement, by a mechanism independent of the interaction between Orai3 and STIM1.


Polymers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maik Jacob ◽  
Indrajit Ghosh ◽  
Roy D’Souza ◽  
Werner Nau

A flexible peptide chain displays structural and dynamic properties that correspond to its folding and biological activity. These properties are mirrored in intrachain site-to-site distances and diffusion coefficients of mutual site-to-site motion. Both distance distribution and diffusion determine the extent of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between two sites labeled with a FRET donor and acceptor. The relatively large Förster radii of traditional FRET methods (R0 > 20 Å) lead to a fairly low contribution of diffusion. We introduced short-distance FRET (sdFRET) where Dbo, an asparagine residue conjugated to 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane, acts as acceptor paired with donors, such as naphtylalanine (NAla), tryptophan, 5-l-fluorotryptophan, or tyrosine. The Förster radii are always close to 10 Å, which makes sdFRET highly sensitive to diffusional motion. We recently found indications that the FRET enhancement caused by diffusion depends symmetrically on the product of the radiative fluorescence lifetime of the donor and the diffusion coefficient. In this study, we varied this product by two orders of magnitude, using both donors of different lifetime, NAla and FTrp, as well as a varying viscogen concentration, to corroborate this statement. We demonstrate the consequences of this relationship in evaluating the impact of viscogenic coadditives on peptide dimensions.


Author(s):  
Valeriya Trusova

AbstractThe molecular details of interactions between lipid membranes and lysozyme (Lz), a small polycationic protein with a wide range of biological activities, have long been the focus of numerous studies. The biological consequences of this process are considered to embrace at least two aspects: i) correlation between antimicrobial and membranotropic properties of this protein, and ii) lipid-mediated Lz amyloidogenesis. The mechanisms underlying the lipid-assisted protein fibrillogenesis and membrane disruption exerted by Lz in bacterial cells are believed to be similar. The present investigation was undertaken to gain further insight into Lz-lipid interactions and explore the routes by which Lz exerts its antimicrobial and amyloidogenic actions. Binding and Förster resonance energy transfer studies revealed that upon increasing the content of anionic lipids in lipid vesicles, Lz forms aggregates in a membrane environment. Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy and pyrene excimerization reaction were employed to study the effect of Lz on the structural and dynamic properties of lipid bilayers. It was found that Lz induces lipid demixing and reduction of bilayer free volume, the magnitude of this effect being much more pronounced for oligomeric protein.


2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (3) ◽  
pp. C1032-C1048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina W. Yum ◽  
Junxian Zhang ◽  
Virginijus Valiunas ◽  
Giedrius Kanaporis ◽  
Peter R. Brink ◽  
...  

Mutations in GJB2 and GJB6, the genes that encode the human gap junction proteins connexin26 (Cx26) and connexin30 (Cx30), respectively, cause hearing loss. Cx26 and Cx30 are both expressed in the cochlea, leading to the potential formation of heteromeric hemichannels and heterotypic gap junction channels. To investigate their interactions, we expressed human Cx26 and Cx30 individually or together in HeLa cells. When they were expressed together, Cx26 and Cx30 appeared to interact directly (by their colocalization in gap junction plaques, by coimmunoprecipitation, and by fluorescence resonance energy transfer). Scrape-loading cells that express either Cx26 or Cx30 demonstrated that Cx26 homotypic channels robustly transferred both cationic and anionic tracers, whereas Cx30 homotypic channels transferred cationic but not anionic tracers. Cells expressing both Cx26 and Cx30 also transferred both cationic and anionic tracers by scrape loading, and the rate of calcein (an anionic tracer) transfer was intermediate between their homotypic counterparts by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching also showed that Cx26 and Cx30 form functional heterotypic channels, allowing the transfer of calcein, which did not pass the homotypic Cx30 channels. Electrophysiological recordings of cell pairs expressing different combinations of Cx26 and/or Cx30 demonstrated unique gating properties of cell pairs expressing both Cx26 and Cx30. These results indicate that Cx26 and Cx30 form functional heteromeric and heterotypic channels, whose biophysical properties and permeabilities are different from their homotypic counterparts.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming-Jie Han ◽  
Qing-Tao He ◽  
Mengyi Yang ◽  
Chao Chen ◽  
Yirong Yao ◽  
...  

Single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) is a powerful tool for investigating the dynamic properties of biomacromolecules. However, the success of protein smFRET relies on the precise and efficient labeling...


2007 ◽  
Vol 282 (38) ◽  
pp. 27736-27743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaodong Chen ◽  
David E. Anderson ◽  
Malini Rajagopalan ◽  
Harold P. Erickson

We have investigated the assembly of FtsZ from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MtbFtsZ). Electron microscopy confirmed the previous observation that MtbFtsZ assembled into long, two-stranded filaments at pH 6.5. However, we found that assembly at pH 7.2 or 7.7 produced predominantly short, one-stranded protofilaments, similar to those of Escherichia coli FtsZ (EcFtsZ). Near pH 7, which is close to the pH of M. tuberculosis cytoplasm, MtbFtsZ formed a mixture of single- and two-stranded filaments. We developed a fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay to measure the kinetics of initial assembly and the dynamic properties at steady state. Assembly of MtbFtsZ reached a plateau after 60–100 s, about 10 times slower than EcFtsZ. The initial assembly kinetics were similar at pH 6.5 and 7.7, despite the striking difference in the polymer structures. Both were fit with a cooperative assembly mechanism involving a weak dimer nucleus, similar to EcFtsZ but with slower kinetics. Subunit turnover and GTPase at steady state were also about 10 times slower for MtbFtsZ than for EcFtsZ. Specifically, the half-time for subunit turnover in vitro at pH 7.7 was 42 s for MtbFtsZ compared with 5.5 s for EcFtsZ. Photobleaching studies in vivo showed a range of turnover half-times with an average of 25 s for MtbFtsZ as compared with 9 s for EcFtsZ.


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