scholarly journals Identification of Genes Encoding CENP-A and Heterochromatin Protein 1 of Lipomyces starkeyi and Functional Analysis Using Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 769
Author(s):  
Yuko Takayama

Centromeres function as a platform for the assembly of multiple kinetochore proteins and are essential for chromosome segregation. An active centromere is characterized by the presence of a centromere-specific histone H3 variant, CENP-A. Faithful centromeric localization of CENP-A is supported by heterochromatin in almost all eukaryotes; however, heterochromatin proteins have been lost in most Saccharomycotina. Here, identification of CENP-A (CENP-AL.s.) and heterochromatin protein 1 (Lsw1) in a Saccharomycotina species, the oleaginous yeast Lipomyces starkeyi, is reported. To determine if these proteins are functional, the proteins in S. pombe, a species widely used to study centromeres, were ectopically expressed. CENP-AL.s. localizes to centromeres and can be replaced with S. pombe CENP-A, indicating that CENP-AL.s. is a functional centromere-specific protein. Lsw1 binds at heterochromatin regions, and chromatin binding is dependent on methylation of histone H3 at lysine 9. In other species, self-interaction of heterochromatin protein 1 is thought to cause folding of chromatin, triggering transcription repression and heterochromatin formation. Consistent with this, it was found that Lsw1 can self-interact. L. starkeyi chromatin contains the methylation of histone H3 at lysine 9. These results indicated that L. starkeyi has a primitive heterochromatin structure and is an attractive model for analysis of centromere heterochromatin evolution.

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.


2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 453-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ragnhild Eskeland ◽  
Anton Eberharter ◽  
Axel Imhof

ABSTRACT A large portion of the eukaryotic genome is packaged into transcriptionally silent heterochromatin. Several factors that play important roles during the establishment and maintenance of this condensed form have been identified. Methylation of lysine 9 within histone H3 and the subsequent binding of the chromodomain protein heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) are thought to initiate heterochromatin formation in vivo and to propagate a heterochromatic state lasting through several cell divisions. For the present study we analyzed the binding of HP1 to methylated chromatin in a fully reconstituted system. In contrast to its strong binding to methylated peptides, HP1 binds only weakly to methylated chromatin. However, the addition of recombinant SU(VAR) protein, such as ACF1 or SU(VAR)3-9, facilitates HP1 binding to chromatin methylated at lysine 9 within the H3 N terminus (H3K9). We propose that HP1 has multiple target sites that contribute to its recognition of chromatin, only one of them being methylated at H3K9. These findings have implications for the mechanisms of recognition of specific chromatin modifications in vivo.


Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1460
Author(s):  
Raquel Sales-Gil ◽  
Paola Vagnarelli

Heterochromatin Protein 1 (HP1) is a highly conserved protein that has been used as a classic marker for heterochromatin. HP1 binds to di- and tri-methylated histone H3K9 and regulates heterochromatin formation, functions and structure. Besides the well-established phosphorylation of histone H3 Ser10 that has been shown to modulate HP1 binding to chromatin, several studies have recently highlighted the importance of HP1 post-translational modifications and additional epigenetic features for the modulation of HP1-chromatin binding ability and heterochromatin formation. In this review, we summarize the recent literature of HP1 post-translational modifications that have contributed to understand how heterochromatin is formed, regulated and maintained.


2005 ◽  
Vol 360 (1455) ◽  
pp. 569-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison L Pidoux ◽  
Robin C Allshire

Chromatin at centromeres is distinct from the chromatin in which the remainder of the genome is assembled. Two features consistently distinguish centromeres: the presence of the histone H3 variant CENP-A and, in most organisms, the presence of heterochromatin. In fission yeast, domains of silent ‘heterochromatin’ flank the CENP-A chromatin domain that forms a platform upon which the kinetochore is assembled. Thus, fission yeast centromeres resemble their metazoan counterparts where the kinetochore is embedded in centromeric heterochromatin. The centromeric outer repeat chromatin is underacetylated on histones H3 and H4, and methylated on lysine 9 of histone H3, which provides a binding site for the chromodomain protein Swi6 (orthologue of Heterochromatin Protein 1, HP1). The remarkable demonstration that the assembly of repressive heterochromatin is dependent on the RNA interference machinery provokes many questions about the mechanisms of this process that may be tractable in fission yeast. Heterochromatin ensures that a high density of cohesin is recruited to centromeric regions, but it could have additional roles in centromere architecture and the prevention of merotely, and it might also act as a trigger for kinetochore assembly. In addition, we discuss an epigenetic model for ensuring that CENP-A is targeted and replenished at the kinetochore domain.


2004 ◽  
Vol 165 (6) ◽  
pp. 759-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Creighton T. Tuzon ◽  
Britta Borgstrom ◽  
Dietmar Weilguny ◽  
Richard Egel ◽  
Julia Promisel Cooper ◽  
...  

Telomeres share the ability to silence nearby transcription with heterochromatin, but the requirement of heterochromatin proteins for most telomere functions is unknown. The fission yeast Rik1 protein is required for heterochromatin formation at centromeres and the mating-type locus, as it recruits the Clr4 histone methyltransferase, whose modification of histone H3 triggers binding by Swi6, a conserved protein involved in spreading of heterochromatin. Here, we demonstrate that Rik1 and Clr4, but not Swi6, are required along with the telomere protein Taz1 for crucial chromosome movements during meiosis. However, Rik1 is dispensable for the protective roles of telomeres in preventing chromosome end-fusion. Thus, a Swi6-independent heterochromatin function distinct from that at centromeres and the mating-type locus operates at telomeres during sexual differentiation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 596-603 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Fang ◽  
L. Schmitz ◽  
P.M. Ferree

The heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) gene family includes a set of paralogs in higher eukaryotes that serve fundamental roles in heterochromatin structure and maintenance, and other chromatin-related functions. At least 10 full and 16 partial HP1 genes exist among Drosophila species, with multiple gene gains, losses, and sub-functionalizations within this insect group. An important question is whether this diverse set of HP1 genes and their dynamic evolution represent the standard rule in eukaryotic groups. Here we have begun to address this question by bio-informatically identifying the HP1 family genes in representative species of the insect order Hymenoptera, which includes all ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies. Compared to Drosophila species, Hymenopterans have a much simpler set of HP1 genes, including one full and two partial HP1s. All 3 genes appear to have been present in the common ancestor of the Hymenopterans and they derive from a Drosophila HP1B-like gene. In ants, a partial HP1 gene containing only a chromoshadow domain harbors amino acid changes at highly conserved sites within the PxVxL recognition region, suggesting that this gene has undergone sub-functionalization. In the jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis, the full HP1 and partial chromoshadow-only HP1 are expressed in both germ line and somatic tissues. However, the partial chromodomain-only HP1 is expressed exclusively in the ovary and testis, suggesting that it may have a specialized chromatin role during gametogenesis. Our findings demonstrate that the HP1 gene family is much simpler and evolutionarily less dynamic within the Hymenopterans compared to the much younger Drosophila group, a pattern that may reflect major differences in the range of chromatin-related functions present in these and perhaps other insect groups.


2014 ◽  
Vol 204 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chin-Chi Chen ◽  
Mekonnen Lemma Dechassa ◽  
Emily Bettini ◽  
Mary B. Ledoux ◽  
Christian Belisario ◽  
...  

Centromeres are specified epigenetically by the incorporation of the histone H3 variant CENP-A. In humans, amphibians, and fungi, CENP-A is deposited at centromeres by the HJURP/Scm3 family of assembly factors, but homologues of these chaperones are absent from a number of major eukaryotic lineages such as insects, fish, nematodes, and plants. In Drosophila, centromeric deposition of CENP-A requires the fly-specific protein CAL1. Here, we show that targeting CAL1 to noncentromeric DNA in Drosophila cells is sufficient to heritably recruit CENP-A, kinetochore proteins, and microtubule attachments. CAL1 selectively interacts with CENP-A and is sufficient to assemble CENP-A nucleosomes that display properties consistent with left-handed octamers. The CENP-A assembly activity of CAL1 resides within an N-terminal domain, whereas the C terminus mediates centromere recognition through an interaction with CENP-C. Collectively, this work identifies the “missing” CENP-A chaperone in flies, revealing fundamental conservation between insect and vertebrate centromere-specification mechanisms.


Biomarkers ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 420-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanhong Zhao ◽  
Ning Cheng ◽  
Min Dai ◽  
Hongquan Pu ◽  
Tongzhang Zheng ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Yang Liu ◽  
Chunhui Wang ◽  
Handong Su ◽  
James A Birchler ◽  
Fangpu Han

Abstract In human cells, Haspin-mediated histone H3 threonine 3 (H3T3) phosphorylation promotes centromeric localization of the chromosomal passenger complex, thereby ensuring proper kinetochore–microtubule attachment. Haspin also binds to PDS5 cohesin-associated factor B (Pds5B), antagonizing the Wings apart-like protein homolog (Wapl)–Pds5B interaction and thus preventing Wapl from releasing centromeric cohesion during mitosis. However, the role of Haspin in plant chromosome segregation is not well understood. Here, we show that in maize (Zea mays) mitotic cells, ZmHaspin localized to the centromere during metaphase and anaphase, whereas it localized to the telomeres during meiosis. These results suggest that ZmHaspin plays different roles during mitosis and meiosis. Knockout of ZmHaspin led to decreased H3T3 phosphorylation and histone H3 serine 10 phosphorylation, and defects in chromosome alignment and segregation in mitosis. These lines of evidence suggest that Haspin regulates chromosome segregation in plants via the mechanism described for humans, namely, H3T3 phosphorylation. Plant Haspin proteins lack the RTYGA and PxVxL motifs needed to bind Pds5B and heterochromatin protein 1, and no obvious cohesion defects were detected in ZmHaspin knockout plants. Taken together, these results highlight the conserved but slightly different roles of Haspin proteins in cell division in plants and in animals.


2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. 1934-1941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan A. Juranek ◽  
Sina Rupprecht ◽  
Jan Postberg ◽  
Hans J. Lipps

ABSTRACT Several models for specific excision of micronucleus-specific DNA sequences during macronuclear development in ciliates exist. While the template-guided recombination model suggests recombination events resulting in specific DNA excision and reordering of macronucleus-destined sequences (MDS) guided by a template, there is evidence that an RNA interference-related mechanism is involved in DNA elimination in holotrichous ciliates. We describe that in the stichotrichous ciliate Stylonychia, snRNAs homologous to micronucleus-specific sequences are synthesized during macronuclear differentiation. Western and in situ analyses demonstrate that histone H3 becomes methylated at K9 de novo during macronuclear differentiation, and chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed that micronucleus-specific sequences are associated with methylated H3. To link both observations, expression of a PIWI homolog, member of the RNA-induced silencing complex, was silenced. In these cells, the methylated micronucleus-specific histone H3 variant “X” is still present in macronuclear anlagen and no K9 methylation of histone H3 is observed. We suggest that snRNA recruits chromatin-modifying enzymes to sequences to be excised. Based on our and earlier observations, we believe that this mechanism is not sufficient for specific excision of sequences and reordering of MDS in the developing macronucleus and propose a model for internal eliminated sequence excision and MDS reordering in stichotrichous ciliates.


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