Identification and characterization of two novel primate-specific histone H3 variants H3.X and H3.Y
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ABSTRACT: Nucleosomal incorporation of specialized histone variants is an important mechanism to generate different functional chromatin states. Here we report the identification and characterization of two novel primate-specific histone H3 variants, H3.X and H3.Y. Their mRNAs are found in certain human cell lines, in addition to several normal and malignant human tissues. In keeping with their primate-specificity, H3.X and H3.Y are detected in different brain regions. Transgenic H3.X and H3.Y proteins are stably incorporated into chromatin in a similar fashion to the known H3 variants. Importantly, we demonstrate biochemically and by mass spectrometry that endogenous posttranslationally modified H3.Y protein exists in vivo, and that stress-stimuli, such as starvation and cellular density, increase the abundance of H3.Y-expressing cells. Global transcriptome analysis revealed that knock-down of H3.Y affects cell growth and leads to changes in the expression of many genes involved in cell cycle control. Thus, H3.Y is a novel histone variant involved in the regulation of cellular responses to outside stimuli.
Project description:Nucleosomal incorporation of specialized histone variants is an important mechanism to generate different functional chromatin states. Here we report the identification and characterization of two novel primate-specific histone H3 variants, H3.X and H3.Y. Their mRNAs are found in certain human cell lines, in addition to several normal and malignant human tissues. In keeping with their primate-specificity, H3.X and H3.Y are detected in different brain regions. Transgenic H3.X and H3.Y proteins are stably incorporated into chromatin in a similar fashion to the known H3 variants. Importantly, we demonstrate biochemically and by mass spectrometry that endogenous posttranslationally modified H3.Y protein exists in vivo, and that stress-stimuli, such as starvation and cellular density, increase the abundance of H3.Y-expressing cells. Global transcriptome analysis revealed that knock-down of H3.Y affects cell growth and leads to changes in the expression of many genes involved in cell cycle control. Thus, H3.Y is a novel histone variant involved in the regulation of cellular responses to outside stimuli. Total RNA samples from human U2OS cells. Transcript levels after luciferase, H3.X and/or H3.Y RNAi was analyzed.
Project description:The selective incorporation of appropriate histone variants into chromatin is critical for the regulation of genome function. Although many histone variants have been identified, a complete list has not been compiled. We screened human and mouse genomes by in silico hybridization using canonical histone sequences, and found 14 uncharacterized H3-related genes in mouse. Most were similar to the H3.3 variant; their 3′ untranslated regions lacked a stem-loop structure but did have a poly- adenylation signal. Transcriptome analysis revealed tissue-specific expression of these variants. When expressed as GFP-tagged versions in mouse C2C12 cells, some variants were stably incorporated into chromatin and the genome distributions of most variants were similar to that of H3.3. Over-expression of some variants altered gene expression patterns in differentiated C2C12 cells, suggesting that these new H3 variants have specific and distinct functions.
Project description:Histone chaperones prevent promiscuous histone interactions before chromatin assembly. They guarantee faithful deposition of canonical histones and functionally specialized histone variants into chromatin in a spatial- and temporally-restricted manner. Here, we identify the binding partners of the primate-specific and H3.3-related histone variant H3.Y using several quantitative mass spectrometry approaches, and biochemical and cell biological assays. We find the HIRA, but not the DAXX/ATRX, complex to specifically recognize H3.Y, explaining its presence in transcriptionally active euchromatic regions. Accordingly, H3.Y nucleosomes are enriched in the transcription-promoting FACT complex and depleted of repressive posttranslational histone modifications. H3.Y mutational gain-of-function analyses screens reveal an unexpected combinatorial amino acid sequence requirement for histone H3.3 interaction with DAXX but not HIRA, and for H3.3 recruitment to PML nuclear bodies. We demonstrate the importance and necessity of specific H3.3 core region and C-terminal amino acids in discriminating between distinct chaperone complexes. Further, ChIP-seq experiments reveal that in contrast to euchromatic HIRA-dependent deposition sites, human DAXX/ATRX-dependent regions of histone H3 variant incorporation are enriched in heterochromatic H3K9me3 and simple repeat sequences. These data demonstrate that H3.Y's unique amino acids allow a functional distinction between HIRA and DAXX binding and its consequent deposition into open chromatin.
Project description:Replication-independent deposition of histone variant H3.3 into chromatin is essential for many biological processes, including development, oogenesis and nuclear reprogramming. Unlike replication-dependent H3.1/2 isoforms, H3.3 is expressed throughout the cell cycle and becomes enriched in postmitotic cells with age. However, lifelong dynamics of H3 variant replacement and the impact of this process on chromatin organization remain largely undefined. To address this, we investigated genome-wide changes in histone H3 variants composition and H3 modification abundances throughout the lifespan in mice using quantitative mass spectrometry (MS) – based middle-down proteomics strategy. Using middle-down MS we demonstrate that H3.3 accumulates in the chromatin of various somatic mouse tissues throughout life, resulting in near complete replacement of H3.1/2 isoforms by the late adulthood. Accumulation of H3.3 is associated with profound changes in the global level of H3 methylation. H3.3-containing chromatin exhibits distinct stable levels of H3R17me2 and H3K36me2, different from those on H3.1/H3.2-containing chromatin, indicating a direct link between H3 variant exchange and histone methylation dynamics with age. In summary, our study provides the first time comprehensive characterization of dynamic changes in the H3 modification landscape during mouse lifespan and links these changes to the age-dependent accumulation of histone variant H3.3.