Histone deacetylation and cytosine methylation are required for the normal compartmentalization of heterochromatin in the genome organization of Neurospora crassa
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ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Neurospora crassa
PROVIDER: GSE232935 | GEO | 2023/07/03
REPOSITORIES: GEO
Similar Datasets
Project description:Chromosomes must correctly fold in eukaryotic nuclei for proper genome function. Eukaryotic organisms hierarchically organize their genomes: in the fungus Neurospora crassa, chromatin fiber loops compact into Topologically Associated Domain (TAD)-like structures that are anchored by heterochromatic region aggregates. However, insufficient information exists on how histone post-translational modifications, including acetylation, impact genome organization. In Neurospora, the HCHC (HDA-1, CDP-2, HP1, CHAP) complex deacetylates heterochromatic regions including centromeres: loss of individual HCHC members increases centromeric acetylation and cytosine methylation. Here, we evaluate the role of the HCHC complex on genome organization using chromosome conformation capture with high-throughput sequencing (Hi-C) in Δcdp-2 or Δchap deletion strains. CDP-2 loss increases interactions between intra- and inter-chromosomal heterochromatic regions, while removal of CHAP decreases heterochromatic region compaction. Individual HCHC mutants exhibit different histone PTM patterns genome-wide: in Dcdp-2, heterochromatic H4K16 acetylation is increased, yet some heterochromatic regions lose H3K9 trimethylation, which locally increases inter-heterochromatin contacts; CHAP loss produces minimal acetylation changes but increases H3K9me3 enrichment in heterochromatin. Furthermore, deletion of the DIM-2 DNA methyltransferase in a Δcdp-2 background causes extensive genome disorder, as heterochromatic-euchromatic contacts increase despite additional H3K9me3 enrichment. Our results highlight how enhanced cytosine methylation ensures heterochromatic compartmentalization when silenced regions are acetylated.
2023-07-03 | GSE232934 | GEO
Project description:Chromosomes must correctly fold in eukaryotic nuclei for proper genome function. Eukaryotic organisms hierarchically organize their genomes: in the fungus Neurospora crassa, chromatin fiber loops compact into Topologically Associated Domain (TAD)-like structures that are anchored by heterochromatic region aggregates. However, insufficient information exists on how histone post-translational modifications, including acetylation, impact genome organization. In Neurospora, the HCHC (HDA-1, CDP-2, HP1, CHAP) complex deacetylates heterochromatic regions including centromeres: loss of individual HCHC members increases centromeric acetylation and cytosine methylation. Here, we evaluate the role of the HCHC complex on genome organization using chromosome conformation capture with high-throughput sequencing (Hi-C) in Δcdp-2 or Δchap deletion strains. CDP-2 loss increases interactions between intra- and inter-chromosomal heterochromatic regions, while removal of CHAP decreases heterochromatic region compaction. Individual HCHC mutants exhibit different histone PTM patterns genome-wide: in Dcdp-2, heterochromatic H4K16 acetylation is increased, yet some heterochromatic regions lose H3K9 trimethylation, which locally increases inter-heterochromatin contacts; CHAP loss produces minimal acetylation changes but increases H3K9me3 enrichment in heterochromatin. Furthermore, deletion of the DIM-2 DNA methyltransferase in a Δcdp-2 background causes extensive genome disorder, as heterochromatic-euchromatic contacts increase despite additional H3K9me3 enrichment. Our results highlight how enhanced cytosine methylation ensures heterochromatic compartmentalization when silenced regions are acetylated.
2023-07-03 | GSE232933 | GEO
Project description:Centromeres serve as platforms for the assembly of kinetochores and are essential for nuclear division. Here we identified Neurospora crassa centromeric DNA by chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) of DNA associated with tagged versions of the centromere foundation proteins CenH3 (CENP-A) and CEN-C (CENP-C) and the kinetochore protein CEN-T (CENP-T). On each chromosome we found an ?150- to 300-kbp region of enrichment for all three proteins. These regions correspond to intervals predicted to be centromeric DNA by genetic mapping and DNA sequence analyses. By ChIP-seq we found extensive colocalization of CenH3, CEN-C, CEN-T, and histone H3K9 trimethylation (H3K9me3). In contrast, H3K4me2, which has been found at the cores of plant, fission yeast, Drosophila, and mammalian centromeres, was not enriched in Neurospora centromeric DNA. DNA methylation was most pronounced at the periphery of centromeric DNA. Mutation of dim-5, which encodes an H3K9 methyltransferase responsible for nearly all H3K9me3, resulted in altered distribution of CenH3-green fluorescent protein (GFP). Similarly, CenH3-GFP distribution was altered in the absence of HP1, the chromodomain protein that binds to H3K9me3. We conclude that eukaryotes with regional centromeres make use of different strategies for maintenance of CenH3 at centromeres, and we suggest a model in which centromere proteins nucleate at the core but require DIM-5 and HP1 for spreading.
| S-EPMC3133421 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The SET domain is an evolutionarily conserved domain found predominantly in histone methyltransferases (HMTs). The Neurospora crassa genome includes nine SET domain genes (set-1 through set-9) in addition to dim-5, which encodes a histone H3 lysine 9 HMT required for DNA methylation. We demonstrate that Neurospora set-2 encodes a histone H3 lysine 36 (K36) methyltransferase and that it is essential for normal growth and development. We used repeat induced point mutation to make a set-2 mutant (set-2(RIP1)) with multiple nonsense mutations. Western analyses revealed that the mutant lacks SET-2 protein and K36 methylation. An amino-terminal fragment that includes the AWS, SET, and post-SET domains of SET-2 proved sufficient for K36 HMT activity in vitro. Nucleosomes were better substrates than free histones. The set-2(RIP1) mutant grows slowly, conidiates poorly, and is female sterile. Introducing the wild-type gene into the mutant complemented the defects, confirming that they resulted from loss of set-2 function. We replaced the wild-type histone H3 gene (hH3) with an allele producing a Lys to Leu substitution at position 36 and found that this hH3(K36L) mutant phenocopied the set-2(RIP1) mutant, confirming that the observed defects in growth and development result from inability to methylate K36 of H3. Finally, we used chromatin immunoprecipitation to demonstrate that actively transcribed genes in Neurospora crassa are enriched for H3 methylated at lysines 4 and 36. Taken together, our results suggest that methylation of K36 in Neurospora crassa is essential for normal growth and development.
| S-EPMC1214527 | biostudies-literature
Project description:High-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) analyses revealed that the 3D structure of the Neurospora crassa genome is dominated by intra- and interchromosomal links between regions of heterochromatin, especially constitutive heterochromatin. Elimination of trimethylation of lysine 9 on histone H3 (H3K9me3) or its binding partner Heterochromatin Protein 1 (HP1)-both prominent features of constitutive heterochromatin-have little effect on the Hi-C pattern. It remained possible that di- or trimethylation of lysine 27 on histone H3 (H3K27me2/3), which becomes localized in regions of constitutive heterochromatin when H3K9me3 or HP1 are lost, plays a critical role in the 3D structure of the genome. We found that H3K27me2/3, catalyzed by the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) member SET-7 (SET domain protein-7), does indeed play a prominent role in the Hi-C pattern of WT, but that its presence in regions normally occupied by H3K9me3 is not responsible for maintenance of the genome architecture when H3K9me3 is lost. The Hi-C pattern of a mutant defective in the PRC2 member N. crassa p55 (NPF), which is predominantly required for subtelomeric H3K27me2/3, was equivalent to that of the set-7 deletion strain, suggesting that subtelomeric facultative heterochromatin is paramount for normal chromosome conformation. Both PRC2 mutants showed decreased heterochromatin-heterochromatin contacts and increased euchromatin-heterochromatin contacts. Cytological observations suggested elimination of H3K27me2/3 leads to partial displacement of telomere clusters from the nuclear periphery. Transcriptional profiling of ?dim-5, ?set-7, ?set-7; ?dim-5, and ?npf strains detailed anticipated changes in gene expression but did not support the idea that global changes in genome architecture, per se, led to altered transcription.
| S-EPMC5206555 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In response to genotoxic stress, ATR and ATM kinases phosphorylate H2A in fungi and H2AX in animals on a C-terminal serine. The resulting modified histone, called ?H2A, recruits chromatin-binding proteins that stabilize stalled replication forks or promote DNA double-strand-break repair. To identify genomic loci that might be prone to replication fork stalling or DNA breakage in Neurospora crassa, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) of ?H2A followed by next-generation sequencing (ChIP-seq). ?H2A-containing nucleosomes are enriched in Neurospora heterochromatin domains. These domains are comprised of A·T-rich repetitive DNA sequences associated with histone H3 methylated at lysine-9 (H3K9me), the H3K9me-binding protein heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1), and DNA cytosine methylation. H3K9 methylation, catalyzed by DIM-5, is required for normal ?H2A localization. In contrast, ?H2A is not required for H3K9 methylation or DNA methylation. Normal ?H2A localization also depends on HP1 and a histone deacetylase, HDA-1, but is independent of the DNA methyltransferase DIM-2. ?H2A is globally induced in dim-5 mutants under normal growth conditions, suggesting that the DNA damage response is activated in these mutants in the absence of exogenous DNA damage. Together, these data suggest that heterochromatin formation is essential for normal DNA replication or repair.
| S-EPMC4135800 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Facultative heterochromatin in the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa is identified by the repressive histone mark H3K27me3 and is primarily subtelomeric, while constitutive heterochromatin, marked by the DIM-5-catalzyed H3K9me3, is found at centromeres, telomeres, and smaller dispersed regions. In strains lacking constitutive heterochromatin (e.g., Δdim-5), H3K27me2/3 relocalizes to the regions formerly marked by H3K9me3. H3K27me3 is catalyzed by the SET-7 histone methyltransferase subunit of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2); another PRC2 member, Neurospora p55 (NPF) regulates subtelomeric H3K27me2/3. Despite the de-repression of >70 genes, a Δset-7 strain has no distinguishable phenotype. To investigate the facultative heterochromatin contribution to genome organization, we performed high-throughput “chromosome conformation capture” (Hi-C) on mutants with impacted H3K27me2/3 deposition. A Δset-7 strain has decreased inter-/intra-subtelomeric contacts among others; this pattern is mirrored in a Δnpf strain, which lacks subtelomeric H3K27me3. In a Δset-7 strain, telomere bundles were often uncoupled from the nuclear membrane and de-repressed genes were subtelomeric. The chromosome conformation of a Δset-7;Δdim-5 double mutant was similar to Δset-7, suggesting that facultative heterochromatin relocalization does not compensate for H3K9me3 loss and rescue the Neurospora genome organization in strains with defective constitutive heterochromatin.
2016-10-27 | GSE82222 | GEO
Project description:Repression of facultative heterochromatin is essential for developmental processes in numerous organisms. Methylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27) by Polycomb repressive complex 2 is a prominent feature of facultative heterochromatin in both fungi and higher eukaryotes. Although this methylation is frequently crucial for silencing, the detailed mechanism of repression remains poorly understood. We utilized a forward genetics approach to identify three previously uncharacterized genes required to maintain silencing at facultative heterochromatin genes in Neurospora crassa: sds3 (NCU01599), rlp1 (RPD3L protein 1; NCU09007) and rlp2 (RPD3L protein 2; NCU02898). We found that SDS3, RLP1, and RLP2 associate with N. crassa homologs of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae RPD3L complex and are required for repression of a subset of H3K27-methylated genes. Loss of these genes does not lead to loss of H3K27 methylation but increases acetylation of histone H3 lysine 14 at upregulated genes, and SDS3 binding levels are highest at genes derepressed upon loss of sds3, rlp1, and rlp2, implying that RPD3L-driven deacetylation is a previously undescribed factor required for silencing of facultative heterochromatin in N. crassa.
2024-08-21 | GSE261319 | GEO
Project description:Repression of facultative heterochromatin is essential for developmental processes in numerous organisms. Methylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27) by Polycomb repressive complex 2 is a prominent feature of facultative heterochromatin in both fungi and higher eukaryotes. Although this methylation is frequently crucial for silencing, the detailed mechanism of repression remains poorly understood. We utilized a forward genetics approach to identify three previously uncharacterized genes required to maintain silencing at facultative heterochromatin genes in Neurospora crassa: sds3 (NCU01599), rlp1 (RPD3L protein 1; NCU09007) and rlp2 (RPD3L protein 2; NCU02898). We found that SDS3, RLP1, and RLP2 associate with N. crassa homologs of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae RPD3L complex and are required for repression of a subset of H3K27-methylated genes. Loss of these genes does not lead to loss of H3K27 methylation but increases acetylation of histone H3 lysine 14 at upregulated genes, and SDS3 binding levels are highest at genes derepressed upon loss of sds3, rlp1, and rlp2, implying that RPD3L-driven deacetylation is a previously undescribed factor required for silencing of facultative heterochromatin in N. crassa.
2024-08-21 | GSE261327 | GEO
Project description:Repression of facultative heterochromatin is essential for developmental processes in numerous organisms. Methylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27) by Polycomb repressive complex 2 is a prominent feature of facultative heterochromatin in both fungi and higher eukaryotes. Although this methylation is frequently crucial for silencing, the detailed mechanism of repression remains poorly understood. We utilized a forward genetics approach to identify three previously uncharacterized genes required to maintain silencing at facultative heterochromatin genes in Neurospora crassa: sds3 (NCU01599), rlp1 (RPD3L protein 1; NCU09007) and rlp2 (RPD3L protein 2; NCU02898). We found that SDS3, RLP1, and RLP2 associate with N. crassa homologs of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae RPD3L complex and are required for repression of a subset of H3K27-methylated genes. Loss of these genes does not lead to loss of H3K27 methylation but increases acetylation of histone H3 lysine 14 at upregulated genes, and SDS3 binding levels are highest at genes derepressed upon loss of sds3, rlp1, and rlp2, implying that RPD3L-driven deacetylation is a previously undescribed factor required for silencing of facultative heterochromatin in N. crassa.
2024-08-21 | GSE261325 | GEO