Project description:In budding yeast, telomeres and the mating type (HM) loci are found in a heterochromatin-like silent structure initiated by Rap1 and extended by the interaction of Sir (Silencing Information Regulator) proteins with histones. Binding data demonstrate that both the H3 and H4 N terminal domains required for silencing in vivo interact directly with Sir3 and Sir4 in vitro. The role of H4 lysine 16 deacetylation is well established in Sir3 protein recruitment, however that of the H3 N terminal tail has remained unclear. In order to characterize the role of H3 in silent chromatin formation and compare it to H4 we have generated comprehensive high resolution genome-wide binding maps of heterochromatin proteins. We find that H4 lysine 16 deacetylation is required for the recruitment and spreading of heterochromatin proteins at all telomeres and HM loci. In contrast the H3 N terminus is required for neither recruitment nor spreading of Sir proteins. Instead, deletion of the H3 tail leads to increased accessibility within heterochromatin of an ectopic bacterial dam methylase and the decreased mobility of an HML heterochromatic fragment in sucrose gradients. These findings indicate an altered chromatin structure. We propose that Sir proteins recruited by the H4 tail then interact with the H3 tail to form a higher order silent chromatin structure.
Project description:The eukaryotic genome is divided into chromosomal domains of heterochromatin and euchromatin. Transcriptionally silent heterochromatin is found at subtelomeric regions, leading to the telomeric position effect (TPE) in yeast, fly and man. Heterochromatin generally initiates and spreads from defined loci, and diverse mechanisms prevent the ectopic spread of heterochromatin into euchromatin. Here, we overexpressed the silencing factor Sir3 at various levels in yeast, and found that Sir3 spreading into Extended Silent Domains (ESD) eventually reached saturation at subtelomeres. We observed that Sir3 spreading into ESDs covered zone associated with specific histone marks in wild-type cells and stopped at zones of histone mark transitions including H3K79 tri-methylation levels. The conserved enzyme Dot1 deposits H3K79 methylation, and we found that it is essential for viability upon overexpression of Sir3, but not of a spreading-defective mutant Sir3A2Q. These data suggest that H3K79 methylation actively blocks Sir3 spreading. Lastly, we demonstrate that our work uncovers previously uncharacterized discrete subtelomeric domains associated with specific chromatin features, that offers a new viewpoint on how to separate subtelomeres from the core chromosome.
Project description:Analysis of gene expression changes following deletion of SIR genes at subtelomeric region. A total of 4 samples were analyzed : Wild type (BY4742) strain, SIR2 deletion strain, SIR3 deletion strain, SIR4 deletion strain.
Project description:Domains of heterochromatin play important roles in the maintenance and regulation of eukaryotic genomes. However, the repressive nature of heterochromatin combined with its propensity to self-propagate necessitates the existence of robust mechanisms that limit heterochromatin spreading and thereby avoid silencing of expressed genes. A number of specific sequence elements have been found to serve as barriers to heterochromatin spreading; however, the mechanisms by which spreading is curtailed are generally not well understood. Here we uncover a role for PAF complex component Leo1 in regulating heterochromatin cis-spreading. A genetic screen revealed that loss of Leo1 results in spreading of heterochromatin across a centromeric (IRC) boundary element in fission yeast. Similar heterochromatin spreading was seen upon deletion of other components of the PAF complex, but not other factors involved in transcription-coupled chromatin modification, indicating a specific role for the PAF complex in heterochromatin regulation. Loss of Leo1 is associated with reduced levels of H4K16 acetylation at the boundary, while tethering of the H4K16 acetyltransferase Mst1 to boundary chromatin suppresses heterochromatin spreading in leo1? cells, suggesting that Leo1 antagonises heterochromatin spreading by facilitating H4K16 acetylation. Interestingly, Leo1 also regulates heterochromatin spreading independently of boundaries, and loss of Leo1 causes redistribution of heterochromatin, in particular resulting in substantial expansion of telomeric heterochromatin domains. The PAF complex is known to be an important regulator of transcription-related chromatin modifications; our findings reveal a previously undescribed role for this complex in global regulation of heterochromatin spreading in cis. 8 samples: input (whole cell extract) and IP from H3K9me2 ChIP in wild-type and leo1? cells, in duplicate
Project description:The eukaryotic genome is divided into chromosomal domains of distinct gene activities. Transcriptionally silent chromatin is found in subtelomeric regions leading to telomeric position effect (TPE) in yeast, fly and man. Silent chromatin generally initiates at defined loci and tends to propagate from those sites by self-recruitment mechanisms implying the requirement for processes preventing ectopic spreading of silencing. Barrier elements that can block the spread of silent chromatin have been documented, but their relative efficiency is not known. Here we explore the dose-dependency of silencing factors for the extent of TPE in budding yeast. We characterized genome wide the impact of overexpressing the silencing factors Sir2 and Sir3 on the spreading of Sir3 and its impact on coding and non-coding transcription. We thus reveal that extension of silent domains can reach saturation. Analysis of published data sets enabled to uncover that the extension of Sir3 bound domains stops at zones corresponding to transitions of specific histone marks including H3K79 methylation that is deposited by the conserved enzyme Dot1. Importantly, DOT1 is essential for viability when Sir3 is in excess indicating that this transition actively blocks Sir3 spreading. Our work uncovers previously uncharacterized discrete chromosomal domains associated with specific chromatin features and demonstrates that TPE is efficiently restricted to subtelomeres by the preexisting chromatin landscape.
Project description:Domains of heterochromatin play important roles in the maintenance and regulation of eukaryotic genomes. However, the repressive nature of heterochromatin combined with its propensity to self-propagate necessitates the existence of robust mechanisms that limit heterochromatin spreading and thereby avoid silencing of expressed genes. A number of specific sequence elements have been found to serve as barriers to heterochromatin spreading; however, the mechanisms by which spreading is curtailed are generally not well understood. Here we uncover a role for PAF complex component Leo1 in regulating heterochromatin cis-spreading. A genetic screen revealed that loss of Leo1 results in spreading of heterochromatin across a centromeric (IRC) boundary element in fission yeast. Similar heterochromatin spreading was seen upon deletion of other components of the PAF complex, but not other factors involved in transcription-coupled chromatin modification, indicating a specific role for the PAF complex in heterochromatin regulation. Loss of Leo1 is associated with reduced levels of H4K16 acetylation at the boundary, while tethering of the H4K16 acetyltransferase Mst1 to boundary chromatin suppresses heterochromatin spreading in leo1Δ cells, suggesting that Leo1 antagonises heterochromatin spreading by facilitating H4K16 acetylation. Interestingly, Leo1 also regulates heterochromatin spreading independently of boundaries, and loss of Leo1 causes redistribution of heterochromatin, in particular resulting in substantial expansion of telomeric heterochromatin domains. The PAF complex is known to be an important regulator of transcription-related chromatin modifications; our findings reveal a previously undescribed role for this complex in global regulation of heterochromatin spreading in cis.
Project description:Heterochromatin, a highly compact chromatin state characterized by histone H3 lysine 9 methylation (H3K9me) and HP1 protein binding, epigenetically silences the underlying DNA and influences the expression of neighboring genes. Therefore the sites of heterochromatin assembly and its subsequent spreading are generally precisely determined. Here we show that in fission yeast, the combined absence of anti-silencing factors Mst2 and Epe1 results in uncontrolled heterochromatin spreading and severe growth defects. Interestingly, these cells quickly recover by accumulating H3K9me at the clr4+ locus, which encodes the H3K9 methyltransferase essential for heterochromatin assembly, thereby leading to reduced expression of Clr4 to restrain heterochromatin spreading. Preventing H3K9me at the clr4+ locus resulted in the accumulation of H3K9me at the rik1+ locus, which encodes another component of the Clr4 complex essential for H3K9me. Our results demonstrate that promiscuous heterochromatin assembly enables fast adaptation in response to changes in chromatin landscape and illustrate a negative feedback mechanism by which cells counteract toxic heterochromatin accumulation.
Project description:Crucial mechanisms are required to restrict self-propagating heterochromatin spreading within defined boundaries and prevent euchromatic gene silencing. In the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa, the JmjC domain protein DNA METHYLATION MODULATOR-1 (DMM-1) prevents aberrant spreading of heterochromatin, but the molecular details remain unknown. Here, we revealed that DMM-1 is highly enriched in a well-defined 5-kb heterochromatin domain and constrained its aberrant spreading. Interestingly, aberrant spreading of the 5-kb heterochromatin domain observed in the dmm-1KO strain is accompanied by the sharp deposition of histone variant H2A.Z, and deletion of H2A.Z abolishes aberrant spreading of the 5-kb heterochromatin domain into adjacent euchromatin. Furthermore, lysine 56 of histone H3 is deacetylated at the expanded heterochromatin regions, and mimicking H3K56 acetylation with an H3K56Q mutation effectively blocks H2A.Z-mediated aberrant spreading of the 5-kb heterochromatin domain. More importantly, genome-wide analyses demonstrated the general roles of H3K56 deacetylation and H2A.Z deposition in aberrant spreading of heterochromatin. Altogether, our results illustrate a previously unappreciated regulatory process that mediates aberrant heterochromatin spreading.
Project description:Heterochromatin spreading, the expansion of gene-silencing structures from DNA-encoded nucleation sites, occurs in distinct settings. Spreading re-establishes gene-poor constitutive heterochromatin every cell cycle, but also invades gene-rich euchromatin de novo to steer cell fate decisions. How chromatin context, i.e. euchromatic, heterochromatic, or different nucleator types, influences the determinants of this process remains poorly understood. Previously, we documented distinct behaviors of heterochromatin spreading in different contexts using a single-cell heterochromatin spreading sensor (Greenstein et al. 2018). In this work, building on this sensor system, we now genetically identify the factors that positively or negatively alter the propensity of a nucleation site to spread heterochromatin. We find that different chromatin contexts are dependent on unique sets of genes for the regulation of heterochromatin spreading. Further, we find that spreading in constitutive heterochromatin requires Clr6 histone deacetylase complexes containing the Fkh2 transcription factor, while the Clr3 deacetylase is globally required for silencing. Fkh2 acts by recruiting Clr6 to nucleation-distal chromatin sites. Our results segregate the pathways that control lateral heterochromatin spreading from those that instruct DNA-directed assembly in nucleation.
Project description:Transposable elements have the potential to act as controlling elements to influence the expression of genes. The current paradigm suggests that heterochromatic silencing can spread beyond the borders of the transposable element and influence the chromatin state of neighboring low-copy sequences. This would allow transposable elements to condition obligatory or facilitated epialleles and act as controlling elements. The maize genome contains numerous families of class I transposable elements (retrotransposons) that are present in moderate to high copy numbers and many are found in regions near genes which provides an opportunity to test whether the spreading of heterochromatin from retrotransposons is prevalent. We have investigated the extent of heterochromatin spreading into flanking DNA around each family of retrotransposons through profiling of DNA methylation and di-methylation of lysine 9 of histone 3 (H3K9me2) in low-copy regions of the maize genome. The effects of different retrotransposon families on local chromatin are highly variable. Some LTR families exhibit enrichment of heterochromatic marks within 800-1200 base pairs of the insertion site while other families have very little evidence for spreading of heterochromatic marks. The analysis of chromatin state in genotypes that lack specific insertions suggests that the adjacent heterochromatin results from spreading of silencing rather than insertion-site preferences. Genes that are located near elements that exhibit spreading of heterochromatin tend to be expressed at lower levels than other genes. Our findings suggest that a subset of LTR retrotransposon families may act as controlling elements influencing neighboring sequences while the majority of elements have little effect on flanking sequences Transposable elements comprise a substantial portion of many eukaryotic genomes. These mobile fragments of DNA can result in mutations through insertions into genes but may also affect the regulation of genes they insert near. There is evidence that the majority of transposable elements are epigenetically silenced and in some cases this silencing may affect neighboring sequences. However, evolutionary theory would predict that there would be selective pressures for transposable elements to limit their effects on neighboring genes. The maize genome has a complex organization with many genes flanked by retrotransposons. We profiled the spread of heterochromatin from the retrotransposons into nearby low copy sequences for 150 high copy retrotransposon families. While the manymajority of retrotransposons exhibit little to no spreading of heterochromatin there are a small number ofsome retrotransposon families that influence the chromatin state of surrounding regions. The families may represent bad “neighbors” that spread heterochromatin and influence nearby genes. 6 total samples: 3 replicates of B73 H3k9 and 3 replicates of Mo17 H3k9 3 total samples: mop1 mutant, b73.zmet2 (zmet2.m1 mutant in B73 background) and mo17.zmet2 (zmet2.m1 mutant in Mo17 background)