Project description:Project Abstract : Trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3) is predominantly associated with transcriptional start sites (TSSs) and is believed to facilitate transcription initiation. Furthermore, H3K4me3 plays a role in defining cell fate and specific cellular functions. Nevertheless, the precise function of H3K4me3 in transcription activation remains a topic of ongoing debate. The Polymerase-associated factor 1 complex (Paf1C), which is integral to various transcription-related cellular processes, consists of five highly conserved subunits: Paf1, Ctr9, Rtf1, Cdc73, and Leo1. While all subunits of Paf1C are indispensable for the maintenance of H3K4 methylation levels, it is noteworthy that strains lacking Leo1 exhibited unaltered levels of H3K4me3. To elucidate the role of H3K4me3, we conducted a transcriptome analysis coupled with ChIP-sequencing of H3K4me3 in cells lacking Leo1. Our research uncovers a distinctive role of Leo1 in yeast, whereby it plays a pivotal role in maintaining sterol homeostasis through the suppression of Upc2 expression. Importantly, this role stands apart from the functions of other Paf1C subunits. H3K4me3 is essential for promoting the expression of sterol uptake genes that are Upc2-dependent when Leo1 is absent. Additionally, Set1 contributes to sterol homeostasis by regulating iron metabolism and mitochondrial functions rather than directly suppressing Upc2 expression. Therefore, our findings reveal a novel role for Leo1 in sterol homeostasis and highlight the importance of H3K4me3 in promoting transcription of response genes required for sterol uptake.
Project description:Project Abstract : Trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3) is predominantly associated with transcriptional start sites (TSSs) and is believed to facilitate transcription initiation. Furthermore, H3K4me3 plays a role in defining cell fate and specific cellular functions. Nevertheless, the precise function of H3K4me3 in transcription activation remains a topic of ongoing debate. The Polymerase-associated factor 1 complex (Paf1C), which is integral to various transcription-related cellular processes, consists of five highly conserved subunits: Paf1, Ctr9, Rtf1, Cdc73, and Leo1. While all subunits of Paf1C are indispensable for the maintenance of H3K4 methylation levels, it is noteworthy that strains lacking Leo1 exhibited unaltered levels of H3K4me3. To elucidate the role of H3K4me3, we conducted a transcriptome analysis coupled with ChIP-sequencing of H3K4me3 in cells lacking Leo1. Our research uncovers a distinctive role of Leo1 in yeast, whereby it plays a pivotal role in maintaining sterol homeostasis through the suppression of Upc2 expression. Importantly, this role stands apart from the functions of other Paf1C subunits. H3K4me3 is essential for promoting the expression of sterol uptake genes that are Upc2-dependent when Leo1 is absent. Additionally, Set1 contributes to sterol homeostasis by regulating iron metabolism and mitochondrial functions rather than directly suppressing Upc2 expression. Therefore, our findings reveal a novel role for Leo1 in sterol homeostasis and highlight the importance of H3K4me3 in promoting transcription of response genes required for sterol uptake.
Project description:H3K4me3 is catalyzed by the Set1/MLL family of methyltransferases, whose function in catalyzing H3K4me3 is unique. Impaired function of Set1/MLL family members can lead to many abnormalities, such as bone and nerve defects, leukemia, and even death. Although the Set1 family plays an important regulatory role in various biological processes, it is still unclear how the Set1 protein itself is regulated and how protein levels are maintained. Due to the numerous homologues, complex composition, and high molecular weight of Set1 in higher organisms, especially humans, related research is greatly limited. In brewing yeast, Set1 is the only methyltransferase that catalyzes H3K4me3 and is highly conserved between species. Therefore, yeast is an ideal model for studying the functions and mechanisms of the Set1 family. In addition, Set1 protein plays an important role in regulating gene transcription, promoting telomere silencing, and maintaining cell lifespan. The Set1 family also plays an important regulatory role in the occurrence and development of various cancers.
Project description:The stimulation of trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) by H2B monoubiquitination (H2Bub) has been widely studied with multiple mechanisms proposed for this form of histone crosstalk. Cps35/Swd2 within COMPASS is considered to bridge these processes. However, a truncated form of Set1 (762-Set1) is reported to function in H3K4 trimethylation without interacting with Cps35/Swd2, and such crosstalk is attributed to the n-SET domain of Set1 and its interaction with the Cps40/Spp1 subunit of COMPASS. Here, we use biochemical, structural, in vivo, and ChIP-seq approaches to demonstrate that Cps40/Spp1 and the n-SET domain of Set1 are required for the stability of Set1 and not the crosstalk. Furthermore, the apparent wild-type levels of H3K4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) in the 762-Set1 strain is due to rogue methylase activity of this mutant resulting in the mislocalization of H3K4me3 from the promoter-proximal regions to gene bodies and intergenic regions. We have also performed detailed screens and identified yeast strains lacking H2Bub, but containing intact H2Bub enzymes, that have normal levels of H3K4me3, suggesting that ubiquitination may not directly stimulate COMPASS, but rather works in a context of the PAF and Rad6/Bre1 complexes. Our study demonstrates that the ubiquitination machinery and Cps35/Swd2 function to focus COMPASS’ H3K4me3 activity at promoter-proximal regions in a context dependent manner. ChIP-Seq for H3K4ME3 in S. cerevisie wild-type strains and strains expressing a truncated form of Set1: aa762-1080 Set1. H3K4ME3 ChIP-Seq was also compared for wild-type, leo1 knockout, and chd1 knockout strains
Project description:We report the application of ChIP-sequencing technology for high-throughput profiling of histone modifications in budding yeast. By obtaining over four billion bases of sequence from chromatin immunoprecipitated DNA, we generated genome-wide maps of Set1 and H3K4me3 in yeast cells. We find that Set1 and H3 lysine 4 trimethylation locate primarily in open reading frame of genes. In addition, we focus on the distribution of Set1 and H3K4me3 in histone gene clusters and found strong similar binding of Set1 and H3K4me3 on all histone genes.
Project description:Trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3) is associated with transcriptional start sites and proposed to regulate transcription initiation. However, redundant functions of the H3K4 SET1/COMPASS methyltransferase complexes complicate elucidation of the specific role of H3K4me3 in transcriptional regulation. Here, by using mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) as a model system, we show that acute ablation of shared subunits of the SET1/COMPASS complexes leads to complete loss of all H3K4 methylation. H3K4me3 turnover occurs more rapidly than H3K4me1 and H3K4me2 and is dependent on KDM5 demethylases. Surprisingly, acute loss of H3K4me3 does not have detectable effects on transcriptional initiation but leads to a widespread decrease in transcriptional output, an increase in RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) pausing and slower elongation. Notably, we show that H3K4me3 is required for the recruitment of the Integrator Complex Subunit 11 (INTS11), which is essential for the eviction of paused RNAPII and transcriptional elongation. Thus, our study demonstrates a distinct role for H3K4me3 in transcriptional pause-release and elongation rather than transcriptional initiation.
Project description:The CFP1 CXXC zinc finger protein targets the SET1/COMPASS complex to nonmethylated CpG rich promoters to implement tri-methylation of histone H3 Lys4 (H3K4me3). Although H3K4me3 is widely associated with gene expression, the effects of CFP1 loss vary, suggesting additional chromatin factors contribute to context dependent effects. Using a proteomics approach, we identified CFP1 associated proteins and an unexpected direct link between C. elegans CFP-1 and an Rpd3/Sin3 small (SIN3S) histone deacetylase complex.