Med5(Nut1) and Med17(Srb4) Are Direct Targets of Mediator Histone H4 Tail Interactions

The Mediator complex transmits activation signals from DNA bound transcription factors to the core transcription machinery. In addition to its canonical role in transcriptional activation, recent studies have demonstrated that S. cerevisiae Mediator can interact directly with nucleosomes, and their histone tails. Mutations in Mediator subunits have shown that Mediator and certain chromatin structures mutually impact each other structurally and functionally in vivo. We have taken a UV photo cross-linking approach to further delineate the molecular basis of Mediator chromatin interactions and help determine whether the impact of certain Mediator mutants on chromatin is direct. Specifically, by using histone tail peptides substituted with an amino acid analog that is a UV activatible crosslinker, we have identified specific subunits within Mediator that participate in histone tail interactions. Using Mediator purified from mutant yeast strains we have evaluated the impact of these subunits on histone tail binding. This analysis has identified the Med5 subunit of Mediator as a target for histone tail interactions and suggests that the previously observed effect of med5 mutations on telomeric heterochromatin and silencing is direct

Investigation of the Acetylation Mechanism by GCN5 Histone Acetyltransferase

The histone acetylation of post-translational modification can be highly dynamic and play a crucial role in regulating cellular proliferation, survival, differentiation and motility. Of the enzymes that mediate post-translation modifications, the GCN5 of the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) proteins family that add acetyl groups to target lysine residues within histones, has been most extensively studied. According to the mechanism studies of GCN5 related proteins, two key processes, deprotonation and acetylation, must be involved. However, as a fundamental issue, the structure of hGCN5/AcCoA/pH3 remains elusive. Although biological experiments have proved that GCN5 mediates the acetylation process through the sequential mechanism pathway, a dynamic view of the catalytic process and the molecular basis for hGCN5/AcCoA/pH3 are still not available and none of theoretical studies has been reported to other related enzymes in HAT family. To explore the molecular basis for the catalytic mechanism, computational approaches including molecular modeling, molecular dynamic (MD) simulation and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulation were carried out. The initial hGCN5/AcCoA/pH3 complex structure was modeled and a reasonable snapshot was extracted from the trajectory of a 20 ns MD simulation, with considering post-MD analysis and reported experimental results. Those residues playing crucial roles in binding affinity and acetylation reaction were comprehensively investigated. It demonstrated Glu80 acted as the general base for deprotonation of Lys171 from H3. Furthermore, the two-dimensional QM/MM potential energy surface was employed to study the sequential pathway acetylation mechanism. Energy barriers of addition-elimination reaction in acetylation obtained from QM/MM calculation indicated the point of the intermediate ternary complex. Our study may provide insights into the detailed mechanism for acetylation reaction of GCN5, and has important implications for the discovery of regulators against GCN5 enzymes and related HAT family enzymes

The structural basis of protein acetylation by the p300/CBP transcriptional coactivator

The transcriptional coactivator p300/CBP (CREBBP) is a histone acetyltransferase (HAT) that regulates gene expression by acetylating histones and other transcription factors. Dysregulation of p300/CBP HAT activity contributes to various diseases including cancer. Sequence alignments, enzymology experiments and inhibitor studies on p300/CBP have led to contradictory results about its catalytic mechanism and its structural relation to the Gcn5/PCAF and MYST HATs. Here we describe a high-resolution X-ray crystal structure of a semi-synthetic heterodimeric p300 HAT domain in complex with a bi-substrate inhibitor, Lys-CoA. This structure shows that p300/CBP is a distant cousin of other structurally characterized HATs, but reveals several novel features that explain the broad substrate specificity and preference for nearby basic residues. Based on this structure and accompanying biochemical data, we propose that p300/CBP uses an unusual \u27hit-and-run\u27 (Theorell-Chance) catalytic mechanism that is distinct from other characterized HATs. Several disease-associated mutations can also be readily accounted for by the p300 HAT structure. These studies pave the way for new epigenetic therapies involving modulation of p300/CBP HAT activity

SPES4-pi:installation for exclusive study of nuclear reactions

EI SEP PHASE ACCThe paper describes the spectrometric system “SPES4–$\pi$” used at the National Laboratory Saturne (CE Saclay, France) for the exclusive study of the baryon resonance excitation in inelastic α and d scattering on the proton, as well as coherent pion production in charge exchange reactions. The system consists of the magnetic spectrometer SPES4 and two wide-aperture position-sensitive detector arrays, equipped with wire chambers and scintillator hodoscopes, installed around a large-gap C-shape dipole magnet