Set1/COMPASS repels heterochromatin invasion at euchromatic sites by disrupting Suv39/Clr4 activity and nucleosome stability.

Protection of euchromatin from invasion by gene-repressive heterochromatin is critical for cellular health and viability. In addition to constitutive loci such as pericentromeres and subtelomeres, heterochromatin can be found interspersed in gene-rich euchromatin, where it regulates gene expression pertinent to cell fate. While heterochromatin and euchromatin are globally poised for mutual antagonism, the mechanisms underlying precise spatial encoding of heterochromatin containment within euchromatic sites remain opaque. We investigated ectopic heterochromatin invasion by manipulating the fission yeast mating type locus boundary using a single-cell spreading reporter system. We found that heterochromatin repulsion is locally encoded by Set1/COMPASS on certain actively transcribed genes and that this protective role is most prominent at heterochromatin islands, small domains interspersed in euchromatin that regulate cell fate specifiers. Sensitivity to invasion by heterochromatin, surprisingly, is not dependent on Set1 altering overall gene expression levels. Rather, the gene-protective effect is strictly dependent on Set1's catalytic activity. H3K4 methylation, the Set1 product, antagonizes spreading in two ways: directly inhibiting catalysis by Suv39/Clr4 and locally disrupting nucleosome stability. Taken together, these results describe a mechanism for spatial encoding of euchromatic signals that repel heterochromatin invasion

Molecular convergence of clock and photosensory pathways through PIF3–TOC1 interaction and co-occupancy of target promoters

This study defines a molecular mechanism for how clock- and light-signaling pathways converge in Arabidopsis. The data reveal that TOC1, an essential core component of the central oscillator, binds to and represses PIF transcriptional activators, which are also the direct molecular signaling partners of the phytochrome photosensory receptors. This finding shows that TOC1 functions as a clock output-transducer, directly linking the core oscillator to a pleiotopically-acting transcriptional network, through repression of target genes. Collectively, in the plant, these components comprise a transcriptionallycentered signaling hub that provides clock-imposed gating of PIF-mediated, photosensory-regulated diurnal growth patterns. These results provide a framework for future research aimed at understanding how circadian dynamics are integrated with other plant physiological processes important for optimal plant fitness.Fil: Soy, Judit. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Leivar, Pablo. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Gonzalez Schain, Nahuel Damian. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Martín, Guiomar. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Diaz, Céline. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Sentandreu, Maria. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Al-Sady, Bassem. University of California at Berkeley; Estados Unidos. United States Department of Agriculture; Estados UnidosFil: Quail, Peter H.. University of California at Berkeley; Estados Unidos. United States Department of Agriculture; Estados UnidosFil: Monte, Elena. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; Españ

Epigenetic fates of gene silencing established by heterochromatin spreading in cell identity and genome stability

Heterochromatin spreading, the propagation of repressive chromatin along the chromosome, is a reaction critical to genome stability and defense, as well as maintenance of unique cell fates. Here, we discuss the intrinsic properties of the spreading reaction and circumstances under which its products, formed distal to DNA-encoded nucleation sites, can be epigenetically maintained. Finally, we speculate that the epigenetic properties of heterochromatin evolved together with the need to stabilize cellular identity

Epigenetic fates of gene silencing established by heterochromatin spreading in cell identity and genome stability.

Heterochromatin spreading, the propagation of repressive chromatin along the chromosome, is a reaction critical to genome stability and defense, as well as maintenance of unique cell fates. Here, we discuss the intrinsic properties of the spreading reaction and circumstances under which its products, formed distal to DNA-encoded nucleation sites, can be epigenetically maintained. Finally, we speculate that the epigenetic properties of heterochromatin evolved together with the need to stabilize cellular identity

Out of the dark: how the PIFs are unmasking a dual temporal mechanism of phytochrome signalling

9 pages.-- PMID: 17855731 [PubMed].Following light-induced nuclear translocation, the phytochromes induce changes in gene expression to regulate plant development. PIF3 and other PIFs (phytochrome-interacting factors), members of the bHLH (basic helix-loop-helix) family of transcriptional regulators, interact specifically with the active Pfr conformer of the phytochrome molecule, suggesting that the PIFs are key components of phytochrome signal transduction. The mechanism by which the PIFs transduce phytochrome signals is not understood. After initial studies that suggested that PIF3 was a positive regulator of phytochrome signalling, mutant studies indicated that the PIFs primarily act as negative regulators in the pathway. Furthermore, in some cases they accumulate in the dark and are degraded upon illumination by the ubiquitin-26S proteasome system. At least for PIF3, the protein degradation depends on direct interaction with the phytochrome molecule and is preceded by protein phosphorylation. In this review, the current understanding of the role of the PIFs in phytochrome-mediated photomorphogenesis will be summarized, and recent findings suggesting an unanticipated dual mechanism of action of the PIFs will be discussed.Peer reviewe

Regulation of the heterochromatin spreading reaction by trans-acting factors.

Heterochromatin is a gene-repressive protein-nucleic acid ultrastructure that is initially nucleated by DNA sequences. However, following nucleation, heterochromatin can then propagate along the chromatin template in a sequence-independent manner in a reaction termed spreading. At the heart of this process are enzymes that deposit chemical information on chromatin, which attracts the factors that execute chromatin compaction and transcriptional or co/post-transcriptional gene silencing. Given that these enzymes deposit guiding chemical information on chromatin they are commonly termed writers. While the processes of nucleation and central actions of writers have been extensively studied and reviewed, less is understood about how the spreading process is regulated. We discuss how the chromatin substrate is prepared for heterochromatic spreading, and how trans-acting factors beyond writer enzymes regulate it. We examine mechanisms by which trans-acting factors in Suv39, PRC2, SETDB1 and SIR writer systems regulate spreading of the respective heterochromatic marks across chromatin. While these systems are in some cases evolutionarily and mechanistically quite distant, common mechanisms emerge which these trans-acting factors exploit to tune the spreading reaction

Division of labor between the chromodomains of HP1 and Suv39 methylase enables coordination of heterochromatin spread.

In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, heterochromatin spread, which is marked by histone 3 lysine 9 methylation (H3K9me), requires the chromodomains (CDs) of the H3K9 methylase Suv39/Clr4 and the HP1/Swi6 protein. It is unclear how the actions of these two H3K9me-recognizing CDs are coordinated. We find that the intrinsic preference of Suv39/Clr4 is to generate dimethylated H3K9 product. The recognition of pre-existing H3K9me marks by the CD of Suv39/Clr4 stimulates overall catalysis, enabling the accumulation of small amounts of trimethylated product in vivo. Coincidentally, the Suv39/Clr4 CD, unlike the HP1/Swi6 CD, has been shown to prefer the trimethyl state over the dimethyl state. We show that this preference enables efficient heterochromatin spread in vivo by reducing competition with HP1 proteins for the more prevalent dimethyl state. Our results reveal a strategy by which "writers" and "readers" of a chromatin mark exploit different methylation states on the same residue in order to facilitate collaboration and avoid competition

Intrinsic toxicity of unchecked heterochromatin spread is suppressed by redundant chromatin boundary functions in Schizosacchromyces pombe

© 2015 Garcia et al.Effective boundary mechanisms halt the spread of repressive histone methylation. In the fission yeast Schizosacchromyces pombe, two factors/elements required for boundary function have been described, the jmjC protein Epe1 and binding

Sensitive and Quantitative Three-Color Protein Imaging in Fission Yeast Using Spectrally Diverse, Recoded Fluorescent Proteins with Experimentally-Characterized In Vivo Maturation Kinetics

Schizosaccharomyces pombe is an outstanding model organism for cell biological investigations, yet the range of useful and well-characterized fluorescent proteins (XFPs) is limited. We generated and characterized three recoded fluorescent proteins for 3-color analysis in S. pombe, Super-folder GFP, monomeric Kusabira Orange 2 and E2Crimson. Upon optimization and expression in S. pombe, the three proteins enabled sensitive simultaneous 3-color detection capability. Furthermore, we describe a strategy that combines a pulse-chase approach and mathematical modeling to quantify the maturation kinetics of these proteins in vivo. We observed maturation kinetics in S. pombe that are expected from those described for these proteins in vitro and/or in other cell types, but also unpredicted behaviors. Our studies provide a kinetically-characterized, integrated three-color XFP toolbox for S. pombe