Showing papers by "Jacques Côté published in 2016"

BRPF3‐HBO1 regulates replication origin activation and histone H3K14 acetylation

Abstract: During DNA replication, thousands of replication origins are activated across the genome. Chromatin architecture contributes to origin specification and usage, yet it remains unclear which chromatin features impact on DNA replication. Here, we perform a RNAi screen for chromatin regulators implicated in replication control by measuring RPA accumulation upon replication stress. We identify six factors required for normal rates of DNA replication and characterize a function of the bromodomain and PHD finger-containing protein 3 (BRPF3) in replication initiation. BRPF3 forms a complex with HBO1 that specifically acetylates histone H3K14, and genomewide analysis shows high enrichment of BRPF3, HBO1 and H3K14ac at ORC1-binding sites and replication origins found in the vicinity of TSSs. Consistent with this, BRPF3 is necessary for H3K14ac at selected origins and efficient origin activation. CDC45 recruitment, but not MCM2-7 loading, is impaired in BRPF3-depleted cells, identifying a BRPF3-dependent function of HBO1 in origin activation that is complementary to its role in licencing. We thus propose that BRPF3-HBO1 acetylation of histone H3K14 around TSS facilitates efficient activation of nearby replication origins.

Bivalent interaction of the PZP domain of BRPF1 with the nucleosome impacts chromatin dynamics and acetylation

Abstract: BRPF1 (bromodomain PHD finger 1) is a core subunit of the MOZ histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complex, critical for normal developmental programs and implicated in acute leukemias. BRPF1 contains a unique assembly of zinc fingers, termed a PZP domain, the physiological role of which remains unclear. Here, we elucidate the structure-function relationship of this novel epigenetic reader and detail the biological and mechanistic consequences of its interaction with nucleosomes. PZP has a globular architecture and forms a 2:1 stoichiometry complex with the nucleosome, bivalently interacting with histone H3 and DNA. This binding impacts the nucleosome dynamics, shifting the DNA unwrapping/rewrapping equilibrium toward the unwrapped state and increasing DNA accessibility. We demonstrate that the DNA-binding function of the BRPF1 PZP domain is required for the MOZ-BRPF1-ING5-hEaf6 HAT complex to be recruited to chromatin and to acetylate nucleosomal histones. Our findings reveal a novel link between chromatin dynamics and MOZ-mediated acetylation.

Combined Action of Histone Reader Modules Regulates NuA4 Local Acetyltransferase Function but Not Its Recruitment on the Genome

Abstract: Recognition of histone marks by reader modules is thought to be at the heart of epigenetic mechanisms. These protein domains are considered to function by targeting regulators to chromosomal loci carrying specific histone modifications. This is important for proper gene regulation as well as propagation of epigenetic information. The NuA4 acetyltransferase complex contains two of these reader modules, an H3K4me3-specific plant homeodomain (PHD) within the Yng2 subunit and an H3K36me2/3-specific chromodomain in the Eaf3 subunit. While each domain showed a close functional interaction with the respective histone mark that it recognizes, at the biochemical level, genetic level (as assessed with epistatic miniarray profile screens), and phenotypic level, cells with the combined loss of both readers showed greatly enhanced phenotypes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with next-generation sequencing experiments demonstrated that the Yng2 PHD specifically directs H4 acetylation near the transcription start site of highly expressed genes, while Eaf3 is important downstream on the body of the genes. Strikingly, the recruitment of the NuA4 complex to these loci was not significantly affected. Furthermore, RNA polymerase II occupancy was decreased only under conditions where both PHD and chromodomains were lost, generally in the second half of the gene coding regions. Altogether, these results argue that methylated histone reader modules in NuA4 are not responsible for its recruitment to the promoter or coding regions but, rather, are required to orient its acetyltransferase catalytic site to the methylated histone 3-bearing nucleosomes in the surrounding chromatin, cooperating to allow proper transition from transcription initiation to elongation.

Preparation and Analysis of Native Chromatin-Modifying Complexes.

Abstract: Nucleosomes, the basic units of chromatin, are decorated with a myriad of posttranslational modifications (PTMs) by the action of chromatin modifiers. These enzymes function almost exclusively as part of stable protein complexes that assist their recruitment to specific genomic loci, specify their substrate, and provide allosteric control. By altering the interactions within nucleosomes or with neighboring nucleosomes and serving as a platform to engage effector proteins, PTMs deposited by histone-modifying complexes influence virtually every nuclear process and are at the heart of the epigenetic mechanisms. Hence, it is critical to identify their components, define their structures, and characterize their biochemical activities. Here we describe protocols for tandem affinity purification (TAP) of native histone acetyltransferase (HAT) and methyltransferase (HMT) complexes from human cells engineered to express bait proteins from a genomic safe harbor or their endogenous chromosomal genes, using zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), TAL effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 systems. The approaches presented aim to preserve natural transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation and minimize biochemical artifacts due to ectopic expression. Near homogenous preparations of native complexes are obtained in sufficient amounts to perform biochemical assays and characterize their components.