Download MendeleyIntrinsic nucleic Acid-binding activity of chp1 chromodomain is required for heterochromatic gene silencing
Ishida, M., Shimojo, H., Hayashi, A., Kawaguchi, R., Ohtani, Y., Uegaki, K., Nishimura, Y., Nakayama, J.(2012) Mol Cell 47: 228-241
- PubMed: 22727667
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2012.05.017
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
2RSN, 2RSO - PubMed Abstract:
Centromeric heterochromatin assembly in fission yeast requires the RNAi pathway. Chp1, a chromodomain (CD) protein, forms the Ago1-containing RNA-induced transcriptional silencing (RITS) complex and recruits siRNA-bound RITS to methylated histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9me) via its CD. Here, we show that the CD of Chp1 (Chp1-CD) possesses unique nucleic acid-binding activities that are essential for heterochromatic gene silencing. Detailed electrophoretic-mobility shift analyses demonstrated that Chp1 binds to RNA via the CD in addition to its central RNA-recognition motif. Interestingly, robust RNA- and DNA-binding activity of Chp1-CD was strongly enhanced when it was bound to H3K9me, which was revealed to involve a positively charged domain within the Chp1-CD by structural analyses. These results demonstrate a role for the CD that provides a link between RNA, DNA, and methylated histone tails to ensure heterochromatic gene silencing.
Organizational Affiliation:
Laboratory for Chromatin Dynamics, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan.
