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Shelley L Berger

Publications and source records attributed to Shelley L Berger.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Repression of p53 activity by Smyd2-mediated methylation.

Specific sites of lysine methylation on histones correlate with either activation or repression of transcription. The tumour suppressor p53 (refs 4-7) is one of only a few non-histone proteins known to be regulated by lysine methylation. Here we report a lysine methyltransferase, Smyd2, that methylates a previously unidentified site, Lys 370, in p53. This methylation site, in contrast to the known site Lys 372, is repressing to p53-mediated transcriptional regulation. Smyd2 helps to maintain low concentrations of promoter-associated p53. We show that reducing Smyd2 concentrations by short interfering RNA enhances p53-mediated apoptosis. We find that Set9-mediated methylation of Lys 372 inhibits Smyd2-mediated methylation of Lys 370, providing regulatory cross-talk between post-translational modifications. In addition, we show that the inhibitory effect of Lys 372 methylation on Lys 370 methylation is caused, in part, by blocking the interaction between p53 and Smyd2. Thus, similar to histones, p53 is subject to both activating and repressing lysine methylation. Our results also predict that Smyd2 may function as a putative oncogene by methylating p53 and repressing its tumour suppressive function.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

LKB1 is recruited to the p21/WAF1 promoter by p53 to mediate transcriptional activation.

The tumor suppressor LKB1 is an evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine kinase. In humans, LKB1 can be inactivated either by germ-line mutations resulting in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome or by somatic mutations causing predisposition to multiple sporadic cancers. LKB1 has wide-ranging functions involved in tumor suppression and cell homeostasis, including establishing cell polarity, setting energy metabolic balance (via phosphorylation of AMP-dependent kinase), regulating the cell cycle, and promoting apoptosis. LKB1 function was previously linked to the tumor suppressor p53 and shown to activate the p53 target gene p21/WAF1. In this study, we further investigated LKB1 activation of the p21/WAF1 gene and addressed whether LKB1 is directly involved at the gene promoter. We find that, consistent with previous studies, LKB1 stabilizes p53 in vivo, correlating with activation of p21/WAF1. We show that LKB1 physically associates with p53 in the nucleus and directly or indirectly phosphorylates p53 Ser15 (previously shown to be phosphorylated by AMP-dependent kinase) and p53 Ser392. Further, these two p53 residues are required for LKB1-dependent cell cycle G(1) arrest. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses show that LKB1 is recruited directly to the p21/WAF1 promoter, as well as to other p53 activated promoters, in a p53-dependent fashion. Finally, a genetic fusion of LKB1 to defective p53, deleted for its activation domains, promotes activation of p21/WAF1. These results indicate that LKB1 has a direct role in activation of p21/WAF1 gene.

AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases↗
PubMed2006

Phosphorylation of histone H4 Ser1 regulates sporulation in yeast and is conserved in fly and mouse spermatogenesis.

Sporulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a highly regulated process wherein a diploid cell gives rise to four haploid gametes. In this study we show that histone H4 Ser1 is phosphorylated (H4 S1ph) during sporulation, starting from mid-sporulation and persisting to germination, and is temporally distinct from earlier meiosis-linked H3 S10ph involved in chromosome condensation. A histone H4 S1A substitution mutant forms aberrant spores and has reduced sporulation efficiency. Deletion of sporulation-specific yeast Sps1, a member of the Ste20 family of kinases, nearly abolishes the sporulation-associated H4 S1ph modification. H4 S1ph may promote chromatin compaction, since deletion of SPS1 increases accessibility to antibody immunoprecipitation; furthermore, either deletion of Sps1 or an H4 S1A substitution results in increased DNA volume in nuclei within spores. We find H4 S1ph present during Drosophila melanogaster and mouse spermatogenesis, and similar to yeast, this modification extends late into sperm differentiation relative to H3 S10ph. Thus, H4 S1ph may be an evolutionarily ancient histone modification to mark the genome for gamete-associated packaging.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Histone sumoylation is a negative regulator in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and shows dynamic interplay with positive-acting histone modifications.

Covalent histone post-translational modifications such as acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitylation play pivotal roles in regulating many cellular processes, including transcription, response to DNA damage, and epigenetic control. Although positive-acting post-translational modifications have been studied in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, histone modifications that are associated with transcriptional repression have not been shown to occur in this yeast. Here, we provide evidence that histone sumoylation negatively regulates transcription in S. cerevisiae. We show that all four core histones are sumoylated and identify specific sites of sumoylation in histones H2A, H2B, and H4. We demonstrate that histone sumoylation sites are involved directly in transcriptional repression. Further, while histone sumoylation occurs at all loci tested throughout the genome, slightly higher levels occur proximal to telomeres. We observe a dynamic interplay between histone sumoylation and either acetylation or ubiquitylation, where sumoylation serves as a potential block to these activating modifications. These results indicate that sumoylation is the first negative histone modification to be identified in S. cerevisiae and further suggest that sumoylation may serve as a general dynamic mark to oppose transcription.

Acetylation↗
PubMed2006

Sumoylation of the yeast Gcn5 protein.

Sumoylation, the process by which the ubiquitin-related SUMO protein is covalently attached to lysine side chains in other proteins, is involved in numerous processes in the eukaryotic cell, including transcriptional repression. In this study, we identify Gcn5, the histone-modifying subunit of the transcriptional regulatory complex SAGA, as a sumoylation substrate in yeast. In vitro, multiple sumoylation of recombinant Gcn5 alone or as a trimer with its interacting proteins Ada2 and Ada3 did not affect Gcn5's histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity, suggesting that modification of Gcn5 with yeast SUMO (Smt3) may not directly regulate its HAT function. Through site-directed mutagenesis, the primary in vivo sumoylation site was identified as lysine-25, although an unsumoylatable K-to-R mutation of this residue led to no obvious in vivo effects. However, fusion of SUMO to the N-terminus of Gcn5 to mimic constitutive sumoylation resulted in defective growth on 3-aminotriazole media and reduced basal and activated transcription of the SAGA-dependent gene TRP3. Taken together with recent identification of multiple additional subunits of SAGA as sumoylated proteins in vivo, these data suggest that Gcn5 sumoylation may have an inhibitory role in transcriptional regulation.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed2006

Structure and dimerization of the kinase domain from yeast Snf1, a member of the Snf1/AMPK protein family.

The Snf1/AMPK kinases are intracellular energy sensors, and the AMPK pathway has been implicated in a variety of metabolic human disorders. Here we report the crystal structure of the kinase domain from yeast Snf1, revealing a bilobe kinase fold with greatest homology to cyclin-dependant kinase-2. Unexpectedly, the crystal structure also reveals a novel homodimer that we show also forms in solution, as demonstrated by equilibrium sedimentation, and in yeast cells, as shown by coimmunoprecipitation of differentially tagged intact Snf1. A mapping of sequence conservation suggests that dimer formation is a conserved feature of the Snf1/AMPK kinases. The conformation of the conserved alphaC helix, and the burial of the activation segment and substrate binding site within the dimer, suggests that it represents an inactive form of the kinase. Taken together, these studies suggest another layer of kinase regulation within the Snf1/AMPK family, and an avenue for development of AMPK-specific activating compounds.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed2006

Trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 by Set1 in the lytic infection of human herpes simplex virus 1.

Human herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is a double-stranded DNA virus that causes facial, ocular, and encephalitic disease in humans. Previous work showed that the genome of HSV-1 is associated with acetylated and methylated histones during lytic infection. However, the physiological role of histone modifications in lytic infection of HSV-1 is unclear. We examined the role of protein methylation in lytic infection of HSV-1 using a protein methylation inhibitor, 5'-deoxy-5'-methylthioadenosine (MTA). We found that MTA strongly reduces the transcription and replication of HSV-1. Moreover, MTA treatment decreases the level of trimethylation of lysine 4 in histone H3 (H3K4me3) on the HSV-1 genome. These results suggest that protein methylation, and in particular, histone methylation, is involved in the lytic infection of HSV-1. To delineate the underlying mechanism, we investigated the role of two H3K4 methyltransferases, Set1 and Set7/9, in the lytic infection of HSV-1. Using small interference RNA, we found that the reduction of Set1, but not Set7/9, reduces the transcription and replication of HSV-1 and specifically decreases H3K4me3 on the virus genome. These results indicate that H3K4me3 mediated by Set1 is required for optimal gene expression and replication of HSV-1 during lytic infection and suggest that this pathway could be a potential point of pharmacological intervention during HSV-1 infection.

Gene Expression Regulation, Viral↗
PubMed2006

A feed-forward repression mechanism anchors the Sin3/histone deacetylase and N-CoR/SMRT corepressors on chromatin.

Transcription in eukaryotes is governed in part by histone acetyltransferase (HAT)- and histone deacetylase (HDAC)-containing complexes that are recruited via activators and repressors, respectively. Here, we show that the Sin3/HDAC and N-CoR/SMRT corepressor complexes repress transcription from histone H3- and/or H4-acetylated nucleosomal templates in vitro. Repression of histone H3-acetylated templates was completely dependent on the histone deacetylase activity of the corepressor complexes, whereas this activity was not required to repress H4-acetylated templates. Following deacetylation, both complexes become stably anchored in a repressor-independent manner to nucleosomal templates containing hypoacetylated histone H3, but not H4, resulting in dominance of repression over activation. The observed stable anchoring of corepressor complexes casts doubt on the view of a dynamic balance between readily exchangeable HAT and HDAC activities regulating transcription and implies that pathways need to be in place to actively remove HDAC complexes from hypoacetylated promoters to switch on silent genes.

Acetylation↗
PubMed2005

Phosphorylation of histone H4 serine 1 during DNA damage requires casein kinase II in S. cerevisiae.

Distinct patterns of posttranslational histone modifications can regulate DNA-templated events such as mitosis, transcription, replication, apoptosis, and DNA damage, suggesting the presence of a "histone code" in these nuclear processes. Phosphorylation of histone H2A S129 at sites of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) has been implicated in damage repair in yeast. Here, we describe another phosphorylation event on serine 1 (S1) of histone H4; this event is also associated with MMS- or phleomycin-induced DSBs but not with UV-induced DNA damage. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation (ChIP) studies of an HO-endonuclease-inducible strain show that S1 phosphorylation is specifically enhanced 20- to 25-fold in nucleosomes proximal to the DSB. In addition, we show that casein kinase II (CK2) can phosphorylate H4 S1 in vitro and that null or temperature-sensitive CK2 yeast mutants are defective for induction of H4 S1 phosphorylation upon DNA damage in vivo. Furthermore, H4 S1 phosphorylation and CK2 play a role in DSB re-joining as indicated by a nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) plasmid assay. CK2 has been implicated in regulating a DNA-damage response; our data suggest that histone H4 S1 is one of its physiological substrates. These data suggest that this modification is a part of the DNA-repair histone code.

Blotting, Western↗
PubMed2005

Maintenance of low histone ubiquitylation by Ubp10 correlates with telomere-proximal Sir2 association and gene silencing.

Low levels of histone covalent modifications are associated with gene silencing at telomeres and other regions in the yeast S. cerevisiae. Although the histone deacetylase Sir2 maintains low acetylation, mechanisms responsible for low H2B ubiquitylation and low H3 methylation are unknown. Here, we show that the ubiquitin protease Ubp10 targets H2B for deubiquitylation, helping to localize Sir2 to the telomere. Ubp10 exhibits reciprocal Sir2-dependent preferential localization proximal to telomeres, where Ubp10 serves to maintain low H2B Lys123 ubiquitylation in this region and, through previously characterized crosstalk, maintains low H3 Lys4 and Lys79 methylation in a slightly broader region. Ubp10 is also localized to the rDNA locus, a second silenced domain, where it similarly maintains low histone methylation. We compare Ubp10 to Ubp8, the SAGA-associated H2B deubiquitylase involved in gene activation, and show that telomeric and gene-silencing functions are specific to Ubp10. Our results suggest that these H2B-deubiquitylating enzymes have distinct genomic functions.

Acetylation↗
PubMed2005

Histone H3 phosphorylation can promote TBP recruitment through distinct promoter-specific mechanisms.

Histone phosphorylation influences transcription, chromosome condensation, DNA repair and apoptosis. Previously, we showed that histone H3 Ser10 phosphorylation (pSer10) by the yeast Snf1 kinase regulates INO1 gene activation in part via Gcn5/SAGA complex-mediated Lys14 acetylation (acLys14). How such chromatin modification patterns develop is largely unexplored. Here we examine the mechanisms surrounding pSer10 at INO1, and at GAL1, which herein is identified as a new regulatory target of Snf1/pSer10. Snf1 behaves as a classic coactivator in its recruitment by DNA-bound activators, and in its role in modifying histones and recruiting TATA-binding protein (TBP). However, one important difference in Snf1 function in vivo at these promoters is that SAGA recruitment at INO1 requires histone phosphorylation via Snf1, whereas at GAL1, SAGA recruitment is independent of histone phosphorylation. In addition, the GAL1 activator physically interacts with both Snf1 and SAGA, whereas the INO1 activator interacts only with Snf1. Thus, at INO1, pSer10's role in recruiting SAGA may substitute for recruitment by DNA-bound activator. Our results emphasize that histone modifications share general functions between promoters, but also acquire distinct roles tailored for promoter-specific requirements.

Biological Transport, Active↗
PubMed2005

H2B ubiquitin protease Ubp8 and Sgf11 constitute a discrete functional module within the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SAGA complex.

The SAGA complex is a multisubunit protein complex involved in transcriptional regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. SAGA combines proteins involved in interactions with DNA-bound activators and TATA-binding protein (TBP), as well as enzymes for histone acetylation (Gcn5) and histone deubiquitylation (Ubp8). We recently showed that H2B ubiquitylation and Ubp8-mediated deubiquitylation are both required for transcriptional activation. For this study, we investigated the interaction of Ubp8 with SAGA. Using mutagenesis, we identified a putative zinc (Zn) binding domain within Ubp8 as being critical for the association with SAGA. The Zn binding domain is required for H2B deubiquitylation and for growth on media requiring Ubp8's function in gene activation. Furthermore, we identified an 11-kDa subunit of SAGA, Sgf11, and showed that it is required for the Ubp8 association with SAGA and for H2B deubiquitylation. Different approaches indicated that the functions of Ubp8 and Sgf11 are related and separable from those of other components of SAGA. In particular, the profiles of Ubp8 and Sgf11 deletions were remarkably similar in microarray analyses and synthetic genetic interactions and were distinct from those of the Spt3 and Spt8 subunits of SAGA, which are involved in TBP regulation. These data indicate that Ubp8 and Sgf11 likely represent a new functional module within SAGA that is involved in gene regulation through H2B deubiquitylation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Temporal and spatial changes in transcription factor binding and histone modifications at the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (stAR) locus associated with stAR transcription.

We investigated the binding of transcription factors and histone modifications associated with expression of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) gene in cultured MA-10 Leydig cells and in granulosa cells isolated from mouse periovulatory follicles before and after in vivo human chorionic gonadotropin administration. Quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were employed to prove association of specific transcription factors (GATA-4, steroidogenic factor 1/adrenal-4 binding protein, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta, cAMP response element binding protein/cAMP response element modulator) and a coactivator (cAMP response element binding protein-binding protein) with the promoter, to define patterns of binding to test hypotheses regarding interactions among these factors, and to correlate changes in histone modification at the StAR locus with transcription. Although each of the transcription factors bound to the StAR proximal promoter, we observed cell-specific binding patterns for individual factors. From these findings we infer that associations among some of the factors can be more complex than can be explained by simple models of stable protein-protein interactions. Histone modifications were also found to exhibit cell-specific, temporal and spatial differences across the StAR locus. In MA-10 cells, these modifications included increased acetylation of histone H3, increased dimethylation of lysine 4 on histone H3 in exonic/intronic sequences (a modification that marks transcriptionally permissive chromatin), and reduced dimethylation of lysine 9 on histone H3 (a modification linked with gene silencing). In mouse granulosa cells, we observed no change in histone H3 or H4 acetylation, but a rapid loss of the dimethyl K9 histone H3 mark. Our findings demonstrate that increased StAR transcription can occur in the context of different patterns of transcription factor binding and histone modification.

8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate↗
PubMed2004

H2B ubiquitylation and de-ubiquitylation in gene activation.

Previous models for the role of histone modifications suggest that adding and removing modifications, such as acetylation/deacetylation in gene regulation, are functionally antagonistic. We have investigated a transcriptional role of H2B C-terminal ubiquitylation and de-ubiquitylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. H2B ubiquitylation is required for optimal transcription of SUC2 and GAL1 genes. The ubiquitin hydrolase Ubp8 is a stable component of SAGA but not ADA complexes, and is not required for overall integrity of SAGA. Biochemical and genetic evidence indicates that Ubp8 targets H2B for deubiquitylation. The dynamic balance of H2B ubiquitylation/deubiquitylation is important for GAL1 transcription since either substitution of the ubiquitylation site in H2B (Lys123), or loss of Ubp8, lowers GAL1 expression. Further, this balance of ubiquitylation appears to set the balance of histone H3 methylation at Lys4 relative to Lys36. Thus, unlike acetylation/deacetylation whose functions are mutually opposing, both ubiquitylation and de-ubiquitylation are required for gene activation. These results suggest that ubiquitylation of histones has a unique role among histone modifications, possibly to orchestrate an ordered pathway of chromatin alterations.

DNA Methylation↗