Project description:In this study, we demonstrate that the UBN1 or UBN2 subunit is mainly responsible for specific recognition and direct binding of H3.3 by the HIRA complex, while the HIRA subunit can enhance the binding affinity of UBN1 toward H3.3, but Cabin1 subunit cannot. We also demonstrate that both Ala87 and Gly90 residues of H3.3 are required and sufficient for the specific recognition and binding by UBN1. ChIP-seq studies reveal that two independent HIRA complexes (UBN1-HIRA and UBN2-HIRA) can cooperatively deposit H3.3 to cis-regulatory regions, including active promoters and active enhancers in mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells. Importantly, disruption of histone chaperone activities of UBN1 and UBN2 by FID/AAA mutation results in the defect of H3.3 deposition at promoters of developmental genes involved in neural differentiation, and subsequently causes the failure of activation of these genes during neural differentiation of mES cells. Together, our results provide novel insights into the mechanism by which the HIRA complex specifically recognizes and deposits H3.3 at promoters and enhancers of developmental genes, which plays a critical role in neural differentiation of mES cells
Project description:Aberrations in genes coding for subunits of the BAF chromatin remodeling complex are highly abundant in human cancers. Currently, it is not understood how these loss-of-function mutations contribute to cancer development and how they can be targeted therapeutically. The cancer type specific occurrence patterns of certain subunit mutations suggest subunit-specific effects on BAF complex function, possibly by the formation of aberrant residual complexes. Here, we systematically characterize the effects of individual subunit loss on complex composition, chromatin accessibility and gene expression in a panel of knock-out cell lines deficient for 22 targetable BAF subunits. We observe strong, specific and often discordant alterations dependent on the targeted subunit and show that these explain intra-complex co-dependencies, including the novel synthetic lethal interactions SMARCA4-ARID2, SMARCA4-ACTB and SMARCC1-SMARCC2. These data provide insights into the role of different BAF subcomplexes in genome-wide chromatin organization and suggest novel approaches to therapeutically target BAF mutant cancers.
Project description:Aberrations in genes coding for subunits of the BAF chromatin remodeling complex are highly abundant in human cancers. Currently, it is not understood how these loss-of-function mutations contribute to cancer development and how they can be targeted therapeutically. The cancer type specific occurrence patterns of certain subunit mutations suggest subunit-specific effects on BAF complex function, possibly by the formation of aberrant residual complexes. Here, we systematically characterize the effects of individual subunit loss on complex composition, chromatin accessibility and gene expression in a panel of knock-out cell lines deficient for 22 targetable BAF subunits. We observe strong, specific and often discordant alterations dependent on the targeted subunit and show that these explain intra-complex co-dependencies, including the novel synthetic lethal interactions SMARCA4-ARID2, SMARCA4-ACTB and SMARCC1-SMARCC2. These data provide insights into the role of different BAF subcomplexes in genome-wide chromatin organization and suggest novel approaches to therapeutically target BAF mutant cancers.
Project description:mSWI/SNF or BAF chromatin regulatory complexes are dosage-sensitive regulators of human neural development frequently mutated in autism and intellectual disability. Cell cycle exit and differentiation of neural stem/progenitor cells is accompanied by BAF subunit switching to generate neuron-specific nBAF complexes. We manipulated the timing of BAF subunit exchange in vivo and found that early loss of the npBAF subunit BAF53a stalls cell cycle exit to disrupt neurogenesis. Loss of BAF53a results in decreased chromatin accessibility at specific neural transcription factor binding sites, including the pioneer factors Sox2 and Ascl1, due to Polycomb accumulation. This results in repression of cell cycle genes, thereby blocking cell cycle progression and differentiation. Cell cycle block upon Baf53a deletion could be rescued by premature expression of the nBAF subunit BAF53b but not by other major drivers of proliferation or differentiation. Wnt, EGF, FGF, Sox2, myc or Pax6 all fail to maintain proliferation in the absence of BAF53a, highlighting a novel mechanism underlying neural progenitor cell cycle exit in the continued presence of extrinsic proliferative cues.