Heme promotes transcriptional and demethylase activities of Gis1, a member of the histone demethylase JMJD2/KDM4 family.

ABSTRACT: The yeast Gis1 protein is a transcriptional regulator belonging to the JMJD2/KDM4 subfamily of demethylases that contain a JmjC domain, which are highly conserved from yeast to humans. They have important functions in histone methylation, cellular signaling and tumorigenesis. Besides serving as a cofactor in many proteins, heme is known to directly regulate the activities of proteins ranging from transcriptional regulators to potassium channels. Here, we report a novel mechanism governing heme regulation of Gis1 transcriptional and histone demethylase activities. We found that two Gis1 modules, the JmjN + JmjC domain and the zinc finger (ZnF), can bind to heme specifically in vitro. In vivo functional analysis showed that the ZnF, not the JmjN + JmjC domain, promotes heme activation of tra

SUBMITTER: Lal S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5758875 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature