Project description:The classic view of nucleosome organization at active promoters is that two well-positioned nucleosomes flank a nucleosome-depleted region (NDR). However, this view has been recently challenged by contradictory reports as to whether a distinct set of wider (≳150 bp) NDRs instead contain unusually unstable Micrococcal Nuclease-sensitive “fragile” particles, thought to be nucleosomal because of their size. To determine the composition of fragile particles we introduce CUT&RUN.ChIP, in which targeted nuclease cleavage and release is followed by chromatin immunoprecipitation. We find that fragile particles represent the occupancy and action of the RSC nucleosome remodeler acting on dynamically unwrapped nucleosomal intermediates. We also find that general regulatory factors (GRFs) bind to partially unwrapped nucleosomal intermediates at NDRs. We propose that RSC-engagement and its action cause nucleosomes to unravel, and subsequent binding of GRFs constitute a dynamic cycle of nucleosome deposition and clearance at the subset of wide Pol II promoter NDRs.
Project description:ISWI-family chromatin remodelers organize nucleosome arrays, while SWI/SNF-family remodelers (RSC) disorganize and eject nucleosomes, implying an antagonism that is largely unexplored in vivo. Here, we describe two independent genetic screens for rsc suppressors that yielded mutations in the promoter-focused ISW1a complex, or mutations in the ‘basic patch’ of histone H4 (an epitope that regulates ISWI activity), strongly supporting RSC-ISW1a antagonism in vivo. RSC and ISW1a largely co-localize, and genomic nucleosome studies using rsc isw1 mutant combinations revealed opposing functions: promoters classified with a nucleosome-deficient region (NDR) gain nucleosome occupancy in rsc mutants, but this gain is attenuated in rsc isw1 double mutants. Furthermore, promoters lacking NDRs have the highest occupancy of both remodelers, consistent with regulation by nucleosome occupancy, and decreased transcription in rsc mutants. Taken together, we provide the first genetic and genomic evidence for RSC-ISW1a antagonism, and reveal different mechanisms at two different promoter architectures. Genome-wide nucleosome occupancy maps in RSC and rsc null strains were generated by paired-end sequencing of mononucleosomal DNA. Strains carrying the Sth1 degron allele and either pGal-UBR1 (YBC3386) or ubr1 null (YBC3387) represent RSC null and RSC wildtype, respectively.
Project description:ISWI-family chromatin remodelers organize nucleosome arrays, while SWI/SNF-family remodelers (RSC) disorganize and eject nucleosomes, implying an antagonism that is largely unexplored in vivo. Here, we describe two independent genetic screens for rsc suppressors that yielded mutations in the promoter-focused ISW1a complex, or mutations in the ‘basic patch’ of histone H4 (an epitope that regulates ISWI activity), strongly supporting RSC-ISW1a antagonism in vivo. RSC and ISW1a largely co-localize, and genomic nucleosome studies using rsc isw1 mutant combinations revealed opposing functions: promoters classified with a nucleosome-deficient region (NDR) gain nucleosome occupancy in rsc mutants, but this gain is attenuated in rsc isw1 double mutants. Furthermore, promoters lacking NDRs have the highest occupancy of both remodelers, consistent with regulation by nucleosome occupancy, and decreased transcription in rsc mutants. Taken together, we provide the first genetic and genomic evidence for RSC-ISW1a antagonism, and reveal different mechanisms at two different promoter architectures.
Project description:Micrococcal nuclease (MNase) is commonly used to map nucleosomes genome-wide, but nucleosome maps are affected by the degree of digestion. It has been proposed that many yeast promoters are not nucleosome-free but occupied by easily digested, unstable, “fragile” nucleosomes. We analyzed the histone content of all MNase-sensitive complexes by MNase-ChIP-seq and Sonication-ChIP-seq. We find that yeast promoters are predominantly bound by non-histone protein complexes, with little evidence for fragile nucleosomes. We do detect MNase-sensitive nucleosomes elsewhere in the genome, including transcription termination sites. However, they have high A/T-content, suggesting that MNase sensitivity does not indicate instability, but the preference of MNase for A/T-rich DNA, such that A/T-rich nucleosomes are digested faster than G/C-rich nucleosomes. We confirm our observations by analyzing ChIP-exo, chemical mapping and ATAC-seq data from other laboratories. Thus, histone ChIP-seq experiments are essential to distinguish nucleosomes from other DNA-binding proteins that protect against MNase.
Project description:RSC (Remodels the Structure of Chromatin) is a conserved ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complex that regulates many biological processes, including transcription by RNA polymerase II (Pol II). We report that not only RSC binds to nucleosomes in coding sequences (CDSs) but also remodels them to promote transcription. RSC MNase ChIP-seq data revealed that RSC-protected fragments were very heterogenous (~80 bp to 180 bp) compared to the sharper profile displayed by the MNase inputs (140 bp to 160 bp), supporting the idea that RSC activity promotes accessibility of nucleosomal DNA. Importantly, RSC binding to +1 nucleosomes and CDSs, but not with -1 nucleosomes, strongly correlated with Pol II occupancies suggesting that the RSC enrichment in CDSs is important for efficient transcription. This is further supported by a similar heterogenous distribution of Pol II-protected fragments. As such, the genes harboring high-levels of RSC in their CDSs were the most strongly affected by ablating RSC function. Altogether, this study provides a mechanism by which RSC-mediated remodeling aids in RNA Pol II traversal though coding sequence nucleosomes in vivo.
Project description:Eukaryotic DNA is packaged into nucleosome arrays, which are repositioned by chromatin remodeling complexes to control DNA accessibility. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae RSC (Remodeling the Structure of Chromatin) complex, a member of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeler family, plays critical roles in genome maintenance, transcription, and DNA repair. Here, we report cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and crosslinking mass spectrometry (CLMS) studies of yeast RSC complex and show that RSC is composed of a rigid tripartite core and two flexible lobes. The core structure is scaffolded by an asymmetric Rsc8 dimer and built with the evolutionarily conserved subunits Sfh1, Rsc6, Rsc9 and Sth1. The flexible ATPase lobe, composed of helicase subunit Sth1, Arp7, Arp9 and Rtt102, is anchored to this core by the N-terminus of Sth1. Our cryo-EM analysis of RSC bound to a nucleosome core particle shows that in addition to the expected nucleosome-Sth1 interactions, RSC engages histones and nucleosomal DNA through one arm of the core structure, composed of the Rsc8 SWIRM domains, Sfh1 and Npl6. Our findings provide structural insights into the conserved assembly process for all members of the SWI/SNF family of remodelers, and illustrate how RSC selects, engages, and remodels nucleosomes.
Project description:ISWI-family chromatin remodelers organize nucleosome arrays, while SWI/SNF-family remodelers (RSC) disorganize and eject nucleosomes, implying an antagonism that is largely unexplored in vivo. Here, we describe two independent genetic screens for rsc suppressors that yielded mutations in the promoter-focused ISW1a complex, or mutations in the ‘basic patch’ of histone H4 (an epitope that regulates ISWI activity), strongly supporting RSC-ISW1a antagonism in vivo. RSC and ISW1a largely co-localize, and genomic nucleosome studies using rsc isw1 mutant combinations revealed opposing functions: promoters classified with a nucleosome-deficient region (NDR) gain nucleosome occupancy in rsc mutants, but this gain is attenuated in rsc isw1 double mutants. Furthermore, promoters lacking NDRs have the highest occupancy of both remodelers, consistent with regulation by nucleosome occupancy, and decreased transcription in rsc mutants. Taken together, we provide the first genetic and genomic evidence for RSC-ISW1a antagonism, and reveal different mechanisms at two different promoter architectures. Genome-wide nucleosome occupancy maps in wild-type, mutant RSC, and mutant ISW1 strains were generated by hybridization of mononucleosomal DNA to microarrays. Strains carrying Sth1 degron and either pGal-UBR1 (YBC2191) or ubr1 null (YBC2192) represent RSC null and RSC wildtype, respectively. Strains carrying Sth1 degron isw1 null and either pGal-UBR1 (YBC2467) or ubr1 null (YBC2468) represent RSC null isw1 null and RSC wildtype isw1 null, respectively. Mononucleosomes were isolated from three independent biological replicates from each genotype. Please note that each sample consists of three replicates (i.e. three raw data files) and the sample data table contains combined quantile normalized data of the replicates.
Project description:ISWI-family chromatin remodelers organize nucleosome arrays, while SWI/SNF-family remodelers (RSC) disorganize and eject nucleosomes, implying an antagonism that is largely unexplored in vivo. Here, we describe two independent genetic screens for rsc suppressors that yielded mutations in the promoter-focused ISW1a complex, or mutations in the ‘basic patch’ of histone H4 (an epitope that regulates ISWI activity), strongly supporting RSC-ISW1a antagonism in vivo. RSC and ISW1a largely co-localize, and genomic nucleosome studies using rsc isw1 mutant combinations revealed opposing functions: promoters classified with a nucleosome-deficient region (NDR) gain nucleosome occupancy in rsc mutants, but this gain is attenuated in rsc isw1 double mutants. Furthermore, promoters lacking NDRs have the highest occupancy of both remodelers, consistent with regulation by nucleosome occupancy, and decreased transcription in rsc mutants. Taken together, we provide the first genetic and genomic evidence for RSC-ISW1a antagonism, and reveal different mechanisms at two different promoter architectures.
Project description:ISWI-family chromatin remodelers organize nucleosome arrays, while SWI/SNF-family remodelers (RSC) disorganize and eject nucleosomes, implying an antagonism that is largely unexplored in vivo. Here, we describe two independent genetic screens for rsc suppressors that yielded mutations in the promoter-focused ISW1a complex, or mutations in the ‘basic patch’ of histone H4 (an epitope that regulates ISWI activity), strongly supporting RSC-ISW1a antagonism in vivo. RSC and ISW1a largely co-localize, and genomic nucleosome studies using rsc isw1 mutant combinations revealed opposing functions: promoters classified with a nucleosome-deficient region (NDR) gain nucleosome occupancy in rsc mutants, but this gain is attenuated in rsc isw1 double mutants. Furthermore, promoters lacking NDRs have the highest occupancy of both remodelers, consistent with regulation by nucleosome occupancy, and decreased transcription in rsc mutants. Taken together, we provide the first genetic and genomic evidence for RSC-ISW1a antagonism, and reveal different mechanisms at two different promoter architectures.