Project description:The histone variant H2A.Z plays key roles in gene expression, DNA repair, and centromere function. H2A.Z deposition is controlled by SWR-C chromatin remodeling enzymes that catalyze the nucleosomal exchange of canonical H2A with H2A.Z. Here we report that acetylation of histone H3 lysine 56 (H3-K56Ac) alters the substrate specificity of SWR-C, leading to promiscuous dimer exchange where either H2A.Z or H2A can be exchanged from nucleosomes. This result is confirmed in vivo, where genome-wide analysis demonstrates widespread decreases in H2A.Z levels in yeast mutants with hyperacetylated H3K56. Our work also suggests that a conserved SWR-C subunit may function as a M-bM-^@M-^\lockM-bM-^@M-^] that prevents removal of H2A.Z from nucleosomes. Our study identifies a histone modification that regulates a chromatin remodeling reaction and provides insights into how histone variants and nucleosome turnover can be controlled by chromatin regulators. H2A.Z ChIP seq experiments in mutants with constitutive H3K56ac
Project description:We propose a novel in situ Hi-C method named Bridge-Linker-Hi-C (BL-Hi-C) for structural and regulatory chromatin interactions capture by restriction enzyme targeting and two-step proximity ligation. It improves the sensitivity and specificity for active chromatin loop detection and can reveal a better enhancer-promoter regulatory architecture than conventional method at a lower sequencing depth and with a simpler protocol.
Project description:This dataset corresponds to a manuscript in submission. We report a quantitative method for describing kinase substrate specificity using an unbiased peptide library based approach with direct measurement of phosphorylation by tandem LC-MS/MS peptide sequencing. A key is provided describing the enzyme and type of assay that corresponds to each file.
Project description:One key concept in the evolution of new functions is the ability of enzymes to perform promiscuous side-reactions that serve as a source of novelty that may become beneficial under certain conditions. Here, we identify a mechanism where a bacteriophage-encoded enzyme introduces novelty by inducing expression of a promiscuous bacterial enzyme. By screening for bacteriophage DNA that rescued an auxotrophic E. coli mutant carrying a deletion of the ilvA gene, we show that bacteriophage-encoded S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) hydrolases reduce SAM levels. Via this perturbation of bacterial metabolism, expression of the promiscuous bacterial enzyme MetB is increased, which in turn complements the absence of IlvA. These results demonstrate how foreign DNA can increase the metabolic capacity of bacteria, not only by transfer of bona fide new genes, but also by bringing cryptic bacterial functions to light via perturbations of cellular physiology.
Project description:The histone variant H2A.Z plays key roles in gene expression, DNA repair, and centromere function. H2A.Z deposition is controlled by SWR-C chromatin remodeling enzymes that catalyze the nucleosomal exchange of canonical H2A with H2A.Z. Here we report that acetylation of histone H3 lysine 56 (H3-K56Ac) alters the substrate specificity of SWR-C, leading to promiscuous dimer exchange where either H2A.Z or H2A can be exchanged from nucleosomes. This result is confirmed in vivo, where genome-wide analysis demonstrates widespread decreases in H2A.Z levels in yeast mutants with hyperacetylated H3K56. Our work also suggests that a conserved SWR-C subunit may function as a “lock” that prevents removal of H2A.Z from nucleosomes. Our study identifies a histone modification that regulates a chromatin remodeling reaction and provides insights into how histone variants and nucleosome turnover can be controlled by chromatin regulators.
Project description:Engineered ascorbate peroxidase APEX2 has seen widely used for spatially restricted profiling of subcellular biomolecules, but its catalytic efficiency toward newly developed probes such as biotin-aniline (Btn-An) remains suboptimal. To overcome this limitation, we performed yeast surface display based directed evolution to enhance APEX2 activity toward Btn-An. The resulting variant, L242FAPEX2, exhibits an approximately two-fold improvement in labeling efficiency, likely through enhanced enzyme-substrate interactions. This increased activity enables rapid and efficient proximity labeling while maintaining spatial specificity. After validating its performance at the ER membrane, we applied L242FAPEX2 to profile the transcriptome proximal to the midbody and identified ANLN as a previously unreported midbody-localized mRNA during telophase. Drug perturbation and reporter assays further revealed that ANLN mRNA targeting to the midbody occurs co-translationally and depends on its nascent N-terminal peptide. Together, this work establishes L242FAPEX2 as an improved and versatile tool for spatially resolved transcriptomics in complex subcellular contexts.
Project description:Ribonuclease (RNase) MRP is a conserved RNA-based enzyme that is essential for maturation of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) in eukaryotes. However, the composition and RNA substrate specificity of this multisubunit ribonucleoprotein complex in higher eukaryotes remain a mystery. Here, we identify NEPRO and C18ORF21 as constitutive subunits of metazoan RNase MRP. Both proteins are specific to RNase MRP and are the only ones distinguishing this enzyme from the closely related RNase P, which selectively cleaves transfer RNA-like substrates. We find that NEPRO and C18ORF21 each form a complex with all other subunits of RNase MRP, stabilize its catalytic RNA, and are required for rRNA maturation and cell proliferation. We harness our discovery to identify a full suite of in vivo RNA targets of each enzyme, including positions of potential cleavage sites at nucleotide resolution. These findings resolve the general composition of metazoan RNase MRP, illuminate its RNA binding specificity, and provide valuable assets for functional exploration of this essential eukaryotic enzyme.
Project description:Selective protein degradation typically involves substrate recognition via short linear motifs known as degrons. Various degrons can be found at protein termini from bacteria to mammals. While N-degrons have been extensively studied, our understanding of C-degrons is still limited. Towards a comprehensive understanding of eukaryotic C-degron pathways, we performed an unbiased survey of C-degrons in budding yeast. We identified over 5000 potential C-degrons by stability profiling of random peptide libraries and of the yeast C-terminome. Combining machine learning, high-throughput mutagenesis and genetic screens revealed that the SCF ubiquitin ligase targets ~40% of degrons using a single F-box substrate receptor Das1. Although sequence-specific, Das1 is highly promiscuous, recognizing a variety of C-degron motifs. By screening for full-length substrates, we implicate SCFDas1 in degradation of orphan protein complex subunits. Altogether, this work highlights the variety of C-degron pathways in eukaryotes and uncovers how an SCF/C-degron pathway of broad specificity contributes to proteostasis.