The elongator complex interacts with PCNA and modulates transcriptional silencing and sensitivity to DNA damage agents

Li, Q., Fazly, A. M., Zhou, H., Huang, S., Zhang, Z., Stillman, B. (October 2009) The elongator complex interacts with PCNA and modulates transcriptional silencing and sensitivity to DNA damage agents. Plos Genetics, 5 (10). e1000684. ISSN 1553-7390

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URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19834596
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000684

Abstract

Histone chaperones CAF-1 and Asf1 function to deposit newly synthesized histones onto replicating DNA to promote nucleosome formation in a proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) dependent process. The DNA replication- or DNA repair-coupled nucleosome assembly pathways are important for maintenance of transcriptional gene silencing and genome stability. However, how these pathways are regulated is not well understood. Here we report an interaction between the Elongator histone acetyltransferase and the proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Cells lacking Elp3 (K-acetyltransferase Kat9), the catalytic subunit of the six-subunit Elongator complex, partially lose silencing of reporter genes at the chromosome VIIL telomere and at the HMR locus, and are sensitive to the DNA replication inhibitor hydroxyurea (HU) and the damaging agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS). Like deletion of the ELP3, mutation of each of the four other subunits of the Elongator complex as well as mutations in Elp3 that compromise the formation of the Elongator complex also result in loss of silencing and increased HU sensitivity. Moreover, Elp3 is required for S-phase progression in the presence of HU. Epistasis analysis indicates that the elp3Delta mutant, which itself is sensitive to MMS, exacerbates the MMS sensitivity of cells lacking histone chaperones Asf1, CAF-1 and the H3 lysine 56 acetyltransferase Rtt109. The elp3Delta mutant has allele specific genetic interactions with mutations in POL30 that encodes PCNA and PCNA binds to the Elongator complex both in vivo and in vitro. Together, these results uncover a novel role for the intact Elongator complex in transcriptional silencing and maintenance of genome stability, and it does so in a pathway linked to the DNA replication and DNA repair protein PCNA.

Item Type: Paper
Additional Information:
Subjects: bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > DNA replication
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > genes, structure and function > gene silencing
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Stillman lab
Highlight: Stillman, Bruce W.
Depositing User: CSHL Librarian
Date: 16 October 2009
Date Deposited: 06 Mar 2012 14:51
Last Modified: 20 Jun 2017 16:37
PMCID: PMC2757915
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/25001

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