title: The histone variant macroH2A interferes with transcription factor binding and SWI/SNF nucleosome remodeling.
abstract: The unusual histone variant macroH2A (mH2A) has been associated with repression of transcription, but the molecular mechanisms by which it exerts this function are unknown. Here we have identified a mechanism by which the different domains of mH2A may be involved in the repression of transcription. Evidence is presented that the presence of mH2A in a positioned nucleosome interferes with the binding of the transcription factor NF-kappaB. The nonhistone region of mH2A was identified to be associated with this interference. Importantly, the presence of macroH2A was found to severely impede SWI/SNF nucleosome remodeling and movement to neighboring DNA segments. This property of mH2A was demonstrated to reside only in its H2A-like domain. A hypothesis explaining the role of histone variants in transcriptional regulation is proposed.
authors.affiliation: Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS-UMR 5665, 46 Allée d'Italie, France.
authors.forename: Dimitar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Angelov
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molla
authors.forename: Pierre-Yves
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Perche
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hans
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Côté
authors.forename: Saadi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khochbin
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bouvet
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dimitrov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D005809:Genes, Regulator / Q000235:genetics; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009707:Nucleosomes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary / Q000235:genetics; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D006657:Histones; D016328:NF-kappa B; D009707:Nucleosomes; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C445179:SWI-SNF-B chromatin-remodeling complex; D014157:Transcription Factors; C120756:macroH2A histone