title: Selective recognition of acetylated histones by bromodomains in transcriptional co-activators.
abstract: Bromodomains are present in many chromatin-associated proteins such as the SWI/SNF and RSC chromatin remodelling and the SAGA HAT (histone acetyltransferase) complexes, and can bind to acetylated lysine residues in the N-terminal tails of the histones. Lysine acetylation is a histone modification that forms a stable epigenetic mark on chromatin for bromodomain-containing proteins to dock and in turn regulate gene expression. In order to better understand how bromodomains read the 'histone code' and interact with acetylated histones, we have tested the interactions of several bromodomains within transcriptional co-activators with differentially acetylated histone tail peptides and HAT-acetylated histones. Using GST (glutathione S-transferase) pull-down assays, we show specificity of binding of some bromodomains to differentially acetylated H3 and H4 peptides as well as HAT-acetylated histones. Our results reveal that the Swi2/Snf2 bromodomain interacts with various acetylated H3 and H4 peptides, whereas the Gcn5 bromodomain interacts only with acetylated H3 peptides and tetra-acetylated H4 peptides. Additionally we show that the Spt7 bromodomain interacts with acetylated H3 peptides weakly, but not with acetylated H4 peptides. Some bromodomains such as the Bdf1-2 do not interact with most of the acetylated peptides tested. Results of the peptide experiments are confirmed with tests of interactions between these bromodomains and HAT-acetylated histones. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the Swi2/Snf2 bromodomain is important for the binding and the remodelling activity of the SWI/SNF complex on hyperacetylated nucleosomes. The selective recognition of the bromodomains observed in the present study accounts for the broad effects of bromodomain-containing proteins observed on binding to histones.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University, P.O. Box 17666, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates. ahmedh@uaeu.ac.ae
authors.forename: Ahmed H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: Salma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Awad
authors.forename: Zeina
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Al-Natour
authors.forename: Samah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Othman
authors.forename: Farah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mustafa
authors.forename: Tahir A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Rizvi
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017385:Sequence Homology; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D006657:Histones; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C445179:SWI-SNF-B chromatin-remodeling complex; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; C499333:SNF2 protein, S cerevisiae