Two Saccharomyces cerevisiae JmjC domain proteins demethylate histone H3 Lys36 in transcribed regions to promote elongation.
Histone methylation is a reversible modification regulated by the antagonistic functions of residue-specific histone methyltransferases and demethylases. Although methylation of histone H3 at lysines 4 and 36 is linked to transcription, the roles of histone demethylases in transcription regulation are not understood. Here we show that overexpression of either Jhd1 or Rph1, two JmjC-domain proteins, bypasses the requirement for the positive elongation factor gene BUR1. Biochemical analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments indicate that Rph1 functions as a specific demethylase for H3 K36me3 and K36me2, directly regulating Lys(36) methylation in transcribed regions. Both Jhd1 and Rph1 are required for normal levels of RNA polymerase II cross-linking to genes. Taken together, these findings indicate that a general function of histone demethylases for H3 Lys(36) is to promote transcription elongation by antagonizing repressive Lys(36) methylation by Set2.
Kim
Taesoo
T
Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Buratowski
Stephen
S
D002384:Catalysis; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D047369:Chromatin Immunoprecipitation; D019175:DNA Methylation; D056466:Histone Demethylases; D006657:Histones / Q000737:chemistry*; D056484:Jumonji Domain-Containing Histone Demethylases; D008239:Lysine / Q000737:chemistry*; D008745:Methylation; D010089:Oxidoreductases, N-Demethylating / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000378:metabolism; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000378:metabolism*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones; C400296:RPH1 protein, S cerevisiae; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D056466:Histone Demethylases; C521733:Jhd1 protein, S cerevisiae; D056484:Jumonji Domain-Containing Histone Demethylases; D010089:Oxidoreductases, N-Demethylating; D012319:RNA Polymerase II; D008239:Lysine