The induction of H3K9 methylation by PIWIL4 at the p16Ink4a locus.
The field of epigenetics has made progress by the identification of the small RNA-mediated epigenetic modification. However, little is known about the key proteins. Here, we report that the human PIWI-like family is a candidate protein that is involved in the pathway responsible for chromatin remodeling. The PIWI-like family proteins, expressed as the Flag-fusion proteins, formed a bulky body and localized to the nuclear periphery. Transient transfection of PIWI-like 4 (PIWIL4), only member of the PIWI-like family that was ubiquitously expressed in human tissues, induced histone H3 lysine 9 methylation at the p16(Ink4a) (CDKN2A) locus. The elevated level of histone methylation resulted in the downregulation of the p16(Ink4a) gene. These results suggest PIWIL4 plays important roles in the chromatin-modifying pathway in human somatic cells.
Sugimoto
Keiki
K
Department of Respiratory Medicine, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Kage
Hidenori
H
Aki
Naomi
N
Sano
Atsushi
A
Kitagawa
Hiroshi
H
Nagase
Takahide
T
Yatomi
Yutaka
Y
Ohishi
Nobuya
N
Takai
Daiya
D
D060565:Argonaute Proteins; D002460:Cell Line; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008239:Lysine / Q000378:metabolism*; D008745:Methylation; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins
D060565:Argonaute Proteins; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16; D006657:Histones; C556795:PIWIL4 protein, human; D011506:Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D008239:Lysine