The establishment of gene silencing at single-cell resolution.
The establishment of silencing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is similar to heterochromatin formation in multicellular eukaryotes. Previous batch culture studies determined that the de novo establishment of silencing initiates during S phase and continues for up to five cell divisions for completion. To track silencing phenotypically, we developed an assay that introduces Sir3 protein into individual sir3Delta mutant cells synchronously and then detects the onset of silencing with single-cell resolution. Silencing was completed within the first one to two cell divisions in most cells queried. Moreover, we uncovered unexpected complexity in the contributions of a histone acetyltransferase (Sas2), two histone methytransferases (Dot1 and Set1) and one histone demethylase (Jhd2) to the dynamics of silencing. Our findings showed that removal of methyl modifications at H3K4 and H3K79 were important steps in silent chromatin formation and that Jhd2 and Set1 had competing roles in the process.
Osborne
Erin A
EA
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Dudoit
Sandrine
S
Rine
Jasper
J
D000123:Acetyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D042002:Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D020868:Gene Silencing; D051548:Histone Acetyltransferases; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008745:Methylation; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D038281:Silent Information Regulator Proteins, Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D006657:Histones; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C084122:SIR3 protein, S cerevisiae; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D038281:Silent Information Regulator Proteins, Saccharomyces cerevisiae; D014157:Transcription Factors; C416235:Dot1 protein, S cerevisiae; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase; C411250:SET1 protein, S cerevisiae; D000123:Acetyltransferases; D051548:Histone Acetyltransferases; C469266:Sas2 protein, S cerevisiae