Asf1-like structure of the conserved Yaf9 YEATS domain and role in H2A.Z deposition and acetylation.
Chromatin can be modified by posttranslational modifications of histones, ATP-dependent remodeling, and incorporation of histone variants. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein Yaf9 is a subunit of both the essential histone acetyltransferase complex NuA4 and the ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complex SWR1-C, which deposits histone variant H2A.Z into euchromatin. Yaf9 contains a YEATS domain, found in proteins associated with multiple chromatin-modifying enzymes and transcription complexes across eukaryotes. Here, we established the conservation of YEATS domain function from yeast to human, and determined the structure of this region from Yaf9 by x-ray crystallography to 2.3 A resolution. The Yaf9 YEATS domain consisted of a beta-sandwich characteristic of the Ig fold and contained three distinct conserved structural features. The structure of the Yaf9 YEATS domain was highly similar to that of the histone chaperone Asf1, a similarity that extended to an ability of Yaf9 to bind histones H3 and H4 in vitro. Using structure-function analysis, we found that the YEATS domain was required for Yaf9 function, histone variant H2A.Z chromatin deposition at specific promoters, and H2A.Z acetylation.
Wang
Alice Y
AY
Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, and Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4H4.
Schulze
Julia M
JM
Skordalakes
Emmanuel
E
Gin
Jennifer W
JW
Berger
James M
JM
Rine
Jasper
J
Kobor
Michael S
MS
D000107:Acetylation; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D051548:Histone Acetyltransferases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011487:Protein Conformation; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
C109731:ASF1 protein, S cerevisiae; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D006657:Histones; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C477280:YAF9 protein, S cerevisiae; C077020:histone H2A.F-Z; D051548:Histone Acetyltransferases