title: Role for cohesin in the formation of a heterochromatic domain at fission yeast subtelomeres.
abstract: Increasing evidence implicates cohesin in the control of gene expression. Here we report the first analysis of cohesin-dependent gene regulation in fission yeast. Global expression profiling of the mis4-367 cohesin loader mutant identified a small number of upregulated and downregulated genes within subtelomeric domains (SD). These 20- to 40-kb regions between chromosome arm euchromatin and telomere-proximal heterochromatin are characterized by a combination of euchromatin (methylated lysine 4 on histone H3/methylated Tysine 9 on histone H3 [H3K4me]) and heterochromatin (H3K9me) marks. We focused our analysis on the chromosome 1 right SD, which contains several upregulated genes and is bordered on the telomere-distal side by a pair of downregulated genes. We find that the expression changes in the SD also occur in a mutant of the cohesin core component Rad21. Remarkably, mutation of Rad21 results in the depletion of Swi6 binding in the SD. In fact, the Rad21 mutation phenocopied Swi6 loss of function: both mutations led to reduced cohesin binding, reduced H3K9me, and similar gene expression changes in the SD. In particular, expression of the gene pair bordering the SD was dependent both on cohesin and on Swi6. Our data indicate that cohesin participates in the setup of a subtelomeric heterochromatin domain and controls the expression of the genes residing in that domain.
authors.affiliation: IBGC-CNRS UMR5095, Université Bordeaux 2, 1, rue Camille Saint-Saens, 33077 Bordeaux cedex, France.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dheur
authors.forename: Sven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Saupe
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Genier
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vazquez
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Javerzat
mesh_terms: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002503:Centromere / Q000378:metabolism; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015536:Down-Regulation; D022041:Euchromatin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D020868:Gene Silencing; D006570:Heterochromatin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008239:Lysine / Q000378:metabolism; D008745:Methylation; D009154:Mutation; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015854:Up-Regulation; D000097722:Cohesins
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D022041:Euchromatin; D006570:Heterochromatin; D008239:Lysine; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D000097722:Cohesins; C092957:Rad21 protein, S pombe; C465958:Swi6 protein, S pombe