WRAD: enabler of the SET1-family of H3K4 methyltransferases.
Methylation of histone H3 at lysine 4 (H3K4) is a conserved feature of active chromatin catalyzed by methyltransferases of the SET1-family (SET1A, SET1B, MLL1, MLL2, MLL3 and MLL4 in humans). These enzymes participate in diverse gene regulatory networks with a multitude of known biological functions, including direct involvement in several human disease states. Unlike most lysine methyltransferases, SET1-family enzymes are only fully active in the context of a multi-subunit complex, which includes a protein module comprised of WDR5, RbBP5, ASH2L and DPY-30 (WRAD). These proteins bind in close proximity to the catalytic SET domain of SET1-family enzymes and stimulate H3K4 methyltransferase activity. The mechanism by which WRAD promotes catalysis involves elements of allosteric control and possibly the utilization of a second H3K4 methyltransferase active site present within WRAD itself. WRAD components also engage in physical interactions that recruit SET1-family proteins to target sites on chromatin. Here, the known molecular mechanisms through which WRAD enables the function of SET1-related enzymes will be reviewed.
Department of Genetics, Dartmouth Medical School, USA.
Patricia
P
Ernst
Christopher R
CR
Vakoc
D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008239:Lysine / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008745:Methylation; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase; D008239:Lysine