title: Coupling of histone methylation and RNA processing by the nuclear mRNA cap-binding complex.
abstract: In eukaryotes, genes are transcribed into pre-mRNAs that are subsequently processed into mature mRNAs by adding a 5'-cap and a 3'-polyA tail and splicing introns. Pre-mRNA processing involves their binding proteins and processing factors, whereas gene transcription often involves chromatin modifiers. It has been unclear how the factors involved in chromatin modifications and RNA processing function in concert to control mRNA production. Here, we show that in Arabidopsis thaliana, the evolutionarily conserved nuclear mRNA cap-binding complex (CBC) forms multi-protein complexes with a conserved histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methyltransferase complex called COMPASS-like and a histone 3 lysine 36 (H3K36) methyltransferase to integrate active histone methylations with co-transcriptional mRNA processing and cap preservation, leading to a high level of mature mRNA production. We further show that CBC is required for H3K4 and H3K36 trimethylation, and the histone methyltransferases are required for CBC-mediated mRNA cap preservation and efficient pre-mRNA splicing at their target loci, suggesting that these factors are functionally interdependent. Our study reveals novel roles for histone methyltransferases in RNA-processing-related events and provides mechanistic insights into how the 'downstream' RNA CBC controls eukaryotic gene transcription.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China.|Department of Biological Sciences and Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore, 117543 Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Zicong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences and Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore, 117543 Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Danhua
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China.
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China.
authors.forename: Renyi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China.|Department of Biological Sciences and Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore, 117543 Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Yuehui
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3304-4555
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D056426:Genetic Loci; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism*; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D008745:Methylation; D039502:Nuclear Cap-Binding Protein Complex / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D012322:RNA Precursors / Q000378:metabolism; D012323:RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional; D012326:RNA Splicing / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D006657:Histones; D039502:Nuclear Cap-Binding Protein Complex; D012322:RNA Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger