Nucleosome eviction in mitosis assists condensin loading and chromosome condensation.
Condensins associate with DNA and shape mitotic chromosomes. Condensins are enriched nearby highly expressed genes during mitosis, but how this binding is achieved and what features associated with transcription attract condensins remain unclear. Here, we report that condensin accumulates at or in the immediate vicinity of nucleosome-depleted regions during fission yeast mitosis. Two transcriptional coactivators, the Gcn5 histone acetyltransferase and the RSC chromatin-remodelling complex, bind to promoters adjoining condensin-binding sites and locally evict nucleosomes to facilitate condensin binding and allow efficient mitotic chromosome condensation. The function of Gcn5 is closely linked to condensin positioning, since neither the localization of topoisomerase II nor that of the cohesin loader Mis4 is altered in gcn5 mutant cells. We propose that nucleosomes act as a barrier for the initial binding of condensin and that nucleosome-depleted regions formed at highly expressed genes by transcriptional coactivators constitute access points into chromosomes where condensin binds free genomic DNA.
Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, Lyon, France.
Esther
E
Toselli-Mollereau
Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, Lyon, France.
Xavier
X
Robellet
Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, Lyon, France.
Lydia
L
Fauque
Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, Lyon, France.
Sébastien
S
Lemaire
Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany.
Christoph
C
Schiklenk
Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany.
Carlo
C
Klein
Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, Lyon, France.
Clémence
C
Hocquet
Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, Lyon, France.
Pénélope
P
Legros
Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, Lyon, France.
Lia
L
N'Guyen
Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, Lyon, France.
Léo
L
Mouillard
Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, Lyon, France.
Emilie
E
Chautard
Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, Lyon, France.
Didier
D
Auboeuf
Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany.
Christian H
CH
Haering
Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, Lyon, France pascal.bernard@ens-lyon.fr.
Pascal
0000-0003-2732-9685
P
Bernard
D000123:Acetyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000378:metabolism*; D001482:Base Composition; D015825:Chromosomes, Fungal / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008938:Mitosis; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes / Q000378:metabolism*; D009707:Nucleosomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000502:physiology*; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D000099224:p300-CBP-Associated Factor
D000123:Acetyltransferases; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes; D009707:Nucleosomes; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C108312:condensin complexes; C501322:Gcn5 protein, S pombe; D000099224:p300-CBP-Associated Factor
Gcn5; RSC; condensin; nucleosome remodelling