ASH1L methyltransferase deposits H3K4me3 and FACT for damage verification in nucleotide excision repair [ATAC-Seq]
To recognize DNA damage, nucleotide excision repair (NER) deploys a multipart mechanism by which the XPC sensor detects helical distortions followed by engagement of TFIIH for lesion verification. Accessory players ensure that this factor handover takes place on chromatin where DNA is wrapped around histones. We show that the histone methyltransferase ASH1L, once activated by MRG15, accelerates global-genome NER activity. Upon UV irradiation, ASH1L deposits H3K4me3 marks all over the genome (except in gene promoters), thus priming chromatin for relocations of XPC from native to damaged DNA. ASH1L further recruits the histone chaperone FACT to UV lesions. In the absence of ASH1L, MRG15 or FACT, XPC persists on damaged DNA without being able to deliver lesions to the TFIIH verifier. We conclude that ASH1L implements repair hotspots whose H3K4me3 and FACT occupancy confers an active promoter-like code and organization of histones that make DNA damage verifiable by the NER machinery. Overall design: Assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq) was performed in wild type and ASH1L knockout U2OS cells either untreated (not exposed to UV) or 3 hours after UV treatment.