The RFTS domain of Raf2 is required for Cul4 interaction and heterochromatin integrity in fission yeast.

Centromeric heterochromatin assembly in fission yeast is critical for faithful chromosome segregation at mitosis. Its assembly requires a concerted pathway of events whereby the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway guides H3K9 methylation to target sequences. H3K9 methylation, a hallmark of heterochromat...

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Main Authors: Sharon A White, Alessia Buscaino, Luis Sanchez-Pulido, Chris P Ponting, Matthew W Nowicki, Robin C Allshire
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2014-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0104161
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author Sharon A White
Alessia Buscaino
Luis Sanchez-Pulido
Chris P Ponting
Matthew W Nowicki
Robin C Allshire
author_facet Sharon A White
Alessia Buscaino
Luis Sanchez-Pulido
Chris P Ponting
Matthew W Nowicki
Robin C Allshire
author_sort Sharon A White
collection DOAJ
description Centromeric heterochromatin assembly in fission yeast is critical for faithful chromosome segregation at mitosis. Its assembly requires a concerted pathway of events whereby the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway guides H3K9 methylation to target sequences. H3K9 methylation, a hallmark of heterochromatin structure, is mediated by the single histone methyltransferase Clr4 (equivalent to metazoan Suv3-9), a component of the CLRC complex. Loss of or defects in CLRC components disrupts heterochromatin formation due to loss of H3K9 methylation, thus an intact, fully functional CLRC complex is required for heterochromatin integrity. Despite its importance, little is known about the contribution of the CLRC component Raf2 to H3K9 methylation and heterochromatin assembly. We demonstrate that Raf2 is concentrated at centromeres and contrary to other analyses, we find that loss of Raf2 does not affect CENP-ACnp1 localisation or recruitment to centromeres. Our sequence alignments show that Raf2 contains a Replication Foci Targeting Sequence (RFTS) domain homologous to the RFTS domain of the human DNA methyltransferase DNMT1. We show that the Raf2 RFTS domain is required for centromeric heterochromatin formation as its mutation disrupts H3K9 methylation but not the processing of centromeric transcripts into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) by the RNAi pathway. Analysis of biochemical interactions demonstrates that the RFTS domain mediates an interaction between Raf2 and the CLRC component Cul4. We conclude that the RFTS domain of Raf2 is a protein interaction module that plays an important role in heterochromatin formation at centromeres.
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spelling doaj-art-fe99f6edba5e4be2b25ea62ae3b8bbd82025-08-20T02:22:45ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032014-01-0198e10416110.1371/journal.pone.0104161The RFTS domain of Raf2 is required for Cul4 interaction and heterochromatin integrity in fission yeast.Sharon A WhiteAlessia BuscainoLuis Sanchez-PulidoChris P PontingMatthew W NowickiRobin C AllshireCentromeric heterochromatin assembly in fission yeast is critical for faithful chromosome segregation at mitosis. Its assembly requires a concerted pathway of events whereby the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway guides H3K9 methylation to target sequences. H3K9 methylation, a hallmark of heterochromatin structure, is mediated by the single histone methyltransferase Clr4 (equivalent to metazoan Suv3-9), a component of the CLRC complex. Loss of or defects in CLRC components disrupts heterochromatin formation due to loss of H3K9 methylation, thus an intact, fully functional CLRC complex is required for heterochromatin integrity. Despite its importance, little is known about the contribution of the CLRC component Raf2 to H3K9 methylation and heterochromatin assembly. We demonstrate that Raf2 is concentrated at centromeres and contrary to other analyses, we find that loss of Raf2 does not affect CENP-ACnp1 localisation or recruitment to centromeres. Our sequence alignments show that Raf2 contains a Replication Foci Targeting Sequence (RFTS) domain homologous to the RFTS domain of the human DNA methyltransferase DNMT1. We show that the Raf2 RFTS domain is required for centromeric heterochromatin formation as its mutation disrupts H3K9 methylation but not the processing of centromeric transcripts into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) by the RNAi pathway. Analysis of biochemical interactions demonstrates that the RFTS domain mediates an interaction between Raf2 and the CLRC component Cul4. We conclude that the RFTS domain of Raf2 is a protein interaction module that plays an important role in heterochromatin formation at centromeres.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0104161
spellingShingle Sharon A White
Alessia Buscaino
Luis Sanchez-Pulido
Chris P Ponting
Matthew W Nowicki
Robin C Allshire
The RFTS domain of Raf2 is required for Cul4 interaction and heterochromatin integrity in fission yeast.
PLoS ONE
title The RFTS domain of Raf2 is required for Cul4 interaction and heterochromatin integrity in fission yeast.
title_full The RFTS domain of Raf2 is required for Cul4 interaction and heterochromatin integrity in fission yeast.
title_fullStr The RFTS domain of Raf2 is required for Cul4 interaction and heterochromatin integrity in fission yeast.
title_full_unstemmed The RFTS domain of Raf2 is required for Cul4 interaction and heterochromatin integrity in fission yeast.
title_short The RFTS domain of Raf2 is required for Cul4 interaction and heterochromatin integrity in fission yeast.
title_sort rfts domain of raf2 is required for cul4 interaction and heterochromatin integrity in fission yeast
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0104161
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