Abstract
Switching between alternate states of gene transcription is fundamental to a multitude of cellular regulatory pathways, including those that govern differentiation. In spite of the progress in our understanding of such transitions in gene activity, a major unanswered question is how cells regulate the timing of these switches. Here, we have examined the kinetics of a transcriptional switch that accompanies the differentiation of yeast cells of one mating type into a distinct new cell type. We found that cell-type-specific genes silenced by the α2 repressor in the starting state are derepressed to establish the new mating-type-specific gene expression program coincident with the loss of α2 from promoters. This rapid derepression does not require the preloading of RNA polymerase II or a preinitiation complex but instead depends upon the Gcn5 histone acetyltransferase. Surprisingly, Gcn5-dependent acetylation of nucleosomes in the promoters of mating-typespecific genes requires the corepressor Ssn6-Tup1 even in the repressed state. Gcn5 partially acetylates the amino-terminal tails of histone H3 in repressed promoters, thereby priming them for rapid derepression upon loss of α2. Thus, Ssn6-Tup1 not only efficiently represses these target promoters but also functions to initiate derepression by creating a chromatin state poised for rapid activation.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3342-3356 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Molecular and Cellular Biology |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 13 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2010 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
Cite this
Corepressor-directed preacetylation of histone H3 in promoter chromatin primes rapid transcriptional switching of cell-type-specific genes in yeast. / DeSimone, Alec M.; Laney, Jeffrey D.
In: Molecular and Cellular Biology, Vol. 30, No. 13, 07.2010, p. 3342-3356.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Corepressor-directed preacetylation of histone H3 in promoter chromatin primes rapid transcriptional switching of cell-type-specific genes in yeast
AU - DeSimone, Alec M.
AU - Laney, Jeffrey D
PY - 2010/7
Y1 - 2010/7
N2 - Switching between alternate states of gene transcription is fundamental to a multitude of cellular regulatory pathways, including those that govern differentiation. In spite of the progress in our understanding of such transitions in gene activity, a major unanswered question is how cells regulate the timing of these switches. Here, we have examined the kinetics of a transcriptional switch that accompanies the differentiation of yeast cells of one mating type into a distinct new cell type. We found that cell-type-specific genes silenced by the α2 repressor in the starting state are derepressed to establish the new mating-type-specific gene expression program coincident with the loss of α2 from promoters. This rapid derepression does not require the preloading of RNA polymerase II or a preinitiation complex but instead depends upon the Gcn5 histone acetyltransferase. Surprisingly, Gcn5-dependent acetylation of nucleosomes in the promoters of mating-typespecific genes requires the corepressor Ssn6-Tup1 even in the repressed state. Gcn5 partially acetylates the amino-terminal tails of histone H3 in repressed promoters, thereby priming them for rapid derepression upon loss of α2. Thus, Ssn6-Tup1 not only efficiently represses these target promoters but also functions to initiate derepression by creating a chromatin state poised for rapid activation.
AB - Switching between alternate states of gene transcription is fundamental to a multitude of cellular regulatory pathways, including those that govern differentiation. In spite of the progress in our understanding of such transitions in gene activity, a major unanswered question is how cells regulate the timing of these switches. Here, we have examined the kinetics of a transcriptional switch that accompanies the differentiation of yeast cells of one mating type into a distinct new cell type. We found that cell-type-specific genes silenced by the α2 repressor in the starting state are derepressed to establish the new mating-type-specific gene expression program coincident with the loss of α2 from promoters. This rapid derepression does not require the preloading of RNA polymerase II or a preinitiation complex but instead depends upon the Gcn5 histone acetyltransferase. Surprisingly, Gcn5-dependent acetylation of nucleosomes in the promoters of mating-typespecific genes requires the corepressor Ssn6-Tup1 even in the repressed state. Gcn5 partially acetylates the amino-terminal tails of histone H3 in repressed promoters, thereby priming them for rapid derepression upon loss of α2. Thus, Ssn6-Tup1 not only efficiently represses these target promoters but also functions to initiate derepression by creating a chromatin state poised for rapid activation.
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U2 - 10.1128/MCB.01450-09
DO - 10.1128/MCB.01450-09
M3 - Article
VL - 30
SP - 3342
EP - 3356
JO - Molecular and Cellular Biology
JF - Molecular and Cellular Biology
SN - 0270-7306
IS - 13
ER -