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Mol. Cell. Biol., Dec 1997, 6953-6969, Vol 17, No. 12
H Kurumizaka and AP Wolffe
Sin mutations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae alleviate transcriptional defects
that result from the inactivation of the yeast SWVI/SNF complex. We have
investigated the structural and functional consequences for the nucleosome
of Sin mutations in histone H3. We directly test the hypothesis that
mutations in histone H3 leading to a SWI/SNF-independent (Sin) phenotype in
yeast lead to nucleosomal destabilization. In certain instances this is
shown to be true; however, nucleosomal destabilization does not always
occur. Topoisomerase I-mediated relaxation of minichromosomes assembled
with either mutant histone H3 or wild-type H3 together with histones H2A,
H2B, and H4 indicates that DNA is constrained into nucleosomal structures
containing either mutant or wild-type proteins. However, nucleosomes
containing particular mutant H3 molecules (R116-H and T118- I) are more
accessible to digestion by micrococcal nuclease and do not constrain DNA in
a precise rotational position, as revealed by digestion with DNase I. This
result establishes that Sin mutations in histone H3 located close to the
dyad axis can destabilize histone-DNA contacts at the periphery of the
nucleosome core. Other nucleosomes containing a distinct mutant H3 molecule
(E105-K) associated with a Sin phenotype show very little change in
nucleosome structure and stability compared to wild-type nucleosomes. Both
mutant and wild-type nucleosomes continue to restrict the binding of either
TATA-binding protein/transcription factor IIA (TFIIA) or the RNA polymerase
III transcription machinery. Thus, different Sin mutations in histone H3
alter the stability of histone-DNA interactions to various extents in the
nucleosome while maintaining the fundamental architecture of the nucleosome
and contributing to a common Sin phenotype.
Copyright © 1997, American Society for Microbiology
Sin mutations of histone H3: influence on nucleosome core structure and function
Laboratory of Molecular Embryology, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-5431, USA.
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