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Molecular and Cellular Biology, January 2000, p. 61-69, Vol. 20, No. 1
0270-7306/0/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Histone H1 Is Dispensable for Methylation-Associated Gene Silencing in Ascobolus immersus and Essential for Long Life Span

Jose L. Barra,dagger Laïla Rhounim,Dagger Jean-Luc Rossignol, and Godeleine Faugeron*

Institut Jacques Monod, UMR 7592, CNRS/Université Paris 7/Université Paris 6, 75251 Paris Cedex 05, France

Received 27 July 1999/Returned for modification 13 September 1999/Accepted 28 September 1999

A gene encoding a protein that shows sequence similarity with the histone H1 family only was cloned in Ascobolus immersus. The deduced peptide sequence presents the characteristic three-domain structure of metazoan linker histones, with a central globular region, an N-terminal tail, and a long positively charged C-terminal tail. By constructing an artificial duplication of this gene, named H1, it was possible to methylate and silence it by the MIP (methylation induced premeiotically) process. This resulted in the complete loss of the Ascobolus H1 histone. Mutant strains lacking H1 displayed normal methylation-associated gene silencing, underwent MIP, and showed the same methylation-associated chromatin modifications as did wild-type strains. However, they displayed an increased accessibility of micrococcal nuclease to chromatin, whether DNA was methylated or not, and exhibited a hypermethylation of the methylated genome compartment. These features are taken to imply that Ascobolus H1 histone is a ubiquitous component of chromatin which plays no role in methylation-associated gene silencing. Mutant strains lacking histone H1 reproduced normally through sexual crosses and displayed normal early vegetative growth. However, between 6 and 13 days after germination, they abruptly and consistently stopped growing, indicating that Ascobolus H1 histone is necessary for long life span. This constitutes the first observation of a physiologically important phenotype associated with the loss of H1.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institut Jacques Monod, Tour 43, 2 place Jussieu, 75251 Paris Cedex 05, France. Phone: (33) 1 44 27 82 11. Fax: (33) 1 44 27 82 10. E-mail: faugeron{at}ijm.jussieu.fr.

dagger Present address: Departamento de Química Biológica, CIQUIBIC-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, UNC, Ciudad Universitaria, 5000 Córdoba, Argentina.

Dagger Present address: Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Mohammèdia, Morocco.

Molecular and Cellular Biology, January 2000, p. 61-69, Vol. 20, No. 1
0270-7306/0/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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