Chromatin boundaries in budding yeast: the nuclear pore connection

Kojiro Ishii; Ghislaine Arib; Clayton Lin; Griet Van Houwe; Ulrich K Laemmli

doi:10.1016/s0092-8674(02)00756-0

Chromatin boundaries in budding yeast: the nuclear pore connection

Cell. 2002 May 31;109(5):551-62. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(02)00756-0.

Authors

Kojiro Ishii¹, Ghislaine Arib, Clayton Lin, Griet Van Houwe, Ulrich K Laemmli

Affiliation

¹ Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Geneva, 30, Quai Ernest-Ansermet, Geneva, Switzerland.

PMID: 12062099
DOI: 10.1016/s0092-8674(02)00756-0

Abstract

Chromatin boundary activities (BAs) were identified in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by genetic screening. Such BAs bound to sites flanking a reporter gene establish a nonsilenced domain within the silent mating-type locus HML. Interestingly, various proteins involved in nuclear-cytoplasmic traffic, such as exportins Cse1p, Mex67p, and Los1p, exhibit a robust BA. Genetic studies, immunolocalization, live imaging, and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments show that these transport proteins block spreading of heterochromatin by physical tethering of the HML locus to the Nup2p receptor of the nuclear pore complex. Genetic deletion of NUP2 abolishes the BA of all transport proteins, while direct targeting of Nup2p to the bracketing DNA elements restores activity. The data demonstrate that physical tethering of genomic loci to the NPC can dramatically alter their epigenetic activity.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Active Transport, Cell Nucleus / genetics*
Carrier Proteins / genetics*
Chromatin / genetics*
Chromatin / metabolism
Fungal Proteins / genetics
Fungal Proteins / metabolism
Genes / genetics*
Genes, Reporter / genetics
Genetic Testing
Genomic Library
Locus Control Region / genetics
Nuclear Pore / genetics*
Nuclear Pore / metabolism
Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins / genetics
Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins / metabolism
Nuclear Proteins*
Nucleocytoplasmic Transport Proteins
Protein Binding / genetics
Protein Structure, Tertiary / genetics
Protein Transport / genetics*
Saccharomyces cerevisiae / cytology
Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics*
Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / genetics
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / metabolism

Substances

CSE1 protein, S cerevisiae
Carrier Proteins
Chromatin
Fungal Proteins
Los1 protein, S cerevisiae
NUP2 protein, S cerevisiae
Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins
Nuclear Proteins
Nucleocytoplasmic Transport Proteins
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins