Abstract PR03: Multivalent histone engagement by the linked tandem Tudor and PHD domains of UHRF1 is required for DNA methylation maintenance

Abstract

Abstract DNA methylation and histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) represent two key epigenetic regulators of DNA information in chromatin. The faithful inheritance of DNA methylation is essential for normal mammalian development and long-term transcriptional silencing, and aberrant DNA methylation patterns are a hallmark of many cancers. Histone PTMs can alter the physical structure of chromatin and have been proposed to function in the context of a “histone code” to coordinate the recruitment of effector proteins that elicit selective effects on chromatin-templated cellular processes like gene transcription and DNA repair. Indeed, defects in histone recognition by effector proteins are also emerging as underlying causes of cancer initiation and progression. Effector proteins often contain multiple chromatin binding domains. While significant progress has been made characterizing individual effector domains, the role of paired domains and how they function in a combinatorial fashion within chromatin is poorly defined. The E3 ubiquitin ligase UHRF1 is a unique chromatin effector protein, in that it integrates the recognition of both histone PTMs and DNA methylation. We recently showed that H3K9 methyl binding by the tandem Tudor domain (TTD) of UHRF1 is required for DNA methylation maintenance in cancer cells — yet the function of its adjacent plant homeodomain (PHD) in this process was unknown. Here we show that the linked TTD and PHD of UHRF1 operate as a single functional unit in cells, providing a defined combinatorial readout of the modification state of the histone H3 tail that is essential for UHRF1-directed DNA methylation maintenance by DNMT1. These findings provide critical support for the ‘histone code' hypothesis, demonstrating that multivalent histone engagement plays a fundamental role in driving a downstream biological event in chromatin and suggest UHRF1 may be a favorable therapeutic target for regulating aberrant DNA methylation in cancers. This abstract is also presented as Poster B26. Citation Format: Scott B. Rothbart, Bradley M. Dickson, Michelle S. Ong, Krzysztof Krajewski, Scott Houliston, Dmitri B. Kireev, Cheryl H. Arrowsmith, Brian D. Strahl. Multivalent histone engagement by the linked tandem Tudor and PHD domains of UHRF1 is required for DNA methylation maintenance. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Chromatin and Epigenetics in Cancer; Jun 19-22, 2013; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(13 Suppl):Abstract nr PR03.