SMC Hinge Domain Research Articles

A ubiquitin-like domain is required for stabilizing the N-terminal ATPase module of human SMCHD1

Variants in the gene SMCHD1, which encodes an epigenetic repressor, have been linked to both congenital arhinia and a late-onset form of muscular dystrophy called facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy type 2 (FSHD2). This suggests that SMCHD1 has a diversity of functions in both developmental time and space. The C-terminal end of SMCHD1 contains an SMC-hinge domain which mediates homodimerization and chromatin association, whereas the molecular architecture of the N-terminal region, which harbors the GHKL-ATPase domain, is not well understood. We present the crystal structure of the human SMCHD1 N-terminal ATPase module bound to ATP as a functional dimer. The dimer is stabilized by a novel N-terminal ubiquitin-like fold and by a downstream transducer domain. While disease variants map to what appear to be critical interdomain/intermolecular interfaces, only the FSHD2-specific mutant constructs we tested consistently abolish ATPase activity and/or dimerization. These data suggest that the full functional profile of SMCHD1 has yet to be determined.

Control of Smc Coiled Coil Architecture by the ATPase Heads Facilitates Targeting to Chromosomal ParB/parS and Release onto Flanking DNA.

SummarySmc/ScpAB promotes chromosome segregation in prokaryotes, presumably by compacting and resolving nascent sister chromosomes. The underlying mechanisms, however, are poorly understood. Here, we investigate the role of the Smc ATPase activity in the recruitment of Smc/ScpAB to the Bacillus subtilis chromosome. We demonstrate that targeting of Smc/ScpAB to ParB/parS loading sites is strictly dependent on engagement of Smc head domains and relies on an open organization of the Smc coiled coils. We find that dimerization of the Smc hinge domain stabilizes closed Smc rods and hinders head engagement as well as chromosomal targeting. Conversely, the ScpAB sub-complex promotes head engagement and Smc rod opening and thereby facilitates recruitment of Smc to parS sites. Upon ATP hydrolysis, Smc/ScpAB is released from loading sites and relocates within the chromosome—presumably through translocation along DNA double helices. Our findings define an intermediate state in the process of chromosome organization by Smc.

Structural Basis for Dimer Formation of Human Condensin Structural Maintenance of Chromosome Proteins and Its Implications for Single-stranded DNA Recognition

Eukaryotic structural maintenance of chromosome proteins (SMC) are major components of cohesin and condensins that regulate chromosome structure and dynamics during cell cycle. We here determine the crystal structure of human condensin SMC hinge heterodimer with ~30 residues of coiled coils. The structure, in conjunction with the hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry analyses, revealed the structural basis for the specific heterodimer formation of eukaryotic SMC and that the coiled coils from two different hinges protrude in the same direction, providing a unique binding surface conducive for binding to single-stranded DNA. The characteristic hydrogen exchange profiles of peptides constituted regions especially across the hinge-hinge dimerization interface, further suggesting the structural alterations upon single-stranded DNA binding and the presence of a half-opened state of hinge heterodimer. This structural change potentially relates to the DNA loading mechanism of SMC, in which the hinge domain functions as an entrance gate as previously proposed for cohesin. Our results, however, indicated that this is not the case for condensins based on the fact that the coiled coils are still interacting with each other, even when DNA binding induces structural changes in the hinge region, suggesting the functional differences of SMC hinge domain between condensins and cohesin in DNA recognition.

A genome-wide screen for modifiers of transgene variegation identifies genes with critical roles in development

An extended ENU screen for modifiers of transgene variegation identified four new modifiers, MommeD7-D10.

Gata-Independent Regulation of Red Cell Specific Gene Expression.

During vertebrate embryonic hematopoiesis, the first blood cells can be identified by expression of the transcription factor genes scl and GATA2, followed by expression of GATA1, a gene required for the erythroid lineage. A high-throughput in situ hybridization screen in zebrafish analyzed the expression pattern of 3700 clones from a hematopoietic cDNA library and discovered 24 genes with expression in the blood. Examination of gene expression in Biklf, GATA1, GATA2, and GATA1/GATA2-deficient animals revealed that most blood genes are dependent upon GATA factors for expression rather than the Krüppel-like transcription factor Biklf. Three novel genes, expressed specifically in erythroid precursors, did not require GATA factors for their expression, demonstrating that some blood genes are regulated in a GATA-independent manner. These three genes were kelch-repeat protein (kelch repeats have been implicated in diverse cellular functions from actin binding to sequestering transcriptions factors), kiaa0650, which contains an SMC-hinge domain, and testhymin, which has no known structural motifs. By using combinations of antisense morpholinos to the known hematopoietic genes biklf , GATA1, GATA2, and scl, we were able to examine the regulation of these novel genes in double and triple knock-down embryos. While expression of kelch-repeat protein was lost in the absence of GATA1 and Biklf, expression of testhymin and kiaa0650 was maintained in GATA1/GATA2/Biklf-deficient embryos, suggesting that these similarly expressed genes are differentially regulated. As with GATA1, kiaa0650 and kelch-repeat protein required Scl for their expression in the early hematopoietic mesoderm while testhymin did not. Furthermore, loss of Scl and GATA2 did not completely ablate testhymin expression, suggesting that this gene is induced by factors upstream or parallel to Scl and GATA2. Taken together, our zebrafish studies establish a regulation of gene expression by a developmental hierarchy of specific transcription factors that act in combination during blood cell maturation.