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Testis-specific protein (TSP) variability has been examined in the three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus and related species including Gasterosteus wheatlandi, Punqitius pungitius, and Aulorhynchus flavidus, in order to determine if such proteins can act as molecular markers for different species of Gasterosteiformes and for different populations of a single species. Cytochemistry of the sperm histones of Gasterosteus aculeatus revealed that these basic proteins can be classified as intermediate sperm histones according to Bloch's (1969 and 1976) categories. Electron microscopy indicates that the chromatin in the nucleus condenses in a granular pattern as the somatic histones of the spermatogonia are replaced by the sperm histones in the spermatid during spermiogenesis in this teleost. The testis specific proteins (TSP's) of G. aculeatus and related species were characterized by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels and by hydrolysis of the amidoblack stained bands from the gel and subsequent amino acid analysis. The compositional analysis revealed that all the TSP's of the fish in the order Gasterosteiformes were intermediate type containing histidine, lysine, and arginine amino acid residues. However, the TSP's of different species could be distinguished by their electrophoretic mobilities on polyacrylamide gels and by differences in the amino acid composition. Apparently TSP's can act as molecular markers to distinguish these particular teleosts. To establish the electrophoretic pattern for the TSP's of mature, breeding G. aculeatus, the developmental profile was investigated over the course of a season for a population of these fish in Jericho Pond, Vancouver, B.C. As the testis matures, somatic histones are replaced gradually by one or several rapidly moving TSP's. Some protein bands that are present in fish with immature testes are removed by the time the electrophoretic pattern typical for mature males occurs during the breeding season. This pattern shows only rapidly moving TSP's and very low levels of somatic histones. Experiments using alkaline phosphatase indicated that the electrophoretic profile of the multiplicity of TSP'.s of mature fish was not due to differences in charge because of phosphorylation of serine side chains in TSP bands. In addition to acting as molecular markers for different species, the TSP's showed an electrophoretic profile in anadromous G. aculeatus that differed from the profile in freshwater fish with respect to band morphology and also the number of bands seen on long gels. Here, too, the similarity of the freshwater and anadromous TSP profiles was reinforced by similar digestion patterns with cyanogen bromide, confirming the presence of methionine in these proteins. However, different populations of anadromous G. aculeatus either from British Columbia or from Quebec were indistinguishable by electrophoretic analysis. Moreover the electrophoretic and amino acid analysis could not distinguish between G. aculeatus from different freshwater populations. There was no discernable trend for the multiplicity of TSP's from such populations. However, in the fish from two freshwater lakes there was an indication that the benthic forms (bottom dwellers) might have reached sexual maturity later than the limnetic forms (top dwellers) as the limnetic animals lost their somatic histones before the benthics did. From these analyses, TSP's apparently can act as molecular markers between different species of Gasterosteiformes, and to a lesser extent between anadromous and freshwater forms of G. aculeatus. This agrees with the findings of Mann et. al. ( 1982) that the spermatid/sperm-specific proteins of the frog genus Xenopus can distinguish between different species of the genus and somewhat between different subspecies of Xenopus laevis. Both the Gasterosteiformes and anuran TSP's are of the intermediate type. In several instances, particular species of fish gave anomalous results. For example, an anadromous G. aculeatus showed the presence of a band typical for the TSP of G. wheatlandi on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Perhaps this is due to hybridization between Gasterosteidae of different species. Finally, incubation of TSP preparations at 37 °C indicated the presence of endogenous protease at neutral pH. Such a protease was not active at acid pH and therefore did not interfere with the electrophoretic analysis. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

During spermatogenesis in rainbow trout, a synchronous development of stem cells → spermatocytes → spermatids → mature sperm occurs, with replacement of the histones in chromatin by protamines. PART A: Histone methylation. Along with histone acetylation and phosphorylation, methylation of specific lysyl residues of histones H3 and H4 can be observed. This histone methylation occurs predominantly in the large diploid stem cells and primary spermatocytes, which actively synthesize DNA and histones. In spermatids, histone methylation is minimal and so probably has no role in the replacement of histones by protamine. Other labelling experiments suggest that histone H4 methylation is a late event in the cell cycle, occurring after the synthesis, acetylation and deacetylation of histone H4. This methylation may be necessary for histone phosphorylation or chromatin condensation prior to cell division. PART B: Chromatin subunit structure. When a sample of trout testis nuclei is digested with micrococcal nuclease, the DNA is cleaved almost entirely to discrete fragments approximately 200 base pairs long and multiples thereof. The same DNA fragments can be obtained when isolated chromatin, as opposed to intact nuclei, is nuclease digested. These DNA fragments can also be found in discrete chromatin "subunits" isolated from nuclease-digested nuclei. Sedimentation through sucrose gradients, or velocity sedimentation in an analytical ultracentrifuge separates these chromatin subunits into 11S (monomer), 16S (dimer), 22S (trimer) etc. species. Subunits can also be fractionated on a Sepharose 2B column equilibrated and run in low salt. High salt (>40 mM NaCl) or divalent cations (≃5 mM) cause subunit precipitation. Chromatin subunits have a protein:DNA ratio of approximately 1.2 and contain all the histones, including the trout-specific histone H6. There are however no detectable nonhistone chromosomal proteins. Mg⁺⁺ precipitates of the 11S chromatin monomers, when pelleted, are thin and clear, while oligomer Mg⁺⁺ pellets are thick and white. This could reflect a more symmetrical or ordered packing of 11S monomers, which are deficient in histone Hi. This histone may crosslink the larger oligomers, resulting in a disordered Mg⁺⁺ complex. These results are consistent with the subunit model of chromatin structure, based on 200 base pair long regions of DNA associated with histones. These subunits would be separated by nuclease-sensitive DNA spacer regions, and crosslinked by histone Hi. Testis consisting predominantly of early spermatids (meiotic tissue, containing mainly nucleohistone) gives similar yields of DNA fragments and 11S subunits. Later stage testis (protamine has replaced the histones) however, gives no DNA fragments or 11S subunits. This presumably reflects large differences in structure between nucleoprotamine and nucleohistone. / Medicine, Faculty of / Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of / Graduate

The reversible acetylation of histones is thought to play a role in chromatin processing, including transcription, replication and repair. Studies on the acetyltransferases, responsible for acetylating the nucleosomal core histones, have resulted in characterization of these enzymes. However, very little is known about the properties and distribution of histone deacetylase. The reversible inhibition of histone deacetylase by butyrate was employed to permit studies on the chromatin-bound histone deacetylase of HeLa cells using endogenous [3H]-acetyl labelled polynucleosomes containing the enzyme. These were prepared in the presence of 50mM butyrate and histone deacetylase was assayed upon removal of the inhibitor. It was found that active enzyme is present only in association with a high molecular weight complex. This deacetylase-containing complex is relatively resistant to digestion with micrococcal nuclease. No activity is found on mononucleosomes or oligonucleosomes. Up to 90% of labelled acetyl groups are removed from histone deacetylase complexes incubated in the absence of butyrate, indicating that denaturation of the histone deacetylase is kept to a minimum using the techniques developed in this study. Free histones are a poor substrate under these conditions, but histones in mononucleosomes are deacetylated when they are incubated with histone deacetylase complex. Histone deacetylase remains bound to this complex in 1-2 M NaCl and does not dissociate from it during its reaction with acetylated core hisones. Under typical nuclease digestion conditions, the histone deacetylase complex contains DNA with a size distribution of 5-11 kilobase pairs and a variety of nonhistone proteins. Comparison of the protein composition of histone deacetylase complexes with that of nuclear matrix preparations shows some similarities. Taken together, the results on the chromatographic behaviour, the DNA fragment sizes, and the protein composition of the deacetylase complex suggest that protein-protein interactions may be important in maintaining its structure and also in the binding of the deacetylase itself to the complex Later research efforts were concerned with characterization of the histone deacetylase complex. The effect of J3-mercaptoethanol and neocuproine on histone deacetylase was examined in view of the fact that these reagents are known to disrupt chromosome scaffolds. HeLa cell histone deacetylase complex partially dissociates in 10 mM B-mercaptoethanol, resulting in a loss of non-histone proteins. The presence of 10 mM J3-mercaptoethanol during the partial micrococcal nuclease digestion of HeLa cell nuclei, results in a very low yield of histone deacetylase complex, with a correspondingly large increase in the production of small oligonucleosomes and mononucleosomes. Histone deacetylase activity on endogenous labelled histone is strongly inhibited by either 1 or 10 mM J3-mercaptoethanol or 3 mM neocuproine. The loss of histone deacetylase activities is not due to an inactivation of the enzyme, but appears to be a consequence of the disruption of the structure of the histone deacetylase complex. Histone H4 in histone deacetylase complex prepared from HeLa cell nuclei by micrococcal nuclease digestion was more highly acetylated than H4 in bulk nucleosomes. Restriction enzyme analysis of the DNA associated with the histone deacetylase complex revealed neither an enrichment nor depletion of major satellite sequences in this material. In view of these findings, histone deacetylase appears to be associated with a high molecular weight chromatin complex which may be a site of rapid acetyl group turnover. / Medicine, Faculty of / Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of / Graduate

Bibliography: pages 110-126. / This thesis describes methodology for the reconstitution of the chicken erythrocyte octamer from acid-denatured histones or the natural H3-H4 tetramer and H2A-H2B dimers. Oligomeric properties of reconstituted octamers were elucidated during column chromatographic and chemical cross-linking studies. The conformational identity of the natural and reconstituted octamers was demonstrated by the ability of all preparations to crystallise as helical octamer tubes. The application of the reconstitution methodology in addressing fundamental problems of chromatin research, was demonstrated during subsequent studies, namely (i) The reconstitution of hybrid histone octamers containing a structural variant of a specific histone. These studies were undertaken to study the effect on histone-histone interactions in hybrid octamers of which erythrocyte H2B was substituted for by sea urchin sperm H2B(l) or erythrocyte H3 and H4 were substituted for by dethiolated H3 and sea urchin sperm H4 respectively. (ii) The reconstitution of an octamer suitable for the sitespecific derivatisation of a specific histone, or covalently labelled with aurothiomalate in a specific histone complex. These studies were concluded to represent general labelling strategies which may be of use in crystallographic or physico-chemical studies of nucleosome structure.

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Histone proteins were examined during development in the meiotic elongate and a genetically close line N6HT. Histones were also extracted from an F1 (el x N6Ht). Comparisonc beteen the histone samples from each line of N6HT and elongate, and the F1 for leaf, root, and stem were inconclusive. A tassel sample form elongate exhibited a markedly slower migrating band that was not present in N6HT. The histone profiles of elongate and N6HT also differed. Each line N6HT and elongate exhibited three protein bands in the H1 region. Maize histone samples have been shown to exhibit four major H1 bands. The possibility exists that an H1 protein altered in its molecular weight and possibly in its interaction with the chromosome is present in elongate.

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No description available.

La chromatine, dont l’unité de base est le nucléosome, est une structure nucléoprotéique dynamique qui nécessite un remodelage au cours de divers processus nucléaires ayant besoin d’un accès direct à l’ADN tels que la réplication, la transcription ou la réparation des lésions. Plusieurs facteurs capables de moduler la structure de la chromatine ont été caractérisés et regroupent les chaperons d’histones, les complexes de remodelage ATP-dépendants, les variants d’histone et les enzymes modifiant les histones de façon post-traductionnelle. Le complexe acéyltransférase NuA4 responsable de l’acétylation des histones H4 et H2A participe activement à la dynamique de la chromatine au cours de ces processus. Il favorise sa relaxation lors de l’activation de la transcription et de la réparation de l’ADN. Il est le seul complexe acétyltransférase dont l’activité est essentielle chez la levure Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Le but de mon projet de doctorat était de mieux comprendre les mécanismes capables de réguler son activité. Nous avons mis en évidence trois niveaux de régulation de son activité, via (i) son auto-acétylation, (ii) son ciblage à la chromatine de façon spécifique et (iii) directement par son substrat histone. Alors que l’acétylation de la sous-unité Yng2 de NuA4 par le complexe lui-même est importante pour le maintien de l’intégrité du complexe et de son activité, nous avons découvert que NuA4 est capable de s’auto-acétyler in vivo et in vitro sur plusieurs de ces sous-unités et que l’acétylation d’un seule lysine dans le domaine MYST de sa sous-unité catalytique Esa1 est essentielle à l’activité du complexe, sans influencer son intégrité. D’autre part, nous avons caractérisé par des techniques de purification un sous-module de NuA4 composé des facteurs Eaf5, Eaf7 et de la protéine à chromodomaine Eaf3 capable de reconnaître les lysines méthylées, qui serait impliqué dans le ciblage de NuA4 à la chromatine. Ce complexe trimérique est également présent indépendant de NuA4 dans la cellule, et serait localisé de façon préférentielle sur la région codante des gènes. Enfin, les travaux du laboratoire ont montré que les modifications post-traductionnelles présentes sur la queue N-ter de H4 peuvent réguler l’activité de NuA4. La phosphorylation de H4 sur sa sérine 1 inhibe son acétylation sur les lysines adjacentes par NuA4. Alors que nous montrons que cette marque est spécifiquement induite sur la région codante de gènes activés, nos résultats indiquent que cette phosphorylation serait impliquée dans la dynamique de la chromatine au cours de l’élongation de la transcription. / Chromatin, which basic unit is the nucleosome, is a very dynamic structure that requires remodeling during nuclear processes that need to access the DNA such as replication, transcription and DNA damage repair. A number of remodeling factors have been characterized and include histone chaperone, ATP-dependent remodelers, histone variants and post-translational histone modifiers. The NuA4 acetyltransferase complex, responsible for H4 and H2A acetylation, participates in chromatin and nucleosome dynamics associated to these nuclear processes. It was shown to promote chromatin relaxation during transcription activation and DNA repair. NuA4 is the only acetyltransferase complex essential for viability in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The objective of my Ph.D. project was to understand the mechanisms that regulate NuA4’s activity. We brought to the forefront tree different ways to control NuA4’s activity, via its auto-acetylation, its specific targeting to the chromatin and via its histone substrate. While acetylation of the Yng2 subunit of NuA4 by NuA4 itself is important for maintenance of the integrity and activity of the complex, we discovered that NuA4 is capable of in vivo and in vitro auto-acetylation of several of its subunits. In addition, we showed that the acetylation of a single lysine residue located in the MYST domain of the catalytic subunit Esa1 is essential for the activity of the complex and has no effect on its integrity. On another hand, we have characterized a sub-complex of NuA4 composed by the Eaf5, Eaf7 and the chromodomain-containing Eaf3 proteins that are implicated in NuA4 targeting to the chromatin. This trimeric complex is also found in the cell independent of NuA4 and preferentially associated to gene coding region. Finally, published works from our laboratory showed that post-translational modifications of H4 N-ter tail can regulate NuA4 activity. Phosphorylation of H4 serine1 inhibits its acetylation on adjacent lysines by NuA4. We demonstrated that this mark is specifically induced on coding region of active genes and that this phosphorylation would be implicated in chromatin dynamics associated with the transcription elongation process.