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Biology subjects

Kuznetsov, V. I.

Publications and source records attributed to Kuznetsov, V. I..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

Nucleic acid sequence contributes to remodeler-mediated targeting of histone H2A.Z

The variant histone H2A.Z is inserted into nucleosomes immediately downstream of promoters and is important for transcription. The site-specific deposition of H2A.Z is catalyzed by SWR, a conserved chromatin remodeler with affinity for promoter-proximal nucleosome depleted regions (NDRs) and histone acetylation. By comparing the genomic distribution of H2A.Z in wild-type and SWR-deficient cells, we found that SWR is also responsible for depositing H2A.Z at thousands of non-canonical sites not directly linked to NDRs or histone acetylation. To understand the targeting mechanism of H2A.Z, we presented SWR with a library of nucleosomes isolated from yeast and characterized those preferred by SWR. We found that SWR prefers nucleosomes associated with intergenic over coding regions, especially when polyadenine tracks are present. Insertion of polyadenine sequences into recombinant nucleosomes near the H2A-H2B binding site stimulated the H2A.Z insertion activity of SWR. Therefore, the genome is encoded with information contributing to remodeler-mediated targeting of H2A.Z.

molecular biology↗

Potent activation of NAD+-dependent deacetylase Sirt7 by nucleosome binding

Sirtuin-7 (Sirt7) is a nuclear NAD+-dependent deacetylase with a broad spectrum of biological functions. Sirt7 overexpression is linked to several pathological states and enhances anticancer drug resistance, making the enzyme a promising target for the development of novel therapeutics. Despite a plethora of reported in vivo functions the biochemical characterization of recombinant Sirt7 remains inadequate for the development of novel drug candidates. Here, we conduct an extensive biochemical analysis of Sirt7 using newly developed binding and kinetic assays to reveal that the enzyme preferentially interacts with and is activated by nucleosomes. Sirt7 activation by nucleic acids alone is effective towards long-chain acylated hydrophobic substrates while only nucleosome binding leads to 105-fold activation of deacetylase activity. Using endogenous chromatin and recombinant acetylated nucleosomes, we reveal that Sirt7 is one of the most efficient deacetylases in the sirtuin family and that its catalytic activity is limited by the rate of dissociation from deacetylated nucleosomes.

biochemistry↗