Search bioRxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/870667

Hierarchical assembly of the MLL1 core complex within a biomolecular condensate regulates H3K4 methylation

Namitz, K. E. W.·Tan, S.·Cosgrove, M. S.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The enzymes that regulate histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methylation are required for cellular differentiation and development and are often mutated in human disease. Mixed Lineage Leukemia protein-1 (MLL1) is a member of the SET1 family of histone H3 lysine 4 methyltransferases, which require interaction with a conserved sub-complex consisting of WDR5, RbBP5, Ash2L and DPY30 (WRAD2) for maximal activity. It is currently unclear how assembly of SET1 family complexes is involved in the spatiotemporal control of H3K4 methylation in eukaryotic genomes. In this investigation, we systematically characterized the hydrodynamic and kinetic properties of a reconstituted human MLL1 core complex and found that its assembly is highly concentration and temperature dependent. Consistent with a hierarchical assembly pathway, we found that the holo-complex assembles through interactions between the MW and RAD2 sub-complexes, which is correlated with enzymatic activity. Surprisingly, we found that the disassembled state is favored at physiological temperatures, and that this thermodynamic barrier can be overcome under conditions that induce high-local concentrations of subunits in phase separated compartments. Combining this data with the observation that MLL1 primary sequence contains large regions of intrinsic disorder, we propose a "swinging-domain" model in which the interaction between a tethered MW subcomplex and multiple nucleosome-RAD2 complexes is regulated by the rapid formation or dissolution of biomolecular condensates, such as occurs in transcription factories. This model provides an elegant "switch-like" mechanism for spatiotemporal control of H3K4 methylation within eukaryotic genomes.

Explore related subjects

biochemistryPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Namitz, K. E. W., Tan, S., Cosgrove, M. S.. 2019-12-10. Hierarchical assembly of the MLL1 core complex within a biomolecular condensate regulates H3K4 methylation. https://doi.org/10.1101/870667

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Hierarchical cysteine oxidation controls reversible amyloid formation in an ankyrin repeat protein

The formation of amyloids, including functional amyloids, is observed for an increasing number of proteins but the molecular mechanisms that control this structural transition remain poorly understood. Here we report that the kinase inhibitor protein P18 (drP18) from Danio rerio (zebrafish), which contains two cysteine residues, undergoes a complex and hierarchical redox switch that strictly governs reversible amyloid formation. We identify cysteine 50 (C50) acting as a regulatory residue. Upon oxidation, C50 forms an intramolecular disulfide bond with the executioner cysteine 128 (C128), thereby blocking it. C50 can become S-glutathionylated, and upon oxidation, C128 then forms intermolecular disulfides that lead to rapid transition into amyloid fibrils. S-glutathionylation of C50 therefore enables amyloid formation of drP18 and the outcome is oxidant-dependent with diamide, hydrogen peroxide, peroxymonocarbonate and hypothiocyanous acid each leading to amyloid assembly with distinct kinetics and morphologies. These amyloids are fully reversible, where disulfide reduction is leading to disassembly. Whereas monomeric drP18 inhibits CDK4-mediated retinoblastoma phosphorylation, the amyloid conformation abolishes this inhibition, and reduction restores both structure and function. Expression of drP18 in zebrafish embryos yields Congo red-positive, oxidation-dependent aggregates in vivo. Together, our findings show that a regulatory cysteine controls an executioner cysteine to induce reversible, functional amyloid formation, revealing that proteins can encode sophisticated mechanisms to control amyloid assembly.

biochemistry↗
bioRxiv2026

Snapshots from the Catalytic Landscape of Chalcone Isomerase

Chalcone isomerase (CHI) catalyzes the cyclization of 3-ring scaffolds of flavonoids, a class of plant-based natural products important for nutrition and disease prevention. A persistent question has been whether the enzyme uses dynamics to facilitate conformational rearrangements of substrates within the active site. To help resolve this question, CHI was crystallized with phloretin, a flexible substrate analogue that cannot undergo cyclization. The crystal structure possesses eight protein molecules per asymmetric unit, revealing different active site conformations that accommodate different bound conformers of phloretin. Together, the structural snapshots depict a series of coordinated, dynamic chemical interactions that lower barriers to substrate rearrangements approaching bond formation. Differential scanning fluorimetry combined with mutational analysis and enzyme kinetics further confirm that phloretin binds to the enzyme active site and that it acts as a competitive inhibitor of CHI. Together these findings answer outstanding questions about the flexibility and dynamics of CHI catalysis, information that may be useful for future biosynthetic design and enzyme engineering goals. Overall, this work supports a catalytic model in which the CHI enzyme operates as a dynamic ensemble of structures necessary to facilitate catalytic substrate rearrangements.

biochemistry↗
bioRxiv2026

Structures of pUG-fold RNA bound to DNMT1 reveal a mechanism for RNA-mediated epigenetic regulation

Many chromatin-associated proteins have been found to bind RNA as a means of epigenetic regulation. Specifically, DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), which maintains cytosine methylation at CpG dinucleotides, is inhibited by RNA at transcribed DNA loci in cells. However, the mechanisms by which RNA binds DNMT1 and inhibits its activity remain unknown. Here, we determine a series of cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of human DNMT1 bound to pUG-fold RNA, a non-canonical G-quadruplex previously observed to inhibit activity, revealing two distinct RNA-binding modes. The pUG-fold RNA binds the surface of DNMT1 in its autoinhibited conformation across a positively charged surface between the methyltransferase domain and the CXXC domain, and it binds directly in the active site of an open DNMT1 conformation. RNA binding is sterically incompatible with substrate DNA engagement in both states. Our 2.5 [A] structure captures the intricate network of hydrogen bonds and electrostatic interactions between amino acids in the methyltransferase domain and the tetrad layers of pUG-fold RNA. Metadynamics molecular dynamics simulations provide an orthogonal view of the conformational landscape of DNMT1, revealing the two distinct RNA-binding modes. Furthermore, our analysis of published DNMT1 RIP-seq and eCLIP-seq data confirms that DNMT1-interacting RNAs in cells exhibit a strong propensity to form non-canonical G-quadruplex RNA structures. Collectively, our study provides the first structural basis for pUG-fold RNA recognition by a protein and illustrates how cryo-EM and AI-based methods for protein and RNA structure prediction synergize to inform the mechanism of RNA-mediated regulation of DNMT1.

biochemistry↗