Download MendeleyMechanism of Cross-talk between H2B Ubiquitination and H3 Methylation by Dot1L.
Worden, E.J., Hoffmann, N.A., Hicks, C.W., Wolberger, C.(2019) Cell 176: 1490-1501.e12
- PubMed: 30765112
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2019.02.002
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
6NJ9, 6NOG, 6NQA - PubMed Abstract:
Methylation of histone H3 K79 by Dot1L is a hallmark of actively transcribed genes that depends on monoubiquitination of H2B K120 (H2B-Ub) and is an example of histone modification cross-talk that is conserved from yeast to humans. We report here cryo-EM structures of Dot1L bound to ubiquitinated nucleosome that show how H2B-Ub stimulates Dot1L activity and reveal a role for the histone H4 tail in positioning Dot1L. We find that contacts mediated by Dot1L and the H4 tail induce a conformational change in the globular core of histone H3 that reorients K79 from an inaccessible position, thus enabling this side chain to insert into the active site in a position primed for catalysis. Our study provides a comprehensive mechanism of cross-talk between histone ubiquitination and methylation and reveals structural plasticity in histones that makes it possible for histone-modifying enzymes to access residues within the nucleosome core.
Organizational Affiliation:
Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
