Functional role of G9a-induced histone methylation in small heterodimer partner-mediated transcriptional repression

Site-specific modification of nucleosomal histones plays a central role in the formation of transcriptionally active and inactive chromatin structures. These modifications may serve as specific recognition motifs for chromatin proteins, which act as a signal for the adoption of the appropriate regulatory responses. Here, we show that the orphan nuclear receptor SHP (small heterodimer partner), a coregulator that inhibits the activity of several nuclear receptors, can associate with unmodified and lysine 9-methylated histone-3, but not with the acetylated protein. The naturally occurring SHP mutant (R213C), which exhibits decreased transrepression potential, interacts less avidly with K9-methylated histone 3. We demonstrate that SHP can functionally interact with histone deacetylase-1 and the G9a methyltransferase and that it is localized exclusively in nuclease-sensitive euchromatin. The results point to the involvement of a multistep mechanism in SHP-dependent transcriptional repression, which includes histone deacetylation, followed by H3-K9 methylation and stable association of SHP itself with chromatin.