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Gene promoters dictate histone occupancy within genes
Author(s) -
Perales Roberto,
Erickson Benjamin,
Zhang Lian,
Kim Hyunmin,
Valiquett Elan,
Bentley David
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1038/emboj.2013.194
Subject(s) - biology , promoter , gene , genetics , histone , gene expression
Spt6 is a transcriptional elongation factor and histone chaperone that reassembles transcribed chromatin. Genome‐wide H3 mapping showed that Spt6 preferentially maintains nucleosomes within the first 500 bases of genes and helps define nucleosome‐depleted regions in 5′ and 3′ flanking sequences. In Spt6‐depleted cells, H3 loss at 5′ ends correlates with reduced pol II density suggesting enhanced transcription elongation. Consistent with its ‘Suppressor of Ty’ (Spt) phenotype, Spt6 inactivation caused localized H3 eviction over 1–2 nucleosomes at 5′ ends of Ty elements. H3 displacement differed between genes driven by promoters with ‘open’/DPN and ‘closed’/OPN chromatin conformations with similar pol II densities. More eviction occurred on genes with ‘closed’ promoters, associated with ‘noisy’ transcription. Moreover, swapping of ‘open’ and ‘closed’ promoters showed that they can specify distinct downstream patterns of histone eviction/deposition. These observations suggest a novel function for promoters in dictating histone dynamics within genes possibly through effects on transcriptional bursting or elongation rate.