The Histone Chaperone Nrp1 Is Required for Chromatin Stability And
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Lian et al. Epigenetics & Chromatin (2021) 14:34 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13072-021-00409-4 Epigenetics & Chromatin RESEARCH Open Access The histone chaperone Nrp1 is required for chromatin stability and nuclear division in Tetrahymena thermophila Yinjie Lian1, Huijuan Hao1, Jing Xu1,2, Tao Bo1, Aihua Liang1 and Wei Wang1* Abstract Histone chaperones facilitate DNA replication and repair by promoting chromatin assembly, disassembly and histone exchange. Following histones synthesis and nucleosome assembly, the histones undergo posttranslational modifca- tion by diferent enzymes and are deposited onto chromatins by various histone chaperones. In Tetrahymena ther- mophila, histones from macronucleus (MAC) and micronucleus (MIC) have been comprehensively investigated, but the function of histone chaperones remains unclear. Histone chaperone Nrp1 in Tetrahymena contains four conserved tetratricopepeptide repeat (TPR) domains and one C-terminal nuclear localization signal. TPR2 is typically interrupted by a large acidic motif. Immunofuorescence staining showed that Nrp1 is located in the MAC and MICs, but disap- peared in the apoptotic parental MAC and the degraded MICs during the conjugation stage. Nrp1 was also colocal- ized with α-tubulin around the spindle structure. NRP1 knockdown inhibited cellular proliferation and led to the loss of chromosome, abnormal macronuclear amitosis, and disorganized micronuclear mitosis during the vegetative growth stage. During sexual developmental stage, the gametic nuclei failed to be selected and abnormally degraded in NRP1 knockdown mutants. Afnity purifcation combined with mass spectrometry analysis indicated that Nrp1 is co-purifed with core histones, heat shock proteins, histone chaperones, and DNA damage repair proteins. The physi- cal direct interaction of Nrp1 and Asf1 was also confrmed by pull-down analysis in vitro. The results show that histone chaperone Nrp1 is involved in micronuclear mitosis and macronuclear amitosis in the vegetative growth stage and maintains gametic nuclei formation during the sexual developmental stage. Nrp1 is required for chromatin stability and nuclear division in Tetrahymena thermophila. Keywords: Tetrahymena thermophila, Histone chaperone, Chromatin stability, Nuclear division Introduction high-order chromatin structuring [3]. Te structural and Eukaryotic cells compact genomic DNA into chroma- functional diversity of nucleosomes is produced by post- tin to ft inside the nucleus. Te nucleosome is the basic translational modifcations of the histones and by histone subunit of chromatin. It contains two copies of core his- variants [4]. When the chromatin structure undergoes tone and DNA wrapping around the histone octamer dynamic changes, histones are not continuously associ- with an approximate length of 146 bp [1, 2]. H1 associ- ated with DNA. Newly synthesized histones need to be ated with linker DNA links adjacent nucleosomes for escorted and transported into the nucleus and targeted to the required location, while old or damaged histones *Correspondence: [email protected] are discarded [5]. Free basic histones are harmful to cells 1 Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering because of disorganized interactions and aggregation. of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biotechnology, Shanxi University, 92 Tus, cellular histones are not present in isolation but Wucheng Rd., Taiyuan 030006, China Full list of author information is available at the end of the article are instead complexed with other proteins that neutralize © The Author(s) 2021. 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The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creat iveco mmons. org/ publi cdoma in/ zero/1. 0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data. Lian et al. Epigenetics & Chromatin (2021) 14:34 Page 2 of 17 their positive charge [5, 6]. Histone chaperones accom- starved. During the sexual developmental stage, MICs pany diferent histones to interact with DNA and other perform meiosis and produce four meiotic products. One macromolecules and facilitate nucleosome formation or of them undergoes a prezygotic mitosis to produce two disassembly [7, 8]. pronuclei. Te exchange and fusion of the pronuclei pro- According to binding specifcities and sequences and duce a zygotic nucleus. Te zygotic nucleus performs two structural similarities, histone chaperones are classifed mitoses and produces four products. Te two products at into several families [9, 10]. One family is the nuclear the anterior part form new MACs (NMs), the two prod- autoantigenic sperm protein (NASP) family, which is also ucts at the posterior part become the new MICs. NMs known as the N1/N2 family [11]. In Saccharomyces cer- undergo genome rearrangement and replicate. Finally, evisiae, NASP homolog Hif1 (histone acetyltransferase the conjugating cells separate and become exconju- 1-interacting factor 1) interacts with histone acetyl- gants, and one of the MICs is resorbed. Te exconjugant transferase Hat1 and Hat2 to form the nuclear HAT-B resumes proliferation under nutrition conditions [30, 31]. complex, which recognizes the post-translational modif- Te separation of MAC and MIC is reminiscent of meta- cations of the H3 tail and catalyzes the acetylation of the zoans, where distinct germ cells and somatic cells are histone H4 tail. Hif1 interacts with the H2A-H2B dimer maintained [32]. Te MAC and the MIC have diferent and H3-H4 tetramer via distinct mechanisms [12–14]. histones, histone modifcation, and chromatin structure. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, NASP homolog Sim3 Micronucleus-specifc histone H1 (Mlh1) is diferent (start independent of mitosis 3) specifcally deposits cen- from macronuclear H1 (Hho1) and H1 from other organ- tromere histone H3 [15, 16]. NASP-1 forms transcrip- isms [33, 34]. Te transcriptionally active MAC contains tional repressor complex with histone deacetylase HDA-1 a histone hvl (H2A variant), and the hvl protein is absent and zinc fnger-containing protein Tra4 to repress male- from the MIC, except in the early stages of conjugation specifc genes expression and promote female develop- [35]. Te MIC contains a quantitatively minor H3 that is ment in Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodites [17]. In derived from MAC’s H3 by a specifc proteolytic cleav- Xenopus laevis, N1/N2 allows the progressive release of age of six amino acid residues [36, 37]. Histone variants histones after fertilization and thus ensures nucleosomal and isoforms dynamically regulate chromatin structure assembly during rapid cell divisions in early develop- and epigenetic signaling to maintain cell homeostasis. ment [18, 19]. Reducing mammalian NASP in tissue cul- Tese processes require controlled spatial and temporal ture cells results in a defect in cell proliferation. Te lack deposition and the eviction of histones by their dedicated of NASP function in mice causes early embryonic lethal- chaperones. ity [17, 20]. Arabidopsis NASP binds the histone vari- In the present study, we identifed a new NASP-related ant CenH3 and afects its abundance at the centromeres protein 1 (Nrp1) in T. thermophila. Nrp1 localized to [21]. Mammals have two alternatively spliced isoforms of the MAC and MIC, and disappeared in the apoptotic NASP: testis-specifc NASP (tNASP) and somatic form of parental MAC and the degraded MICs. NRP1 knock- NASP (sNASP). Te NASP splice variants are present in down inhibited cellular proliferation and led to abnormal most vertebrate species and generate functional diversity micronuclear mitosis and macronuclear amitosis during in somatic and germline cells. tNASP is found in cancer, the vegetative growth stage. During conjugation stage, embryonic, and germ cells, it is a HSP90 cochaperone NRP1 knockdown led to gametic nuclear abnormality for the assembly of the H3-H4 units. sNASP is highly and nuclear selection failure. Te interaction proteins of expressed in all dividing cells, it is part of a core complex Nrp1 were identifed by afnity purifcation combined composed of the HAT1 holoenzyme (composed of the with the mass spectrometry (AP-MS) analysis of endog- RbAp46 and HAT1 proteins) and H3-H4 [22–25]. Te enously tagged Nrp1-HA proteins. Te physical direct members of NASP family have a plethora of interacting interaction of Nrp1 and Asf1 was also confrmed by pull- partners, through which they are involved in many difer- down analysis in vitro. Tese results indicate that Nrp1 ent aspects of nuclear metabolism. Te potential involve- is required for chromatin stability and nuclear division in ment of NASP in DNA replication, recombination, and Tetrahymena. repair requires further investigation [26–28]. Tetrahymena