Chromatin Structure of Altered Yeast Centromeres
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Proc. Nati. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 85, pp. 175-179, January 1988 Genetics Chromatin structure of altered yeast centromeres (nuclease chromatin mapping/Dra I sites/sequence-specific structures) MICHAEL SAUNDERS*, MOLLY FITZGERALD-HAYESt, AND KERRY BLOOM* *Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514; and tDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 Communicated by John Carbon, August 31, 1987 (receivedfor review June 8, 1987) ABSTRACT We have investigated the chromatin structure meres is, therefore, believed to result from interactions of wild-type and mutationally altered centromere sequences in between CEN DNA, CEN-specific DNA-binding proteins, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by using an indirect end- and histone proteins. labeling mapping strategy. Wild-type centromere DNA from The relationship between CEN DNA sequence and cen- chromosome III (CEN3) exhibits a nuclease-resistant chroma- tromere function has been investigated by constructing tin structure 220-250 base pairs long, centered around the centromere mutations in vitro and then assaying their segre- conserved centromere DNA element (CDE) III. A point mu- gation capacity in vivo (11-15). These experiments have tation in CDE III that changes a central cytidine to a thymidine indicated that alterations of certain conserved bases, such as and completely disrupts centromere function has lost the the central cytidine residue in CDE III, result in centromere chromatin conformation typically associated with the wild-type dysfunction. Similarly, deletion of CDE III yields a nonfunc- centromere. A second conserved DNA element, CDE I, is tional CEN. However, when CDE I is deleted, the centro- spatially separated from CDE HI by 78.86 A+T-rich base mere retains partial mitotic function (13, 14). Alteration ofthe pairs, which is termed CDE H. The sequence and spatial normal length ofCDE II decreases CEN function in a gradual requirements for CDE II are less stringent; alterations in CDE fashion. II length and sequence can be tolerated to a limited extent. In this report we have investigated the chromatin structure Nuclease-resistant cores are altered in dimension in two CDE of several centromere mutations. We demonstrate that the II CEN3 mutations. Two CDE I deletion mutations that retain nuclease-resistant chromatin core associated with the wild- partial centromere function also show nuclease-resistant re- type centromere is correlated with function. Specifically, gions of reduced size and intensity. The results from a number point mutations in CDE III that destroy centromere function of such altered centromeres indicate a correlation between the also destroy the nuclease-resistant region. The use ofrestric- presence of a protected core and centromere function. tion enzymes as probes for chromatin structure confirms the change in structure associated with loss of centromere The centromere is a specific domain on eukaryotic chromo- function. Centromere mutations that alter the distance be- somes that plays an essential role in the faithful segregation tween CDE I and CDE III alter the overall dimensions of the ofthe chromosomes during mitotic and meiotic cell divisions. nuclease-resistant core. CEN mutations deleted for CDE I Cytologically, the centromere has been defined as the region retain a residual nuclease-resistant structure that is reduced of the chromosome that interacts with the spindle fibers in intensity proportional to their loss of function. during cell division. It has been proposed that centromere- specific DNA-binding proteins mediate the interaction be- tween centromeres and spindle fibers. Following develop- MATERIALS AND METHODS ment of a functional assay for centromeres of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the centromeres of 11 of the 16 Strains. S. cerevisiae strain J17 (MATa, his2, adel, trpl, chromosomes have been isolated (1-6). These centromere metl4, ura3-52) was used as the host for the plasmid (CEN) sequences confer stable inheritance on autonomously transformations and for the CEN3 chromosomal substitu- replicating plasmids during mitosis and meiosis (1). Analysis 193-8b containing mutant CEN3 and comparison ofthe DNA sequences ofthe 11 centromeres tions. Substitution strain isolated has allowed description of several conserved se- BS154 substituted in chromosome III is MATa,URA3 (III), quence elements and their spatial organization (3, 6, 7). Each CEN3 BS154 (III), ura3-52(V), adel, metl4 (12). The other centromere has a highly conserved 8-base-pair (bp) region CEN3 substitution strains detailed in Fig. 1B were construct- known as centromere DNA element (CDE) I and a 25-bp ed by transforming the plasmids 303-7, 303-31, 303-42, and region of partial dyad symmetry known as CDE III. These 303-6 (kindly supplied by J. Carbon, University ofCalifornia, elements are separated from one another by a region ofDNA Santa Barbara, CA) in J17 as described (13, 16). that is 78-86 bp long and that is >90o A+T-rich, termed Medium. Cells were grown in synthetic medium [0.67% CDE II. These conserved structural features of yeast yeast nitrogen base, 2% (wt/vol) glucose, and 0.5% Casami- centromeres are suggestive of protein-binding domains. no acids]. Adenine, tryptophan, or uracil (50 ,g/ml) was The centromeric DNA is complexed with chromatin com- added when appropriate. ponents in the cell nucleus such that a 220- to 250-bp core Plasmids. Plasmids pd1314 and pBCT2 were obtained from centered around CDE III is resistant to nuclease digestion of McGrew et al. (11). Plasmid pYe(CEN3)30 has been de- the chromatin DNA (8-10). It has been demonstrated that scribed (3), and plasmids pYe(CEN3)30-C--A and pYe- high-salt washes (0.75-1.25 M NaCI) of the chromatin prior (CEN3)30-C->G are the equivalent plasmids containing CDE to nuclease treatment destroy the nuclease-resistant core. III point mutations described in Fig. 1A. The orientation of The nuclease-resistant core associated with yeast centro- the CEN3 fragment is reversed with respect to that in pYe(CEN3)30. Plasmid 303-6 AR was constructed by insert- ing ARS2 into the unique Xho I site of 303-6 (16). The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. Abbreviations: CEN, centromere; CDE, centromere DNA element. Downloaded by guest on September 27, 2021 175 176 Genetics: Saunders et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85 (1988) Preparation and Digestion of Yeast Nuclei. This procedure symmetric 25-bp CDE III is conserved in all 11 CEN was as described (8). Yeast cells were always grown in sequences analyzed. This degree ofconservation suggests an selective medium. For the restriction analysis ofcentromeric essential function for this nucleotide. In vitro mutagenesis chromatin structure, nuclei were resuspended in TC buffer has been used to alter this residue in a 624-bp CEN3 fragment (10 mM Tris HCl, pH 7.6/0.1 mM CaCl2/20 mM NaCl/10 creating a series of point mutations with an adenosine or mM MgCI2) and incubated 30 min with Dra I at 150 units/ml. guanosine replacing the wild-type cytidine (R. Ogden and Preparation and Analysis of DNA. Chromatin DNA was K.B., unpublished results). AC -- T mutation at this position extensively deproteinized as described (8). A portion of the in a 211-bp CEN3 derivative has been characterized (pBCT2, total DNA was cleaved with DNase I (50 ng/ml) following ref. 11). Both the wild-type 624-bp and the 211-bp CEN3 deproteinization (see Figs. 2 and 4). All DNA samples were DNAs contain CDE I, II, and III and have been shown to then digested to completion with HindIll. Molecular weight promote accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis markers were constructed from yeast DNA by appropriate and meiosis. When the mutated centromeres were tested for restriction endonuclease digestions. DNA fragments were their ability to stabilize autonomously replicating plasmids in electrophoresed in 1.5% or 1.9% agarose slab gels, trans- yeast, the thymidine mutation (pBCT2, ref. 11) was found to ferred to nitrocellulose sheets, and hybridized to a radiola- be essentially nonfunctional, and the adenosine and guano- beled 346-bp HindIII-BamHI fragment of pBR322 as de- sine mutations [pYE(CEN3)30-C--A and pYE(CEN3)30- scribed (8). The 346-bp fragment of pBR322 is adjacent to all C--G] were severely reduced in function (Fig. LA). The the centromere DNAs mapped. plasmids pBCT2 and pYe(CEN3)30-C-->A and -C-*G were only present in a small percent of the population due to their RESULTS unequal partitioning at each cell division. Their copy number in the plasmid-bearing cells was elevated to 20 copies per cell Chromatin Mapping ofCEN3 CDE m Point Mutations. The (unpublished observations). Thus a single base-pair change in central cytidine residue in the highly conserved, partially the CEN3 sequence could alter the segregation capabilities A. Element m TGTTTRTG * TTTCCGAAA * AAA Consensus 9109 79 910 710910101010106 8 8 6 CEN3 Element m TGTATTTGATTTCCGAAAGTTAAAAAAG Plasmid Loss per Generation pBCT2 C-T 0.35 pYe(CEN3)30 C-A 0.17 pYe(CEN3)30 C -G 0.21 pdl314 C 0.03 B. Spatial Arrangement of CEN3 Mutants Fraction of mated cells Alteration in population I 24 34 14 12 303-6 i . i - - 1.1 x 10 5 (Wild-type) BS154 I GC-rich m 24_34-r 14I -- |* *2 34 14 12 (70bp insertion 1.8 x 10-3 in CDE II ) 22 I m 303-7 24 12 (48bp deletion _ . _. 1.2 x 10-2 in CDE R ) m %.p34-r 14I - 14- 12- 303-42 i i i i 1.1 x 10 3 (74bp CDE ) 303-31 34 12 (46bp CDE I1) _ 4.2 x 10-2 FIG.