MT Cell Bio Flashcards
(395 cards)
structure of chromatin?
- always condensed in mammal/human cells
- most condensed (extremely condensed) during M phase, very visible chromosomes
- less condensed in interphase
- chromatin are in nucleosomes: they consist of DNA, histones, and non-histone proteins
- each nucleosome looks like ‘a bead’ on a string on beads, when chromatin unfolds/decondensed.
- Heterochromatin and Euchromatin:
how condensed is chromatin at each phase?
- more condensed during M phase (mitosis, condensed into distinct chromosomes)
- less condense, but still tightly packed even during S phase/interphase
structure of nucleosome
- nucleosome is the single basic unit of chromatin
- consists of DNA, histone, non-histone chromosomal protein (each contributing same mass)
- experiment to uncover chromatin/nucleosome structure: nucelase digestes the linker DNA (used to linke nucleosomes for more condensed chromatin)
- each nucleosome: complex of 8 histone proteins, 2 molecules each of H2A, H2B, H3 and H4. A double stranded DNA of 147bp and non-histone proteins which vary
- structural motif on histones: histone fold
structure of histones
- 2 copies of each: H2A, H2B, H3, H4
- each protein has a structural motif which allows them to form the octamer core: alpha helices called histone fold
- H2A-H2B dimer first combines with a tetramer H3-H4, then binds with another H2A-H2B dimer to form the histone core octomer. Formed through handshake interaction
- DNA then wraps around this core through extensive H-bonds, between backbone of amino asid and the sugar phosphate backbone of DNA. Also lots of salt linkages and hydorphobic bonds hold the 2 together
- DNA is v negatively charged (backbone), hence 1/5th of the aa in histones are lysine or arg, which have a very basic charge to neutralize and form stronger attractions
- highly flecible structure, serve as binding sites to lots of other sets of proteins: gene expression modification
How does nucleosomes have a dynamic structure, why?
- if not dynamic the genetic mechanisms such as gene expression, DNA replication, protein synthesis would be hindered or effected
- loosening DNA-histone to allow translation…etc, DNA partially unwraps the histone for exposure to other binding proteins
- the histone itself also binds to other porteins and is very flexible in conformation to allow dynamic changes of the nucleosome
- chromatin remodelling complexes help change the nucleosome structure: uses ATP to loosen the DNA
- ATP hydrolysis of that allows histone to be pulled along the DNA, to allow nucleosome sliding and loosening of DNA
- other non-histone proteins such as other histone chaperons can bind to histones to allow replacements and exchanges of histone domains
what are the types of non-histone proteins that may bind to nucleosomes?
- can bind to histones or DNA to make modificantion
- chromatin remodelling complexes: uses ATP hydrolysis to pull histone core along DNA to expose certain parts of DNA through nucleosome sliding
- histone chaperones: bind to histone to exhcange or replace histone or histone domains
- writers, readers, erasers.
- DNMT for DNA methylation…etc
how are nucelsomes in chromatines normally packed?
- very tightly and stacked ontop of each other in a zigzag model
- form a tetranucleosome normally w 30nm fibre
- linked tightly through histone tails, esp the H4 histone tail, histone tails of each nucleosome interact with each other forming linkages which bring nucleosomes together
- histone H1 (linker histone) less well conserved, binds to both histone and DNA, and changes the exit path of DNA from the nucleosome which allows closer packing of nucleosomes
- less well conserved because eukaryotic organisms have multiple H1s but they all binds to diff aa sequences on the histone.
how do nucleosomes remain dynamic
- histones w many binding sites available
- chromatin remodelling complexes: ATP hydrolysis driven
- histone chaperons: ATP driven
- h1 linker histones
- spontaneous wrapping adn unwrapping of DNA
- cells also contain lost of different complexes to target diff parts of DNA
what is the most important feature discovered about chromatin structure?
- certain types of chromatin structure can be inherited Iepigenetic inheritence)
- structure of chromatin in a cell can be directly passed down to its descendants
- cell memory inhertied in based on a chromosome structure rather than a DNA change
what is heterochromatin and its importance
- heterochromatin is a highly condensed form, the rest is less condensed euchromatin
- highly concentrated and compact in telomeres and centromeres
- DNA of heterochromatin contain few genes, and when a gene enters heterochromatin state it becomes switched off
- 10% genes are heterochromatins
- vary in which genes are heterochromatin, determined by other factors
- heterochromatin DNA restricts gene expression
what is Euchromatin
- majority of genes are euchromatin
- less tightly bound during interphase
what is the position effect?
- when a euchromatic gene/DNA is translocated into a heterochromatic area
- causes certain genes to become silenced
what is an example of positional effect
- in drosophila, translocation of a gene for normal eyes (white+ or wt)
- during early stage embryo, when this positional effect occurs, the white+ gene is in heterchromatin state, it becomes silenced and no pigment produced (loss of red pigment, and eyes turn white)
- this then becomes inherited by all of the flies progeny called: positional effect variegation.
Another example:
Barr bodies in X chromosomes of female mammals. Where one of the X chromosomes are inactivated randomely through heterochromtin, and this state is inherited by all cell’s progeny.
Lecture 2: epigenetic regulation of chromatin
Why have chromatin?
- package DNA to be inside cell
- protect DNA from breakage
- easier control of genes that need to be active in certain cell types
what is the strategy of heterochromatin
- positive feedback
- heterochromatin structures begets more heterochromatid
- which is then inherited by daughter cells, and expands further
- histone modification by enzymes
- histones can be modified and is reversable
- addition of acetyl groups to lysine tail by HATs, and HDACs -> activation bcuz removes the positive charge on lysine, hence less attraction
- methyl groups added to lysine by histone methyl transferase and histone demethylases -> methyl = silencing
- the recruitment of these enzymes are dependent on TFs and is very specific to sequences
- some can exceed longer than the TF binding and impact cell memory, and inherited by cell progeny.
what is the effect of modifying histones? Example?
- recruitment of more proteins to modify chromatin
- Example: trimethylation of lysine on H3 tail attracts HP1 protein which helps with the spread of heterochromatin
- modified histone acts with recruited proteins to determine gene expression, hence governs structure and function of cell
- histone varients in regulating chromatin and gene expression
- apart from the 4 highly conserved core histones (H2A, H2B, H3 and H4)
- also variant of histones that can assemble into nucleosomes: i.e H3.3 variant of H3 allos for transcriptional activation functions, H3 variant CENP-A allows centromere function and kinetochore assembly; H2AX allows DNA repair and recombination, H2AZ allows gene expression and chromosome segregation, and H2A macro allows transcriptional repression and X chromosome inactivation
- H4 has no variants yet
- these histone variants are incorporated into already formed histones by chromatin remodelling complexes through ATP hydrolysis in the histone exchange process
- variants are not highly conserved
- Most histones are still the standard 4, but there are a few variants
- major histones are synthesised during the S phase of interphase and assembled into nucelosome of the daughter DNA right after the replication fork
- variant histones are synthesised throughout interphase
- variants are incorporated during exchange histone process in a VERY HIGHLY SELECTVE MANNER
How are covalent modification of histone variants used to control chromosome function?
- using the histone code, the distinct marking on nucleosome through histone variants and histone modifications (such as methylation…etc)
- some combinations have specific meaning to determine chromosome function such as to makr a single chromatin is newly replicated, to mark what gene expression needs to take place.
- various other regulatory proteins which contain small and specific domains to these histone code can bind and recognize these marks
- marks are dynamic, added or removed dependent on environment and signals
- very accessible and dynamic because histone tails extends outwards, so can even be modified when condensed
- SUMMARY: combination of histone modification/histone code, come together to be recognized and attract binding of regulatory protein!
what is a reader complex?
- a protein complex linked together on the histone which has a combination of histone modeifications/codes to mark DNA, which attract additional proteins to regulatr or initiate biological functions at the right time
mechanism of histone modification -> gene expression changes
- E.g spread of heterochromatin along chromatin (positional effect variegation)
- A regulatory protein recruits a protein which causes histone modification/marks, and hence recruits a reader protein which recognizes the histone modification and binds to it
- covalent modification on histone tails act as a mark, a nd in combination attracts other components such as a protein complex w catalytic activities and binding sites to allow for biological functions: like gene silencing, gene expression
what are some examples of histone modification and its meaning
- many modification on H3 tail
- i.e trimehylation of the 9th lysine causes heterochromatin formation and gene silencing by attracting HP1 protein which induces heterochromatin and spreads it
- trimethylation of 27th lysine causes gene silencing through polycomb repressive complex
what organizes chromatin structure and prevents confusion of adjacent chromatin structures?
- certain DNA sequences act as domains to mark boundaries of chromatin domains, and separate them to prevent confusion
- E.g in precursor cells of red blood cells, HS4 sequence separates active chromatin domaun with human B globin locus vital for red blood cell function, from a region of silences chromatin. If this seqeunce was deleted, the beta globin locus is invaded by condensed chromatin, and causes its silencing (position effect variegation) causes severe anemia
- in experiments where they explored the addition of HS4 sequence in mammalian genome, if protects gene from silencing by preventing spread of heterochromatin This is because barrier sequence has clustor of binding site for histone acetylase enzyme. This is because, lysine methylation is required for heterochromatin spread, however the methylated lysine is incompatible w acetylated lysine on close side chains. Hence acetylsing lysine before heterochromatin region prevents the spread of heterochromatin, by prevent methylated lysines from forming.
- othe rmethods are also present to prevent heterochromatin formation
How are chromatin structures in centromere different, why?
- histone variant CENP-A in centromere can form special structures,
- histone variants often have more long lasting marks on chromatin
- centromeres are regions of chromosomes required for attachment of spindle fibres during metaphase and anaphase to allow correct segregation.
- centromere = heterochromatin
- in complex organisms like humans, the centromere is embedded ina a stretch of centromeric chromatin which persists throughout interphase even though the mitotic fibre only attaches during M phase.
- this chromatin (where centromere is in) has special H3 variant CENP-A and additional proteins which allow a very dense nucleosome arrangement to from kinetochore, which is a special feature required for mitotic spindle attachment
- researches and studies have shown that formation of centromere requires an assembly of proteins and histone variants such as CENP-A, but might not require specific centromere DNA sequences like alpha satelites (which were prev. though tb essential)