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First published online 16 January 2008
doi: 10.1242/dev.015362

Development 135, 699-705 (2008)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2008
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Ectopic histone H3S10 phosphorylation causes chromatin structure remodeling in Drosophila

Huai Deng1, Xiaomin Bao1, Weili Cai1, Melissa J. Blacketer1, Andrew S. Belmont2, Jack Girton1, Jørgen Johansen1 and Kristen M. Johansen1,*

1 Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
2 Department of Cell and Structural Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.

* Author for correspondence (e-mail: kristen{at}iastate.edu)

Accepted 4 December 2007

Histones are subject to numerous post-translational modifications that correlate with the state of higher-order chromatin structure and gene expression. However, it is not clear whether changes in these epigenetic marks are causative regulatory factors in chromatin structure changes or whether they play a mainly reinforcing or maintenance role. In Drosophila phosphorylation of histone H3S10 in euchromatic chromatin regions by the JIL-1 tandem kinase has been implicated in counteracting heterochromatization and gene silencing. Here we show, using a LacI-tethering system, that JIL-1 mediated ectopic histone H3S10 phosphorylation is sufficient to induce a change in higher-order chromatin structure from a condensed heterochromatin-like state to a more open euchromatic state. This effect was absent when a `kinase dead' LacI-JIL-1 construct without histone H3S10 phosphorylation activity was expressed. Instead, the `kinase dead' construct had a dominant-negative effect, leading to a disruption of chromatin structure that was associated with a global repression of histone H3S10 phosphorylation levels. These findings provide direct evidence that the epigenetic histone tail modification of H3S10 phosphorylation at interphase can function as a causative regulator of higher-order chromatin structure in Drosophila in vivo.

Key words: Histone H3S10 phosphorylation, Chromatin structure remodeling, JIL-1 kinase, Drosophila




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 J. Cell Sci.Home page
H. Deng, X. Bao, W. Cai, M. J. Blacketer, A. S. Belmont, J. Girton, J. Johansen, and K. M. Johansen
Ectopic histone H3S10 phosphorylation causes chromatin structure remodeling in Drosophila
J. Cell Sci., February 15, 2008; 121(4): e407 - e407.
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