SummaryS phase and mitotic onset are brought about by the action of multiple different cyclin-CDK complexes. However, it has been suggested that changes in the total level of CDK kinase activity, rather than substrate specificity, drive the temporal ordering of S phase and mitosis. Here, we present a phosphoproteomics-based systems analysis of CDK substrates in fission yeast and demonstrate that the phosphorylation of different CDK substrates can be temporally ordered during the cell cycle by a single cyclin-CDK. This is achieved by rising CDK activity and the differential sensitivity of substrates to CDK activity over a wide dynamic range. This is combined with rapid phosphorylation turnover to generate clearly resolved substrate-specific activity thresholds, which in turn ensures the appropriate ordering of downstream cell-cycle events. Comparative analysis with wild-type cells expressing multiple cyclin-CDK complexes reveals how cyclin-substrate specificity works alongside activity thresholds to fine-tune the patterns of substrate phosphorylation.
Active regulatory elements in eukaryotes are typically characterized by an open, nucleosomedepleted chromatin structure; mapping areas of open chromatin has accordingly emerged as a widely used tool in the arsenal of modern functional genomics. However, existing approaches for profiling chromatin accessibility are limited by their reliance on DNA fragmentation and short read sequencing, which leaves them unable to provide information about the state of chromatin on larger scales or reveal coordination between the chromatin state of individual distal regulatory elements. To address these limitations, we have developed a method for profiling accessibility of individual chromatin fibers at multi-kilobase length scale (SMAC-seq, or Single-Molecule long-read Accessible Chromatin mapping sequencing assay), enabling the simultaneous, highresolution, single-molecule assessment of the chromatin state of distal genomic elements. Our strategy is based on combining the preferential methylation of open chromatin regions by DNA methyltransferases (CpG and GpC 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A) enzymes) and the ability of long-read single-molecule nanopore sequencing to directly read out the methylation state of individual DNA bases. Applying SMAC-seq to the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we demonstrate that aggregate SMAC-seq signals match bulk-level accessibility measurements, observe single-molecule protection footprints of nucleosomes and transcription factors, and quantify the correlation between the chromatin states of distal genomic elements..
Cell size is tightly controlled in healthy tissues, but it is poorly understood how cell size affects cell physiology. To address this, we measured how the proteome changes with cell size. Protein concentration changes are widespread, depend on the DNA-to-cell size ratio, and are predicted by subcellular localization, size-dependent mRNA concentrations, and protein turnover. As proliferating cells grow larger, concentration changes associated with cellular senescence are increasingly pronounced, suggesting that large size may be a cause rather than just a consequence of cell senescence. Consistent with this hypothesis, larger cells are prone to replicative-, DNA damage-, and CDK4/6i-induced senescence. More broadly, our findings show how cell size could impact many aspects of cell physiology through remodeling the proteome, thereby providing a rationale for cell size control to optimize cell function.
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