Homologs of the chromatin-bound yeast silent information regulator 2 (SIR2) protein are found in organisms from all biological kingdoms. SIR2 itself was originally discovered to influence mating-type control in haploid cells by locus-specific transcriptional silencing. Since then, SIR2 and its homologs have been suggested to play additional roles in suppression of recombination, chromosomal stability, metabolic regulation, meiosis, and aging. Considering the far-ranging nature of these functions, a major experimental goal has been to understand the molecular mechanism(s) by which this family of proteins acts. We report here that members of the SIR2 family catalyze an NAD-nicotinamide exchange reaction that requires the presence of acetylated lysines such as those found in the N termini of histones. Significantly, these enzymes also catalyze histone deacetylation in a reaction that absolutely requires NAD, thereby distinguishing them from previously characterized deacetylases. The enzymes are active on histone substrates that have been acetylated by both chromatin assemblylinked and transcription-related acetyltransferases. Contrary to a recent report, we find no evidence that these proteins ADPribosylate histones. Discovery of an intrinsic deacetylation activity for the conserved SIR2 family provides a mechanism for modifying histones and other proteins to regulate transcription and diverse biological processes.Y east silent information regulator 2 (SIR2) protein functions in transcriptional silencing of the silent mating loci, telomeres, and rDNA (1-3). It is found in a chromatin-bound complex with SIR3 and SIR4 at the silent mating loci and telomeres, and in a different complex at rDNA (4-6). Four additional SIR2 homologs exist in yeast (HST1-4), and related proteins are found from archaeabacteria to eubacteria to mammals (7). Until recently, very little was known about the in vivo activity of this family of proteins. An important breakthrough came with the identification of the Salmonella typhimurium CobB protein as a SIR2 homolog (8). CobB can partially fulfill the requirement for CobT in vitamin B 12 synthesis. Because CobT protein was known to transfer ribose 5Ј-phosphate from nicotinic acid mononucleotide to a precursor of vitamin B 12 , it prompted tests of Sir2-like proteins for phosphoribosyltransferase activity. Indeed, Frye (9) found that Escherichia coli CobB had NAD-dependent ADP-ribosyltransferase activity. He also reported that both CobB and a human SIR2-like protein could transfer radioactivity from [ 32 P]NAD to albumin. Very recently, another group (10) reported that yeast SIR2 can ADP-ribosylate itself as well as histones and albumin.Here we show that members of the SIR2 family of enzymes catalyze an NAD-nicotinamide exchange reaction that requires the presence of acetylated lysines such as are found in the N termini of histones. Furthermore, these enzymes also catalyze histone deacetylation in a reaction that absolutely depends on NAD, thereby distinguishing them from previously known deacet...

Hat1 is the catalytic subunit of the only type B histone acetyltransferase known (HAT-B). The enzyme specifically acetylates lysine 12, and to a lesser extent lysine 5, of free, non-chromatin-bound histone H4. The complex is usually isolated with cytosolic fractions and is thought to be involved in chromatin assembly. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae HAT-B complex also contains Hat2, a protein stimulating Hat1 catalytic activity. We have now identified by two-hybrid experiments Hif1 as both a Hat1-and a histone H4-interacting protein. These interactions were dependent on HAT2, indicating a mediating role for Hat2. Biochemical fractionation and coimmunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that Hif1 is a component of a yeast heterotrimeric HAT-B complex, in which Hat2 bridges Hat1 and Hif1 proteins. In contrast to Hat2, this novel subunit does not appear to regulate Hat1 enzymatic activity. Nevertheless, similarly to Hat1, Hif1 influences telomeric silencing. In a localization analysis by immunofluorescence microscopy on yeast strains expressing tagged versions of Hat1, Hat2, and Hif1, we have found that all three HAT-B proteins are mainly localized in the nucleus. Thus, we propose that the distinction between A-and B-type enzymes should henceforth be based on their capacity to acetylate histones bound to nucleosomes and not on their location within the cell. Finally, by Western blotting assays, we have not detected differences in the in vivo acetylation of H4 lysine 12 (acK12H4) between wild-type and hat1⌬, hat2⌬, or hif1⌬ mutant strains, suggesting that the level of HAT-B-dependent acK12H4 may be very low under normal growth conditions.

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