8vnv

PRC2_AJ1-450 bound to H3K36me3 with histone H3 tail engagedPRC2_AJ1-450 bound to H3K36me3 with histone H3 tail engaged

Structural highlights

8vnv is a 9 chain structure with sequence from Homo sapiens. Full crystallographic information is available from OCA. For a guided tour on the structure components use FirstGlance.
Method:	Electron Microscopy, Resolution 3.1Å
Ligands:	,
Resources:	FirstGlance, OCA, PDBe, RCSB, PDBsum, ProSAT

Disease

SUZ12_HUMAN A chromosomal aberration involving SUZ12 may be a cause of endometrial stromal tumors. Translocation t(7;17)(p15;q21) with JAZF1. The translocation generates the JAZF1-SUZ12 oncogene consisting of the N-terminus part of JAZF1 and the C-terminus part of SUZ12. It is frequently found in all cases of endometrial stromal tumors, except in endometrial stromal sarcomas, where it is rarer.^[1]

Function

SUZ12_HUMAN Polycomb group (PcG) protein. Component of the PRC2/EED-EZH2 complex, which methylates 'Lys-9' (H3K9me) and 'Lys-27' (H3K27me) of histone H3, leading to transcriptional repression of the affected target gene. The PRC2/EED-EZH2 complex may also serve as a recruiting platform for DNA methyltransferases, thereby linking two epigenetic repression systems. Genes repressed by the PRC2/EED-EZH2 complex include HOXC8, HOXA9, MYT1 and CDKN2A.^[2] ^[3] ^[4] ^[5] ^[6] ^[7]

Publication Abstract from PubMed

Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) trimethylates histone H3 on K27 (H3K27me3) leading to gene silencing that is essential for embryonic development and maintenance of cell identity. PRC2 is regulated by protein cofactors and their crosstalk with histone modifications. Trimethylated histone H3 on K4 (H3K4me3) and K36 (H3K36me3) localize to sites of active transcription and inhibit PRC2 activity through unknown mechanisms. Using cryo-electron microscopy, we reveal that histone H3 tails containing H3K36me3 engage poorly with PRC2 and preclude its effective interaction with chromatin, while H3K4me3 binds to the allosteric site in the EED subunit, acting as an antagonist that competes with activators required for spreading of the H3K27me3 repressive mark. Thus, the location of the H3K4me3 and H3K36me3 modifications along the H3 tail allows them to target two requirements for efficient trimethylation of H3K27 by PRC2. We further show that the JARID2 cofactor modulates PRC2 activity in the presence of these histone modifications.

Structural basis for the inhibition of PRC2 by active transcription histone posttranslational modifications.,Cookis T, Lydecker A, Sauer P, Kasinath V, Nogales E Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2025 Jan 7. doi: 10.1038/s41594-024-01452-x. PMID:39774834^[8]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

References

↑ Koontz JI, Soreng AL, Nucci M, Kuo FC, Pauwels P, van Den Berghe H, Dal Cin P, Fletcher JA, Sklar J. Frequent fusion of the JAZF1 and JJAZ1 genes in endometrial stromal tumors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 May 22;98(11):6348-53. PMID:11371647 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.101132598
↑ Cao R, Zhang Y. SUZ12 is required for both the histone methyltransferase activity and the silencing function of the EED-EZH2 complex. Mol Cell. 2004 Jul 2;15(1):57-67. PMID:15225548 doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2004.06.020
↑ Kirmizis A, Bartley SM, Kuzmichev A, Margueron R, Reinberg D, Green R, Farnham PJ. Silencing of human polycomb target genes is associated with methylation of histone H3 Lys 27. Genes Dev. 2004 Jul 1;18(13):1592-605. PMID:15231737 doi:10.1101/gad.1200204
↑ Pasini D, Bracken AP, Jensen MR, Lazzerini Denchi E, Helin K. Suz12 is essential for mouse development and for EZH2 histone methyltransferase activity. EMBO J. 2004 Oct 13;23(20):4061-71. Epub 2004 Sep 23. PMID:15385962 doi:10.1038/sj.emboj.7600402
↑ Bracken AP, Dietrich N, Pasini D, Hansen KH, Helin K. Genome-wide mapping of Polycomb target genes unravels their roles in cell fate transitions. Genes Dev. 2006 May 1;20(9):1123-36. Epub 2006 Apr 17. PMID:16618801 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/gad.381706
↑ Bracken AP, Kleine-Kohlbrecher D, Dietrich N, Pasini D, Gargiulo G, Beekman C, Theilgaard-Monch K, Minucci S, Porse BT, Marine JC, Hansen KH, Helin K. The Polycomb group proteins bind throughout the INK4A-ARF locus and are disassociated in senescent cells. Genes Dev. 2007 Mar 1;21(5):525-30. PMID:17344414 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/gad.415507
↑ Sarma K, Margueron R, Ivanov A, Pirrotta V, Reinberg D. Ezh2 requires PHF1 to efficiently catalyze H3 lysine 27 trimethylation in vivo. Mol Cell Biol. 2008 Apr;28(8):2718-31. doi: 10.1128/MCB.02017-07. Epub 2008 Feb, 19. PMID:18285464 doi:10.1128/MCB.02017-07
↑ Cookis T, Lydecker A, Sauer P, Kasinath V, Nogales E. Structural basis for the inhibition of PRC2 by active transcription histone posttranslational modifications. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2025 Jan 7. PMID:39774834 doi:10.1038/s41594-024-01452-x

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OCA

[1] Koontz JI, Soreng AL, Nucci M, Kuo FC, Pauwels P, van Den Berghe H, Dal Cin P, Fletcher JA, Sklar J. Frequent fusion of the JAZF1 and JJAZ1 genes in endometrial stromal tumors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 May 22;98(11):6348-53. PMID:11371647 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.101132598

[2] Cao R, Zhang Y. SUZ12 is required for both the histone methyltransferase activity and the silencing function of the EED-EZH2 complex. Mol Cell. 2004 Jul 2;15(1):57-67. PMID:15225548 doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2004.06.020

[3] Kirmizis A, Bartley SM, Kuzmichev A, Margueron R, Reinberg D, Green R, Farnham PJ. Silencing of human polycomb target genes is associated with methylation of histone H3 Lys 27. Genes Dev. 2004 Jul 1;18(13):1592-605. PMID:15231737 doi:10.1101/gad.1200204

[4] Pasini D, Bracken AP, Jensen MR, Lazzerini Denchi E, Helin K. Suz12 is essential for mouse development and for EZH2 histone methyltransferase activity. EMBO J. 2004 Oct 13;23(20):4061-71. Epub 2004 Sep 23. PMID:15385962 doi:10.1038/sj.emboj.7600402

[5] Bracken AP, Dietrich N, Pasini D, Hansen KH, Helin K. Genome-wide mapping of Polycomb target genes unravels their roles in cell fate transitions. Genes Dev. 2006 May 1;20(9):1123-36. Epub 2006 Apr 17. PMID:16618801 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/gad.381706

[6] Bracken AP, Kleine-Kohlbrecher D, Dietrich N, Pasini D, Gargiulo G, Beekman C, Theilgaard-Monch K, Minucci S, Porse BT, Marine JC, Hansen KH, Helin K. The Polycomb group proteins bind throughout the INK4A-ARF locus and are disassociated in senescent cells. Genes Dev. 2007 Mar 1;21(5):525-30. PMID:17344414 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/gad.415507

[7] Sarma K, Margueron R, Ivanov A, Pirrotta V, Reinberg D. Ezh2 requires PHF1 to efficiently catalyze H3 lysine 27 trimethylation in vivo. Mol Cell Biol. 2008 Apr;28(8):2718-31. doi: 10.1128/MCB.02017-07. Epub 2008 Feb, 19. PMID:18285464 doi:10.1128/MCB.02017-07

[8] Cookis T, Lydecker A, Sauer P, Kasinath V, Nogales E. Structural basis for the inhibition of PRC2 by active transcription histone posttranslational modifications. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2025 Jan 7. PMID:39774834 doi:10.1038/s41594-024-01452-x

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