ABSTRACT
The molecular mechanism by which foreign DNA integrates into the human genome is poorly understood yet critical to many disease processes, including retroviral infection and carcinogenesis, and to gene therapy. We hypothesized that the mechanism of genomic integration may be similar to transposition in lower organisms. We identified a protein, termed Metnase, that has a SET domain and a transposase/nuclease domain. Metnase methylates histone H3 lysines 4 and 36, which are associated with open chromatin. Metnase increases resistance to ionizing radiation and increases nonhomologous end-joining repair of DNA doublestrand breaks. Most significantly, Metnase promotes integration of exogenous DNA into the genomes of host cells. Therefore, Metnase is a nonhomologous end-joining repair protein that regulates genomic integration of exogenous DNA and establishes a relationship among histone modification, DNA repair, and integration. The data suggest a model wherein Metnase promotes integration of exogenous DNA by opening chromatin and facilitating joining of DNA ends. This study demonstrates that eukaryotic transposase domains can have important cell functions beyond transposition of genetic elements.
Subject(s)
DNA Methylation , DNA Repair Enzymes/genetics , DNA Repair/genetics , DNA/metabolism , Methyltransferases/genetics , Virus Integration/physiology , Amino Acid Sequence , Cell Line , DNA Primers , Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase , Histones/metabolism , Humans , Methyltransferases/classification , Molecular Sequence Data , Protein Structure, Tertiary , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Virus Integration/geneticsABSTRACT
Core binding factor (CBF) participates in specification of the hematopoietic stem cell and functions as a critical regulator of hematopoiesis. Translocation or point mutation of acute myeloid leukemia 1 (AML1)/RUNX1, which encodes the DNA-binding subunit of CBF, plays a central role in the pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplasia. We characterized the t(X;21)(p22.3;q22.1) in a patient with myelodysplasia that fuses AML1 in-frame to the novel partner gene FOG2/ZFPM2. The reciprocal gene fusions AML1-FOG2 and FOG2-AML1 are both expressed. AML1-FOG2, which fuses the DNA-binding domain of AML1 to most of FOG2, represses the transcriptional activity of both CBF and GATA1. AML1-FOG2 retains a motif that recruits the corepressor C-terminal binding protein (CtBP) and these proteins associate in a protein complex. These results suggest a central role for CtBP in AML1-FOG2 transcriptional repression and implicate coordinated disruption of the AML1 and GATAdevelopmental programs in the pathogenesis of myelodysplasia.