WDHD1 modulates the post-transcriptional step of the centromeric silencing pathway.

The centromere is a highly specialized chromosomal element that is essential for chromosome segregation during mitosis. Centromere integrity must therefore be properly preserved and is strictly dependent upon the establishment and maintenance of surrounding chromatin structure. Here we identify WDHD1, a WD40-domain and HMG-domain containing protein, as a key regulator of centromere function. We show that WDHD1 associates with centromeres in a cell cycle-dependent manner, coinciding with mid-to-late S phase. WDHD1 down-regulation compromises HP1α localization to pericentric heterochromatin and leads to altered expression of epigenetic markers associated with this chromatin region. As a consequence, such reduced epigenetic silencing is manifested in disrupted heterochromatic state of the centromere and a defective mitosis. Moreover, we demonstrate that a possible underlying mechanism of WDHD1's involvement lies in the proper generation of the small non-coding RNAs encoded by the centromeric satellite repeats. This role is mediated at the post-transcriptional level and likely through stabilizing Dicer association with centromeric RNA. Collectively, these findings suggest that WDHD1 may be a critical component of the RNA-dependent epigenetic control mechanism that sustains centromere integrity and genomic stability.

Dephosphorylation of nucleophosmin by PP1ß facilitates pRB binding and consequent E2F1-dependent DNA repair.

Nucleophosmin (NPM) is an important phosphoprotein with pleiotropic functions in various cellular processes. Although phosphorylation has been postulated as an important functional determinant, possible regulatory roles of this modification on NPM are not fully characterized. Here, we find that NPM is dephosphorylated on various threonine residues (Thr199 and Thr234/237) in response to UV-induced DNA damage. Further experiments indicate that the serine/threonine protein phosphatase PP1ß is a physiological NPM phosphatase under both the genotoxic stress and growth conditions. As a consequence, NPM in its hypophosphorylated state facilitates DNA repair. Finally, our results suggest that one possible mechanism of this protective response lies in enhanced NPM-retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (pRB) interaction, leading to the relief of the repressive pRB-E2F1 circuitry and the consequent transcriptional activation of E2F1 and several downstream DNA repair genes. Thus, this study unveils a key phosphatase of NPM and highlights a novel mechanism by which the PP1ß-NPM pathway contributes to cellular DNA damage response.