What do the structures of GCN5-containing complexes teach us about their function?
Fiche publication
Date publication
juillet 2020
Journal
Biochimica et biophysica acta. Gene regulatory mechanisms
Auteurs
Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Dr DEVYS Didier, Dr TORA Laszlo
Tous les auteurs :
Helmlinger D, Papai G, Devys D, Tora L
Lien Pubmed
Résumé
Transcription initiation is a major regulatory step in eukaryotic gene expression. It involves the assembly of general transcription factors and RNA polymerase II into a functional pre-initiation complex at core promoters. The degree of chromatin compaction controls the accessibility of the transcription machinery to template DNA. Co-activators have critical roles in this process by actively regulating chromatin accessibility. Many transcriptional coactivators are multisubunit complexes, organized into distinct structural and functional modules and carrying multiple regulatory activities. The first nuclear histone acetyltransferase (HAT) characterized was General Control Non-derepressible 5 (Gcn5). Gcn5 was subsequently identified as a subunit of the HAT module of the Spt-Ada-Gcn5-acetyltransferase (SAGA) complex, which is an experimental paradigm for multifunctional co-activators. We know today that Gcn5 is the catalytic subunit of multiple distinct co-activator complexes with specific functions. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the structure of Gcn5-containing co-activator complexes, most notably SAGA, and discuss how these new structural insights contribute to better understand their functions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Gcn5: the quintessential histone acetyltransferase.
Mots clés
ADA complex, ADA two a containing (ATAC) complex, Chromatin, Histone acetyl transferase, Histone deubiquitylase, KAT2A, KAT2B, Modular organization, SAGA complex, Transcription
Référence
Biochim Biophys Acta Gene Regul Mech. 2020 Jul 30;:194614