Transcription initiation factor IID-interactive histone chaperone CIA-II implicated in mammalian spermatogenesis

J Biol Chem. 2003 Sep 12;278(37):35660-7. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M303549200. Epub 2003 Jul 2.

Abstract

Histones are thought to have specific roles in mammalian spermatogenesis, because several subtypes of histones emerge that are post-translationally modified during spermatogenesis. Though regular assembly of nucleosome is guaranteed by histone chaperones, their involvement in spermatogenesis is yet to be characterized. Here we identified a histone chaperone-related factor, which we designated as CCG1-interacting factor A-II (CIA-II), through interaction with bromodomains of TAFII250/CCG1, which is the largest subunit of human transcription initiation factor IID (TFIID). We found that human CIA-II (hCIA-II) localizes in HeLa nuclei and is highly expressed in testis and other proliferating cell-containing tissues. Expression of mouse CIA-II (mCIA-II) does not occur in the germ cell-lacking testes of adult WBB6F1-W/Wv mutant mice, indicating its expression in testis to be specific to germ cells. Fractionation of testicular germ cells revealed that mCIA-II transcripts accumulate in pachytene spermatocytes but not in spermatids. In addition, the mCIA-II transcripts in testis were present as early as 4 days after birth and decreased at 56 days after birth. These findings indicate that mCIA-II expression in testis is restricted to premeiotic to meiotic stages during spermatogenesis. Also, we found that hCIA-II interacts with histone H3 in vivo and with histones H3/H4 in vitro and that it facilitates supercoiling of circular DNA when it is incubated with core histones and topoisomerase I in vitro. These data suggest that CIA-II is a histone chaperone and is implicated in the regulation of mammalian spermatogenesis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism*
  • Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Histones / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mammals
  • Molecular Chaperones / genetics
  • Molecular Chaperones / metabolism*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nucleosomes / physiology
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins*
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Spermatogenesis / physiology*
  • Transcription Factor TFIID / metabolism*

Substances

  • ASF1 protein, S cerevisiae
  • ASF1A protein, human
  • ASF1B protein, human
  • Asf1b protein, mouse
  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone
  • Histones
  • Molecular Chaperones
  • Nucleosomes
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Transcription Factor TFIID

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AB104486