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Nucleosome assembly is required for nuclear pore complex assembly in mouse zygotes
11] Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [2] Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [3] Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [4] Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
|June 9, 2014
Summary
Nucleosome assembly is essential for nuclear pore complex formation during early development. Depleting nucleosomes prevents nuclear pore complex assembly, impacting paternal pronuclear formation in mice.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Epigenetics
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Nucleosomes package DNA, regulating gene expression.
- Previous studies faced cell lethality challenges when attempting to delete nucleosomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the role of nucleosomes in nuclear envelope formation.
- Determine the necessity of nucleosomes for nuclear pore complex assembly.
Main Methods:
- Generated nucleosome-depleted paternal pronuclei in mouse zygotes by depleting histone H3.3 or HIRA.
- Observed nuclear envelope and nuclear pore complex formation in these modified zygotes.
- Assessed the localization and function of the nucleoporin ELYS.
Main Results:
- Nucleosome-depleted pronuclei lacked nuclear pore complexes.
- Defective localization of ELYS, a key protein for nuclear pore complex assembly, was observed.
- Tethering ELYS to the nuclear rim rescued nuclear pore complex assembly.
Conclusions:
- Nucleosome assembly is a prerequisite for nuclear pore complex assembly during paternal pronuclear formation.
- This finding reveals a novel function of nucleosomes in early mammalian development.
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