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Updated: Jul 25, 2025

Author Spotlight: Imaging ATG9A, a Multi-Spanning Membrane Protein
Published on: June 16, 2023
Molecular basis of RanGTP-activated release of Histones H2A-H2B from Importin-9
Joy M Shaffer1, Jenny Jiou2, Kiran Tripathi1
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, USA.
Abstract:
Imp9 is the primary importin for shuttling H2A-H2B from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. It employs an unusual mechanism where the binding of RanGTP is insufficient to release H2A-H2B. The resulting stable RanGTP·Imp9·H2A-H2B complex gains nucleosome assembly activity with H2A-H2B able to be deposited into an assembling nucleosome in vitro. Using hydrogen-deuterium exchange coupled with mass spectrometry (HDX), we show that Imp9 stabilizes H2A-H2B beyond the direct-binding site, like other histone chaperones. HDX also shows that binding of RanGTP releases H2A-H2B contacts at Imp9 HEAT repeats 4-5, but not 18-19. DNA- and histone-binding surfaces of H2A-H2B are exposed in the ternary complex, facilitating nucleosome assembly. We also reveal that RanGTP has a weaker affinity for Imp9 when H2A-H2B is bound. Imp9 thus provides a connection between the nuclear import of H2A-H2B and its deposition into chromatin.
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