Scmh1 has E3 ubiquitin ligase activity for geminin and histone H2A and regulates geminin stability directly or indirectly via transcriptional repression of Hoxa9 and Hoxb4

Shin'ichiro Yasunaga, Motoaki Ohtsubo, Yoshinori Ohno, Keita Saeki, Toshiaki Kurogi, Miki Tanaka-Okamoto, Hiroyoshi Ishizaki, Manabu Shirai, Keichiro Mihara, Hugh W. Brock, Jun Miyoshi, Yoshihiro Takihara

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Polycomb-group (PcG) complex 1 acts as an E3 ubiquitin ligase both for histone H2A to silence transcription and for geminin to regulate its stability. Scmh1 is a substoichiometric component of PcG complex 1 that provides the complex with an interaction domain for geminin. Scmh1 is unstable and regulated through the ubiquitin-proteasome system, but its molecular roles are unknown, so we generated Scmh1-deficient mice to elucidate its function. Loss of Scmh1 caused derepression of Hoxb4 and Hoxa9, direct targets of PcG complex 1-mediated transcriptional silencing in hematopoietic cells. Double knockdown of Hoxb4 and Hoxa9 or transduction of a dominant-negative Hoxb4N→A mutant caused geminin accumulation. Age-related transcriptional downregulation of derepressed Hoxa9 also leads to geminin accumulation. Transduction of Scmh1 lacking a geminin-binding domain restored derepressed expression of Hoxb4 and Hoxa9 but did not downregulate geminin like full-length Scmh1. Each of Hoxb4 and Hoxa9 can form a complex with Roc1-Ddb1-Cul4a to act as an E3 ubiquitin ligase for geminin. We suggest that geminin dysregulation may be restored by derepressed Hoxb4 and Hoxa9 in Scmh1-deficient mice. These findings suggest that PcG and a subset of Hox genes compose a homeostatic regulatory system for determining expression level of geminin.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)644-660
Number of pages17
JournalMolecular and Cellular Biology
Volume33
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 02-2013
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Scmh1 has E3 ubiquitin ligase activity for geminin and histone H2A and regulates geminin stability directly or indirectly via transcriptional repression of Hoxa9 and Hoxb4'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this