This domain is found at the C-terminal of Clr3 (Cryptic loci regulator 3) also known as histone deacetylase clr3 (EC:3.5.1.98). Structure analysis reveals that the Arb2 domain has clear homology to alpha/beta-hydrolases but that it is lacking the catalytic triad of these enzymes. Structural and histone binding ability characterization of the ARB2 domain of a histone deacetylase Hda1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was published (Shen et al.) and from Saccharomyces pombe (Job et al.). Functional studies show that the Arb2 domain is necessary for centromeric heterochromatin silencing suggesting a model where the Arb2 domain, through residues N562 and Y563, acts as an anchor that connects the HDAC activity of Clr3 to the SHREC complex. SHREC (Snf2/Hdac Repressive) complex in fission yeast drives transcriptional gene silencing in heterochromatin (Job et al.)
Nucleosome remodeling and deacetylation (NuRD) complexes are co-transcriptional regulators implicated in differentiation, development, and diseases. Methyl-CpG binding domain (MBD) proteins play an essential role in recruitment of NuRD complexes to their target sites in chromatin. The related SHREC complex in fission yeast drives transcriptional gene silencing in heterochromatin through cooperation with HP1 proteins. How remodeler and histone deacetylase (HDAC) cooperate within NuRD complexes remains unresolved. We determined that in SHREC the two modules occupy distant sites on the scaffold protein Clr1 and that repressive activity of SHREC can be modulated by the expression level of the HDAC-associated Clr1 domain alone. Moreover, the crystal structure of Clr2 reveals an MBD-like domain mediating recruitment of the HDAC module to heterochromatin. Thus, SHREC bi-functionality is organized in two separate modules with separate recruitment mechanisms, which work together to elicit transcriptional silencing at heterochromatic loci.
Title: Structural and histone binding ability characterization of the ARB2 domain of a histone deacetylase Hda1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae Shen H, Zhu Y, Wang C, Yan H, Teng M, Li X Ref: Sci Rep, 6:33905, 2016 : PubMed
Hda1 is the catalytic core component of the H2B- and H3- specific histone deacetylase (HDAC) complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is involved in the epigenetic repression and plays a crucial role in transcriptional regulation and developmental events. Though the N-terminal catalytic HDAC domain of Hda1 is well characterized, the function of the C-terminal ARB2 domain remains unknown. In this study, we determine the crystal structure of the ARB2 domain from S. cerevisiae Hda1 at a resolution of 2.7 A. The ARB2 domain displays an alpha/beta sandwich architecture with an arm protruding outside. Two ARB2 domain molecules form a compact homo-dimer via the arm elements, and assemble as an inverse "V" shape. The pull-down and ITC results reveal that the ARB2 domain possesses the histone binding ability, recognizing both the H2A-H2B dimer and H3-H4 tetramer. Perturbation of the dimer interface abolishes the histone binding ability of the ARB2 domain, indicating that the unique dimer architecture of the ARB2 domain coincides with the function for anchoring to histone. Collectively, our data report the first structure of the ARB2 domain and disclose its histone binding ability, which is of benefit for understanding the deacetylation reaction catalyzed by the class II Hda1 HDAC complex.
The RNA-induced transcriptional silencing (RITS) complex, containing Ago1, Chp1, Tas3 and centromeric small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), is required for heterochromatic gene silencing at centromeres. Here, we identify a second fission yeast Argonaute complex (Argonaute siRNA chaperone, ARC), which contains, in addition to Ago1, two previously uncharacterized proteins, Arb1 and Arb2, both of which are required for histone H3 Lys9 (H3-K9) methylation, heterochromatin assembly and siRNA generation. Furthermore, whereas siRNAs in the RITS complex are mostly single-stranded, siRNAs associated with ARC are mostly double-stranded, indicating that Arb1 and Arb2 inhibit the release of the siRNA passenger strand from Ago1. Consistent with this observation, purified Arb1 inhibits the slicer activity of Ago1 in vitro, and purified catalytically inactive Ago1 contains only double-stranded siRNA. Finally, we show that slicer activity is required for the siRNA-dependent association of Ago1 with chromatin and for the spreading of histone H3-K9 methylation.
