Phosphorylation of histone H3T6 by PKCbeta(I) controls demethylation at histone H3K4.

Article Details

Citation

Metzger E, Imhof A, Patel D, Kahl P, Hoffmeyer K, Friedrichs N, Muller JM, Greschik H, Kirfel J, Ji S, Kunowska N, Beisenherz-Huss C, Gunther T, Buettner R, Schule R

Phosphorylation of histone H3T6 by PKCbeta(I) controls demethylation at histone H3K4.

Nature. 2010 Apr 1;464(7289):792-6. doi: 10.1038/nature08839. Epub 2010 Mar 14.

PubMed ID
20228790 [ View in PubMed
]
Abstract

Demethylation at distinct lysine residues in histone H3 by lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) causes either gene repression or activation. As a component of co-repressor complexes, LSD1 contributes to target gene repression by removing mono- and dimethyl marks from lysine 4 of histone H3 (H3K4). In contrast, during androgen receptor (AR)-activated gene expression, LSD1 removes mono- and dimethyl marks from lysine 9 of histone H3 (H3K9). Yet, the mechanisms that control this dual specificity of demethylation are unknown. Here we show that phosphorylation of histone H3 at threonine 6 (H3T6) by protein kinase C beta I (PKCbeta(I), also known as PRKCbeta) is the key event that prevents LSD1 from demethylating H3K4 during AR-dependent gene activation. In vitro, histone H3 peptides methylated at lysine 4 and phosphorylated at threonine 6 are no longer LSD1 substrates. In vivo, PKCbeta(I) co-localizes with AR and LSD1 on target gene promoters and phosphorylates H3T6 after androgen-induced gene expression. RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown of PKCbeta(I) abrogates H3T6 phosphorylation, enhances demethylation at H3K4, and inhibits AR-dependent transcription. Activation of PKCbeta(I) requires androgen-dependent recruitment of the gatekeeper kinase protein kinase C (PKC)-related kinase 1 (PRK1). Notably, increased levels of PKCbeta(I) and phosphorylated H3T6 (H3T6ph) positively correlate with high Gleason scores of prostate carcinomas, and inhibition of PKCbeta(I) blocks AR-induced tumour cell proliferation in vitro and cancer progression of tumour xenografts in vivo. Together, our data establish that androgen-dependent kinase signalling leads to the writing of the new chromatin mark H3T6ph, which in consequence prevents removal of active methyl marks from H3K4 during AR-stimulated gene expression.

DrugBank Data that Cites this Article

Polypeptides
NameUniProt ID
Protein kinase C beta typeP05771Details
Serine/threonine-protein kinase N1Q16512Details
Lysine-specific histone demethylase 1AO60341Details