CHD8 is a chromatin remodeling ATPase of the SNF2 family. We found that depletion of CHD8 impairs cell proliferation. In order to identify CHD8 target genes, we performed a transcriptomic analysis of CHD8-depleted cells, finding out that CHD8 controls the expression of cyclin E2 (CCNE2) and thymidylate synthetase (TYMS), two genes expressed in the G1/S transition of the cell cycle. CHD8 was also able to co-activate the CCNE2 promoter in transient transfection experiments. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that CHD8 binds directly to the 5′ region of both CCNE2 and TYMS genes. Interestingly, both RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) and CHD8 bind constitutively to the 5′ promoter-proximal region of CCNE2, regardless of the cell-cycle phase and, therefore, of the expression of CCNE2. The tandem chromodomains of CHD8 bind in vitro specifically to histone H3 di-methylated at lysine 4. However, CHD8 depletion does not affect the methylation levels of this residue. We also show that CHD8 associates with the elongating form of RNAPII, which is phosphorylated in its carboxy-terminal domain (CTD). Furthermore, CHD8-depleted cells are hypersensitive to drugs that inhibit RNAPII phosphorylation at serine 2, suggesting that CHD8 is required for an early step of the RNAPII transcription cycle.

The LSD1-CoREST histone demethylase complex is required to repress neuronal genes in nonneuronal tissues. Here we show that sumoylation of Braf35, one of the subunits of the complex, is required to maintain full repression of neuron-specific genes and for occupancy of the LSD1-CoREST complex at its gene targets. Interestingly, expression of Braf35 was sufficient to prevent neuronal differentiation induced by bHLH neurogenic transcription factors in P19 cells and in neuronal progenitors of the chicken embryo neural tube. Sumoylation of Braf35 is required for this antineurogenic activity. We also show that iBraf, a paralogue of Braf35, forms heterodimers with Braf35. Braf35-iBraf heterodimerization impairs Braf35 interaction with the LSD1-CoREST complex and inhibits Braf35 sumoylation. Consistent with these results, iBraf prevents the antineurogenic activity of Braf35 in vivo. Our data uncover a mechanism of regulation of the LSD1-CoREST complex and provide a molecular explanation for the antagonism between Braf35 and iBraf in neuronal differentiation.C ell differentiation involves large modifications of gene expression that require extensive changes of chromatin epigenetic marks (1). Epigenetic marks are DNA or histone posttranslational modifications that are inherited through cell division and that inform about the transcriptional state of loci. Among histone modifications, histone lysine methylation is of particular interest in development for the broad range of processes in which it is involved, including maintenance of stem cell pluripotency, germ-line determination, cell differentiation, control of HOX genes expression, and so forth (2, 3). Histone lysine methylation was considered a stable posttranslational modification until the discovery of histone demethylases. LSD1/KDM1 (lysine-specific demethylase 1) was the first demethylase identified and catalyzes demethylation of both di-and monomethylated lysine 4 (K4) or lysine 9 (K9) of histone H3 (H3K4me2/1 or H3K9me2/1) (4, 5). The lysine specificity of LSD1 seems to depend on its molecular partners. Thus, when LSD1 is associated with CoREST in the LSD1-CoREST corepressor complex (also called BHC, BRAF-histone deacetylase complex), the preferred substrate is H3K4me2/1, consistent with the fact that methylation of H3K4 is a mark of transcriptionaly active genes. In addition to LSD1 and CoREST, the LSD1-CoREST complex also contains HDAC1-2, BHC80, and BRAF35 (also called HMG20B) (6-9). BRAF35 contains a high-mobility group (HMG) domain and a coiled-coil domain, but its function within the complex is not well-understood (7, 10). Several functions of the LSD1-CoREST complex in differentiation and development have been reported (2). One of the best-characterized functions of the complex is its role in repression of neuronal genes in nonneuronal tissues and neuronal progenitors through its interaction with repressor factor REST (RE1 silencing transcription factor) (11,12). iBRAF (inhibitor of BRAF35, also called HMG20A) is a close paralogue of BRAF35 (13). As BRAF35...

The precise regulation of S-phase–specific genes is critical for cell proliferation. How the repressive chromatin configuration mediated by the retinoblastoma protein and repressor E2F factors changes at the G1/S transition to allow transcription activation is unclear. Here we show ChIP-on-chip studies that reveal that the chromatin remodeller CHD8 binds ∼2000 transcriptionally active promoters. The spectrum of CHD8 target genes was enriched in E2F-dependent genes. We found that CHD8 binds E2F-dependent promoters at the G1/S transition but not in quiescent cells. Consistently, CHD8 was required for G1/S-specific expression of these genes and for cell cycle re-entry on serum stimulation of quiescent cells. We also show that CHD8 interacts with E2F1 and, importantly, loading of E2F1 and E2F3, but not E2F4, onto S-specific promoters, requires CHD8. However, CHD8 recruiting is independent of these factors. Recruiting of MLL histone methyltransferase complexes to S-specific promoters was also severely impaired in the absence of CHD8. Furthermore, depletion of CHD8 abolished E2F1 overexpression-dependent S-phase stimulation of serum-starved cells, highlighting the essential role of CHD8 in E2F-dependent transcription activation.