Jmjd3, a JmjC family histone demethylase, is induced by the transcription factor NF-kB in response to microbial stimuli. Jmjd3 erases H3K27me3, a histone mark associated with transcriptional repression and involved in lineage determination. However, the specific contribution of Jmjd3 induction and H3K27me3 demethylation to inflammatory gene expression remains unknown. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing we found that Jmjd3 is preferentially recruited to transcription start sites characterized by high levels of H3K4me3, a marker of gene activity, and RNA polymerase II (Pol_II). Moreover, 70% of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-inducible genes were found to be Jmjd3 targets. Although most Jmjd3 target genes were unaffected by its deletion, a few hundred genes, including inducible inflammatory genes, showed moderately impaired Pol_II recruitment and transcription. Importantly, most Jmjd3 target genes were not associated with detectable levels of H3K27me3, and transcriptional effects of Jmjd3 absence in the window of time analysed were uncoupled from measurable effects on this histone mark. These data show that Jmjd3 fine-tunes the transcriptional output of LPS-activated macrophages in an H3K27 demethylation-independent manner.

IntroductionProtective immunity against pathogens relies on the production of high-affinity antibodies by long-lived plasma cells (PCs). Moreover, the ability to respond faster and with more potent antibodies to subsequent encounters with the same infectious agent depends on the generation of long-lived memory B cells. Both, high-affinity memory B cells and PCs differentiate from antigenspecific B cells that are recruited into the GC reaction during T cell-dependent immune responses (1). In GCs, B cells undergo clonal expansion, a process during which they accumulate mutations at high frequency within the Ig heavy and light chain variable (V) region genes. The highly dynamic nature of the GC reaction is characterized by repeated cycles of cell division, Ig somatic mutation, and strict selection based on the ability of B cells to capture and present antigen to T follicular helper cells (2). These processes occur within distinct areas of the GC reached by B cells through migratory paths regulated by chemokine gradients (1). The molecular determinants enabling cyclic reentry of B cells into the proliferating and mutating compartment of centroblasts, preventing terminal differentiation and the ensuing exit from the GC, remain poorly characterized.

JMJD3 (KDM6B) antagonizes Polycomb silencing by demethylating lysine 27 on histone H3. The interplay of methyltransferases and demethylases at this residue is thought to underlie critical cell fate transitions, and the dynamics of H3K27me3 during neurogenesis posited for JMJD3 a critical role in the acquisition of neural fate. Despite evidence of its involvement in early neural commitment, however, its role in the emergence and maturation of the mammalian CNS remains unknown. Here, we inactivated Jmjd3 in the mouse and found that its loss causes perinatal lethality with the complete and selective disruption of the pre-Bötzinger complex (PBC), the pacemaker of the respiratory rhythm generator. Through genetic and electrophysiological approaches, we show that the enzymatic activity of JMJD3 is selectively required for the maintenance of the PBC and controls critical regulators of PBC activity, uncovering an unanticipated role of this enzyme in the late structuring and function of neuronal networks.

Mammalian cells must integrate environmental cues to determine coherent physiological responses. The transcription factors Myc and YAP-TEAD act downstream from mitogenic signals, with the latter responding also to mechanical cues. Here, we show that these factors coordinately regulate genes required for cell proliferation. Activation of Myc led to extensive association with its genomic targets, most of which were prebound by TEAD. At these loci, recruitment of YAP was Myc-dependent and led to full transcriptional activation. This cooperation was critical for cell cycle entry, organ growth, and tumorigenesis. Thus, Myc and YAP-TEAD integrate mitogenic and mechanical cues at the transcriptional level to provide multifactorial control of cell proliferation.