WD40 repeat proteins have been shown to bind the histone H3 tail at the center of their -propeller structure. In contrast, in this issue of Genes & Development, Song and colleagues (pp. 1313-1318) demonstrate that the WD40 repeat protein p55 binds a structured region of H4 through a novel binding pocket on the side of -propeller, illustrating a diversity of histone recognition by WD40 repeat proteins.The association of WD40 repeat proteins with histones and nucleosomes is of increasing interest because of their functions in a variety of histone/chromatin-modifying complexes. In this issue of Genes & Development, Song et al. (2008) solve the crystal structure of p55, a Drosophila seven-WD40-repeat protein. Binding of p55 is shown to be incompatible with the histone fold of H4 and results in a change in H4 structure. The interaction of p55 with H4 is distinct from that of previously characterized WD40 repeat proteins and utilizes a novel binding pocket on the side of the -propeller instead of the center of the propeller. This novel p55-H4 interaction extends the known contacts by which WD40 repeat proteins recognize histones and reveals diversity in the manner in which this important recognition domain functions.
WD40 repeat proteins are important for a variety of cellular functionsWD40 repeats were first noted in the -subunit of the heterotrimeric GTP-binding protein (G protein) (Fong et al. 1986). The G protein structure contained seven WD40 repeats. Each repeating unit formed one of seven -propeller blades with four small anti-parallel -sheets built into a toroidal structure with a tapered end and central canal (Wall et al. 1995;Neer and Smith 2000). The conserved core of repeating units contained 44-60 residues that ended with tryptophan (W) and aspartate (D). Since the initial identification of the WD40 repeats, >160 WD40 repeat proteins have been identified, with the majority found in higher eukaryotes (Smith et al. 1999). Each family member has between four and 10 copies of the WD40 repeats. In general, WD40 repeat proteins have been associated with a diverse range of cellular processes, including RNA processing, transcriptional regulation (Williams et al. 1991;Hoey et al. 1993), mitotic spindle formation (de Hostos et al. 1991;Vaisman et al. 1995), regulation of vesicle formation and vesicular trafficking (Pryer et al. 1993), and control of cell division (Feldman et al. 1997).Four WD40 repeat proteins-WDR5, RbBP5, RbAp48/ 46 (each with seven repeats)-and the Drosophila homolog of RbAp48/46, p55, are components of histone-modifying complexes (Fig. 1). WDR5 is associated with SET domain-containing methyltransferases, such as Set1, MLL, MLL2, and MLL3/4 (Wysocka et al. 2005;Dou et al. 2006;Mendjan et al. 2006;Cho et al. 2007). In addition to its role in histone methylation, WDR5 and WDS, the Drosophila homolog of WDR5, are associated with several histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complexes, including the MSL (male-specific lethal) complex (Mendjan et al. 2006); the ATAC (Ada Two A-containing) complex, whi...