13Histone H3K4 mono-methyltransferases MLL3 and MLL4 (MLL3/4) are required for enhancer activation 14 during cell differentiation, though the mechanism is incompletely understood. To address MLL3/4 15 enzymatic activity in enhancer regulation, we have generated two mouse lines: one expressing H3.3K4M, 16 a lysine-4-to-methionine (K4M) mutation of histone H3.3 that inhibits H3K4 methylation, and the other 17 carrying conditional double knockout of MLL3/4 enzymatic SET domains. Expression of H3.3K4M in 18 lineage-specific precursor cells depletes H3K4 methylation and prevents adipogenesis and adipose tissue 19 development. Mechanistically, H3.3K4M prevents enhancer activation in adipogenesis by destabilizing 20 MLL3/4 proteins but not other Set1-like H3K4 methyltransferases. Notably, deletion of the enzymatic SET 21 domain of MLL3/4 in lineage-specific precursor cells mimics H3.3K4M expression and prevents adipose 22 tissue development. Interestingly, destabilization of MLL3/4 by H3.3K4M in adipocytes does not affect 23 adipose tissue maintenance and function. Together, our findings indicate that H3.3K4M destabilizes 24 enhancer epigenomic writers MLL3/4 and impairs adipose tissue development.25 development but largely dispensable for adipose tissue maintenance 4,5 . However, the roles of MLL3/4 54 enzymatic activities and MLL3/4-mediated H3K4me1 in adipose tissue development and function are 55 unclear.
56By tissue-specific ectopic expression of a histone H3.3 lysine-to-methionine mutant (H3.3K4M) in 57 mice, we show that depletion of H3K4 methylation by H3.3K4M inhibits adipose tissue development. By 58 tissue-specific deletion of the enzymatic SET domain of MLL3/4 in mice, we further show that the SET 59 domain is required for adipose tissue development. Mechanistically, expression of H3.3K4M or deletion of 60 the SET domain prevents MLL3/4-mediated enhancer activation in adipogenesis by destabilizing MLL3/4 61 proteins. Interestingly, H3.3K4M does not affect adipose tissue maintenance nor the thermogenic function 62 of BAT.63 Results 64 Histone H3.3K4M and H3.3K36M mutations impair adipogenesis 65Previous studies reported that ectopic expression of histone H3.3 lysine-to-methionine (K-to-M) mutant 66 specifically depletes endogenous lysine methylation in cells 13,14 . To understand the role of site-specific 67 histone methylation in adipogenesis, we used retroviruses to stably express wild type (WT) or K-to-M 68 mutant (K4M, K9M, K27M or K36M) of histone H3.3 in brown preadipocytes. The expression levels of 69 FLAG-tagged H3.3 were much lower than that of endogenous H3 (Figure 1a). Consistent with previous 70 reports 13,14 , ectopic expression of H3.3K4M selectively decreased global H3K4me1, H3K4me2, and 71 H3K4me3 levels, while H3.3K9M and H3.3K27M selectively decreased global levels of H3K9me2 and 72 H3K27me3, respectively. Ectopic expression of H3.3K36M selectively depleted global H3K36me2 and 73 moderately increased H3K27me3 levels (Figure 1a and Supplementary Fig S1a). Cells were induced to 74 underg...