Cell migration is a fundamental process that is necessary for the development and survival of multicellular organisms. Here, we show that cell migration is contingent on global condensation of the chromatin fiber. Induction of directed cell migration by the scratch-wound assay leads to decreased DNaseI sensitivity, alterations in the chromatin binding of architectural proteins and elevated levels of H4K20me1, H3K27me3 and methylated DNA. All these global changes are indicative of increased chromatin condensation in response to induction of directed cell migration. Conversely, chromatin decondensation inhibited the rate of cell migration, in a transcription-independent manner. We suggest that global chromatin condensation facilitates nuclear movement and reshaping, which are important for cell migration. Our results support a role for the chromatin fiber that is distinct from its known functions in genetic processes.

Doubled-stranded DNA breaks activate ATM kinase, precipitating a DNA damage response. The nucleosome-binding protein HMGN1 governs ATM activation by inducing H3K14 acetylation, which regulates chromatin binding of ATM both before and after DSB formation. Efficient and correct responses to double-stranded breaks (DSB) in chromosomal DNA are crucial for maintaining genomic stability and preventing chromosomal alterations that lead to cancer1,2. The generation of DSB is associated with structural changes in chromatin and the activation of the protein kinase ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM), a key regulator of the signalling network of the cellular response to DSB3,4. The interrelationship between DSB-induced changes in chromatin architecture and the activation of ATM is unclear4. Here we show that the nucleosome-binding protein HMGN1 modulates the interaction of ATM with chromatin both before and after DSB formation, thereby optimizing its activation. Loss of HMGN1 or ablation of its ability to bind to chromatin reduces the levels of ionizing radiation (IR)-induced ATM autophosphorylation and the activation of several ATM targets. IR treatments lead to a global increase in the acetylation of Lys 14 of histone H3 (H3K14) in an HMGN1-dependent manner and treatment of cells with histone deacetylase inhibitors bypasses the HMGN1 requirement for efficient ATM activation. Thus, by regulating the levels of histone modifications, HMGN1 affects ATM activation. Our studies identify a new mediator of ATM activation and demonstrate a direct link between the steady-state intranuclear organization of ATM and the kinetics of its activation after DNA damage.

In previous reports we showed that the long 5′ untranslated region (5′ UTR) of c-sis, the gene encoding the B chain of platelet-derived growth factor, has translational modulating activity due to its differentiation-activated internal ribosomal entry site (D-IRES). Here we show that the 5′ UTR contains three regions with a computer-predicted Y-shaped structure upstream of an AUG codon, each of which can confer some degree of internal translation by itself. In nondifferentiated cells, the entire 5′ UTR is required for maximal basal IRES activity. The elements required for the differentiation-sensing ability (i.e., D-IRES) were mapped to a 630-nucleotide fragment within the central portion of the 5′ UTR. Even though the region responsible for IRES activation is smaller, the full-length 5′ UTR is capable of mediating the maximal translation efficiency in differentiated cells, since only the entire 5′ UTR is able to confer the maximal basal IRES activity. Interestingly, a 43-kDa protein, identified as hnRNP C, binds in a differentiation-induced manner to the differentiation-sensing region. Using UV cross-linking experiments, we show that while hnRNP C is mainly a nuclear protein, its binding activity to the D-IRES is mostly nuclear in nondifferentiated cells, whereas in differentiated cells such binding activity is associated with the ribosomal fraction. Since the c-sis 5′ UTR is a translational modulator in response to cellular changes, it seems that the large number of cross-talking structural entities and the interactions with regulatedtrans-acting factors are important for the strength of modulation in response to cellular changes. These characteristics may constitute the major difference between strong IRESs, such as those seen in some viruses, and IRESs that serve as translational modulators in response to developmental signals, such as that of c-sis.

The long uORF-burdened 5′UTRs of many genes encoding regulatory proteins involved in cell growth and differentiation contain internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) elements. In a previous study we show...

The presence of a conserved protein motif usually implies common functional features. Here, we focused on the LisH (LIS1 homology) domain, which is found in multiple proteins, and have focused on three involved in human genetic diseases; LIS1, Transducin beta-like 1X (TBL1) and Oral-facial-digital type 1 (OFD1). The recently solved structure of the LisH domain in the N-terminal region of LIS1 depicted it as a novel dimerization motif. Our findings indicated that the LisH domain of both LIS1 and TBL1 is essential for in vitro oligomerization. Furthermore, our study disclosed novel in vivo features of the LisH motif. Mutations in conserved LisH amino acids significantly reduced both the protein half-life of LIS1, TBL1, and OFD1, and dramatically affected specific intracellular localizations of these proteins. LIS1 mutated in the LisH domain induced its localization to the actin filaments. TBL1 mutated in the LisH domain was not imported into the nucleus. Mutations in OFD1 modified its localization to the Golgi apparatus and in some cases also to the nucleus. In summary, the LisH domain may participate in protein dimerization, affect protein half-life, and may influence specific cellular localizations. Our results allow the prediction that mutations within the LisH motif are likely to result in pathogenic consequences in genes associated with genetic diseases.