Cellular functions of MLL/SET-family histone H3 lysine 4 methyltransferase components

The MLL/SET family of histone H3 lysine 4 methyltransferases form enzyme complexes with core subunits ASH2L, WDR5, RbBP5, and DPY-30 （often abbreviated WRAD）, and are responsible for global histone H3 iysine 4 methylation, a hallmark of actively transcribed chromatin in mammalian cells. Accordingly, the function of these proteins is required for a wide variety of processes including stem cell differentiation, cell growth and division, body segmentation, and hematopoiesis. While most work on MLL-WRAD has focused on the function this core complex in histone methylation, recent studies indicate that MLL-WRAD proteins interact with a variety of other proteins and IncRNAs and can localize to cellular organelles beyond the nucleus. In this review, we focus on the recently described activities and interacting partners of MLL-WRAD both inside and outside the nucleus.

Proteomic analyses of the SMYD family interactomes identify HSP90 as a novel target for SMYD2

The SMYD(SET and MYND domain)family of lysine methyltransferases(KMTs)plays pivotal roles in various cellular processes,including gene expression regulation and DNA damage response.Initially identified as genuine histone methyltransferases,specific members of this family have recently been shown to methylate non-histone proteins such as p53,VEGFR,and the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor(pRb).To gain further functional insights into this family of KMTs,we generated the protein interaction network for three different human SMYD proteins(SMYD2,SMYD3,and SMYD5).Characterization of each SMYD protein network revealed that they associate with both shared and unique sets of proteins.Among those,we found that HSP90 and several of its co-chaperones interact specifically with the tetratrico peptide repeat(TPR)-containing SMYD2 and SMYD3.Moreover,using proteomic and biochemical techniques,we provide evidence that SMYD2 methylates K209 and K615 on HSP90 nucleotide-binding and dimerization domains,respectively.In addition,we found that each methylation site displays unique reactivity in regard to the presence of HSP90 co-chaperones,pH,and demethylation by the lysine amine oxidase LSD1,suggesting that alternative mechanisms control HSP90 methylation by SMYD2.Altogether,this study highlights the ability of SMYD proteins to form unique protein complexes that may underlie their various biological functions and the SMYD2-mediated methylation of the key molecular chaperone HSP90.