Histone Chaperone Nap1 Is a Major Regulator of Histone H2A-H2B Dynamics at the Inducible GAL Locus.

Histone chaperones, like nucleosome assembly protein 1 (Nap1), play a critical role in the maintenance of chromatin architecture. Here, we use theGALlocus inSaccharomyces cerevisiaeto investigate the influence of Nap1 on chromatin structure and histone dynamics during distinct transcriptional states. When theGALlocus is not expressed, cells lacking Nap1 show an accumulation of histone H2A-H2B but not histone H3-H4 at this locus. Excess H2A-H2B interacts with the linker DNA between nucleosomes, and the interaction is independent of the inherent DNA-binding affinity of H2A-H2B for these particular sequences as measuredin vitro When theGALlocus is transcribed, excess H2A-H2B is reversed, and levels of all chromatin-bound histones are depleted in cells lacking Nap1. We developed anin vivosystem to measure histone exchange at theGALlocus and observed considerable variability in the rate of exchange across the locus in wild-type cells. We recapitulate this variability within vitronucleosome reconstitutions, which suggests a contribution of DNA sequence to histone dynamics. We also find that Nap1 is required for transcription-dependent H2A-H2B exchange. Altogether, these results indicate that Nap1 is essential for maintaining proper chromatin composition and modulating the exchange of H2A-H2Bin vivo.

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