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DNA topoisomerases regulate the topological state of the DNA double helix and are key enzymes in the processes of DNA replication, transcription and genome stability. Using the fission yeast model Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we investigate genome wide how DNA topoisomerases I and II affect chromatin dynamics and gene expression in vivo. We show that topoisomerase I activity is directly required for efficient nucleosome disassembly at gene promoter regions. Lack of topoisomerase activity results in increased nucleosome occupancy, perturbed histone modifications and reduced transcription from these promoters. Strong correlative evidence suggests that topoisomerase I cooperates with the ATP-dependent chromatin remodeller Hrp1 in nucleosome disassembly. Our study links topoisomerase activity to the maintenance of open chromatin and regulating transcription in vivo.

Chromatin remodelling factors and histone chaperones were previously shown to cooperatively affect nucleosome assembly and disassembly processes in vitro. Here, we show that Schizosaccharomyces pombe CHD remodellers, the Hrp1 and Hrp3 paralogs physically interact with the histone chaperone Nap1. Genome-wide analysis of Hrp1, Hrp3 and Nap1 occupancy, combined with nucleosome density measurements revealed that the CHD factors and Nap1 colocalized in particular to promoter regions where they remove nucleosomes near the transcriptional start site. Hrp1 and Hrp3 also regulate nucleosome density in coding regions, where they have redundant roles to stimulate transcription. Previously, DNA replication-dependent and -independent nucleosome disassembly processes have been described. We found that nucleosome density increased in the hrp1 mutant in the absence of DNA replication. Finally, regions where nucleosome density increased in hrp1, hrp3 and nap1 mutants also showed nucleosome density and histone modification changes in HDAC and HAT mutants. Thus, this study revealed an important in vivo role for CHD remodellers and Nap1 in nucleosome disassembly at promoters and coding regions, which are linked to changes in histone acetylation.

Completion of the fission yeast genome sequence has opened up possibilities for post-genomic approaches. We have constructed a DNA microarray for genome-wide gene expression analysis in fission yeast. The microarray contains DNA fragments, PCR-amplified from a genomic DNA template, that represent99% of the 5000 or so annotated fission yeast genes, as well as a number of control sequences. The GenomePRIDE software used attempts to design similarly sized DNA fragments corresponding to gene regions within single exons, near the 3'-end of genes that lack homology to other fission yeast genes. To validate the design and utility of the array, we studied expression changes after a 2 h temperature shift from 25 degrees C to 36 degrees C, conditions widely used when studying temperature-sensitive mutants. Obligingly, the vast majority of genes do not change more than two-fold, supporting the widely held view that temperature-shift experiments specifically reveal phenotypes associated with temperature-sensitive mutants. However, we did identify a small group of genes that showed a reproducible change in expression. Importantly, most of these corresponded to previously characterized heat-shock genes, whose expression has been reported to change after more extreme temperature shifts than those used here. We conclude that the DNA microarray represents a useful resource for fission yeast researchers as well as the broader yeast community, since it will facilitate comparison with the distantly related budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To maximize the utility of this resource, the array and its component parts are fully described in On-line Supplementary Information and are also available commercially.

The fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, expresses one of two alternative mating types. They are specified by one of two determinants (M or P) present at the mat1 locus. In addition, silent copies of M and P are present on the same chromosome. In the present work we demonstrate that the difference between the active and the silent stage of the P determinant is controlled by four repressive elements that are located at the silent locus. There are two elements to the left and two to the right of the mating type cassette. Both elements to the left and either one of the two elements to the right are required for an effective blockage of transcription. When they are combined, the four elements define a highly efficient silencer functionally similar to the HMRE and HMLE and HMLI silencers in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In addition, the DNA surrounding the silent P locus confers symmetric partitioning in mitosis to Schizosaccharomyces pombe ars plasmids.

Centromeric nucleosomes contain the unique histone H3 variant centromere protein A (CENP‐A). How CENP‐A is specifically loaded onto centromeres and maintained is an active area of investigation and several SNF2 family chromatin remodellers have been implicated in this process. In this issue of The EMBO Journal , Gkikopolus et al (2011) demonstrate a novel function for the SWI/SNF complex in removal of Cse4 (CENP‐A in Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) from ectopic chromosomal locations. Here we highlight this finding and the role of different remodeling complexes in CENP‐A targeting to centromeres.