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The polycomb repressive complex (PRC) 1 protein Ring1B is an ubiquitin ligase that modifies nucleosomal histone H2A, a modification which plays a critical role in regulation of gene expression. We have shown that self-ubiquitination of Ring1B generates multiply branched, "noncanonical" polyubiquitin chains that do not target the ligase for degradation, but rather stimulate its activity toward histone H2A. This finding implies that Ring1B is targeted by a heterologous E3. In this study, we identified E6-AP (E6-associated protein) as a ligase that targets Ring1B for "canonical" ubiquitination and subsequent degradation. We further demonstrated that both the self-ubiquitination of Ring1B and its modification by E6-AP target the same lysines, suggesting that the fate of Ring1B is tightly regulated (e.g., activation vs. degradation) by the type of chains and the ligase that catalyzes their formation. As expected, inactivation of E6-AP affects downstream effectors: Ring1B and ubiquitinated H2A levels are increased accompanied by repressed expression of HoxB9, a PRC1 target gene. Consistent with these findings, E6-AP knockout mice display an elevated level of Ring1B and ubiquitinated histone H2A in various tissues, including cerebellar Purkinje neurons, which may have implications to the pathogenesis of Angelman syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by deficiency of E6-AP in the brain.

Imprinting of the PWS/AS 2.4 Mb domain in the human is controlled by a paternally active imprinting center (PWS-IC). PWS-IC on the maternal allele is methylated and inactivated by an 880-bp sequence (AS-IC) located 30 kb upstream. In this communication, we report the identification of 7 cis acting elements within AS-IC. The elements: DMR, DNS, 2 OCTA sequences, SOX, E1, and E2 bind specific proteins that form at least 2 protein complexes. Using variants of an imprinted transgene, mutated at the elements each at a time, we show that (i) all 7 elements are involved in the methylation and inactivation of the maternal PWS-IC; (ii) the OCTA and SOX elements that bind a protein complex, and the E1 and E2 elements, function in establishing the primary imprint that constitutes an active and unmethylated AS-IC in the oocyte; (iii) DNS and DMR bind a multiprotein complex that may facilitate interaction between AS-IC and PWS-IC, mediating the inactivation in cis of PWS-IC; and (iv) all 7 elements participate in maintaining an unmethylated PWS-IC in the oocyte, which is essential for its maternal methylation later in development. Altogether, the above observations imply that the cis acting elements on AS-IC display diverse functions in establishing the imprints at both AS-IC and PWS-IC in the oocyte. A postulated epigenetic mark imprints the PWS-IC in the oocyte and maintains its inactive status during development before it is translated into maternal methylation.

Drug metabolism/disposition and transporter genes may influence predisposition or prognosis of AML (acute myeloid leukemia) patients. We analyzed polymorphisms in 3 transporters and 4 drug metabolism genes in 293 Israeli individuals (112 AML patients and 181 controls). We analyzed: ABCC3 (MRP3) C-211T; ABCG2 (BCRP) C421A; CNT1 (SLC28A1) G565A and NAT1, NAT2, and GSTT1 and GSTM1 null alleles for influence on predisposition, as well as treatment response and survival. We found that the ABCC3 C-211T polymorphism and GSTM1 null genotype have adverse prognostic significance in AML. None of the other polymorphisms studied were found to influence either predisposition or prognosis in Israeli AML patients.