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Induced G1 cell-cycle arrest controls replication-dependent histone mRNA 3′ end processing through p21, NPAT and CDK9

Oncogene volume 29, pages 2853–2863 (2010)Cite this article

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Abstract

Proper cell cycle-dependent expression of replication-dependent histones is essential for packaging of DNA into chromatin during replication. We previously showed that cyclin-dependent kinase-9 (CDK9) controls histone H2B monoubiquitination (H2Bub1) to direct the recruitment of specific mRNA 3′ end processing proteins to replication-dependent histone genes and promote proper pre-mRNA 3′ end processing. We now show that p53 decreases the expression of the histone-specific transcriptional regulator Nuclear Protein, Ataxia-Telangiectasia Locus (NPAT) by inducing a G1 cell-cycle arrest, thereby affecting E2F-dependent transcription of the NPAT gene. Furthermore, NPAT is essential for histone mRNA 3′ end processing and recruits CDK9 to replication-dependent histone genes. Reduced NPAT expression following p53 activation or small interfering RNA knockdown decreases CDK9 recruitment and replication-dependent histone gene transcription but increases the polyadenylation of remaining histone mRNAs. Thus, we present evidence that the induction of a G1 cell-cycle arrest (for example, following p53 accumulation) alters histone mRNA 3′ end processing and uncover the first mechanism of a regulated switch in the mode of pre-mRNA 3′ end processing during a normal cellular process, which may be altered during tumorigenesis.

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Acknowledgements

We thank J Zhao for graciously providing the NPAT antibody and for helpful advice; O Karpiuk, T Prenzel and A Shchebet for suggestions, discussions and technical help; S Emmert for advice and enabling us to test some interesting medically relevant hypotheses; and M Dobbelstein for advice and extensive scientific discussions regarding the p53/RB/E2F axis. JP was supported by an Excellence Fellowship from the Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB). This work was supported by grants from the Forschungsförderungsprogramm at the University of Göttingen Medical Center and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (JO 815/1) to SAJ.

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  1. Department of Molecular Oncology, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

    J Pirngruber & S A Johnsen

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  2. S A Johnsen
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Correspondence to S A Johnsen.

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Pirngruber, J., Johnsen, S. Induced G1 cell-cycle arrest controls replication-dependent histone mRNA 3′ end processing through p21, NPAT and CDK9. Oncogene 29, 2853–2863 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/onc.2010.42

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