PCAF/GCN5-regulated genes in MEFs

Histone acetyltransferases (HATs) GCN5/PCAF and CBP/p300 are transcription coactivators. However, how these HATs regulate ligand-induced nuclear receptor target gene expression remains unclear. Here we show in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), deletion of GCN5/PCAF specifically eliminates acetylation on H3K9 (H3K9Ac) while deletion of CBP/p300 selectively reduces acetylation on H3K18 and H3K27 (H3K18/27Ac). Treating MEFs with a specific ligand for nuclear receptor PPARdelta induces sequential increases of H3K18/27Ac and H3K9Ac on the promoter of PPARdelta target gene Angptl4, which correlates with a robust ligand-induced Angptl4 expression. Inhibiting transcription elongation blocks ligand-induced H3K9Ac but not H3K18/27Ac on Angptl4 promoter. Finally, we show CBP/p300 and their HAT activities are required, while GCN5/PCAF and H3K9Ac are dispensable, for ligand-induced PPARdelta target gene expression in MEFs. These results highlight the substrate and site specificities of HATs in cells, and suggest that GCN5/PCAF- and CBP/p300-mediated histone acetylations play distinct roles in regulating ligand-induced nuclear receptor target gene expression.

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