Chromobility: the rapid movement of chromosomes in interphase nuclei. Joanna M. Bridger Lab of Nuclear and Genomic Health, Centre of Cell & Chromosome Biology, Biosciences, School of Health Sciences and Social Care, Brunel University, West London, UB8 3PH. ++44-1895-266272, Joanna.bridger@brunel.ac.uk Abstract There are an increasing number of studies reporting the movement of gene loci and whole chromosomes to new compartments within interphase nuclei. Some of the movements can be rapid with relocation of parts of the genome, within less than 15 minutes, over a number of microns. Some of these studies have also revealed that the activity of motor proteins such as actin and myosin are responsible for these long range movements of chromatin. Within the nuclear biology field their remains some controversy over the presence of an active nuclear acto-myosin motor in interphase nuclei. However, with both actin and myosin isoforms being localised to the nucleus, the requirement for rapid and directed movements of genes and whole chromosomes and evidence for the involvement of motor proteins in this relocation, the presence of nuclear motors for chromatin movement is an important and timely debate to have. Keywords Nuclear motor, nuclear myosin, nuclear myosin 1nuclear actin, gene repositioning, chromosome territories, nuclear bodies, chromobility. Introduction It is now well accepted that the genomes of eukaryotic cells are highly spatially organised in interphase nuclei as individual chromosome territories. These territories exhibit non-random radial positioning [1]. The non-random nuclear location and positioning of individual chromosome territories can be differential in cells from different origins, before and after differentiation pathway steps, or in disease [2]. This implies that whatever state cells are in, chromosomes have preferred and regulated locations within nuclei. However, randomness of chromosome territory positioning can be seen as cells are reorganising or re-building their nuclei, for example, at the very beginning of G1 [3-5]. With respect to gene movement there are now numerous examples of where small regions of chromosomes loop away from the main body of a chromosome territory [2]. Further studies have revealed where these genes are headed revealing an association with a facilitating nuclear structure, such as various nuclear bodies and transcription factories [6-9]. The relocation of individual genes to nuclear structures that may aid their expression is perhaps easier to comprehend than why whole chromosome territories would relocate. After mitosis, a chromosome would have the opportunity to change its nuclear location presumably by having its chromatin modified and/or being able to interact with different nuclear structures. This situation would not require an active mechanism within nuclei to move chromosomes around. However, specific chromosomes can change their nuclear location after stimuli, moving from one nuclear location to another without rebuilding a new nucleus after mitosis. We have demonstrated this in proliferating human dermal fibroblasts that have been placed in low serum [10]. This situation would require a mechanism presumably within nuclei that elicits this movement, although there could be connections with the cytoplasm. Studying a system such as this will allow us to ask where the chromosomes are being directed, which nuclear compartments and/or structures are functionally important, what are the consequences of repositioning chromosomes with respect to gene expression and silencing and what can happen to a cell/organism when this repositioning is faulty. My group are now trying to answer these questions using assay systems where genes and chromosomes do change position rapidly after stimuli such as removal of growth factors [10], addition of differentiation factors [11] and parasite exposure [12]. One of the keys to understanding what is happening to chromosomes and genes is the rate at which this repositioning can occur. Whole chromosomes and gene loci on loops have been observed changing nuclear location as rapidly as 1m/minute with neighbouring chromosomal regions and chromosomes remaining stationary. It most certainly involves chromatin modification but how does this alone allow a change in position, sometimes of over 10m? The nucleus is full of structural proteins that could create a dynamic scaffolding network that chromatin could bind to and be released from through signalling and protein modification. This could mean that if chromatin were released from one region of the nucleus it could be random or corralled diffusion that influences where the chromatin ends up being located and/or re-anchoring. The data from some studies do not necessarily support this serendipitous route of relocation but favours active and directed movement to new non-random locations or specific structures within the nucleus. If a gene needs to be located at a specific nuclear structure such as a nuclear body, a speckle or transcription factory, then it may be that the gene is relocated to the nearest one. However, since co-transcribed regions of the genome are from different chromosome territories that are found co-localised at the same nuclear entity [7,9,13,14]. This implies that there is co-ordinated movement of genes from different chromosomes to co-occupy nuclear bodies or factories. So the hypothesis we present here is that whole chromosomes and subchromosomal regions can be relocated rapidly and directed to specific nuclear locations. We believe that these regions of chromatin are moved around the nucleus on a network of molecular motors, similar to those found in the cytoplasm. Indeed, the components of such a transport system could include nuclear actin and nuclear myosins working together in concert to move DNA/chromatin cargo around the nucleus. Nuclear presence of actin and myosin Both actin and myosin have been located in the nucleus from early on in the study of nuclear biology but the belief in the presence of either molecule was blighted by accusations of cytoplasmic contamination. However, with more sophisticated methodologies and technologies the acceptance of both these proteins in the nucleus is gaining credence. The first papers to discuss the presence of nucleoplasmic actin showed the actin in networks in Xenopus oocytes. Other reports followed describing actin in the nuclei of cells from a range of different species such as bovine lymphocytes, and slime mould (see [15]). With respect to the different forms of actin, G-actin and Factin have been revealed in the nucleus using anti-actin antibodies [16, 17], as well as in FRAP studies using GFP-actin [18]. -actin was shown to by bind the chromatin modelling protein BAF in vivo [19]. However, they may be less conventional forms of actin in the nucleus, which are not polymeric in form and are revealed with specially designed antibodies. These antibodies reveal accumulations of actin and a concentration of actin throughout the nucleoplasm [20]. With respect to the movement of chromatin perhaps the most important study so far revealing nuclear actin employment in chromatin movement is that a -actin dominant negative mutant expressed in Hela cells blocked the movement of gene loci to Cajal bodies [6]. Myosin isoforms were originally found in the nucleus of Acanthamoeba cells when an antibody to myosin I revealed myosin in the nucleoplasm [21]. Further, myosin II heavy chain-like protein was found proximal to nuclear pore complexes in Drosophila [22]. More recently different myosin isoforms have been located in nuclei. These are nuclear myosin 123, 24], myosin VI [25], myosin 16b [26], myosin Va [27], and myosin Vb [28]. Myosin VI has been found to have a role in the DNA damage response [29] and myosin 16b appears to be involved in DNA replication [26]. So far nuclear myosin 1 (NM1) has been the myosin candidate most investigated for transposing chromatin around the nucleus [10, 15]. NM1 has a single globular head and a single heavy chain structure [15]. NM1 also contains a unique 16-residue amino acid extension at its N-terminus which is required for nuclear import [24]. The nuclear distribution of NM1 is throughout the nucleoplasm with a concentration at nucleoli [10, 23, 24, 30, and 31]. In addition, NM1 has also been found localised at the nuclear envelope in proliferating human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) [10, 15]. In non-proliferating HDF NM1 is re-organised into large aggregates deep within the nucleoplasm [10, 15, Mehta IS; Meaburn KJ, Figgitt M, Kill IR manuscript in preparation]. Interestingly these large aggregates are found in proliferating HDF from Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome patients but a normal distribution of NM1 is restored after treatment with drugs that ameliorate some of the abnormalities in these cells [32]. Re-positioning of gene loci and whole chromosomes Individual chromosomes and gene loci have been shown to change their nuclear location upon stimuli, whether that be stimuli to induce differentiation [11, 33, 34 35, 36], signals that change growth status [10, 37, 38], environmental stimuli [12] or compounds to induce exogenous gene expression [39]. The consensus hypothesis in the field is that whole chromosomes are moved to allow some control over genes that are housed upon that chromosome, whether for expression or for repression. Gene loci may be relocated to a new region of the nucleus with the movement of the whole chromosome territory but also genes can be repositioned by chromatin looping out side the main body of the chromosome territory. Chromatin looped out of territories has been shown to become associated with nuclear structures such as Cajal bodies [6], splicing speckles/SC35 domains [7, 40] and transcription factories [9]. Individual genes and genes from different chromosomes that are co-regulated can be found at the same transcription factories [9]. Evidence for directed chromosome and gene relocation elicited through nuclear motor activity. The hypothesis that a nuclear motor mechanism is required to relocate a gene/genomic regions or whole chromosome has been tested in a few studies. The involvement of actin and/or myosin in the directed movement of a chromosome or a region of a chromosome, can be assayed by employing drugs that interfere with the polymerisation and the activity of actin and myosins, by introducing mutant nuclear motor proteins into cells, or using interference RNA technology to knock-down specific nuclear motor proteins. Indeed, Belmont used both drugs to treat cells and transfected with mutant actin, to test whether an activated exogenous lac operator integrated array, tagged by bound GFP-lac repressor protein, was relocated and whether this was due to motor activity [39]. These experiments were performed in live cells using time-lapse microscopy and showed that the activated gene moved from the nuclear periphery towards the nuclear interior, whether or not transcription was activated. The loci on average moved 3m in 2 hours but there were short bursts of rapid directed movement of 1m/min. Furthermore transfection of an actin mutant, lacking the ability to polymerise, also blocked the repositioning. However, when the authors used an actin mutant that permitted F-actin to polymerise the array was still able to move, implying that it is the polymeric F-actin that is required to move chromatin. A further study by the Matera group has shown that tagged U2 snRNA repeats containing the lac operator arrays collide with GFP labelled Cajal bodies. Using sophisticated imaging and analysis it appeared that there was a final directed collision of array and body which resulted in association. The U2 snRNA array was often found on a loop emanating away from the main chromosome territory directed towards the Cajal body. This movement of the chromatin loop was inhibited when a polymerisation deficient actin mutant was expressed in the cells. In this situation neither chromatin looping of the U2 array was seen nor was array:Cajal body association observed [6]. We were one of the first groups to show that whole chromosome movement in interphase nuclei relies on the activity of actin and nuclear myosin. We have shown that although chromosomes are positioned non-randomly in nuclei some of them change nuclear location when cells become arrested either irreversibly in replicative senescence or reversibly in quiescence [10, 41, 42]. Indeed when serum is removed from proliferating cultures chromosomes move towards the nuclear periphery, whereas some move away to the nuclear interior and some chromosomes do not move at all. These findings suggested that there must be specific individual targeted chromosome movement occurring. One of the most interesting chromosomes was chromosome 10. It was found at the nuclear periphery in quiescent HDF, at an intermediate position in proliferating HDF and in the nuclear interior in senescent HDF [10,42, Mehta IS, Meaburn KJ, Figgitt M, Kill IR, Bridger JM manuscript in prep]. In order to determine the rate of chromosome relocation proliferating cells were placed in low serum and chromosome positioning analysed to reveal when the relocation of chromosomes took place i.e. from 0 minutes to 7 days. Chromosomes did not take days to relocate but moved within 15 minutes of the high serum being removed. This indicated that the movement was active and directed so given recent evidence of actin and myosin in the nucleus it was pertinent to determine if these nuclear motor proteins were involved. This was achieved by using drugs to inhibit actin and/or myosin polymerisation and activity. Three drugs did prevent the chromosomal movement; 2-3 butane-dionemonoxime, latrunculin A and jasplakinolide. However, phalloidin oleate did not block the movement but it was employed in such a way as to only affect cytoplasmic actin emphasising further that it is probable that nuclear motors proteins that are affected and chromosome relocation is not a consequence of long range actions from the cytoplasmic motors [10,15]. The involvement of NM1 in the whole chromosome relocation was specifically assessed by using RNA interference to knock-down MYO1C expression. Again this intervention blocked the rapid chromosomal movement upon serum removal, putting NM1in the frame as the nuclear myosin involved. From this study and studies from the Belmont’s laboratory indicate F-actin and NM1are active members of the molecular motor responsible for moving chromatin around the nucleus. Nuclear Structure meets Nuclear Motor In the cytoplasm in order to create force myosin 1 moves over actin filaments and contains actin binding domains in its globular head and with sites in its tail domain [15]. But how does a nuclear motor comprising actin and myosin work? Using anti-myosin 1 antibodies NM1 is found throughout the nucleoplasm but with a definite concentration at nucleoli and the nuclear envelope. Also actin has been described as being throughout the nucleus [43]. If actin is part of a nucleoskeleton, that although dynamic, can take tension and force then by NM1binding to DNA/chromatin genomic cargo could be envisaged moving over short actin filaments, even if they are localised to compartments within the nucleus. There are some interesting binding capabilities between NM1, actin and other members of a nuclear structure such as nuclear lamins. Nuclear lamins are at the nuclear envelope in the nuclear lamina which underlies the nuclear membrane and throughout the nucleoplasm [44, 45]. Actin will bind to A-type lamins [46]. Emerin, an integral membrane protein embedded into the nuclear membrane, is an interesting protein with respect to its binding since it binds A-type lamins [47] but also NM1and F-actin [48]. These proteins at the nuclear envelope could be the link to the LINC complex that would connect a nuclear motor to the cytoskeleton [49]. In conclusion, there a number of examples where whole chromosomes and gene loci move rapidly and apparently directionally through interphase nuclei, in response to stimuli. The evidence is starting to accumulate of these movements being elicited by a nuclear motor complex that employs actin as a filamentous base for myosins to work against. Both actin and myosin maybe anchored at various points around the nucleus by being bound to nucleoskeleton proteins such as nuclear lamins and emerin. However more evidence of nuclear motors in moving chromatin in a directed manner is required. 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