locus-specific chromatin purification from saccharomyces cerevisiae

Locus-Specific Chromatin Isolation from Yeast Cells

The dynamic organization of eukaryotic genomes into chromatin compacts the DNA to fit within the confines of the nucleus while ensuring sufficient dynamics for gene expression and accessibility for regulatory factors. In part, this versatility is mediated by the nucleosome, the basic unit of chromatin, which comprises a core particle with 147 bp of DNA wrapped ~1.7 times around the histone octamer1. The nucleosome is a highly dynamic structure with respect to its composition, with numerous histone variants and posttranslational modifications (PTMs) on the N- and C-terminal histone tails. Furthermore, eukaryotic chromatin interacts with a multitude of other essential components, such as transcription factors, DNA and RNA processing machinery, architectural proteins, enzymes involved in chromatin remodeling and modification, and RNA molecules associated with chromatin. These crucial machineries involved in transcription, replication, and repair all require access to chromatin, which serves as the natural substrate for these processes. Consequently, comprehending the molecular mechanisms underlying these DNA transactions necessitates a precise definition of the collective alterations in chromatin structure at the specific genomic regions where these machineries converge and facilitate biological reactions.
Despite the identification of numerous chromatin factors through genetics and protein-protein interaction studies, performing direct, unbiased, and comprehensive analyses of chromatin interactions at particular genomic sites has remained a significant obstacle2,3. Initially, only highly abundant regions of the genome (i.e., repetitive loci) or multi-copy plasmids could be isolated in sufficient amounts and purity for mass spectrometric identification of the associated proteins4,5,6,7. A series of new approaches based on the direct hybridization of capture probes to chromatinized DNA, proximity biotinylation using the CRISPR-dCas9 system, or the binding of sequence-specific adapter proteins to the locus of interest have started to unravel the proteome of single-copy loci from yeast and mammalian genomes8,9,10. However, all these methods require formaldehyde crosslinking to stabilize the protein-DNA interactions and sonication to solubilize the chromatin for subsequent purification. Together, both manipulations exclude the possibility of subsequent structural and functional studies of the purified chromatin.
To overcome these limitations, we previously devised a methodology that employs site-specific recombination to extract targeted chromosomal domains from yeast11,12. In essence, the genomic region of interest is surrounded by recognition sites (RS) for the site-specific R-recombinase from Zygosaccharomyces rouxi while simultaneously incorporating a group of three DNA binding sites for the prokaryotic transcriptional repressor LexA protein (LexA) within the same region. The yeast cells contain an expression cassette for the simultaneous expression of R-recombinase and a LexA protein fused to a tandem affinity purification (TAP) tag. After the induction of R-recombinase, the enzyme efficiently excises the targeted region from the chromosome in the form of a circular chromatin domain. This domain can be purified via the LexA-TAP adapter protein, which binds to the LexA DNA binding sites, as well as to an affinity support. This method has been recently used to isolate distinct chromatin domains containing selected replication origins of yeast chromosome III13.
One major advantage of this ex vivo approach is that it allows for functional analyses of the isolated material. For example, replication origin domains purified with this method can be subjected to in vitro replication assays to assess the efficiency of origin firing in a test tube from native in vivo assembled chromatin templates. Ultimately, the biochemical and functional characterization of the isolated material may allow the reconstitution of nuclear processes using purified proteins together with the native chromatin template. In summary, this methodology opens an exciting avenue in chromatin research, as it will be possible to follow the collective compositional and structural chromatin changes of a specific genomic region undergoing a certain chromosomal transaction.

Author Spotlight: Advancing Chromatin Research and Overcoming Limitations with a High-Enrichment Locus-Specific Chromatin Isolation Protocol 

Single-Copy Gene Locus Chromatin Purification in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A eukaryotic nucleus is very crowded with many biological processes occurring simultaneously. The scope of our research is to understand how all of these processes are coordinated on our genomes without major accidents that would otherwise lead to genomic instability and human diseases. This protocol allows us to purify a specific locus of the genome in its native state, allowing both the compositional and functional characterization of the isolated material, such as the measurements of protein DNA interactions.This protocol enables an enormous level of enrichment of a targeted locus, which overcomes many current limitations of locus-specific chromatin isolation. The material has not been cross-linked. That also allows many downstream functional analysis, such as in vitro transcription or in vitro replication.This protocol enabled us to excise and purify distinct replication origins from yeast chromosomes, allowing us to perform a proteomic analysis and identify novel origin interacting chromatin factors, and therefore, advance the research field of DNA replication. This protocol enables in vitro replication studies using the purified origin material to examine chromatin states, histone modifications, and perform structural analysis on the native nucleosomal templates from endogenous chromosomes, advancing chromatin research.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Locus-Specific Chromatin Purification from Saccharomyces cerevisiae at JoVE.com

Locus-Specific Chromatin Purification from Saccharomyces cerevisiae  

Locus-Specific Chromatin Purification from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Begin cooling a commercial coffee grinder by grinding approximately 30 to 50 grams of dry ice twice, for 30 seconds each time. Discard the dry ice powder and mix three grams of frozen yeast cell spaghetti with approximately 30 to 50 grams of dry ice in the pre-cooled coffee grinder. Seal the junction between the cap and the grinder with Parafilm.Mix the yeast cell dry ice mix 10 times, for 30 seconds each, allowing 30-second intervals between every round. Transfer the resulting yeast cell dry ice powder to a plastic beaker, using a clean and dry spatula. After dry ice evaporation, add 2.25 milliliters of magnetic bead, or MB buffer, with protease and phosphatase inhibitors, to the yeast cell powder.After vigorously pipetting the cell buffer mixture, transfer the cell suspension to a 15-milliliter conical tube. Next, store 0.1%samples from the crude cell extracts for DNA, and 0.05%samples for protein analysis, at minus-20 degrees Celsius. Transfer the remaining cell suspension into low-binding two-milliliter reaction tubes, and separate cell debris by centrifuging the tubes.Once done, pull all supernatants into one 15-milliliter conical tube. Again, store 0.1%of the supernatant at minus-20 degrees Celsius for DNA, and 0.05%of the supernatant for protein analysis. Next, wash 500 microliters of immunoglobulin G-coupled magnetic bead slurry with 500 microliters of cold MB buffer, containing protease and phosphatase inhibitors, two times, for five minutes each, at four degrees Celsius, on rotation at 20 RPM.Incubate the magnetic beads in 500 microliters of cold MB buffer for one hour at four degrees Celsius, on rotation at 20 RPM, before removing the supernatant from the beads using a magnetic rack. Mix the equilibrated magnetic bead slurry with the cell lysate obtained earlier and pulled into a 15-milliliter conical tube. After incubating for two hours at four degrees Celsius and 20 RPM, transfer the complete magnetic bead cell lysate suspension to low-binding reaction tubes.Separate the magnetic beads carrying the chromatin rings of interest from the cell lysate, using a magnetic rack. Transfer the remaining flow-through from each tube to a fresh 15-milliliter conical tube, before storing some samples at minus-20 degrees Celsius for DNA and protein analysis. Next, suspend the magnetic bead from each 15-milliliter conical tube in 300 microliters of cold MB buffer, and combine the beads into one reaction tube.Perform five washes of 10 minutes each, using 750 microliters of cold MB buffer, containing protease and phosphatase inhibitors, at four degrees Celsius, while rotating at 20 RPM. Next, conduct the final wash with 750 microliters of cold MB buffer without protease and phosphatase inhibitors. Suspend the prepared beads in 40 microliters of cold MB buffer without protease and phosphatase inhibitors.

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Research

JoVE Journal

Biochemistry

74 Views.  Helmholtz Zentrum München. Begin cooling a commercial coffee grinder by grinding approximately 30 to 50 grams of dry ice twice, for 30 seconds each time. Discard the dry ice powder and mix three grams of frozen yeast cell spaghetti with approximately 30 to 50 grams of dry ice in the pre-cooled coffee grinder. Seal the junction between the cap and the grinder with Parafilm.Mix the yeast cell dry ice mix 10 times, for 30 seconds each, allowing 30-second intervals between every round. Transfer the resulting yeast c...