BioProject

We used microarrays to detail the global programme of gene expression to identify TNF-induced genes that are negatively regulated by EHMT1 Transcriptional homeostasis relies on the balance between positive and negative regulation of gene transcription. More...

We used microarrays to detail the global programme of gene expression to identify TNF-induced genes that are negatively regulated by EHMT1 Transcriptional homeostasis relies on the balance between positive and negative regulation of gene transcription. Methylation of histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) is commonly correlated with gene repression. Here, we report that a euchromatic H3K9 methyltransferase, EHTM1, functions as a negative regulator in both the NF-κB- and type I interferon-mediated gene induction pathways. EHMT1 catalyzes H3K9 methylation at promoters of NF-κB target genes. Moreover, EHMT1 interacts with p50 and, surprisingly, p50 appears to repress the expression of type I interferon genes and genes activated by type I interferons by recruiting EHMT1 to catalyze H3K9 methylation at their promoter regions. Silencing the expression of EHMT1 by RNA interference enhances expression of a subset NF-κB regulated genes, augments interferon production and augments antiviral immunity. Overall design: HeLa cells were double-transfected with control or EHMT1 specific siRNAs. The cells were then treated with or without TNFa for 2 hours followed by RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays. Less...