Histone H2B mutations in inner region affect ubiquitination, centromere function, silencing and chromosome segregation

The reiterated nature of histone genes has hampered genetic approach to dissect the role of histones in chromatin dynamics. We here report isolation of three temperature-sensitive (ts) Schizosaccharomyces pombe strains, containing amino-acid substitutions in the sole histone H2B gene (htb1(+)). The mutation sites reside in the highly conserved, non-helical residues of H2B, which are implicated in DNA-protein or protein-protein interactions in the nucleosome. In the allele of htb1-72, the substitution (G52D) occurs at the DNA binding loop L1, causing disruption of the gene silencing in heterochromatic regions and lagging chromosomes in anaphase. In another allele htb1-223 (P102L) locating in the junction between alpha 3 and alpha C, the mutant residue is in contact with H2A and other histones, leading to structural aberrations in the central centromere chromatin and unequal chromosome segregation in anaphase. The third allele htb1- 442 (E34K) near alpha 1 displayed little defect. Evidence is provided that mono-ubiquitinated H2B is greatly unstable in P102L mutant, possibly owing to proteasome-independent destruction or enhanced deubiquitination. Histone H2B thus plays an important role in centromere/kinetochore formation.