Jian Fang

DNA methyltransferase DNMT1 plays an essential role in maintaining DNA methylation homeostasis. While DNMT1-mediated DNA methylation mainly occurs outside the active chromatin domains, such as CpG islands, how DNMT1 interplays with hypomethylated nucleosome environment to restrict CpG island methylation remains unclear. Here we report the structure of DNMT1 with a nucleosome containing unmodified CpG sites. The interaction of the DNMT1 CXXC domain with the unmodified CpG sites within the nucleosome core or the linker strengthens the DNMT1-nucleosome association, which contributes to the enrichment of DNMT1 in CpG islands. On the other hand, the CXXC domain is positioned in a manner that blocks the target recognition domain of DNMT1 from accessing potential DNA substrates. Consistently, disrupting the CXXC-CpG interaction leads to DNMT1 hyperactivity on nucleosomes with unmodified CpG sites, or those with spatially proximate unmodified and hemimethylated CpG sites. Furthermore, our whole-genome bisulfite-sequencing analysis reveals that introducing the CXXC-CpG interaction-defective DNMT1 mutation leads to substantial increase in CpG island methylation but not so much in overall genomic methylation, causing severe defects in transcriptional programming and stem cell differentiation. Together, this study establishes a role for the CXXC domain in safeguarding the CpG island hypomethylation, vital to DNA methylation homeostasis during development.

Plant DNA methyltransferase 1 (MET1) is responsible for maintaining genome-wide cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CG) methylation. Its dysregulation has been linked to profound biological disruptions, including genomic instability and developmental defects. However, the exact mechanism by which MET1 orchestrates these vital functions and coordinates its various domains to shape the plant-specific epigenome remains unknown. Here, we report the cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of Arabidopsis thaliana MET1 (AtMET1), revealing an autoinhibitory mechanism that governs its DNA methylation activity. Between the 2 replication foci target sequence (RFTS) domains in AtMET1, the second RFTS domain (RFTS2) directly associates with the methyltransferase (MTase) domain, thereby inhibiting substrate-binding activity. Compared with DNMT1, AtMET1 lacks the CXXC domain and its downstream autoinhibitory linker, featuring only limited RFTS2-MTase interactions, resulting in a much-reduced autoinhibitory contact. In line with this difference, the DNA methylation activity of AtMET1 displays less temperature dependence than that of DNMT1, potentially allowing MET1 to maintain its activity across diverse temperature conditions. We further report the structure of AtMET1 bound to hemimethylated CG DNA, unveiling the molecular basis for substrate binding and CG recognition by AtMET1, and an activation mechanism that involves a coordinated conformational shift between 2 structural elements of its active site. In addition, our combined structural and biochemical analysis highlights distinct functionalities between the 2 RFTS domains of AtMET1, unraveling their evolutionary divergence from the DNMT1 RFTS domain. Together, this study offers a framework for understanding the structure and mechanism of AtMET1, with profound implications for the maintenance of CG methylation in plants.

DNA methylation is an important epigenetic mechanism essential for transposon silencing and genome integrity. Across evolution, the substrates of DNA methylation have diversified between kingdoms. In plants, chromomethylase3 (CMT3) and CMT2 mediate CHG and CHH methylation, respectively. However, how these two methyltransferases diverge on substrate specificities during evolution remains unknown. Here, we reveal that CMT2 originates from a duplication of an evolutionarily ancient CMT3 in flowering plants. Lacking a key arginine residue recognizing CHG in CMT2 impairs its CHG methylation activity in most flowering plants. An engineered V1200R mutation empowers CMT2 to restore CHG and CHH methylations in Arabidopsis cmt2cmt3 mutant, testifying a loss-of-function effect for CMT2 during evolution. CMT2 has evolved a long and unstructured amino terminus critical for protein stability, especially under heat stress, and is plastic to tolerate various natural mutations. Together, this study reveals the mechanism of chromomethylase divergence for context-specific DNA methylation in plants and sheds important lights on DNA methylation evolution and function.

Isoform 1 of DNA methyltransferase DNMT3A (DNMT3A1) specifically recognizes nucleosome monoubiquitylated at histone H2A lysine-119 (H2AK119ub1) for establishment of DNA methylation. Mis-regulation of this process may cause aberrant DNA methylation and pathogenesis. However, the molecular basis underlying DNMT3A1−nucleosome interaction remains elusive. Here we report the cryo-EM structure of DNMT3A1’s ubiquitin-dependent recruitment (UDR) fragment complexed with H2AK119ub1-modified nucleosome. DNMT3A1 UDR occupies an extensive nucleosome surface, involving the H2A-H2B acidic patch, a surface groove formed by H2A and H3, nucleosomal DNA, and H2AK119ub1. The DNMT3A1 UDR’s interaction with H2AK119ub1 affects the functionality of DNMT3A1 in cells in a context-dependent manner. Our structural and biochemical analysis also reveals competition between DNMT3A1 and JARID2, a cofactor of polycomb repression complex 2 (PRC2), for nucleosome binding, suggesting the interplay between different epigenetic pathways. Together, this study reports a molecular basis for H2AK119ub1-dependent DNMT3A1−nucleosome association, with important implications in DNMT3A1-mediated DNA methylation in development.

DNA methylation is an important epigenetic mechanism essential for transposon silencing and genome integrity. Across evolution, the substrates of DNA methylation have diversified between kingdoms to account for genome complexity. In plants, Chromomethylase3 (CMT3) and CMT2 are the major methyltransferases mediating CHG and CHH methylation, respectively. However, how these two enzymes diverge on substrate specificities during evolution remains unknown. Here, we reveal that CMT2 originates from a duplication of the evolutionarily more ancient CMT3 in flowering plants. Lacking a key arginine residue recognizing CHG in CMT2 impairs its CHG methylation activity in most flowering plants. An engineered V1200R mutation empowers CMT2 to restore both CHG and CHH methylation in Arabidopsis cmt2cmt3 mutant, testifying a loss-of-function effect for CMT2 after ∼200 million years of evolution. Interestingly, CMT2 has evolved a long and unstructured N-terminus critical for balancing protein stability, especially under heat stress. Furthermore, CMT2 N-terminus is plastic and can be tolerant to various natural mutations. Together, this study reveals the mechanism of chromomethylase divergence for context-specific DNA methylation in plants and sheds important lights on DNA methylation evolution and function.

Oligomerization of DNMT3B, a mammalian de novo DNA methyltransferase, critically regulates its chromatin targeting and DNA methylation activities. However, how the N-terminal PWWP and ADD domains interplay with the C-terminal methyltransferase (MTase) domain in regulating the dynamic assembly of DNMT3B remains unclear. Here, we report the cryo-EM structure of DNMT3B under various oligomerization states. The ADD domain of DNMT3B interacts with the MTase domain to form an autoinhibitory conformation, resembling the previously observed DNMT3A autoinhibition. Our combined structural and biochemical study further identifies a role for the PWWP domain and its associated ICF mutation in the allosteric regulation of DNMT3B tetramer, and a differential functional impact on DNMT3B by potential ADD–H3K4me0 and PWWP–H3K36me3 bindings. In addition, our comparative structural analysis reveals a coupling between DNMT3B oligomerization and folding of its substrate-binding sites. Together, this study provides mechanistic insights into the allosteric regulation and dynamic assembly of DNMT3B.

DNA methyltransferase DNMT3B plays an essential role in establishment of DNA methylation during embryogenesis. Mutations of DNMT3B are associated with human diseases, notably the immunodeficiency, centromeric instability and facial anomalies (ICF) syndrome. How ICF mutations affect DNMT3B activity is not fully understood. Here we report the homo-oligomeric structure of DNMT3B methyltransferase domain, providing insight into DNMT3B-mediated DNA methylation in embryonic stem cells where the functional regulator DNMT3L is dispensable. The interplay between one of the oligomer interfaces (FF interface) and the catalytic loop renders DNMT3B homo-oligomer a conformation and activity distinct from the DNMT3B-DNMT3L heterotetramer, and a greater vulnerability to certain ICF mutations. Biochemical and cellular analyses further reveal that the ICF mutations of FF interface impair the DNA binding and heterochromatin targeting of DNMT3B, leading to reduced DNA methylation in cells. Together, this study provides a mechanistic understanding of DNMT3B-mediated DNA methylation and its dysregulation in disease.

DNA methylation is an evolutionarily conserved epigenetic mechanism essential for transposon silencing and heterochromatin assembly. In plants, DNA methylation widely occurs in the CG, CHG, and CHH (H = A, C, or T) contexts, with the maintenance of CHG methylation mediated by CMT3 chromomethylase. However, how CMT3 interacts with the chromatin environment for faithful maintenance of CHG methylation is unclear. Here we report structure-function characterization of the H3K9me2-directed maintenance of CHG methylation by CMT3 and its Zea mays ortholog ZMET2. Base-specific interactions and DNA deformation coordinately underpin the substrate specificity of CMT3 and ZMET2, while a bivalent readout of H3K9me2 and H3K18 allosterically stimulates substrate binding. Disruption of the interaction with DNA or H3K9me2/H3K18 led to loss of CMT3/ZMET2 activity in vitro and impairment of genome-wide CHG methylation in vivo. Together, our study uncovers how the intricate interplay of CMT3, repressive histone marks, and DNA sequence mediates heterochromatic CHG methylation.

DRM2 induces substrate deformation to underlie its methylation preference for CHH DNA in plants.