Environ Exp Biol (2024) 22: 87–93

Unravelling the role of Set2 protein domains in H3K36 methylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract

Histone methylation plays a crucial role in gene expression and chromatin structure regulation. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the Set2 protein is responsible for the methylation of histone H3 at lysine 36 (H3K36), which is associated with transcriptional regulation, RNA processing, and DNA repair. This study investigates the specific functions of individual domains within the yeast Set2 protein by utilizing PCR-based domain deletions and subsequent western blot analysis to assess their impact on H3K36 methylation status. The results demonstrate that the SET domain alone is sufficient for H3K36 dimethylation, while optimal trimethylation necessitates the presence of additional domains, including the central autoinhibitory domain. Furthermore, the SRI domain is found to be essential for both di- and trimethylation when considering the full-length Set2 protein. These findings underscore the critical role of Set2 domains in modulating Set2 enzymatic activity.