Abstract
Histone lysine methylation contributes to transcriptional regulation by serving as a platform for the recruitment of various cofactors. Intense studies have been conducted for elucidating the functional meaning of H3K79 methylation, and to date, the only known HMTase responsible for the modification was DOT1L. In this study, we report that the MMSET isoform RE-IIBP has HMTase activity for H3K79. It was uncovered that RE-IIBP up-regulates MEIS1 transcription through H3K79 methylation via recruitment to the MEIS1 promoter. By means of proteomic and biochemical analysis, association of RE-IIBP with the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF20 was demonstrated for synergistic activation of MEIS1 transcription via H3K79 HMTase activity. Furthermore, It was observed that RE-IIBP induces MEIS1-mediated apoptosis, which was dependent on H2BK120 ubiquitination by RNF20. These findings suggest RE-IIBP as another candidate for further studies to elucidate the mechanism of H3K79 methylation and its biological functions.