H3.3 De Novo Mutations Alter Lysine 36 Methylation via Distinct Mechanisms

Bryant-Li-Bhoj syndrome (BLBS) is caused by de novo mutations on histone H3.3 and is generally characterized by severe neurodevelopmental deficits. Oncogenic H3.3 amino acid substitutions were described over the past decade, but the molecular impact of BLBS mutations remained unstudied. The remarkable number and spread of the missense mutations led us to hypothesize that some converge on the same downstream effectors.

We recently showed that H3.3G34R/V substitutions, seen in both cancer and BLBS, impair associations with the DNMT3A DNA methyltransferase. Our proteomic, enzymatic, and structural analyses now show that H3.3 BLBS mutations flanking glycine 34 have surprisingly stark effects on H3K36 methyltransferases, drastically altering H3K36 methyl states in cis and the binding of effector proteins with a PWWP domain, including DNMT3A/B. That confirms the existence of molecular commonalities amongst BLBS H3.3 point mutants while providing some of the first mechanistic insights into the syndrome.