Scm3 deposits a (Cse4-H4)2 tetramer onto DNA through a Cse4-H4 dimer intermediate.

The assembly of centromeric nucleosomes is mediated by histone variant-specific chaperones. In budding yeast, the centromere-specific histone H3 variant is Cse4, and the histone chaperone Scm3 functions as a Cse4-specific nucleosome assembly factor. Here, we show that Scm3 exhibits specificity for Cse4-H4, but also interacts with major-type H3-H4 and H2A-H2B. Previously published structures of the Scm3 histone complex demonstrate that Scm3 binds only one copy of Cse4-H4. Consistent with this, we show that Scm3 deposits Cse4-H4 through a dimer intermediate onto deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to form a (Cse4-H4)2-DNA complex (tetrasome). Scm3-bound Cse4-H4 does not form a tetramer in the absence of DNA. Moreover, we demonstrate that Cse4 and H3 are structurally compatible to be incorporated in the same nucleosome to form heterotypic particles. Our data shed light on the mechanism of Scm3-mediated nucleosome assembly at the centromere.

Structure and Scm3-mediated assembly of budding yeast centromeric nucleosomes.

Much controversy exists regarding the structural organization of the yeast centromeric nucleosome and the role of the nonhistone protein, Scm3, in its assembly and architecture. Here we show that the substitution of H3 with its centromeric variant Cse4 results in octameric nucleosomes that organize DNA in a left-handed superhelix. We demonstrate by single-molecule approaches, micrococcal nuclease digestion and small-angle X-ray scattering that Cse4-nucleosomes exhibit an open conformation with weakly bound terminal DNA segments. The Cse4-octamer does not preferentially form nucleosomes on its cognate centromeric DNA. We show that Scm3 functions as a Cse4-specific nucleosome assembly factor, and that the resulting octameric nucleosomes do not contain Scm3 as a stably bound component. Taken together, our data provide insights into the assembly and structural features of the budding yeast centromeric nucleosome.