H3.3K4M targets MLL3/MLL4 to prevent enhancer activation in adipogenesis

Enhancers play a key role in regulating cell type-specific gene expression and are marked by histone modifications such as methylation and acetylation. Mono-methylation of lysine 4 on histone H3 (H3K4me1) initially primes enhancers, preceding enhancer activation via acetylation of lysine 27 on histone H3 (H3K27ac). MLL4 is a major enhancer H3K4 mono-methyltransferase with partial functional redundancy with MLL3. However, how H3K4me1 affects enhancer regulation in cell differentiation has remained unclear. By screening several lysine-to-methionine mutants of H3.3, we first found that depletion of H3K4 methylation by H3.3K4M mutation severely impairs adipogenesis in culture. Using tissue-specific expression of H3.3K4M in mice, we further demonstrate that H3.3K4M inhibits adipose tissue and muscle development in vivo. Mechanistically, H3.3K4M destabilizes MLL3/4 proteins but not other members of the mammalian Set1-like H3K4 methyltransferase family and prevents MLL3/4-mediated enhancer activation in adipogenesis. Using tissue-specific deletion of the enzymatic SET domain of MLL3/4 in mice, we also show that deletion of the SET domain prevents adipose tissue and muscle development in vivo and inhibits adipogenesis by destabilizing MLL3/4 in vitro. Notably, H3.3K4M expression mimics MLL3/4 SET domain deletion in preventing adipogenesis. Interestingly, H3.3K4M does not affect adipose tissue maintenance and function, suggesting that MLL3/4-mediated H3K4 methylation is dispensable for the maintenance and function of differentiated adipocytes. Together, our findings suggest that H3.3K4M targets MLL3/4 to prevent enhancer activation in adipogenesis. Expression profiling by RNA-seq at D7 of adipogenesis in brown preadipocytes in culture, and histone modifications (H3K4me1 and H3K27ac) by ChIP-seq, at D4 of adipogenesis of brown preadipocytes in culture.