MLL Modulates Telomere Length in Mammalian Cells.

In mammalian cells, the telomeric complex at the end of chromosomes consists of several thousand copies of the exanucleotide TTAGGG and associated proteins attached to the nuclear matrix. Chromatin modifying enzymes involved in histone H3/lysine 9 and histone H4/lysine 20 trimethylation, and DNA methylation are known to preserve the telomere heterochromatic structure, length and capping function. Loss of these heterochromatic marks leads to telomere lengthening, most likely through the negative regulation of telomerase or alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) mechanisms. The MLL protein is a chromatin modifying enzyme with histone H3/lysine 4 methyltransferase activity, which maintains active transcriptional state of target genes in a large multiprotein complex. Analogously, the yeast’s MLL homologous protein Set1 is part of a multiprotein complex required for maintenance of target genes expression. In addition, Set1 deletion mutants show disruption of telomeric silencing along with telomere shortening or lengthening, respectively in budding and fission yeast. This raised the question of whether MLL, like Set1, plays a role in epigenetic maintenance of telomeric heterochromatin. Here, using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis, we show that MLL associates with the heterochromatic complex at telomeres of primary and transformed human cell lines. ChIP analysis of cell lines conditionally expressing Flag-tagged MLL chimeric proteins and deletion mutants shows the amino terminus of MLL, which confers association to the nuclear matrix, is responsible for targeting to the telomeric complex. MLL associates with the telomeres of telomerase and ALT positive cell lines in amount that is proportional to the telomere length, as revealed by Southern blot terminal restriction fragment analysis. Moreover, immunoprecipitation analysis evidenced the association of MLL with the terminal-repeat binding factor TRF2, a protein known to play a key role in telomere capping, and indirect immunofluorescence analysis showed MLL and TRF2 colocalization at ALT-associated PML nuclear bodies.

In search for possible biological functions of MLL at the telomeric complex, we found abnormally longer telomeres in Mll-null mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and fibroblasts (MEFs) than in wild-type control cells. In Mll-null MEFs, a significant telomere shortening was obtained by stable reexpression of an MLL allele. In addition, we found that in aging human cells the MLL binding to the telomeric complex is abrogated by the progressive telomere shortening due to telomere attrition, suggesting a possible involvement of MLL in signaling for replicative senescence.