Mechanism of hsp70i gene bookmarking

In contrast to most genomic DNA in mitotic cells, the promoter regions of some genes, such as the stress-inducible hsp70i gene that codes for a heat shock protein, remain uncompacted, a phenomenon called bookmarking. Here we show that hsp70i bookmarking is mediated by a transcription factor called HSF2, which binds this promoter in mitotic cells, recruits protein phosphatase 2A, and interacts with the CAP-G subunit of the condensin enzyme to promote efficient dephosphorylation and inactivation of condensin complexes in the vicinity, thereby preventing compaction at this site. Blocking HSF2-mediated bookmarking by HSF2 RNA interference decreases hsp70i induction and survival of stressed cells in the G₁ phase, which demonstrates the biological importance of gene bookmarking.