Characterization of histone chaperone MCM2 as a key regulator in arsenic-induced depletion of H3.3 at genomic loci

Arsenic exposure is associated with an increased risk of many cancers, and epigenetic mechanisms play a crucial role in arsenic-mediated carcinogenesis. Our previous studies have shown that arsenic exposure induces polyadenylation of H3.1 mRNA and inhibits the deposition of H3.3 at critical gene regulatory elements. However, the precise underling mechanisms are not yet understood. To characterize the factors governing arsenic-induced inhibition of H3.3 assembly through H3.1 mRNA polyadenylation, we utilized mass spectrometry to identify the proteins, especially histone chaperones, with reduced binding affinity to H3.3 under conditions of arsenic exposure and polyadenylated H3.1 mRNA overexpression. Our findings reveal that the interaction between H3.3 and the histone chaperon protein MCM2 is diminished by both polyadenylated H3.1 mRNA overexpression and arsenic treatment in human lung epithelial BEAS-2B cells. The increased binding of MCM2 to H3.1, resulting from elevated H3.1 protein levels, appears to contribute to the reduced availability of MCM2 for H3.3. To further investigate the role of MCM2 in H3.3 deposition during arsenic exposure and H3.1 mRNA polyadenylation, we overexpressed MCM2 in BEAS-2B cells overexpressing polyadenylated H3.1 or exposed to arsenic. Our results demonstrate that MCM2 overexpression attenuates H3.3 depletion at several genomic loci, suggesting its involvement in the arsenic-induced displacement of H3.3 mediated by H3.1 mRNA polyadenylation. These findings suggest that changes in the association between histone chaperone MCM2 and H3.3 due to polyadenylation of H3.1 mRNA may play a pivotal role in arsenic-induced carcinogenesis.