ALL-1 Is a Histone Methyltransferase that Assembles a Supercomplex of Proteins Involved in Transcriptional Regulation

ALL-1 is a member of the human trithorax/Polycomb gene family and is also involved in acute leukemia. ALL-1 is present within a stable, very large multiprotein supercomplex composed of ≥29 proteins. The majority of the latter are components of the human transcription complexes TFIID (including TBP), SWI/SNF, NuRD, hSNF2H, and Sin3A. Other components are involved in RNA processing or in histone methylation. The complex remodels, acetylates, deacetylates, and methylates nucleosomes and/or free histones. The complex's H3-K4 methylation activity is conferred by the ALL-1 SET domain. Chromatin immunoprecipitations show that ALL-1 and other complex components examined are bound at the promoter of an active ALL-1-dependent Hox a9 gene. In parallel, H3-K4 is methylated, and histones H3 and H4 are acetylated at this promoter.