CCCTC-binding factor activates PARP-1 affecting DNA methylation machinery

Our previous data have shown that in L929 mouse fibroblasts the control of methylation pattern depends in part on poly(ADP-ribosyl) ation and that ADP-ribose polymers (PARs), both present on poly(ADP-ribosyl) ated PARP-1 and/or protein-free, have an inhibitory effect on Dnmt1 activity. Here we show that transient ectopic overexpression of CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) induces PAR accumulation, PARP-1, and CTCF poly(ADP-ribosyl) ation in the same mouse fibroblasts. The persistence in time of a high PAR level affects the DNA methylation machinery; the DNA methyltransferase activity is inhibited with consequences for the methylation state of genome, which becomes diffusely hypomethylated affecting centromeric minor satellite and B1 DNA repeats. In vitro data show that CTCF is able to activate PARP-1 automodification even in the absence of nicked DNA. Our new finding that CTCF is able per se to activate PARP-1 automodification in vitro is of great interest as so far a burst of poly(ADP-ribosyl) ated PARP-1 has generally been found following introduction of DNA strand breaks. CTCF is unable to inhibitDNMT1activity, whereas poly(ADP-ribosyl) ated PARP-1 plays this inhibitory role. These data suggest that CTCF is involved in the cross-talk between poly(ADP-ribosyl) ation and DNA methylation and underscore the importance of a rapid reversal of PARP activity, as DNA methylation pattern is responsible for an important epigenetic code.