Identification and characterization of a novel human PP1 phosphatase complex

Mammalian Wdr82 is a regulatory component of the Setd1a and Setd1b histone H3-lysine 4 methyltransferase complexes and is implicated in the tethering of Setd1 complexes to transcriptional start sites of active genes. In the studies reported here, immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry analyses reveal that Wdr82 additionally associates with multiple protein complexes, including an RNA polymerase II complex, four distinct histone H3-Lys⁴ methyltransferase complexes, protein phosphatase 1 (PP1)-associated proteins, a chaperonin-containing Tcp1 complex, and other uncharacterized proteins. Further characterization of the PP1-associated proteins identified a stable multimeric complex composed of regulatory subunits PNUTS, Tox4, and Wdr82 and a PP1 catalytic subunit (denoted as the PTW/PP1 phosphatase complex). The PTW/ PP1 complex exhibits in vitro phosphatase activity in a PP1-dependent manner. Analysis of protein-protein interactions reveals that PNUTS mediates phosphatase complex formation by providing a binding platform to each component. The PNUTS and Tox4 subunits are predominantly associated with the PTW/PP1 phosphatase complex in HEK293 cells, and the integrity of this complex remains intact throughout cell cycle progression. Inducible expression of a PP1 interaction-defective form of PNUTS (W401A) or small interfering RNA-mediated depletion of PNUTS in HEK293 cells causes cell cycle arrest at mitotic exit and apoptotic cell death. PNUTS (W401A) shows normal association with chromosomes but causes defects in the process of chromosome decondensation at late telophase. These data reveal that mammalian Wdr82 functions in a variety of cellular processes and reveal a potential role of the PTW/PP1 phosphatase complex in the regulation of chromatin structure during the transition from mitosis into interphase.