FUS reads histone H3K36me3 to regulate alternative polyadenylation [PolyA-seq]

Complex organisms are able to generate differential gene expression through the same set of DNA sequences in distinct cells. The communication between chromatin and RNA regulates how cells behave in tissues. However, little is known about how chromatin, especially the histone modifications, regulates RNA polyadenylation. Here, we find that FUS is recruited to chromatin by H3K36me3 at gene bodies. Once H3K36me3 is abolished, FUS is dissociated from chromatin to increase the binding with RNA, resulting in increased distal polyadenylation selections that are far from the stop codon. The H3K36me3 recognition of FUS is mediated by the proline residues in ZNF domain, mutations of which lead to reduced chromatin association of FUS, increased RNA binding of FUS, and distal polyadenylation selections. Proline mutation, which corresponds to the mutation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, contributes to the hyperactivation of mitochondria and hyperdifferentiation in mouse embryonic stem cells. These findings reveal FUS as an H3K36me3 reader protein that links chromatin-mediated alternative polyadenylation to human disease.