Affinage

RBBP4

Histone-binding protein RBBP4 · UniProt Q09028

Length
425 aa
Mass
47.7 kDa
Annotated
2026-06-10
63 papers in source corpus 38 papers cited in narrative 39 extracted findings
Cross-family judge vs UniProt: Affinage preferred faithfulness: 7/7 claims corpus-supported (100%)

Mechanistic narrative

Synthesis pass · prose summary of the discoveries below

RBBP4 (RbAp48) is a WD-40 β-propeller histone chaperone that functions as a shared scaffold subunit of multiple chromatin-modifying complexes, coupling histone binding to transcriptional repression and chromatin assembly (PMID:9419341, PMID:10454532). It selectively binds the N-terminal tail of histone H4 in vivo and serves as a common platform for the NURF remodeling and CAF-1 assembly complexes (PMID:9419341, PMID:10454532), and biophysical reconstitution shows it participates in allosteric H3-H4 exchange with the chaperone ASF1 during new nucleosome assembly (PMID:23178455). RBBP4 targets histone deacetylase activity to chromatin: it associates with RPD3/HDAC1, HDAC3, and SIN3 to direct deacetylation and transcriptional repression, including repression downstream of Rb/E2F (PMID:10454532, PMID:10734134, PMID:11470869), and it interacts with HDAC2 and with the CBP/p300 acetyltransferases—lowering the Km of CBP and facilitating p300-dependent transcription on chromatinized templates—positioning it at both ends of the histone acetylation cycle (PMID:10866654, PMID:35231103, PMID:41930277). A series of crystal structures define how distinct surfaces of the β-propeller engage histones versus cofactors: the top face binds a negatively charged pocket used by FOG-1, histone H3, and PHF6, the side surface is contacted by BCL11A and ZNF827, and the histone H4 site is occluded when MTA1 binds, with MTA1 acting as the scaffold that integrates RBBP4 into NuRD and can recruit two RBBP4 copies (PMID:21047798, PMID:24920672, PMID:25601084, PMID:27144666, PMID:29263092, PMID:30045876, PMID:39460621). Through these interactions RBBP4 enforces heterochromatin and developmental gene silencing: it recruits G9a and KAP1 to deposit H3K9me2/me3 at endogenous retroviruses and acts as an epigenetic barrier to totipotency (PMID:37021556), directs PRC2 genomic targeting in embryonic stem cells to sustain pluripotency via Oct4/Sox2 (PMID:33606987), and is required for histone deacetylation during oocyte meiosis, embryogenesis, cell cycle progression, and centromere/CENP-A assembly (PMID:25788661, PMID:26667624, PMID:26904949, PMID:32285100). RBBP4 is essential for vertebrate cell viability and proper mitosis, with loss causing G2/M accumulation, impaired nucleosome formation, chromosome missegregation, and Tp53-dependent apoptosis (PMID:26667624, PMID:35266256). In the nervous system it controls hippocampal histone acetylation and BDNF/GPR158 signaling required for memory (PMID:23986399, PMID:30355501), and it drives neural progenitor differentiation by binding distal regulatory elements at target genes such as Cdon (PMID:39592227).

Mechanistic history

Synthesis pass · year-by-year structured walk · 18 steps
  1. 1998 High

    Established that the RBBP4 ortholog is a transcriptional repressor acting genetically with the Rb pathway and is a physical subunit of distinct chromatin machines, defining it as a shared chromatin platform rather than a single-complex factor.

    Evidence C. elegans genetic epistasis (lin-53/lin-35) and Drosophila p55 biochemical purification from NURF and CAF-1 with polytene chromosome localization

    PMID:9419341 PMID:9875852

    Open questions at the time
    • Molecular basis of histone or complex recognition not yet defined
    • Direct enzymatic partners not yet identified
  2. 1999 High

    Showed RBBP4 selectively binds the histone H4 N-terminal tail in vivo and bridges HDAC (RPD3) and SIN3 to chromatin, establishing it as the targeting subunit that delivers deacetylase activity for repression.

    Evidence Xenopus oocyte microinjection, cofractionation, Co-IP, and transcriptional repression assays

    PMID:10454532

    Open questions at the time
    • Structural basis of H4 recognition not resolved
    • Did not distinguish which complexes use this interaction in cells
  3. 2000 High

    Connected RBBP4 to both histone deacetylation (Rb-HDAC1 ternary complex) and histone acetylation (lowering CBP/p300 Km and enabling chromatin transcription), placing it at both poles of the acetylation cycle.

    Evidence Co-IP plus RbAp48 immunodepletion deacetylase assays, and yeast two-hybrid/GST pulldown with in vitro HAT and chromatin transcription assays

    PMID:10734134 PMID:10866654

    Open questions at the time
    • How a single scaffold partitions between HAT and HDAC complexes in vivo unresolved
    • In vitro Km effects not validated genome-wide
  4. 2001 High

    Extended the HDAC repertoire to HDAC3 recruited to Rb and showed RBBP4 is functionally required for E2F repression, generalizing its role across deacetylases.

    Evidence In vitro and in vivo Co-IP plus transcriptional repression assays

    PMID:11470869

    Open questions at the time
    • Selectivity between HDAC1/2/3 complexes not defined
  5. 2002 Medium

    Defined the RBBP4 interactome as encompassing the complete NuRD/Mi-2 complex plus RNA-processing factors, broadening its documented cellular role.

    Evidence Immunoaffinity purification with capillary HPLC-ion-trap mass spectrometry from Jurkat cells

    PMID:12645902

    Open questions at the time
    • Novel splicing-factor interactors never functionally validated
    • MS interactome from a single cell type
  6. 2007 Medium

    Linked RBBP4 dosage to cytoplasmic signaling and apoptosis (K-Ras/MAPK activation, p53-dependent apoptosis), raising non-chromatin or indirect functions.

    Evidence Transgenic overexpression, siRNA, Ras-GTP pulldown, pharmacological MAPK inhibition, and genetic knockout epistasis in mouse models

    PMID:16581768 PMID:17974974

    Open questions at the time
    • Mechanism connecting a nuclear chaperone to cytoplasmic Ras activity not established
    • No in vitro reconstitution of the signaling link
  7. 2012 High

    Resolved how RBBP4 hands off histones, demonstrating allosteric H3-H4 exchange with ASF1 central to new nucleosome assembly.

    Evidence Reconstituted in vitro chaperone exchange assays with mass spectrometry, EPR, and structural analysis

    PMID:23178455

    Open questions at the time
    • Coupling of this exchange to specific assembly complexes (CAF-1) in vivo not shown
  8. 2015 High

    Defined the structural logic of the β-propeller as a multi-surface hub: the top-face pocket (FOG-1, H3, PHF6) is mutually exclusive with cofactors, while MTA1 binding occludes the histone H4 site to integrate RBBP4 into NuRD.

    Evidence Crystal structures of RBBP4 with FOG-1, MTA1, and PHF6 peptides, with mutagenesis, competition assays, Co-IP, and reporter assays

    PMID:21047798 PMID:24920672 PMID:25601084

    Open questions at the time
    • How competition is regulated dynamically in cells not addressed
    • Stoichiometry within intact complexes not fully resolved
  9. 2016 High

    Established assembly architecture (MTA1 recruiting two RBBP4 copies) and an acetylation-independent centromeric function requiring CENP-A and M18BP1, revealing roles beyond chromatin modification.

    Evidence Negative-stain EM/crosslinking of MTA1-(RBBP4)2, and C. elegans RNAi with CENP-A/M18BP1 epistasis and immunofluorescence

    PMID:26904949 PMID:27144666

    Open questions at the time
    • High-resolution NuRD subcomplex structure lacking
    • Molecular mechanism of centromeric CENP-A loading by RBBP4 unknown
  10. 2016 High

    Implicated RBBP4 in meiotic genome stability and in viral transcriptional control, broadening its functional reach.

    Evidence siRNA depletion in mouse oocytes with spindle/aneuploidy and histone acetylation readouts and AURKC epistasis; EMSA, ChIP, and LTR reporter assays for HIV-1

    PMID:25788661 PMID:27222146

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct deacetylase complex responsible for meiotic deacetylation not pinpointed
    • HIV LTR repression mechanism is correlative (single lab)
  11. 2015 High

    Demonstrated that RBBP4 is essential for vertebrate viability with intertwined defects in S-phase, nucleosome assembly, mitosis, and heterochromatin maintenance.

    Evidence Tetracycline-inducible conditional knockout in chicken DT40 cells with cell-cycle, BrdU, chromosome, and HP1/histone-mark analyses

    PMID:26667624

    Open questions at the time
    • Which downstream defect is primary versus secondary not dissected
  12. 2018 High

    Extended structural recruitment principles to the propeller side surface (BCL11A, ZNF827) and showed ZNF827 directs NuRD to ALT telomeres, generalizing the cofactor-recruitment paradigm.

    Evidence Crystal structures of RBBP4 with BCL11A and ZNF827 peptides with competition assays, structure-guided mutagenesis, ChIP, and Co-IP

    PMID:29263092 PMID:30045876

    Open questions at the time
    • In vivo selectivity among competing top-face/side-face ligands not resolved
  13. 2018 High

    Defined a hippocampal RBBP4 program controlling histone acetylation and BDNF/GPR158 osteocalcin signaling required for memory and reversible in aging.

    Evidence Dominant-negative transgenic and viral overexpression mice with fMRI, behavioral memory tests, and histone acetylation measurements; pharmacological GPR158 blockade

    PMID:23986399 PMID:30355501

    Open questions at the time
    • Chromatin complex mediating DG-specific acetylation changes not identified
    • Direct versus systemic contributions to memory not separated
  14. 2020 High

    Showed RBBP4 (and redundantly RBBP7) is essential for early embryogenesis, restraining histone acetylation and H3.3 deposition to permit lineage specification.

    Evidence Conditional knockout and siRNA double-knockdown mouse embryos with lineage marker immunofluorescence, TUNEL, ChIP-seq for H3.3, and RNA-seq

    PMID:32285100 PMID:34709113

    Open questions at the time
    • Degree of RBBP4/RBBP7 redundancy in somatic tissues not quantified
    • Mechanism restraining H3.3 deposition not biochemically defined
  15. 2021 High

    Established RBBP4 as required for PRC2 genomic targeting and pluripotency maintenance in ESCs, with the differentiation phenotype rescued by Oct4/Sox2.

    Evidence Knockout ESCs with RNA-seq, PRC2 ChIP-seq, and epistatic rescue by Oct4/Sox2 overexpression

    PMID:33606987

    Open questions at the time
    • How RBBP4 directs PRC2 to a specific gene subset mechanistically unclear
  16. 2023 High

    Defined RBBP4 as an epigenetic barrier to totipotency, recruiting G9a and KAP1 to deposit H3K9me2/me3 at ERVs and using CHD4 for nucleosome occupancy in heterochromatin.

    Evidence Auxin-induced degron depletion with ChIP-seq for H3K9me2/me3, ATAC-seq, Co-IP for G9a/KAP1/CHD4, and RNA-seq

    PMID:37021556

    Open questions at the time
    • How RBBP4 selects ERV families for distinct methyltransferases not resolved
  17. 2024 High

    Refined the cofactor-recruitment model with a variant NuRD-interaction motif in ZNF512B and identified a distal-enhancer-driven neural differentiation program acting through the Shh receptor Cdon.

    Evidence Crystal structure of ZNF512B NIM-RBBP4 with mutagenesis and transcriptome/reporter assays; CRISPR knockdown of RBBP4 in neocortical progenitors with ChIP-seq and CDON rescue

    PMID:39460621 PMID:39592227

    Open questions at the time
    • Generality of variant NIMs across other NuRD recruiters untested
    • How RBBP4 selects deep-layer neuron genes not defined
  18. 2022 Medium

    Implicated RBBP4 as a targetable dependency in glioblastoma, co-occupying H3K27ac chromatin with p300 and regulating DNA repair (MRN) and cell cycle genes to influence therapy resistance.

    Evidence Proximity ligation assay, ChIP-seq, shRNA/CRISPR knockdown, RNA-seq, γ-H2AX assays, and orthotopic tumor models

    PMID:35231103 PMID:36736531

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct versus indirect control of MRN/repair genes not separated
    • p300 cofactor mechanism is correlative at most loci

Open questions

Synthesis pass · forward-looking unresolved questions
  • How RBBP4 dynamically partitions among its many mutually exclusive cofactors and complexes to achieve locus- and lineage-specific outcomes, and the structural basis of its acetylation-independent centromeric function, remain unresolved.
  • No quantitative model of complex occupancy in vivo
  • High-resolution structure of RBBP4 within intact NuRD/PRC2 lacking
  • Mechanism of CENP-A-dependent centromere loading unknown

Mechanism profile

Synthesis pass · controlled-vocabulary classification · explore literature graph →
Molecular activity
GO:0042393 histone binding 5 GO:0060090 molecular adaptor activity 4 GO:0140110 transcription regulator activity 4 GO:0044183 protein folding chaperone 2
Localization
GO:0000228 nuclear chromosome 3 GO:0005634 nucleus 3
Pathway
R-HSA-1266738 Developmental Biology 3 R-HSA-1640170 Cell Cycle 3 R-HSA-4839726 Chromatin organization 3 R-HSA-74160 Gene expression (Transcription) 3
Complex memberships
CAF-1NURFNuRDPRC2

Evidence

Reading pass · 39 per-paper findings extracted from the source corpus
Year Finding Method Journal Conf PMIDs
1998 C. elegans lin-53 encodes a protein similar to RbAp48 and antagonizes Ras signaling in vulval precursor cells; lin-53 and lin-35 (Rb homolog) act in the same synthetic multivulva pathway to repress transcription of genes required for vulval cell fate expression. Genetic epistasis, loss-of-function mutant analysis, sequence homology Cell High 9875852
1998 Drosophila p55 (NURF55, ortholog of RbAp48) is an integral subunit of both the NURF chromatin remodeling complex and the CAF-1 chromatin assembly factor, suggesting it functions as a common platform for chromatin metabolism complexes; immunological studies confirm chromosomal association. Peptide sequencing, cDNA cloning, immunoprecipitation, immunostaining of polytene chromosomes Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America High 9419341
1998 Purified recombinant RbAp48 binds 3–4 zinc ions per molecule, with binding activity present in both N- and C-terminal halves, suggesting metal binding is an intrinsic property of the WD-40 propeller structure that may mediate protein-protein interactions. Metal affinity chromatography, zinc blotting, atomic absorption analysis, metal competition assays FEBS letters Medium 9872415
1999 In Xenopus oocytes, RPD3 (HDAC) associates with RbAp48 through N- and C-terminal contacts; RbAp48 also interacts with SIN3; RbAp48 selectively binds the N-terminal tail proximal to the histone fold domain of histone H4 in vivo; RPD3 may be targeted to histones through RbAp48 to direct transcriptional repression. Xenopus oocyte microinjection, cofractionation, co-immunoprecipitation, in vivo binding assays, transcriptional repression assays Molecular and cellular biology High 10454532
2000 RbAp48 belongs to the Rb-associated histone deacetylase complex; HDAC1 mediates formation of an Rb-RbAp48 ternary complex; cell extracts depleted of RbAp48-containing complexes show reduced deacetylase activity associated with Rb; E2F1 and RbAp48 are physically associated in the presence of Rb and HDAC1. Co-immunoprecipitation from live cells, RbAp48 immunodepletion, histone deacetylase activity assay The Journal of biological chemistry High 10734134
2000 RbAp48 interacts with a CBP–phospho-CREB complex: CBP from HeLa nuclear extracts co-immunoprecipitates with RbAp48/RbAp46; RbAp48 lowers the Km of CBP histone acetyltransferase activity; RbAp48 facilitates p300-mediated in vitro transcription of a chromatinized template in an acetylCoA-dependent manner; association of core histones and mononucleosomes with the complex is acetylation-dependent. Yeast two-hybrid, Co-IP, GST pulldown, in vitro histone acetyltransferase assay (Km measurement), in vitro transcription on chromatinized template Molecular and cellular biology High 10866654
2001 HDAC3 physically interacts with RbAp48 both in vitro and in live cells, and recruits RbAp48 to Rb; this interaction is independent of effects on Rb-E2F1 binding; RbAp48 is required for transcriptional repression of E2F activity. Co-immunoprecipitation in vivo and in vitro, transcriptional repression assays Nucleic acids research High 11470869
2002 Immunoaffinity proteomics of RbAp48 from Jurkat cells identified all known NuRD/Mi-2 complex proteins (including human p66) as interaction partners, plus RNA-binding/pre-mRNA splicing proteins and other novel interactors, suggesting a broader cellular role than previously documented. Immunoaffinity purification, capillary HPLC-ion-trap mass spectrometry Journal of proteome research Medium 12645902
2004 Drosophila p55 (RbAp48 ortholog) is essential for repression of dE2F2/RBF-regulated target genes in a cell cycle-independent manner; RNAi depletion of p55 derepresses E2F targets regulated by dE2F2/RBF1 and dE2F2/RBF2, but not cell proliferation-coupled E2F targets, indicating distinct repression mechanisms at these two target classes. RNAi depletion in Drosophila cells, quantitative RT-PCR of E2F target genes, epistasis analysis Molecular and cellular biology High 15456884
2006 RbAp48 overexpression induces p53-mediated apoptosis in exocrine gland cells under estrogen deficiency conditions; apoptosis requires p53 phosphorylation and E2F-1; siRNA knockdown of RbAp48 inhibits this apoptosis; transgenic RbAp48 expression induces apoptosis specifically in exocrine glands. Transgenic mouse overexpression, siRNA knockdown, Western blot for p53 phosphorylation, OVX mouse model, genetic knockout (p53−/−, E2F-1−/−, ERα−/−) Molecular and cellular biology High 16581768
2007 RbAp48 overexpression induces cytoskeletal reorganization (loss of actin stress fibers, formation of membranous F-actin rings, cell rounding) in breast cancer cells by increasing K-Ras-GTP levels and activating MAPK; pharmacological MAPK inhibition reverses the cytoskeletal changes; RbAp48 knockdown reduces K-Ras activity. Transfection/overexpression, siRNA knockdown, Ras activity pulldown (GTP-Ras), pharmacological MAPK inhibition, phalloidin F-actin staining Cancer research Medium 17974974
2010 Crystal structure (1.9 Å) of RbAp48 bound to the 15 N-terminal amino acids of FOG-1 reveals that the FOG-1 peptide contacts a negatively charged pocket on top of the RbAp48 β-propeller, distinct from the histone H4-binding surface; RbAp48 interacts with NuRD subunit MTA-1 via a surface distinct from the FOG-binding pocket, establishing how NuRD assembly facilitates cofactor interactions. X-ray crystallography (1.9 Å), biochemical binding assays The Journal of biological chemistry High 21047798
2012 The H3-H4 histone complex shows structural plasticity that facilitates allosteric exchange between RbAp48 and the histone chaperone ASF1; this exchange has a central role in new nucleosome assembly. Biochemical binding/exchange assays, mass spectrometry, EPR (ESR), structural analysis Nature structural & molecular biology High 23178455
2013 RbAp48 modifies histone acetylation in the dentate gyrus (DG); dominant-negative inhibition of RbAp48 in young mouse forebrain causes hippocampus-dependent memory deficits and regionally selective decrease in histone acetylation in the DG; RbAp48 up-regulation in aged DG rescues age-related memory loss and histone acetylation abnormalities. Transgenic dominant-negative mouse, viral vector overexpression in aged mice, fMRI, novel object recognition, Morris water maze, histone acetylation measurement Science translational medicine High 23986399
2014 Crystal structure of RbAp48 in complex with MTA1 shows that RbAp48 binds MTA1 using the same site used to bind histone H4, demonstrating that assembly into NuRD modulates RbAp46/48 interactions with histones; MTA proteins act as scaffolds for NuRD complex assembly; the RbAp48-MTA1 interaction is essential for in vivo integration of RbAp46/48 into NuRD. X-ray crystallography, mutagenesis, co-immunoprecipitation to test in vivo integration The Journal of biological chemistry High 24920672
2015 Crystal structure of RBBP4 bound to PHF6 peptide (residues 162-170) reveals that PHF6 contacts the top surface of the RBBP4 β-propeller via a positively charged pair of residues inserting into a negatively charged pocket; this pocket overlaps with FOG1 and histone H3 binding but is distinct from histone H4, Su(z)12, and MTA1 sites; PHF6 mutants impairing this interaction reduce PHF6-mediated transcriptional repression in vivo and RBBP4 knockdown diminishes PHF6-mediated repression. X-ray crystallography, mutagenesis, Co-IP, transcriptional reporter assay, siRNA knockdown The Journal of biological chemistry High 25601084
2015 RBBP4 depletion in mouse oocytes causes hyperacetylation of histones H3K4, H4K8, H4K12, H4K16 during meiosis I, leading to multipolar spindles at metaphase I, chromosome misalignment, and aneuploidy at metaphase II; RBBP4-mediated histone deacetylation promotes bipolar spindle assembly at least partially through Aurora kinase C (AURKC) function. siRNA depletion in mouse oocytes, immunofluorescence for spindle assembly, histone acetylation Western blot, chromosome spread analysis Biology of reproduction High 25788661
2015 RbAp48 is essential for vertebrate cell viability; conditional knockout in chicken DT40 cells causes delayed S phase, slow DNA synthesis, impaired nascent nucleosome formation, G2/M accumulation, aberrant mitosis with highly condensed chromosomes and chromosome missegregation, dissociation of HP1 from pericentromeric heterochromatin, and elevated H3K9 acetylation with reduced H3K9 methylation. Tetracycline-inducible conditional knockout, cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry, BrdU incorporation, chromosome spread, immunostaining for HP1 and histone modifications Chromosome research High 26667624
2016 In C. elegans, LIN-53 (RbAp46/48 ortholog) is required for CENP-A(HCP-3) localization to holocentromeres; LIN-53 and CENP-A localizations are interdependent; LIN-53 localizes to the centromere during metaphase in a CENP-A- and M18BP1(KNL-2)-dependent manner; LIN-53 depletion causes anaphase bridges and chromosome missegregation; this centromeric function is independent of histone acetylation, H3K27 trimethylation, or known chromatin-modifying complexes. RNAi depletion, immunofluorescence, genetic epistasis with CENP-A and M18BP1 mutants Cell reports High 26904949
2016 MTA1 can recruit two copies of RBBP4 simultaneously; negative stain electron microscopy and chemical crosslinking define a low-resolution model of an MTA1-(RBBP4)2 subcomplex. Biochemical binding assays, negative stain electron microscopy, chemical crosslinking/mass spectrometry Protein science Medium 27144666
2016 RbAp48 binds to the HIV-1 LTR in vitro and represses HIV-1 LTR-mediated basal and activated transcription; ChIP analysis shows RbAp48 occupancy at the HIV-1 LTR in cells; knockdown of RbAp48 promotes HIV infection and virus particle production. EMSA, ChIP, siRNA knockdown, HIV-1 LTR-luciferase reporter assay International journal of molecular medicine Medium 27222146
2017 Crystal structure of RBBP4 in complex with BCL11A N-terminal peptide (residues 2-16) shows BCL11A contacts the side of the RBBP4 β-propeller via novel interactions distinct from histone H3; BCL11A competes with histone H3 for binding to the negatively charged top face of RBBP4; BCL11A(2-16) pulls down RBBP4, RBBP7, and components of PRC2, NuRD, and SIN3A from cell lysates. X-ray crystallography, fluorescence polarization competition assay, GST pulldown from cell lysate The Journal of biological chemistry High 29263092
2018 Crystal structure of RBBP4 bound to the N-terminal 14 amino acids of ZNF827 shows RBBP4 forms a negatively charged channel binding ZNF827 through electrostatic interactions; specific RBBP4 residues required for this interaction were identified and mutation prevents RBBP4 binding to both ZNF827 and telomeres, establishing how NuRD is recruited to ALT telomeres via ZNF827. X-ray crystallography, mutagenesis, ChIP, Co-IP The Biochemical journal High 30045876
2018 RbAp48 controls expression of BDNF and GPR158 (components of osteocalcin signaling) in mouse hippocampus; inhibition of RbAp48 in hippocampal formation blocks OCN's beneficial effects on cognition and causes discrimination memory deficits; disruption of OCN/GPR158 signaling downregulates RbAp48, creating a feedback loop; activation of OCN/GPR158 increases RbAp48 expression in aged DG and rescues age-related memory loss. Viral vector RbAp48 inhibition in vivo, GPR158 pharmacological blockade, gene expression analysis, behavioral memory tests Cell reports Medium 30355501
2019 LIN-53 (RBBP4/7 ortholog) interacts with the NuRD complex in C. elegans muscles to maintain muscle integrity; LIN-53 also interacts with the SIN3 HDAC complex required for normal lifespan; lin-53 and sin-3 mutants show decreased trehalose levels; trehalose supplementation or enhancement via insulin/IGF1 signaling rescues lifespan defects. Genetic mutant analysis, transcriptomics, metabolomics, epistasis with trehalose feeding and insulin pathway Aging cell Medium 31397537
2020 RBBP4 loss in mouse embryos causes hyperacetylated histones and severe apoptosis in blastocysts; trophoblast lineage is properly specified but epiblast and primitive endoderm are compromised; RBBP4 is essential for early mouse embryogenesis and inner cell mass formation. Conditional knockout mouse, blastocyst outgrowth assay, immunofluorescence for lineage markers and histone acetylation, TUNEL apoptosis assay Biology of reproduction High 32285100
2020 Structure-based design of bicyclic peptide inhibitors targeting the RbAp48/MTA1 protein-protein interaction interface achieves nanomolar affinity (KD = 8.56 nM); crystallographic analysis guided affinity optimization via hydrophobic aromatic linker interactions with a hydrophobic residue on RbAp48. X-ray crystallography, fluorescence polarization/binding affinity measurement, protease stability assay Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) High 33022847
2021 Double knockdown of Rbbp4 and Rbbp7 (but not individually) causes embryonic lethality at morula-to-blastocyst transition with cell cycle block, disrupted lineage specification, and a dramatic increase in histone H3.3 and H3K27ac; ChIP-seq shows RBBP4/7 target gene promoters are enriched for H3.3; RBBP4/7 regulate H3.3 deposition epigenetically. siRNA double knockdown in mouse embryos, ChIP-seq for H3.3, RNA-seq, immunofluorescence Epigenetics High 34709113
2021 RBBP4 deficiency in mouse ESCs causes spontaneous differentiation into mesendodermal lineages; RBBP4 is essential for PRC2 genomic targeting to a subset of developmental genes; RBBP4 sustains Oct4 and Sox2 expression; forced co-expression of Oct4 and Sox2 fully rescues pluripotency in Rbbp4-null ESCs. Knockout ESCs, RNA-seq, ChIP-seq for PRC2 components, rescue by Oct4/Sox2 overexpression Stem cell reports High 33606987
2021 In Tetrahymena, the RBBP4/7 ortholog RebL1 physically interacts with histone H4 and co-purifies with subunits of CAF1, Hat1, Rpd3, and MuvB complexes; RebL1 is a component of a MuvB-like complex containing Lin54, Lin9, and RebL1; RebL1 and Lin54 bind genic and intergenic regions genome-wide; RebL1 depletion suppresses Rad51 expression, consistent with DNA repair roles. Affinity purification/mass spectrometry, ChIP-seq, RNAi depletion, Western blot Nucleic acids research Medium 34086947
2022 RBBP4 forms a complex with p300 histone acetyltransferase in the nucleus of GBM cells (demonstrated by proximity ligation assay); ChIP-seq shows co-occupancy of RBBP4/p300 at promoters/enhancers with H3K27ac; RBBP4 and p300 co-regulate 1,485 genes including C-MYC; RBBP4 or p300 knockdown sensitizes GBM cells to temozolomide. Proximity ligation assay, ChIP-seq, shRNA knockdown, RNA-seq, in vivo orthotopic tumor model Neuro-oncology High 35231103
2022 RBBP4 loss in zebrafish disrupts neural progenitor cell cycle progression independent of Rb1 (rbbp4; rb1 double mutants show additive M-phase accumulation); Rbbp4 loss leads to Tp53 acetylation and Tp53-dependent apoptosis in developing brain; Tp53 knockdown/knockout suppresses apoptosis in rbbp4 mutants. Zebrafish genetic mutant analysis (rbbp4, rb1, tp53 mutants), immunofluorescence for γ-H2AX and M-phase markers, epistasis with tp53 morpholino/knockout Developmental dynamics High 35266256
2022 Photoaffinity labeling identified RBBP4 as a direct cellular target of protopanaxadiol (PPD) in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells; PPD binding to RBBP4 decreases RBBP4-dependent H3K27me3; PPD inhibition of cell proliferation/migration is antagonized by RBBP4 silencing, confirming RBBP4 as a functional target. Photoaffinity labeling chemoproteomic pulldown, H3K27me3 Western blot, siRNA knockdown rescue Chembiochem Medium 35442561
2023 RBBP4 recruits transcription factors and epigenetic regulators to the promoters of MRN complex genes (Mre11, Rad50, NBS1) to regulate their expression and thereby controls DNA double-strand break repair; RBBP4 disruption increases DNA damage sensitivity to TMZ and radiotherapy in GBM cells. ChIP-seq, shRNA knockdown, γ-H2AX assay, cell proliferation assays Cancer letters Medium 36736531
2023 RBBP4 functions as an epigenetic barrier to totipotency: it binds endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) and recruits G9a to deposit H3K9me2 on ERVL elements and recruits KAP1 to deposit H3K9me3 on ERV1/ERVK elements; RBBP4 also facilitates nucleosome occupancy at ERVK/ERVL sites in heterochromatin via chromatin remodeler CHD4; RBBP4 depletion activates transposable elements and 2C genes, reprogramming ESCs toward totipotency. Auxin-induced degron depletion, ChIP-seq for H3K9me2/me3 and nucleosome occupancy (ATAC-seq), Co-IP for G9a/KAP1/CHD4, RNA-seq Nucleic acids research High 37021556
2024 ZNF512B contains a variant NuRD-interaction motif (NIM) that binds RBBP4; crystal structure of this ZNF512B NIM bound to RBBP4 demonstrates it is necessary and sufficient for high-affinity NuRD binding; ZNF512B recruits NuRD through RBBP4 to repress gene expression. X-ray crystallography, biochemical binding assays, mutagenesis, transcriptome analysis, reporter assays Nucleic acids research High 39460621
2024 RBBP4 knockdown in mouse E12.5 neocortical progenitors reduces neuronal output, specifically affecting CTIP2-expressing deep-layer neurons; RBBP4 genome-wide occupancy is primarily at distal regulatory elements; RBBP4 binds the Cdon gene (Shh pathway receptor); Cdon knockdown phenocopies RBBP4 knockdown; CDON overexpression rescues neurogenesis defects caused by RBBP4 loss. CRISPR/Cas9 knockdown in embryonic neocortex, ChIP-seq, immunofluorescence for neuronal markers, rescue by CDON overexpression eNeuro High 39592227
2025 In chronic stress/isoflurane anesthesia cognitive impairment, RbAp48 interacts with HDAC2 (demonstrated by Co-IP); chronic stress reduces RbAp48 expression and increases HDAC2 levels and their interaction, decreasing H3K9ac and H4K12ac; RbAp48 overexpression restores histone acetylation, increases BDNF, and rescues memory deficits. Co-immunoprecipitation, Western blot, adenoviral RbAp48 overexpression in vivo and in vitro, fear conditioning behavioral test Journal of anesthesia and translational medicine Medium 41930277
2025 RBBP4 knockout in TMZ-resistant glioblastoma cells (identified by CRISPR functional genomic screen using epigenetic knockout library) significantly impairs cell proliferation without affecting MGMT expression; RBBP4 loss downregulates G2/M checkpoint cell cycle genes and causes increased cell size and multinucleation indicative of disrupted mitotic progression. CRISPR/Cas9 dropout screen, RNA-seq after RBBP4 KO, live-cell imaging, immunofluorescence bioRxivpreprint Medium

Source papers

Stage 0 corpus · 63 papers · ranked by NIH iCite citations
Year Title Journal Citations PMID
1998 lin-35 and lin-53, two genes that antagonize a C. elegans Ras pathway, encode proteins similar to Rb and its binding protein RbAp48. Cell 281 9875852
1998 Drosophila NURF-55, a WD repeat protein involved in histone metabolism. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 136 9419341
2000 RbAp48 belongs to the histone deacetylase complex that associates with the retinoblastoma protein. The Journal of biological chemistry 110 10734134
2013 Molecular mechanism for age-related memory loss: the histone-binding protein RbAp48. Science translational medicine 86 23986399
2010 Insights into association of the NuRD complex with FOG-1 from the crystal structure of an RbAp48·FOG-1 complex. The Journal of biological chemistry 80 21047798
2014 Insight into the architecture of the NuRD complex: structure of the RbAp48-MTA1 subcomplex. The Journal of biological chemistry 69 24920672
2018 RbAp48 Protein Is a Critical Component of GPR158/OCN Signaling and Ameliorates Age-Related Memory Loss. Cell reports 65 30355501
2008 Expression of the retinoblastoma protein RbAp48 in exocrine glands leads to Sjögren's syndrome-like autoimmune exocrinopathy. The Journal of experimental medicine 65 19015307
1999 Functional analysis of the SIN3-histone deacetylase RPD3-RbAp48-histone H4 connection in the Xenopus oocyte. Molecular and cellular biology 64 10454532
2000 Histone binding protein RbAp48 interacts with a complex of CREB binding protein and phosphorylated CREB. Molecular and cellular biology 63 10866654
2004 Genes encoding Pir51, Beclin 1, RbAp48 and aldolase b are up or down-regulated in human primary hepatocellular carcinoma. World journal of gastroenterology 59 14966907
2004 p55, the Drosophila ortholog of RbAp46/RbAp48, is required for the repression of dE2F2/RBF-regulated genes. Molecular and cellular biology 56 15456884
2012 Structural plasticity of histones H3-H4 facilitates their allosteric exchange between RbAp48 and ASF1. Nature structural & molecular biology 53 23178455
2001 The histone deacetylase HDAC3 targets RbAp48 to the retinoblastoma protein. Nucleic acids research 52 11470869
2017 Probing the interaction between the histone methyltransferase/deacetylase subunit RBBP4/7 and the transcription factor BCL11A in epigenetic complexes. The Journal of biological chemistry 50 29263092
2018 Epigenetic regulators Rbbp4 and Hdac1 are overexpressed in a zebrafish model of RB1 embryonal brain tumor, and are required for neural progenitor survival and proliferation. Disease models & mechanisms 39 29914980
2015 Structural basis of plant homeodomain finger 6 (PHF6) recognition by the retinoblastoma binding protein 4 (RBBP4) component of the nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex. The Journal of biological chemistry 39 25601084
2007 RbAp48 is a critical mediator controlling the transforming activity of human papillomavirus type 16 in cervical cancer. The Journal of biological chemistry 37 17616526
2007 RbAp48 is a target of nuclear factor-kappaB activity in thyroid cancer. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism 35 17244783
2006 Novel role for RbAp48 in tissue-specific, estrogen deficiency-dependent apoptosis in the exocrine glands. Molecular and cellular biology 33 16581768
2015 RBBP4 regulates histone deacetylation and bipolar spindle assembly during oocyte maturation in the mouse. Biology of reproduction 32 25788661
2010 An RbAp48-like gene regulates adult stem cells in planarians. Journal of cell science 32 20124416
2023 RBBP4 regulates the expression of the Mre11-Rad50-NBS1 (MRN) complex and promotes DNA double-strand break repair to mediate glioblastoma chemoradiotherapy resistance. Cancer letters 28 36736531
2020 Loss of RBBP4 results in defective inner cell mass, severe apoptosis, hyperacetylated histones and preimplantation lethality in mice†. Biology of reproduction 28 32285100
2016 The MTA1 subunit of the nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase complex can recruit two copies of RBBP4/7. Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society 28 27144666
2021 LncRNA HOXA-AS2 promotes glioblastoma carcinogenesis by targeting miR-885-5p/RBBP4 axis. Cancer cell international 25 33430870
2021 Overlapping functions of RBBP4 and RBBP7 in regulating cell proliferation and histone H3.3 deposition during mouse preimplantation development. Epigenetics 25 34709113
1998 AtMSI4 and RbAp48 WD-40 repeat proteins bind metal ions. FEBS letters 24 9872415
2020 RBBP4 promotes colon cancer malignant progression via regulating Wnt/β-catenin pathway. World journal of gastroenterology 23 32994691
2020 Structure Based Design of Bicyclic Peptide Inhibitors of RbAp48. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) 23 33022847
2016 RbAp46/48(LIN-53) Is Required for Holocentromere Assembly in Caenorhabditis elegans. Cell reports 22 26904949
2022 RBBP4-p300 axis modulates expression of genes essential for cell survival and is a potential target for therapy in glioblastoma. Neuro-oncology 21 35231103
2021 Circular RNA hsa_circ_0102231 sponges miR-145 to promote non-small cell lung cancer cell proliferation by up-regulating the expression of RBBP4. Journal of biochemistry 20 33084863
2021 Rbbp4 Suppresses Premature Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells. Stem cell reports 19 33606987
2021 Functional characterization of RebL1 highlights the evolutionary conservation of oncogenic activities of the RBBP4/7 orthologue in Tetrahymena thermophila. Nucleic acids research 19 34086947
2019 The conserved histone chaperone LIN-53 is required for normal lifespan and maintenance of muscle integrity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Aging cell 19 31397537
2013 Radiation-inducible protein RbAp48 contributes to radiosensitivity of cervical cancer cells. Gynecologic oncology 19 23756179
2002 Use of MEDUSA-based data analysis and capillary HPLC-ion-trap mass spectrometry to examine complex immunoaffinity extracts of RBAp48. Journal of proteome research 16 12645902
2022 Rbbp4 loss disrupts neural progenitor cell cycle regulation independent of Rb and leads to Tp53 acetylation and apoptosis. Developmental dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists 15 35266256
2016 RbAp48, a novel inhibitory factor that regulates the transcription of human immunodeficiency virus type 1. International journal of molecular medicine 15 27222146
2023 Unveiling the molecular structure and role of RBBP4/7: implications for epigenetic regulation and cancer research. Frontiers in molecular biosciences 13 38028543
2023 Lead exposure induces neuronal apoptosis via NFκB p65/RBBP4/Survivin signaling pathway. Toxicology 12 37866543
2022 Photoaffinity Labeling-Based Chemoproteomic Strategy Reveals RBBP4 as a Cellular Target of Protopanaxadiol against Colorectal Cancer Cells. Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology 12 35442561
2007 RbAp48 regulates cytoskeletal organization and morphology by increasing K-Ras activity and signaling through mitogen-activated protein kinase. Cancer research 12 17974974
2024 Interpreting the molecular mechanisms of RBBP4/7 and their roles in human diseases (Review). International journal of molecular medicine 11 38577935
2023 RBBP4 is an epigenetic barrier for the induced transition of pluripotent stem cells into totipotent 2C-like cells. Nucleic acids research 11 37021556
2018 Structural and functional characterization of the RBBP4-ZNF827 interaction and its role in NuRD recruitment to telomeres. The Biochemical journal 11 30045876
2014 Lead discovery for Alzheimer's disease related target protein RbAp48 from traditional Chinese medicine. BioMed research international 11 25165715
2015 RbAp48 is essential for viability of vertebrate cells and plays a role in chromosome stability. Chromosome research : an international journal on the molecular, supramolecular and evolutionary aspects of chromosome biology 10 26667624
2023 Circ_0110498 facilitates the cisplatin resistance of non-small cell lung cancer by mediating the miR-1287-5p/RBBP4 axis. Thoracic cancer 8 36691322
2021 RBBP4 Enhances Platinum Chemo Resistance in Lung Adenocarcinoma. BioMed research international 6 33506032
2025 RBBP4 downregulation increases the sensitivity of A549 and HeLa cells to cisplatin by inhibiting cyclin D1 expression. Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) 4 40187236
2015 [Effect of RbAp48 knockdown on migration and invasion of human cervical cancer cell line MS751 in vitro]. Nan fang yi ke da xue xue bao = Journal of Southern Medical University 4 26607076
2002 Cloning and molecular characterization of the Schistosoma mansoni genes RbAp48 and histone H4. Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 4 12430566
2023 Expression and clinical significance of RBBP4 gene in lower-grade glioma: An integrative analysis. Biochemistry and biophysics reports 3 37664524
2022 RBBP4 plays a vital role in the malignant progression of triple-negative breast cancer by regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Genes & genomics 3 35622231
2015 RbAp48 Is Critical for the Proliferation of Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma. ORL; journal for oto-rhino-laryngology and its related specialties 3 26376479
2025 RBAP48 facilitates the oral squamous cell carcinoma process in an androgen receptor-dependent and independent manners. Communications biology 1 40442479
2024 ZNF512B binds RBBP4 via a variant NuRD interaction motif and aggregates chromatin in a NuRD complex-independent manner. Nucleic acids research 1 39460621
2025 Chronic stress contributes to long-term isoflurane anesthesia-induced cognitive dysfunction via histone acetylation modulated by RbAp48-HDAC2 in male mice. Journal of anesthesia and translational medicine 0 41930277
2024 Histone-binding protein RBBP4 is necessary to promote neurogenesis in the developing mouse neocortical progenitors. eNeuro 0 39592227
2019 RbAp48 expression and neuronal damage in the gerbil hippocampus following 5 min of transient ischemia. Laboratory animal research 0 32257900
2014 Involvement of RbAp48 in erythroid differentiation of murine erythroleukemia cells induced by sodium butyrate. Oncology letters 0 24932233

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