Mechanism of RanGTP priming the release of H2A-H2B from Kap114 and Importin-9

Previously we showed that the nuclear import receptor Importin-9 wraps around the H2A-H2B core to chaperone and transport it from the cytoplasm to the nucleus (Padavannil et al. 2019). However, unlike most nuclear import systems where RanGTP dissociates cargoes from their importins, RanGTP binds stably to the Importin-9•H2A-H2B complex and formation of RanGTP•Importin-9•H2A-H2B facilitates H2A-H2B release to the assembling nucleosome (Padavannil et al. 2019). Here we show cryo-EM structures of Importin-9•RanGTP and of its yeast homolog Kap114, including Kap114•RanGTP, Kap114•H2A-H2B, and RanGTP•Kap114•H2A-H2B. In combination with hydrogen-deuterium exchange analysis of Importin-9 complexes and nucleosome assembly assays, we explain how the conserved Kap114/Importin-9 importins bind H2A-H2B and RanGTP simultaneously and how the GTPase primes histone transfer to the nucleosome. We show that RanGTP binds to the N-terminal repeats of Kap114/Importin-9 as in Kap114/Importin-9•RanGTP, and H2A-H2B binds via its acidic patch to the Kap114/Importin-9 C-terminal repeats as in Kap114/Importin-9•H2A-H2B. RanGTP-binding in RanGTP•Kap114•H2A-H2B changes Kap114/Importin-9 conformation such that it no longer contacts the surface of H2A-H2B proximal to the H2A docking domain that drives nucleosome assembly, positioning it for transfer to the assembling nucleosome. The reduced affinity of RanGTP for Kap114/Importin-9 when H2A-H2B is bound may ensure release of H2A-H2B only at chromatin. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.