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As a prominent characteristic of cell life, the regulation of cell quiescence is important for proper development, regeneration, and stress resistance and may play a role in certain degenerative diseases. However, the mechanism underlying quiescence remains largely unknown. Encysted embryos of Artemia are useful for studying the regulation of this state because they remain quiescent for prolonged periods during diapause, a state of obligate dormancy. In the present study, SET domain-containing protein 4, a histone lysine methyltransferase from Artemia , was identified, characterized, and named Ar-SETD4. We found that Ar-SETD4 was expressed abundantly in Artemia diapause embryos, in which cells were in a quiescent state. Meanwhile, trimethylated histone H4K20 (H4K20me3) was enriched in diapause embryos. The knockdown of Ar-SETD4 reduced the level of H4K20me3 significantly and prevented the formation of diapause embryos in which neither the cell cycle nor embryogenesis ceased. The catalytic activity of Ar-SETD4 on H4K20me3 was confirmed by an in vitro histone methyltransferase (HMT) assay and overexpression in cell lines. This study provides insights into the function of SETD4 and the mechanism of cell quiescence regulation., (Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.)

Background: In eukaryotes, tRNA trafficking between the nucleus and cytoplasm is a complex process connected with cell cycle regulation. Such trafficking is therefore of fundamental importance in cell biology, and disruption of this process has grave consequences for cell viability and survival. To cope with harsh habitats, Artemia has evolved a special reproductive mode to release encysted embryos in which cell division can be maintained in a dormancy state for a long period., Results: Using Artemia as a peculiar model of the cell cycle, an La-related protein from Artemia, named Ar-Larp, was found to bind to tRNA and accumulate in the nucleus, leading to cell cycle arrest and controlling the onset of diapause formation in Artemia. Furthermore, exogenous gene expression of Ar-Larp could induce cell cycle arrest in cancer cells and suppress tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model, similar to the results obtained in diapause embryos of Artemia. Our study of tRNA trafficking indicated that Ar-Larp controls cell cycle arrest by binding to tRNAs and influencing their retrograde movement from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, which is connected to pathways involved in cell cycle checkpoints., Conclusions: These findings in Artemia offer new insights into the mechanism underlying cell cycle arrest regulation, as well as providing a potentially novel approach to study tRNA retrograde movement from the cytoplasm to the nucleus.