Chromodomain protein CDYL is required for transmission/restoration of repressive histone marks

Faithful transmission or restoration of epigenetic information such as repressive histone modifications through generations is critical for the maintenance of cell identity. We report here that chromodomain Y-like protein (CDYL), a chromodomain-containing transcription corepressor, is physically associated with chromatin assembly factor 1 (CAF-1) and the replicative helicase MCM complex. We showed that CDYL bridges CAF-1 and MCM, facilitating histone transfer and deposition during DNA replication. We demonstrated that CDYL recruits histone-modifying enzymes G9a, SETDB1, and EZH2 to replication forks, leading to the addition of H3K9me2/3 and H3K27me2/3 on newly deposited histone H3. Significantly, depletion of CDYL impedes early S phase progression and sensitizes cells to DNA damage. Our data indicate that CDYL plays an important role in the transmission/restoration of repressive histone marks, thereby preserving the epigenetic landscape for the maintenance of cell identity.