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Mulero-Hernández J, Mironov V, Miñarro-Giménez JA, Kuiper M, Fernández-Breis J. Integration of chromosome locations and functional aspects of enhancers and topologically associating domains in knowledge graphs enables versatile queries about gene regulation. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:e69. [PMID: 38967009 PMCID: PMC11347148 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Knowledge about transcription factor binding and regulation, target genes, cis-regulatory modules and topologically associating domains is not only defined by functional associations like biological processes or diseases but also has a determinative genome location aspect. Here, we exploit these location and functional aspects together to develop new strategies to enable advanced data querying. Many databases have been developed to provide information about enhancers, but a schema that allows the standardized representation of data, securing interoperability between resources, has been lacking. In this work, we use knowledge graphs for the standardized representation of enhancers and topologically associating domains, together with data about their target genes, transcription factors, location on the human genome, and functional data about diseases and gene ontology annotations. We used this schema to integrate twenty-five enhancer datasets and two domain datasets, creating the most powerful integrative resource in this field to date. The knowledge graphs have been implemented using the Resource Description Framework and integrated within the open-access BioGateway knowledge network, generating a resource that contains an interoperable set of knowledge graphs (enhancers, TADs, genes, proteins, diseases, GO terms, and interactions between domains). We show how advanced queries, which combine functional and location restrictions, can be used to develop new hypotheses about functional aspects of gene expression regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Mulero-Hernández
- Departamento de Informática y Sistemas, Universidad de Murcia, CEIR Campus Mare Nostrum, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB),30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Vladimir Mironov
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - José Antonio Miñarro-Giménez
- Departamento de Informática y Sistemas, Universidad de Murcia, CEIR Campus Mare Nostrum, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB),30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Martin Kuiper
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Jesualdo Tomás Fernández-Breis
- Departamento de Informática y Sistemas, Universidad de Murcia, CEIR Campus Mare Nostrum, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB),30100 Murcia, Spain
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2
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Roberts JB, Rice SJ. Osteoarthritis as an Enhanceropathy: Gene Regulation in Complex Musculoskeletal Disease. Curr Rheumatol Rep 2024; 26:222-234. [PMID: 38430365 PMCID: PMC11116181 DOI: 10.1007/s11926-024-01142-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Osteoarthritis is a complex and highly polygenic disease. Over 100 reported osteoarthritis risk variants fall in non-coding regions of the genome, ostensibly conferring functional effects through the disruption of regulatory elements impacting target gene expression. In this review, we summarise the progress that has advanced our knowledge of gene enhancers both within the field of osteoarthritis and more broadly in complex diseases. RECENT FINDINGS Advances in technologies such as ATAC-seq have facilitated our understanding of chromatin states in specific cell types, bolstering the interpretation of GWAS and the identification of effector genes. Their application to osteoarthritis research has revealed enhancers as the principal regulatory element driving disease-associated changes in gene expression. However, tissue-specific effects in gene regulatory mechanisms can contribute added complexity to biological interpretation. Understanding gene enhancers and their altered activity in specific cell and tissue types is the key to unlocking the genetic complexity of osteoarthritis. The use of single-cell technologies in osteoarthritis research is still in its infancy. However, such tools offer great promise in improving our functional interpretation of osteoarthritis GWAS and the identification of druggable targets. Large-scale collaborative efforts will be imperative to understand tissue and cell-type specific molecular mechanisms underlying enhancer function in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack B Roberts
- Skeletal Research Group, International Centre for Life, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK
| | - Sarah J Rice
- Skeletal Research Group, International Centre for Life, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK.
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3
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Yang C, Wang CY, Long QY, Cao Z, Wei ML, Tang SB, Lin X, Mu ZQ, Xiao Y, Chen MK, Wu M, Li LY. The roles of nuclear orphan receptor NR2F6 in anti-viral innate immunity. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012271. [PMID: 38829910 PMCID: PMC11175508 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Proper transcription regulation by key transcription factors, such as IRF3, is critical for anti-viral defense. Dynamics of enhancer activity play important roles in many biological processes, and epigenomic analysis is used to determine the involved enhancers and transcription factors. To determine new transcription factors in anti-DNA-virus response, we have performed H3K27ac ChIP-Seq and identified three transcription factors, NR2F6, MEF2D and MAFF, in promoting HSV-1 replication. NR2F6 promotes HSV-1 replication and gene expression in vitro and in vivo, but not dependent on cGAS/STING pathway. NR2F6 binds to the promoter of MAP3K5 and activates AP-1/c-Jun pathway, which is critical for DNA virus replication. On the other hand, NR2F6 is transcriptionally repressed by c-Jun and forms a negative feedback loop. Meanwhile, cGAS/STING innate immunity signaling represses NR2F6 through STAT3. Taken together, we have identified new transcription factors and revealed the underlying mechanisms involved in the network between DNA viruses and host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Yang
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, College of Life Sciences, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Chen-Yu Wang
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, College of Life Sciences, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Qiao-Yun Long
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, College of Life Sciences, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhuo Cao
- Department of Gastroenterology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ming-Liang Wei
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, College of Life Sciences, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shan-Bo Tang
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, College of Life Sciences, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiang Lin
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, College of Life Sciences, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zi-Qi Mu
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, College of Life Sciences, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yong Xiao
- Department of Gastroenterology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ming-Kai Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Min Wu
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, College of Life Sciences, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Lian-Yun Li
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, Hubei Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, College of Life Sciences, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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Xiang G, He X, Giardine BM, Isaac KJ, Taylor DJ, McCoy RC, Jansen C, Keller CA, Wixom AQ, Cockburn A, Miller A, Qi Q, He Y, Li Y, Lichtenberg J, Heuston EF, Anderson SM, Luan J, Vermunt MW, Yue F, Sauria MEG, Schatz MC, Taylor J, Gottgens B, Hughes JR, Higgs DR, Weiss MJ, Cheng Y, Blobel GA, Bodine DM, Zhang Y, Li Q, Mahony S, Hardison RC. Interspecies regulatory landscapes and elements revealed by novel joint systematic integration of human and mouse blood cell epigenomes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.04.02.535219. [PMID: 37066352 PMCID: PMC10103973 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.02.535219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Knowledge of locations and activities of cis-regulatory elements (CREs) is needed to decipher basic mechanisms of gene regulation and to understand the impact of genetic variants on complex traits. Previous studies identified candidate CREs (cCREs) using epigenetic features in one species, making comparisons difficult between species. In contrast, we conducted an interspecies study defining epigenetic states and identifying cCREs in blood cell types to generate regulatory maps that are comparable between species, using integrative modeling of eight epigenetic features jointly in human and mouse in our Validated Systematic Integration (VISION) Project. The resulting catalogs of cCREs are useful resources for further studies of gene regulation in blood cells, indicated by high overlap with known functional elements and strong enrichment for human genetic variants associated with blood cell phenotypes. The contribution of each epigenetic state in cCREs to gene regulation, inferred from a multivariate regression, was used to estimate epigenetic state Regulatory Potential (esRP) scores for each cCRE in each cell type, which were used to categorize dynamic changes in cCREs. Groups of cCREs displaying similar patterns of regulatory activity in human and mouse cell types, obtained by joint clustering on esRP scores, harbored distinctive transcription factor binding motifs that were similar between species. An interspecies comparison of cCREs revealed both conserved and species-specific patterns of epigenetic evolution. Finally, we showed that comparisons of the epigenetic landscape between species can reveal elements with similar roles in regulation, even in the absence of genomic sequence alignment.
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Roberts JB, Boldvig OLG, Aubourg G, Kanchenapally ST, Deehan DJ, Rice SJ, Loughlin J. Specific isoforms of the ubiquitin ligase gene WWP2 are targets of osteoarthritis genetic risk via a differentially methylated DNA sequence. Arthritis Res Ther 2024; 26:78. [PMID: 38570801 PMCID: PMC10988806 DOI: 10.1186/s13075-024-03315-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transitioning from a genetic association signal to an effector gene and a targetable molecular mechanism requires the application of functional fine-mapping tools such as reporter assays and genome editing. In this report, we undertook such studies on the osteoarthritis (OA) risk that is marked by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs34195470 (A > G). The OA risk-conferring G allele of this SNP associates with increased DNA methylation (DNAm) at two CpG dinucleotides within WWP2. This gene encodes a ubiquitin ligase and is the host gene of microRNA-140 (miR-140). WWP2 and miR-140 are both regulators of TGFβ signaling. METHODS Nucleic acids were extracted from adult OA (arthroplasty) and foetal cartilage. Samples were genotyped and DNAm quantified by pyrosequencing at the two CpGs plus 14 flanking CpGs. CpGs were tested for transcriptional regulatory effects using a chondrocyte cell line and reporter gene assay. DNAm was altered using epigenetic editing, with the impact on gene expression determined using RT-qPCR. In silico analysis complemented laboratory experiments. RESULTS rs34195470 genotype associates with differential methylation at 14 of the 16 CpGs in OA cartilage, forming a methylation quantitative trait locus (mQTL). The mQTL is less pronounced in foetal cartilage (5/16 CpGs). The reporter assay revealed that the CpGs reside within a transcriptional regulator. Epigenetic editing to increase their DNAm resulted in altered expression of the full-length and N-terminal transcript isoforms of WWP2. No changes in expression were observed for the C-terminal isoform of WWP2 or for miR-140. CONCLUSIONS As far as we are aware, this is the first experimental demonstration of an OA association signal targeting specific transcript isoforms of a gene. The WWP2 isoforms encode proteins with varying substrate specificities for the components of the TGFβ signaling pathway. Future analysis should focus on the substrates regulated by the two WWP2 isoforms that are the targets of this genetic risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack B Roberts
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK.
| | - Olivia L G Boldvig
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK
| | - Guillaume Aubourg
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK
| | - S Tanishq Kanchenapally
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK
| | - David J Deehan
- Freeman Hospital, Newcastle University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Sarah J Rice
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK
| | - John Loughlin
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK.
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Francis D, Lall P, Ayres S, Van Bergen NJ, Christodoulou J, Brown NJ, Kalitsis P. De novo enhancer deletion of LMX1B produces a mild nail-patella clinical phenotype. Clin Genet 2024; 105:214-219. [PMID: 37899549 DOI: 10.1111/cge.14447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Critical genes involved in embryonic development are often transcription factors, regulating many downstream genes. LMX1B is a homeobox gene that is involved in formation of the limbs, eyes and kidneys, heterozygous loss-of-function sequence variants and deletions cause Nail-Patella syndrome. Most of the reported variants are localised within the gene's coding sequence, however, approximately 5%-10% of affected individuals do not have a pathogenic variant identified within this region. In this study, we present a family with four affected individuals across two generations with a deletion spanning a conserved upstream LMX1B-binding sequence. This deletion is de novo in the mother of three affected children. Furthermore, in this family, the manifestations appear limited to the nails and limbs, and therefore may reflect an attenuated phenotype of the classic Nail-Patella phenotype that includes ophthalmological and renal manifestations.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Francis
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Services, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
| | - Paula Lall
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Services, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
| | - Samantha Ayres
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Services, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Australia
| | - Nicole J Van Bergen
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Australia
- Brain and Mitochondrial Research Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
| | - John Christodoulou
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Australia
- Brain and Mitochondrial Research Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
| | - Natasha J Brown
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Services, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Australia
| | - Paul Kalitsis
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Services, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Australia
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Terzi Cizmecioglu N. Roles and Regulation of H3K4 Methylation During Mammalian Early Embryogenesis and Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 38231346 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2023_794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
From generation of germ cells, fertilization, and throughout early mammalian embryonic development, the chromatin undergoes significant alterations to enable precise regulation of gene expression and genome use. Methylation of histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4) correlates with active regions of the genome, and it has emerged as a dynamic mark throughout this timeline. The pattern and the level of H3K4 methylation are regulated by methyltransferases and demethylases. These enzymes, as well as their protein partners, play important roles in early embryonic development and show phenotypes in embryonic stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. The various roles of H3K4 methylation are interpreted by dedicated chromatin reader proteins, linking this modification to broader molecular and cellular phenotypes. In this review, we discuss the regulation of different levels of H3K4 methylation, their distinct accumulation pattern, and downstream molecular roles with an early embryogenesis perspective.
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8
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Avarlaid A, Esvald E, Koppel I, Parkman A, Zhuravskaya A, Makeyev EV, Tuvikene J, Timmusk T. An 840 kb distant upstream enhancer is a crucial regulator of catecholamine-dependent expression of the Bdnf gene in astrocytes. Glia 2024; 72:90-110. [PMID: 37632136 PMCID: PMC10952894 DOI: 10.1002/glia.24463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a fundamental role in the developing and adult nervous system, contributing to neuronal survival, differentiation, and synaptic plasticity. Dysregulation of BDNF synthesis, secretion or signaling has been associated with many neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative disorders. Although the transcriptional regulation of the Bdnf gene has been extensively studied in neurons, less is known about the regulation and function of BDNF in non-neuronal cells. The most abundant type of non-neuronal cells in the brain, astrocytes, express BDNF in response to catecholamines. However, genetic elements responsible for this regulation have not been identified. Here, we investigated four potential Bdnf enhancer regions and based on reporter gene assays, CRISPR/Cas9 engineering and CAPTURE-3C-sequencing we conclude that a region 840 kb upstream of the Bdnf gene regulates catecholamine-dependent expression of Bdnf in rodent astrocytes. We also provide evidence that this regulation is mediated by CREB and AP1 family transcription factors. This is the first report of an enhancer coordinating the transcription of Bdnf gene in non-neuronal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annela Avarlaid
- Department of Chemistry and BiotechnologyTallinn University of TechnologyTallinnEstonia
| | - Eli‐Eelika Esvald
- Department of Chemistry and BiotechnologyTallinn University of TechnologyTallinnEstonia
- Protobios LLCTallinnEstonia
| | - Indrek Koppel
- Department of Chemistry and BiotechnologyTallinn University of TechnologyTallinnEstonia
| | - Annabel Parkman
- Department of Chemistry and BiotechnologyTallinn University of TechnologyTallinnEstonia
| | - Anna Zhuravskaya
- Centre for Developmental NeurobiologyKing's College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Jürgen Tuvikene
- Department of Chemistry and BiotechnologyTallinn University of TechnologyTallinnEstonia
- Protobios LLCTallinnEstonia
| | - Tõnis Timmusk
- Department of Chemistry and BiotechnologyTallinn University of TechnologyTallinnEstonia
- Protobios LLCTallinnEstonia
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9
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Sui JY, Eichenfield DZ, Sun BK. The role of enhancers in psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Br J Dermatol 2023; 190:10-19. [PMID: 37658835 DOI: 10.1093/bjd/ljad321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Regulatory elements, particularly enhancers, play a crucial role in disease susceptibility and progression. Enhancers are DNA sequences that activate gene expression and can be affected by epigenetic modifications, interactions with transcription factors (TFs) or changes to the enhancer DNA sequence itself. Altered enhancer activity impacts gene expression and contributes to disease. In this review, we define enhancers and the experimental techniques used to identify and characterize them. We also discuss recent studies that examine how enhancers contribute to atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis. Articles in the PubMed database were identified (from 1 January 2010 to 28 February 2023) that were relevant to enhancer variants, enhancer-associated TFs and enhancer histone modifications in psoriasis or AD. Most enhancers associated with these conditions regulate genes affecting epidermal homeostasis or immune function. These discoveries present potential therapeutic targets to complement existing treatment options for AD and psoriasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Y Sui
- Department of Dermatology, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, CA, USA
- Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Dermatology, Rady Children's Hospital of San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Dawn Z Eichenfield
- Department of Dermatology, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, CA, USA
- Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Dermatology, Rady Children's Hospital of San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Bryan K Sun
- Department of Dermatology, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, CA, USA
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Li Y, Ju F, Chen Z, Qu Y, Xia H, He L, Wu L, Zhu J, Shao B, Deng P. CREaTor: zero-shot cis-regulatory pattern modeling with attention mechanisms. Genome Biol 2023; 24:266. [PMID: 37996959 PMCID: PMC10666311 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-03103-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Linking cis-regulatory sequences to target genes has been a long-standing challenge. In this study, we introduce CREaTor, an attention-based deep neural network designed to model cis-regulatory patterns for genomic elements up to 2 Mb from target genes. Coupled with a training strategy that predicts gene expression from flanking candidate cis-regulatory elements (cCREs), CREaTor can model cell type-specific cis-regulatory patterns in new cell types without prior knowledge of cCRE-gene interactions or additional training. The zero-shot modeling capability, combined with the use of only RNA-seq and ChIP-seq data, allows for the ready generalization of CREaTor to a broad range of cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongge Li
- Microsoft Research AI4Science, Beijing, China
- School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Fusong Ju
- Microsoft Research AI4Science, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiyuan Chen
- Microsoft Research AI4Science, Beijing, China
- School of Computing, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Yiming Qu
- Microsoft Research AI4Science, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | | | - Liang He
- Microsoft Research AI4Science, Beijing, China
| | - Lijun Wu
- Microsoft Research AI4Science, Beijing, China
| | - Jianwei Zhu
- Microsoft Research AI4Science, Beijing, China
| | - Bin Shao
- Microsoft Research AI4Science, Beijing, China
| | - Pan Deng
- Microsoft Research AI4Science, Beijing, China.
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11
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Chen Y, Hong Z, Wang J, Liu K, Liu J, Lin J, Feng S, Zhang T, Shan L, Liu T, Guo P, Lin Y, Li T, Chen Q, Jiang X, Li A, Li X, Li Y, Wilde JJ, Bao J, Dai J, Lu Z. Circuit-specific gene therapy reverses core symptoms in a primate Parkinson's disease model. Cell 2023; 186:5394-5410.e18. [PMID: 37922901 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder. Its symptoms are typically treated with levodopa or dopamine receptor agonists, but its action lacks specificity due to the wide distribution of dopamine receptors in the central nervous system and periphery. Here, we report the development of a gene therapy strategy to selectively manipulate PD-affected circuitry. Targeting striatal D1 medium spiny neurons (MSNs), whose activity is chronically suppressed in PD, we engineered a therapeutic strategy comprised of a highly efficient retrograde adeno-associated virus (AAV), promoter elements with strong D1-MSN activity, and a chemogenetic effector to enable precise D1-MSN activation after systemic ligand administration. Application of this therapeutic approach rescues locomotion, tremor, and motor skill defects in both mouse and primate models of PD, supporting the feasibility of targeted circuit modulation tools for the treatment of PD in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yefei Chen
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Zexuan Hong
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen 518027, China
| | - Jingyi Wang
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Kunlin Liu
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen 518027, China
| | - Jianbang Lin
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shijing Feng
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Tianhui Zhang
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Brain Disease and Bioinformation, Research Center for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Liang Shan
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Taian Liu
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Pinyue Guo
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yunping Lin
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Tian Li
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Qian Chen
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan 528400, China
| | - Xiaodan Jiang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, China
| | - Anan Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Brain Disease and Bioinformation, Research Center for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221004, China
| | - Xiang Li
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yuantao Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen 518027, China; Biomedical Research Institute, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, China
| | | | - Jin Bao
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; Biomedical Imaging Science and System Key Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Ji Dai
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Zhonghua Lu
- Shenzhen Technological Research Center for Primate Translational Medicine, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Neural Development, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; Biomedical Imaging Science and System Key Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
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12
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Dhar SS, Brown C, Rizvi A, Reed L, Kotla S, Zod C, Abraham J, Abe JI, Rajaram V, Chen K, Lee M. Heterozygous Kmt2d loss diminishes enhancers to render medulloblastoma cells vulnerable to combinatory inhibition of lysine demethylation and oxidative phosphorylation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.29.564587. [PMID: 37961118 PMCID: PMC10634931 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.29.564587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methyltransferase KMT2D (also called MLL4) is one of the most frequently mutated epigenetic modifiers in medulloblastoma (MB) and other types of cancer. Notably, heterozygous loss of KMT2D is prevalent in MB and other cancer types. However, what role heterozygous KMT2D loss plays in tumorigenesis has not been well characterized. Here, we show that heterozygous Kmt2d loss highly promotes MB driven by heterozygous loss of the MB suppressor gene Ptch in mice. Heterozygous Kmt2d loss upregulated tumor-promoting programs, including oxidative phosphorylation and G-protein-coupled receptor signaling, in Ptch-mutant-driven MB genesis. Mechanistically, both downregulation of the transcription-repressive tumor suppressor gene NCOR2 by heterozygous Kmt2d loss and upregulation of the oncogene MycN by heterozygous Ptch loss increased the expression of tumor-promoting genes. Moreover, heterozygous Kmt2d loss extensively diminished enhancer signals (e.g., H3K27ac) and H3K4me3 signature, including those for tumor suppressor genes (e.g., Ncor2). Combinatory pharmacological inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation and the H3K4 demethylase LSD1 drastically reduced tumorigenicity of MB cells bearing heterozygous Kmt2d loss. These findings reveal the mechanistic basis underlying the MB-promoting effect of heterozygous KMT2D loss, provide a rationale for a therapeutic strategy for treatment of KMT2D-deficient MB, and have mechanistic implications for the molecular pathogenesis of other types of cancer bearing heterozygous KMT2D loss.
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13
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Han JH, Lee HJ, Kim TH. Characterization of transcriptional enhancers in the chicken genome using CRISPR-mediated activation. Front Genome Ed 2023; 5:1269115. [PMID: 37953873 PMCID: PMC10634339 DOI: 10.3389/fgeed.2023.1269115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA regulatory elements intricately control when, where, and how genes are activated. Therefore, understanding the function of these elements could unveil the complexity of the genetic regulation network. Genome-wide significant variants are predominantly found in non-coding regions of DNA, so comprehending the predicted functional regulatory elements is crucial for understanding the biological context of these genomic markers, which can be incorporated into breeding programs. The emergence of CRISPR technology has provided a powerful tool for studying non-coding regulatory elements in genomes. In this study, we leveraged epigenetic data from the Functional Annotation of Animal Genomes project to identify promoter and putative enhancer regions associated with three genes (HBBA, IRF7, and PPARG) in the chicken genome. To identify the enhancer regions, we designed guide RNAs targeting the promoter and candidate enhancer regions and utilized CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) with dCas9-p300 and dCas9-VPR as transcriptional activators in chicken DF-1 cells. By comparing the expression levels of target genes between the promoter activation and the co-activation of the promoter and putative enhancers, we were able to identify functional enhancers that exhibited augmented upregulation. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate the remarkable efficiency of CRISPRa in precisely manipulating the expression of endogenous genes by targeting regulatory elements in the chicken genome, highlighting its potential for functional validation of non-coding regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong Hoon Han
- Department of Animal Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Hong Jo Lee
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Tae Hyun Kim
- Department of Animal Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
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14
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Kassouf M, Ford S, Blayney J, Higgs D. Understanding fundamental principles of enhancer biology at a model locus: Analysing the structure and function of an enhancer cluster at the α-globin locus. Bioessays 2023; 45:e2300047. [PMID: 37404089 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202300047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
Despite ever-increasing accumulation of genomic data, the fundamental question of how individual genes are switched on during development, lineage-specification and differentiation is not fully answered. It is widely accepted that this involves the interaction between at least three fundamental regulatory elements: enhancers, promoters and insulators. Enhancers contain transcription factor binding sites which are bound by transcription factors (TFs) and co-factors expressed during cell fate decisions and maintain imposed patterns of activation, at least in part, via their epigenetic modification. This information is transferred from enhancers to their cognate promoters often by coming into close physical proximity to form a 'transcriptional hub' containing a high concentration of TFs and co-factors. The mechanisms underlying these stages of transcriptional activation are not fully explained. This review focuses on how enhancers and promoters are activated during differentiation and how multiple enhancers work together to regulate gene expression. We illustrate the currently understood principles of how mammalian enhancers work and how they may be perturbed in enhanceropathies using expression of the α-globin gene cluster during erythropoiesis, as a model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mira Kassouf
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Seren Ford
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Joseph Blayney
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Doug Higgs
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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15
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Kent D, Marchetti L, Mikulasova A, Russell LJ, Rico D. Broad H3K4me3 domains: Maintaining cellular identity and their implication in super-enhancer hijacking. Bioessays 2023; 45:e2200239. [PMID: 37350339 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202200239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
The human and mouse genomes are complex from a genomic standpoint. Each cell has the same genomic sequence, yet a wide array of cell types exists due to the presence of a plethora of regulatory elements in the non-coding genome. Recent advances in epigenomic profiling have uncovered non-coding gene proximal promoters and distal enhancers of transcription genome-wide. Extension of promoter-associated H3K4me3 histone mark across the gene body, known as a broad H3K4me3 domain (H3K4me3-BD), is a signature of constitutive expression of cell-type-specific regulation and of tumour suppressor genes in healthy cells. Recently, it has been discovered that the presence of H3K4me3-BDs over oncogenes is a cancer-specific feature associated with their dysregulated gene expression and tumourigenesis. Moreover, it has been shown that the hijacking of clusters of enhancers, known as super-enhancers (SE), by proto-oncogenes results in the presence of H3K4me3-BDs over the gene body. Therefore, H3K4me3-BDs and SE crosstalk in healthy and cancer cells therefore represents an important mechanism to identify future treatments for patients with SE driven cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kent
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Letizia Marchetti
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Aneta Mikulasova
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Lisa J Russell
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Daniel Rico
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
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16
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Robert S, Rada-Iglesias A. The interaction between enhancer variants and environmental factors as an overlooked aetiological paradigm in human complex disease. Bioessays 2023; 45:e2300038. [PMID: 37170707 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202300038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The interactions between genetic and environmental risk factors contribute to the aetiology of complex human diseases. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed that most of the genetic variants associated with complex diseases are located in the non-coding part of the genome, preferentially within enhancers. Enhancers are distal cis-regulatory elements composed of clusters of transcription factors binding sites that positively regulate the expression of their target genes. The generation of genome-wide maps for histone marks (e.g., H3K27ac), chromatin accessibility and transcription factor and coactivator (e.g., p300) binding profiles have enabled the identification of enhancers across many human cell types and tissues. Nonetheless, the functional and pathological consequences of the majority of disease-associated genetic variants located within enhancers seem to be rather minor under normal conditions, thus questioning their medical relevance. Here we propose that, due to the prevalence of enhancer redundancy, the pathological effects of many disease-associated non-coding genetic variants might be preferentially (or even only) manifested under environmental stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Robert
- Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria (IBBTEC), CSIC/Universidad de, Santander, Cantabria, Spain
| | - Alvaro Rada-Iglesias
- Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria (IBBTEC), CSIC/Universidad de, Santander, Cantabria, Spain
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17
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Liu H, Tsai H, Yang M, Li G, Bian Q, Ding G, Wu D, Dai J. Three-dimensional genome structure and function. MedComm (Beijing) 2023; 4:e326. [PMID: 37426677 PMCID: PMC10329473 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Linear DNA undergoes a series of compression and folding events, forming various three-dimensional (3D) structural units in mammalian cells, including chromosomal territory, compartment, topologically associating domain, and chromatin loop. These structures play crucial roles in regulating gene expression, cell differentiation, and disease progression. Deciphering the principles underlying 3D genome folding and the molecular mechanisms governing cell fate determination remains a challenge. With advancements in high-throughput sequencing and imaging techniques, the hierarchical organization and functional roles of higher-order chromatin structures have been gradually illuminated. This review systematically discussed the structural hierarchy of the 3D genome, the effects and mechanisms of cis-regulatory elements interaction in the 3D genome for regulating spatiotemporally specific gene expression, the roles and mechanisms of dynamic changes in 3D chromatin conformation during embryonic development, and the pathological mechanisms of diseases such as congenital developmental abnormalities and cancer, which are attributed to alterations in 3D genome organization and aberrations in key structural proteins. Finally, prospects were made for the research about 3D genome structure, function, and genetic intervention, and the roles in disease development, prevention, and treatment, which may offer some clues for precise diagnosis and treatment of related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Liu
- Department of Oral and Cranio‐Maxillofacial SurgeryShanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineCollege of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityNational Center for StomatologyNational Clinical Research Center for Oral DiseasesShanghai Key Laboratory of StomatologyShanghaiChina
- School of StomatologyWeifang Medical UniversityWeifangChina
| | - Hsiangyu Tsai
- Department of Oral and Cranio‐Maxillofacial SurgeryShanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineCollege of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityNational Center for StomatologyNational Clinical Research Center for Oral DiseasesShanghai Key Laboratory of StomatologyShanghaiChina
| | - Maoquan Yang
- School of Clinical MedicineWeifang Medical UniversityWeifangChina
| | - Guozhi Li
- Department of Oral and Cranio‐Maxillofacial SurgeryShanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineCollege of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityNational Center for StomatologyNational Clinical Research Center for Oral DiseasesShanghai Key Laboratory of StomatologyShanghaiChina
| | - Qian Bian
- Shanghai Institute of Precision MedicineShanghaiChina
| | - Gang Ding
- School of StomatologyWeifang Medical UniversityWeifangChina
| | - Dandan Wu
- Department of Oral and Cranio‐Maxillofacial SurgeryShanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineCollege of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityNational Center for StomatologyNational Clinical Research Center for Oral DiseasesShanghai Key Laboratory of StomatologyShanghaiChina
| | - Jiewen Dai
- Department of Oral and Cranio‐Maxillofacial SurgeryShanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineCollege of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityNational Center for StomatologyNational Clinical Research Center for Oral DiseasesShanghai Key Laboratory of StomatologyShanghaiChina
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18
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Phan LT, Oh C, He T, Manavalan B. A comprehensive revisit of the machine-learning tools developed for the identification of enhancers in the human genome. Proteomics 2023; 23:e2200409. [PMID: 37021401 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.202200409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Enhancers are non-coding DNA elements that play a crucial role in enhancing the transcription rate of a specific gene in the genome. Experiments for identifying enhancers can be restricted by their conditions and involve complicated, time-consuming, laborious, and costly steps. To overcome these challenges, computational platforms have been developed to complement experimental methods that enable high-throughput identification of enhancers. Over the last few years, the development of various enhancer computational tools has resulted in significant progress in predicting putative enhancers. Thus, researchers are now able to use a variety of strategies to enhance and advance enhancer study. In this review, an overview of machine learning (ML)-based prediction methods for enhancer identification and related databases has been provided. The existing enhancer-prediction methods have also been reviewed regarding their algorithms, feature selection processes, validation techniques, and software utility. In addition, the advantages and drawbacks of these ML approaches and guidelines for developing bioinformatic tools have been highlighted for a more efficient enhancer prediction. This review will serve as a useful resource for experimentalists in selecting the appropriate ML tool for their study, and for bioinformaticians in developing more accurate and advanced ML-based predictors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Thi Phan
- Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Integrative Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
| | - Changmin Oh
- Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Integrative Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
| | - Tao He
- Beidahuang Industry Group General Hospital, Harbin, China
| | - Balachandran Manavalan
- Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Integrative Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
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19
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Zappe K, Pühringer K, Pflug S, Berger D, Böhm A, Spiegl-Kreinecker S, Cichna-Markl M. Association between MGMT Enhancer Methylation and MGMT Promoter Methylation, MGMT Protein Expression, and Overall Survival in Glioblastoma. Cells 2023; 12:1639. [PMID: 37371109 DOI: 10.3390/cells12121639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The repair protein O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is regulated epigenetically, mainly by the methylation of the MGMT promoter. MGMT promoter methylation status has emerged as a prognostic and predictive biomarker for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM). However, a strong negative correlation between MGMT promoter methylation and MGMT protein expression cannot be applied as a rule for all GBM patients. In order to investigate if the DNA methylation status of MGMT enhancers is associated with MGMT promoter methylation, MGMT expression, and the overall survival (OS) of GBM patients, we established assays based on high-resolution melting analysis and pyrosequencing for one intragenic and three intergenic MGMT enhancers. For CpGs in an enhancer located 560 kb upstream of the MGMT promoter, we found a significant negative correlation between the methylation status and MGMT protein levels of GBM samples expressing MGMT. The methylation status of CpGs in the intragenic enhancer (hs696) was strongly negatively correlated with MGMT promoter methylation and was significantly higher in MGMT-expressing GBM samples than in MGMT-non-expressing GBM samples. Moreover, low methylation of CpGs 01-03 and CpGs 09-13 was associated with the longer OS of the GBM patients. Our findings indicate an association between MGMT enhancer methylation and MGMT promoter methylation, MGMT protein expression, and/or OS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Zappe
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Katharina Pühringer
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Simon Pflug
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniel Berger
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Böhm
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Sabine Spiegl-Kreinecker
- Department of Neurosurgery, Kepler University Hospital GmbH, Johannes Kepler University, 4040 Linz, Austria
| | - Margit Cichna-Markl
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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20
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Kessler S, Minoux M, Joshi O, Ben Zouari Y, Ducret S, Ross F, Vilain N, Salvi A, Wolff J, Kohler H, Stadler MB, Rijli FM. A multiple super-enhancer region establishes inter-TAD interactions and controls Hoxa function in cranial neural crest. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3242. [PMID: 37277355 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38953-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhancer-promoter interactions preferentially occur within boundary-insulated topologically associating domains (TADs), limiting inter-TAD interactions. Enhancer clusters in linear proximity, termed super-enhancers (SEs), ensure high target gene expression levels. Little is known about SE topological regulatory impact during craniofacial development. Here, we identify 2232 genome-wide putative SEs in mouse cranial neural crest cells (CNCCs), 147 of which target genes establishing CNCC positional identity during face formation. In second pharyngeal arch (PA2) CNCCs, a multiple SE-containing region, partitioned into Hoxa Inter-TAD Regulatory Element 1 and 2 (HIRE1 and HIRE2), establishes long-range inter-TAD interactions selectively with Hoxa2, that is required for external and middle ear structures. HIRE2 deletion in a Hoxa2 haploinsufficient background results in microtia. HIRE1 deletion phenocopies the full homeotic Hoxa2 knockout phenotype and induces PA3 and PA4 CNCC abnormalities correlating with Hoxa2 and Hoxa3 transcriptional downregulation. Thus, SEs can overcome TAD insulation and regulate anterior Hoxa gene collinear expression in a CNCC subpopulation-specific manner during craniofacial development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Kessler
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Maryline Minoux
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058, Basel, Switzerland
- INSERM UMR 1121, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de Chirurgie Dentaire, 8, rue Sainte Elisabeth, 67 000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Onkar Joshi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Yousra Ben Zouari
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sebastien Ducret
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Fiona Ross
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nathalie Vilain
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Adwait Salvi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Joachim Wolff
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Hubertus Kohler
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael B Stadler
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Filippo M Rijli
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058, Basel, Switzerland.
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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21
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Chan YC, Kienle E, Oti M, Di Liddo A, Mendez-Lago M, Aschauer DF, Peter M, Pagani M, Arnold C, Vonderheit A, Schön C, Kreuz S, Stark A, Rumpel S. An unbiased AAV-STARR-seq screen revealing the enhancer activity map of genomic regions in the mouse brain in vivo. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6745. [PMID: 37185990 PMCID: PMC10130037 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33448-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhancers are important cis-regulatory elements controlling cell-type specific expression patterns of genes. Furthermore, combinations of enhancers and minimal promoters are utilized to construct small, artificial promoters for gene delivery vectors. Large-scale functional screening methodology to construct genomic maps of enhancer activities has been successfully established in cultured cell lines, however, not yet applied to terminally differentiated cells and tissues in a living animal. Here, we transposed the Self-Transcribing Active Regulatory Region Sequencing (STARR-seq) technique to the mouse brain using adeno-associated-viruses (AAV) for the delivery of a highly complex screening library tiling entire genomic regions and covering in total 3 Mb of the mouse genome. We identified 483 sequences with enhancer activity, including sequences that were not predicted by DNA accessibility or histone marks. Characterizing the expression patterns of fluorescent reporters controlled by nine candidate sequences, we observed differential expression patterns also in sparse cell types. Together, our study provides an entry point for the unbiased study of enhancer activities in organisms during health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Chien Chan
- Institute of Physiology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Eike Kienle
- Institute of Physiology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Martin Oti
- Institute of Molecular Biology GmbH (IMB), Mainz, Germany
- Global Computational Biology and Digital Sciences, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an Der Riß, Germany
| | | | | | - Dominik F Aschauer
- Institute of Physiology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Manuel Peter
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michaela Pagani
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
| | - Cosmas Arnold
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Christian Schön
- Research Beyond Borders, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an Der Riß, Germany
| | - Sebastian Kreuz
- Research Beyond Borders, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an Der Riß, Germany
| | - Alexander Stark
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
- Medical University of Vienna, Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Simon Rumpel
- Institute of Physiology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
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22
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Mohammed Ismail W, Mazzone A, Ghiraldini FG, Kaur J, Bains M, Munankarmy A, Bagwell MS, Safgren SL, Moore-Weiss J, Buciuc M, Shimp L, Leach KA, Duarte LF, Nagi CS, Carcamo S, Chung CY, Hasson D, Dadgar N, Zhong J, Lee JH, Couch FJ, Revzin A, Ordog T, Bernstein E, Gaspar-Maia A. MacroH2A histone variants modulate enhancer activity to repress oncogenic programs and cellular reprogramming. Commun Biol 2023; 6:215. [PMID: 36823213 PMCID: PMC9950461 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04571-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Considerable efforts have been made to characterize active enhancer elements, which can be annotated by accessible chromatin and H3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac). However, apart from poised enhancers that are observed in early stages of development and putative silencers, the functional significance of cis-regulatory elements lacking H3K27ac is poorly understood. Here we show that macroH2A histone variants mark a subset of enhancers in normal and cancer cells, which we coined 'macro-Bound Enhancers', that modulate enhancer activity. We find macroH2A variants localized at enhancer elements that are devoid of H3K27ac in a cell type-specific manner, indicating a role for macroH2A at inactive enhancers to maintain cell identity. In following, reactivation of macro-bound enhancers is associated with oncogenic programs in breast cancer and their repressive role is correlated with the activity of macroH2A2 as a negative regulator of BRD4 chromatin occupancy. Finally, through single cell epigenomic profiling of normal mammary stem cells derived from mice, we show that macroH2A deficiency facilitates increased activity of transcription factors associated with stem cell activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wazim Mohammed Ismail
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Epigenomics program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Amelia Mazzone
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Epigenomics program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Flavia G Ghiraldini
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jagneet Kaur
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Epigenomics program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Manvir Bains
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Epigenomics program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Amik Munankarmy
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Epigenomics program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Monique S Bagwell
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Epigenomics program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Stephanie L Safgren
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Epigenomics program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - John Moore-Weiss
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Epigenomics program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Marina Buciuc
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Epigenomics program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Lynzie Shimp
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Epigenomics program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Kelsey A Leach
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Epigenomics program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Luis F Duarte
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chandandeep S Nagi
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Saul Carcamo
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Tisch Cancer Institute Bioinformatics for Next Generation Sequencing (BiNGS) Shared Resource Facility, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Chi-Yeh Chung
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dan Hasson
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Tisch Cancer Institute Bioinformatics for Next Generation Sequencing (BiNGS) Shared Resource Facility, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Neda Dadgar
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Jian Zhong
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Epigenomics program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Jeong-Heon Lee
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Epigenomics program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Fergus J Couch
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Alexander Revzin
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Tamas Ordog
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Epigenomics program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Emily Bernstein
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alexandre Gaspar-Maia
- Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Epigenomics program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
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23
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Genome-wide identification and characterization of DNA enhancers with a stacked multivariate fusion framework. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010779. [PMID: 36520922 PMCID: PMC9836277 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhancers are short non-coding DNA sequences outside of the target promoter regions that can be bound by specific proteins to increase a gene's transcriptional activity, which has a crucial role in the spatiotemporal and quantitative regulation of gene expression. However, enhancers do not have a specific sequence motifs or structures, and their scattered distribution in the genome makes the identification of enhancers from human cell lines particularly challenging. Here we present a novel, stacked multivariate fusion framework called SMFM, which enables a comprehensive identification and analysis of enhancers from regulatory DNA sequences as well as their interpretation. Specifically, to characterize the hierarchical relationships of enhancer sequences, multi-source biological information and dynamic semantic information are fused to represent regulatory DNA enhancer sequences. Then, we implement a deep learning-based sequence network to learn the feature representation of the enhancer sequences comprehensively and to extract the implicit relationships in the dynamic semantic information. Ultimately, an ensemble machine learning classifier is trained based on the refined multi-source features and dynamic implicit relations obtained from the deep learning-based sequence network. Benchmarking experiments demonstrated that SMFM significantly outperforms other existing methods using several evaluation metrics. In addition, an independent test set was used to validate the generalization performance of SMFM by comparing it to other state-of-the-art enhancer identification methods. Moreover, we performed motif analysis based on the contribution scores of different bases of enhancer sequences to the final identification results. Besides, we conducted interpretability analysis of the identified enhancer sequences based on attention weights of EnhancerBERT, a fine-tuned BERT model that provides new insights into exploring the gene semantic information likely to underlie the discovered enhancers in an interpretable manner. Finally, in a human placenta study with 4,562 active distal gene regulatory enhancers, SMFM successfully exposed tissue-related placental development and the differential mechanism, demonstrating the generalizability and stability of our proposed framework.
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24
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Li C, Yin Z, Xiao R, Huang B, Cui Y, Wang H, Xiang Y, Wang L, Lei L, Ye J, Li T, Zhong Y, Guo F, Xia Y, Fang P, Liang K. G-quadruplexes sense natural porphyrin metabolites for regulation of gene transcription and chromatin landscapes. Genome Biol 2022; 23:259. [PMID: 36522639 PMCID: PMC9753424 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-022-02830-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND G-quadruplexes (G4s) are unique noncanonical nucleic acid secondary structures, which have been proposed to physically interact with transcription factors and chromatin remodelers to regulate cell type-specific transcriptome and shape chromatin landscapes. RESULTS Based on the direct interaction between G4 and natural porphyrins, we establish genome-wide approaches to profile where the iron-liganded porphyrin hemin can bind in the chromatin. Hemin promotes genome-wide G4 formation, impairs transcription initiation, and alters chromatin landscapes, including decreased H3K27ac and H3K4me3 modifications at promoters. Interestingly, G4 status is not involved in the canonical hemin-BACH1-NRF2-mediated enhancer activation process, highlighting an unprecedented G4-dependent mechanism for metabolic regulation of transcription. Furthermore, hemin treatment induces specific gene expression profiles in hepatocytes, underscoring the in vivo potential for metabolic control of gene transcription by porphyrins. CONCLUSIONS These studies demonstrate that G4 functions as a sensor for natural porphyrin metabolites in cells, revealing a G4-dependent mechanism for metabolic regulation of gene transcription and chromatin landscapes, which will deepen our knowledge of G4 biology and the contribution of cellular metabolites to gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conghui Li
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Zhinang Yin
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Ruijing Xiao
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Beili Huang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Yali Cui
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Honghong Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Ying Xiang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Lingrui Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Lingyu Lei
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Jiaqin Ye
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Tianyu Li
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Youquan Zhong
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Fangteng Guo
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Yuchen Xia
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
- State Key Laboratory of Virology and Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
- TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, TaiKang Medical School, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Pingping Fang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China.
| | - Kaiwei Liang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China.
- TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, TaiKang Medical School, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China.
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China.
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25
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Ning H, Huang S, Lei Y, Zhi R, Yan H, Jin J, Hu Z, Guo K, Liu J, Yang J, Liu Z, Ba Y, Gao X, Hu D. Enhancer decommissioning by MLL4 ablation elicits dsRNA-interferon signaling and GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis to potentiate anti-tumor immunity. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6578. [PMID: 36323669 PMCID: PMC9630274 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34253-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhancer deregulation is a well-established pro-tumorigenic mechanism but whether it plays a regulatory role in tumor immunity is largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that tumor cell ablation of mixed-lineage leukemia 3 and 4 (MLL3 and MLL4, also known as KMT2C and KMT2D, respectively), two enhancer-associated histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) mono-methyltransferases, increases tumor immunogenicity and promotes anti-tumor T cell response. Mechanistically, MLL4 ablation attenuates the expression of RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) and DNA methyltransferases through decommissioning enhancers/super-enhancers, which consequently lead to transcriptional reactivation of the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-interferon response and gasdermin D (GSDMD)-mediated pyroptosis, respectively. More importantly, we reveal that both the dsRNA-interferon signaling and GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis are of critical importance to the increased anti-tumor immunity and improved immunotherapeutic efficacy in MLL4-ablated tumors. Thus, our findings establish tumor cell enhancers as an additional layer of immune evasion mechanisms and suggest the potential of targeting enhancers or their upstream and/or downstream molecular pathways to overcome immunotherapeutic resistance in cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanhan Ning
- grid.265021.20000 0000 9792 1228The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease of Ministry of Education, Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Shan Huang
- grid.265021.20000 0000 9792 1228The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease of Ministry of Education, Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yang Lei
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Renyong Zhi
- grid.265021.20000 0000 9792 1228The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease of Ministry of Education, Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Han Yan
- grid.265021.20000 0000 9792 1228The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease of Ministry of Education, Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jiaxing Jin
- grid.265021.20000 0000 9792 1228The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease of Ministry of Education, Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhenyu Hu
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Kaimin Guo
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Jinhua Liu
- grid.265021.20000 0000 9792 1228The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease of Ministry of Education, Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jie Yang
- grid.265021.20000 0000 9792 1228Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease of Ministry of Education, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhe Liu
- grid.265021.20000 0000 9792 1228Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease of Ministry of Education, Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yi Ba
- grid.411918.40000 0004 1798 6427Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Xin Gao
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Deqing Hu
- grid.265021.20000 0000 9792 1228The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease of Ministry of Education, Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China ,grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China ,grid.411918.40000 0004 1798 6427Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
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26
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Salmeri N, Carbone IF, Cavoretto PI, Farina A, Morano D. Epigenetics Beyond Fetal Growth Restriction: A Comprehensive Overview. Mol Diagn Ther 2022; 26:607-626. [PMID: 36028645 DOI: 10.1007/s40291-022-00611-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Fetal growth restriction is a pathological condition occurring when the fetus does not reach the genetically determined growth potential. The etiology of fetal growth restriction is expected to be multifactorial and include fetal, maternal, and placental factors, the latter being the most frequent cause of isolated fetal growth restriction. Severe fetal growth restriction has been related to both an increased risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality, and also a greater susceptibility to developing diseases (especially cardio-metabolic and neurological disorders) later in life. In the last decade, emerging evidence has supported the hypothesis of the Developmental Origin of Health and Disease, which states that individual developmental 'programming' takes place via a delicate fine tuning of fetal genetic and epigenetic marks in response to a large variety of 'stressor' exposures during pregnancy. As the placenta is the maternal-fetal interface, it has a crucial role in fetal programming, such that any perturbation altering placental function interferes with both in-utero fetal growth and also with the adult life phenotype. Several epigenetic mechanisms have been highlighted in modulating the dynamic placental epigenome, including alterations in DNA methylation status, post-translational modification of histones, and non-coding RNAs. This review aims to provide a comprehensive and critical overview of the available literature on the epigenetic background of fetal growth restriction. A targeted research strategy was performed using PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and The Cochrane Library up to January 2022. A detailed and fully referenced synthesis of available literature following the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles guidelines is provided. A variety of epigenetic marks predominantly interfering with placental development, function, and metabolism were found to be potentially associated with fetal growth restriction. Available evidence on the role of environmental exposures in shaping the placental epigenome and the fetal phenotype were also critically discussed. Because of the highly dynamic crosstalk between epigenetic mechanisms and the extra level of complexity in interpreting the final placental transcriptome, a full comprehension of these phenomenon is still lacking and advances in multi-omics approaches are urgently needed. Elucidating the role of epigenetics in the developmental origins of health and disease represents a new challenge for the coming years, with the goal of providing early interventions and prevention strategies and, hopefully, new treatment opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemi Salmeri
- Gynecology/Obstetrics Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Ilma Floriana Carbone
- Unit of Obstetrics, Department of Woman, Child and Neonate, Mangiagalli Center, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Ivo Cavoretto
- Gynecology/Obstetrics Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonio Farina
- Division of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Surgery (DIMEC), IRCCS Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, 40138, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Danila Morano
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria S. Anna, University of Ferrara, Cona, Ferrara, Italy
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27
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Ni P, Wilson D, Su Z. A map of cis-regulatory modules and constituent transcription factor binding sites in 80% of the mouse genome. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:714. [PMID: 36261804 PMCID: PMC9583556 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08933-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mouse is probably the most important model organism to study mammal biology and human diseases. A better understanding of the mouse genome will help understand the human genome, biology and diseases. However, despite the recent progress, the characterization of the regulatory sequences in the mouse genome is still far from complete, limiting its use to understand the regulatory sequences in the human genome. RESULTS Here, by integrating binding peaks in ~ 9,000 transcription factor (TF) ChIP-seq datasets that cover 79.9% of the mouse mappable genome using an efficient pipeline, we were able to partition these binding peak-covered genome regions into a cis-regulatory module (CRM) candidate (CRMC) set and a non-CRMC set. The CRMCs contain 912,197 putative CRMs and 38,554,729 TF binding sites (TFBSs) islands, covering 55.5% and 24.4% of the mappable genome, respectively. The CRMCs tend to be under strong evolutionary constraints, indicating that they are likely cis-regulatory; while the non-CRMCs are largely selectively neutral, indicating that they are unlikely cis-regulatory. Based on evolutionary profiles of the genome positions, we further estimated that 63.8% and 27.4% of the mouse genome might code for CRMs and TFBSs, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Validation using experimental data suggests that at least most of the CRMCs are authentic. Thus, this unprecedentedly comprehensive map of CRMs and TFBSs can be a good resource to guide experimental studies of regulatory genomes in mice and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengyu Ni
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - David Wilson
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - Zhengchang Su
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA.
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28
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Li J, Zhang J, Hou W, Yang X, Liu X, Zhang Y, Gao M, Zong M, Dong Z, Liu Z, Shen J, Cong W, Ding C, Gao S, Huang G, Kong Q. Metabolic control of histone acetylation for precise and timely regulation of minor ZGA in early mammalian embryos. Cell Discov 2022; 8:96. [PMID: 36167681 PMCID: PMC9515074 DOI: 10.1038/s41421-022-00440-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolism feeds into the regulation of epigenetics via metabolic enzymes and metabolites. However, metabolic features, and their impact on epigenetic remodeling during mammalian pre-implantation development, remain poorly understood. In this study, we established the metabolic landscape of mouse pre-implantation embryos from zygote to blastocyst, and quantified some absolute carbohydrate metabolites. We integrated these data with transcriptomic and proteomic data, and discovered the metabolic characteristics of the development process, including the activation of methionine cycle from 8-cell embryo to blastocyst, high glutaminolysis metabolism at blastocyst stage, enhanced TCA cycle activity from the 8-cell embryo stage, and active glycolysis in the blastocyst. We further demonstrated that oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) synthesis is indispensable for mouse pre-implantation development. Mechanistically, in part, NAD+ is required for the exit of minor zygotic gene activation (ZGA) by cooperating with SIRT1 to remove zygotic H3K27ac. In human, NAD+ supplement can promote the removal of zygotic H3K27ac and benefit pre-implantation development. Our findings demonstrate that precise and timely regulation of minor ZGA is controlled by metabolic dynamics, and enhance our understanding of the metabolism of mammalian early embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyu Li
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Human Embryo Engineering, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Women and Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jiaming Zhang
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.,College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Weibo Hou
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.,College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Xu Yang
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiaoyu Liu
- Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Meiling Gao
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ming Zong
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.,College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Zhixiong Dong
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhonghua Liu
- College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Jingling Shen
- Institute of Life Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Weitao Cong
- School of Pharmaceutical Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chunming Ding
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shaorong Gao
- Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Guoning Huang
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Human Embryo Engineering, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Women and Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
| | - Qingran Kong
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.
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29
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Typical Enhancers, Super-Enhancers, and Cancers. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14184375. [PMID: 36139535 PMCID: PMC9496678 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14184375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The cancer genome has been exhaustively studied upon the advent of Next-Generation Sequencing technologies. Coding and non-coding sequences have been defined as hotspots of genomic variations that affect the naïve gene expression programs established in normal cells, thus working as endogenous drivers of carcinogenesis. In this review, we comprehensively summarize fundamental aspects of gene expression regulation, with emphasis on the impact of sequence and structural variations mapped across non-coding cis-acting elements of genes encoding for tumor-related transcription factors. Chromatin architecture, epigenome reprogramming, transcriptional enhancers and Super-enhancers, oncogene regulation, cutting-edge technologies, and pharmacological treatment are substantially highlighted. Abstract Non-coding segments of the human genome are enriched in cis-regulatory modules that constitute functional elements, such as transcriptional enhancers and Super-enhancers. A hallmark of cancer pathogenesis is the dramatic dysregulation of the “archetype” gene expression profiles of normal human cells. Genomic variations can promote such deficiencies when occurring across enhancers and Super-enhancers, since they affect their mechanistic principles, their functional capacity and specificity, and the epigenomic features of the chromatin microenvironment across which these regulatory elements reside. Here, we comprehensively describe: fundamental mechanisms of gene expression dysregulation in cancers that involve genomic abnormalities within enhancers’ and Super-enhancers’ (SEs) sequences, which alter the expression of oncogenic transcription factors (TFs); cutting-edge technologies applied for the analysis of variation-enriched hotspots of the cancer genome; and pharmacological approaches for the treatment of Super-enhancers’ aberrant function. Finally, we provide an intratumor meta-analysis, which highlights that genomic variations in transcription-factor-driven tumors are accompanied overexpression of genes, a portion of which encodes for additional cancer-related transcription factors.
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Wang K, Escobar M, Li J, Mahata B, Goell J, Shah S, Cluck M, Hilton I. Systematic comparison of CRISPR-based transcriptional activators uncovers gene-regulatory features of enhancer-promoter interactions. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:7842-7855. [PMID: 35849129 PMCID: PMC9371918 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Revised: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuclease-inactivated CRISPR/Cas-based (dCas-based) systems have emerged as powerful technologies to synthetically reshape the human epigenome and gene expression. Despite the increasing adoption of these platforms, their relative potencies and mechanistic differences are incompletely characterized, particularly at human enhancer-promoter pairs. Here, we systematically compared the most widely adopted dCas9-based transcriptional activators, as well as an activator consisting of dCas9 fused to the catalytic core of the human CBP protein, at human enhancer-promoter pairs. We find that these platforms display variable relative expression levels in different human cell types and that their transactivation efficacies vary based upon the effector domain, effector recruitment architecture, targeted locus and cell type. We also show that each dCas9-based activator can induce the production of enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) and that this eRNA induction is positively correlated with downstream mRNA expression from a cognate promoter. Additionally, we use dCas9-based activators to demonstrate that an intrinsic transcriptional and epigenetic reciprocity can exist between human enhancers and promoters and that enhancer-mediated tracking and engagement of a downstream promoter can be synthetically driven by targeting dCas9-based transcriptional activators to an enhancer. Collectively, our study provides new insights into the enhancer-mediated control of human gene expression and the use of dCas9-based activators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaiyuan Wang
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Mario Escobar
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Barun Mahata
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Jacob Goell
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Spencer Shah
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Madeleine Cluck
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Isaac B Hilton
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
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The tissue-specificity associated region and motif of an emx2 downstream enhancer CNE2.04 in zebrafish. Gene Expr Patterns 2022; 45:119269. [PMID: 35970322 DOI: 10.1016/j.gep.2022.119269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Expression level of EMX2 plays an important role in the development of nervous system and cancers. CNE2.04, a conserved enhancer downstream of emx2, drives fluorescent protein expression in the similar pattern of emx2. METHODS CNE2.04 truncated or motif-mutated transgenic reporter plasmids were constructed and injected into the zebrafish fertilized egg with Tol2 mRNA at the unicellular stage of zebrafish eggs. The green fluorescence expression patterns were observed at 24, 48, and 72 hpf, and the fluorescence rates of different tissues were counted at 48 hpf. RESULTS Compared to CNE2.04, CNE2.04-R400 had comparable enhancer activity, while the tissue specificity of CNE2.04-L400 was obviously changed. Motif CCCCTC mutation obviously changed the enhancer activity, while motif CCGCTC mutations also changed it. CONCLUSION Due to their correlation with tissue specificity, CNE2.04-R400 is associated with the tissue-specificity of CNE2.04, and motif CCCCTC plays an important role in the enhancer activity of CNE2.04.
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Brumwell A, Aubourg G, Hussain J, Parker E, Deehan DJ, Rice SJ, Loughlin J. Identification of TMEM129, encoding a ubiquitin-protein ligase, as an effector gene of osteoarthritis genetic risk. Arthritis Res Ther 2022; 24:189. [PMID: 35941660 PMCID: PMC9358880 DOI: 10.1186/s13075-022-02882-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Osteoarthritis is highly heritable and genome-wide studies have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the disease. One such locus is marked by SNP rs11732213 (T > C). Genotype at rs11732213 correlates with the methylation levels of nearby CpG dinucleotides (CpGs), forming a methylation quantitative trait locus (mQTL). This study investigated the regulatory activity of the CpGs to identify a target gene of the locus. METHODS Nucleic acids were extracted from the articular cartilage of osteoarthritis patients. Samples were genotyped, and DNA methylation was quantified by pyrosequencing at 14 CpGs within a 259-bp interval. CpGs were tested for enhancer effects in immortalised chondrocytes using a reporter gene assay. DNA methylation at the locus was altered using targeted epigenome editing, with the impact on gene expression determined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS rs11732213 genotype correlated with DNA methylation at nine CpGs, which formed a differentially methylated region (DMR), with the osteoarthritis risk allele T corresponding to reduced levels of methylation. The DMR acted as an enhancer and demethylation of the CpGs altered expression of TMEM129. Allelic imbalance in TMEM129 expression was identified in cartilage, with under-expression of the risk allele. CONCLUSIONS TMEM129 is a target of osteoarthritis genetic risk at this locus. Genotype at rs11732213 impacts DNA methylation at the enhancer, which, in turn, modulates TMEM129 expression. TMEM129 encodes an enzyme involved in protein degradation within the endoplasmic reticulum, a process previously implicated in osteoarthritis. TMEM129 is a compelling osteoarthritis susceptibility target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abby Brumwell
- Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute, International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Guillaume Aubourg
- Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute, International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Juhel Hussain
- Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute, International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Eleanor Parker
- Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute, International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - David J Deehan
- Freeman Hospital, Newcastle University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Sarah J Rice
- Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute, International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - John Loughlin
- Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute, International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
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Wang J, Wang A, Tian K, Hua X, Zhang B, Zheng Y, Kong X, Li W, Xu L, Wang J, Li Z, Liu Y, Zhou Y. A Ctnnb1 enhancer regulates neocortical neurogenesis by controlling the abundance of intermediate progenitors. Cell Discov 2022; 8:74. [PMID: 35915089 PMCID: PMC9343459 DOI: 10.1038/s41421-022-00421-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
β-catenin-dependent canonical Wnt signaling plays a plethora of roles in neocortex (Ncx) development, but its function in regulating the abundance of intermediate progenitors (IPs) is elusive. Here we identified neCtnnb1, an evolutionarily conserved cis-regulatory element with typical enhancer features in developing Ncx. neCtnnb1 locates 55 kilobase upstream of and spatially close to the promoter of Ctnnb1, the gene encoding β-catenin. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated activation or interference of the neCtnnb1 locus enhanced or inhibited transcription of Ctnnb1. neCtnnb1 drove transcription predominantly in the subventricular zone of developing Ncx. Knock-out of neCtnnb1 in mice resulted in compromised expression of Ctnnb1 and the Wnt reporter in developing Ncx. Importantly, knock-out of neCtnnb1 lead to reduced production and transit-amplification of IPs, which subsequently generated fewer upper-layer Ncx projection neurons (PNs). In contrast, enhancing the canonical Wnt signaling by stabilizing β-catenin in neCtnnb1-active cells promoted the production of IPs and upper-layer Ncx PNs. ASH2L was identified as the key trans-acting factor that associates with neCtnnb1 and Ctnnb1’s promoter to maintain Ctnnb1’s transcription in both mouse and human Ncx progenitors. These findings advance understanding of transcriptional regulation of Ctnnb1, and provide insights into mechanisms underlying Ncx expansion during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junbao Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University; Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute at School of Medicine; The RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences; Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Andi Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University; Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute at School of Medicine; The RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences; Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Kuan Tian
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University; Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute at School of Medicine; The RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences; Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xiaojiao Hua
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University; Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute at School of Medicine; The RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences; Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University; Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute at School of Medicine; The RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences; Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yue Zheng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University; Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute at School of Medicine; The RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences; Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xiangfei Kong
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University; Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute at School of Medicine; The RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences; Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University; Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute at School of Medicine; The RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences; Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Lichao Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University; Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute at School of Medicine; The RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences; Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Juan Wang
- Department of Neurology, Wuhan Central Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zhiqiang Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University; Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute at School of Medicine; The RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences; Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University; Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute at School of Medicine; The RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences; Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
| | - Yan Zhou
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University; Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute at School of Medicine; The RNA Institute, College of Life Sciences; Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
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Epigenetic Memories in Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells. Cells 2022; 11:cells11142187. [PMID: 35883630 PMCID: PMC9324604 DOI: 10.3390/cells11142187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies has contributed to research into various biological processes. These novel NGS technologies have revealed the involvement of epigenetic memories in trained immunity, which are responses to transient stimulation and result in better responses to secondary challenges. Not only innate system cells, such as macrophages, monocytes, and natural killer cells, but also bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have been found to gain memories upon transient stimulation, leading to the enhancement of responses to secondary challenges. Various stimuli, including microbial infection, can induce the epigenetic reprogramming of innate immune cells and HSCs, which can result in an augmented response to secondary stimulation. In this review, we introduce novel NGS technologies and their application to unraveling epigenetic memories that are key in trained immunity and summarize the recent findings in trained immunity. We also discuss our most recent finding regarding epigenetic memory in aged HSCs, which may be associated with the exposure of HSCs to aging-related stresses.
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35
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Fan Y, Peng B. StackEPI: identification of cell line-specific enhancer-promoter interactions based on stacking ensemble learning. BMC Bioinformatics 2022; 23:272. [PMID: 35820811 PMCID: PMC9277947 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-022-04821-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Understanding the regulatory role of enhancer–promoter interactions (EPIs) on specific gene expression in cells contributes to the understanding of gene regulation, cell differentiation, etc., and its identification has been a challenging task. On the one hand, using traditional wet experimental methods to identify EPIs often means a lot of human labor and time costs. On the other hand, although the currently proposed computational methods have good recognition effects, they generally require a long training time. Results In this study, we studied the EPIs of six human cell lines and designed a cell line-specific EPIs prediction method based on a stacking ensemble learning strategy, which has better prediction performance and faster training speed, called StackEPI. Specifically, by combining different encoding schemes and machine learning methods, our prediction method can extract the cell line-specific effective information of enhancer and promoter gene sequences comprehensively and in many directions, and make accurate recognition of cell line-specific EPIs. Ultimately, the source code to implement StackEPI and experimental data involved in the experiment are available at https://github.com/20032303092/StackEPI.git. Conclusions The comparison results show that our model can deliver better performance on the problem of identifying cell line-specific EPIs and outperform other state-of-the-art models. In addition, our model also has a more efficient computation speed. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12859-022-04821-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongxian Fan
- School of Computer Science and Information Security, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin, 541004, China.
| | - Binchao Peng
- School of Computer Science and Information Security, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin, 541004, China
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Oelschlaegel D, Wensch-Dorendorf M, Kopke G, Jungnickel R, Waurich B, Rosner F, Döpfer D, Brenig B, Swalve HH. Functional Variants Associated With CMPK2 and in ASB16 Influence Bovine Digital Dermatitis. Front Genet 2022; 13:859595. [PMID: 35832195 PMCID: PMC9271848 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.859595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) is an infectious disease of the hoof in cattle with multifactorial etiology and a polygenic influence on susceptibility. With our study, we identified genomic regions with the impact on occurrence and development of BDD. We used 5,040 genotyped animals with phenotype information based on the M-stage system for genome-wide association. Significant associations for single-nucleotide polymorphisms were found near genes CMPK2 (chromosome 11) and ASB16 (chromosome 19) both being implicated in immunological processes. A sequence analysis of the chromosomal regions revealed rs208894039 and rs109521151 polymorphisms as having significant influence on susceptibility to the disease. Specific genotypes were significantly more likely to be affected by BDD and developed chronic lesions. Our study provides an insight into the genomic background for a genetic predisposition related to the pathogenesis of BDD. Results might be implemented in cattle-breeding programs and could pave the way for the establishment of a BDD prescreening test.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Oelschlaegel
- Group Animal Breeding, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Monika Wensch-Dorendorf
- Group Animal Breeding, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Grit Kopke
- Group Animal Breeding, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Roswitha Jungnickel
- Group Animal Breeding, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Benno Waurich
- Group Animal Breeding, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Frank Rosner
- Group Animal Breeding, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Dörte Döpfer
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Bertram Brenig
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Hermann H. Swalve
- Group Animal Breeding, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
- *Correspondence: Hermann H. Swalve,
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Le Nabec A, Blotas C, Briset A, Collobert M, Férec C, Moisan S. 3D Chromatin Organization Involving MEIS1 Factor in the cis-Regulatory Landscape of GJB2. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23136964. [PMID: 35805969 PMCID: PMC9266880 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23136964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The human genome is covered by 8% of candidate cis-regulatory elements. The identification of distal acting regulatory elements and an understanding of their action are crucial to determining their key role in gene expression. Disruptions of such regulatory elements and/or chromatin conformation are likely to play a critical role in human genetic diseases. Non-syndromic hearing loss (i.e., DFNB1) is mostly due to GJB2 (Gap Junction Beta 2) variations and DFNB1 large deletions. Although several GJB2 cis-regulatory elements (CREs) have been described, GJB2 gene regulation remains not well understood. We investigated the endogenous effect of these CREs with CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) disruptions and observed GJB2 expression. To decipher the GJB2 regulatory landscape, we used the 4C-seq technique and defined new chromatin contacts inside the DFNB1 locus, which permit DNA loops and long-range regulation. Moreover, through ChIP-PCR, we determined the involvement of the MEIS1 transcription factor in GJB2 expression. Taken together, the results of our study enable us to describe the 3D DFNB1 regulatory landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs Le Nabec
- University Brest, Inserm, EFS, UMR 1078, GGB, F-29200 Brest, France; (C.B.); (A.B.); (M.C.); (C.F.)
- Correspondence: or twitter@anaisnabec (A.L.N.); (S.M.); Tel.: +33-2-98-01-65-84 (A.L.N.); +33-2-98-01-65-67 (S.M.)
| | - Clara Blotas
- University Brest, Inserm, EFS, UMR 1078, GGB, F-29200 Brest, France; (C.B.); (A.B.); (M.C.); (C.F.)
| | - Alinéor Briset
- University Brest, Inserm, EFS, UMR 1078, GGB, F-29200 Brest, France; (C.B.); (A.B.); (M.C.); (C.F.)
| | - Mégane Collobert
- University Brest, Inserm, EFS, UMR 1078, GGB, F-29200 Brest, France; (C.B.); (A.B.); (M.C.); (C.F.)
| | - Claude Férec
- University Brest, Inserm, EFS, UMR 1078, GGB, F-29200 Brest, France; (C.B.); (A.B.); (M.C.); (C.F.)
| | - Stéphanie Moisan
- University Brest, Inserm, EFS, UMR 1078, GGB, F-29200 Brest, France; (C.B.); (A.B.); (M.C.); (C.F.)
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire et d’Histocompatibilité, CHRU Brest, UMR 1078, F-29200 Brest, France
- Correspondence: or twitter@anaisnabec (A.L.N.); (S.M.); Tel.: +33-2-98-01-65-84 (A.L.N.); +33-2-98-01-65-67 (S.M.)
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Long X, Luo C, Zhu Z. Role of CNSs Conserved Distal Cis-Regulatory Elements in CD4 + T Cell Development and Differentiation. Front Immunol 2022; 13:919550. [PMID: 35812386 PMCID: PMC9260786 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.919550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Naïve CD4+ T cells differentiate into diverse subsets of effector cells and perform various homeostatic and immune functions. The differentiation and maintenance of these different subsets are controlled through the upregulation and silencing of master genes. Mechanistic studies of the regulation of these master genes identified conserved and distal intronic regulatory elements, which are accessible subsets of conserved non-coding sequences (CNSs), acting as cis-regulatory elements in a lineage-specific manner that controls the function of CD4+ T cells. Abnormal CNS activity is associated with incorrect expression of master genes and development of autoimmune diseases or immune suppression. Here, we describe the function of several conserved, distal cis-regulatory elements at the Foxp3, Rorc, Il-4, Il-10 and Il-17 gene locus were shown to play important roles in CD4+ T cells differentiation. Together, this review briefly outlines currently known CNSs, with a focus on their regulations and functions in complexes modulating the differentiation and maintenance of various CD4+ T cells subsets, in health and disease contexts, as well as during the conversion of T regulatory cells to T helper 17 cells. This article will provide a comprehensive view of CNSs conserved distal cis-regulatory elements at a few loci that control aspects of CD4+ T cells function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xunyi Long
- Department of General Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
- Jiangxi Medical College of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Chen Luo
- Department of General Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
- Jiangxi Medical College of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
- *Correspondence: Zhengming Zhu, ; Chen Luo,
| | - Zhengming Zhu
- Department of General Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
- *Correspondence: Zhengming Zhu, ; Chen Luo,
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Abstract
Enhancers control the establishment of spatiotemporal gene expression patterns throughout development. Over the past decade, the development of new technologies has improved our capacity to link enhancers with their target genes based on their colocalization within the same topological domains. However, the mechanisms that regulate how enhancers specifically activate some genes but not others within a given domain remain unclear. In this Review, we discuss recent insights into the factors controlling enhancer specificity, including the genetic composition of enhancers and promoters, the linear and 3D distance between enhancers and their target genes, and cell-type specific chromatin landscapes. We also discuss how elucidating the molecular principles of enhancer specificity might help us to better understand and predict the pathological consequences of human genetic, epigenetic and structural variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomás Pachano
- Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria (IBBTEC), CSIC/Universidad de Cantabria/SODERCAN, Albert Einstein 22, 39011 Santander, Spain
| | - Endika Haro
- Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria (IBBTEC), CSIC/Universidad de Cantabria/SODERCAN, Albert Einstein 22, 39011 Santander, Spain
| | - Alvaro Rada-Iglesias
- Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria (IBBTEC), CSIC/Universidad de Cantabria/SODERCAN, Albert Einstein 22, 39011 Santander, Spain
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40
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Laiker I, Frankel N. Pleiotropic Enhancers are Ubiquitous Regulatory Elements in the Human Genome. Genome Biol Evol 2022; 14:evac071. [PMID: 35552697 PMCID: PMC9156028 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evac071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhancers are regulatory elements of genomes that determine spatio-temporal patterns of gene expression. The human genome contains a vast number of enhancers, which largely outnumber protein-coding genes. Historically, enhancers have been regarded as highly tissue-specific. However, recent evidence has demonstrated that many enhancers are pleiotropic, with activity in multiple developmental contexts. Yet, the extent and impact of pleiotropy remain largely unexplored. In this study we analyzed active enhancers across human organs based on the analysis of both eRNA transcription (FANTOM5 consortium data sets) and chromatin architecture (ENCODE consortium data sets). We show that pleiotropic enhancers are pervasive in the human genome and that most enhancers active in a particular organ are also active in other organs. In addition, our analysis suggests that the proportion of context-specific enhancers of a given organ is explained, at least in part, by the proportion of context-specific genes in that same organ. The notion that such a high proportion of human enhancers can be pleiotropic suggests that small regions of regulatory DNA contain abundant regulatory information and that these regions evolve under important evolutionary constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Laiker
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) y Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina
| | - Nicolás Frankel
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) y Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (FCEN), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina
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41
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Mulero Hernández J, Fernández-Breis JT. Analysis of the landscape of human enhancer sequences in biological databases. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:2728-2744. [PMID: 35685360 PMCID: PMC9168495 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.05.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The process of gene regulation extends as a network in which both genetic sequences and proteins are involved. The levels of regulation and the mechanisms involved are multiple. Transcription is the main control mechanism for most genes, being the downstream steps responsible for refining the transcription patterns. In turn, gene transcription is mainly controlled by regulatory events that occur at promoters and enhancers. Several studies are focused on analyzing the contribution of enhancers in the development of diseases and their possible use as therapeutic targets. The study of regulatory elements has advanced rapidly in recent years with the development and use of next generation sequencing techniques. All this information has generated a large volume of information that has been transferred to a growing number of public repositories that store this information. In this article, we analyze the content of those public repositories that contain information about human enhancers with the aim of detecting whether the knowledge generated by scientific research is contained in those databases in a way that could be computationally exploited. The analysis will be based on three main aspects identified in the literature: types of enhancers, type of evidence about the enhancers, and methods for detecting enhancer-promoter interactions. Our results show that no single database facilitates the optimal exploitation of enhancer data, most types of enhancers are not represented in the databases and there is need for a standardized model for enhancers. We have identified major gaps and challenges for the computational exploitation of enhancer data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Mulero Hernández
- Dept. Informática y Sistemas, Universidad de Murcia, CEIR Campus Mare Nostrum, IMIB-Arrixaca, Spain
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42
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HIV UTR, LTR, and Epigenetic Immunity. Viruses 2022; 14:v14051084. [PMID: 35632825 PMCID: PMC9146425 DOI: 10.3390/v14051084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The duel between humans and viruses is unending. In this review, we examine the HIV RNA in the form of un-translated terminal region (UTR), the viral DNA in the form of long terminal repeat (LTR), and the immunity of human DNA in a format of epigenetic regulation. We explore the ways in which the human immune responses to invading pathogenic viral nucleic acids can inhibit HIV infection, exemplified by a chromatin vaccine (cVaccine) to elicit the immunity of our genome—epigenetic immunity towards a cure.
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43
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Qin T, Lee C, Li S, Cavalcante RG, Orchard P, Yao H, Zhang H, Wang S, Patil S, Boyle AP, Sartor MA. Comprehensive enhancer-target gene assignments improve gene set level interpretation of genome-wide regulatory data. Genome Biol 2022; 23:105. [PMID: 35473573 PMCID: PMC9044877 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-022-02668-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Revealing the gene targets of distal regulatory elements is challenging yet critical for interpreting regulome data. Experiment-derived enhancer-gene links are restricted to a small set of enhancers and/or cell types, while the accuracy of genome-wide approaches remains elusive due to the lack of a systematic evaluation. We combined multiple spatial and in silico approaches for defining enhancer locations and linking them to their target genes aggregated across >500 cell types, generating 1860 human genome-wide distal enhancer-to-target gene definitions (EnTDefs). To evaluate performance, we used gene set enrichment (GSE) testing on 87 independent ENCODE ChIP-seq datasets of 34 transcription factors (TFs) and assessed concordance of results with known TF Gene Ontology annotations, and other benchmarks. RESULTS The top ranked 741 (40%) EnTDefs significantly outperform the common, naïve approach of linking distal regions to the nearest genes, and the top 10 EnTDefs perform well when applied to ChIP-seq data of other cell types. The GSE-based ranking of EnTDefs is highly concordant with ranking based on overlap with curated benchmarks of enhancer-gene interactions. Both our top general EnTDef and cell-type-specific EnTDefs significantly outperform seven independent computational and experiment-based enhancer-gene pair datasets. We show that using our top EnTDefs for GSE with either genome-wide DNA methylation or ATAC-seq data is able to better recapitulate the biological processes changed in gene expression data performed in parallel for the same experiment than our lower-ranked EnTDefs. CONCLUSIONS Our findings illustrate the power of our approach to provide genome-wide interpretation regardless of cell type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Qin
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Christopher Lee
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Shiting Li
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Raymond G Cavalcante
- Biomedical Research Core Facilities, Epigenomics Core, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Peter Orchard
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Heming Yao
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Hanrui Zhang
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Shuze Wang
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Snehal Patil
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Alan P Boyle
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Maureen A Sartor
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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44
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Yang S, Huang Y, Zhao Q. Epigenetic Alterations and Inflammation as Emerging Use for the Advancement of Treatment in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Front Immunol 2022; 13:878740. [PMID: 35514980 PMCID: PMC9066637 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.878740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Lung cancer remains one of the most common malignancies in the world. Nowadays, the most common lung cancer is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), namely, adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and large cell lung carcinoma. Epigenetic alterations that refer to DNA methylation, histone modifications, and noncoding RNA expression, are now suggested to drive the genesis and development of NSCLC. Additionally, inflammation-related tumorigenesis also plays a vital role in cancer research and efforts have been attempted to reverse such condition. During the occurrence and development of inflammatory diseases, the immune component of inflammation may cause epigenetic changes, but it is not always certain whether the immune component itself or the stimulated host cells cause epigenetic changes. Moreover, the links between epigenetic alterations and cancer-related inflammation and their influences on the human cancer are not clear so far. Therefore, the connection between epigenetic drivers, inflammation, and NSCLC will be summarized. Investigation on such topic is most likely to shed light on the molecular and immunological mechanisms of epigenetic and inflammatory factors and promote the application of epigenetics in the innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Yang
- Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Shuo Yang, ; Yang Huang, ; Qi Zhao,
| | - Yang Huang
- Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Shuo Yang, ; Yang Huang, ; Qi Zhao,
| | - Qi Zhao
- Cancer Centre, Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, Macau SAR, China
- MoE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macau, Macau SAR, China
- *Correspondence: Shuo Yang, ; Yang Huang, ; Qi Zhao,
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45
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The non-coding genome in genetic brain disorders: new targets for therapy? Essays Biochem 2021; 65:671-683. [PMID: 34414418 PMCID: PMC8564736 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20200121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The non-coding genome, consisting of more than 98% of all genetic information in humans and once judged as ‘Junk DNA’, is increasingly moving into the spotlight in the field of human genetics. Non-coding regulatory elements (NCREs) are crucial to ensure correct spatio-temporal gene expression. Technological advancements have allowed to identify NCREs on a large scale, and mechanistic studies have helped to understand the biological mechanisms underlying their function. It is increasingly becoming clear that genetic alterations of NCREs can cause genetic disorders, including brain diseases. In this review, we concisely discuss mechanisms of gene regulation and how to investigate them, and give examples of non-coding alterations of NCREs that give rise to human brain disorders. The cross-talk between basic and clinical studies enhances the understanding of normal and pathological function of NCREs, allowing better interpretation of already existing and novel data. Improved functional annotation of NCREs will not only benefit diagnostics for patients, but might also lead to novel areas of investigations for targeted therapies, applicable to a wide panel of genetic disorders. The intrinsic complexity and precision of the gene regulation process can be turned to the advantage of highly specific treatments. We further discuss this exciting new field of ‘enhancer therapy’ based on recent examples.
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46
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Hu MJ, Long M, Dai RJ. Acetylation of H3K27 activated lncRNA NEAT1 and promoted hepatic lipid accumulation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease via regulating miR-212-5p/GRIA3. Mol Cell Biochem 2021; 477:191-203. [PMID: 34652536 PMCID: PMC8517567 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-021-04269-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was a world-wide health burden. H3K27 acetylation, long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), and miRNA were all implicated in NAFLD regulation, yet the detailed regulatory mechanism was not well understood. LncRNA NEAT1, miR-212-5p, and GRIA3 expression were detected both in high fatty acid-treated hepatocytes cells and NAFLD patients. Lipid droplets were stained and analyzed by oil red O staining. Expression of fatty acid synthase (FASN), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), and GRIA3 was detected by qRT-PCR and western blot. RNA level of lncRNA NEAT1 and miR-212-5p was analyzed by qRT-PCR. The binding sequences of lncRNA NEAT1/miR-212-5p and miR-212-5p/GRIA3 were predicted bioinformatically and validated through luciferase assay. ChIP was performed to analyze H3K27 acetylation on the promoter of lncRNA NEAT1. LncRNA NEAT1 and GRIA3 was upregulated, while miR-212-5p was downregulated in NAFLD patients. FFA promoted lncRNA NEAT1 and GRIA3 expression while suppressing miR-212-5p and promoted lipid accumulation as indicated by increased oil red O staining and FAS and ACC expression. ChIP indicated enrichment of H3K27 on NEAT1 promoter. Inhibition of H3K27 acetylation suppressed lncRNA NEAT1 level. Luciferase results indicated direct interaction of NEAT1/miR-212-5p (which was confirmed by RIP) and miR-212-5p/GRIA3. LncRNA NEAT1 knockdown upregulated miR-212-5p level and inhibited FFA-induced lipid accumulation while suppressing GRIA3 expression. Such function was antagonized by miR-212-5p inhibition and GRIA3 knockdown counteracted with miR-212-5p inhibition. H3K27 acetylation was enriched within the promoter of lncRNA NEAT1 and promoted lncRNA NEAT1 transcription. LncRNA NEAT1 could then interact with miR-212-5p and suppress its cellular concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Jie Hu
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421000, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Mei Long
- Department of Rheumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421000, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Rong-Juan Dai
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, No.69, Chuanshan Road, Shigu District, Hengyang, 421000, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.
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47
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Conserved Structure and Evolution of DPF Domain of PHF10-The Specific Subunit of PBAF Chromatin Remodeling Complex. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222011134. [PMID: 34681795 PMCID: PMC8538644 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222011134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription activation factors and multisubunit coactivator complexes get recruited at specific chromatin sites via protein domains that recognize histone modifications. Single PHDs (plant homeodomains) interact with differentially modified H3 histone tails. Double PHD finger (DPF) domains possess a unique structure different from PHD and are found in six proteins: histone acetyltransferases MOZ and MORF; chromatin remodeling complex BAF (DPF1–3); and chromatin remodeling complex PBAF (PHF10). Among them, PHF10 stands out due to the DPF sequence, structure, and functions. PHF10 is ubiquitously expressed in developing and adult organisms as four isoforms differing in structure (the presence or absence of DPF) and transcription regulation functions. Despite the importance of the DPF domain of PHF10 for transcription activation, its structure remains undetermined. We performed homology modeling of the human PHF10 DPF domain and determined common and distinct features in structure and histone modifications recognition capabilities, which can affect PBAF complex chromatin recruitment. We also traced the evolution of DPF1–3 and PHF10 genes from unicellular to vertebrate organisms. The data reviewed suggest that the DPF domain of PHF10 plays an important role in SWI/SNF-dependent chromatin remodeling during transcription activation.
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48
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Salviato E, Djordjilović V, Hariprakash JM, Tagliaferri I, Pal K, Ferrari F. Leveraging three-dimensional chromatin architecture for effective reconstruction of enhancer-target gene regulatory interactions. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:e97. [PMID: 34197622 PMCID: PMC8464068 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing amount of evidence in literature suggests that germline sequence variants and somatic mutations in non-coding distal regulatory elements may be crucial for defining disease risk and prognostic stratification of patients, in genetic disorders as well as in cancer. Their functional interpretation is challenging because genome-wide enhancer-target gene (ETG) pairing is an open problem in genomics. The solutions proposed so far do not account for the hierarchy of structural domains which define chromatin three-dimensional (3D) architecture. Here we introduce a change of perspective based on the definition of multi-scale structural chromatin domains, integrated in a statistical framework to define ETG pairs. In this work (i) we develop a computational and statistical framework to reconstruct a comprehensive map of ETG pairs leveraging functional genomics data; (ii) we demonstrate that the incorporation of chromatin 3D architecture information improves ETG pairing accuracy and (iii) we use multiple experimental datasets to extensively benchmark our method against previous solutions for the genome-wide reconstruction of ETG pairs. This solution will facilitate the annotation and interpretation of sequence variants in distal non-coding regulatory elements. We expect this to be especially helpful in clinically oriented applications of whole genome sequencing in cancer and undiagnosed genetic diseases research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Salviato
- IFOM, the FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan 20139, Italy
| | - Vera Djordjilović
- Department of Economics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Venice 30100, Italy
| | | | | | - Koustav Pal
- IFOM, the FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan 20139, Italy
| | - Francesco Ferrari
- IFOM, the FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan 20139, Italy
- Institute of Molecular Genetics “Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza”, National Research Council, Pavia 27100, Italy
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49
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Pokrovsky D, Forné I, Straub T, Imhof A, Rupp RAW. A systemic cell cycle block impacts stage-specific histone modification profiles during Xenopus embryogenesis. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001377. [PMID: 34491983 PMCID: PMC8535184 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Forming an embryo from a zygote poses an apparent conflict for epigenetic regulation. On the one hand, the de novo induction of cell fate identities requires the establishment and subsequent maintenance of epigenetic information to harness developmental gene expression. On the other hand, the embryo depends on cell proliferation, and every round of DNA replication dilutes preexisting histone modifications by incorporation of new unmodified histones into chromatin. Here, we investigated the possible relationship between the propagation of epigenetic information and the developmental cell proliferation during Xenopus embryogenesis. We systemically inhibited cell proliferation during the G1/S transition in gastrula embryos and followed their development until the tadpole stage. Comparing wild-type and cell cycle-arrested embryos, we show that the inhibition of cell proliferation is principally compatible with embryo survival and cellular differentiation. In parallel, we quantified by mass spectrometry the abundance of a large set of histone modification states, which reflects the developmental maturation of the embryonic epigenome. The arrested embryos developed abnormal stage-specific histone modification profiles (HMPs), in which transcriptionally repressive histone marks were overrepresented. Embryos released from the cell cycle block during neurulation reverted toward normality on morphological, molecular, and epigenetic levels. These results suggest that the cell cycle block by HUA alters stage-specific HMPs. We propose that this influence is strong enough to control developmental decisions, specifically in cell populations that switch between resting and proliferating states such as stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniil Pokrovsky
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Ignasi Forné
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Tobias Straub
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Axel Imhof
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Ralph A. W. Rupp
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
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50
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A Comprehensive Toolbox to Analyze Enhancer-Promoter Functions. Methods Mol Biol 2021. [PMID: 34382181 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1597-3_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
Knowledge in gene transcription and chromatin regulation has been intensely studied for decades, but thanks to next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques there has been a major leap forward in the last few years. Historically, identification of specific enhancer elements has led to the identification of master transcription factors (TFs) in the 1990s. Genetic and biochemical experiments have identified the key regulators controlling RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) transcription and structurally analyses have elucidated detailed mechanisms. NGS and the development of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) have accelerated the gain of knowledge in the recent years. By now, we have a dazzling wealth of techniques that are currently used to put gene expression into a genome-wide context. This book is an attempt to assemble useful protocols for many researchers within and nearby research areas. In general, these innovative techniques focus on enhancer and promoter studies. The techniques should also be of interest for related fields such as DNA repair and replication.
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