251
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Chang YL, Peng YH, Pan IC, Sun DS, King B, Huang DH. Essential role of Drosophila Hdac1 in homeotic gene silencing. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2001; 98:9730-5. [PMID: 11493709 PMCID: PMC55521 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.171325498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2001] [Accepted: 06/27/2001] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Deacetylation of the N-terminal tails of core histones plays a crucial role in gene silencing. Rpd3 and Hda1 represent two major types of genes encoding trichostatin A-sensitive histone deacetylases. Although they have been widely found, their cellular and developmental roles remain to be elucidated in metazoa. We show that Drosophila Hdac1, an Rpd3-type gene, interacts cooperatively with Polycomb group repressors in silencing the homeotic genes that are essential for axial patterning of body segments. The biochemical copurification and cytological colocalization of HDAC1 and Polycomb group repressors strongly suggest that HDAC1 is a component of the silencing complex for chromatin modification on specific regulatory regions of homeotic genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y L Chang
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
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252
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Oei SL, Shi Y. Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of transcription factor Yin Yang 1 under conditions of DNA damage. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2001; 285:27-31. [PMID: 11437367 DOI: 10.1006/bbrc.2001.5115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Under conditions of severe DNA damage the nuclear enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) is activated, catalyzing the modification of proteins by forming and attaching to them poly(ADP-ribose) chains. A specific physical interaction between PARP-1 and transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1) in vitro was shown previously, which had important consequences for the activities of both proteins. It is demonstrated here that YY1 and PARP-1 form complexes in vivo. YY1 was transiently poly(ADP-ribosyl)ated immediately after genotoxic treatment of HeLa cells. The narrow time frame of the modification coincides with that known for the activation of PARP-1 under these conditions. This immediate modification correlated with a decreased affinity of YY1 to its cognate DNA binding sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- S L Oei
- Institut für Biochemie, Freie Universität Berlin, Thielallee 63, Berlin, 14195, Federal Republic of Germany.
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253
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Hodgson JW, Argiropoulos B, Brock HW. Site-specific recognition of a 70-base-pair element containing d(GA)(n) repeats mediates bithoraxoid polycomb group response element-dependent silencing. Mol Cell Biol 2001; 21:4528-43. [PMID: 11416132 PMCID: PMC87112 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.21.14.4528-4543.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Polycomb group proteins act through Polycomb group response elements (PREs) to maintain silencing at homeotic loci. The minimal 1.5-kb bithoraxoid (bxd) PRE contains a region required for pairing-sensitive repression and flanking regions required for maintenance of embryonic silencing. Little is known about the identity of specific sequences necessary for function of the flanking regions. Using gel mobility shift analysis, we identify DNA binding activities that interact specifically with a multipartite 70-bp fragment (MHS-70) downstream of the pairing-sensitive sequence. Deletion of MHS-70 in the context of a 5.1-kb bxd Polycomb group response element derepresses maintenance of silencing in embryos. A partially purified binding activity requires multiple, nonoverlapping d(GA)(3) repeats for MHS-70 binding in vitro. Mutation of d(GA)(3) repeats within MHS-70 in the context of the 5.1-kb bxd PRE destabilizes maintenance of silencing in a subset of cells in vivo but gives weaker derepression than deletion of MHS-70. These results suggest that d(GA)(3) repeats are important for silencing but that other sequences within MHS-70 also contribute to silencing. Antibody supershift assays and Western analyses show that distinct isoforms of Polyhomeotic and two proteins that recognize d(GA)(3) repeats, the TRL/GAGA factor and Pipsqueak (Psq), are present in the MHS-70 binding activity. Mutations in Trl and psq enhance homeotic phenotypes of ph, indicating that TRL/GAGA factor and Psq are enhancers of Polycomb which have sequence-specific DNA binding activity. These studies demonstrate that site-specific recognition of the bxd PRE by d(GA)(n) repeat binding activities mediates PcG-dependent silencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- J W Hodgson
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
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254
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Abstract
Polycomb response elements (PREs) are regulatory switch elements that can direct the genes that they control to be either active or silenced. Once decided, this on or off state is maintained through subsequent cell divisions. We do not know how the switching works, or how it is copied to newly replicated chromosomes. Experiments that switch a silenced PRE to an active state have provided insights into both questions. A PRE switched experimentally can remember its previously silenced state and return to it after several cell divisions. In the most recent study of this phenomen on, the data show that several distinct variables affect the ability of PREs to "remember" and restore their previous state. The authors' interpretation of these results is discussed here.
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255
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Pannell D, Ellis J. Silencing of gene expression: implications for design of retrovirus vectors. Rev Med Virol 2001; 11:205-17. [PMID: 11479927 DOI: 10.1002/rmv.316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional silencing of retroviruses poses a major obstacle to their use as gene therapy vectors. Silencing is most pronounced in stem cells which are desirable targets for therapeutic gene delivery. Many vector designs combat silencing through cis-modifications of retroviral vector sequences. These designs include mutations of known retroviral silencer elements, addition of positive regulatory elements and insulator elements to protect the transgene from negative position effects. Similar strategies are being applied to lentiviral vectors that readily infect non-dividing quiescent stem cells. Collectively these cis-modifications have significantly improved vector design but optimal expression may require additional intervention to escape completely the trans-factors that scan for foreign DNA, establish silencing in stem cells and maintain silencing in their progeny. Cytosine methylation of CpG sites was proposed to cause retroviral silencing over 20 years ago. However, several studies provide evidence that retrovirus silencing acts through methylase-independent mechanisms. We propose an alternative silencing mechanism initiated by a speculative stem cell-specific "somno-complex". Further understanding of retroviral silencing mechanisms will facilitate better gene therapy vector design and raise new strategies to block transcriptional silencing in transduced stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Pannell
- Programs in Developmental Biology, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G1X8
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256
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O'Carroll D, Erhardt S, Pagani M, Barton SC, Surani MA, Jenuwein T. The polycomb-group gene Ezh2 is required for early mouse development. Mol Cell Biol 2001; 21:4330-6. [PMID: 11390661 PMCID: PMC87093 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.21.13.4330-4336.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 686] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Polycomb-group (Pc-G) genes are required for the stable repression of the homeotic selector genes and other developmentally regulated genes, presumably through the modulation of chromatin domains. Among the Drosophila Pc-G genes, Enhancer of zeste [E(z)] merits special consideration since it represents one of the Pc-G genes most conserved through evolution. In addition, the E(Z) protein family contains the SET domain, which has recently been linked with histone methyltransferase (HMTase) activity. Although E(Z)-related proteins have not (yet) been directly associated with HMTase activity, mammalian Ezh2 is a member of a histone deacetylase complex. To investigate its in vivo function, we generated mice deficient for Ezh2. The Ezh2 null mutation results in lethality at early stages of mouse development. Ezh2 mutant mice either cease developing after implantation or initiate but fail to complete gastrulation. Moreover, Ezh2-deficient blastocysts display an impaired potential for outgrowth, preventing the establishment of Ezh2-null embryonic stem cells. Interestingly, Ezh2 is up-regulated upon fertilization and remains highly expressed at the preimplantation stages of mouse development. Together, these data suggest an essential role for Ezh2 during early mouse development and genetically link Ezh2 with eed and YY1, the only other early-acting Pc-G genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- D O'Carroll
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), A-1030 Vienna, Austria
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257
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Netter S, Boivin A. [Maintenance of cellular memory by Polycomb group genes]. COMPTES RENDUS DE L'ACADEMIE DES SCIENCES. SERIE III, SCIENCES DE LA VIE 2001; 324:577-88. [PMID: 11475999 DOI: 10.1016/s0764-4469(01)01329-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The Polycomb-group genes (PcG) encode a group of repressors well known for their function in stably maintaining the inactive expression patterns of key developmental regulators, including homeotic genes. PcG genes are structurally and functionally conserved in Drosophila and Mammalians, and some homologues have been found in worms, yeast and plants. Their products act through different complexes and at least one of these complexes seems to induce histone deacetylation. In Drosophila, building of PcG complexes depends on both protein-protein interactions and recognition near target genes of specific DNA sequences called Polycomb-group response element (PRE). Together with the counteracting trithorax-group proteins, PcG products establish a form of cellular memory by faithfully maintaining transcription states determined early in embryogenesis. Here, we discuss several aspects of PcG functions: the composition of the different complexes, the establishment and the transmission of silencing to subsequent cell generations as well as the subnuclear localisation of the PcG products.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Netter
- Equipe chromatine et développement, laboratoire d'embryologie moléculaire et expérimentale, Upresa 8080, bât. 445, université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay, France
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258
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Wen X, Wu GD. Evidence for epigenetic mechanisms that silence both basal and immune-stimulated transcription of the IL-8 gene. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2001; 166:7290-9. [PMID: 11390479 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.166.12.7290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
It is becoming increasingly clear that epigenetic silencing of gene transcription plays a critical role in the regulation of gene expression in many biological processes. Tight regulation of immunomodulatory substances that are important for the initiation of the inflammatory cascade, such as chemoattractive cytokines, is essential to prevent initiation of unrestrained immune activation. Using the Caco-2 intestinal cell line as a model, we reveal two distinctly different mechanisms by which the gene for the neutrophil chemoattractive cytokine IL-8 is silenced. Nuclear run-on studies, as well as stably transfected reporter and marked minigene constructs, demonstrate that cellular differentiation inhibits immune-activated transcription of the IL-8 gene, a mechanism that is dependent on histone deacetylase activity. Unexpectedly, this silencing mechanism does not involve previously described regulatory elements in the IL-8 promoter but rather cis-acting regions located at a distance from the IL-8 gene locus. Genomic elements distant to the immediate IL-8 locus are also required to silence aberrant basal transcriptional activity of the IL-8 promoter in the absence of immune activation. However, in this case, silencing occurs in a histone deacetylase-independent fashion. These findings were confirmed in transgenic mice in which, in the absence of these elements, aberrant IL-8 gene activity was present primarily in the intestinal tract. Epigenetic silencing of cytokine gene transcription through distant genomic elements is an important level of gene regulation that may be relevant to the pathogenesis of immunologic disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- X Wen
- Division of Gastroenterology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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259
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Oei SL, Shi Y. Transcription factor Yin Yang 1 stimulates poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation and DNA repair. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2001; 284:450-4. [PMID: 11394900 DOI: 10.1006/bbrc.2001.4985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) is a nuclear enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of ADP-ribose polymers from NAD(+). The function of PARP-1 is related to important nuclear processes including DNA repair and transcription. Previous studies demonstrated a specific physical interaction between PARP-1 and the transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1) in vitro. In this study, a functional relationship between both proteins in response to genotoxic treatment of cells is presented. The interaction of YY1 with PARP-1 greatly stimulates the enzymatic activity of PARP-1. Consistent with this, the overexpression of YY1 in HeLa cells resulted in an enhanced synthesis of poly(ADP-ribose) and an acceleration of DNA repair in response to a treatment with methyl-N'-nitro-N'-nitrosoguanidine.
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Affiliation(s)
- S L Oei
- Institut für Biochemie, Freie Universität Berlin, Thielallee 63, Berlin, 14195, Federal Republic of Germany.
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260
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Busturia A, Lloyd A, Bejarano F, Zavortink M, Xin H, Sakonju S. The MCP silencer of theDrosophila Abd-Bgene requires both Pleiohomeotic and GAGA factor for the maintenance of repression. Development 2001; 128:2163-73. [PMID: 11493537 DOI: 10.1242/dev.128.11.2163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Silencing of homeotic gene expression requires the function of cis-regulatory elements known as Polycomb Response Elements (PREs). The MCP silencer element of the Drosophila homeotic gene Abdominal-B has been shown to behave as a PRE and to be required for silencing throughout development. Using deletion analysis and reporter gene assays, we defined a 138 bp sequence within the MCP silencer that is sufficient for silencing of a reporter gene in the imaginal discs. Within the MCP138 fragment, there are four binding sites for the Pleiohomeotic protein (PHO) and two binding sites for the GAGA factor (GAF), encoded by the Trithorax-like gene. PHO and the GAF proteins bind to these sites in vitro. Mutational analysis of PHO and GAF binding sequences indicate that these sites are necessary for silencing in vivo. Moreover, silencing by MCP138 depends on the function of the Trithorax-like gene, and on the function of the PcG genes, including pleiohomeotic. Deletion and mutational analyses show that, individually, either PHO or GAF binding sites retain only weak silencing activity. However, when both PHO and GAF binding sites are present, they achieve strong silencing. We present a model in which robust silencing is achieved by sequential and facilitated binding of PHO and GAF.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Busturia
- Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, CSIC-UAM, Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain
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261
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Abstract
How can the same gene remember that it is 'off' in one cell lineage and 'on' in another? Studies of how homeotic genes are regulated in Drosophila melanogaster have uncovered a transcriptional maintenance system, encoded by the Polycomb and trithorax group genes, that preserves expression patterns across development. Here we try to formulate a broad framework for the types of molecular mechanism used by the Polycomb and trithorax proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- N J Francis
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
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262
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Mahmoudi T, Verrijzer CP. Chromatin silencing and activation by Polycomb and trithorax group proteins. Oncogene 2001; 20:3055-66. [PMID: 11420721 DOI: 10.1038/sj.onc.1204330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The Polycomb group (PcG) of repressors and the trithorax group (trxG) of activators maintain the correct expression of several key developmental regulators, including the homeotic genes. PcG and trxG proteins function in distinct multiprotein complexes that are believed to control transcription by changing the structure of chromatin, organizing it into either a 'closed' or an 'open' conformation. The hallmark of gene regulation by PcG/trxG proteins is that it can lead to a mitotically stable pattern of gene expression, often referred to as epigenetic regulation. Although much remains to be learned, recent studies have provided insights into how this epigenetic switch is set, how PcG/trxG proteins might be linked to cis-acting DNA elements and what potential mechanisms underlie stable inheritance of gene expression status over multiple cell divisions. Finally, the study of the evolutionarily conserved PcG/trxG factors has recently gained additional urgency with the realization that they play a pertinent role in certain human cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Mahmoudi
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, MGC Centre for Biomedical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, PO Box 9503, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
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263
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Fair K, Anderson M, Bulanova E, Mi H, Tropschug M, Diaz MO. Protein interactions of the MLL PHD fingers modulate MLL target gene regulation in human cells. Mol Cell Biol 2001; 21:3589-97. [PMID: 11313484 PMCID: PMC100280 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.21.10.3589-3597.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The PHD fingers of the human MLL and Drosophila trx proteins have strong amino acid sequence conservation but their function is unknown. We have determined that these fingers mediate homodimerization and binding of MLL to Cyp33, a nuclear cyclophilin. These two proteins interact in vitro and in vivo in mammalian cells and colocalize at specific nuclear subdomains. Overexpression of the Cyp33 protein in leukemia cells results in altered expression of HOX genes that are targets for regulation by MLL. These alterations are suppressed by cyclosporine and are not observed in cell lines that express a mutant MLL protein without PHD fingers. These results suggest that binding of Cyp33 to MLL modulates its effects on the expression of target genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Fair
- Cancer Center, Medical Center, Loyola University-Chicago, Maywood, Illinois 60153
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264
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Roseman RR, Morgan K, Mallin DR, Roberson R, Parnell TJ, Bornemann DJ, Simon JA, Geyer PK. Long-range repression by multiple polycomb group (PcG) proteins targeted by fusion to a defined DNA-binding domain in Drosophila. Genetics 2001; 158:291-307. [PMID: 11333237 PMCID: PMC1461647 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/158.1.291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A tethering assay was developed to study the effects of Polycomb group (PcG) proteins on gene expression in vivo. This system employed the Su(Hw) DNA-binding domain (ZnF) to direct PcG proteins to transposons that carried the white and yellow reporter genes. These reporters constituted naive sensors of PcG effects, as bona fide PcG response elements (PREs) were absent from the constructs. To assess the effects of different genomic environments, reporter transposons integrated at nearly 40 chromosomal sites were analyzed. Three PcG fusion proteins, ZnF-PC, ZnF-SCM, and ZnF-ESC, were studied, since biochemical analyses place these PcG proteins in distinct complexes. Tethered ZnF-PcG proteins repressed white and yellow expression at the majority of sites tested, with each fusion protein displaying a characteristic degree of silencing. Repression by ZnF-PC was stronger than ZnF-SCM, which was stronger than ZnF-ESC, as judged by the percentage of insertion lines affected and the magnitude of the conferred repression. ZnF-PcG repression was more effective at centric and telomeric reporter insertion sites, as compared to euchromatic sites. ZnF-PcG proteins tethered as far as 3.0 kb away from the target promoter produced silencing, indicating that these effects were long range. Repression by ZnF-SCM required a protein interaction domain, the SPM domain, which suggests that this domain is not primarily used to direct SCM to chromosomal loci. This targeting system is useful for studying protein domains and mechanisms involved in PcG repression in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- R R Roseman
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
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265
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Abstract
Polycomb group (PcG) proteins maintain silencing at target loci in higher eukaryotes but recent evidence suggests that about half of these proteins are also required for maintenance of activation at homeotic loci. We suggest that PcG and trithorax group response elements should acquire a new name, 'maintenance elements', to reflect the dual function of regulatory elements that bind both groups of proteins. New data suggest that there might be a functional link between PcG repression and cell-cycle regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- H W Brock
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, British Columbia, Canada.
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266
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Abstract
During development and differentiation, early inductive processes that influence cell fate at a later stage leave marks at distinct gene loci that are maintained through several rounds of mitosis. The structure of chromatin is part of this epigenetic memory that restricts or permits differential expression of genes in descendant cells. Establishing a cell-type-specific chromatin pattern thus predestines future cell differentiation and deters cell-lineage infidelity, as it often occurs during neoplastic transformation. As such, understanding the dynamics and mechanisms underlying chromatin remodeling has been a major focus of recent molecular genetic research that holds great promise for biomedical discoveries.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Müller
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13092, Berlin, Germany.
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267
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Beuchle D, Struhl G, Müller J. Polycomb group proteins and heritable silencing of Drosophila Hox genes. Development 2001; 128:993-1004. [PMID: 11222153 DOI: 10.1242/dev.128.6.993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Early in Drosophila embryogenesis, transcriptional repressors encoded by Gap genes prevent the expression of particular combinations of Hox genes in each segment. During subsequent development, those Hox genes that were initially repressed in each segment remain off in all the descendent cells, even though the Gap repressors are no longer present. This phenomenon of heritable silencing depends on proteins of the Polycomb Group (PcG) and on cis-acting Polycomb response elements (PREs) in the Hox gene loci. We have removed individual PcG proteins from proliferating cells and then resupplied these proteins after a few or several cell generations. We show that most PcG proteins are required throughout development: when these proteins are removed, Hox genes become derepressed. However, we find that resupply of at least some PcG proteins can cause re-repression of Hox genes, provided that it occurs within a few cell generations of the loss of repression. These results suggest a functional distinction between transcriptional repression and heritable silencing: in at least some contexts, Hox genes can retain the capacity to be heritably silenced, despite being transcribed and replicated. We propose that silenced Hox genes bear a heritable, molecular mark that targets them for transcriptional repression. Some PcG proteins may be required to define and propagate this mark; others may function to repress the transcription of Hox genes that bear the mark.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Beuchle
- Max-Planck-Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie, Spemannstr. 35/III, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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268
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The E2F6 transcription factor is a component of the mammalian Bmi1-containing polycomb complex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2001. [PMID: 11171983 PMCID: PMC29289 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.041597698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The E2F transcription factors play a key role in the regulation of cellular proliferation and terminal differentiation. E2F6 is the most recently identified and the least well understood member of the E2F family. It is only distantly related to the other E2Fs and lacks the sequences responsible for both transactivation and binding to the retinoblastoma protein. Consistent with this finding, E2F6 can behave as a dominant negative inhibitor of the other E2F family members. In this study, we continue to investigate the possible role(s) of E2F6 in vivo. We report the isolation of RYBP, a recently identified member of the mammalian polycomb complex, as an E2F6-interacting protein. Mapping studies indicate that RYBP binds within the known "repression domain" of E2F6. Moreover, we demonstrate that endogenous E2F6 and polycomb group proteins, including RYBP, Ring1, MEL-18, mph1, and the oncoprotein Bmi1, associate with one another. These findings suggest that the biological properties of E2F6 are mediated through its ability to recruit the polycomb transcriptional repressor complex.
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269
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Trimarchi JM, Fairchild B, Wen J, Lees JA. The E2F6 transcription factor is a component of the mammalian Bmi1-containing polycomb complex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2001; 98:1519-24. [PMID: 11171983 PMCID: PMC29289 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.98.4.1519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 164] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2000] [Accepted: 12/18/2000] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The E2F transcription factors play a key role in the regulation of cellular proliferation and terminal differentiation. E2F6 is the most recently identified and the least well understood member of the E2F family. It is only distantly related to the other E2Fs and lacks the sequences responsible for both transactivation and binding to the retinoblastoma protein. Consistent with this finding, E2F6 can behave as a dominant negative inhibitor of the other E2F family members. In this study, we continue to investigate the possible role(s) of E2F6 in vivo. We report the isolation of RYBP, a recently identified member of the mammalian polycomb complex, as an E2F6-interacting protein. Mapping studies indicate that RYBP binds within the known "repression domain" of E2F6. Moreover, we demonstrate that endogenous E2F6 and polycomb group proteins, including RYBP, Ring1, MEL-18, mph1, and the oncoprotein Bmi1, associate with one another. These findings suggest that the biological properties of E2F6 are mediated through its ability to recruit the polycomb transcriptional repressor complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Trimarchi
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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270
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Satijn DP, Hamer KM, den Blaauwen J, Otte AP. The polycomb group protein EED interacts with YY1, and both proteins induce neural tissue in Xenopus embryos. Mol Cell Biol 2001; 21:1360-9. [PMID: 11158321 PMCID: PMC99588 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.21.4.1360-1369.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Polycomb group (PcG) proteins form multimeric protein complexes which are involved in the heritable stable repression of genes. Previously, we identified two distinct human PcG protein complexes. The EED-EZH protein complex contains the EED and EZH2 PcG proteins, and the HPC-HPH PcG complex contains the HPC, HPH, BMI1, and RING1 PcG proteins. Here we show that YY1, a homolog of the Drosophila PcG protein pleiohomeotic (Pho), interacts specificially with the human PcG protein EED but not with proteins of the HPC-HPH PcG complex. Since YY1 and Pho are DNA-binding proteins, the interaction between YY1 and EED provides a direct link between the chromatin-associated EED-EZH PcG complex and the DNA of target genes. To study the functional significance of the interaction, we expressed the Xenopus homologs of EED and YY1 in Xenopus embryos. Both Xeed and XYY1 induce an ectopic neural axis but do not induce mesodermal tissues. In contrast, members of the HPC-HPH PcG complex do not induce neural tissue. The exclusive, direct neuralizing activity of both the Xeed and XYY1 proteins underlines the significance of the interaction between the two proteins. Our data also indicate a role for chromatin-associated proteins, such as PcG proteins, in Xenopus neural induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- D P Satijn
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, BioCentrum Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, 1018 TV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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271
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Mishra RK, Mihaly J, Barges S, Spierer A, Karch F, Hagstrom K, Schweinsberg SE, Schedl P. The iab-7 polycomb response element maps to a nucleosome-free region of chromatin and requires both GAGA and pleiohomeotic for silencing activity. Mol Cell Biol 2001; 21:1311-8. [PMID: 11158316 PMCID: PMC99583 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.21.4.1311-1318.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In the work reported here we have undertaken a functional dissection of a Polycomb response element (PRE) from the iab-7 cis-regulatory domain of the Drosophila melanogaster bithorax complex (BX-C). Previous studies mapped the iab-7 PRE to an 860-bp fragment located just distal to the Fab-7 boundary. Located within this fragment is an approximately 230-bp chromatin-specific nuclease-hypersensitive region called HS3. We have shown that HS3 is capable of functioning as a Polycomb-dependent silencer in vivo, inducing pairing-dependent silencing of a mini-white reporter. The HS3 sequence contains consensus binding sites for the GAGA factor, a protein implicated in the formation of nucleosome-free regions of chromatin, and Pleiohomeotic (Pho), a Polycomb group protein that is related to the mammalian transcription factor YY1. We show that GAGA and Pho interact with these sequences in vitro and that the consensus binding sites for the two proteins are critical for the silencing activity of the iab-7 PRE in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- R K Mishra
- Département de Zoologie et Biologie Animale, Université de Genève, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
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272
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Tie F, Furuyama T, Prasad-Sinha J, Jane E, Harte PJ. The Drosophila Polycomb Group proteins ESC and E(Z) are present in a complex containing the histone-binding protein p55 and the histone deacetylase RPD3. Development 2001; 128:275-86. [PMID: 11124122 DOI: 10.1242/dev.128.2.275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The Drosophila Polycomb Group (PcG) proteins are required for stable long term transcriptional silencing of the homeotic genes. Among PcG genes, esc is unique in being critically required for establishment of PcG-mediated silencing during early embryogenesis, but not for its subsequent maintenance throughout development. We previously showed that ESC is physically associated in vivo with the PcG protein E(Z). We report here that ESC, together with E(Z), is present in a 600 kDa complex that is distinct from complexes containing other PcG proteins. We have purified this ESC complex and show that it also contains the histone deacetylase RPD3 and the histone-binding protein p55, which is also a component of the chromatin remodeling complex NURF and the chromatin assembly complex CAF-1. The association of ESC and E(Z) with p55 and RPD3 is conserved in mammals. We show that RPD3 is required for silencing mediated by a Polycomb response element (PRE) in vivo and that E(Z) and RPD3 are bound to the Ubx PRE in vivo, suggesting that they act directly at the PRE. We propose that histone deacetylation by this complex is a prerequisite for establishment of stable long-term silencing by other continuously required PcG complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Tie
- Department of Genetics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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273
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Poux S, McCabe D, Pirrotta V. Recruitment of components of Polycomb Group chromatin complexes in Drosophila. Development 2001; 128:75-85. [PMID: 11092813 DOI: 10.1242/dev.128.1.75] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Polycomb Group complexes assemble at polycomb response elements (PREs) in vivo and silence genes in the surrounding chromatin. To study the recruitment of silencing complexes, we have targeted various Polycomb Group (PcG) proteins by fusing them to the LexA DNA binding domain. When LexA-PC, -PSC, -PH or -SU(Z)2 are targeted to a reporter gene, they recruit functional PcG-silencing complexes that recapitulate the silencing behavior of a PRE: silencing is sensitive to the state of activity of the target chromatin. When the target is transcriptionally active, silencing is not established but when the target is not active at syncytial blastoderm, it becomes silenced. The repressed state persists through embryonic development but cannot be maintained in larval imaginal discs even when the LexA-PcG fusion is constitutively expressed, suggesting a discontinuity in the mechanism of repression. These proteins also interact with other PC-containing complexes in embryonic nuclear extracts. In contrast LexA-PHO is neither able to silence nor to interact with PC-containing complexes. Analysis of pho mutant embryos and of PRE constructs whose PHO-binding sites are mutated suggests that, while PHO is important for silencing in imaginal discs, it is not necessary for embryonic PcG silencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Poux
- Department of Zoology, University of Geneva, CH1211 Geneva, Switzerland
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274
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del Mar Lorente M, Marcos-Gutiérrez C, Pérez C, Schoorlemmer J, Ramírez A, Magin T, Vidal M. Loss- and gain-of-function mutations show a polycomb group function for Ring1A in mice. Development 2000; 127:5093-100. [PMID: 11060235 DOI: 10.1242/dev.127.23.5093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The products of the Polycomb group (PcG) of genes act as transcriptional repressors involved in the maintenance of homeotic gene expression patterns throughout development, from flies to mice. Biochemical and molecular evidence suggests that the mouse Ring1A gene is a member of the PcG of genes. However, genetic evidence is needed to establish PcG function for Ring1A, since contrary to all other murine PcG genes, there is no known Drosophila PcG gene encoding a homolog of the Ring1A protein. To study Ring1A function we have generated a mouse line lacking Ring1A and mouse lines overexpressing Ring1A. Both Ring1A(−/−)and Ring1A(+/−) mice show anterior transformations and other abnormalities of the axial skeleton, which indicates an unusual sensitivity of axial skeleton patterning to Ring1A gene dosage. Ectopic expression of Ring1A also results in dose-dependent anterior transformations of vertebral identity, many of which, interestingly, are shared by Ring1A(−/−) mice. In contrast, the alterations of Hox gene expression observed in both type of mutant mice are subtle and involve a reduced number of Hox genes. Taken together, these results provide genetic evidence for a PcG function of the mouse Ring1A gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- M del Mar Lorente
- Developmental and Cell Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Velázquez 144, Spain
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275
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Gildea JJ, Lopez R, Shearn A. A screen for new trithorax group genes identified little imaginal discs, the Drosophila melanogaster homologue of human retinoblastoma binding protein 2. Genetics 2000; 156:645-63. [PMID: 11014813 PMCID: PMC1461290 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/156.2.645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The proteins encoded by two groups of conserved genes, the Polycomb and trithorax groups, have been proposed to maintain, at the level of chromatin structure, the expression pattern of homeotic genes during Drosophila development. To identify new members of the trithorax group, we screened a collection of deficiencies for intergenic noncomplementation with a mutation in ash1, a trithorax group gene. Five of the noncomplementing deletions uncover genes previously classified as members of the Polycomb group. This evidence suggests that there are actually three groups of genes that maintain the expression pattern of homeotic genes during Drosophila development. The products of the third group appear to be required to maintain chromatin in both transcriptionally inactive and active states. Six of the noncomplementing deficiencies uncover previously unidentified trithorax group genes. One of these deficiencies removes 25D2-3 to 26B2-5. Within this region, there are two, allelic, lethal P-insertion mutations that identify one of these new trithorax group genes. The gene has been called little imaginal discs based on the phenotype of mutant larvae. The protein encoded by the little imaginal discs gene is the Drosophila homologue of human retinoblastoma binding protein 2.
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Affiliation(s)
- J J Gildea
- Department of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
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276
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Avivi Y, Lev-Yadun S, Morozova N, Libs L, Williams L, Zhao J, Varghese G, Grafi G. Clausa, a tomato mutant with a wide range of phenotypic perturbations, displays a cell type-dependent expression of the homeobox gene LeT6/TKn2. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2000; 124:541-52. [PMID: 11027705 PMCID: PMC59161 DOI: 10.1104/pp.124.2.541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2000] [Accepted: 07/13/2000] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Class I knox genes play an important role in shoot meristem function and are thus involved in the ordered development of stems, leaves, and reproductive organs. To elucidate the mechanism underlying the expression pattern of these homeobox genes, we studied a spontaneous tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) mutant that phenotypically resembles, though is more extreme than, transgenic plants misexpressing class I knox genes. This mutant was found to carry a recessive allele, denoted clausa:shootyleaf (clau:shl)-a newly identified allele of clausa. Mutant plants exhibited abnormal leaf and flower morphology, epiphyllus inflorescences, fusion of organs, calyx asymmetry, and navel-like fruits. Analysis by scanning electron microscopy revealed that such fruits carried ectopic ovules, various vegetative primordia, as well as "forests" of stalked glandular trichomes. In situ RNA hybridization showed a peculiar expression pattern of the class I knox gene LeT6/TKn2; expression was restricted to the vascular system and palisade layer of mature leaves and to the inner part of ovules integuments. We conclude that CLAUSA regulates various aspects of tomato plant development, at least partly, by rendering the LeT6/TKn2 gene silent in specific tissues during development. Considering the expression pattern of LeT6/TKn2 in the clausa mutant, we suggest that the control over a given homeobox gene is maintained by several different regulatory mechanisms, in a cell type-dependent manner.
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MESH Headings
- Base Sequence
- DNA Primers/genetics
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
- Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
- Genes, Homeobox
- Genes, Plant
- Homeodomain Proteins/genetics
- Solanum lycopersicum/anatomy & histology
- Solanum lycopersicum/genetics
- Solanum lycopersicum/growth & development
- Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
- Mutation
- Phenotype
- Plant Proteins/genetics
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- RNA, Messenger/metabolism
- RNA, Plant/genetics
- RNA, Plant/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Avivi
- Department of Plant Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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277
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Farkas G, Leibovitch BA, Elgin SC. Chromatin organization and transcriptional control of gene expression in Drosophila. Gene 2000; 253:117-36. [PMID: 10940549 DOI: 10.1016/s0378-1119(00)00240-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
It is increasingly clear that the packaging of DNA in nucleosome arrays serves not only to constrain the genome within the nucleus, but also to encode information concerning the activity state of the gene. Packaging limits the accessibility of many regulatory DNA sequence elements and is functionally significant in the control of transcription, replication, repair and recombination. Here, we review studies of the heat-shock genes, illustrating the formation of a specific nucleosome array at an activatable promoter, and describe present information on the roles of DNA-binding factors and energy-dependent chromatin remodeling machines in facilitating assembly of an appropriate structure. Epigenetic maintenance of the activity state within large domains appears to be a key mechanism in regulating homeotic genes during development; recent advances indicate that chromatin structural organization is a critical parameter. The ability to utilize genetic, biochemical and cytological approaches makes Drosophila an ideal organism for studies of the role of chromatin structure in the regulation of gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Farkas
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
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278
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Cvitanich C, Pallisgaard N, Nielsen KA, Hansen AC, Larsen K, Pihakaski-Maunsbach K, Marcker KA, Jensen EO. CPP1, a DNA-binding protein involved in the expression of a soybean leghemoglobin c3 gene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2000; 97:8163-8. [PMID: 10859345 PMCID: PMC16687 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.090468497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/1999] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Nodulin genes are specifically expressed in the nitrogen-fixing root nodules. We have identified a novel type of DNA-binding protein (CPP1) interacting with the promoter of the soybean leghemoglobin gene Gmlbc3. The DNA-binding domain of CPP1 contains two similar Cys-rich domains with 9 and 10 Cys, respectively. Genes encoding similar domains have been identified in Arabidopsis thaliana, Caenorhabditis elegans, the mouse, and human. The domains also have some homology to a Cys-rich region present in some polycomb proteins. The cpp1 gene is induced late in nodule development and the expression is confined to the distal part of the central infected tissue of the nodule. A constitutively expressed cpp1 gene reduces the expression of a Gmlbc3 promoter-gusA reporter construct in Vicia hirsuta roots. These data therefore suggest that CPP1 might be involved in the regulation of the leghemoglobin genes in the symbiotic root nodule.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Cvitanich
- Laboratory of Gene Expression, Department of Molecular and Structural Biology, University of Aarhus, Gustav Wieds Vej 10, DK-8000 Aarhus C., Denmark
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279
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Kal AJ, Mahmoudi T, Zak NB, Verrijzer CP. The Drosophila Brahma complex is an essential coactivator for the trithorax group protein Zeste. Genes Dev 2000. [DOI: 10.1101/gad.14.9.1058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The trithorax group (trxG) of activators andPolycomb group (PcG) of repressors are believed to control the expression of several key developmental regulators by changing the structure of chromatin. Here, we have sought to dissect the requirements for transcriptional activation by the DrosophilatrxG protein Zeste, a DNA-binding activator of homeotic genes. Reconstituted transcription reactions established that the Brahma (BRM) chromatin-remodeling complex is essential for Zeste-directed activation on nucleosomal templates. Because it is not required for Zeste to bind to chromatin, the BRM complex appears to act after promoter binding by the activator. Purification of the Drosophila BRM complex revealed a number of novel subunits. We found that Zeste tethers the BRM complex via direct binding to specific subunits, including trxG proteins Moira (MOR) and OSA. The leucine zipper of Zeste mediates binding to MOR. Interestingly, although the Imitation Switch (ISWI) remodelers are potent nucleosome spacing factors, they are dispensable for transcriptional activation by Zeste. Thus, there is a distinction between general chromatin restructuring and transcriptional coactivation by remodelers. These results establish that different chromatin remodeling factors display distinct functional properties and provide novel insights into the mechanism of their targeting.
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280
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Horard B, Tatout C, Poux S, Pirrotta V. Structure of a polycomb response element and in vitro binding of polycomb group complexes containing GAGA factor. Mol Cell Biol 2000; 20:3187-97. [PMID: 10757803 PMCID: PMC85613 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.20.9.3187-3197.2000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Polycomb response elements (PREs) are regulatory sites that mediate the silencing of homeotic and other genes. The bxd PRE region from the Drosophila Ultrabithorax gene can be subdivided into subfragments of 100 to 200 bp that retain different degrees of PRE activity in vivo. In vitro, embryonic nuclear extracts form complexes containing Polycomb group (PcG) proteins with these fragments. PcG binding to some fragments is dependent on consensus sequences for the GAGA factor. Other fragments lack GAGA binding sites but can still bind PcG complexes in vitro. We show that the GAGA factor is a component of at least some types of PcG complexes and may participate in the assembly of PcG complexes at PREs.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Horard
- Department of Zoology, University of Geneva, CH1211 Geneva, Switzerland
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281
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Ng J, Hart CM, Morgan K, Simon JA. A Drosophila ESC-E(Z) protein complex is distinct from other polycomb group complexes and contains covalently modified ESC. Mol Cell Biol 2000; 20:3069-78. [PMID: 10757791 PMCID: PMC85591 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.20.9.3069-3078.2000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The extra sex combs (ESC) and Enhancer of zeste [E(Z)] proteins, members of the Polycomb group (PcG) of transcriptional repressors, interact directly and are coassociated in fly embryos. We report that these two proteins are components of a 600-kDa complex in embryos. Using gel filtration and affinity chromatography, we show that this complex is biochemically distinct from previously described complexes containing the PcG proteins Polyhomeotic, Polycomb, and Sex comb on midleg. In addition, we present evidence that ESC is phosphorylated in vivo and that this modified ESC is preferentially associated in the complex with E(Z). Modified ESC accumulates between 2 and 6 h of embryogenesis, which is the developmental time when esc function is first required. We find that mutations in E(z) reduce the ratio of modified to unmodified ESC in vivo. We have also generated germ line transformants that express ESC proteins bearing site-directed mutations that disrupt ESC-E(Z) binding in vitro. These mutant ESC proteins fail to provide esc function, show reduced levels of modification in vivo, and are still assembled into complexes. Taken together, these results suggest that ESC phosphorylation normally occurs after assembly into ESC-E(Z) complexes and that it contributes to the function or regulation of these complexes. We discuss how biochemically separable ESC-E(Z) and PC-PH complexes might work together to provide PcG repression.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Ng
- Department of Genetics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
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282
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Birchler JA, Bhadra MP, Bhadra U. Making noise about silence: repression of repeated genes in animals. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2000; 10:211-6. [PMID: 10753783 DOI: 10.1016/s0959-437x(00)00065-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Repeated copies of genes, whether in tandem or dispersed, are often recognized by the cell and silenced. Tandem repeat silencing is associated with a heterochromatin-like complex. Dispersed gene silencing can be mediated by the repressive Polycomb Group complex or involve post-transcriptional silencing presumably involving double-stranded RNA. The I retrotransposable element in Drosophila appears to be susceptible to dispersed gene silencing, potentially by both post-transcriptional and transcriptional processes. Some mutations that eliminate RNA interference in Caenorhabditis elegans result in the mobilization of many transposons and two of these mutations desilence tandem repeats in the germline. One challenge for the future is to determine the nature of any relationship between post-transcriptionally and transcriptionally based mechanisms. The silencing mechanisms potentially act as a protection against high expression of transposons and viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Birchler
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211-7400, USA.
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283
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Abstract
Pc-G and trx-G genes are responsible for maintenance of transcriptional regulation and provide a cellular memory mechanism throughout development. Studies in fly, yeast, mouse, and human have implicated modulation of higher-order chromatin structure as an important component in this process. Specifically, connections between SWI/SNF complexes and trx-G genes have provided a mechanistic link between chromatin remodeling and transcriptional regulation. Here we discuss recent genetic and biochemical data that has shed light on the molecular mechanisms and pathways associated with Pc-G and trx-G function in developmental processes such as cell cycle control and hematopoiesis. genesis 26:189-197, 2000.
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Affiliation(s)
- T C Gebuhr
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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284
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Barges S, Mihaly J, Galloni M, Hagstrom K, Müller M, Shanower G, Schedl P, Gyurkovics H, Karch F. The Fab-8 boundary defines the distal limit of the bithorax complex iab-7 domain and insulates iab-7 from initiation elements and a PRE in the adjacent iab-8 domain. Development 2000; 127:779-90. [PMID: 10648236 DOI: 10.1242/dev.127.4.779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The Drosophila bithorax complex Abdominal-B (Abd-B) gene specifies parasegmental identity at the posterior end of the fly. The specific pattern of Abd-B expression in each parasegment (PS) determines its identity and, in PS10-13, Abd-B expression is controlled by four parasegment-specific cis-regulatory domains, iab-5 to iab-8, respectively. In order to properly determine parasegmental identity, these four cis-regulatory domains must function autonomously during both the initiation and maintenance phases of BX-C regulation. The studies reported here demonstrate that the (centromere) distal end of iab-7 domain is delimited by the Fab-8 boundary. Initiators that specify PS12 identity are located on the proximal iab-7 side of Fab-8, while initiators that specify PS13 identity are located on the distal side of Fab-8, in iab-8. We use transgene assays to demonstrate that Fab-8 has enhancer blocking activity and that it can insulate reporter constructs from the regulatory action of the iab-7 and iab-8 initiators. We also show that the Fab-8 boundary defines the realm of action of a nearby iab-8 Polycomb Response Element, preventing this element from ectopically silencing the adjacent domain. Finally, we demonstrate that the insulating activity of the Fab-8 boundary in BX-C is absolutely essential for the proper specification of parasegmental identity by the iab-7 and iab-8 cis-regulatory domains. Fab-8 together with the previously identified Fab-7 boundary delimit the first genetically defined higher order domain in a multicellular eukaryote.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Barges
- Department of Zoology and Animal Biology, University of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
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285
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Shimell MJ, Peterson AJ, Burr J, Simon JA, O'Connor MB. Functional analysis of repressor binding sites in the iab-2 regulatory region of the abdominal-A homeotic gene. Dev Biol 2000; 218:38-52. [PMID: 10644409 DOI: 10.1006/dbio.1999.9576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Spatial boundaries of homeotic gene expression are initiated and maintained by two sets of transcriptional repressors: the gap gene products and the Polycomb group proteins. Previously, the Hunchback (HB) protein has been implicated in setting the anterior expression limit of the UBX homeotic protein in parasegment 6. Here we investigate DNA elements and trans-acting repressors that control spatial expression of the Abdominal-A (ABD-A) homeotic protein. Analysis of a 1.7-kb enhancer element [iab-2(1.7)] from the iab-2 regulatory region shows that in contrast to Ubx enhancer elements, both HB and Krüppel (KR) are required to set the ABD-A anterior boundary in parasegment 7. DNase I footprinting and site-directed mutagenesis show that HB and KR are direct regulators of this iab-2 enhancer. The single KR site can be moved to a new location 100 bp away and still maintain repressive activity, whereas relocation by 300 bp abolishes activity. These results suggest that KR repression occurs through a local quenching mechanism. We also show that the gap repressor Giant (GT) initially establishes a posterior expression limit at PS9, which shifts posteriorly after the blastoderm stage. Finally, we show that this iab-2 enhancer contains multiple binding sites for the Polycomb group protein Pleiohomeotic (PHO). These iab-2 PHO sites are required in vivo for chromosome pairing-dependent repression of a mini-white reporter. However, the PHO sites are not sufficient to maintain repression of a homeotic reporter gene anterior to PS7. Full maintenance at late embryonic stages requires additional sequences adjacent to the iab-2(1.7) enhancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Shimell
- Department of Genetics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, USA
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286
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Affiliation(s)
- D Summerbell
- Division of Eukaryotic Molecular Genetics, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London, England
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287
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Voncken JW, Schweizer D, Aagaard L, Sattler L, Jantsch MF, van Lohuizen M. Chromatin-association of the Polycomb group protein BMI1 is cell cycle-regulated and correlates with its phosphorylation status. J Cell Sci 1999; 112 ( Pt 24):4627-39. [PMID: 10574711 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.112.24.4627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The human proto-oncogene Bmi1 is a member of the mammalian Polycomb Group (Pc-G) genes. The subnuclear distribution of the BMI1 protein was studied in several primary human and tumor-derived cell lines using immunohistochemical and biochemical methods. In primary and tumor cells, nuclear BMI1 shows a fine-grain distribution over chromatin, usually dense in interphase nuclei and significantly weaker along mitotic chromosomes. In addition, BMI1 preferentially associates with several distinct heterochromatic domains in tumor cell lines. In both primary and tumor cell lines a marked cell cycle-regulation of Pc-G-chromatin interaction is observed: nuclear BMI1-staining dissipates in late S phase and is re-established early in G(1)-phase. Chromatin-association of BMI1 inversely correlates with its phosphorylation status in a cell cycle-dependent fashion: at G(1)/S, hypophosphorylated BMI1 is specifically retained in the chromatin-associated nuclear protein fraction, whereas during G(2)/M, phosphorylated BMI1 is not chromatin-bound. Our findings indicate a strict cell cycle-controlled regulation of Pc-G complex-chromatin association and provide molecular tools for improving our understanding of Pc-G complex regulation and function in mammalian cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- J W Voncken
- The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Division of Molecular Carcinogenesis, NL-1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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288
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Breiling A, Bonte E, Ferrari S, Becker PB, Paro R. The Drosophila polycomb protein interacts with nucleosomal core particles In vitro via its repression domain. Mol Cell Biol 1999; 19:8451-60. [PMID: 10567570 PMCID: PMC84949 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.19.12.8451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The proteins of the Polycomb group (PcG) are required for maintaining regulator genes, such as the homeotic selectors, stably and heritably repressed in appropriate developmental domains. It has been suggested that PcG proteins silence genes by creating higher-order chromatin structures at their chromosomal targets, thus preventing the interaction of components of the transcriptional machinery with their cis-regulatory elements. An unresolved issue is how higher order-structures are anchored at the chromatin base, the nucleosomal fiber. Here we show a direct biochemical interaction of a PcG protein-the Polycomb (PC) protein-with nucleosomal core particles in vitro. The main nucleosome-binding domain coincides with a region in the C-terminal part of PC previously identified as the repression domain. Our results suggest that PC, by binding to the core particle, recruits other PcG proteins to chromatin. This interaction could provide a key step in the establishment or regulation of higher-order chromatin structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Breiling
- ZMBH, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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289
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Muller M, Hagstrom K, Gyurkovics H, Pirrotta V, Schedl P. The mcp element from the Drosophila melanogaster bithorax complex mediates long-distance regulatory interactions. Genetics 1999; 153:1333-56. [PMID: 10545463 PMCID: PMC1460818 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/153.3.1333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In the studies reported here, we have examined the properties of the Mcp element from the Drosophila melanogaster bithorax complex (BX-C). We have found that sequences from the Mcp region of BX-C have properties characteristic of Polycomb response elements (PREs), and that they silence adjacent reporters by a mechanism that requires trans-interactions between two copies of the transgene. However, Mcp trans-regulatory interactions have several novel features. In contrast to classical transvection, homolog pairing does not seem to be required. Thus, trans-regulatory interactions can be observed not only between Mcp transgenes inserted at the same site, but also between Mcp transgenes inserted at distant sites on the same chromosomal arm, or even on different arms. Trans-regulation can even be observed between transgenes inserted on different chromosomes. A small 800-bp Mcp sequence is sufficient to mediate these long-distance trans-regulatory interactions. This small fragment has little silencing activity on its own and must be combined with other Polycomb-Group-responsive elements to function as a "pairing-sensitive" silencer. Finally, this pairing element can also mediate long-distance interactions between enhancers and promoters, activating mini-white expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Muller
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA
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290
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Satijn DP, Otte AP. Polycomb group protein complexes: do different complexes regulate distinct target genes? BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 1999; 1447:1-16. [PMID: 10500238 DOI: 10.1016/s0167-4781(99)00130-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D P Satijn
- E.C. Slater Instituut, University of Amsterdam, Plantage Muidergracht 12, 1018 TV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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291
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Donohoe ME, Zhang X, McGinnis L, Biggers J, Li E, Shi Y. Targeted disruption of mouse Yin Yang 1 transcription factor results in peri-implantation lethality. Mol Cell Biol 1999; 19:7237-44. [PMID: 10490658 PMCID: PMC84716 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.19.10.7237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 297] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is a zinc finger-containing transcription factor and a target of viral oncoproteins. To determine the biological role of YY1 in mammalian development, we generated mice deficient for YY1 by gene targeting. Homozygosity for the mutated YY1 allele results in embryonic lethality in the mouse. YY1 mutants undergo implantation and induce uterine decidualization but rapidly degenerate around the time of implantation. A subset of YY1 heterozygote embryos are developmentally retarded and exhibit neurulation defects, suggesting that YY1 may have additional roles during later stages of mouse embryogenesis. Our studies demonstrate an essential function for YY1 in the development of the mouse embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Donohoe
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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292
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Pal-Bhadra M, Bhadra U, Birchler JA. Cosuppression of nonhomologous transgenes in Drosophila involves mutually related endogenous sequences. Cell 1999; 99:35-46. [PMID: 10520992 DOI: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)80060-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Cosuppression refers to the phenomenon in which silencing among dispersed homologous genes occurs. Here we demonstrate that two nonhomologous reciprocal fusion genes, white-Alcohol dehydrogenase (w-Adh) and Adh-w, exhibit cosuppression using the endogenous Adh sequence as an intermediary. Deletion of the endogenous Adh gene eliminates the interaction, while reintroduction of an 8.6 kb Adh fragment restores the silencing. Using truncated Adh constructs, a nontranscribed segment in the Adh regulatory region was found to be one of the sequences required for homology recognition. The silencing interaction is initiated during early development. The silenced transgenes are associated with the Polycomb group complex of chromatin proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Pal-Bhadra
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia 65211, USA
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293
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Abstract
Epigenetic regulation of transcription can lead to a stable differential expression of identical genetic information in the same cell or cell population. There is increasing evidence that higher order chromatin structures, involving specific multiprotein complexes, constitute one device to establish and maintain epigenetic marks. In addition, defined chromosomal elements conferring epigenetic inheritance of transcriptional expression states have recently been identified. During the period where the difference in expression of identical genes is established, these sequences appear to be used as switch elements by both negative and positive regulators. Once the epigenetic mark is "set", the elements maintain either the silenced or the activated expression state over many cell generations. Here we review recent data obtained from analyzing epigenetic gene regulation in different organisms and show that similarities in the underlying mechanisms appear to exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Lyko
- ZMBH, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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294
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Fritsch C, Brown JL, Kassis JA, Müller J. The DNA-binding polycomb group protein pleiohomeotic mediates silencing of a Drosophila homeotic gene. Development 1999; 126:3905-13. [PMID: 10433918 DOI: 10.1242/dev.126.17.3905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Polycomb group (PcG) proteins repress homeotic genes in cells where these genes must remain inactive during development. This repression requires cis-acting silencers, also called PcG response elements. Currently, these silencers are ill-defined sequences and it is not known how PcG proteins associate with DNA. Here, we show that the Drosophila PcG protein Pleiohomeotic binds to specific sites in a silencer of the homeotic gene Ultrabithorax. In an Ultrabithorax reporter gene, point mutations in these Pleiohomeotic binding sites abolish PcG repression in vivo. Hence, DNA-bound Pleiohomeotic protein may function in the recruitment of other non-DNA-binding PcG proteins to homeotic gene silencers.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Fritsch
- Max-Planck-Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie, Spemannstrasse 35/III, Tübingen, Germany
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295
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Mishra RK, Karch F. Boundaries that demarcate structural and functional domains of chromatin. J Biosci 1999. [DOI: 10.1007/bf02941252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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296
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Thomas MJ, Seto E. Unlocking the mechanisms of transcription factor YY1: are chromatin modifying enzymes the key? Gene 1999; 236:197-208. [PMID: 10452940 DOI: 10.1016/s0378-1119(99)00261-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 378] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The transcription factor YY1 is a complex protein that is involved in repressing and activating a diverse number of promoters. Numerous studies have attempted to understand how this one factor can act both as a repressor and an activator in such a wide set of different contexts. The fact that YY1 interacts with a number of key regulatory proteins (e.g. TBP, TFIIB, TAFII55, Sp1, and E1A) has suggested that these interactions are important for determining which particular function of YY1 is displayed at a specific promoter. Two groups of proteins, previously known to function as corepressors and coactivators, that now seem likely to modulate YY1's functions, are the histone deacetylases (HDAC) and histone acetyltransferases (HAT). These two groups of enzymes modify histones, and this modification is proposed to alter chromatin structure. Acetylated histones are typically localized to active chromatin while deacetylated histones colocalize with transcriptionally inactive chromatin. When these enzymes are directed to a promoter through a DNA binding factor such as YY1, that promoter can be activated or repressed. This review will discuss the recent work dealing with the different proteins that interact with YY1, with particular emphasis on ones that modify chromatin, and how they could be involved in regulating YY1's activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Thomas
- Molecular Oncology Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
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297
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Zhou J, Ashe H, Burks C, Levine M. Characterization of the transvection mediating region of the abdominal-B locus in Drosophila. Development 1999; 126:3057-65. [PMID: 10375498 DOI: 10.1242/dev.126.14.3057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Genetic studies have identified an unusual transvection process in the Abdominal-B (Abd-B) locus of Drosophila. In some cases distal infraabdominal (iab) regulatory domains continue to activate the Abd-B promoter even when translocated onto different chromosomes. Transvection depends on an approx. 10 kb genomic DNA sequence, termed the transvection mediating region (tmr), located immediately downstream of the Abd-B transcription unit. Here we report a detailed analysis of this region. Different DNA fragments from the tmr were inserted into a variety of P-transformation vectors. Analyses of reporter gene expression in transgenic embryos and adults identify at least three cis-regulatory elements, including two enhancers (IAB7 and IAB8) and a new insulator DNA (Frontabdominal-8, Fab-8). Evidence is also presented for a Polycomb Response Element (PRE) linked to the IAB8 enhancer, and an internal promoter in the iab-8 domain, which transcribes the iab-7 and iab-8 cis-regulatory DNA, including the Fab-8 insulator. We discuss the significance of these findings with regard to Abd-B transvection and long-range enhancer-promoter interactions in mammalian globin loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Zhou
- Dept Mol. Cell Biol., Division of Genetics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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298
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Shao Z, Raible F, Mollaaghababa R, Guyon JR, Wu CT, Bender W, Kingston RE. Stabilization of chromatin structure by PRC1, a Polycomb complex. Cell 1999; 98:37-46. [PMID: 10412979 DOI: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)80604-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 604] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The Polycomb group (PcG) genes are required for maintenance of homeotic gene repression during development. Mutations in these genes can be suppressed by mutations in genes of the SWI/SNF family. We have purified a complex, termed PRC1 (Polycomb repressive complex 1), that contains the products of the PcG genes Polycomb, Posterior sex combs, polyhomeotic, Sex combs on midleg, and several other proteins. Preincubation of PRC1 with nucleosomal arrays blocked the ability of these arrays to be remodeled by SWI/SNF. Addition of PRC1 to arrays at the same time as SWI/SNF did not block remodeling. Thus, PRC1 and SWI/SNF might compete with each other for the nucleosomal template. Several different types of repressive complexes, including deacetylases, interact with histone tails. In contrast, PRC1 was active on nucleosomal arrays formed with tailless histones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Shao
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114, USA
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299
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Tillib S, Petruk S, Sedkov Y, Kuzin A, Fujioka M, Goto T, Mazo A. Trithorax- and Polycomb-group response elements within an Ultrabithorax transcription maintenance unit consist of closely situated but separable sequences. Mol Cell Biol 1999; 19:5189-202. [PMID: 10373568 PMCID: PMC84362 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.19.7.5189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In Drosophila, two classes of genes, the trithorax group and the Polycomb group, are required in concert to maintain gene expression by regulating chromatin structure. We have identified Trithorax protein (TRX) binding elements within the bithorax complex and have found that within the bxd/pbx regulatory region these elements are functionally relevant for normal expression patterns in embryos and confer TRX binding in vivo. TRX was localized to three closely situated sites within a 3-kb chromatin maintenance unit with a modular structure. Results of an in vivo analysis showed that these DNA fragments (each approximately 400 bp) contain both TRX- and Polycomb-group response elements (TREs and PREs) and that in the context of the endogenous Ultrabithorax gene, all of these elements are essential for proper maintenance of expression in embryos. Dissection of one of these maintenance modules showed that TRX- and Polycomb-group responsiveness is conferred by neighboring but separable DNA sequences, suggesting that independent protein complexes are formed at their respective response elements. Furthermore, we have found that the activity of this TRE requires a sequence (approximately 90 bp) which maps to within several tens of base pairs from the closest neighboring PRE and that the PRE activity in one of the elements may require a binding site for PHO, the protein product of the Polycomb-group gene pleiohomeotic. Our results show that long-range maintenance of Ultrabithorax expression requires a complex element composed of cooperating modules, each capable of interacting with both positive and negative chromatin regulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Tillib
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA
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300
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Osborne CS, Pasceri P, Singal R, Sukonnik T, Ginder GD, Ellis J. Amelioration of retroviral vector silencing in locus control region beta-globin-transgenic mice and transduced F9 embryonic cells. J Virol 1999; 73:5490-6. [PMID: 10364297 PMCID: PMC112606 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.73.7.5490-5496.1999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/1998] [Accepted: 04/09/1999] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Retroviral vectors are transcriptionally silenced in hematopoietic stem cells, and this phenomenon must be overcome for effective gene therapy of blood diseases. The murine stem cell virus (MSCV) vector completely silences beta-globin reporter genes regulated by locus control region (LCR) elements 5'HS2 to 5'HS4 in seven of eight transgenic mice. Here, we show that no single known MSCV silencer element is sufficient for complete LCR beta-globin transgene silencing. However, partial silencing of high-copy transgenes is conveyed by the MSCV direct repeat and promoter elements. The CpG methylation pattern of silenced and expressed MSCV promoter transgenes is virtually identical, demonstrating that silencing does not absolutely correlate with methylation status. Combined mutations in all four MSCV silencer elements leads to expression of beta-globin in 6 of 10 transgenic mice. The same mutations incorporated into the HSC1 retrovirus vector direct neo gene expression in 71% of transduced F9 embryonic carcinoma cells. These studies demonstrate that combined mutation of four retroviral silencer elements relieves complete silencing in most transgenic mice and transduced F9 cells and suggests that novel silencer elements remain. Enhanced expression of the HSC1 vector in primitive stem cells is well suited for blood gene therapy applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- C S Osborne
- Programs in Developmental Biology and Blood and Cancer Research, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X8
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