The locus control region is required for association of the murine beta-globin locus with engaged transcription factories during erythroid maturation

Epigenetic regulation of tumor necrosis factor alpha

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is a potent cytokine which regulates inflammation via the induction of adhesion molecules and chemokine expression. Its expression is known to be regulated in a complex manner with transcription, message turnover, message splicing, translation, and protein cleavage from the cell surface all being independently regulated. This study examined both cell lines and primary cells to understand the developmental regulation of epigenetic changes at the TNF-alpha locus. We demonstrate that epigenetic modifications of the TNF-alpha locus occur both developmentally and in response to acute stimulation and, importantly, that they actively regulate expression. DNA demethylates early in development, beginning with the hematopoietic stem cell. The TNF-alpha locus migrates from heterochromatin to euchromatin in a progressive fashion, reaching euchromatin slightly later in differentiation. Finally, histone modifications characteristic of a transcriptionally competent gene occur with myeloid differentiation and progress with differentiation. Additional histone modifications characteristic of active gene expression are acquired with stimulation. In each case, manipulation of these epigenetic variables altered the ability of the cell to express TNF-alpha. These studies demonstrate the importance of epigenetic regulation in the control of TNF-alpha expression. These findings may have relevance for inflammatory disorders in which TNF-alpha is overproduced.

Active genes at the nuclear pore complex

The nucleus is spatially and functionally organized and its architecture is now seen as a key contributor to genome functions. A central component of this architecture is the nuclear envelope, which is studded with nuclear pore complexes that serve as gateways for communication between the nucleoplasm and cytoplasm. Although the nuclear periphery has traditionally been described as a repressive compartment and repository for gene-poor chromosome regions, several recent studies in yeast have demonstrated that repressive and activating domains can both be positioned at the periphery of the nucleus. Moreover, association with the nuclear envelope favors the expression of particular genes, demonstrating that nuclear organization can play an active role in gene regulation.

Beyond the sequence: cellular organization of genome function

Genomes are more than linear sequences. In vivo they exist as elaborate physical structures, and their functional properties are strongly determined by their cellular organization. I discuss here the functional relevance of spatial and temporal genome organization at three hierarchical levels: the organization of nuclear processes, the higher-order organization of the chromatin fiber, and the spatial arrangement of genomes within the cell nucleus. Recent insights into the cell biology of genomes have overturned long-held dogmas and have led to new models for many essential cellular processes, including gene expression and genome stability.

Dynamic genome architecture in the nuclear space: regulation of gene expression in three dimensions

The regulation of gene expression is mediated by interactions between chromatin and protein complexes. The importance of where and when these interactions take place in the nucleus is currently a subject of intense investigation. Increasing evidence indicates that gene activation or silencing is often associated with repositioning of the locus relative to nuclear compartments and other genomic loci. At the same time, however, structural constraints impose limits on chromatin mobility. Understanding how the dynamic nature of the positioning of genetic material in the nuclear space and the higher-order architecture of the nucleus are integrated is therefore essential to our overall understanding of gene regulation.

Transcriptional regulation at the nuclear pore complex

The nonrandom spatial distribution of chromosomes and genes in the eukaryotic nucleus has been appreciated for decades, although a detailed understanding of the functional role of such positioning has remained illusive. The most prominent structural feature of the nucleus is the nuclear periphery, classically considered as a zone of gene repression caused by the presence of heterochromatin and silencing factors. However, several recent studies have uncovered dynamic associations between nuclear pore complexes embedded in the nuclear membrane and actively transcribed genes. These interactions, mediated by DNA, RNA and proteins, add an additional level of control to eukaryotic gene expression. The existence of a peripheral transcriptional activation zone in the nucleus suggests that the spatial organization of the genome plays a significant role in transcriptional regulation.

Spatial genome organization in the formation of chromosomal translocations

Chromosomal translocations and genomic instability are universal hallmarks of tumor cells. While the molecular mechanisms leading to the formation of translocations are rapidly being elucidated, a cell biological understanding of how chromosomes undergo translocations in the context of the cell nucleus in vivo is largely lacking. The recent realization that genomes are non-randomly arranged within the nuclear space has profound consequences for mechanisms of chromosome translocations. We review here the emerging principles of spatial genome organization and discuss the implications of non-random spatial genome organization for the genesis and specificity of cancerous chromosomal translocations.

Nuclear organization and splicing control

Although major splicing regulatory mechanisms rely on the presence of cis-acting sequence elements in the precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) to which specific protein and factors bind, splice choices are also influenced by transcription kinetics, promoter-dependent loading of RNA-binding proteins and nucleo-cytoplasmic distribution of splicing regulators. Within the highly crowded eukaryotic nucleus, molecular machines required for gene expression create specialized microenvironments that favor some interactions while repressing others. Genes located far apart in a chromosome or even in different chromosomes come together in the nucleus for coordinated transcription and splicing. Emerging tools to dissect gene expression pathways in living cells promise to provide more detailed insight as to how spatial confinement contributes to splicing control.

Globin genes transcriptional switching, chromatin structure and linked lessons to epigenetics in cancer: a comparative overview

At the present time research situates differential regulation of gene expression in an increasingly complex scenario based on interplay between genetic and epigenetic information networks, which need to be highly coordinated. Here we describe in a comparative way relevant concepts and models derived from studies on the chicken alpha- and beta-globin group of genes. We discuss models for globin switching and mechanisms for coordinated transcriptional activation. A comparative overview of globin genes chromatin structure, based on their genomic domain organization and epigenetic components is presented. We argue that the results of those studies and their integrative interpretation may contribute to our understanding of epigenetic abnormalities, from beta-thalassemias to human cancer. Finally we discuss the interdependency of genetic-epigenetic components and the need of their mutual consideration in order to visualize the regulation of gene expression in a more natural context and consequently better understand cell differentiation, development and cancer.

Keeping up NF-κB appearances: Epigenetic control of immunity or inflammation-triggered epigenetics

Controlled expression of cytokine genes is an essential component of an immune response and is crucial for homeostasis. In order to generate an appropriate response to an infectious condition, the type of cytokine, as well as the cell type, dose range and the kinetics of its expression are of critical importance. The nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) family of transcription factors has a crucial role in rapid responses to stress and pathogens (innate immunity), as well as in development and differentiation of immune cells (acquired immunity). Although quite a number of genes contain NF-kappaB-responsive elements in their regulatory regions, their expression pattern can significantly vary from both a kinetic and quantitative point of view, reflecting the impact of environmental and differentiative cues. At the transcription level, selectivity is conferred by the expression of specific NF-kappaB subunits and their respective posttranslational modifications, and by combinatorial interactions between NF-kappaB and other transcription factors and coactivators, that form specific enhanceosome complexes in association with particular promoters. These enhanceosome complexes represent another level of signaling integration, whereby the activities of multiple upstream pathways converge to impress a distinct pattern of gene expression upon the NF-kappaB-dependent transcriptional network. Today, several pieces of evidence suggest that the chromatin structure and epigenetic settings are the ultimate integration sites of both environmental and differentiative inputs, determining proper expression of each NF-kappaB-dependent gene. We will therefore discuss in this review the multilayered interplay of NF-kappaB signaling and epigenome dynamics, in achieving appropriate gene expression responses and transcriptional activity.

Transcriptional control thrown for a loop

The relationships among in vivo chromatin structures, chromosome organization and genome function must be understood in order to reveal the hidden regulatory information in our genomes. Rather than being stable architectural features, it appears that chromatin and chromosome conformations at all levels are highly dynamic, which is the key to their function. Studies in recent years have elucidated long-range interactions or folded chromatin conformations that play significant roles in gene regulation. Most recently, intrachromosomal associations and co-associations with shared nuclear transcription compartments have been discovered in mammals, with the potential to greatly expand our view of how the genome is regulated.

Identification of novel candidate genes for globin regulation in erythroid cells containing large deletions of the human β-globin gene cluster

The genetic mechanisms underlying the continued expression of the gamma-globin genes during the adult stage in deletional hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) and deltabeta-thalassemias are not completely understood. Herein, we investigated the possible involvement of transcription factors, using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) method as an initial screen to identify differentially expressed transcripts in reticulocytes from a normal and a HPFH-2 subject. Some of the detectable transcripts may participate in globin gene regulation. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) experiments confirmed the downregulation of ZHX2, a transcriptional repressor, in two HPFH-2 subjects and in a carrier of the Sicilian deltabeta-thalassemia trait. The chromatin remodeling factors ARID1B and TSPYL1 had a very similar pattern of expression with an incremental increase in HPFH and decreased expression in deltabeta-thalassemia. These differences suggest a mechanism to explain the heterocellular and pancellular distribution of fetal hemoglobin in deltabeta-thalassemia and deletional HPFH, respectively. Interestingly, alpha-globin mRNA levels were decreased, similar to beta-globin in all reticulocyte samples analyzed.

Flanking HS-62.5 and 3' HS1, and regions upstream of the LCR, are not required for beta-globin transcription

The locus control region (LCR) was thought to be necessary and sufficient for establishing and maintaining an open beta-globin locus chromatin domain in the repressive environment of the developing erythrocyte. However, deletion of the LCR from the endogenous locus had no significant effect on chromatin structure and did not silence transcription. Thus, the cis-regulatory elements that confer the open domain remain unidentified. The conserved DNaseI hypersensitivity sites (HSs) HS-62.5 and 3'HS1 that flank the locus, and the region upstream of the LCR have been implicated in globin gene regulation. The flanking HSs bind CCCTC binding factor (CTCF) and are thought to interact with the LCR to form a "chromatin hub" involved in beta-globin gene activation. Hispanic thalassemia, a deletion of the LCR and 27 kb upstream, leads to heterochromatinization and silencing of the locus. Thus, the region upstream of the LCR deleted in Hispanic thalassemia (upstream Hispanic region [UHR]) may be required for expression. To determine the importance of the UHR and flanking HSs for beta-globin expression, we generated and analyzed mice with targeted deletions of these elements. We demonstrate deletion of these regions alone, and in combination, do not affect transcription, bringing into question current models for the regulation of the beta-globin locus.