1
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Deaville LA, Berrens RV. Technology to the rescue: how to uncover the role of transposable elements in preimplantation development. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:1349-1362. [PMID: 38752836 DOI: 10.1042/bst20231262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are highly expressed in preimplantation development. Preimplantation development is the phase when the cells of the early embryo undergo the first cell fate choice and change from being totipotent to pluripotent. A range of studies have advanced our understanding of TEs in preimplantation, as well as their epigenetic regulation and functional roles. However, many questions remain about the implications of TE expression during early development. Challenges originate first due to the abundance of TEs in the genome, and second because of the limited cell numbers in preimplantation. Here we review the most recent technological advancements promising to shed light onto the role of TEs in preimplantation development. We explore novel avenues to identify genomic TE insertions and improve our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms and roles of TEs and their RNA and protein products during early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauryn A Deaville
- Institute for Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, Oxford University, IMS-Tetsuya Nakamura Building, Old Road Campus, Roosevelt Dr, Oxford OX3 7TY, U.K
- Department of Paediatrics, Oxford University, Level 2, Children's Hospital, John Radcliffe Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU, U.K
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford University, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DS, U.K
| | - Rebecca V Berrens
- Institute for Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, Oxford University, IMS-Tetsuya Nakamura Building, Old Road Campus, Roosevelt Dr, Oxford OX3 7TY, U.K
- Department of Paediatrics, Oxford University, Level 2, Children's Hospital, John Radcliffe Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU, U.K
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2
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Liang Y, Qu X, Shah NM, Wang T. Towards targeting transposable elements for cancer therapy. Nat Rev Cancer 2024; 24:123-140. [PMID: 38228901 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-023-00653-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) represent almost half of the human genome. Historically deemed 'junk DNA', recent technological advancements have stimulated a wave of research into the functional impact of TEs on gene-regulatory networks in evolution and development, as well as in diseases including cancer. The genetic and epigenetic evolution of cancer involves the exploitation of TEs, whereby TEs contribute directly to cancer-specific gene activities. This Review provides a perspective on the role of TEs in cancer as being a 'double-edged sword', both promoting cancer evolution and representing a vulnerability that could be exploited in cancer therapy. We discuss how TEs affect transcriptome regulation and other cellular processes in cancer. We highlight the potential of TEs as therapeutic targets for cancer. We also summarize technical hurdles in the characterization of TEs with genomic assays. Last, we outline open questions and exciting future research avenues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonghao Liang
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Xuan Qu
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Nakul M Shah
- Division of Cancer Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ting Wang
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
- Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
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3
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Pontis J, Pulver C, Playfoot CJ, Planet E, Grun D, Offner S, Duc J, Manfrin A, Lutolf MP, Trono D. Primate-specific transposable elements shape transcriptional networks during human development. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7178. [PMID: 36418324 PMCID: PMC9684439 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34800-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The human genome contains more than 4.5 million inserts derived from transposable elements (TEs), the result of recurrent waves of invasion and internal propagation throughout evolution. For new TE copies to be inherited, they must become integrated in the genome of the germline or pre-implantation embryo, which requires that their source TE be expressed at these stages. Accordingly, many TEs harbor DNA binding sites for the pluripotency factors OCT4, NANOG, SOX2, and KLFs and are transiently expressed during embryonic genome activation. Here, we describe how many primate-restricted TEs have additional binding sites for lineage-specific transcription factors driving their expression during human gastrulation and later steps of fetal development. These TE integrants serve as lineage-specific enhancers fostering the transcription, amongst other targets, of KRAB-zinc finger proteins (KZFPs) of comparable evolutionary age, which in turn corral the activity of TE-embedded regulatory sequences in a similarly lineage-restricted fashion. Thus, TEs and their KZFP controllers play broad roles in shaping transcriptional networks during early human development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Pontis
- grid.5333.60000000121839049Laboratory of Virology and Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Cyril Pulver
- grid.5333.60000000121839049Laboratory of Virology and Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christopher J. Playfoot
- grid.5333.60000000121839049Laboratory of Virology and Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Evarist Planet
- grid.5333.60000000121839049Laboratory of Virology and Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Delphine Grun
- grid.5333.60000000121839049Laboratory of Virology and Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Offner
- grid.5333.60000000121839049Laboratory of Virology and Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Julien Duc
- grid.5333.60000000121839049Laboratory of Virology and Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Manfrin
- grid.5333.60000000121839049Laboratory for Stem Cell Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Matthias P. Lutolf
- grid.5333.60000000121839049Laboratory for Stem Cell Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Didier Trono
- grid.5333.60000000121839049Laboratory of Virology and Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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4
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Pelinski Y, Hidaoui D, Stolz A, Hermetet F, Chelbi R, Diop MK, Chioukh AM, Porteu F, Elvira-Matelot E. NF-κB signaling controls H3K9me3 levels at intronic LINE-1 and hematopoietic stem cell genes in cis. J Exp Med 2022; 219:213343. [PMID: 35802137 PMCID: PMC9274146 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20211356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Ionizing radiations (IR) alter hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function on the long term, but the mechanisms underlying these effects are still poorly understood. We recently showed that IR induces the derepression of L1Md, the mouse young subfamilies of LINE-1/L1 retroelements. L1 contributes to gene regulatory networks. However, how L1Md are derepressed and impact HSC gene expression are not known. Here, we show that IR triggers genome-wide H3K9me3 decrease that occurs mainly at L1Md. Loss of H3K9me3 at intronic L1Md harboring NF-κB binding sites motifs but not at promoters is associated with the repression of HSC-specific genes. This is correlated with reduced NFKB1 repressor expression. TNF-α treatment rescued all these effects and prevented IR-induced HSC loss of function in vivo. This TNF-α/NF-κB/H3K9me3/L1Md axis might be important to maintain HSCs while allowing expression of immune genes during myeloid regeneration or damage-induced bone marrow ablation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanis Pelinski
- INSERM UMR1287, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France,Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Donia Hidaoui
- INSERM UMR1287, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France,Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Anne Stolz
- INSERM UMR1287, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France,Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - François Hermetet
- INSERM UMR1287, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France,Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Rabie Chelbi
- INSERM UMR1287, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France,Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - M’boyba Khadija Diop
- Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France,Bioinformatics Platform UMS AMMICa INSERM US23/CNRS 3655, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | - Amir M. Chioukh
- INSERM UMR1287, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France,Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Françoise Porteu
- INSERM UMR1287, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France,Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Emilie Elvira-Matelot
- INSERM UMR1287, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France,Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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5
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Fueyo R, Judd J, Feschotte C, Wysocka J. Roles of transposable elements in the regulation of mammalian transcription. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2022; 23:481-497. [PMID: 35228718 PMCID: PMC10470143 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-022-00457-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 58.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) comprise about half of the mammalian genome. TEs often contain sequences capable of recruiting the host transcription machinery, which they use to express their own products and promote transposition. However, the regulatory sequences carried by TEs may affect host transcription long after the TEs have lost the ability to transpose. Recent advances in genome analysis and engineering have facilitated systematic interrogation of the regulatory activities of TEs. In this Review, we discuss diverse mechanisms by which TEs contribute to transcription regulation. Notably, TEs can donate enhancer and promoter sequences that influence the expression of host genes, modify 3D chromatin architecture and give rise to novel regulatory genes, including non-coding RNAs and transcription factors. We discuss how TEs spur regulatory evolution and facilitate the emergence of genetic novelties in mammalian physiology and development. By virtue of their repetitive and interspersed nature, TEs offer unique opportunities to dissect the effects of mutation and genomic context on the function and evolution of cis-regulatory elements. We argue that TE-centric studies hold the key to unlocking general principles of transcription regulation and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Fueyo
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Julius Judd
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Cedric Feschotte
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Joanna Wysocka
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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6
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Lee HJ, Hou Y, Maeng JH, Shah NM, Chen Y, Lawson HA, Yang H, Yue F, Wang T. Epigenomic analysis reveals prevalent contribution of transposable elements to cis-regulatory elements, tissue-specific expression, and alternative promoters in zebrafish. Genome Res 2022; 32:1424-1436. [PMID: 35649578 PMCID: PMC9341505 DOI: 10.1101/gr.276052.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) encode regulatory elements that impact gene expression in multiple species, yet a comprehensive analysis of zebrafish TEs in the context of gene regulation is lacking. Here, we systematically investigate the epigenomic and transcriptomic landscape of TEs across 11 adult zebrafish tissues using multidimensional sequencing data. We find that TEs contribute substantially to a diverse array of regulatory elements in the zebrafish genome and that 37% of TEs are positioned in active regulatory states in adult zebrafish tissues. We identify TE subfamilies enriched in highly specific regulatory elements among different tissues. We use transcript assembly to discover TE-derived transcriptional units expressed across tissues. Finally, we show that novel TE-derived promoters can initiate tissue-specific transcription of alternate gene isoforms. This work provides a comprehensive profile of TE activity across normal zebrafish tissues, shedding light on mechanisms underlying the regulation of gene expression in this widely used model organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyung Joo Lee
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA;,Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - Yiran Hou
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA;,Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - Ju Heon Maeng
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA;,Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - Nakul M. Shah
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA;,Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - Yujie Chen
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA;,Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - Heather A. Lawson
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - Hongbo Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA
| | - Feng Yue
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA;,Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA
| | - Ting Wang
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA;,Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA;,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63108, USA
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7
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Garrigues JM, Pasquinelli AE. Caenorhabditis elegans transposable elements harbor diverse transcription factor DNA-binding sites. G3 GENES|GENOMES|GENETICS 2022; 12:6509519. [PMID: 35088854 PMCID: PMC8896005 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Transposable elements are powerful agents of evolution that can diversify transcriptional programs by distributing transcription factor DNA-binding sites throughout genomes. To investigate the extent that transposable elements provide transcription factor-binding motifs in Caenorhabditis elegans, we determined the genomic positions of DNA-binding motifs for 201 different transcription factors. Surprisingly, we found that almost all examined transcription factors have binding motifs that reside within transposable elements, and all types of transposable elements have at least 1 instance of a transcription factor motif, demonstrating that transposable elements provide previously unappreciated numbers of transcription factor-binding motifs to the C. elegans genome. After determining the occurrence of transcription factor motifs in transposable elements relative to the rest of the genome, we identified DNA-binding motifs for 45 different transcription factors that are greater than 20-fold enriched within transposable elements compared to what would be expected by chance. Consistent with potential functional roles for these transposable element-enriched transcription factor-binding sequences, we determined that all transcription factor motif types found in transposable elements have instances of residing within accessible chromatin sites associated with transcription factor binding. The overwhelming majority of transcription factor-binding motifs located within transposable elements associate with their cognate transcription factors, suggesting extensive binding of transcription factors to sequences within transposable elements. In addition, transposable elements with accessible or transcription factor-bound motifs reside in the putative promoter regions of approximately 12% of all protein-coding genes, providing widespread possibilities for influencing gene expression. This work represents the first comprehensive analysis of transposable element–transcription factor interactions in C. elegans and demonstrates that transposable element-provided transcription factor-binding sites are prevalent in this important model organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob M Garrigues
- Section of Molecular Biology, Division of Biology, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Amy E Pasquinelli
- Section of Molecular Biology, Division of Biology, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
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8
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Shapiro JA. What we have learned about evolutionary genome change in the past 7 decades. Biosystems 2022; 215-216:104669. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2022.104669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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9
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Wang Y, Wang Q, Wu Z, Han GZ. Segregating Complete Tf2 Elements Are Largely Neutral in Fission Yeast. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:6430117. [PMID: 34791222 PMCID: PMC8634392 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) comprise a large proportion of the eukaryote genomes. Yet it remains poorly understood how TEs influence the fitness of the hosts carrying them. Here, we empirically test the impact of TEs on the host fitness in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We find that two families of TEs (Tf1 and Tf2 elements), both of which belong to long terminal repeat retrotransposons, are highly polymorphic among individual S. pombe strains. Only 13 complete Tf2 elements are identified in S. pombe laboratory strain 972. These 13 Tf2 elements integrated into host genomes in very recent time and are segregating within the S. pombe population. Through knocking out each of the 13 Tf2 elements in S. pombe strain 972, we find Tf2 knockout does not affect the host fitness, and Tf2 elements do not alter the expression of nearby genes. Challenged by diverse forms of stress, the Tf2 knockout strains do not exhibit different growth rates from wild-type strain. Together, we conclude that segregating complete Tf2 elements insertions are largely neutral to host fitness in the fission yeast. Our study provides genome-wide empirical support for the selfish nature of TEs in fission yeast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qin Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhiwei Wu
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Guan-Zhu Han
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
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10
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The large bat Helitron DNA transposase forms a compact monomeric assembly that buries and protects its covalently bound 5'-transposon end. Mol Cell 2021; 81:4271-4286.e4. [PMID: 34403695 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.07.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Helitrons are widespread eukaryotic DNA transposons that have significantly contributed to genome variability and evolution, in part because of their distinctive, replicative rolling-circle mechanism, which often mobilizes adjacent genes. Although most eukaryotic transposases form oligomers and use RNase H-like domains to break and rejoin double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), Helitron transposases contain a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-specific HUH endonuclease domain. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of a Helitron transposase bound to the 5'-transposon end, providing insight into its multidomain architecture and function. The monomeric transposase forms a tightly packed assembly that buries the covalently attached cleaved end, protecting it until the second end becomes available. The structure reveals unexpected architectural similarity to TraI, a bacterial relaxase that also catalyzes ssDNA movement. The HUH active site suggests how two juxtaposed tyrosines, a feature of many replication initiators that use HUH nucleases, couple the conformational shift of an α-helix to control strand cleavage and ligation reactions.
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11
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Ullastres A, Merenciano M, González J. Regulatory regions in natural transposable element insertions drive interindividual differences in response to immune challenges in Drosophila. Genome Biol 2021; 22:265. [PMID: 34521452 PMCID: PMC8439047 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-021-02471-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Variation in gene expression underlies interindividual variability in relevant traits including immune response. However, the genetic variation responsible for these gene expression changes remains largely unknown. Among the non-coding variants that could be relevant, transposable element insertions are promising candidates as they have been shown to be a rich and diverse source of cis-regulatory elements. Results In this work, we use a population genetics approach to identify transposable element insertions likely to increase the tolerance of Drosophila melanogaster to bacterial infection by affecting the expression of immune-related genes. We identify 12 insertions associated with allele-specific expression changes in immune-related genes. We experimentally validate three of these insertions including one likely to be acting as a silencer, one as an enhancer, and one with a dual role as enhancer and promoter. The direction in the change of gene expression associated with the presence of several of these insertions is consistent with an increased survival to infection. Indeed, for one of the insertions, we show that this is the case by analyzing both natural populations and CRISPR/Cas9 mutants in which the insertion is deleted from its native genomic context. Conclusions We show that transposable elements contribute to gene expression variation in response to infection in D. melanogaster and that this variation is likely to affect their survival capacity. Because the role of transposable elements as regulatory elements is not restricted to Drosophila, transposable elements are likely to play a role in immune response in other organisms as well. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13059-021-02471-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Ullastres
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miriam Merenciano
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josefa González
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
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12
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Khetan S, Kales S, Kursawe R, Jillette A, Ulirsch JC, Reilly SK, Ucar D, Tewhey R, Stitzel ML. Functional characterization of T2D-associated SNP effects on baseline and ER stress-responsive β cell transcriptional activation. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5242. [PMID: 34475398 PMCID: PMC8413311 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25514-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have linked single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at >250 loci in the human genome to type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. For each locus, identifying the functional variant(s) among multiple SNPs in high linkage disequilibrium is critical to understand molecular mechanisms underlying T2D genetic risk. Using massively parallel reporter assays (MPRA), we test the cis-regulatory effects of SNPs associated with T2D and altered in vivo islet chromatin accessibility in MIN6 β cells under steady state and pathophysiologic endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress conditions. We identify 1,982/6,621 (29.9%) SNP-containing elements that activate transcription in MIN6 and 879 SNP alleles that modulate MPRA activity. Multiple T2D-associated SNPs alter the activity of short interspersed nuclear element (SINE)-containing elements that are strongly induced by ER stress. We identify 220 functional variants at 104 T2D association signals, narrowing 54 signals to a single candidate SNP. Together, this study identifies elements driving β cell steady state and ER stress-responsive transcriptional activation, nominates causal T2D SNPs, and uncovers potential roles for repetitive elements in β cell transcriptional stress response and T2D genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shubham Khetan
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Susan Kales
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genetics, Bar Harbor, ME, USA
| | - Romy Kursawe
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | | | - Jacob C Ulirsch
- Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Duygu Ucar
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
- Institute of Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Ryan Tewhey
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genetics, Bar Harbor, ME, USA.
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA.
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Michael L Stitzel
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA.
- Institute of Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA.
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13
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Expression Quantitative Trait Loci (eQTLs) Associated with Retrotransposons Demonstrate their Modulatory Effect on the Transcriptome. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22126319. [PMID: 34204806 PMCID: PMC8231655 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22126319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are repetitive elements that belong to a variety of functional classes and have an important role in shaping genome evolution. Around 50% of the human genome contains TEs, and they have been termed the "dark matter" of the genome because relatively little is known about their function. While TEs have been shown to participate in aberrant gene regulation and the pathogenesis of diseases, only a few studies have explored the systemic effect of TEs on gene expression. In the present study, we analysed whole genome sequences and blood whole transcriptome data from 570 individuals within the Parkinson's Progressive Markers Initiative (PPMI) cohort to identify expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) regulating genome-wide gene expression associated with TEs. We identified 2132 reference TEs that were polymorphic for their presence or absence in our study cohort. The presence or absence of the TE element could change the expression of the gene or gene clusters from zero to tens of thousands of copies of RNA. The main finding is that many TEs possess very strong regulatory effects, and they have the potential to modulate large genetic networks with hundreds of target genes over the genome. We illustrate the plethora of regulatory mechanisms using examples of their action at the HLA gene cluster and data showing different TEs' convergence to modulate WFS1 gene expression. In conclusion, the presence or absence of polymorphisms of TEs has an eminent genome-wide regulatory function with large effect size at the level of the whole transcriptome. The role of TEs in explaining, in part, the missing heritability for complex traits is convincing and should be considered.
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Cell-type-specific 3D epigenomes in the developing human cortex. Nature 2020; 587:644-649. [PMID: 33057195 PMCID: PMC7704572 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2825-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Lineage-specific epigenomic changes during human corticogenesis have remained elusive due to challenges with sample availability and tissue heterogeneity. For example, previous studies used single-cell RNA sequencing to identify at least nine major cell types and up to 26 distinct subtypes in the dorsal cortex alone1,2. Here, we characterize cell type-specific cis-regulatory chromatin interactions, open chromatin peaks, and transcriptomes for radial glia, intermediate progenitor cells, excitatory neurons, and interneurons isolated from mid-gestational human cortex samples. We show that chromatin interactions underlie multiple aspects of gene regulation, with transposable elements and disease-associated variants enriched at distal interacting regions in a cell type-specific manner. In addition, promoters with significantly increased levels of chromatin interactivity, termed super interactive promoters, are enriched for lineage-specific genes, suggesting that interactions at these loci contribute to the fine-tuning of transcription. Finally, we develop CRISPRview, a novel technique integrating immunostaining, CRISPRi, RNAscope, and image analysis for validating cell type-specific cis-regulatory elements in heterogeneous populations of primary cells. Our study presents the first cell type-specific characterization of 3D epigenomes in the developing human cortex, advancing our understanding of gene regulation and lineage specification during this critical developmental window.
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Miao B, Fu S, Lyu C, Gontarz P, Wang T, Zhang B. Tissue-specific usage of transposable element-derived promoters in mouse development. Genome Biol 2020; 21:255. [PMID: 32988383 PMCID: PMC7520981 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-020-02164-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transposable elements (TEs) are a significant component of eukaryotic genomes and play essential roles in genome evolution. Mounting evidence indicates that TEs are highly transcribed in early embryo development and contribute to distinct biological functions and tissue morphology. RESULTS We examine the epigenetic dynamics of mouse TEs during the development of five tissues: intestine, liver, lung, stomach, and kidney. We found that TEs are associated with over 20% of open chromatin regions during development. Close to half of these accessible TEs are only activated in a single tissue and a specific developmental stage. Most accessible TEs are rodent-specific. Across these five tissues, 453 accessible TEs are found to create the transcription start sites of downstream genes in mouse, including 117 protein-coding genes and 144 lincRNA genes, 93.7% of which are mouse-specific. Species-specific TE-derived transcription start sites are found to drive the expression of tissue-specific genes and change their tissue-specific expression patterns during evolution. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that TE insertions increase the regulatory potential of the genome, and some TEs have been domesticated to become a crucial component of gene and regulate tissue-specific expression during mouse tissue development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benpeng Miao
- Department of Developmental Biology, Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63108, USA
- Department of Genetics, Edison Family Center for Genomic Sciences and Systems Biology, McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Shuhua Fu
- Department of Developmental Biology, Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Cheng Lyu
- Department of Developmental Biology, Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Paul Gontarz
- Department of Developmental Biology, Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Ting Wang
- Department of Genetics, Edison Family Center for Genomic Sciences and Systems Biology, McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63108, USA.
| | - Bo Zhang
- Department of Developmental Biology, Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63108, USA.
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Goubert C, Zevallos NA, Feschotte C. Contribution of unfixed transposable element insertions to human regulatory variation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190331. [PMID: 32075552 PMCID: PMC7061991 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Thousands of unfixed transposable element (TE) insertions segregate in the human population, but little is known about their impact on genome function. Recently, a few studies associated unfixed TE insertions to mRNA levels of adjacent genes, but the biological significance of these associations, their replicability across cell types and the mechanisms by which they may regulate genes remain largely unknown. Here, we performed a TE-expression QTL analysis of 444 lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) and 289 induced pluripotent stem cells using a newly developed set of genotypes for 2743 polymorphic TE insertions. We identified 211 and 176 TE-eQTL acting in cis in each respective cell type. Approximately 18% were shared across cell types with strongly correlated effects. Furthermore, analysis of chromatin accessibility QTL in a subset of the LCL suggests that unfixed TEs often modulate the activity of enhancers and other distal regulatory DNA elements, which tend to lose accessibility when a TE inserts within them. We also document a case of an unfixed TE likely influencing gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Our study points to broad and diverse cis-regulatory effects of unfixed TEs in the human population and underscores their plausible contribution to phenotypic variation. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Crossroads between transposons and gene regulation'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Cédric Feschotte
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 526 Campus Road, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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17
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Abstract
Since Barbara McClintock’s groundbreaking discovery of mobile DNA sequences some 70 years ago, transposable elements have come to be recognized as important mutagenic agents impacting genome composition, genome evolution, and human health. Transposable elements are a major constituent of prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes, and the transposition mechanisms enabling transposon proliferation over evolutionary time remain engaging topics for study, suggesting complex interactions with the host, both antagonistic and mutualistic. The impact of transposition is profound, as over 100 human heritable diseases have been attributed to transposon insertions. Transposition can be highly mutagenic, perturbing genome integrity and gene expression in a wide range of organisms. This mutagenic potential has been exploited in the laboratory, where transposons have long been utilized for phenotypic screening and the generation of defined mutant libraries. More recently, barcoding applications and methods for RNA-directed transposition are being used towards new phenotypic screens and studies relevant for gene therapy. Thus, transposable elements are significant in affecting biology both
in vivo and in the laboratory, and this review will survey advances in understanding the biological role of transposons and relevant laboratory applications of these powerful molecular tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuj Kumar
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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18
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Sundaram V, Wysocka J. Transposable elements as a potent source of diverse cis-regulatory sequences in mammalian genomes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190347. [PMID: 32075564 PMCID: PMC7061989 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic gene regulation is mediated by cis-regulatory elements, which are embedded within the vast non-coding genomic space and recognized by the transcription factors in a sequence- and context-dependent manner. A large proportion of eukaryotic genomes, including at least half of the human genome, are composed of transposable elements (TEs), which in their ancestral form carried their own cis-regulatory sequences able to exploit the host trans environment to promote TE transcription and facilitate transposition. Although not all present-day TE copies have retained this regulatory function, the preexisting regulatory potential of TEs can provide a rich source of cis-regulatory innovation for the host. Here, we review recent evidence documenting diverse contributions of TE sequences to gene regulation by functioning as enhancers, promoters, silencers and boundary elements. We discuss how TE-derived enhancer sequences can rapidly facilitate changes in existing gene regulatory networks and mediate species- and cell-type-specific regulatory innovations, and we postulate a unique contribution of TEs to species-specific gene expression divergence in pluripotency and early embryogenesis. With advances in genome-wide technologies and analyses, systematic investigation of TEs' cis-regulatory potential is now possible and our understanding of the biological impact of genomic TEs is increasing. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Crossroads between transposons and gene regulation'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasavi Sundaram
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Joanna Wysocka
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA.,Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA
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19
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Choudhary MN, Friedman RZ, Wang JT, Jang HS, Zhuo X, Wang T. Co-opted transposons help perpetuate conserved higher-order chromosomal structures. Genome Biol 2020; 21:16. [PMID: 31973766 PMCID: PMC6979391 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-019-1916-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transposable elements (TEs) make up half of mammalian genomes and shape genome regulation by harboring binding sites for regulatory factors. These include binding sites for architectural proteins, such as CTCF, RAD21, and SMC3, that are involved in tethering chromatin loops and marking domain boundaries. The 3D organization of the mammalian genome is intimately linked to its function and is remarkably conserved. However, the mechanisms by which these structural intricacies emerge and evolve have not been thoroughly probed. RESULTS Here, we show that TEs contribute extensively to both the formation of species-specific loops in humans and mice through deposition of novel anchoring motifs, as well as to the maintenance of conserved loops across both species through CTCF binding site turnover. The latter function demonstrates the ability of TEs to contribute to genome plasticity and reinforce conserved genome architecture as redundant loop anchors. Deleting such candidate TEs in human cells leads to the collapse of conserved loop and domain structures. These TEs are also marked by reduced DNA methylation and bear mutational signatures of hypomethylation through evolutionary time. CONCLUSIONS TEs have long been considered a source of genetic innovation. By examining their contribution to genome topology, we show that TEs can contribute to regulatory plasticity by inducing redundancy and potentiating genetic drift locally while conserving genome architecture globally, revealing a paradigm for defining regulatory conservation in the noncoding genome beyond classic sequence-level conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayank Nk Choudhary
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Department of Genetics, Washington University, 4515 McKinley Avenue, Campus Box 8510, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Ryan Z Friedman
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Department of Genetics, Washington University, 4515 McKinley Avenue, Campus Box 8510, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Julia T Wang
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Department of Genetics, Washington University, 4515 McKinley Avenue, Campus Box 8510, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Hyo Sik Jang
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Department of Genetics, Washington University, 4515 McKinley Avenue, Campus Box 8510, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Zhuo
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Department of Genetics, Washington University, 4515 McKinley Avenue, Campus Box 8510, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Ting Wang
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Department of Genetics, Washington University, 4515 McKinley Avenue, Campus Box 8510, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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20
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Nishihara H. Transposable elements as genetic accelerators of evolution: contribution to genome size, gene regulatory network rewiring and morphological innovation. Genes Genet Syst 2020; 94:269-281. [PMID: 31932541 DOI: 10.1266/ggs.19-00029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In the current era, as a growing number of genome sequence assemblies have been reported in animals, an in-depth analysis of transposable elements (TEs) is one of the most fundamental and essential studies for evolutionary genomics. Although TEs have, in general, been regarded as non-functional junk/selfish DNA, parasitic elements or harmful mutagens, studies have revealed that TEs have had a substantial and sometimes beneficial impact on host genomes in several ways. First, TEs are themselves diverse and thus provide lineage-specific characteristics to the genomes. Second, because TEs constitute a substantial fraction of animal genomes, they are a major contributing factor to evolutionary changes in genome size and composition. Third, host organisms have co-opted many repetitive sequences as genes, cis-regulatory elements and chromatin domain boundaries, which alter gene regulatory networks and in addition are partly involved in morphological evolution, as has been well documented in mammals. Here, I review the impact of TEs on various aspects of the genome, such as genome size and diversity in animals, as well as the evolution of gene networks and genome architecture in mammals. Given that a number of TE families probably remain to be discovered in many non-model organisms, unknown TEs may have contributed to gene networks in a much wider variety of animals than considered previously.
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22
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Garrigues JM, Tsu BV, Daugherty MD, Pasquinelli AE. Diversification of the Caenorhabditis heat shock response by Helitron transposable elements. eLife 2019; 8:51139. [PMID: 31825311 PMCID: PMC6927752 DOI: 10.7554/elife.51139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Heat Shock Factor 1 (HSF-1) is a key regulator of the heat shock response (HSR). Upon heat shock, HSF-1 binds well-conserved motifs, called Heat Shock Elements (HSEs), and drives expression of genes important for cellular protection during this stress. Remarkably, we found that substantial numbers of HSEs in multiple Caenorhabditis species reside within Helitrons, a type of DNA transposon. Consistent with Helitron-embedded HSEs being functional, upon heat shock they display increased HSF-1 and RNA polymerase II occupancy and up-regulation of nearby genes in C. elegans. Interestingly, we found that different genes appear to be incorporated into the HSR by species-specific Helitron insertions in C. elegans and C. briggsae and by strain-specific insertions among different wild isolates of C. elegans. Our studies uncover previously unidentified targets of HSF-1 and show that Helitron insertions are responsible for rewiring and diversifying the Caenorhabditis HSR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob M Garrigues
- Division of Biology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States
| | - Brian V Tsu
- Division of Biology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States
| | - Matthew D Daugherty
- Division of Biology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States
| | - Amy E Pasquinelli
- Division of Biology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States
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23
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Dechaud C, Volff JN, Schartl M, Naville M. Sex and the TEs: transposable elements in sexual development and function in animals. Mob DNA 2019; 10:42. [PMID: 31700550 PMCID: PMC6825717 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-019-0185-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements are endogenous DNA sequences able to integrate into and multiply within genomes. They constitute a major source of genetic innovations, as they can not only rearrange genomes but also spread ready-to-use regulatory sequences able to modify host gene expression, and even can give birth to new host genes. As their evolutionary success depends on their vertical transmission, transposable elements are intrinsically linked to reproduction. In organisms with sexual reproduction, this implies that transposable elements have to manifest their transpositional activity in germ cells or their progenitors. The control of sexual development and function can be very versatile, and several studies have demonstrated the implication of transposable elements in the evolution of sex. In this review, we report the functional and evolutionary relationships between transposable elements and sexual reproduction in animals. In particular, we highlight how transposable elements can influence expression of sexual development genes, and how, reciprocally, they are tightly controlled in gonads. We also review how transposable elements contribute to the organization, expression and evolution of sexual development genes and sex chromosomes. This underscores the intricate co-evolution between host functions and transposable elements, which regularly shift from a parasitic to a domesticated status useful to the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corentin Dechaud
- Institut de Genomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Univ Lyon, CNRS UMR 5242, Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 46 allee d’Italie, F-69364 Lyon, France
| | - Jean-Nicolas Volff
- Institut de Genomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Univ Lyon, CNRS UMR 5242, Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 46 allee d’Italie, F-69364 Lyon, France
| | - Manfred Schartl
- Entwicklungsbiochemie, Biozentrum, Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- The Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX USA
| | - Magali Naville
- Institut de Genomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Univ Lyon, CNRS UMR 5242, Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 46 allee d’Italie, F-69364 Lyon, France
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24
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Renault S, Genty M, Gabori A, Boisneau C, Esnault C, Dugé de Bernonville T, Augé-Gouillou C. The epigenetic regulation of HsMar1, a human DNA transposon. BMC Genet 2019; 20:17. [PMID: 30764754 PMCID: PMC6375154 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-019-0719-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Both classes of transposable elements (DNA and RNA) are tightly regulated at the transcriptional level leading to the inactivation of transposition via epigenetic mechanisms. Due to the high copies number of these elements, the hypothesis has emerged that their regulation can coordinate a regulatory network of genes. Herein, we investigated whether transposition regulation of HsMar1, a human DNA transposon, differs in presence or absence of endogenous HsMar1 copies. In the case where HsMar1 transposition is regulated, the number of repetitive DNA sequences issued by HsMar1 and distributed in the human genome makes HsMar1 a good candidate to regulate neighboring gene expression by epigenetic mechanisms. RESULTS A recombinant active HsMar1 copy was inserted in HeLa (human) and CHO (hamster) cells and its genomic excision monitored. We show that HsMar1 excision is blocked in HeLa cells, whereas CHO cells are competent to promote HsMar1 excision. We demonstrate that de novo HsMar1 insertions in HeLa cells (human) undergo rapid silencing by cytosine methylation and apposition of H3K9me3 marks, whereas de novo HsMar1 insertions in CHO cells (hamster) are not repressed and enriched in H3K4me3 modifications. The overall analysis of HsMar1 endogenous copies in HeLa cells indicates that neither full-length endogenous inactive copies nor their Inverted Terminal Repeats seem to be specifically silenced, and are, in contrast, devoid of epigenetic marks. Finally, the setmar gene, derived from HsMar1, presents H3K4me3 modifications as expected for a human housekeeping gene. CONCLUSIONS Our work highlights that de novo and old HsMar1 are not similarly regulated by epigenetic mechanisms. Old HsMar1 are generally detected as lacking epigenetic marks, irrespective their localisation relative to the genes. Considering the putative existence of a network associating HsMar1 old copies and SETMAR, two non-mutually exclusive hypotheses are proposed: active and inactive HsMar1 copies are not similarly regulated or/and regulations concern only few loci (and few genes) that cannot be detected at the whole genome level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvaine Renault
- EA 6306 Instabilité génétique et cancer, Université de Tours, UFR Sciences et Techniques, UFR Pharmacie, 31 Avenue Monge, 37200 Tours, France
- UMR 1253, iBrain, University of Tours, INSERM, Tours, France
| | - Murielle Genty
- EA 6306 Instabilité génétique et cancer, Université de Tours, UFR Sciences et Techniques, UFR Pharmacie, 31 Avenue Monge, 37200 Tours, France
- UMR 1253, iBrain, University of Tours, INSERM, Tours, France
| | - Alison Gabori
- EA 6306 Instabilité génétique et cancer, Université de Tours, UFR Sciences et Techniques, UFR Pharmacie, 31 Avenue Monge, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Catherine Boisneau
- UMR CITERES CNRS 7324, Université de Tours, 35 Allée Ferdinand de Lesseps, 37200 Tours, France
| | - Charles Esnault
- EA 6306 Instabilité génétique et cancer, Université de Tours, UFR Sciences et Techniques, UFR Pharmacie, 31 Avenue Monge, 37200 Tours, France
| | | | - Corinne Augé-Gouillou
- EA 6306 Instabilité génétique et cancer, Université de Tours, UFR Sciences et Techniques, UFR Pharmacie, 31 Avenue Monge, 37200 Tours, France
- UMR 1253, iBrain, University of Tours, INSERM, Tours, France
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25
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Farré M, Kim J, Proskuryakova AA, Zhang Y, Kulemzina AI, Li Q, Zhou Y, Xiong Y, Johnson JL, Perelman PL, Johnson WE, Warren WC, Kukekova AV, Zhang G, O'Brien SJ, Ryder OA, Graphodatsky AS, Ma J, Lewin HA, Larkin DM. Evolution of gene regulation in ruminants differs between evolutionary breakpoint regions and homologous synteny blocks. Genome Res 2019; 29:576-589. [PMID: 30760546 PMCID: PMC6442394 DOI: 10.1101/gr.239863.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The role of chromosome rearrangements in driving evolution has been a long-standing question of evolutionary biology. Here we focused on ruminants as a model to assess how rearrangements may have contributed to the evolution of gene regulation. Using reconstructed ancestral karyotypes of Cetartiodactyls, Ruminants, Pecorans, and Bovids, we traced patterns of gross chromosome changes. We found that the lineage leading to the ruminant ancestor after the split from other cetartiodactyls was characterized by mostly intrachromosomal changes, whereas the lineage leading to the pecoran ancestor (including all livestock ruminants) included multiple interchromosomal changes. We observed that the liver cell putative enhancers in the ruminant evolutionary breakpoint regions are highly enriched for DNA sequences under selective constraint acting on lineage-specific transposable elements (TEs) and a set of 25 specific transcription factor (TF) binding motifs associated with recently active TEs. Coupled with gene expression data, we found that genes near ruminant breakpoint regions exhibit more divergent expression profiles among species, particularly in cattle, which is consistent with the phylogenetic origin of these breakpoint regions. This divergence was significantly greater in genes with enhancers that contain at least one of the 25 specific TF binding motifs and located near bovidae-to-cattle lineage breakpoint regions. Taken together, by combining ancestral karyotype reconstructions with analysis of cis regulatory element and gene expression evolution, our work demonstrated that lineage-specific regulatory elements colocalized with gross chromosome rearrangements may have provided valuable functional modifications that helped to shape ruminant evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Farré
- Royal Veterinary College, University of London, London NW1 0TU, United Kingdom
| | - Jaebum Kim
- Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
| | - Anastasia A Proskuryakova
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, SB RAS, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia.,Synthetic Biology Unit, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Yang Zhang
- Computational Biology Department, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | | | - Qiye Li
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Yang Zhou
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Yingqi Xiong
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Jennifer L Johnson
- Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Polina L Perelman
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, SB RAS, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia.,Synthetic Biology Unit, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Warren E Johnson
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, Virginia 22630, USA.,Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit, Museum Support Center, Smithsonian Institution, Suitland, Maryland 20746, USA
| | - Wesley C Warren
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 63201, USA
| | - Anna V Kukekova
- Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Guojie Zhang
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.,State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China.,Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Stephen J O'Brien
- Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg 199004, Russia.,Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33004, USA
| | - Oliver A Ryder
- Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo, Escondido, California 92027, USA
| | - Alexander S Graphodatsky
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, SB RAS, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia.,Synthetic Biology Unit, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Jian Ma
- Computational Biology Department, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Harris A Lewin
- Department of Evolution and Ecology and the UC Davis Genome Center, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Denis M Larkin
- Royal Veterinary College, University of London, London NW1 0TU, United Kingdom.,The Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, The Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ICG SB RAS), Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
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Transposable elements are regulated by context-specific patterns of chromatin marks in mouse embryonic stem cells. Nat Commun 2019; 10:34. [PMID: 30604769 PMCID: PMC6318327 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-08006-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The majority of mammalian genomes are devoted to transposable elements (TEs). Whilst TEs are increasingly recognized for their important biological functions, they are a potential danger to genomic stability and are carefully regulated by the epigenetic system. However, the full complexity of this regulatory system is not understood. Here, using mouse embryonic stem cells, we show that TEs are suppressed by heterochromatic marks like H3K9me3, and are also labelled by all major types of chromatin modification in complex patterns, including bivalent activatory and repressive marks. We identified 29 epigenetic modifiers that significantly deregulated at least one type of TE. The loss of Setdb1, Ncor2, Rnf2, Kat5, Prmt5, Uhrf1, and Rrp8 caused widespread changes in TE expression and chromatin accessibility. These effects were context-specific, with different chromatin modifiers regulating the expression and chromatin accessibility of specific subsets of TEs. Our work reveals the complex patterns of epigenetic regulation of TEs. Transposable elements (TEs) fulfill essential but poorly understood roles in genome organization and gene expression control. Here the authors show that the regulation of TEs occurs through overlapping epigenetic mechanisms that control the expression and chromatin signatures at TEs.
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Raviram R, Rocha PP, Luo VM, Swanzey E, Miraldi ER, Chuong EB, Feschotte C, Bonneau R, Skok JA. Analysis of 3D genomic interactions identifies candidate host genes that transposable elements potentially regulate. Genome Biol 2018; 19:216. [PMID: 30541598 PMCID: PMC6292174 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-018-1598-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The organization of chromatin in the nucleus plays an essential role in gene regulation. About half of the mammalian genome comprises transposable elements. Given their repetitive nature, reads associated with these elements are generally discarded or randomly distributed among elements of the same type in genome-wide analyses. Thus, it is challenging to identify the activities and properties of individual transposons. As a result, we only have a partial understanding of how transposons contribute to chromatin folding and how they impact gene regulation. RESULTS Using PCR and Capture-based chromosome conformation capture (3C) approaches, collectively called 4Tran, we take advantage of the repetitive nature of transposons to capture interactions from multiple copies of endogenous retrovirus (ERVs) in the human and mouse genomes. With 4Tran-PCR, reads are selectively mapped to unique regions in the genome. This enables the identification of transposable element interaction profiles for individual ERV families and integration events specific to particular genomes. With this approach, we demonstrate that transposons engage in long-range intra-chromosomal interactions guided by the separation of chromosomes into A and B compartments as well as topologically associated domains (TADs). In contrast to 4Tran-PCR, Capture-4Tran can uniquely identify both ends of an interaction that involve retroviral repeat sequences, providing a powerful tool for uncovering the individual transposable element insertions that interact with and potentially regulate target genes. CONCLUSIONS 4Tran provides new insight into the manner in which transposons contribute to chromosome architecture and identifies target genes that transposable elements can potentially control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramya Raviram
- Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003 USA
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, La Jolla, CA USA
| | - Pedro P. Rocha
- Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
| | - Vincent M. Luo
- Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003 USA
| | - Emily Swanzey
- Department of Developmental Genetics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA
| | - Emily R. Miraldi
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003 USA
- Department of Computer Science, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York, NY 10003 USA
- Simons Center for Data Analysis, New York, NY 10010 USA
- Divisions of Immunobiology and Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Cincinnati, OH 45229 USA
| | - Edward B. Chuong
- BioFrontiers Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309 USA
| | - Cédric Feschotte
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850 USA
| | - Richard Bonneau
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003 USA
- Department of Computer Science, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York, NY 10003 USA
- Simons Center for Data Analysis, New York, NY 10010 USA
| | - Jane A. Skok
- Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA
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Harris CJ, Scheibe M, Wongpalee SP, Liu W, Cornett EM, Vaughan RM, Li X, Chen W, Xue Y, Zhong Z, Yen L, Barshop WD, Rayatpisheh S, Gallego-Bartolome J, Groth M, Wang Z, Wohlschlegel JA, Du J, Rothbart SB, Butter F, Jacobsen SE. A DNA methylation reader complex that enhances gene transcription. Science 2018; 362:1182-1186. [PMID: 30523112 PMCID: PMC6353633 DOI: 10.1126/science.aar7854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2017] [Revised: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
DNA methylation generally functions as a repressive transcriptional signal, but it is also known to activate gene expression. In either case, the downstream factors remain largely unknown. By using comparative interactomics, we isolated proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana that associate with methylated DNA. Two SU(VAR)3-9 homologs, the transcriptional antisilencing factor SUVH1, and SUVH3, were among the methyl reader candidates. SUVH1 and SUVH3 bound methylated DNA in vitro, were associated with euchromatic methylation in vivo, and formed a complex with two DNAJ domain-containing homologs, DNAJ1 and DNAJ2. Ectopic recruitment of DNAJ1 enhanced gene transcription in plants, yeast, and mammals. Thus, the SUVH proteins bind to methylated DNA and recruit the DNAJ proteins to enhance proximal gene expression, thereby counteracting the repressive effects of transposon insertion near genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Jake Harris
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Marion Scheibe
- Quantitative Proteomics, Institute of Molecular Biology, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Somsakul Pop Wongpalee
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Wanlu Liu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Evan M Cornett
- Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - Robert M Vaughan
- Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - Xueqin Li
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China
| | - Wei Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China
| | - Yan Xue
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Zhenhui Zhong
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002 Fuzhou, China
| | - Linda Yen
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - William D Barshop
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Shima Rayatpisheh
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Javier Gallego-Bartolome
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Martin Groth
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Zonghua Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002 Fuzhou, China
- Institute of Oceanography, Minjiang University, 350108 Fuzhou, China
| | - James A Wohlschlegel
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Jiamu Du
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China
| | - Scott B Rothbart
- Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - Falk Butter
- Quantitative Proteomics, Institute of Molecular Biology, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
| | - Steven E Jacobsen
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Abstract
The classic Darwinian theory and the Synthetic evolutionary theory and their linear models, while invaluable to study the origins and evolution of species, are not primarily designed to model the evolution of organisations, typically that of ecosystems, nor that of processes. How could evolutionary theory better explain the evolution of biological complexity and diversity? Inclusive network-based analyses of dynamic systems could retrace interactions between (related or unrelated) components. This theoretical shift from a Tree of Life to a Dynamic Interaction Network of Life, which is supported by diverse molecular, cellular, microbiological, organismal, ecological and evolutionary studies, would further unify evolutionary biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Bapteste
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), F-75005 Paris, France
- CNRS, UMR7138, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Philippe Huneman
- Institut d’Histoire et de Philosophie des Sciences et des Techniques (CNRS / Paris I Sorbonne), F-75006 Paris, France
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