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Rodman EPB, Emch MJ, Hou X, Bajaj A, Pearson NA, John AJ, Ortiz Y, Bass AD, Singh S, Baldassarre G, Kaufmann SH, Weroha SJ, Hawse JR. Lestaurtinib's antineoplastic activity converges on JAK/STAT signaling to inhibit advanced forms of therapy resistant ovarian cancer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.06.597753. [PMID: 38895264 PMCID: PMC11185641 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.06.597753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological malignancy, owing to its late-stage diagnosis and high rates of recurrence and resistance following standard-of-care treatment, highlighting the need for novel treatment approaches. Through an unbiased drug screen, we identified the kinase inhibitor, lestaurtinib, as a potent antineoplastic agent for chemotherapy- and PARP-inhibitor (PARPi)-sensitive and -resistant ovarian cancer cells and patient derived xenografts (PDXs). RNA-sequencing revealed that lestaurtinib potently suppressed JAK/STAT signaling and lestaurtinib efficacy was shown to be directly related to JAK/STAT pathway activity in cell lines and PDX models. Most ovarian cancer cells exhibited constitutive JAK/STAT pathway activation and genetic loss of STAT1 and STAT3 resulted in growth inhibition. Lestaurtinib also displayed synergy when combined with cisplatin and olaparib, including in a model of PARPi resistance. In contrast, the most well-known JAK/STAT inhibitor, ruxolitinib, lacked antineoplastic activity against all ovarian cancer cell lines and PDX models tested. This divergent behavior was reflected in the ability of lestaurtinib to block both Y701/705 and S727 phosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT3, whereas ruxolitinib failed to block S727. Consistent with these findings, lestaurtinib additionally inhibited JNK and ERK activity, leading to more complete suppression of STAT phosphorylation. Concordantly, combinatorial treatment with ruxolitinib and a JNK or ERK inhibitor resulted in synergistic antineoplastic effects at dose levels where single agents were ineffective. Taken together, these findings indicate that lestaurtinib, and other treatments that converge on JAK/STAT signaling, are worthy of further pre-clinical and clinical exploration for the treatment of highly aggressive and advanced forms of ovarian cancer. Statement of significance Lestaurtinib is a novel inhibitor of ovarian cancer, including chemotherapy- and PARPi-resistant models, that acts through robust inhibition of the JAK/STAT pathway and synergizes with standard-of-care agents at clinically relevant concentrations.
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Budzyński MA, Wong AK, Faghihi A, Teves SS. A dynamic role for transcription factors in restoring transcription through mitosis. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:821-830. [PMID: 38526206 PMCID: PMC11088908 DOI: 10.1042/bst20231022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Mitosis involves intricate steps, such as DNA condensation, nuclear membrane disassembly, and phosphorylation cascades that temporarily halt gene transcription. Despite this disruption, daughter cells remarkably retain the parent cell's gene expression pattern, allowing for efficient transcriptional memory after division. Early studies in mammalian cells suggested that transcription factors (TFs) mark genes for swift reactivation, a phenomenon termed 'mitotic bookmarking', but conflicting data emerged regarding TF presence on mitotic chromosomes. Recent advancements in live-cell imaging and fixation-free genomics challenge the conventional belief in universal formaldehyde fixation, revealing dynamic TF interactions during mitosis. Here, we review recent studies that provide examples of at least four modes of TF-DNA interaction during mitosis and the molecular mechanisms that govern these interactions. Additionally, we explore the impact of these interactions on transcription initiation post-mitosis. Taken together, these recent studies call for a paradigm shift toward a dynamic model of TF behavior during mitosis, underscoring the need for incorporating dynamics in mechanistic models for re-establishing transcription post-mitosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek A. Budzyński
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Alexander K.L. Wong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Armin Faghihi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Sheila S. Teves
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
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3
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García-Loredo JA, Santoyo-Suarez MG, Rodríguez-Nuñez O, Benitez Chao DF, Garza-Treviño EN, Zapata-Morin PA, Padilla-Rivas GR, Islas JF. Is the Cis-Element CACCC-Box a Master Regulatory Element during Cardiovascular Disease? A Bioinformatics Approach from the Perspective of the Krüppel-like Family of Transcription Factors. Life (Basel) 2024; 14:493. [PMID: 38672763 PMCID: PMC11051458 DOI: 10.3390/life14040493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The CACCC-box motif emerges as a pivotal cis-regulatory element implicated in diverse developmental processes and diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This study centers on the intricate interplay between the CACCC-box and its binding proteins such as: the Krüppel-Like Family (KLF) of transcription factors as primary effectors in the context of CVDs. Our analysis was through a bioinformatics approach, which revealed significant transcriptional activity among KLF subgroup 2, exhibiting the highest number of interactions focusing on the established roles: pluripotency, cancer, and cardiovascular development and diseases. Our analysis reveals KLF's interactions with GATA4, MEF2C, NKX2.5 and other ~90 potential genes that participate in the regulation of the hypertrophic environment (or CVDs' Environment). Also, the GO analysis showed that genes containing the motif CACCC were enriched for multiple CVDs; in combination with STRING analysis, these results pointed to a link between KLFs and these diseases. The analysis further identifies other potential CACCC-box binding factors, such as SP family members, WT1, VEZF1, and -SALL4, which are implicated in cardiac contraction, remodeling, and inflammation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Andrés García-Loredo
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (J.A.G.-L.); (M.G.S.-S.); (O.R.-N.); (D.F.B.C.); (E.N.G.-T.); (G.R.P.-R.)
- Laboratorio de Micología y Fitopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza 66451, Nuevo León, Mexico;
| | - Michelle G. Santoyo-Suarez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (J.A.G.-L.); (M.G.S.-S.); (O.R.-N.); (D.F.B.C.); (E.N.G.-T.); (G.R.P.-R.)
| | - Oscar Rodríguez-Nuñez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (J.A.G.-L.); (M.G.S.-S.); (O.R.-N.); (D.F.B.C.); (E.N.G.-T.); (G.R.P.-R.)
| | - Diego Francisco Benitez Chao
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (J.A.G.-L.); (M.G.S.-S.); (O.R.-N.); (D.F.B.C.); (E.N.G.-T.); (G.R.P.-R.)
| | - Elsa N. Garza-Treviño
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (J.A.G.-L.); (M.G.S.-S.); (O.R.-N.); (D.F.B.C.); (E.N.G.-T.); (G.R.P.-R.)
| | - Patricio Adrián Zapata-Morin
- Laboratorio de Micología y Fitopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza 66451, Nuevo León, Mexico;
| | - Gerardo R. Padilla-Rivas
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (J.A.G.-L.); (M.G.S.-S.); (O.R.-N.); (D.F.B.C.); (E.N.G.-T.); (G.R.P.-R.)
| | - Jose Francisco Islas
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico; (J.A.G.-L.); (M.G.S.-S.); (O.R.-N.); (D.F.B.C.); (E.N.G.-T.); (G.R.P.-R.)
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Hemphill WO, Steiner HR, Kominsky JR, Wuttke DS, Cech TR. Transcription factors ERα and Sox2 have differing multiphasic DNA and RNA binding mechanisms. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.18.585577. [PMID: 38562825 PMCID: PMC10983890 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.18.585577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Many transcription factors (TFs) have been shown to bind RNA, leading to open questions regarding the mechanism(s) of this RNA binding and its role in regulating TF activities. Here we use biophysical assays to interrogate the k o n , k o f f , and K d for DNA and RNA binding of two model human transcription factors, ERα and Sox2. Unexpectedly, we found that both proteins exhibited multiphasic nucleic acid binding kinetics. We propose that Sox2 RNA and DNA multiphasic binding kinetics could be explained by a conventional model for sequential Sox2 monomer association and dissociation. In contrast, ERα nucleic acid binding exhibited biphasic dissociation paired with novel triphasic association behavior, where two apparent binding transitions are separated by a 10-20 min "lag" phase depending on protein concentration. We considered several conventional models for the observed kinetic behavior, none of which adequately explained all the ERα nucleic acid binding data. Instead, simulations with a model incorporating sequential ERα monomer association, ERα nucleic acid complex isomerization, and product "feedback" on isomerization rate recapitulated the general kinetic trends for both ERα DNA and RNA binding. Collectively, our findings reveal that Sox2 and ERα bind RNA and DNA with previously unappreciated multiphasic binding kinetics, and that their reaction mechanisms differ with ERα binding nucleic acids via a novel reaction mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wayne O. Hemphill
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80303 USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80303 USA
| | - Halley R. Steiner
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80303 USA
| | - Jackson R. Kominsky
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80303 USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80303 USA
| | - Deborah S. Wuttke
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80303 USA
| | - Thomas R. Cech
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80303 USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80303 USA
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5
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Jones T, Sigauke RF, Sanford L, Taatjes DJ, Allen MA, Dowell RD. A transcription factor (TF) inference method that broadly measures TF activity and identifies mechanistically distinct TF networks. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.15.585303. [PMID: 38559193 PMCID: PMC10980006 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.15.585303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
TF profiler is a method of inferring transcription factor regulatory activity, i.e. when a TF is present and actively regulating transcription, directly directly from nascent sequencing assays such as PRO-seq and GRO-seq. Transcription factors orchestrate transcription and play a critical role in cellular maintenance, identity and response to external stimuli. While ChIP assays have measured DNA localization, they fall short of identifying when and where transcription factors are actively regulating transcription. Our method, on the other hand, uses RNA polymerase activity to infer TF activity across hundreds of data sets and transcription factors. Based on these classifications we identify three distinct classes of transcription factors: ubiquitous factors that play roles in cellular homeostasis, driving basal gene programs across tissues and cell types, tissue specific factors that act almost exclusively at enhancers and are themselves regulated at transcription, and stimulus responsive TFs which are regulated post-transcriptionally but act predominantly at enhancers. TF profiler is broadly applicable, providing regulatory insights on any PRO-seq sample for any transcription factor with a known binding motif.
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Kind L, Driver M, Raasakka A, Onck PR, Njølstad PR, Arnesen T, Kursula P. Structural properties of the HNF-1A transactivation domain. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1249939. [PMID: 37908230 PMCID: PMC10613711 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1249939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1α (HNF-1A) is a transcription factor with important gene regulatory roles in pancreatic β-cells. HNF1A gene variants are associated with a monogenic form of diabetes (HNF1A-MODY) or an increased risk for type 2 diabetes. While several pancreatic target genes of HNF-1A have been described, a lack of knowledge regarding the structure-function relationships in HNF-1A prohibits a detailed understanding of HNF-1A-mediated gene transcription, which is important for precision medicine and improved patient care. Therefore, we aimed to characterize the understudied transactivation domain (TAD) of HNF-1A in vitro. We present a bioinformatic approach to dissect the TAD sequence, analyzing protein structure, sequence composition, sequence conservation, and the existence of protein interaction motifs. Moreover, we developed the first protocol for the recombinant expression and purification of the HNF-1A TAD. Small-angle X-ray scattering and synchrotron radiation circular dichroism suggested a disordered conformation for the TAD. Furthermore, we present functional data on HNF-1A undergoing liquid-liquid phase separation, which is in line with in silico predictions and may be of biological relevance for gene transcriptional processes in pancreatic β-cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Kind
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Mark Driver
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Arne Raasakka
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Patrick R. Onck
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Pål Rasmus Njølstad
- Mohn Center for Diabetes Precision Medicine, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Children and Youth Clinic, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Thomas Arnesen
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Petri Kursula
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine & Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
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7
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Holmlund H, Yamauchi Y, Ruthig VA, Cocquet J, Ward MA. Return of the forgotten hero: the role of Y chromosome-encoded Zfy in male reproduction. Mol Hum Reprod 2023; 29:gaad025. [PMID: 37354519 PMCID: PMC10695432 DOI: 10.1093/molehr/gaad025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The Y-linked zinc finger gene ZFY is conserved across eutherians and is known to be a critical fertility factor in some species. The initial studies of the mouse homologues, Zfy1 and Zfy2, were performed using mice with spontaneous Y chromosome mutations and Zfy transgenes. These studies revealed that Zfy is involved in multiple processes during spermatogenesis, including removal of germ cells with unpaired chromosomes and control of meiotic sex chromosome inactivation during meiosis I, facilitating the progress of meiosis II, promoting spermiogenesis, and improving assisted reproduction outcomes. Zfy was also identified as a key gene in Y chromosome evolution, protecting this chromosome from extinction by serving as the executioner responsible for meiosis surveillance. Studies with targeted Zfy knock-outs revealed that mice lacking both homologues have severe spermatogenic defects and are infertile. Based on protein structure and in vitro assays, Zfy is expected to drive spermatogenesis as a transcriptional regulator. The combined evidence documents that the presence of at least one Zfy homologue is required for male fertility and that Zfy2 plays a more prominent role. This knowledge reinforces the importance of these factors for mouse spermatogenesis and informs our understanding of the human ZFY variants, which are homologous to the mouse Zfy1 and Zfy2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayden Holmlund
- Institute for Biogenesis Research, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Yasuhiro Yamauchi
- Institute for Biogenesis Research, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Victor A Ruthig
- Institute for Biogenesis Research, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Julie Cocquet
- Institut Cochin, INSERM, U1016, CNRS UMR8104, Universite Paris Cite, Paris, France
| | - Monika A Ward
- Institute for Biogenesis Research, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA
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8
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Ochoa S, Hernández-Lemus E. Molecular mechanisms of multi-omic regulation in breast cancer. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1148861. [PMID: 37564937 PMCID: PMC10411627 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1148861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is a complex disease that is influenced by the concurrent influence of multiple genetic and environmental factors. Recent advances in genomics and other high throughput biomolecular techniques (-omics) have provided numerous insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying breast cancer development and progression. A number of these mechanisms involve multiple layers of regulation. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the role of multiple omics in the regulation of breast cancer, including the effects of DNA methylation, non-coding RNA, and other epigenomic changes. We comment on how integrating such diverse mechanisms is envisioned as key to a more comprehensive understanding of breast carcinogenesis and cancer biology with relevance to prognostics, diagnostics and therapeutics. We also discuss the potential clinical implications of these findings and highlight areas for future research. Overall, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of multi-omic regulation in breast cancer is rapidly increasing and has the potential to inform the development of novel therapeutic approaches for this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soledad Ochoa
- Computational Genomics Division, National Institute of Genomic Medicine, Mexico City, Mexico
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Enrique Hernández-Lemus
- Computational Genomics Division, National Institute of Genomic Medicine, Mexico City, Mexico
- Center for Complexity Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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9
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Sołtys K, Ożyhar A. Phase separation propensity of the intrinsically disordered AB region of human RXRβ. Cell Commun Signal 2023; 21:92. [PMID: 37143076 PMCID: PMC10157963 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-023-01113-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
RXRβ is one of three subtypes of human retinoid X receptor (RXR), a transcription factor that belongs to the nuclear receptor superfamily. Its expression can be detected in almost all tissues. In contrast to other subtypes - RXRα and RXRγ - RXRβ has the longest and unique N-terminal sequence called the AB region, which harbors a ligand-independent activation function. In contrast to the functional properties of this sequence, the molecular properties of the AB region of human RXRβ (AB_hRXRB) have not yet been characterized. Here, we present a systematic biochemical and biophysical analysis of recombinant AB_hRXRB, along with in silico examinations, which demonstrate that AB_hRXRB exhibits properties of a coil-like intrinsically disordered region. AB_hRXRB possesses a flexible structure that is able to adopt a more ordered conformation under the influence of different environmental factors. Interestingly, AB_hRXRB promotes the formation of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), a phenomenon previously observed for the AB region of another human subtype of RXR - RXRγ (AB_hRXRG). Although both AB regions seem to be similar in terms of their ability to induce phase separation, they clearly differ in the sensitivity to factors driving and regulating LLPS. This distinct LLPS response to environmental factors driven by the unique amino acid compositions of AB_hRXRB and AB_hRXRG can be significant for the specific modulation of the transcriptional activation of target genes by different subtypes of RXR. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Sołtys
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370, Wrocław, Poland.
| | - Andrzej Ożyhar
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370, Wrocław, Poland
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10
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Rosado-Tristani DA, Rodríguez-Martínez JA. CREPE: a Shiny app for transcription factor cataloguing. BIOINFORMATICS ADVANCES 2023; 3:vbad055. [PMID: 37153629 PMCID: PMC10162806 DOI: 10.1093/bioadv/vbad055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Summary Transcription factors (TFs) are proteins that directly interpret the genome to regulate gene expression and determine cellular phenotypes. TF identification is a common first step in unraveling gene regulatory networks. We present CREPE, an R Shiny app to catalogue and annotate TFs. CREPE was benchmarked against curated human TF datasets. Next, we use CREPE to explore the TF repertoires of Heliconius erato and Heliconius melpomene butterflies. Availability and implementation CREPE is available as a Shiny app package available at GitHub (github.com/dirostri/CREPE). Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics Advances online.
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11
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Mitchell AV, Wu L, James Block C, Zhang M, Hackett J, Craig DB, Chen W, Zhao Y, Zhang B, Dang Y, Zhang X, Zhang S, Wang C, Gibson H, Pile LA, Kidder B, Matherly L, Yang Z, Dou Y, Wu G. FOXQ1 recruits the MLL complex to activate transcription of EMT and promote breast cancer metastasis. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6548. [PMID: 36319643 PMCID: PMC9626503 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34239-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant expression of the Forkhead box transcription factor, FOXQ1, is a prevalent mechanism of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis in multiple carcinoma types. However, it remains unknown how FOXQ1 regulates gene expression. Here, we report that FOXQ1 initiates EMT by recruiting the MLL/KMT2 histone methyltransferase complex as a transcriptional coactivator. We first establish that FOXQ1 promoter recognition precedes MLL complex assembly and histone-3 lysine-4 trimethylation within the promoter regions of critical genes in the EMT program. Mechanistically, we identify that the Forkhead box in FOXQ1 functions as a transactivation domain directly binding the MLL core complex subunit RbBP5 without interrupting FOXQ1 DNA binding activity. Moreover, genetic disruption of the FOXQ1-RbBP5 interaction or pharmacologic targeting of KMT2/MLL recruitment inhibits FOXQ1-dependent gene expression, EMT, and in vivo tumor progression. Our study suggests that targeting the FOXQ1-MLL epigenetic axis could be a promising strategy to combat triple-negative breast cancer metastatic progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison V Mitchell
- Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Ling Wu
- Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - C James Block
- Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Mu Zhang
- Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Justin Hackett
- Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Douglas B Craig
- Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Wei Chen
- Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Yongzhong Zhao
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Yongjun Dang
- Key Laboratory of Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, the Ministry of Education, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xiaohong Zhang
- Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Shengping Zhang
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 650 Xinsongjiang Road, Songjiang District, Shanghai, 201620, China
| | - Chuangui Wang
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 650 Xinsongjiang Road, Songjiang District, Shanghai, 201620, China
| | - Heather Gibson
- Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Lori A Pile
- The Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA
| | - Benjamin Kidder
- Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Larry Matherly
- Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Zhe Yang
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Yali Dou
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Guojun Wu
- Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Department of Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA.
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Akinyemi MO, Finucan J, Grytsay A, Osaiyuwu OH, Adegbaju MS, Ogunade IM, Thomas BN, Peters SO, Morenikeji OB. Molecular Evolution and Inheritance Pattern of Sox Gene Family among Bovidae. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13101783. [PMID: 36292668 PMCID: PMC9602320 DOI: 10.3390/genes13101783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Sox genes are an evolutionarily conserved family of transcription factors that play important roles in cellular differentiation and numerous complex developmental processes. In vertebrates, Sox proteins are required for cell fate decisions, morphogenesis, and the control of self-renewal in embryonic and adult stem cells. The Sox gene family has been well-studied in multiple species including humans but there has been scanty or no research into Bovidae. In this study, we conducted a detailed evolutionary analysis of this gene family in Bovidae, including their physicochemical properties, biological functions, and patterns of inheritance. We performed a genome-wide cataloguing procedure to explore the Sox gene family using multiple bioinformatics tools. Our analysis revealed a significant inheritance pattern including conserved motifs that are critical to the ability of Sox proteins to interact with the regulatory regions of target genes and orchestrate multiple developmental and physiological processes. Importantly, we report an important conserved motif, EFDQYL/ELDQYL, found in the SoxE and SoxF groups but not in other Sox groups. Further analysis revealed that this motif sequence accounts for the binding and transactivation potential of Sox proteins. The degree of protein–protein interaction showed significant interactions among Sox genes and related genes implicated in embryonic development and the regulation of cell differentiation. We conclude that the Sox gene family uniquely evolved in Bovidae, with a few exhibiting important motifs that drive several developmental and physiological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mabel O. Akinyemi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, NJ 07940, USA
| | - Jessica Finucan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, NJ 07940, USA
| | - Anastasia Grytsay
- Division of Biological and Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Bradford, PA 16701, USA
| | - Osamede H. Osaiyuwu
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ibadan, Ibadan 200005, Nigeria
| | - Muyiwa S. Adegbaju
- Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
| | - Ibukun M. Ogunade
- Division of Animal and Nutritional Science, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
| | - Bolaji N. Thomas
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
| | - Sunday O. Peters
- Department of Animal Science, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA 30149, USA
| | - Olanrewaju B. Morenikeji
- Division of Biological and Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Bradford, PA 16701, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(585)-490-7271
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13
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Mańkowska A, Brym P, Sobiech P, Fraser L. Promoter polymorphisms in STK35 and IFT27 genes and their associations with boar sperm freezability. Theriogenology 2022; 189:199-208. [DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2022.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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14
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Kind L, Raasakka A, Molnes J, Aukrust I, Bjørkhaug L, Njølstad PR, Kursula P, Arnesen T. Structural and biophysical characterization of transcription factor HNF-1A as a tool to study MODY3 diabetes variants. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:101803. [PMID: 35257744 PMCID: PMC8988010 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1A (HNF-1A) is a transcription factor expressed in several embryonic and adult tissues, modulating the expression of numerous target genes. Pathogenic variants in the HNF1A gene are known to cause maturity-onset diabetes of the young 3 (MODY3 or HNF1A MODY), a disease characterized by dominant inheritance, age of onset before 25 to 35 years of age, and pancreatic β-cell dysfunction. A precise diagnosis can alter management of this disease, as insulin can be exchanged with sulfonylurea tablets and genetic counseling differs from polygenic forms of diabetes. Therefore, more knowledge on the mechanisms of HNF-1A function and the level of pathogenicity of the numerous HNF1A variants is required for precise diagnostics. Here, we structurally and biophysically characterized an HNF-1A protein containing both the DNA-binding domain and the dimerization domain, and determined the folding and DNA-binding capacity of two established MODY3 HNF-1A variant proteins (P112L, R263C) and one variant of unknown significance (N266S). All three variants showed reduced functionality compared to the WT protein. Furthermore, while the R263C and N266S variants displayed reduced binding to an HNF-1A target promoter, we found the P112L variant was unstable in vitro and in cells. Our results support and mechanistically explain disease causality for these investigated variants and present a novel approach for the dissection of structurally unstable and DNA-binding defective variants. This study indicates that structural and biochemical investigation of HNF-1A is a valuable tool in reliable variant classification needed for precision diabetes diagnostics and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Kind
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Arne Raasakka
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Janne Molnes
- Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ingvild Aukrust
- Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Lise Bjørkhaug
- Department of Safety, Chemistry, and Biomedical Laboratory Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway
| | - Pål Rasmus Njølstad
- Center for Diabetes Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Children and Youth Clinic, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Petri Kursula
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine & Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Thomas Arnesen
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
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15
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Soto L, Li Z, Santoso CS, Berenson A, Ho I, Shen VX, Yuan S, Bass JIF. Compendium of human transcription factor effector domains. Mol Cell 2022; 82:514-526. [PMID: 34863368 PMCID: PMC8818021 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) regulate gene expression by binding to DNA sequences and modulating transcriptional activity through their effector domains. Despite the central role of effector domains in TF function, there is a current lack of a comprehensive resource and characterization of effector domains. Here, we provide a catalog of 924 effector domains across 594 human TFs. Using this catalog, we characterized the amino acid composition of effector domains, their conservation across species and across the human population, and their roles in human diseases. Furthermore, we provide a classification system for effector domains that constitutes a valuable resource and a blueprint for future experimental studies of TF effector domain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Soto
- Escuela Profesional de Genética y Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima 15081, Perú
| | - Zhaorong Li
- Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston MA 02215
| | - Clarissa S Santoso
- Biology Department, Boston University, Boston MA 02215,Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology and Biochemistry Program, Boston University, Boston MA 02215
| | - Anna Berenson
- Biology Department, Boston University, Boston MA 02215,Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology and Biochemistry Program, Boston University, Boston MA 02215
| | - Isabella Ho
- Biology Department, Boston University, Boston MA 02215
| | - Vivian X Shen
- Biology Department, Boston University, Boston MA 02215
| | - Samson Yuan
- Biology Department, Boston University, Boston MA 02215
| | - Juan I Fuxman Bass
- Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston MA 02215,Biology Department, Boston University, Boston MA 02215,Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology and Biochemistry Program, Boston University, Boston MA 02215,correspondence:
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16
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Atkins A, Chung CH, Allen AG, Dampier W, Gurrola TE, Sariyer IK, Nonnemacher MR, Wigdahl B. Off-Target Analysis in Gene Editing and Applications for Clinical Translation of CRISPR/Cas9 in HIV-1 Therapy. Front Genome Ed 2021; 3:673022. [PMID: 34713260 PMCID: PMC8525399 DOI: 10.3389/fgeed.2021.673022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
As genome-editing nucleases move toward broader clinical applications, the need to define the limits of their specificity and efficiency increases. A variety of approaches for nuclease cleavage detection have been developed, allowing a full-genome survey of the targeting landscape and the detection of a variety of repair outcomes for nuclease-induced double-strand breaks. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages relating to the means of target-site capture, target enrichment mechanism, cellular environment, false discovery, and validation of bona fide off-target cleavage sites in cells. This review examines the strengths, limitations, and origins of the different classes of off-target cleavage detection systems including anchored primer enrichment (GUIDE-seq), in situ detection (BLISS), in vitro selection libraries (CIRCLE-seq), chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) (DISCOVER-Seq), translocation sequencing (LAM PCR HTGTS), and in vitro genomic DNA digestion (Digenome-seq and SITE-Seq). Emphasis is placed on the specific modifications that give rise to the enhanced performance of contemporary techniques over their predecessors and the comparative performance of techniques for different applications. The clinical relevance of these techniques is discussed in the context of assessing the safety of novel CRISPR/Cas9 HIV-1 curative strategies. With the recent success of HIV-1 and SIV-1 viral suppression in humanized mice and non-human primates, respectively, using CRISPR/Cas9, rigorous exploration of potential off-target effects is of critical importance. Such analyses would benefit from the application of the techniques discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Atkins
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States,Center for Molecular Virology and Translational Neuroscience, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Cheng-Han Chung
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States,Center for Molecular Virology and Translational Neuroscience, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Alexander G. Allen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States,Center for Molecular Virology and Translational Neuroscience, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Will Dampier
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States,Center for Molecular Virology and Translational Neuroscience, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Theodore E. Gurrola
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States,Center for Molecular Virology and Translational Neuroscience, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Ilker K. Sariyer
- Department of Neuroscience and Center for Neurovirology, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Michael R. Nonnemacher
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States,Center for Molecular Virology and Translational Neuroscience, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Brian Wigdahl
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States,Center for Molecular Virology and Translational Neuroscience, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States,Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States,*Correspondence: Brian Wigdahl
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17
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Brym P, Wasilewska-Sakowska K, Mogielnicka-Brzozowska M, Mańkowska A, Paukszto Ł, Pareek CS, Kordan W, Kondracki S, Fraser L. Gene promoter polymorphisms in boar spermatozoa differing in freezability. Theriogenology 2021; 166:112-123. [PMID: 33735665 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2021.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 5'-flanking regulatory regions of genes could affect their expression levels. This is a follow-up study aimed to identify polymorphic variants in the 5'-flanking regulatory regions of genes expressed in boar spermatozoa, and to predict the interactions of such variants with transcription factors (TFs) on the gene promoter activity, using bioinformatics. Five and six boars were classified as having good and poor semen freezability (GSF and PSF, respectively) according to post-thaw (PT) assessment of sperm motility and membrane integrity characteristics. The 5'-flanking region sequences of the 14 genes (FOS, NFATC3, EAF2, FGF-14, BAMBI, RAB33B, CKS2, LARS2, SLC25A16, ACADM, CPT2, CCT3, DTD2 and CCDC85A) were PCR amplified and analyzed by Sanger sequencing method. A total of 32 polymorphic variants were identified in the 5'-flanking regions of the genes, including 4 insertion/deletion (indel) polymorphisms, and 8 unknown (novel) SNPs. Multiple sequence alignment analysis revealed a 26-bp indel variant in the 5'-flanking region of the LARS2 gene, which showed greater protein expression in spermatozoa from boars of the PSF group. It was found that 17 polymorphic variants, observed in the differentially expressed (DE) genes, showed significant allele frequency differences between the GSF and PSF groups. Polymorphic variants in the 5'-flanking regulatory regions of the genes contributed to the decrease or increase in the binding affinity for different testis-specific TFs, such as SMAD1, NF-1, FOXMI, RXRA, STAT4 and C/EBPβ. This study provides more insights into the mechanisms responsible for variations in transcriptional activity in promoters of genes expressed in boar spermatozoa. The allelic variants are promising genetic markers for predicting the freezability of boar spermatozoa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paweł Brym
- Department of Animal Genetics, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719, Olsztyn, Poland
| | | | - Marzena Mogielnicka-Brzozowska
- Department of Animal Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Anna Mańkowska
- Department of Animal Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Łukasz Paukszto
- Department of Plant Physiology, Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Chandra S Pareek
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 87-100, Toruń, Poland
| | - Władysław Kordan
- Department of Animal Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Stanisław Kondracki
- Faculty of Agrobioengineering and Animal Husbandry, Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities, 08-110, Siedlce, Poland
| | - Leyland Fraser
- Department of Animal Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719, Olsztyn, Poland.
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18
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Delos Santos NP, Texari L, Benner C. MEIRLOP: improving score-based motif enrichment by incorporating sequence bias covariates. BMC Bioinformatics 2020; 21:410. [PMID: 32938397 PMCID: PMC7493370 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-020-03739-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Motif enrichment analysis (MEA) identifies over-represented transcription factor binding (TF) motifs in the DNA sequence of regulatory regions, enabling researchers to infer which transcription factors can regulate transcriptional response to a stimulus, or identify sequence features found near a target protein in a ChIP-seq experiment. Score-based MEA determines motifs enriched in regions exhibiting extreme differences in regulatory activity, but existing methods do not control for biases in GC content or dinucleotide composition. This lack of control for sequence bias, such as those often found in CpG islands, can obscure the enrichment of biologically relevant motifs. RESULTS We developed Motif Enrichment In Ranked Lists of Peaks (MEIRLOP), a novel MEA method that determines enrichment of TF binding motifs in a list of scored regulatory regions, while controlling for sequence bias. In this study, we compare MEIRLOP against other MEA methods in identifying binding motifs found enriched in differentially active regulatory regions after interferon-beta stimulus, finding that using logistic regression and covariates improves the ability to call enrichment of ISGF3 binding motifs from differential acetylation ChIP-seq data compared to other methods. Our method achieves similar or better performance compared to other methods when quantifying the enrichment of TF binding motifs from ENCODE TF ChIP-seq datasets. We also demonstrate how MEIRLOP is broadly applicable to the analysis of numerous types of NGS assays and experimental designs. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate the importance of controlling for sequence bias when accurately identifying enriched DNA sequence motifs using score-based MEA. MEIRLOP is available for download from https://github.com/npdeloss/meirlop under the MIT license.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel P Delos Santos
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0640, USA
| | - Lorane Texari
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0640, USA
| | - Christopher Benner
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0640, USA.
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19
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Abstract
Key discoveries in Drosophila have shaped our understanding of cellular "enhancers." With a special focus on the fly, this chapter surveys properties of these adaptable cis-regulatory elements, whose actions are critical for the complex spatial/temporal transcriptional regulation of gene expression in metazoa. The powerful combination of genetics, molecular biology, and genomics available in Drosophila has provided an arena in which the developmental role of enhancers can be explored. Enhancers are characterized by diverse low- or high-throughput assays, which are challenging to interpret, as not all of these methods of identifying enhancers produce concordant results. As a model metazoan, the fly offers important advantages to comprehensive analysis of the central functions that enhancers play in gene expression, and their critical role in mediating the production of phenotypes from genotype and environmental inputs. A major challenge moving forward will be obtaining a quantitative understanding of how these cis-regulatory elements operate in development and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Small
- Department of Biology, Developmental Systems Training Program, New York University, 10003 and
| | - David N Arnosti
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
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20
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Kirchner S, Reuter S, Westphal A, Mrowka R. Decipher the complexity of cis-regulatory regions by a modified Cas9. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0235530. [PMID: 32614871 PMCID: PMC7332081 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding complex mechanisms of human transcriptional regulation remains a major challenge. Classical reporter studies already enabled the discovery of cis-regulatory elements within the non-coding DNA; however, the influence of genomic context and potential interactions are still largely unknown. Using a modified Cas9 activation complex we explore the complexity of renin transcription in its native genomic context. METHODS With the help of genomic editing, we stably tagged the native renin on chromosome 1 with the firefly luciferase and stably integrated a programmable modified Cas9 based trans-activation complex (SAM-complex) by lentiviral transduction into human cells. By delivering five specific guide-RNA homologous to specific promoter regions of renin we were able to guide this SAM-complex to these regions of interest. We measured gene expression and generated and compared computational models. RESULTS SAM complexes induced activation of renin in our cells after renin specific guide-RNA had been provided. All possible combinations of the five guides were subjected to model analysis in linear models. Quantifying the prediction error and the calculation of an estimator of the relative quality of the statistical models for our given set of data revealed that a model incorporating interactions in the proximal promoter is the superior model for explanation of the data. CONCLUSION By applying our combined experimental and modelling approach we can show that interactions occur within the selected sequences of the proximal renin promoter region. This combined approach might potentially be useful to investigate other genomic regions. Our findings may help to better understand the transcriptional regulation of human renin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Kirchner
- Experimental Nephrology Group, KIM III, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Stefanie Reuter
- Experimental Nephrology Group, KIM III, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Anika Westphal
- Experimental Nephrology Group, KIM III, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Ralf Mrowka
- Experimental Nephrology Group, KIM III, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Jena, Germany
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21
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Deutsch JL, Heath JL. MLLT10 in benign and malignant hematopoiesis. Exp Hematol 2020; 87:1-12. [PMID: 32569758 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2020.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Non-random chromosomal translocations involving the putative transcription factor Mixed Lineage Leukemia Translocated to 10 (MLLT10, also known as AF10) are commonly observed in both acute myeloid and lymphoid leukemias and are indicative of a poor prognosis. Despite the well-described actions of oncogenic MLLT10 fusion proteins, the role of wild-type MLLT10 in hematopoiesis is not well characterized. The protein structure and several interacting partners have been described and provide indications as to the potential functions of MLLT10. This review examines these aspects of MLLT10, contextualizing its function in benign and malignant hematopoiesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie L Deutsch
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
| | - Jessica L Heath
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT; Department of Biochemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405; University of Vermont Cancer Center, Burlington, VT.
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22
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Altonsy MO, Kurwa HA, Lauzon GJ, Amrein M, Gerber AN, Almishri W, Mydlarski PR. Corynebacterium tuberculostearicum, a human skin colonizer, induces the canonical nuclear factor-κB inflammatory signaling pathway in human skin cells. IMMUNITY INFLAMMATION AND DISEASE 2020; 8:62-79. [PMID: 31912662 PMCID: PMC7016847 DOI: 10.1002/iid3.284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Corynebacterium tuberculostearicum (C. t.) is a ubiquitous bacterium that colonizes human skin. In contrast to other members of the genus Corynebacterium, such as toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae or the opportunistic pathogen Corynebacterium jeikeium, several studies suggest that C. t. may play a role in skin health and disease. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects remain poorly understood. METHODS To investigate whether C. t. induces inflammatory pathways in primary human epidermal keratinocytes (HEKs) and human cutaneous squamous carcinoma cells (SCCs), cell culture, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunofluorescence microscopy, Western blot, chromatin immunoprecipitation-PCR, small interfering RNA knockdown and luciferase reporter expression system were used. RESULTS Herein, we demonstrate that C. t. upregulates the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of inflammatory mediators in two human skin cell lines, HEKs and SCCs. We further show activation of the canonical nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway in response to C. t. infection, including phosphorylation of the inhibitor of κB (IκB), the nuclear translocation of NF-κB subunit (NF-κB-P65 ) and the recruitment of NF-κB-P65 and RNA polymerase to the NF-κB response elements at the promoter region of the inflammatory genes. Lastly, the data confirm that C. t.-induced tumor necrosis factor mRNA expression in HEKs is toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2 ) dependent. CONCLUSION Our results offer a mechanistic model for C. t.-induced inflammation in human keratinocytes via TLR2 and activation of IκB kinase and downstream signaling through the canonical NF-κB pathway. Relevance to chronic inflammatory diseases of the skin and cutaneous oncology is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed O Altonsy
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.,Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt
| | - Habib A Kurwa
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Gilles J Lauzon
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Matthias Amrein
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Anthony N Gerber
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado.,Department of Medicine, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado
| | - Wagdi Almishri
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
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23
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Haseeb A, Lefebvre V. The SOXE transcription factors-SOX8, SOX9 and SOX10-share a bi-partite transactivation mechanism. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 47:6917-6931. [PMID: 31194875 PMCID: PMC6649842 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
SOX8, SOX9 and SOX10 compose the SOXE transcription factor group. They govern cell fate and differentiation in many lineages, and mutations impairing their activity cause severe diseases, including campomelic dysplasia (SOX9), sex determination disorders (SOX8 and SOX9) and Waardenburg-Shah syndrome (SOX10). However, incomplete knowledge of their modes of action limits disease understanding. We here uncover that the proteins share a bipartite transactivation mechanism, whereby a transactivation domain in the middle of the proteins (TAM) synergizes with a C-terminal one (TAC). TAM comprises amphipathic α-helices predicted to form a protein-binding pocket and overlapping with minimal transactivation motifs (9-aa-TAD) described in many transcription factors. One 9-aa-TAD sequence includes an evolutionarily conserved and functionally required EΦ[D/E]QYΦ motif. SOXF proteins (SOX7, SOX17 and SOX18) contain an identical motif, suggesting evolution from a common ancestor already harboring this motif, whereas TAC and other transactivating SOX proteins feature only remotely related motifs. Missense variants in this SOXE/SOXF-specific motif are rare in control individuals, but have been detected in cancers, supporting its importance in development and physiology. By deepening understanding of mechanisms underlying the central transactivation function of SOXE proteins, these findings should help further decipher molecular networks essential for development and health and dysregulated in diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdul Haseeb
- Department of Surgery/Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Véronique Lefebvre
- Department of Surgery/Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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24
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Zarin T, Strome B, Nguyen Ba AN, Alberti S, Forman-Kay JD, Moses AM. Proteome-wide signatures of function in highly diverged intrinsically disordered regions. eLife 2019; 8:46883. [PMID: 31264965 PMCID: PMC6634968 DOI: 10.7554/elife.46883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered regions make up a large part of the proteome, but the sequence-to-function relationship in these regions is poorly understood, in part because the primary amino acid sequences of these regions are poorly conserved in alignments. Here we use an evolutionary approach to detect molecular features that are preserved in the amino acid sequences of orthologous intrinsically disordered regions. We find that most disordered regions contain multiple molecular features that are preserved, and we define these as ‘evolutionary signatures’ of disordered regions. We demonstrate that intrinsically disordered regions with similar evolutionary signatures can rescue function in vivo, and that groups of intrinsically disordered regions with similar evolutionary signatures are strongly enriched for functional annotations and phenotypes. We propose that evolutionary signatures can be used to predict function for many disordered regions from their amino acid sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taraneh Zarin
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Bob Strome
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Alex N Nguyen Ba
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Simon Alberti
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.,Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Biotechnology Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Julie D Forman-Kay
- Program in Molecular Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Alan M Moses
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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25
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Strygina KV, Khlestkina EK. Myc-like transcriptional factors in wheat: structural and functional organization of the subfamily I members. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2019; 19:50. [PMID: 30813892 PMCID: PMC6393960 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-019-1639-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Myc-like regulatory factors carrying the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) domain belong to a large superfamily of transcriptional factors (TFs) present in all eukaryotic kingdoms. In plants, the representatives of this superfamily regulate diverse biological processes including growth and development as well as response to various stresses. As members of the regulatory MBW complexes, they participate in biosynthesis of flavonoids. In wheat, only one member (TaMyc1) of the Myc-like TFs family has been studied, while structural and functional organization of further members remained uncharacterized. From two Myc-subfamilies described recently in the genomes of Triticeae tribe species, we investigated thoroughly the members of the subfamily I which includes the TaMyc1 gene. RESULTS Comparison of the promoter regions of the Myc subfamily I members in wheat suggested their division into two groups (likely homoeologous sets): TaMyc-1 (TaMyc-A1/TaMyc1, TaMyc-B1, TaMyc-D1) and TaMyc-2 (TaMyc-A2 and TaMyc-D2). It was demonstrated that the TaMyc-D1 copy has lost its functionality due to the frame shift mutation. The study of functional features of the other four copies suggested some of them to be involved in the biosynthesis of anthocyanins. In particular, TaMyc-B1 is assumed to be a co-regulator of the gene TaC1-A1 (encoding R2R3-Myb factor) in the MBW regulatory complex activating anthocyanin synthesis in wheat coleoptile. The mRNA levels of the TaMyc-A1, TaMyc-B1, TaMyc-A2 and TaMyc-D2 genes increased significantly in wheat seedlings exposed to osmotic stress. Salinity stress induced expression of TaMyc-B1 and TaMyc-A2, while TaMyc-A1 was repressed. CONCLUSIONS The features of the structural and functional organization of the members of subfamily I of Myc-like TFs in wheat were determined. Myc-like co-regulator (TaMyc-B1) of anthocyanin synthesis in wheat coleoptile was described for the first time. The Myc-encoding genes presumably involved in response to drought and salinity were determined in wheat. The results obtained are important for further manipulations with Myc genes, aimed on increasing wheat adaptability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ksenia V. Strygina
- Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Lavrentjeva Ave. 10, Novosibirsk, 630090 Russia
| | - Elena K. Khlestkina
- Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Lavrentjeva Ave. 10, Novosibirsk, 630090 Russia
- N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR), Bolshaya Morskaya Str., 42-44, St. Petersburg, 190000 Russia
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26
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Lambert SA, Jolma A, Campitelli LF, Das PK, Yin Y, Albu M, Chen X, Taipale J, Hughes TR, Weirauch MT. The Human Transcription Factors. Cell 2019; 172:650-665. [PMID: 29425488 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.01.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1492] [Impact Index Per Article: 298.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Revised: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) recognize specific DNA sequences to control chromatin and transcription, forming a complex system that guides expression of the genome. Despite keen interest in understanding how TFs control gene expression, it remains challenging to determine how the precise genomic binding sites of TFs are specified and how TF binding ultimately relates to regulation of transcription. This review considers how TFs are identified and functionally characterized, principally through the lens of a catalog of over 1,600 likely human TFs and binding motifs for two-thirds of them. Major classes of human TFs differ markedly in their evolutionary trajectories and expression patterns, underscoring distinct functions. TFs likewise underlie many different aspects of human physiology, disease, and variation, highlighting the importance of continued effort to understand TF-mediated gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A Lambert
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Arttu Jolma
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Laura F Campitelli
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Pratyush K Das
- Genome-Scale Biology Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Yimeng Yin
- Division of Functional Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Mihai Albu
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Xiaoting Chen
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology (CAGE), Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Jussi Taipale
- Genome-Scale Biology Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Division of Functional Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden; Department of Biochemistry, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 1GA, United Kingdom.
| | - Timothy R Hughes
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Matthew T Weirauch
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology (CAGE), Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Divisions of Biomedical Informatics and Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
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27
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Boija A, Klein IA, Sabari BR, Dall'Agnese A, Coffey EL, Zamudio AV, Li CH, Shrinivas K, Manteiga JC, Hannett NM, Abraham BJ, Afeyan LK, Guo YE, Rimel JK, Fant CB, Schuijers J, Lee TI, Taatjes DJ, Young RA. Transcription Factors Activate Genes through the Phase-Separation Capacity of Their Activation Domains. Cell 2018; 175:1842-1855.e16. [PMID: 30449618 PMCID: PMC6295254 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.10.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 976] [Impact Index Per Article: 162.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Gene expression is controlled by transcription factors (TFs) that consist of DNA-binding domains (DBDs) and activation domains (ADs). The DBDs have been well characterized, but little is known about the mechanisms by which ADs effect gene activation. Here, we report that diverse ADs form phase-separated condensates with the Mediator coactivator. For the OCT4 and GCN4 TFs, we show that the ability to form phase-separated droplets with Mediator in vitro and the ability to activate genes in vivo are dependent on the same amino acid residues. For the estrogen receptor (ER), a ligand-dependent activator, we show that estrogen enhances phase separation with Mediator, again linking phase separation with gene activation. These results suggest that diverse TFs can interact with Mediator through the phase-separating capacity of their ADs and that formation of condensates with Mediator is involved in gene activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Boija
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Isaac A Klein
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Benjamin R Sabari
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | | | - Eliot L Coffey
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Alicia V Zamudio
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Charles H Li
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Krishna Shrinivas
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Institute of Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - John C Manteiga
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Nancy M Hannett
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Brian J Abraham
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Lena K Afeyan
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Yang E Guo
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Jenna K Rimel
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| | - Charli B Fant
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| | - Jurian Schuijers
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Tong Ihn Lee
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Dylan J Taatjes
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| | - Richard A Young
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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28
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Parrini M, Meissl K, Ola MJ, Lederer T, Puga A, Wienerroither S, Kovarik P, Decker T, Müller M, Strobl B. The C-Terminal Transactivation Domain of STAT1 Has a Gene-Specific Role in Transactivation and Cofactor Recruitment. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2879. [PMID: 30574148 PMCID: PMC6291510 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
STAT1 has a key role in the regulation of innate and adaptive immunity by inducing transcriptional changes in response to cytokines, such as all types of interferons (IFN). STAT1 exist as two splice isoforms, which differ in regard to the C-terminal transactivation domain (TAD). STAT1β lacks the C-terminal TAD and has been previously reported to be a weaker transcriptional activator than STAT1α, although this was strongly dependent on the target gene. The mechanism of this context-dependent effects remained unclear. By using macrophages from mice that only express STAT1β, we investigated the role of the C-terminal TAD during the distinct steps of transcriptional activation of selected target genes in response to IFNγ. We show that the STAT1 C-terminal TAD is absolutely required for the recruitment of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and for the establishment of active histone marks at the class II major histocompatibility complex transactivator (CIIta) promoter IV, whereas it is dispensable for histone acetylation at the guanylate binding protein 2 (Gbp2) promoter but required for an efficient recruitment of Pol II, which correlated with a strongly reduced, but not absent, transcriptional activity. IFNγ-induced expression of Irf7, which is mediated by STAT1 in complex with STAT2 and IRF9, did not rely on the presence of the C-terminal TAD of STAT1. Moreover, we show for the first time that the STAT1 C-terminal TAD is required for an efficient recruitment of components of the core Mediator complex to the IFN regulatory factor (Irf) 1 and Irf8 promoters, which both harbor an open chromatin state under basal conditions. Our study identified novel functions of the STAT1 C-terminal TAD in transcriptional activation and provides mechanistic explanations for the gene-specific transcriptional activity of STAT1β.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Parrini
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Katrin Meissl
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mojoyinola Joanna Ola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Therese Lederer
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ana Puga
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Pavel Kovarik
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Decker
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mathias Müller
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,University Center Biomodels Austria, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Birgit Strobl
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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29
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Deng X, Qiu Q, He K, Cao X. The seekers: how epigenetic modifying enzymes find their hidden genomic targets in Arabidopsis. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2018; 45:75-81. [PMID: 29864678 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2018.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Revised: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/12/2018] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic regulation plays fundamental roles in modulating chromatin-based processes and shaping the epigenome in multicellular eukaryotes, including plants. How epigenetic factors recognize their target loci hiding in the vast genomic DNA sequence remains a long-standing mystery. During the past several years, a growing body of work has revealed the complex, dynamic, and diverse chromatin-targeting mechanisms of these epigenetic factors. In this review, we focus on recent advances in understanding the recruitment of epigenetic factors to specific genomic regions, based on data from Arabidopsis thaliana.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics and National Center for Plant Gene Research, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Qi Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics and National Center for Plant Gene Research, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Kaixuan He
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics and National Center for Plant Gene Research, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaofeng Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics and National Center for Plant Gene Research, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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30
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Ampuja M, Kallioniemi A. Transcription factors-Intricate players of the bone morphogenetic protein signaling pathway. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2017; 57:3-11. [DOI: 10.1002/gcc.22502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Revised: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- M. Ampuja
- BioMediTech Institute and Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences; University of Tampere; Tampere Finland
| | - Anne Kallioniemi
- BioMediTech Institute and Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences; University of Tampere; Tampere Finland
- Fimlab Laboratories; Tampere Finland
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31
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Sharma A, Wai CM, Ming R, Yu Q. Diurnal Cycling Transcription Factors of Pineapple Revealed by Genome-Wide Annotation and Global Transcriptomic Analysis. Genome Biol Evol 2017; 9:2170-2190. [PMID: 28922793 PMCID: PMC5737478 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Circadian clock provides fitness advantage by coordinating internal metabolic and physiological processes to external cyclic environments. Core clock components exhibit daily rhythmic changes in gene expression, and the majority of them are transcription factors (TFs) and transcription coregulators (TCs). We annotated 1,398 TFs from 67 TF families and 80 TCs from 20 TC families in pineapple, and analyzed their tissue-specific and diurnal expression patterns. Approximately 42% of TFs and 45% of TCs displayed diel rhythmic expression, including 177 TF/TCs cycling only in the nonphotosynthetic leaf tissue, 247 cycling only in the photosynthetic leaf tissue, and 201 cycling in both. We identified 68 TF/TCs whose cycling expression was tightly coupled between the photosynthetic and nonphotosynthetic leaf tissues. These TF/TCs likely coordinate key biological processes in pineapple as we demonstrated that this group is enriched in homologous genes that form the core circadian clock in Arabidopsis and includes a STOP1 homolog. Two lines of evidence support the important role of the STOP1 homolog in regulating CAM photosynthesis in pineapple. First, STOP1 responds to acidic pH and regulates a malate channel in multiple plant species. Second, the cycling expression pattern of the pineapple STOP1 and the diurnal pattern of malate accumulation in pineapple leaf are correlated. We further examined duplicate-gene retention and loss in major known circadian genes and refined their evolutionary relationships between pineapple and other plants. Significant variations in duplicate-gene retention and loss were observed for most clock genes in both monocots and dicots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anupma Sharma
- Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at Dallas, Texas A&M University System, Dallas
| | - Ching Man Wai
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China
| | - Ray Ming
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China
| | - Qingyi Yu
- Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at Dallas, Texas A&M University System, Dallas
- Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University
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32
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Kohlgrüber S, Upadhye A, Dyballa-Rukes N, McNamara CA, Altschmied J. Regulation of Transcription Factors by Reactive Oxygen Species and Nitric Oxide in Vascular Physiology and Pathology. Antioxid Redox Signal 2017; 26:679-699. [PMID: 27841660 PMCID: PMC5421514 DOI: 10.1089/ars.2016.6946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
SIGNIFICANCE Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death worldwide and pose an immense economical burden. In most cases, the underlying problem is vascular occlusion by atherosclerotic plaques. Importantly, different cell types of the vascular wall and the immune system play crucial roles in atherosclerosis at different stages of the disease. Furthermore, atherosclerosis and conditions recognized as risk factors are characterized by a reduced availability of the vasoprotective molecule nitric oxide and an increase in reactive oxygen species, so-called oxidative stress. Transcription factors function as intracellular signal integrators and relays and thus, play a central role in cellular responses to changing conditions. Recent Advances: Work on specific transcriptional regulators has uncovered many of their functions and the upstream pathways modulating their activity in response to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Here, we have reviewed for a few selected examples how this can contribute not only to protection against atherosclerosis development but also to disease progression and the occurrence of clinical manifestations, such as plaque rupture. CRITICAL ISSUES Transcription factors have pleiotropic outputs and often also divergent functions in different cell types and tissues. Thus, in light of potential severe adverse side effects, a global activation or inhibition of particular transcriptions factors does not seem a feasible therapeutic option. FUTURE DIRECTIONS A further in-depth characterization of the cell- and stage-specific actions and regulation of transcription factors in atherosclerosis with respect to protein-protein interactions and target genes could open up new avenues for prevention or therapeutic interventions in this vascular disease. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 26, 679-699.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Kohlgrüber
- 1 IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine , Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Aditi Upadhye
- 2 Department of Microbiology, Immunology, Cancer Biology, University of Virginia , Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Nadine Dyballa-Rukes
- 1 IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine , Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Coleen A McNamara
- 3 Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine and Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia-School of Medicine , Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Joachim Altschmied
- 1 IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine , Düsseldorf, Germany
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33
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Beagrie RA, Pombo A. Gene activation by metazoan enhancers: Diverse mechanisms stimulate distinct steps of transcription. Bioessays 2016; 38:881-93. [PMID: 27452946 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201600032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Enhancers can stimulate transcription by a number of different mechanisms which control different stages of the transcription cycle of their target genes, from recruitment of the transcription machinery to elongation by RNA polymerase. These mechanisms may not be mutually exclusive, as a single enhancer may act through different pathways by binding multiple transcription factors. Multiple enhancers may also work together to regulate transcription of a shared target gene. Most of the evidence supporting different enhancer mechanisms comes from the study of single genes, but new high-throughput experimental frameworks offer the opportunity to integrate and generalize disparate mechanisms identified at single genes. This effort is especially important if we are to fully understand how sequence variation within enhancers contributes to human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Beagrie
- Epigenetic Regulation and Chromatin Architecture Group, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine, Berlin-Buch, Germany
| | - Ana Pombo
- Epigenetic Regulation and Chromatin Architecture Group, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine, Berlin-Buch, Germany
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34
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Sharmin M, Bravo HC, Hannenhalli S. Heterogeneity of transcription factor binding specificity models within and across cell lines. Genome Res 2016; 26:1110-23. [PMID: 27311443 PMCID: PMC4971765 DOI: 10.1101/gr.199166.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Accepted: 06/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Complex gene expression patterns are mediated by the binding of transcription factors (TFs) to specific genomic loci. The in vivo occupancy of a TF is, in large part, determined by the TF's DNA binding interaction partners, motivating genomic context-based models of TF occupancy. However, approaches thus far have assumed a uniform TF binding model to explain genome-wide cell-type–specific binding sites. Therefore, the cell type heterogeneity of TF occupancy models, as well as the extent to which binding rules underlying a TF's occupancy are shared across cell types, has not been investigated. Here, we develop an ensemble-based approach (TRISECT) to identify the heterogeneous binding rules for cell-type–specific TF occupancy and analyze the inter-cell-type sharing of such rules. Comprehensive analysis of 23 TFs, each with ChIP-seq data in four to 12 different cell types, shows that by explicitly capturing the heterogeneity of binding rules, TRISECT accurately identifies in vivo TF occupancy. Importantly, many of the binding rules derived from individual cell types are shared across cell types and reveal distinct yet functionally coherent putative target genes in different cell types. Closer inspection of the predicted cell-type–specific interaction partners provides insights into the context-specific functional landscape of a TF. Together, our novel ensemble-based approach reveals, for the first time, a widespread heterogeneity of binding rules, comprising the interaction partners within a cell type, many of which nevertheless transcend cell types. Notably, the putative targets of shared binding rules in different cell types, while distinct, exhibit significant functional coherence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahfuza Sharmin
- Department of Computer Science, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA; Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - Héctor Corrada Bravo
- Department of Computer Science, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA; Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - Sridhar Hannenhalli
- Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA; Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
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35
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O'Geen H, Henry IM, Bhakta MS, Meckler JF, Segal DJ. A genome-wide analysis of Cas9 binding specificity using ChIP-seq and targeted sequence capture. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:3389-404. [PMID: 25712100 PMCID: PMC4381059 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2014] [Revised: 02/07/2015] [Accepted: 02/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) RNA-guided nucleases have gathered considerable excitement as a tool for genome engineering. However, questions remain about the specificity of target site recognition. Cleavage specificity is typically evaluated by low throughput assays (T7 endonuclease I assay, target amplification followed by high-throughput sequencing), which are limited to a subset of potential off-target sites. Here, we used ChIP-seq to examine genome-wide CRISPR binding specificity at gRNA-specific and gRNA-independent sites for two guide RNAs. RNA-guided Cas9 binding was highly specific to the target site while off-target binding occurred at much lower intensities. Cas9-bound regions were highly enriched in NGG sites, a sequence required for target site recognition by Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9. To determine the relationship between Cas9 binding and endonuclease activity, we applied targeted sequence capture, which allowed us to survey 1200 genomic loci simultaneously including potential off-target sites identified by ChIP-seq and by computational prediction. A high frequency of indels was observed at both target sites and one off-target site, while no cleavage activity could be detected at other ChIP-bound regions. Our results confirm the high-specificity of CRISPR endonucleases and demonstrate that sequence capture can be used as a high-throughput genome-wide approach to identify off-target activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henriette O'Geen
- Genome Center and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Isabelle M Henry
- Department of Plant Biology and Genome Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Mital S Bhakta
- Genome Center and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Joshua F Meckler
- Genome Center and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - David J Segal
- Genome Center and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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Bahrami S, Ehsani R, Drabløs F. A property-based analysis of human transcription factors. BMC Res Notes 2015; 8:82. [PMID: 25890365 PMCID: PMC4373352 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-015-1039-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2014] [Accepted: 03/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Transcription factors are essential proteins for regulating gene expression. This regulation depends upon specific features of the transcription factors, including how they interact with DNA, how they interact with each other, and how they are post-translationally modified. Reliable information about key properties associated with transcription factors will therefore be useful for data analysis, in particular of data from high-throughput experiments. Results We have used an existing list of 1978 human proteins described as transcription factors to make a well-annotated data set, which includes information on Pfam domains, DNA-binding domains, post-translational modifications and protein–protein interactions. We have then used this data set for enrichment analysis. We have investigated correlations within this set of features, and between the features and more general protein properties. We have also used the data set to analyze previously published gene lists associated with cell differentiation, cancer, and tissue distribution. Conclusions The study shows that well-annotated feature list for transcription factors is a useful resource for extensive data analysis; both of transcription factor properties in general and of properties associated with specific processes. However, the study also shows that such analyses are easily biased by incomplete coverage in experimental data, and by how gene sets are defined. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-015-1039-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahram Bahrami
- Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 8905, , NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway. .,St. Olavs Hospital, NO-7006, Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Rezvan Ehsani
- Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 8905, , NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Finn Drabløs
- Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 8905, , NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway.
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Abstract
The term “transcriptional network” refers to the mechanism(s) that underlies coordinated expression of genes, typically involving transcription factors (TFs) binding to the promoters of multiple genes, and individual genes controlled by multiple TFs. A multitude of studies in the last two decades have aimed to map and characterize transcriptional networks in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We review the methodologies and accomplishments of these studies, as well as challenges we now face. For most yeast TFs, data have been collected on their sequence preferences, in vivo promoter occupancy, and gene expression profiles in deletion mutants. These systematic studies have led to the identification of new regulators of numerous cellular functions and shed light on the overall organization of yeast gene regulation. However, many yeast TFs appear to be inactive under standard laboratory growth conditions, and many of the available data were collected using techniques that have since been improved. Perhaps as a consequence, comprehensive and accurate mapping among TF sequence preferences, promoter binding, and gene expression remains an open challenge. We propose that the time is ripe for renewed systematic efforts toward a complete mapping of yeast transcriptional regulatory mechanisms.
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