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Weichenhan D, Riedel A, Sollier E, Toprak UH, Hey J, Breuer K, Wierzbinska JA, Touzart A, Lutsik P, Bähr M, Östlund A, Nilsson T, Jacobsson S, Edler M, Waraky A, Behrens YL, Göhring G, Schlegelberger B, Steinek C, Harz H, Leonhardt H, Dolnik A, Reinhardt D, Bullinger L, Palmqvist L, Lipka DB, Plass C. Altered enhancer-promoter interaction leads to MNX1 expression in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia with t(7;12)(q36;p13). Blood Adv 2024; 8:5100-5111. [PMID: 39121370 PMCID: PMC11460460 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023012161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/27/2024] [Indexed: 08/11/2024] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with the t(7;12)(q36;p13) translocation occurs only in very young children and has a poor clinical outcome. The expected oncofusion between break point partners (motor neuron and pancreas homeobox 1 [MNX1] and ETS variant transcription factor 6 [ETV6]) has only been reported in a subset of cases. However, a universal feature is the strong transcript and protein expression of MNX1, a homeobox transcription factor that is normally not expressed in hematopoietic cells. Here, we map the translocation break points on chromosomes 7 and 12 in affected patients to a region proximal to MNX1 and either introns 1 or 2 of ETV6. The frequency of MNX1 overexpression in pediatric AML is 2.4% and occurs predominantly in t(7;12)(q36;p13) AML. Chromatin interaction assays in a t(7;12)(q36;p13) induced pluripotent stem cell line model unravel an enhancer-hijacking event that explains MNX1 overexpression in hematopoietic cells. Our data suggest that enhancer hijacking may be a more widespread consequence of translocations in which no oncofusion product was identified, including t(1;3) or t(4;12) AML.
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MESH Headings
- Humans
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/metabolism
- Transcription Factors/genetics
- Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Homeodomain Proteins/genetics
- Homeodomain Proteins/metabolism
- Translocation, Genetic
- Child
- Promoter Regions, Genetic
- Chromosomes, Human, Pair 7/genetics
- Enhancer Elements, Genetic
- Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic
- Child, Preschool
- ETS Translocation Variant 6 Protein
- Repressor Proteins/genetics
- Repressor Proteins/metabolism
- Male
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets/genetics
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets/metabolism
- Infant
- Female
- Adolescent
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Affiliation(s)
- Dieter Weichenhan
- Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anna Riedel
- Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Etienne Sollier
- Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Umut H. Toprak
- Division of Neuroblastoma Genomics, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Joschka Hey
- Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kersten Breuer
- Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Aurore Touzart
- Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Pavlo Lutsik
- Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marion Bähr
- Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anders Östlund
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Tina Nilsson
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Susanna Jacobsson
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Marcel Edler
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ahmed Waraky
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Gudrun Göhring
- Department of Human Genetics, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Clemens Steinek
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Hartmann Harz
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Heinrich Leonhardt
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Anna Dolnik
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, and Tumor Immunology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dirk Reinhardt
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Lars Bullinger
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, and Tumor Immunology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Palmqvist
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Daniel B. Lipka
- Section of Translational Cancer Epigenomics, Division of Translational Medical Oncology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium, Heidelberg, Germany
- National Center for Tumor Diseases, NCT Heidelberg, a partnership between DKFZ and Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christoph Plass
- Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium, Heidelberg, Germany
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Steinek C, Guirao-Ortiz M, Stumberger G, Tölke AJ, Hörl D, Carell T, Harz H, Leonhardt H. Generation of densely labeled oligonucleotides for the detection of small genomic elements. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2024; 4:100840. [PMID: 39137784 PMCID: PMC11384094 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2024.100840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 06/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024]
Abstract
The genome contains numerous regulatory elements that may undergo complex interactions and contribute to the establishment, maintenance, and change of cellular identity. Three-dimensional genome organization can be explored with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) at the single-cell level, but the detection of small genomic loci remains challenging. Here, we provide a rapid and simple protocol for the generation of bright FISH probes suited for the detection of small genomic elements. We systematically optimized probe design and synthesis, screened polymerases for their ability to incorporate dye-labeled nucleotides, and streamlined purification conditions to yield nanoscopy-compatible oligonucleotides with dyes in variable arrays (NOVA probes). With these probes, we detect genomic loci ranging from genome-wide repetitive regions down to non-repetitive loci below the kilobase scale. In conclusion, we introduce a simple workflow to generate densely labeled oligonucleotide pools that facilitate detection and nanoscopic measurements of small genomic elements in single cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clemens Steinek
- Faculty of Biology and Center for Molecular Biosystems (BioSysM), Human Biology and BioImaging, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany.
| | - Miguel Guirao-Ortiz
- Faculty of Biology and Center for Molecular Biosystems (BioSysM), Human Biology and BioImaging, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Gabriela Stumberger
- Faculty of Biology and Center for Molecular Biosystems (BioSysM), Human Biology and BioImaging, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Annika J Tölke
- Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - David Hörl
- Faculty of Biology and Center for Molecular Biosystems (BioSysM), Human Biology and BioImaging, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas Carell
- Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Hartmann Harz
- Faculty of Biology and Center for Molecular Biosystems (BioSysM), Human Biology and BioImaging, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany.
| | - Heinrich Leonhardt
- Faculty of Biology and Center for Molecular Biosystems (BioSysM), Human Biology and BioImaging, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany.
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Pabba MK, Meyer J, Celikay K, Schermelleh L, Rohr K, Cardoso MC. DNA choreography: correlating mobility and organization of DNA across different resolutions from loops to chromosomes. Histochem Cell Biol 2024; 162:109-131. [PMID: 38758428 PMCID: PMC11227476 DOI: 10.1007/s00418-024-02285-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
The dynamics of DNA in the cell nucleus plays a role in cellular processes and fates but the interplay of DNA mobility with the hierarchical levels of DNA organization is still underexplored. Here, we made use of DNA replication to directly label genomic DNA in an unbiased genome-wide manner. This was followed by live-cell time-lapse microscopy of the labeled DNA combining imaging at different resolutions levels simultaneously and allowing one to trace DNA motion across organization levels within the same cells. Quantification of the labeled DNA segments at different microscopic resolution levels revealed sizes comparable to the ones reported for DNA loops using 3D super-resolution microscopy, topologically associated domains (TAD) using 3D widefield microscopy, and also entire chromosomes. By employing advanced chromatin tracking and image registration, we discovered that DNA exhibited higher mobility at the individual loop level compared to the TAD level and even less at the chromosome level. Additionally, our findings indicate that chromatin movement, regardless of the resolution, slowed down during the S phase of the cell cycle compared to the G1/G2 phases. Furthermore, we found that a fraction of DNA loops and TADs exhibited directed movement with the majority depicting constrained movement. Our data also indicated spatial mobility differences with DNA loops and TADs at the nuclear periphery and the nuclear interior exhibiting lower velocity and radius of gyration than the intermediate locations. On the basis of these insights, we propose that there is a link between DNA mobility and its organizational structure including spatial distribution, which impacts cellular processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maruthi K Pabba
- Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Janis Meyer
- Biomedical Computer Vision Group, BioQuant, IPMB, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kerem Celikay
- Biomedical Computer Vision Group, BioQuant, IPMB, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Karl Rohr
- Biomedical Computer Vision Group, BioQuant, IPMB, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - M Cristina Cardoso
- Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.
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4
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Zülske T, Attou A, Groß L, Hörl D, Harz H, Wedemann G. Nucleosome spacing controls chromatin spatial structure and accessibility. Biophys J 2024; 123:847-857. [PMID: 38419332 PMCID: PMC10995425 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent research highlights the significance of the three-dimensional structure of chromatin in regulating various cellular processes, particularly transcription. This is achieved through dynamic chromatin structures that facilitate long-range contacts and control spatial accessibility. Chromatin consists of DNA and a variety of proteins, of which histones play an essential structural role by forming nucleosomes. Extensive experimental and theoretical research in recent decades has yielded conflicting results about key factors that regulate the spatial structure of chromatin, which remains enigmatic. By using a computer model that allows us to simulate chromatin volumes containing physiological nucleosome concentrations, we investigated whether nucleosome spacing or nucleosome density is fundamental for three-dimensional chromatin accessibility. Unexpectedly, the regularity of the nucleosome spacing is crucial for determining the accessibility of the chromatin network to diffusive processes, whereas variation in nucleosome concentrations has only minor effects. Using only the basic physical properties of DNA and nucleosomes was sufficient to generate chromatin structures consistent with published electron microscopy data. Contrary to other work, we found that nucleosome density did not substantially alter the properties of chromatin fibers or contact probabilities of genomic loci. No breakup of fiber-like structures was observed at high molar density. These findings challenge previous assumptions and highlight the importance of nucleosome spacing as a key driver of chromatin organization. These results identified changes in nucleosome spacing as a tentative mechanism for altering the spatial chromatin structure and thus genomic functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tilo Zülske
- Competence Center Bioinformatics, Institute for Applied Computer Science, Hochschule Stralsund, Stralsund, Germany
| | - Aymen Attou
- Competence Center Bioinformatics, Institute for Applied Computer Science, Hochschule Stralsund, Stralsund, Germany; Human Biology & BioImaging, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Laurens Groß
- Competence Center Bioinformatics, Institute for Applied Computer Science, Hochschule Stralsund, Stralsund, Germany
| | - David Hörl
- Human Biology & BioImaging, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Hartmann Harz
- Human Biology & BioImaging, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Gero Wedemann
- Competence Center Bioinformatics, Institute for Applied Computer Science, Hochschule Stralsund, Stralsund, Germany.
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5
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Wang Y, Gong H, Cao Y. LncRNA WAC-AS1 expression in human tumors correlates with immune infiltration and affects prognosis. Hereditas 2023; 160:26. [PMID: 37248547 DOI: 10.1186/s41065-023-00290-z] [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: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND WAC-antisense RNA1 (WAC-AS1) is a newly identified long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) implicated in the prognosis and development of a few types of tumors. However, the correlations of WAC-AS1 with immune infiltration and patient prognosis in pan-cancer remain unclear. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the prognostic value and immunological functions of WAC-AS1 across 33 different types of cancers. METHODS To investigate the potential oncogenic roles of WAC-AS1, bioinformatics analyses were performed using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype Tissue-Expression (GTEx) datasets. The correlations of WAC-AS1 with prognosis, clinical phenotype, tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), tumor regulation-related genes, tumor microenvironment, immune cell infiltration, and drug resistance to commonly used chemotherapy drugs in different types of tumors were explored. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA) were performed to explore the biological functions of WAC-AS1 in tumors. In situ hybridization (ISH) was performed in tissue microarray (TMA) to confirm the expression of WAC-AS1 in multiple tumor tissues. RESULTS WAC-AS1 showed aberrant expression in most cancers when compared to the normal tissues. It also has prognostic value in multiple types of cancers. Elevated WAC-AS1 expression was associated with poor prognosis and overall survival in adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA), and liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). A significant negative correlation between WAC-AS1 expression and overall survival was observed in brain lower-grade glioma (LGG), pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD), and skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM). The expression of WAC-AS1 also showed a correlation with clinical stage in six types of tumors, and with tumor mutational burden and microsatellite instability in several different types of cancers. The immune scores of those cancers were found to be significant. Additionally, the effectiveness of fluorouracil and four other anticancer drugs was significantly different based on the expression of WAC-AS1 in these cancers. Moreover, the ISH results showed in six types of tumors, the expression of WAC-AS1 was consistent with the Pan-cancer analysis using TCGA and GTEx database. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate an intensive involvement of WAC-AS1 in the regulation of immune responses, immune cell infiltration, and malignant properties in various types of cancers, suggesting that WAC-AS1 may serve as a prognostic marker across diverse types of cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyang Wang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University , Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Haiyan Gong
- Medical Examination Center, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Yue Cao
- The Laboratory Center for Basic Medical Science, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Avenue, Jiangning District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China.
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Attou A, Zülske T, Wedemann G. Cohesin and CTCF complexes mediate contacts in chromatin loops depending on nucleosome positions. Biophys J 2022; 121:4788-4799. [PMID: 36325618 PMCID: PMC9811664 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.10.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The spatial organization of the eukaryotic genome plays an important role in regulating transcriptional activity. In the nucleus, chromatin forms loops that assemble into fundamental units called topologically associating domains that facilitate or inhibit long-range contacts. These loops are formed and held together by the ring-shaped cohesin protein complex, and this can involve binding of CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF). High-resolution conformation capture experiments provide the frequency at which two DNA fragments physically associate in three-dimensional space. However, technical limitations of this approach, such as low throughput, low resolution, or noise in contact maps, make data interpretation and identification of chromatin intraloop contacts, e.g., between distal regulatory elements and their target genes, challenging. Herein, an existing coarse-grained model of chromatin at single-nucleosome resolution was extended by integrating potentials describing CTCF and cohesin. We performed replica-exchange Monte Carlo simulations with regularly spaced nucleosomes and experimentally determined nucleosome positions in the presence of cohesin-CTCF, as well as depleted systems as controls. In fully extruded loops caused by the presence of cohesin and CTCF, the number of contacts within the formed loops was increased. The number and types of these contacts were impacted by the nucleosome distribution and loop size. Microloops were observed within cohesin-mediated loops due to thermal fluctuations without additional influence of other factors, and the number, size, and shape of microloops were determined by nucleosome distribution and loop size. Nucleosome positions directly affect the spatial structure and contact probability within a loop, with presumed consequences for transcriptional activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aymen Attou
- Competence Center Bioinformatics, Institute for Applied Computer Science, Hochschule Stralsund, Stralsund, Germany
| | - Tilo Zülske
- Competence Center Bioinformatics, Institute for Applied Computer Science, Hochschule Stralsund, Stralsund, Germany
| | - Gero Wedemann
- Competence Center Bioinformatics, Institute for Applied Computer Science, Hochschule Stralsund, Stralsund, Germany.
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Korolev N, Zinchenko A, Soman A, Chen Q, Wong SY, Berezhnoy NV, Basak R, van der Maarel JRC, van Noort J, Nordenskiöld L. Reconstituted TAD-size chromatin fibers feature heterogeneous nucleosome clusters. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15558. [PMID: 36114220 PMCID: PMC9481575 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19471-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Large topologically associated domains (TADs) contain irregularly spaced nucleosome clutches, and interactions between such clutches are thought to aid the compaction of these domains. Here, we reconstituted TAD-sized chromatin fibers containing hundreds of nucleosomes on native source human and lambda-phage DNA and compared their mechanical properties at the single-molecule level with shorter ‘601’ arrays with various nucleosome repeat lengths. Fluorescent imaging showed increased compaction upon saturation of the DNA with histones and increasing magnesium concentration. Nucleosome clusters and their structural fluctuations were visualized in confined nanochannels. Force spectroscopy revealed not only similar mechanical properties of the TAD-sized fibers as shorter fibers but also large rupture events, consistent with breaking the interactions between distant clutches of nucleosomes. Though the arrays of native human DNA, lambda-phage and ‘601’ DNA featured minor differences in reconstitution yield and nucleosome stability, the fibers’ global structural and mechanical properties were similar, including the interactions between nucleosome clutches. These single-molecule experiments quantify the mechanical forces that stabilize large TAD-sized chromatin domains consisting of disordered, dynamically interacting nucleosome clutches and their effect on the condensation of large chromatin domains.
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