1
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King MR, Ruff KM, Pappu RV. Emergent microenvironments of nucleoli. Nucleus 2024; 15:2319957. [PMID: 38443761 PMCID: PMC10936679 DOI: 10.1080/19491034.2024.2319957] [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: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
In higher eukaryotes, the nucleolus harbors at least three sub-phases that facilitate multiple functionalities including ribosome biogenesis. The three prominent coexisting sub-phases are the fibrillar center (FC), the dense fibrillar component (DFC), and the granular component (GC). Here, we review recent efforts in profiling sub-phase compositions that shed light on the types of physicochemical properties that emerge from compositional biases and territorial organization of specific types of macromolecules. We highlight roles played by molecular grammars which refers to protein sequence features including the substrate binding domains, the sequence features of intrinsically disordered regions, and the multivalence of these distinct types of domains / regions. We introduce the concept of a barcode of emergent physicochemical properties of nucleoli. Although our knowledge of the full barcode remains incomplete, we hope that the concept prompts investigations into undiscovered emergent properties and engenders an appreciation for how and why unique microenvironments control biochemical reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R. King
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Center for Biomolecular Condensates, Washington University in St. Louis, Campus, MO, USA
| | - Kiersten M. Ruff
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Center for Biomolecular Condensates, Washington University in St. Louis, Campus, MO, USA
| | - Rohit V. Pappu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Center for Biomolecular Condensates, Washington University in St. Louis, Campus, MO, USA
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2
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Masuda A, Okamoto T, Kawachi T, Takeda JI, Hamaguchi T, Ohno K. Blending and separating dynamics of RNA-binding proteins develop architectural splicing networks spreading throughout the nucleus. Mol Cell 2024; 84:2949-2965.e10. [PMID: 39053456 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
The eukaryotic nucleus has a highly organized structure. Although the spatiotemporal arrangement of spliceosomes on nascent RNA drives splicing, the nuclear architecture that directly supports this process remains unclear. Here, we show that RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) assembled on RNA form meshworks in human and mouse cells. Core and accessory RBPs in RNA splicing make two distinct meshworks adjacently but distinctly distributed throughout the nucleus. This is achieved by mutual exclusion dynamics between the charged and uncharged intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) of RBPs. These two types of meshworks compete for spatial occupancy on pre-mRNA to regulate splicing. Furthermore, the optogenetic enhancement of the RBP meshwork causes aberrant splicing, particularly of genes involved in neurodegeneration. Genetic mutations associated with neurodegenerative diseases are often found in the IDRs of RBPs, and cells harboring these mutations exhibit impaired meshwork formation. Our results uncovered the spatial organization of RBP networks to drive RNA splicing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akio Masuda
- Division of Neurogenetics, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
| | - Takaaki Okamoto
- Division of Neurogenetics, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Kawachi
- Division of Neurogenetics, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Jun-Ichi Takeda
- Division of Neurogenetics, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Tomonari Hamaguchi
- Division of Neurogenetics, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Kinji Ohno
- Division of Neurogenetics, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; Graduate School of Nutritional Sciences, Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences, Nisshin, Japan
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3
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Pal T, Wessén J, Das S, Chan HS. Differential Effects of Sequence-Local versus Nonlocal Charge Patterns on Phase Separation and Conformational Dimensions of Polyampholytes as Model Intrinsically Disordered Proteins. J Phys Chem Lett 2024:8248-8256. [PMID: 39105804 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c01973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
Conformational properties of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are governed by a sequence-ensemble relationship. To differentiate the impact of sequence-local versus sequence-nonlocal features of an IDP's charge pattern on its conformational dimensions and its phase-separation propensity, the charge "blockiness" κ and the nonlocality-weighted sequence charge decoration (SCD) parameters are compared for their correlations with isolated-chain radii of gyration (Rgs) and upper critical solution temperatures (UCSTs) of polyampholytes modeled by random phase approximation, field-theoretic simulation, and coarse-grained molecular dynamics. SCD is superior to κ in predicting Rg because SCD accounts for effects of contact order, i.e., nonlocality, on dimensions of isolated chains. In contrast, κ and SCD are comparably good, though nonideal, predictors of UCST because frequencies of interchain contacts in the multiple-chain condensed phase are less sensitive to sequence positions than frequencies of intrachain contacts of an isolated chain, as reflected by κ correlating better with condensed-phase interaction energy than SCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanmoy Pal
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Jonas Wessén
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Suman Das
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh 530045, India
| | - Hue Sun Chan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
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4
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Whitney PH, Lionnet T. The method in the madness: Transcriptional control from stochastic action at the single-molecule scale. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2024; 87:102873. [PMID: 38954990 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2024.102873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Cell states result from the ordered activation of gene expression by transcription factors. Transcription factors face opposing design constraints: they need to be dynamic to trigger rapid cell state transitions, but also stable enough to maintain terminal cell identities indefinitely. Recent progress in live-cell single-molecule microscopy has helped define the biophysical principles underlying this paradox. Beyond transcription factor activity, single-molecule experiments have revealed that at nearly every level of transcription regulation, control emerges from multiple short-lived stochastic interactions, rather than deterministic, stable interactions typical of other biochemical pathways. This architecture generates consistent outcomes that can be rapidly choreographed. Here, we highlight recent results that demonstrate how order in transcription regulation emerges from the apparent molecular-scale chaos and discuss remaining conceptual challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter H Whitney
- Institute for Systems Genetics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Timothée Lionnet
- Institute for Systems Genetics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA.
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5
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Chen F, Jacobs WM. Emergence of Multiphase Condensates from a Limited Set of Chemical Building Blocks. J Chem Theory Comput 2024. [PMID: 39078082 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.4c00323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
Biomolecules composed of a limited set of chemical building blocks can colocalize into distinct, spatially segregated compartments known as biomolecular condensates. While many condensates are known to form spontaneously via phase separation, it has been unclear how immiscible condensates with precisely controlled molecular compositions assemble from a small number of chemical building blocks. We address this question by establishing a connection between the specificity of biomolecular interactions and the thermodynamic stability of coexisting condensates. By computing the minimum interaction specificity required to assemble condensates with target molecular compositions, we show how to design heteropolymer mixtures that produce compositionally complex condensates by using only a small number of monomer types. Our results provide insight into how compositional specificity arises in naturally occurring multicomponent condensates and demonstrate a rational algorithm for engineering complex artificial condensates from simple chemical building blocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, United States
| | - William M Jacobs
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, United States
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6
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Lee J, Simpson L, Li Y, Becker S, Zou F, Zhang X, Bai L. Transcription Factor Condensates Mediate Clustering of MET Regulon and Enhancement in Gene Expression. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.06.579062. [PMID: 38370634 PMCID: PMC10871269 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.06.579062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Some transcription factors (TFs) can form liquid-liquid phase separated (LLPS) condensates. However, the functions of these TF condensates in 3D genome organization and gene regulation remain elusive. In response to methionine (met) starvation, budding yeast TF Met4 and a few co-activators, including Met32, induce a set of genes involved in met biosynthesis. Here, we show that the endogenous Met4 and Met32 form co-localized puncta-like structures in yeast nuclei upon met depletion. Recombinant Met4 and Met32 form mixed droplets with LLPS properties in vitro. In relation to chromatin, Met4 puncta co-localize with target genes, and at least a subset of these target genes is clustered in 3D in a Met4-dependent manner. A MET3pr-GFP reporter inserted near several native Met4 binding sites becomes co-localized with Met4 puncta and displays enhanced transcriptional activity. A Met4 variant with a partial truncation of an intrinsically disordered region (IDR) shows less puncta formation, and this mutant selectively reduces the reporter activity near Met4 binding sites to the basal level. Overall, these results support a model where Met4 and co-activators form condensates to bring multiple target genes into a vicinity with higher local TF concentrations, which facilitates a strong response to methionine depletion.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Leman Simpson
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Yi Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Samuel Becker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Fan Zou
- Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Xin Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Lu Bai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
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7
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Naderi J, Magalhaes AP, Kibar G, Stik G, Zhang Y, Mackowiak SD, Wieler HM, Rossi F, Buschow R, Christou-Kent M, Alcoverro-Bertran M, Graf T, Vingron M, Hnisz D. An activity-specificity trade-off encoded in human transcription factors. Nat Cell Biol 2024:10.1038/s41556-024-01411-0. [PMID: 38969762 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-024-01411-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) control specificity and activity of gene transcription, but whether a relationship between these two features exists is unclear. Here we provide evidence for an evolutionary trade-off between the activity and specificity in human TFs encoded as submaximal dispersion of aromatic residues in their intrinsically disordered protein regions. We identified approximately 500 human TFs that encode short periodic blocks of aromatic residues in their intrinsically disordered regions, resembling imperfect prion-like sequences. Mutation of periodic aromatic residues reduced transcriptional activity, whereas increasing the aromatic dispersion of multiple human TFs enhanced transcriptional activity and reprogramming efficiency, promoted liquid-liquid phase separation in vitro and more promiscuous DNA binding in cells. Together with recent work on enhancer elements, these results suggest an important evolutionary role of suboptimal features in transcriptional control. We propose that rational engineering of amino acid features that alter phase separation may be a strategy to optimize TF-dependent processes, including cellular reprogramming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Naderi
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexandre P Magalhaes
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gözde Kibar
- Department of Computational Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gregoire Stik
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, Badalona, Spain
| | - Yaotian Zhang
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sebastian D Mackowiak
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hannah M Wieler
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Francesca Rossi
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Rene Buschow
- Microscopy Core Facility, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marie Christou-Kent
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marc Alcoverro-Bertran
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Thomas Graf
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Martin Vingron
- Department of Computational Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Denes Hnisz
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany.
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8
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Sood A, Zhang B. Preserving condensate structure and composition by lowering sequence complexity. Biophys J 2024; 123:1815-1826. [PMID: 38824391 PMCID: PMC11267431 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.05.026] [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: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Biomolecular condensates play a vital role in organizing cellular chemistry. They selectively partition biomolecules, preventing unwanted cross talk and buffering against chemical noise. Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) serve as primary components of these condensates due to their flexibility and ability to engage in multivalent interactions, leading to spontaneous aggregation. Theoretical advancements are critical at connecting IDP sequences with condensate emergent properties to establish the so-called molecular grammar. We proposed an extension to the stickers and spacers model, incorporating heterogeneous, nonspecific pairwise interactions between spacers alongside specific interactions among stickers. Our investigation revealed that although spacer interactions contribute to phase separation and co-condensation, their nonspecific nature leads to disorganized condensates. Specific sticker-sticker interactions drive the formation of condensates with well-defined networked structures and molecular composition. We discussed how evolutionary pressures might emerge to affect these interactions, leading to the prevalence of low-complexity domains in IDP sequences. These domains suppress spurious interactions and facilitate the formation of biologically meaningful condensates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amogh Sood
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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9
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Welles RM, Sojitra KA, Garabedian MV, Xia B, Wang W, Guan M, Regy RM, Gallagher ER, Hammer DA, Mittal J, Good MC. Determinants that enable disordered protein assembly into discrete condensed phases. Nat Chem 2024; 16:1062-1072. [PMID: 38316988 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-023-01423-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Cells harbour numerous mesoscale membraneless compartments that house specific biochemical processes and perform distinct cellular functions. These protein- and RNA-rich bodies are thought to form through multivalent interactions among proteins and nucleic acids, resulting in demixing via liquid-liquid phase separation. Proteins harbouring intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) predominate in membraneless organelles. However, it is not known whether IDR sequence alone can dictate the formation of distinct condensed phases. We identified a pair of IDRs capable of forming spatially distinct condensates when expressed in cells. When reconstituted in vitro, these model proteins do not co-partition, suggesting condensation specificity is encoded directly in the polypeptide sequences. Through computational modelling and mutagenesis, we identified the amino acids and chain properties governing homotypic and heterotypic interactions that direct selective condensation. These results form the basis of physicochemical principles that may direct subcellular organization of IDRs into specific condensates and reveal an IDR code that can guide construction of orthogonal membraneless compartments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M Welles
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kandarp A Sojitra
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Mikael V Garabedian
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Boao Xia
- Bioengineering Graduate Program, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Wentao Wang
- Bioengineering Graduate Program, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Muyang Guan
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Graduate Program, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Roshan M Regy
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Elizabeth R Gallagher
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Daniel A Hammer
- Bioengineering Graduate Program, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Graduate Program, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jeetain Mittal
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics and Genomics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
| | - Matthew C Good
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Bioengineering Graduate Program, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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10
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Furugori K, Suzuki H, Abe R, Horiuchi K, Akiyama T, Hirose T, Toyoda A, Takahashi H. Chimera RNA transcribed from integrated HPV18 genome with adjacent host genomic region promotes oncogenic gene expression through condensate formation. Genes Cells 2024; 29:532-548. [PMID: 38715205 DOI: 10.1111/gtc.13121] [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: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Most cervical cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. In HeLa cells, the HPV18 viral genome is integrated at chromosome 8q24.21 and activates transcription of the proto-oncogene c-Myc. However, the mechanism of how the integrated HPV genome and its transcribed RNAs exhibit transcription activation function has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we found that HPV18 transcripts contain an enhancer RNA-like function to activate proximal genes including CCAT1-5L and c-Myc. We showed that the human genome-integrated HPV18 genes are activated by transcription coregulators including BRD4 and Mediator. The transcribed HPV18 RNAs form a liquid-like condensate at chromosome 8q24.21 locus, which in turn accumulates RNA polymerase II. Moreover, we focused on a relatively uncharacterized transcript from the upstream region of CCAT1, named URC. The URC RNA is transcribed as a chimera RNA with HPV18 and is composed of the 3'-untranslated region of the HPV18 transcript. We experimentally showed that the URC contributes to stabilization of HPV18 RNAs by supplying a polyadenylation site for the HPV18 transcript. Our findings suggest that integrated HPV18 at 8q24.21 locus produces HPV18-URC chimera RNA and promotes tumorigenesis through RNA-based condensate formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuki Furugori
- Department of Molecular Biology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medical Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hidefumi Suzuki
- Department of Molecular Biology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medical Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Ryota Abe
- Department of Molecular Biology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medical Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Keiko Horiuchi
- Department of Molecular Biology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medical Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Tomohiko Akiyama
- Department of Molecular Biology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medical Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Tomonori Hirose
- Department of Molecular Biology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medical Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Atsushi Toyoda
- Comparative Genomics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Hidehisa Takahashi
- Department of Molecular Biology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medical Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
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11
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Waterbury AL, Kwok HS, Lee C, Narducci DN, Freedy AM, Su C, Raval S, Reiter AH, Hawkins W, Lee K, Li J, Hoenig SM, Vinyard ME, Cole PA, Hansen AS, Carr SA, Papanastasiou M, Liau BB. An autoinhibitory switch of the LSD1 disordered region controls enhancer silencing. Mol Cell 2024; 84:2238-2254.e11. [PMID: 38870936 PMCID: PMC11193646 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.05.017] [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: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Transcriptional coregulators and transcription factors (TFs) contain intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) that are critical for their association and function in gene regulation. More recently, IDRs have been shown to promote multivalent protein-protein interactions between coregulators and TFs to drive their association into condensates. By contrast, here we demonstrate how the IDR of the corepressor LSD1 excludes TF association, acting as a dynamic conformational switch that tunes repression of active cis-regulatory elements. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange shows that the LSD1 IDR interconverts between transient open and closed conformational states, the latter of which inhibits partitioning of the protein's structured domains with TF condensates. This autoinhibitory switch controls leukemic differentiation by modulating repression of active cis-regulatory elements bound by LSD1 and master hematopoietic TFs. Together, these studies unveil alternative mechanisms by which disordered regions and their dynamic crosstalk with structured regions can shape coregulator-TF interactions to control cis-regulatory landscapes and cell fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda L Waterbury
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Hui Si Kwok
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Ceejay Lee
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Domenic N Narducci
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Allyson M Freedy
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Cindy Su
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Shaunak Raval
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Andrew H Reiter
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - William Hawkins
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Kwangwoon Lee
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jiaming Li
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Samuel M Hoenig
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | | | - Philip A Cole
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Anders S Hansen
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Steven A Carr
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | | | - Brian B Liau
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
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12
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Akilli N, Cheutin T, Cavalli G. Phase separation and inheritance of repressive chromatin domains. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2024; 86:102201. [PMID: 38701672 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2024.102201] [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: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Polycomb-associated chromatin and pericentromeric heterochromatin form genomic domains important for the epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Both Polycomb complexes and heterochromatin factors rely on 'read and write' mechanisms, which, on their own, are not sufficient to explain the formation and the maintenance of these epigenetic domains. Microscopy has revealed that they form specific nuclear compartments separated from the rest of the genome. Recently, some subunits of these molecular machineries have been shown to undergo phase separation, both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that phase separation might play important roles in the formation and the function of these two kinds of repressive chromatin. In this review, we will present the recent advances in the field of facultative and constitutive heterochromatin formation and maintenance through phase separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nazli Akilli
- Institute of Human Genetics, CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France. https://twitter.com/@sinmerank
| | - Thierry Cheutin
- Institute of Human Genetics, CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Giacomo Cavalli
- Institute of Human Genetics, CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
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13
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Strom AR, Eeftens JM, Polyachenko Y, Weaver CJ, Watanabe HF, Bracha D, Orlovsky ND, Jumper CC, Jacobs WM, Brangwynne CP. Interplay of condensation and chromatin binding underlies BRD4 targeting. Mol Biol Cell 2024; 35:ar88. [PMID: 38656803 PMCID: PMC11238092 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e24-01-0046] [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: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Nuclear compartments form via biomolecular phase separation, mediated through multivalent properties of biomolecules concentrated within condensates. Certain compartments are associated with specific chromatin regions, including transcriptional initiation condensates, which are composed of transcription factors and transcriptional machinery, and form at acetylated regions including enhancer and promoter loci. While protein self-interactions, especially within low-complexity and intrinsically disordered regions, are known to mediate condensation, the role of substrate-binding interactions in regulating the formation and function of biomolecular condensates is underexplored. Here, utilizing live-cell experiments in parallel with coarse-grained simulations, we investigate how chromatin interaction of the transcriptional activator BRD4 modulates its condensate formation. We find that both kinetic and thermodynamic properties of BRD4 condensation are affected by chromatin binding: nucleation rate is sensitive to BRD4-chromatin interactions, providing an explanation for the selective formation of BRD4 condensates at acetylated chromatin regions, and thermodynamically, multivalent acetylated chromatin sites provide a platform for BRD4 clustering below the concentration required for off-chromatin condensation. This provides a molecular and physical explanation of the relationship between nuclear condensates and epigenetically modified chromatin that results in their mutual spatiotemporal regulation, suggesting that epigenetic modulation is an important mechanism by which the cell targets transcriptional condensates to specific chromatin loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy R. Strom
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
| | - Jorine M. Eeftens
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
- Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, 6525 XZ Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Yury Polyachenko
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
| | - Claire J. Weaver
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
| | | | - Dan Bracha
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion, Haifa 3200, Israel
| | - Natalia D. Orlovsky
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Chanelle C. Jumper
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
- Nereid Therapeutics, Boston, MA
| | | | - Clifford P. Brangwynne
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
- Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
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14
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Koyama T, Iso N, Norizoe Y, Sakaue T, Yoshimura SH. Charge block-driven liquid-liquid phase separation - mechanism and biological roles. J Cell Sci 2024; 137:jcs261394. [PMID: 38855848 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.261394] [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] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) has increasingly been found to play pivotal roles in a number of intracellular events and reactions, and has introduced a new paradigm in cell biology to explain protein-protein and enzyme-ligand interactions beyond conventional molecular and biochemical theories. LLPS is driven by the cumulative effects of weak and promiscuous interactions, including electrostatic, hydrophobic and cation-π interactions, among polypeptides containing intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) and describes the macroscopic behaviours of IDR-containing proteins in an intracellular milieu. Recent studies have revealed that interactions between 'charge blocks' - clusters of like charges along the polypeptide chain - strongly induce LLPS and play fundamental roles in its spatiotemporal regulation. Introducing a new parameter, termed 'charge blockiness', into physicochemical models of disordered polypeptides has yielded a better understanding of how the intrinsic amino acid sequence of a polypeptide determines the spatiotemporal occurrence of LLPS within a cell. Charge blockiness might also explain why some post-translational modifications segregate within IDRs and how they regulate LLPS. In this Review, we summarise recent progress towards understanding the mechanism and biological roles of charge block-driven LLPS and discuss how this new characteristic parameter of polypeptides offers new possibilities in the fields of structural biology and cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsu Koyama
- Department of Physical Sciences, Aoyama Gakuin University, 5-10-1 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5258, Japan
| | - Naoki Iso
- Department of Physical Sciences, Aoyama Gakuin University, 5-10-1 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5258, Japan
| | - Yuki Norizoe
- Department of Physical Sciences, Aoyama Gakuin University, 5-10-1 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5258, Japan
| | - Takahiro Sakaue
- Department of Physical Sciences, Aoyama Gakuin University, 5-10-1 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5258, Japan
| | - Shige H Yoshimura
- Graduate School of Biostudies , Kyoto University, Yoshida-konoe, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
- Center for Living Systems Information Science (CeLiSIS) , Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe-Cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
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15
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Mathias KM, Liu Y, Wan L. Dysregulation of transcriptional condensates in human disease: mechanisms, biological functions, and open questions. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2024; 86:102203. [PMID: 38788489 PMCID: PMC11162900 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2024.102203] [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: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Precise gene expression, crucial for normal development and health, depends on the co-ordinated assembly and function of various factors within the crowded nucleus. Recent evidence suggests that this process is in part regulated by mesoscale compartmentalization and concentration of transcriptional components within condensates, offering a new perspective on gene regulation. Dysregulation of transcriptional condensates is increasingly associated with diseases, indicating a potential role in pathogenesis. In this mini-review, we provide a concise overview of the current understanding of the formation and function of transcriptional condensates, with a specific focus on recent advances in their dysregulation and implications in diseases, notably cancer. We also address limitations in the field and highlight open questions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaeli M Mathias
- Department of Cancer Biology and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Biochemistry Biophysics Chemical Biology Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Yiman Liu
- Department of Cancer Biology and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Liling Wan
- Department of Cancer Biology and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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16
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Hayward-Lara G, Fischer MD, Mir M. Dynamic microenvironments shape nuclear organization and gene expression. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2024; 86:102177. [PMID: 38461773 PMCID: PMC11162947 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2024.102177] [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: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Live imaging has revealed that the regulation of gene expression is largely driven by transient interactions. For example, many regulatory proteins bind chromatin for just seconds, and loop-like genomic contacts are rare and last only minutes. These discoveries have been difficult to reconcile with our canonical models that are predicated on stable and hierarchical interactions. Proteomic microenvironments that concentrate nuclear factors may explain how brief interactions can still mediate gene regulation by creating conditions where reactions occur more frequently. Here, we summarize new imaging technologies and recent discoveries implicating microenvironments as a potential driver of nuclear function. Finally, we propose that key properties of proteomic microenvironments, such as their size, enrichment, and lifetimes, are directly linked to regulatory function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Hayward-Lara
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Matthew D. Fischer
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Mustafa Mir
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA 19104
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17
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He J, Huo X, Pei G, Jia Z, Yan Y, Yu J, Qu H, Xie Y, Yuan J, Zheng Y, Hu Y, Shi M, You K, Li T, Ma T, Zhang MQ, Ding S, Li P, Li Y. Dual-role transcription factors stabilize intermediate expression levels. Cell 2024; 187:2746-2766.e25. [PMID: 38631355 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Precise control of gene expression levels is essential for normal cell functions, yet how they are defined and tightly maintained, particularly at intermediate levels, remains elusive. Here, using a series of newly developed sequencing, imaging, and functional assays, we uncover a class of transcription factors with dual roles as activators and repressors, referred to as condensate-forming level-regulating dual-action transcription factors (TFs). They reduce high expression but increase low expression to achieve stable intermediate levels. Dual-action TFs directly exert activating and repressing functions via condensate-forming domains that compartmentalize core transcriptional unit selectively. Clinically relevant mutations in these domains, which are linked to a range of developmental disorders, impair condensate selectivity and dual-action TF activity. These results collectively address a fundamental question in expression regulation and demonstrate the potential of level-regulating dual-action TFs as powerful effectors for engineering controlled expression levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinnan He
- The IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, State Key Lab of Molecular Oncology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xiangru Huo
- The IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, State Key Lab of Molecular Oncology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Gaofeng Pei
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Zeran Jia
- The IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, State Key Lab of Molecular Oncology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yiming Yan
- The IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, State Key Lab of Molecular Oncology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jiawei Yu
- The IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, State Key Lab of Molecular Oncology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Haozhi Qu
- The IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, State Key Lab of Molecular Oncology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yunxin Xie
- The IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, State Key Lab of Molecular Oncology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Junsong Yuan
- The IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, State Key Lab of Molecular Oncology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yuan Zheng
- The IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, State Key Lab of Molecular Oncology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yanyan Hu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Minglei Shi
- Bioinformatics Division, National Research Center for Information Science and Technology, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Kaiqiang You
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Tingting Li
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Tianhua Ma
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Michael Q Zhang
- Bioinformatics Division, National Research Center for Information Science and Technology, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Systems Biology, The University of Texas, Dallas, TX 75080-3021, USA
| | - Sheng Ding
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Pilong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Yinqing Li
- The IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, State Key Lab of Molecular Oncology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
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18
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Kilgore HR, Chinn I, Mikhael PG, Mitnikov I, Van Dongen C, Zylberberg G, Afeyan L, Banani S, Wilson-Hawken S, Lee TI, Barzilay R, Young RA. Protein codes promote selective subcellular compartmentalization. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.15.589616. [PMID: 38659952 PMCID: PMC11042338 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.15.589616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Cells have evolved mechanisms to distribute ~10 billion protein molecules to subcellular compartments where diverse proteins involved in shared functions must efficiently assemble. Here, we demonstrate that proteins with shared functions share amino acid sequence codes that guide them to compartment destinations. A protein language model, ProtGPS, was developed that predicts with high performance the compartment localization of human proteins excluded from the training set. ProtGPS successfully guided generation of novel protein sequences that selectively assemble in targeted subcellular compartments. ProtGPS also identified pathological mutations that change this code and lead to altered subcellular localization of proteins. Our results indicate that protein sequences contain not only a folding code, but also a previously unrecognized code governing their distribution in specific cellular compartments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry R. Kilgore
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Itamar Chinn
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Peter G. Mikhael
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Ilan Mitnikov
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | | | - Guy Zylberberg
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Lena Afeyan
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Salman Banani
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Susana Wilson-Hawken
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Program of Computational & Systems Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Tong Ihn Lee
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Regina Barzilay
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, 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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19
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Giudice J, Jiang H. Splicing regulation through biomolecular condensates and membraneless organelles. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2024:10.1038/s41580-024-00739-7. [PMID: 38773325 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-024-00739-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Biomolecular condensates, sometimes also known as membraneless organelles (MLOs), can form through weak multivalent intermolecular interactions of proteins and nucleic acids, a process often associated with liquid-liquid phase separation. Biomolecular condensates are emerging as sites and regulatory platforms of vital cellular functions, including transcription and RNA processing. In the first part of this Review, we comprehensively discuss how alternative splicing regulates the formation and properties of condensates, and conversely the roles of biomolecular condensates in splicing regulation. In the second part, we focus on the spatial connection between splicing regulation and nuclear MLOs such as transcriptional condensates, splicing condensates and nuclear speckles. We then discuss key studies showing how splicing regulation through biomolecular condensates is implicated in human pathologies such as neurodegenerative diseases, different types of cancer, developmental disorders and cardiomyopathies, and conclude with a discussion of outstanding questions pertaining to the roles of condensates and MLOs in splicing regulation and how to experimentally study them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimena Giudice
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- McAllister Heart Institute, School of Medicine, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Hao Jiang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
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20
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Wu Z, Pope SD, Ahmed NS, Leung DL, Hajjar S, Yue Q, Anand DM, Kopp EB, Okin D, Ma W, Kagan JC, Hargreaves DC, Medzhitov R, Zhou X. Control of Inflammatory Response by Tissue Microenvironment. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.10.592432. [PMID: 38798655 PMCID: PMC11118380 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.10.592432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Inflammation is an essential defense response but operates at the cost of normal functions. Whether and how the negative impact of inflammation is monitored remains largely unknown. Acidification of the tissue microenvironment is associated with inflammation. Here we investigated whether macrophages sense tissue acidification to adjust inflammatory responses. We found that acidic pH restructured the inflammatory response of macrophages in a gene-specific manner. We identified mammalian BRD4 as a novel intracellular pH sensor. Acidic pH disrupts the transcription condensates containing BRD4 and MED1, via histidine-enriched intrinsically disordered regions. Crucially, decrease in macrophage intracellular pH is necessary and sufficient to regulate transcriptional condensates in vitro and in vivo, acting as negative feedback to regulate the inflammatory response. Collectively, these findings uncovered a pH-dependent switch in transcriptional condensates that enables environmental sensing to directly control inflammation, with a broader implication for calibrating the magnitude and quality of inflammation by the inflammatory cost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyang Wu
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | - Scott D. Pope
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA
| | - Nasiha S. Ahmed
- Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Diana L. Leung
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | - Stephanie Hajjar
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | - Qiuyu Yue
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Diya M. Anand
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | - Elizabeth B. Kopp
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA
| | - Daniel Okin
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115
| | - Weiyi Ma
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Jonathan C. Kagan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Diana C. Hargreaves
- Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ruslan Medzhitov
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA
- Tananbaum Center for Theoretical and Analytical Human Biology, Yale University School of Medicine
| | - Xu Zhou
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
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21
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Marmolejo CO, Sanchez C, Lee J, Werner M, Roberts P, Hamperl S, Saldivar JC. A phosphorylation code coordinating transcription condensate dynamics with DNA replication. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.10.593572. [PMID: 38765978 PMCID: PMC11100774 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.10.593572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Chromatin is organized into compartments enriched with functionally-related proteins driving non-linear biochemical activities. Some compartments, e.g. transcription foci, behave as liquid condensates. While the principles governing the enrichment of proteins within condensates are being elucidated, mechanisms that coordinate condensate dynamics with other nuclear processes like DNA replication have not been identified. We show that at the G1/S cell cycle transition, large transcription condensates form at histone locus bodies (HLBs) in a cyclin-dependent kinase 1 and 2 (CDK1/2)-dependent manner. As cells progress through S phase, ataxia-telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) accumulates within HLBs and dissolves the associated transcription condensates. Integration of CDK1/2 and ATR signaling creates a phosphorylation code within the intrinsically-disordered region of mediator subunit 1 (MED1) coordinating condensate dynamics with DNA replication. Disruption of this code results in imbalanced histone biosynthesis, and consequently, global DNA damage. We propose the spatiotemporal dynamics of transcription condensates are actively controlled via phosphorylation and essential for viability of proliferating cells.
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22
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Lerra L, Panatta M, Bär D, Zanini I, Tan JY, Pisano A, Mungo C, Baroux C, Panse VG, Marques AC, Santoro R. An RNA-dependent and phase-separated active subnuclear compartment safeguards repressive chromatin domains. Mol Cell 2024; 84:1667-1683.e10. [PMID: 38599210 PMCID: PMC11065421 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
The nucleus is composed of functionally distinct membraneless compartments that undergo phase separation (PS). However, whether different subnuclear compartments are connected remains elusive. We identified a type of nuclear body with PS features composed of BAZ2A that associates with active chromatin. BAZ2A bodies depend on RNA transcription and BAZ2A non-disordered RNA-binding TAM domain. Although BAZ2A and H3K27me3 occupancies anticorrelate in the linear genome, in the nuclear space, BAZ2A bodies contact H3K27me3 bodies. BAZ2A-body disruption promotes BAZ2A invasion into H3K27me3 domains, causing H3K27me3-body loss and gene upregulation. Weak BAZ2A-RNA interactions, such as with nascent transcripts, promote BAZ2A bodies, whereas the strong binder long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) Malat1 impairs them while mediating BAZ2A association to chromatin at nuclear speckles. In addition to unraveling a direct connection between nuclear active and repressive compartments through PS mechanisms, the results also showed that the strength of RNA-protein interactions regulates this process, contributing to nuclear organization and the regulation of chromatin and gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Lerra
- Department of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease (DMMD), University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland; RNA Biology Program, Life Science Zurich Graduate School, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Martina Panatta
- Department of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease (DMMD), University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland; RNA Biology Program, Life Science Zurich Graduate School, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Dominik Bär
- Department of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease (DMMD), University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Isabella Zanini
- Department of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease (DMMD), University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Jennifer Yihong Tan
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Agnese Pisano
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Chiara Mungo
- Department of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease (DMMD), University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland; Molecular Life Science Program, Life Science Zurich Graduate School, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Célia Baroux
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Vikram Govind Panse
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Ana C Marques
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Raffaella Santoro
- Department of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease (DMMD), University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland.
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23
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Liang Q, Peng N, Xie Y, Kumar N, Gao W, Miao Y. MolPhase, an advanced prediction algorithm for protein phase separation. EMBO J 2024; 43:1898-1918. [PMID: 38565952 PMCID: PMC11065880 DOI: 10.1038/s44318-024-00090-9] [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: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
We introduce MolPhase, an advanced algorithm for predicting protein phase separation (PS) behavior that improves accuracy and reliability by utilizing diverse physicochemical features and extensive experimental datasets. MolPhase applies a user-friendly interface to compare distinct biophysical features side-by-side along protein sequences. By additional comparison with structural predictions, MolPhase enables efficient predictions of new phase-separating proteins and guides hypothesis generation and experimental design. Key contributing factors underlying MolPhase include electrostatic pi-interactions, disorder, and prion-like domains. As an example, MolPhase finds that phytobacterial type III effectors (T3Es) are highly prone to homotypic PS, which was experimentally validated in vitro biochemically and in vivo in plants, mimicking their injection and accumulation in the host during microbial infection. The physicochemical characteristics of T3Es dictate their patterns of association for multivalent interactions, influencing the material properties of phase-separating droplets based on the surrounding microenvironment in vivo or in vitro. Robust integration of MolPhase's effective prediction and experimental validation exhibit the potential to evaluate and explore how biomolecule PS functions in biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiyu Liang
- School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 637371, Singapore, Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 637551, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nana Peng
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 637551, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yi Xie
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 637551, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nivedita Kumar
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 637551, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Weibo Gao
- School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 637371, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yansong Miao
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 637551, Singapore, Singapore.
- Institute for Digital Molecular Analytics and Science, Nanyang Technological University, 636921, Singapore, Singapore.
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24
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Jankowski MS, Griffith D, Shastry DG, Pelham JF, Ginell GM, Thomas J, Karande P, Holehouse AS, Hurley JM. Disordered clock protein interactions and charge blocks turn an hourglass into a persistent circadian oscillator. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3523. [PMID: 38664421 PMCID: PMC11045787 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47761-z] [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: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Organismal physiology is widely regulated by the molecular circadian clock, a feedback loop composed of protein complexes whose members are enriched in intrinsically disordered regions. These regions can mediate protein-protein interactions via SLiMs, but the contribution of these disordered regions to clock protein interactions had not been elucidated. To determine the functionality of these disordered regions, we applied a synthetic peptide microarray approach to the disordered clock protein FRQ in Neurospora crassa. We identified residues required for FRQ's interaction with its partner protein FRH, the mutation of which demonstrated FRH is necessary for persistent clock oscillations but not repression of transcriptional activity. Additionally, the microarray demonstrated an enrichment of FRH binding to FRQ peptides with a net positive charge. We found that positively charged residues occurred in significant "blocks" within the amino acid sequence of FRQ and that ablation of one of these blocks affected both core clock timing and physiological clock output. Finally, we found positive charge clusters were a commonly shared molecular feature in repressive circadian clock proteins. Overall, our study suggests a mechanistic purpose for positive charge blocks and yielded insights into repressive arm protein roles in clock function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meaghan S Jankowski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Daniel Griffith
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Divya G Shastry
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Jacqueline F Pelham
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Garrett M Ginell
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Joshua Thomas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Pankaj Karande
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Alex S Holehouse
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Center for Biomolecular Condensates, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Jennifer M Hurley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA.
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA.
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25
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Mukherjee A, Fallacaro S, Ratchasanmuang P, Zinski J, Boka A, Shankta K, Mir M. A fine kinetic balance of interactions directs transcription factor hubs to genes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.16.589811. [PMID: 38659757 PMCID: PMC11042322 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.16.589811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Eukaryotic gene regulation relies on the binding of sequence-specific transcription factors (TFs). TFs bind chromatin transiently yet occupy their target sites by forming high-local concentration microenvironments (hubs and condensates) that increase the frequency of binding events. Despite their ubiquity, such microenvironments have been difficult to study in endogenous contexts due to technical limitations. Here, we overcome these limitations and investigate how hubs drive TF occupancy at their targets. Using a DNA binding perturbation to a hub-forming TF, Zelda, in Drosophila embryos, we find that hub properties, including the stability and frequencies of associations to targets, are key determinants of TF occupancy. Our data suggest that the targeting of these hubs is driven not just by specific DNA motif recognition, but also by a fine-tuned kinetic balance of interactions between TFs and their co-binding partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apratim Mukherjee
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Samantha Fallacaro
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Puttachai Ratchasanmuang
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Joseph Zinski
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Alan Boka
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kareena Shankta
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Mustafa Mir
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Epigenetics Institute, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104
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26
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King MR, Ruff KM, Lin AZ, Pant A, Farag M, Lalmansingh JM, Wu T, Fossat MJ, Ouyang W, Lew MD, Lundberg E, Vahey MD, Pappu RV. Macromolecular condensation organizes nucleolar sub-phases to set up a pH gradient. Cell 2024; 187:1889-1906.e24. [PMID: 38503281 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.02.029] [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: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Nucleoli are multicomponent condensates defined by coexisting sub-phases. We identified distinct intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), including acidic (D/E) tracts and K-blocks interspersed by E-rich regions, as defining features of nucleolar proteins. We show that the localization preferences of nucleolar proteins are determined by their IDRs and the types of RNA or DNA binding domains they encompass. In vitro reconstitutions and studies in cells showed how condensation, which combines binding and complex coacervation of nucleolar components, contributes to nucleolar organization. D/E tracts of nucleolar proteins contribute to lowering the pH of co-condensates formed with nucleolar RNAs in vitro. In cells, this sets up a pH gradient between nucleoli and the nucleoplasm. By contrast, juxta-nucleolar bodies, which have different macromolecular compositions, featuring protein IDRs with very different charge profiles, have pH values that are equivalent to or higher than the nucleoplasm. Our findings show that distinct compositional specificities generate distinct physicochemical properties for condensates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R King
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Center for Biomolecular Condensates, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kiersten M Ruff
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Center for Biomolecular Condensates, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Andrew Z Lin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Center for Biomolecular Condensates, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Avnika Pant
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Center for Biomolecular Condensates, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Mina Farag
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Center for Biomolecular Condensates, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jared M Lalmansingh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Center for Biomolecular Condensates, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Tingting Wu
- Center for Biomolecular Condensates, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, James F. McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Martin J Fossat
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Center for Biomolecular Condensates, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Wei Ouyang
- Department of Bioengineering, Schools of Engineering and Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Science for Life Laboratory, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Matthew D Lew
- Center for Biomolecular Condensates, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, James F. McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Emma Lundberg
- Department of Bioengineering, Schools of Engineering and Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Science for Life Laboratory, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Michael D Vahey
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Center for Biomolecular Condensates, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Rohit V Pappu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Center for Biomolecular Condensates, James McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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27
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Sun X, Zhou Y, Wang Z, Peng M, Wei X, Xie Y, Wen C, Liu J, Ye M. Biomolecular Condensates Decipher Molecular Codes of Cell Fate: From Biophysical Fundamentals to Therapeutic Practices. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4127. [PMID: 38612940 PMCID: PMC11012904 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25074127] [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: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Cell fate is precisely modulated by complex but well-tuned molecular signaling networks, whose spatial and temporal dysregulation commonly leads to hazardous diseases. Biomolecular condensates (BCs), as a newly emerging type of biophysical assemblies, decipher the molecular codes bridging molecular behaviors, signaling axes, and clinical prognosis. Particularly, physical traits of BCs play an important role; however, a panoramic view from this perspective toward clinical practices remains lacking. In this review, we describe the most typical five physical traits of BCs, and comprehensively summarize their roles in molecular signaling axes and corresponding major determinants. Moreover, establishing the recent observed contribution of condensate physics on clinical therapeutics, we illustrate next-generation medical strategies by targeting condensate physics. Finally, the challenges and opportunities for future medical development along with the rapid scientific and technological advances are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Sun
- Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Aptamer Engineering Center of Hunan Province, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China; (X.S.); (Y.Z.); (Z.W.); (M.P.); (X.W.)
- Molecular Biology Research Center and Center for Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410000, China; (Y.X.); (C.W.)
| | - Yangyang Zhou
- Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Aptamer Engineering Center of Hunan Province, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China; (X.S.); (Y.Z.); (Z.W.); (M.P.); (X.W.)
| | - Zhiyan Wang
- Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Aptamer Engineering Center of Hunan Province, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China; (X.S.); (Y.Z.); (Z.W.); (M.P.); (X.W.)
| | - Menglan Peng
- Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Aptamer Engineering Center of Hunan Province, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China; (X.S.); (Y.Z.); (Z.W.); (M.P.); (X.W.)
| | - Xianhua Wei
- Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Aptamer Engineering Center of Hunan Province, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China; (X.S.); (Y.Z.); (Z.W.); (M.P.); (X.W.)
| | - Yifang Xie
- Molecular Biology Research Center and Center for Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410000, China; (Y.X.); (C.W.)
| | - Chengcai Wen
- Molecular Biology Research Center and Center for Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410000, China; (Y.X.); (C.W.)
| | - Jing Liu
- Molecular Biology Research Center and Center for Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410000, China; (Y.X.); (C.W.)
| | - Mao Ye
- Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Aptamer Engineering Center of Hunan Province, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China; (X.S.); (Y.Z.); (Z.W.); (M.P.); (X.W.)
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28
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Ling YH, Ye Z, Liang C, Yu C, Park G, Corden JL, Wu C. Disordered C-terminal domain drives spatiotemporal confinement of RNAPII to enhance search for chromatin targets. Nat Cell Biol 2024; 26:581-592. [PMID: 38548891 PMCID: PMC11210292 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-024-01382-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Efficient gene expression requires RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) to find chromatin targets precisely in space and time. How RNAPII manages this complex diffusive search in three-dimensional nuclear space remains largely unknown. The disordered carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of RNAPII, which is essential for recruiting transcription-associated proteins, forms phase-separated droplets in vitro, hinting at a potential role in modulating RNAPII dynamics. In the present study, we use single-molecule tracking and spatiotemporal mapping in living yeast to show that the CTD is required for confining RNAPII diffusion within a subnuclear region enriched for active genes, but without apparent phase separation into condensates. Both Mediator and global chromatin organization are required for sustaining RNAPII confinement. Remarkably, truncating the CTD disrupts RNAPII spatial confinement, prolongs target search, diminishes chromatin binding, impairs pre-initiation complex formation and reduces transcription bursting. The present study illuminates the pivotal role of the CTD in driving spatiotemporal confinement of RNAPII for efficient gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yick Hin Ling
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ziyang Ye
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Chloe Liang
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Chuofan Yu
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Giho Park
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jeffry L Corden
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Carl Wu
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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29
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Woodworth MA, Lakadamyali M. Toward a comprehensive view of gene architecture during transcription. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2024; 85:102154. [PMID: 38309073 PMCID: PMC10989512 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2024.102154] [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: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
The activation of genes within the nucleus of eukaryotic cells is a tightly regulated process, orchestrated by a complex interplay of various physical properties and interacting factors. Studying the multitude of components and features that collectively contribute to gene activation has proven challenging due to the complexities of simultaneously visualizing the dynamic and transiently interacting elements that coalesce within the small space occupied by each individual gene. However, various labeling and imaging advances are now starting to overcome this challenge, enabling visualization of gene activation at different lengths and timescales. In this review, we aim to highlight these microscopy-based advances and suggest how they can be combined to provide a comprehensive view of the mechanisms regulating gene activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus A Woodworth
- Department of Physiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Melike Lakadamyali
- Department of Physiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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30
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Ryu K, Park G, Cho WK. Emerging insights into transcriptional condensates. Exp Mol Med 2024; 56:820-826. [PMID: 38658705 PMCID: PMC11059374 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-024-01228-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic transcription, a fundamental process that governs cell-specific gene expression, has long been the subject of extensive investigations in the fields of molecular biology, biochemistry, and structural biology. Recent advances in microscopy techniques have led to a fascinating concept known as "transcriptional condensates." These dynamic assemblies are the result of a phenomenon called liquid‒liquid phase separation, which is driven by multivalent interactions between the constituent proteins in cells. The essential proteins associated with transcription are concentrated in transcriptional condensates. Recent studies have shed light on the temporal dynamics of transcriptional condensates and their potential role in enhancing the efficiency of transcription. In this article, we explore the properties of transcriptional condensates, investigate how they evolve over time, and evaluate the significant impact they have on the process of transcription. Furthermore, we highlight innovative techniques that allow us to manipulate these condensates, thus demonstrating their responsiveness to cellular signals and their connection to transcriptional bursting. As our understanding of transcriptional condensates continues to grow, they are poised to revolutionize our understanding of eukaryotic gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwangmin Ryu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Deahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Korea
| | - Gunhee Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Deahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Korea
| | - Won-Ki Cho
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Deahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Korea.
- KAIST Stem Cell Research Center, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Deahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Korea.
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31
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Gan P, Eppert M, De La Cruz N, Lyons H, Shah AM, Veettil RT, Chen K, Pradhan P, Bezprozvannaya S, Xu L, Liu N, Olson EN, Sabari BR. Coactivator condensation drives cardiovascular cell lineage specification. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadk7160. [PMID: 38489358 PMCID: PMC10942106 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk7160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
During development, cells make switch-like decisions to activate new gene programs specifying cell lineage. The mechanisms underlying these decisive choices remain unclear. Here, we show that the cardiovascular transcriptional coactivator myocardin (MYOCD) activates cell identity genes by concentration-dependent and switch-like formation of transcriptional condensates. MYOCD forms such condensates and activates cell identity genes at critical concentration thresholds achieved during smooth muscle cell and cardiomyocyte differentiation. The carboxyl-terminal disordered region of MYOCD is necessary and sufficient for condensate formation. Disrupting this region's ability to form condensates disrupts gene activation and smooth muscle cell reprogramming. Rescuing condensate formation by replacing this region with disordered regions from functionally unrelated proteins rescues gene activation and smooth muscle cell reprogramming. Our findings demonstrate that MYOCD condensate formation is required for gene activation during cardiovascular differentiation. We propose that the formation of transcriptional condensates at critical concentrations of cell type-specific regulators provides a molecular switch underlying the activation of key cell identity genes during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiheng Gan
- Department of Molecular Biology, Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Mikayla Eppert
- Laboratory of Nuclear Organization, Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, Division of Basic Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Nancy De La Cruz
- Laboratory of Nuclear Organization, Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, Division of Basic Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Heankel Lyons
- Laboratory of Nuclear Organization, Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, Division of Basic Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Akansha M. Shah
- Department of Molecular Biology, Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Reshma T. Veettil
- Laboratory of Nuclear Organization, Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, Division of Basic Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Kenian Chen
- Quantitative Biomedical Research Center, Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Prashant Pradhan
- Laboratory of Nuclear Organization, Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, Division of Basic Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Svetlana Bezprozvannaya
- Department of Molecular Biology, Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Lin Xu
- Quantitative Biomedical Research Center, Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Ning Liu
- Department of Molecular Biology, Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Eric N. Olson
- Department of Molecular Biology, Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Benjamin R. Sabari
- Department of Molecular Biology, Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Laboratory of Nuclear Organization, Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, Division of Basic Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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32
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Sundaravadivelu Devarajan D, Wang J, Szała-Mendyk B, Rekhi S, Nikoubashman A, Kim YC, Mittal J. Sequence-dependent material properties of biomolecular condensates and their relation to dilute phase conformations. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1912. [PMID: 38429263 PMCID: PMC10907393 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46223-w] [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: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Material properties of phase-separated biomolecular condensates, enriched with disordered proteins, dictate many cellular functions. Contrary to the progress made in understanding the sequence-dependent phase separation of proteins, little is known about the sequence determinants of condensate material properties. Using the hydropathy scale and Martini models, we computationally decipher these relationships for charge-rich disordered protein condensates. Our computations yield dynamical, rheological, and interfacial properties of condensates that are quantitatively comparable with experimentally characterized condensates. Interestingly, we find that the material properties of model and natural proteins respond similarly to charge segregation, despite different sequence compositions. Molecular interactions within the condensates closely resemble those within the single-chain ensembles. Consequently, the material properties strongly correlate with molecular contact dynamics and single-chain structural properties. We demonstrate the potential to harness the sequence characteristics of disordered proteins for predicting and engineering the material properties of functional condensates, with insights from the dilute phase properties.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jiahui Wang
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Beata Szała-Mendyk
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Shiv Rekhi
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Arash Nikoubashman
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, 01069, Dresden, Germany
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069, Dresden, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany
| | - Young C Kim
- Center for Materials Physics and Technology, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, 20375, USA
| | - Jeetain Mittal
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics and Genomics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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33
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Holehouse AS, Kragelund BB. The molecular basis for cellular function of intrinsically disordered protein regions. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2024; 25:187-211. [PMID: 37957331 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-023-00673-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered protein regions exist in a collection of dynamic interconverting conformations that lack a stable 3D structure. These regions are structurally heterogeneous, ubiquitous and found across all kingdoms of life. Despite the absence of a defined 3D structure, disordered regions are essential for cellular processes ranging from transcriptional control and cell signalling to subcellular organization. Through their conformational malleability and adaptability, disordered regions extend the repertoire of macromolecular interactions and are readily tunable by their structural and chemical context, making them ideal responders to regulatory cues. Recent work has led to major advances in understanding the link between protein sequence and conformational behaviour in disordered regions, yet the link between sequence and molecular function is less well defined. Here we consider the biochemical and biophysical foundations that underlie how and why disordered regions can engage in productive cellular functions, provide examples of emerging concepts and discuss how protein disorder contributes to intracellular information processing and regulation of cellular function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex S Holehouse
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
- Center for Biomolecular Condensates, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Birthe B Kragelund
- REPIN, Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Kilgore HR, Mikhael PG, Overholt KJ, Boija A, Hannett NM, Van Dongen C, Lee TI, Chang YT, Barzilay R, Young RA. Distinct chemical environments in biomolecular condensates. Nat Chem Biol 2024; 20:291-301. [PMID: 37770698 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-023-01432-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Diverse mechanisms have been described for selective enrichment of biomolecules in membrane-bound organelles, but less is known about mechanisms by which molecules are selectively incorporated into biomolecular assemblies such as condensates that lack surrounding membranes. The chemical environments within condensates may differ from those outside these bodies, and if these differed among various types of condensate, then the different solvation environments would provide a mechanism for selective distribution among these intracellular bodies. Here we use small molecule probes to show that different condensates have distinct chemical solvating properties and that selective partitioning of probes in condensates can be predicted with deep learning approaches. Our results demonstrate that different condensates harbor distinct chemical environments that influence the distribution of molecules, show that clues to condensate chemical grammar can be ascertained by machine learning and suggest approaches to facilitate development of small molecule therapeutics with optimal subcellular distribution and therapeutic benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry R Kilgore
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Peter G Mikhael
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Jameel Clinic, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kalon J Overholt
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ann Boija
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nancy M Hannett
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Tong Ihn Lee
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Young-Tae Chang
- Department of Chemistry, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Republic of Korea
| | - Regina Barzilay
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Jameel Clinic, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Richard A Young
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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35
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Stortz M, Presman DM, Levi V. Transcriptional condensates: a blessing or a curse for gene regulation? Commun Biol 2024; 7:187. [PMID: 38365945 PMCID: PMC10873363 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-05892-5] [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: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Whether phase-separation is involved in the organization of the transcriptional machinery and if it aids or inhibits the transcriptional process is a matter of intense debate. In this Mini Review, we will cover the current knowledge regarding the role of transcriptional condensates on gene expression regulation. We will summarize the latest discoveries on the relationship between condensate formation, genome organization, and transcriptional activity, focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of the experimental approaches used to interrogate these aspects of transcription in living cells. Finally, we will discuss the challenges for future research.
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Grants
- PICT 2020-00818 Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation, Argentina | Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (National Agency for Science and Technology, Argentina)
- PICT-2018-1921 Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation, Argentina | Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (National Agency for Science and Technology, Argentina)
- PICT 2019-0397 Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation, Argentina | Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (National Agency for Science and Technology, Argentina)
- 20020190100101BA University of Buenos Aires | Secretaría de Ciencia y Técnica, Universidad de Buenos Aires (Secretaría de Ciencia y Técnica de la Universidad de Buenos Aires)
- 2022-11220210100212CO Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (National Scientific and Technical Research Council)
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Stortz
- Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1428EGA, Argentina
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Diego M Presman
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Buenos Aires, C1428EGA, Argentina.
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1428EGA, Argentina.
| | - Valeria Levi
- Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1428EGA, Argentina.
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1428EGA, Argentina.
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36
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Kawasaki K, Fukaya T. Regulatory landscape of enhancer-mediated transcriptional activation. Trends Cell Biol 2024:S0962-8924(24)00020-5. [PMID: 38355349 DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2024.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Enhancers are noncoding regulatory elements that instruct spatial and temporal specificity of gene transcription in response to a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic signals during development. Although it has long been postulated that enhancers physically interact with target promoters through the formation of stable loops, recent studies have changed this static view: sequence-specific transcription factors (TFs) and coactivators are dynamically recruited to enhancers and assemble so-called transcription hubs. Dynamic assembly of transcription hubs appears to serve as a key scaffold to integrate regulatory information encoded by surrounding genome and biophysical properties of transcription machineries. In this review, we outline emerging new models of transcriptional regulation by enhancers and discuss future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koji Kawasaki
- Laboratory of Transcription Dynamics, Research Center for Biological Visualization, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - Takashi Fukaya
- Laboratory of Transcription Dynamics, Research Center for Biological Visualization, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan; Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
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37
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Subramanya AR, Boyd-Shiwarski CR. Molecular Crowding: Physiologic Sensing and Control. Annu Rev Physiol 2024; 86:429-452. [PMID: 37931170 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-physiol-042222-025920] [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] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
The cytoplasm is densely packed with molecules that contribute to its nonideal behavior. Cytosolic crowding influences chemical reaction rates, intracellular water mobility, and macromolecular complex formation. Overcrowding is potentially catastrophic; to counteract this problem, cells have evolved acute and chronic homeostatic mechanisms that optimize cellular crowdedness. Here, we provide a physiology-focused overview of molecular crowding, highlighting contemporary advances in our understanding of its sensing and control. Long hypothesized as a form of crowding-induced microcompartmentation, phase separation allows cells to detect and respond to intracellular crowding through the action of biomolecular condensates, as indicated by recent studies. Growing evidence indicates that crowding is closely tied to cell size and fluid volume, homeostatic responses to physical compression and desiccation, tissue architecture, circadian rhythm, aging, transepithelial transport, and total body electrolyte and water balance. Thus, molecular crowding is a fundamental physiologic parameter that impacts diverse functions extending from molecule to organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arohan R Subramanya
- Renal-Electrolyte Division, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; ,
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Pittsburgh Center for Kidney Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Cary R Boyd-Shiwarski
- Renal-Electrolyte Division, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; ,
- Pittsburgh Center for Kidney Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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38
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Davis RB, Supakar A, Ranganath AK, Moosa MM, Banerjee PR. Heterotypic interactions can drive selective co-condensation of prion-like low-complexity domains of FET proteins and mammalian SWI/SNF complex. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1168. [PMID: 38326345 PMCID: PMC10850361 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44945-5] [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: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Prion-like domains (PLDs) are low-complexity protein sequences enriched within nucleic acid-binding proteins including those involved in transcription and RNA processing. PLDs of FUS and EWSR1 play key roles in recruiting chromatin remodeler mammalian SWI/SNF (mSWI/SNF) complex to oncogenic FET fusion protein condensates. Here, we show that disordered low-complexity domains of multiple SWI/SNF subunits are prion-like with a strong propensity to undergo intracellular phase separation. These PLDs engage in sequence-specific heterotypic interactions with the PLD of FUS in the dilute phase at sub-saturation conditions, leading to the formation of PLD co-condensates. In the dense phase, homotypic and heterotypic PLD interactions are highly cooperative, resulting in the co-mixing of individual PLD phases and forming spatially homogeneous condensates. Heterotypic PLD-mediated positive cooperativity in protein-protein interaction networks is likely to play key roles in the co-phase separation of mSWI/SNF complex with transcription factors containing homologous low-complexity domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richoo B Davis
- Department of Physics, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Anushka Supakar
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | | | | | - Priya R Banerjee
- Department of Physics, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
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39
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Ingersoll S, Trouth A, Luo X, Espinoza A, Wen J, Tucker J, Astatike K, Phiel CJ, Kutateladze TG, Wu TP, Ramachandran S, Ren X. Sparse CBX2 nucleates many Polycomb proteins to promote facultative heterochromatinization of Polycomb target genes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.05.578969. [PMID: 38370615 PMCID: PMC10871256 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.05.578969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Facultative heterochromatinization of genomic regulators by Polycomb repressive complex (PRC) 1 and 2 is essential in development and differentiation; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain obscure. Using genetic engineering, molecular approaches, and live-cell single-molecule imaging, we quantify the number of proteins within condensates formed through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and find that in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), approximately 3 CBX2 proteins nucleate many PRC1 and PRC2 subunits to form one non-stoichiometric condensate. We demonstrate that sparse CBX2 prevents Polycomb proteins from migrating to constitutive heterochromatin, demarcates the spatial boundaries of facultative heterochromatin, controls the deposition of H3K27me3, regulates transcription, and impacts cellular differentiation. Furthermore, we show that LLPS of CBX2 is required for the demarcation and deposition of H3K27me3 and is essential for cellular differentiation. Our findings uncover new functional roles of LLPS in the formation of facultative heterochromatin and unravel a new mechanism by which low-abundant proteins nucleate many other proteins to form compartments that enable them to execute their functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Ingersoll
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA
| | - Abby Trouth
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Xinlong Luo
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Axel Espinoza
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA
| | - Joey Wen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA
| | - Joseph Tucker
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA
| | - Kalkidan Astatike
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA
| | - Christopher J. Phiel
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA
| | - Tatiana G. Kutateladze
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Tao P. Wu
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Srinivas Ramachandran
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
- RNA Bioscience Initiative, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Xiaojun Ren
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA
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40
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Wang Z, Ren B. Role of H3K4 monomethylation in gene regulation. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2024; 84:102153. [PMID: 38278054 PMCID: PMC11065453 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2024.102153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Methylation of histone H3 on the lysine-4 residue (H3K4me) is found throughout the eukaryotic domain, and its initial discovery as a conserved epigenetic mark of active transcription from yeast to mammalian cells has contributed to the histone code hypothesis. However, recent studies have raised questions on whether the different forms of H3K4me play a direct role in gene regulation or are simply by-products of the transcription process. Here, we review the often-conflicting experimental evidence, focusing on the monomethylation of lysine 4 on histone H3 that has been linked to the transcriptional state of enhancers in metazoans. We suggest that this epigenetic mark acts in a context-dependent manner to directly facilitate the transcriptional output of the genome and the establishment of cellular identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoning Wang
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA. https://twitter.com/@ZhaoningWang
| | - Bing Ren
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA; Center for Epigenomics, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA; Institute of Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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41
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Tesei G, Trolle AI, Jonsson N, Betz J, Knudsen FE, Pesce F, Johansson KE, Lindorff-Larsen K. Conformational ensembles of the human intrinsically disordered proteome. Nature 2024; 626:897-904. [PMID: 38297118 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-07004-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins and regions (collectively, IDRs) are pervasive across proteomes in all kingdoms of life, help to shape biological functions and are involved in numerous diseases. IDRs populate a diverse set of transiently formed structures and defy conventional sequence-structure-function relationships1. Developments in protein science have made it possible to predict the three-dimensional structures of folded proteins at the proteome scale2. By contrast, there is a lack of knowledge about the conformational properties of IDRs, partly because the sequences of disordered proteins are poorly conserved and also because only a few of these proteins have been characterized experimentally. The inability to predict structural properties of IDRs across the proteome has limited our understanding of the functional roles of IDRs and how evolution shapes them. As a supplement to previous structural studies of individual IDRs3, we developed an efficient molecular model to generate conformational ensembles of IDRs and thereby to predict their conformational properties from sequences4,5. Here we use this model to simulate nearly all of the IDRs in the human proteome. Examining conformational ensembles of 28,058 IDRs, we show how chain compaction is correlated with cellular function and localization. We provide insights into how sequence features relate to chain compaction and, using a machine-learning model trained on our simulation data, show the conservation of conformational properties across orthologues. Our results recapitulate observations from previous studies of individual protein systems and exemplify how to link-at the proteome scale-conformational ensembles with cellular function and localization, amino acid sequence, evolutionary conservation and disease variants. Our freely available database of conformational properties will encourage further experimental investigation and enable the generation of hypotheses about the biological roles and evolution of IDRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Tesei
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory, Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Anna Ida Trolle
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory, Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nicolas Jonsson
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory, Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Johannes Betz
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory, Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Frederik E Knudsen
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory, Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Francesco Pesce
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory, Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristoffer E Johansson
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory, Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kresten Lindorff-Larsen
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory, Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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42
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Sipko EL, Chappell GF, Berlow RB. Multivalency emerges as a common feature of intrinsically disordered protein interactions. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2024; 84:102742. [PMID: 38096754 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2023.102742] [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: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) use their unique molecular properties and conformational plasticity to interact with cellular partners in a wide variety of biological contexts. Multivalency is an important feature of IDPs that allows for utilization of an expanded toolkit for interactions with other macromolecules and confers additional complexity to molecular recognition processes. Recent studies have offered insights into how multivalent interactions of IDPs enable responsive and sensitive regulation in the context of transcription and cellular signaling. Multivalency is also widely recognized as an important feature of IDP interactions that mediate formation of biomolecular condensates. We highlight recent examples of multivalent interactions of IDPs across diverse contexts to illustrate the breadth of biological processes that utilize multivalency in molecular interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily L Sipko
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Garrett F Chappell
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Rebecca B Berlow
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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43
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Devarajan DS, Wang J, Szała-Mendyk B, Rekhi S, Nikoubashman A, Kim YC, Mittal J. Sequence-Dependent Material Properties of Biomolecular Codensates and their Relation to Dilute Phase Conformations. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.05.09.540038. [PMID: 37215004 PMCID: PMC10197689 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.09.540038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Material properties of phase-separated biomolecular assemblies, enriched with disordered proteins, dictate their ability to participate in many cellular functions. Despite the significant effort dedicated to understanding how the sequence of the disordered protein drives its phase separation to form condensates, little is known about the sequence determinants of condensate material properties. Here, we computationally decipher these relationships for charged disordered proteins using model sequences comprised of glutamic acid and lysine residues as well as naturally occurring sequences of LAF1's RGG domain and DDX4's N-terminal domain. We do so by delineating how the arrangement of oppositely charged residues within these sequences influences the dynamical, rheological, and interfacial properties of the condensed phase through equilibrium and non-equilibrium molecular simulations using the hydropathy scale and Martini models. Our computations yield material properties that are quantitatively comparable with experimentally characterized condensate systems. Interestingly, we find that the material properties of both the model and natural proteins respond similarly to the segregation of charges, despite their very different sequence compositions. Condensates of the highly charge-segregated sequences exhibit slower dynamics than the uniformly charge-patterned sequences, because of their comparatively long-lived molecular contacts between oppositely charged residues. Surprisingly, the molecular interactions within the condensate are highly similar to those within a single-chain for all sequences. Consequently, the condensate material properties of charged disordered proteins are strongly correlated with their dense phase contact dynamics and their single-chain structural properties. Our findings demonstrate the potential to harness the sequence characteristics of disordered proteins for predicting and engineering the material properties of functional condensates, with insights from the dilute phase properties.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jiahui Wang
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Beata Szała-Mendyk
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Shiv Rekhi
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | - Arash Nikoubashman
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Young C. Kim
- Center for Materials Physics and Technology, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, United States
| | - Jeetain Mittal
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics and Genomics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
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Ji D, Shao C, Yu J, Hou Y, Gao X, Wu Y, Wang L, Chen P. FOXA1 forms biomolecular condensates that unpack condensed chromatin to function as a pioneer factor. Mol Cell 2024; 84:244-260.e7. [PMID: 38101414 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Eukaryotic DNA is packaged into chromatin in the nucleus, restricting the binding of transcription factors (TFs) to their target DNA sites. FOXA1 functions as a pioneer TF to bind condensed chromatin and initiate the opening of local chromatin for gene expression. However, the principles of FOXA1 recruitment and how it subsequently unpacks the condensed chromatin remain elusive. Here, we revealed that FOXA1 intrinsically forms submicron-sized condensates through its N- and C-terminal intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). Notably, both IDRs enable FOXA1 to dissolve the condensed chromatin. In addition, the DNA-binding capacity of FOXA1 contributes to its ability to both form condensates and dissolve condensed chromatin. Further genome-wide investigation showed that IDRs enable FOXA1 to bind and unpack the condensed chromatin to regulate the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells. This work provides a principle of how pioneer TFs function to initiate competent chromatin states using their IDRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dengyu Ji
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory for Tumor Invasion and Metastasis, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Changrong Shao
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory for Tumor Invasion and Metastasis, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Juan Yu
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yaoyao Hou
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Xiao Gao
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory for Tumor Invasion and Metastasis, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Yichuan Wu
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory for Tumor Invasion and Metastasis, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Liang Wang
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Ping Chen
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory for Tumor Invasion and Metastasis, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China; National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
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Wang J, Devarajan DS, Kim YC, Nikoubashman A, Mittal J. Sequence-Dependent Conformational Transitions of Disordered Proteins During Condensation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.11.575294. [PMID: 38260590 PMCID: PMC10802556 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.11.575294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) can form biomolecular condensates through phase separation. It is recognized that the conformation of IDPs in the dense and dilute phases as well as at the interfaces of condensates can critically impact the resulting properties associated with their functionality. However, a comprehensive understanding of the conformational transitions of IDPs during condensation remains elusive. In this study, we employ a coarse-grained polyampholyte model, comprising an equal number of oppositely charged residues-glutamic acid and lysine-whereby conformations and phase behavior can be readily tuned by altering the protein sequence. By manipulating the sequence patterns from perfectly alternating to block-like, we obtain chains with ideal-like conformations to semi-compact structures in the dilute phase, while in the dense phase, the chain conformation is approximately that of an ideal chain, irrespective of the protein sequence. By performing simulations at different concentrations, we find that the chains assemble from the dilute phase through small oligomeric clusters to the dense phase, accompanied by a gradual swelling of the individual chains. We further demonstrate that these findings are applicable to several naturally occurring proteins involved in the formation of biological condensates. Concurrently, we delve deeper into the chain conformations within the condensate, revealing that chains at the interface show a strong sequence dependence, but remain more collapsed than those in the bulk-like dense phase. This study addresses critical gaps in our knowledge of IDP conformations within condensates as a function of protein sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahui Wang
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
| | | | - Young C. Kim
- Center for Materials Physics and Technology, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, United States
| | - Arash Nikoubashman
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Jeetain Mittal
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics and Genomics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
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Lu F, Park BJ, Fujiwara R, Wilusz JE, Gilmour DS, Lehmann R, Lionnet T. Integrator-mediated clustering of poised RNA polymerase II synchronizes histone transcription. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.07.561364. [PMID: 37873455 PMCID: PMC10592978 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.07.561364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Numerous components of the transcription machinery, including RNA polymerase II (Pol II), accumulate in regions of high local concentration known as clusters, which are thought to facilitate transcription. Using the histone locus of Drosophila nurse cells as a model, we find that Pol II forms long-lived, transcriptionally poised clusters distinct from liquid droplets, which contain unbound and paused Pol II. Depletion of the Integrator complex endonuclease module, but not its phosphatase module or Pol II pausing factors disperses these Pol II clusters. Consequently, histone transcription fails to reach peak levels during S-phase and aberrantly continues throughout the cell cycle. We propose that Pol II clustering is a regulatory step occurring near promoters that limits rapid gene activation to defined times. One Sentence Summary Using the Drosophila histone locus as a model, we show that clustered RNA polymerase II is poised for synchronous activation.
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Zhang Q, Kim W, Panina S, Mayfield JE, Portz B, Zhang YJ. Variation of C-terminal domain governs RNA polymerase II genomic locations and alternative splicing in eukaryotic transcription. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.01.573828. [PMID: 38260389 PMCID: PMC10802280 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.01.573828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
The C-terminal domain of RPB1 (CTD) orchestrates transcription by recruiting regulators to RNA Pol II upon phosphorylation. Recent insights highlight the pivotal role of CTD in driving condensate formation on gene loci. Yet, the molecular mechanism behind how CTD-mediated recruitment of transcriptional regulators influences condensates formation remains unclear. Our study unveils that phosphorylation reversibly dissolves phase separation induced by the unphosphorylated CTD. Phosphorylated CTD, upon specific association with transcription regulatory proteins, forms distinct condensates from unphosphorylated CTD. Function studies demonstrate CTD variants with diverse condensation properties in vitro exhibit difference in promoter binding and mRNA co-processing in cells. Notably, varying CTD lengths lead to alternative splicing outcomes impacting cellular growth, linking the evolution of CTD variation/length with the complexity of splicing from yeast to human. These findings provide compelling evidence for a model wherein post-translational modification enables the transition of functionally specialized condensates, highlighting a co-evolution link between CTD condensation and splicing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Zhang
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, 78712
| | - Wantae Kim
- McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, 78712
| | - Svetlana Panina
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, 78712
| | - Joshua E. Mayfield
- Department of Pharmacology, Chemistry, and Biochemistry, and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093
| | - Bede Portz
- Dewpoint Therapeutics, 451 D Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210
| | - Y. Jessie Zhang
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, 78712
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Aryan F, Detrés D, Luo CC, Kim SX, Shah AN, Bartusel M, Flynn RA, Calo E. Nucleolus activity-dependent recruitment and biomolecular condensation by pH sensing. Mol Cell 2023; 83:4413-4423.e10. [PMID: 37979585 PMCID: PMC10803072 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.10.031] [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: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
DEAD-box ATPases are major regulators of biomolecular condensates and orchestrate diverse biochemical processes that are critical for the functioning of cells. How DEAD-box proteins are selectively recruited to their respective biomolecular condensates is unknown. We explored this in the context of the nucleolus and DEAD-box protein DDX21. We find that the pH of the nucleolus is intricately linked to the transcriptional activity of the organelle and facilitates the recruitment and condensation of DDX21. We identify an evolutionarily conserved feature of the C terminus of DDX21 responsible for nucleolar localization. This domain is essential for zebrafish development, and its intrinsically disordered and isoelectric properties are necessary and sufficient for the ability of DDX21 to respond to changes in pH and form condensates. Molecularly, the enzymatic activities of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases contribute to maintaining the nucleolar pH and, consequently, DDX21 recruitment and nucleolar partitioning. These observations reveal an activity-dependent physicochemical mechanism for the selective recruitment of biochemical activities to biomolecular condensates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fardin Aryan
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Diego Detrés
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Claire C Luo
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Skylar X Kim
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Arish N Shah
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Michaela Bartusel
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Ryan A Flynn
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Eliezer Calo
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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McConnell BS, Parker MW. Protein intrinsically disordered regions have a non-random, modular architecture. Bioinformatics 2023; 39:btad732. [PMID: 38039154 PMCID: PMC10719218 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btad732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION Protein sequences can be broadly categorized into two classes: those which adopt stable secondary structure and fold into a domain (i.e. globular proteins), and those that do not. The sequences belonging to this latter class are conformationally heterogeneous and are described as being intrinsically disordered. Decades of investigation into the structure and function of globular proteins has resulted in a suite of computational tools that enable their sub-classification by domain type, an approach that has revolutionized how we understand and predict protein functionality. Conversely, it is unknown if sequences of disordered protein regions are subject to broadly generalizable organizational principles that would enable their sub-classification. RESULTS Here, we report the development of a statistical approach that quantifies linear variance in amino acid composition across a sequence. With multiple examples, we provide evidence that intrinsically disordered regions are organized into statistically non-random modules of unique compositional bias. Modularity is observed for both low and high-complexity sequences and, in some cases, we find that modules are organized in repetitive patterns. These data demonstrate that disordered sequences are non-randomly organized into modular architectures and motivate future experiments to comprehensively classify module types and to determine the degree to which modules constitute functionally separable units analogous to the domains of globular proteins. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION The source code, documentation, and data to reproduce all figures are freely available at https://github.com/MWPlabUTSW/Chi-Score-Analysis.git. The analysis is also available as a Google Colab Notebook (https://colab.research.google.com/github/MWPlabUTSW/Chi-Score-Analysis/blob/main/ChiScore_Analysis.ipynb).
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan S McConnell
- Department of Biophysics, , University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75235, United States
| | - Matthew W Parker
- Department of Biophysics, , University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75235, United States
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Dall'Agnese A, Young R. Regulatory architecture of cell identity genes and housekeeping genes. Trends Cell Biol 2023; 33:1010-1013. [PMID: 37775397 PMCID: PMC10873096 DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2023.08.007] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Gene regulation and chromosome architecture are intimately linked. Genes with prominent roles in cell identity are often regulated by clusters of enhancer elements. By contrast, a recent study shows housekeeping genes are often regulated through clustering of promoters. We discuss here new regulatory insights for these two types of genes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard Young
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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