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Freund MM, Harrison MM, Torres-Zelada EF. Exploring the reciprocity between pioneer factors and development. Development 2024; 151:dev201921. [PMID: 38958075 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201921] [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: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Development is regulated by coordinated changes in gene expression. Control of these changes in expression is largely governed by the binding of transcription factors to specific regulatory elements. However, the packaging of DNA into chromatin prevents the binding of many transcription factors. Pioneer factors overcome this barrier owing to unique properties that enable them to bind closed chromatin, promote accessibility and, in so doing, mediate binding of additional factors that activate gene expression. Because of these properties, pioneer factors act at the top of gene-regulatory networks and drive developmental transitions. Despite the ability to bind target motifs in closed chromatin, pioneer factors have cell type-specific chromatin occupancy and activity. Thus, developmental context clearly shapes pioneer-factor function. Here, we discuss this reciprocal interplay between pioneer factors and development: how pioneer factors control changes in cell fate and how cellular environment influences pioneer-factor binding and activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan M Freund
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 52706, USA
| | - Melissa M Harrison
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 52706, USA
| | - Eliana F Torres-Zelada
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 52706, USA
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2
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Yu H, Zhao J, Shen Y, Qiao L, Liu Y, Xie G, Chang S, Ge T, Li N, Chen M, Li H, Zhang J, Wang X. The dynamic landscape of enhancer-derived RNA during mouse early embryo development. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114077. [PMID: 38592974 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114077] [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: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Enhancer-derived RNAs (eRNAs) play critical roles in diverse biological processes by facilitating their target gene expression. However, the abundance and function of eRNAs in early embryos are not clear. Here, we present a comprehensive eRNA atlas by systematically integrating publicly available datasets of mouse early embryos. We characterize the transcriptional and regulatory network of eRNAs and show that different embryo developmental stages have distinct eRNA expression and regulatory profiles. Paternal eRNAs are activated asymmetrically during zygotic genome activation (ZGA). Moreover, we identify an eRNA, MZGAe1, which plays an important function in regulating mouse ZGA and early embryo development. MZGAe1 knockdown leads to a developmental block from 2-cell embryo to blastocyst. We create an online data portal, M2ED2, to query and visualize eRNA expression and regulation. Our study thus provides a systematic landscape of eRNA and reveals the important role of eRNAs in regulating mouse early embryo development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Yu
- Westlake Genomics and Bioinformatics Lab, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310024, China; School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China; Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou 310024, China; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China; The First Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China; Institute of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China.
| | - Jing Zhao
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Yuxuan Shen
- Center of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, and Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Lu Qiao
- Westlake Genomics and Bioinformatics Lab, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310024, China; School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China; Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Yuheng Liu
- HPC Center, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Guanglei Xie
- Westlake Genomics and Bioinformatics Lab, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310024, China; School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China; Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Shuhui Chang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China
| | - Tingying Ge
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China
| | - Nan Li
- HPC Center, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Ming Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Hu Li
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55904, USA
| | - Jin Zhang
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 311121, China; Center of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, and Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.
| | - Xi Wang
- Westlake Genomics and Bioinformatics Lab, Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310024, China; School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China; Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou 310024, China.
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3
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Abnizova I, Stapel C, Boekhorst RT, Lee JTH, Hemberg M. Integrative analysis of transcriptomic and epigenomic data reveals distinct patterns for developmental and housekeeping gene regulation. BMC Biol 2024; 22:78. [PMID: 38600550 PMCID: PMC11005181 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01869-2] [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: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Regulation of transcription is central to the emergence of new cell types during development, and it often involves activation of genes via proximal and distal regulatory regions. The activity of regulatory elements is determined by transcription factors (TFs) and epigenetic marks, but despite extensive mapping of such patterns, the extraction of regulatory principles remains challenging. RESULTS Here we study differentially and similarly expressed genes along with their associated epigenomic profiles, chromatin accessibility and DNA methylation, during lineage specification at gastrulation in mice. Comparison of the three lineages allows us to identify genomic and epigenomic features that distinguish the two classes of genes. We show that differentially expressed genes are primarily regulated by distal elements, while similarly expressed genes are controlled by proximal housekeeping regulatory programs. Differentially expressed genes are relatively isolated within topologically associated domains, while similarly expressed genes tend to be located in gene clusters. Transcription of differentially expressed genes is associated with differentially open chromatin at distal elements including enhancers, while that of similarly expressed genes is associated with ubiquitously accessible chromatin at promoters. CONCLUSION Based on these associations of (linearly) distal genes' transcription start sites (TSSs) and putative enhancers for developmental genes, our findings allow us to link putative enhancers to their target promoters and to infer lineage-specific repertoires of putative driver transcription factors, within which we define subgroups of pioneers and co-operators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Abnizova
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Carine Stapel
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Martin Hemberg
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK.
- The Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
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4
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Smiley KO, Munley KM, Aghi K, Lipshutz SE, Patton TM, Pradhan DS, Solomon-Lane TK, Sun SED. Sex diversity in the 21st century: Concepts, frameworks, and approaches for the future of neuroendocrinology. Horm Behav 2024; 157:105445. [PMID: 37979209 PMCID: PMC10842816 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
Sex is ubiquitous and variable throughout the animal kingdom. Historically, scientists have used reductionist methodologies that rely on a priori sex categorizations, in which two discrete sexes are inextricably linked with gamete type. However, this binarized operationalization does not adequately reflect the diversity of sex observed in nature. This is due, in part, to the fact that sex exists across many levels of biological analysis, including genetic, molecular, cellular, morphological, behavioral, and population levels. Furthermore, the biological mechanisms governing sex are embedded in complex networks that dynamically interact with other systems. To produce the most accurate and scientifically rigorous work examining sex in neuroendocrinology and to capture the full range of sex variability and diversity present in animal systems, we must critically assess the frameworks, experimental designs, and analytical methods used in our research. In this perspective piece, we first propose a new conceptual framework to guide the integrative study of sex. Then, we provide practical guidance on research approaches for studying sex-associated variables, including factors to consider in study design, selection of model organisms, experimental methodologies, and statistical analyses. We invite fellow scientists to conscientiously apply these modernized approaches to advance our biological understanding of sex and to encourage academically and socially responsible outcomes of our work. By expanding our conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches to the study of sex, we will gain insight into the unique ways that sex exists across levels of biological organization to produce the vast array of variability and diversity observed in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina O Smiley
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 639 North Pleasant Street, Morrill IVN Neuroscience, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
| | - Kathleen M Munley
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 3695 Cullen Boulevard, Houston, TX 77204, USA.
| | - Krisha Aghi
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
| | - Sara E Lipshutz
- Department of Biology, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
| | - Tessa M Patton
- Bioinformatics Program, Loyola University Chicago, 1032 West Sheridan Road, LSB 317, Chicago, IL 60660, USA.
| | - Devaleena S Pradhan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, 921 South 8th Avenue, Mail Stop 8007, Pocatello, ID 83209, USA.
| | - Tessa K Solomon-Lane
- Scripps, Pitzer, Claremont McKenna Colleges, 925 North Mills Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711, USA.
| | - Simón E D Sun
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.
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5
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Phelps WA, Hurton MD, Ayers TN, Carlson AE, Rosenbaum JC, Lee MT. Hybridization led to a rewired pluripotency network in the allotetraploid Xenopus laevis. eLife 2023; 12:e83952. [PMID: 37787392 PMCID: PMC10569791 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83952] [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: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
After fertilization, maternally contributed factors to the egg initiate the transition to pluripotency to give rise to embryonic stem cells, in large part by activating de novo transcription from the embryonic genome. Diverse mechanisms coordinate this transition across animals, suggesting that pervasive regulatory remodeling has shaped the earliest stages of development. Here, we show that maternal homologs of mammalian pluripotency reprogramming factors OCT4 and SOX2 divergently activate the two subgenomes of Xenopus laevis, an allotetraploid that arose from hybridization of two diploid species ~18 million years ago. Although most genes have been retained as two homeologous copies, we find that a majority of them undergo asymmetric activation in the early embryo. Chromatin accessibility profiling and CUT&RUN for modified histones and transcription factor binding reveal extensive differences in predicted enhancer architecture between the subgenomes, which likely arose through genomic disruptions as a consequence of allotetraploidy. However, comparison with diploid X. tropicalis and zebrafish shows broad conservation of embryonic gene expression levels when divergent homeolog contributions are combined, implying strong selection to maintain dosage in the core vertebrate pluripotency transcriptional program, amid genomic instability following hybridization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley A Phelps
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Matthew D Hurton
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Taylor N Ayers
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Anne E Carlson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Joel C Rosenbaum
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Miler T Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
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6
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Kravchuk EV, Ashniev GA, Gladkova MG, Orlov AV, Vasileva AV, Boldyreva AV, Burenin AG, Skirda AM, Nikitin PI, Orlova NN. Experimental Validation and Prediction of Super-Enhancers: Advances and Challenges. Cells 2023; 12:cells12081191. [PMID: 37190100 DOI: 10.3390/cells12081191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Super-enhancers (SEs) are cis-regulatory elements of the human genome that have been widely discussed since the discovery and origin of the term. Super-enhancers have been shown to be strongly associated with the expression of genes crucial for cell differentiation, cell stability maintenance, and tumorigenesis. Our goal was to systematize research studies dedicated to the investigation of structure and functions of super-enhancers as well as to define further perspectives of the field in various applications, such as drug development and clinical use. We overviewed the fundamental studies which provided experimental data on various pathologies and their associations with particular super-enhancers. The analysis of mainstream approaches for SE search and prediction allowed us to accumulate existing data and propose directions for further algorithmic improvements of SEs' reliability levels and efficiency. Thus, here we provide the description of the most robust algorithms such as ROSE, imPROSE, and DEEPSEN and suggest their further use for various research and development tasks. The most promising research direction, which is based on topic and number of published studies, are cancer-associated super-enhancers and prospective SE-targeted therapy strategies, most of which are discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina V Kravchuk
- Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 38 Vavilov St., 119991 Moscow, Russia
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskiye Gory, MSU, 1-12, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - German A Ashniev
- Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 38 Vavilov St., 119991 Moscow, Russia
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskiye Gory, MSU, 1-12, 119991 Moscow, Russia
- Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, GSP-1, Leninskiye Gory, MSU, 1-73, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Marina G Gladkova
- Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, GSP-1, Leninskiye Gory, MSU, 1-73, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexey V Orlov
- Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 38 Vavilov St., 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Anastasiia V Vasileva
- Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 38 Vavilov St., 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Anna V Boldyreva
- Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 38 Vavilov St., 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexandr G Burenin
- Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 38 Vavilov St., 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Artemiy M Skirda
- Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 38 Vavilov St., 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Petr I Nikitin
- Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 38 Vavilov St., 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Natalia N Orlova
- Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 38 Vavilov St., 119991 Moscow, Russia
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7
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Zhou JJ, Cho KWY. Epigenomic dynamics of early Xenopus Embryos. Dev Growth Differ 2022; 64:508-516. [PMID: 36168140 PMCID: PMC10550391 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12813] [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: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
How the embryonic genome regulates accessibility to transcription factors is one of the major questions in understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of gene expression during embryogenesis. Epigenomic analyses of embryonic chromatin provide molecular insights into cell-specific gene activities and genomic architectures. In recent years, significant advances have been made to elucidate the dynamic changes behind the activation of the zygotic genome in various model organisms. Here we provide an overview of the recent epigenomic studies pertaining to early Xenopus development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeff Jiajing Zhou
- Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Ken W Y Cho
- Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
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8
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Nair SJ, Suter T, Wang S, Yang L, Yang F, Rosenfeld MG. Transcriptional enhancers at 40: evolution of a viral DNA element to nuclear architectural structures. Trends Genet 2022; 38:1019-1047. [PMID: 35811173 PMCID: PMC9474616 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2022.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Gene regulation by transcriptional enhancers is the dominant mechanism driving cell type- and signal-specific transcriptional diversity in metazoans. However, over four decades since the original discovery, how enhancers operate in the nuclear space remains largely enigmatic. Recent multidisciplinary efforts combining real-time imaging, genome sequencing, and biophysical strategies provide insightful but conflicting models of enhancer-mediated gene control. Here, we review the discovery and progress in enhancer biology, emphasizing the recent findings that acutely activated enhancers assemble regulatory machinery as mesoscale architectural structures with distinct physical properties. These findings help formulate novel models that explain several mysterious features of the assembly of transcriptional enhancers and the mechanisms of spatial control of gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sreejith J Nair
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
| | - Tom Suter
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department and School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Susan Wang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department and School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Cellular and Molecular Medicine Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Lu Yang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department and School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Feng Yang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department and School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Michael G Rosenfeld
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department and School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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9
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Zhou JJ, Pham PD, Han H, Wang W, Cho KWY. Foxh1 engages in chromatin regulation revealed by protein interactome analyses. Dev Growth Differ 2022; 64:297-305. [PMID: 35848281 PMCID: PMC9474667 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Early embryonic cell fates are specified through coordinated integration of transcription factor activities and epigenetic states of the genome. Foxh1 is a key maternal transcription factor controlling the mesendodermal gene regulatory program. Proteomic interactome analyses using FOXH1 as a bait in mouse embryonic stem cells revealed that FOXH1 interacts with PRC2 subunits and HDAC1. Foxh1 physically interacts with Hdac1, and confers transcriptional repression of mesendodermal genes in Xenopus ectoderm. Our findings reveal a central role of Foxh1 in coordinating the chromatin states of the Xenopus embryonic genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeff Jiajing Zhou
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Paula Duyen Pham
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Han Han
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Wenqi Wang
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Ken W Y Cho
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.,Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
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10
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Jansen C, Paraiso KD, Zhou JJ, Blitz IL, Fish MB, Charney RM, Cho JS, Yasuoka Y, Sudou N, Bright AR, Wlizla M, Veenstra GJC, Taira M, Zorn AM, Mortazavi A, Cho KWY. Uncovering the mesendoderm gene regulatory network through multi-omic data integration. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110364. [PMID: 35172134 PMCID: PMC8917868 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Mesendodermal specification is one of the earliest events in embryogenesis, where cells first acquire distinct identities. Cell differentiation is a highly regulated process that involves the function of numerous transcription factors (TFs) and signaling molecules, which can be described with gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Cell differentiation GRNs are difficult to build because existing mechanistic methods are low throughput, and high-throughput methods tend to be non-mechanistic. Additionally, integrating highly dimensional data composed of more than two data types is challenging. Here, we use linked self-organizing maps to combine chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq)/ATAC-seq with temporal, spatial, and perturbation RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data from Xenopus tropicalis mesendoderm development to build a high-resolution genome scale mechanistic GRN. We recover both known and previously unsuspected TF-DNA/TF-TF interactions validated through reporter assays. Our analysis provides insights into transcriptional regulation of early cell fate decisions and provides a general approach to building GRNs using highly dimensional multi-omic datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camden Jansen
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Kitt D Paraiso
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Jeff J Zhou
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Ira L Blitz
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Margaret B Fish
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Rebekah M Charney
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Jin Sun Cho
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Yuuri Yasuoka
- Laboratory for Comprehensive Genomic Analysis, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Norihiro Sudou
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ann Rose Bright
- Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Marcin Wlizla
- Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Gert Jan C Veenstra
- Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Masanori Taira
- Department of Biological Sciences, Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Aaron M Zorn
- Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Ali Mortazavi
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
| | - Ken W Y Cho
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
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11
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Pluripotency factors determine gene expression repertoire at zygotic genome activation. Nat Commun 2022; 13:788. [PMID: 35145080 PMCID: PMC8831532 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28434-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Awakening of zygotic transcription in animal embryos relies on maternal pioneer transcription factors. The interplay of global and specific functions of these proteins remains poorly understood. Here, we analyze chromatin accessibility and time-resolved transcription in single and double mutant zebrafish embryos lacking pluripotency factors Pou5f3 and Sox19b. We show that two factors modify chromatin in a largely independent manner. We distinguish four types of direct enhancers by differential requirements for Pou5f3 or Sox19b. We demonstrate that changes in chromatin accessibility of enhancers underlie the changes in zygotic expression repertoire in the double mutants. Pou5f3 or Sox19b promote chromatin accessibility of enhancers linked to the genes involved in gastrulation and ventral fate specification. The genes regulating mesendodermal and dorsal fates are primed for activation independently of Pou5f3 and Sox19b. Strikingly, simultaneous loss of Pou5f3 and Sox19b leads to premature expression of genes, involved in regulation of organogenesis and differentiation. Zygotic genome activation in zebrafish relies on pluripotency transcription factors Pou5f3 and Sox19b. Here the authors investigate how these factors interact in vivo by analyzing the changes in chromatin state and time-resolved transcription in Pou5f3 and Sox19b single and double mutant embryos.
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12
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Jukam D, Kapoor RR, Straight AF, Skotheim JM. The DNA-to-cytoplasm ratio broadly activates zygotic gene expression in Xenopus. Curr Biol 2021; 31:4269-4281.e8. [PMID: 34388374 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.07.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
In multicellular animals, the first major event after fertilization is the switch from maternal to zygotic control of development. During this transition, zygotic gene transcription is broadly activated in an otherwise quiescent genome in a process known as zygotic genome activation (ZGA). In fast-developing embryos, ZGA often overlaps with the slowing of initially synchronous cell divisions at the mid-blastula transition (MBT). Initial studies of the MBT led to the nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio model where MBT timing is regulated by the exponentially increasing amounts of some nuclear component "N" titrated against a fixed cytoplasmic component "C." However, more recent experiments have been interpreted to suggest that ZGA is independent of the N/C ratio. To determine the role of the N/C ratio in ZGA, we generated Xenopus frog embryos with ∼3-fold differences in genomic DNA (i.e., N) by using X. tropicalis sperm to fertilize X. laevis eggs with or without their maternal genome. Resulting embryos have otherwise identical X. tropicalis genome template amounts, embryo sizes, and X. laevis maternal environments. We generated transcriptomic time series across the MBT in both conditions and used X. tropicalis paternally derived mRNA to identify a high-confidence set of exclusively zygotic transcripts. Both ZGA and the increase in cell-cycle duration are delayed in embryos with ∼3-fold less DNA per cell. Thus, DNA is an important component of the N/C ratio, which is a critical regulator of zygotic genome activation in Xenopus embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Jukam
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Rishabh R Kapoor
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Aaron F Straight
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Jan M Skotheim
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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13
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Larson ED, Marsh AJ, Harrison MM. Pioneering the developmental frontier. Mol Cell 2021; 81:1640-1650. [PMID: 33689750 PMCID: PMC8052302 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Coordinated changes in gene expression allow a single fertilized oocyte to develop into a complex multi-cellular organism. These changes in expression are controlled by transcription factors that gain access to discrete cis-regulatory elements in the genome, allowing them to activate gene expression. Although nucleosomes present barriers to transcription factor occupancy, pioneer transcription factors have unique properties that allow them to bind DNA in the context of nucleosomes, define cis-regulatory elements, and facilitate the subsequent binding of additional factors that determine gene expression. In this capacity, pioneer factors act at the top of gene-regulatory networks to control developmental transitions. Developmental context also influences pioneer factor binding and activity. Here we discuss the interplay between pioneer factors and development, their role in driving developmental transitions, and the influence of the cellular environment on pioneer factor binding and activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth D Larson
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Audrey J Marsh
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Melissa M Harrison
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA.
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14
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Figiel DM, Elsayed R, Nelson AC. Investigating the molecular guts of endoderm formation using zebrafish. Brief Funct Genomics 2021:elab013. [PMID: 33754635 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/elab013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate endoderm makes major contributions to the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts and all associated organs. Zebrafish and humans share a high degree of genetic homology and strikingly similar endodermal organ systems. Combined with a multitude of experimental advantages, zebrafish are an attractive model organism to study endoderm development and disease. Recent functional genomics studies have shed considerable light on the gene regulatory programs governing early zebrafish endoderm development, while advances in biological and technological approaches stand to further revolutionize our ability to investigate endoderm formation, function and disease. Here, we discuss the present understanding of endoderm specification in zebrafish compared to other vertebrates, how current and emerging methods will allow refined and enhanced analysis of endoderm formation, and how integration with human data will allow modeling of the link between non-coding sequence variants and human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela M Figiel
- Medical Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research at Warwick Medical School
| | - Randa Elsayed
- Medical Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research at Warwick Medical School
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15
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Abstract
The endoderm is the innermost germ layer that forms the linings of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, and their associated organs, during embryonic development. Xenopus embryology experiments have provided fundamental insights into how the endoderm develops in vertebrates, including the critical role of TGFβ-signaling in endoderm induction,elucidating the gene regulatory networks controlling germ layer development and the key molecular mechanisms regulating endoderm patterning and morphogenesis. With new genetic, genomic, and imaging approaches, Xenopus is now routinely used to model human disease, discover mechanisms underlying endoderm organogenesis, and inform differentiation protocols for pluripotent stem cell differentiation and regenerative medicine applications. In this chapter, we review historical and current discoveries of endoderm development in Xenopus, then provide examples of modeling human disease and congenital defects of endoderm-derived organs using Xenopus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole A Edwards
- Division of Developmental Biology, Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States.
| | - Aaron M Zorn
- Division of Developmental Biology, Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States.
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16
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Bright AR, van Genesen S, Li Q, Grasso A, Frölich S, van der Sande M, van Heeringen SJ, Veenstra GJC. Combinatorial transcription factor activities on open chromatin induce embryonic heterogeneity in vertebrates. EMBO J 2021; 40:e104913. [PMID: 33555045 PMCID: PMC8090851 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2020104913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
During vertebrate gastrulation, mesoderm is induced in pluripotent cells, concomitant with dorsal‐ventral patterning and establishing of the dorsal axis. We applied single‐cell chromatin accessibility and transcriptome analyses to explore the emergence of cellular heterogeneity during gastrulation in Xenopus tropicalis. Transcriptionally inactive lineage‐restricted genes exhibit relatively open chromatin in animal caps, whereas chromatin accessibility in dorsal marginal zone cells more closely reflects transcriptional activity. We characterized single‐cell trajectories and identified head and trunk organizer cell clusters in early gastrulae. By integrating chromatin accessibility and transcriptome data, we inferred the activity of transcription factors in single‐cell clusters and tested the activity of organizer‐expressed transcription factors in animal caps, alone or in combination. The expression profile induced by a combination of Foxb1 and Eomes most closely resembles that observed in the head organizer. Genes induced by Eomes, Otx2, or the Irx3‐Otx2 combination are enriched for maternally regulated H3K4me3 modifications, whereas Lhx8‐induced genes are marked more frequently by zygotically controlled H3K4me3. Taken together, our results show that transcription factors cooperate in a combinatorial fashion in generally open chromatin to orchestrate zygotic gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Rose Bright
- Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Siebe van Genesen
- Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Qingqing Li
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Alexia Grasso
- Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Siebren Frölich
- Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Maarten van der Sande
- Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Simon J van Heeringen
- Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Gert Jan C Veenstra
- Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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17
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Abstract
The fertilized frog egg contains all the materials needed to initiate development of a new organism, including stored RNAs and proteins deposited during oogenesis, thus the earliest stages of development do not require transcription. The onset of transcription from the zygotic genome marks the first genetic switch activating the gene regulatory network that programs embryonic development. Zygotic genome activation occurs after an initial phase of transcriptional quiescence that continues until the midblastula stage, a period called the midblastula transition, which was first identified in Xenopus. Activation of transcription is programmed by maternally supplied factors and is regulated at multiple levels. A similar switch exists in most animals and is of great interest both to developmental biologists and to those interested in understanding nuclear reprogramming. Here we review in detail our knowledge on this major switch in transcription in Xenopus and place recent discoveries in the context of a decades old problem.
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18
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Mukherjee S, Chaturvedi P, Rankin SA, Fish MB, Wlizla M, Paraiso KD, MacDonald M, Chen X, Weirauch MT, Blitz IL, Cho KW, Zorn AM. Sox17 and β-catenin co-occupy Wnt-responsive enhancers to govern the endoderm gene regulatory network. eLife 2020; 9:58029. [PMID: 32894225 PMCID: PMC7498262 DOI: 10.7554/elife.58029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Lineage specification is governed by gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that integrate the activity of signaling effectors and transcription factors (TFs) on enhancers. Sox17 is a key transcriptional regulator of definitive endoderm development, and yet, its genomic targets remain largely uncharacterized. Here, using genomic approaches and epistasis experiments, we define the Sox17-governed endoderm GRN in Xenopus gastrulae. We show that Sox17 functionally interacts with the canonical Wnt pathway to specify and pattern the endoderm while repressing alternative mesectoderm fates. Sox17 and β-catenin co-occupy hundreds of key enhancers. In some cases, Sox17 and β-catenin synergistically activate transcription apparently independent of Tcfs, whereas on other enhancers, Sox17 represses β-catenin/Tcf-mediated transcription to spatially restrict gene expression domains. Our findings establish Sox17 as a tissue-specific modifier of Wnt responses and point to a novel paradigm where genomic specificity of Wnt/β-catenin transcription is determined through functional interactions between lineage-specific Sox TFs and β-catenin/Tcf transcriptional complexes. Given the ubiquitous nature of Sox TFs and Wnt signaling, this mechanism has important implications across a diverse range of developmental and disease contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shreyasi Mukherjee
- Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM), Division of Developmental Biology, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, United States.,University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati, United States
| | - Praneet Chaturvedi
- Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM), Division of Developmental Biology, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, United States.,University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati, United States
| | - Scott A Rankin
- Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM), Division of Developmental Biology, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, United States.,University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati, United States
| | - Margaret B Fish
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States
| | - Marcin Wlizla
- Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM), Division of Developmental Biology, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, United States
| | - Kitt D Paraiso
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States.,Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States
| | - Melissa MacDonald
- Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM), Division of Developmental Biology, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, United States.,University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati, United States
| | - Xiaoting Chen
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology (CAGE), Divisions of Biomedical Informatics and Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, United States
| | - Matthew T Weirauch
- University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati, United States.,Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology (CAGE), Divisions of Biomedical Informatics and Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, United States
| | - Ira L Blitz
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States
| | - Ken Wy Cho
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States
| | - Aaron M Zorn
- Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM), Division of Developmental Biology, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, United States.,University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati, United States
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19
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Esmaeili M, Blythe SA, Tobias JW, Zhang K, Yang J, Klein PS. Chromatin accessibility and histone acetylation in the regulation of competence in early development. Dev Biol 2020; 462:20-35. [PMID: 32119833 PMCID: PMC7225061 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
As development proceeds, inductive cues are interpreted by competent tissues in a spatially and temporally restricted manner. While key inductive signaling pathways within competent cells are well-described at a molecular level, the mechanisms by which tissues lose responsiveness to inductive signals are not well understood. Localized activation of Wnt signaling before zygotic gene activation in Xenopus laevis leads to dorsal development, but competence to induce dorsal genes in response to Wnts is lost by the late blastula stage. We hypothesize that loss of competence is mediated by changes in histone modifications leading to a loss of chromatin accessibility at the promoters of Wnt target genes. We use ATAC-seq to evaluate genome-wide changes in chromatin accessibility across several developmental stages. Based on overlap with p300 binding, we identify thousands of putative cis-regulatory elements at the gastrula stage, including sites that lose accessibility by the end of gastrulation and are enriched for pluripotency factor binding motifs. Dorsal Wnt target gene promoters are not accessible after the loss of competence in the early gastrula while genes involved in mesoderm and neural crest development maintain accessibility at their promoters. Inhibition of histone deacetylases increases acetylation at the promoters of dorsal Wnt target genes and extends competence for dorsal gene induction by Wnt signaling. Histone deacetylase inhibition, however, is not sufficient to extend competence for mesoderm or neural crest induction. These data suggest that chromatin state regulates the loss of competence to inductive signals in a context-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melody Esmaeili
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Shelby A Blythe
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - John W Tobias
- Penn Genomic Analysis Core and Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kai Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
| | - Peter S Klein
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Departments of Medicine (Hematology-Oncology) and Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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20
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Gilchrist MJ, Cho KWY, Veenstra GJC. Genomics Methods for Xenopus Embryos and Tissues. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2020; 2020:097915. [PMID: 32123020 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.top097915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
High-throughput sequencing methods have created exciting opportunities to explore the regulatory landscape of the entire genome. Here we introduce methods to characterize the genomic locations of bound proteins, open chromatin, and sites of DNA-DNA contact in Xenopus embryos. These methods include chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq), a combination of DNase I digestion and sequencing (DNase-seq), the assay for transposase-accessible chromatin and sequencing (ATAC-seq), and the use of proximity-based DNA ligation followed by sequencing (Hi-C).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ken W Y Cho
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697;
| | - Gert Jan C Veenstra
- Radboud University, Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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21
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Paraiso KD, Cho JS, Yong J, Cho KWY. Early Xenopus gene regulatory programs, chromatin states, and the role of maternal transcription factors. Curr Top Dev Biol 2020; 139:35-60. [PMID: 32450966 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2020.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
For decades, the early development of the Xenopus embryo has been an essential model system to study the gene regulatory mechanisms that govern cellular specification. At the top of the hierarchy of gene regulatory networks, maternally deposited transcription factors initiate this process and regulate the expression of zygotic genes that give rise to three distinctive germ layer cell types (ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm), and subsequent generation of organ precursors. The onset of germ layer specification is also closely coupled with changes associated with chromatin modifications. This review will examine the timing of maternal transcription factors initiating the zygotic genome activation, the epigenetic landscape of embryonic chromatin, and the network structure that governs the process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kitt D Paraiso
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States; Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Jin S Cho
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Junseok Yong
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Ken W Y Cho
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States; Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States.
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22
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Gilchrist MJ, Veenstra GJC, Cho KWY. Transcriptomics and Proteomics Methods for Xenopus Embryos and Tissues. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2020; 2020:098350. [PMID: 31772075 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.top098350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The general field of quantitative biology has advanced significantly on the back of recent improvements in both sequencing technology and proteomics methods. The development of high-throughput, short-read sequencing has revolutionized RNA-based expression studies, while improvements in proteomics methods have enabled quantitative studies to attain better resolution. Here we introduce methods to undertake global analyses of gene expression through RNA and protein quantification in Xenopus embryos and tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Gilchrist
- The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom; .,Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Radboud University, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Gert Jan C Veenstra
- The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom; .,Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Radboud University, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Ken W Y Cho
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California 92697
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23
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Gentsch GE, Spruce T, Owens NDL, Smith JC. Maternal pluripotency factors initiate extensive chromatin remodelling to predefine first response to inductive signals. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4269. [PMID: 31537794 PMCID: PMC6753111 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12263-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Embryonic development yields many different cell types in response to just a few families of inductive signals. The property of signal-receiving cells that determines how they respond to inductive signals is known as competence, and it differs in different cell types. Here, we explore the ways in which maternal factors modify chromatin to specify initial competence in the frog Xenopus tropicalis. We identify early-engaged regulatory DNA sequences, and infer from them critical activators of the zygotic genome. Of these, we show that the pioneering activity of the maternal pluripotency factors Pou5f3 and Sox3 determines competence for germ layer formation by extensively remodelling compacted chromatin before the onset of inductive signalling. This remodelling includes the opening and marking of thousands of regulatory elements, extensive chromatin looping, and the co-recruitment of signal-mediating transcription factors. Our work identifies significant developmental principles that inform our understanding of how pluripotent stem cells interpret inductive signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- George E Gentsch
- Developmental Biology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK.
| | - Thomas Spruce
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nick D L Owens
- Department of Stem Cell and Developmental Biology, Pasteur Institute, 75015, Paris, France
| | - James C Smith
- Developmental Biology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK.
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