1
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Khanduja JS, Joh RI, Perez MM, Paulo JA, Palmieri CM, Zhang J, Gulka AOD, Haas W, Gygi SP, Motamedi M. RNA quality control factors nucleate Clr4/SUV39H and trigger constitutive heterochromatin assembly. Cell 2024; 187:3262-3283.e23. [PMID: 38815580 PMCID: PMC11227895 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.04.042] [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: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
In eukaryotes, the Suv39 family of proteins tri-methylate lysine 9 of histone H3 (H3K9me) to form constitutive heterochromatin. However, how Suv39 proteins are nucleated at heterochromatin is not fully described. In the fission yeast, current models posit that Argonaute1-associated small RNAs (sRNAs) nucleate the sole H3K9 methyltransferase, Clr4/SUV39H, to centromeres. Here, we show that in the absence of all sRNAs and H3K9me, the Mtl1 and Red1 core (MTREC)/PAXT complex nucleates Clr4/SUV39H at a heterochromatic long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) at which the two H3K9 deacetylases, Sir2 and Clr3, also accumulate by distinct mechanisms. Iterative cycles of H3K9 deacetylation and methylation spread Clr4/SUV39H from the nucleation center in an sRNA-independent manner, generating a basal H3K9me state. This is acted upon by the RNAi machinery to augment and amplify the Clr4/H3K9me signal at centromeres to establish heterochromatin. Overall, our data reveal that lncRNAs and RNA quality control factors can nucleate heterochromatin and function as epigenetic silencers in eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasbeer S Khanduja
- Massachusetts General Hospital Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Richard I Joh
- Massachusetts General Hospital Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Monica M Perez
- Massachusetts General Hospital Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Joao A Paulo
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Christina M Palmieri
- Massachusetts General Hospital Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Jingyu Zhang
- Massachusetts General Hospital Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Alex O D Gulka
- Massachusetts General Hospital Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Willhelm Haas
- Massachusetts General Hospital Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Steven P Gygi
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mo Motamedi
- Massachusetts General Hospital Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
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2
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Shafiq TA, Yu J, Feng W, Zhang Y, Zhou H, Paulo JA, Gygi SP, Moazed D. Genomic context- and H2AK119 ubiquitination-dependent inheritance of human Polycomb silencing. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadl4529. [PMID: 38718120 PMCID: PMC11078181 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adl4529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
Polycomb repressive complexes 1 and 2 (PRC1 and 2) are required for heritable repression of developmental genes. The cis- and trans-acting factors that contribute to epigenetic inheritance of mammalian Polycomb repression are not fully understood. Here, we show that, in human cells, ectopically induced Polycomb silencing at initially active developmental genes, but not near ubiquitously expressed housekeeping genes, is inherited for many cell divisions. Unexpectedly, silencing is heritable in cells with mutations in the H3K27me3 binding pocket of the Embryonic Ectoderm Development (EED) subunit of PRC2, which are known to disrupt H3K27me3 recognition and lead to loss of H3K27me3. This mode of inheritance is less stable and requires intact PRC2 and recognition of H2AK119ub1 by PRC1. Our findings suggest that maintenance of Polycomb silencing is sensitive to local genomic context and can be mediated by PRC1-dependent H2AK119ub1 and PRC2 independently of H3K27me3 recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiasha A. Shafiq
- Department of Cell Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Juntao Yu
- Department of Cell Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Wenzhi Feng
- Department of Cell Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yizhe Zhang
- Department of Cell Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Haining Zhou
- Department of Cell Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joao A. Paulo
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Steven P. Gygi
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Danesh Moazed
- Department of Cell Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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3
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Espinosa-Martínez M, Alcázar-Fabra M, Landeira D. The molecular basis of cell memory in mammals: The epigenetic cycle. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadl3188. [PMID: 38416817 PMCID: PMC10901381 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adl3188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
Cell memory refers to the capacity of cells to maintain their gene expression program once the initiating environmental signal has ceased. This exceptional feature is key during the formation of mammalian organisms, and it is believed to be in part mediated by epigenetic factors that can endorse cells with the landmarks required to maintain transcriptional programs upon cell duplication. Here, we review current literature analyzing the molecular basis of epigenetic memory in mammals, with a focus on the mechanisms by which transcriptionally repressive chromatin modifications such as methylation of DNA and histone H3 are propagated through mitotic cell divisions. The emerging picture suggests that cellular memory is supported by an epigenetic cycle in which reversible activities carried out by epigenetic regulators in coordination with cell cycle transition create a multiphasic system that can accommodate both maintenance of cell identity and cell differentiation in proliferating stem cell populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mencía Espinosa-Martínez
- Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Avenue de la Ilustración 114, 18016 Granada, Spain
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, Granada, Spain
| | - María Alcázar-Fabra
- Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Avenue de la Ilustración 114, 18016 Granada, Spain
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, Granada, Spain
| | - David Landeira
- Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Avenue de la Ilustración 114, 18016 Granada, Spain
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, Granada, Spain
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4
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Sun L, Liu L, Song C, Wang Y, Jin QW. Heat stress-induced activation of MAPK pathway attenuates Atf1-dependent epigenetic inheritance of heterochromatin in fission yeast. eLife 2024; 13:e90525. [PMID: 38289024 PMCID: PMC10863984 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90525] [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: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic cells are constantly exposed to various environmental stimuli. It remains largely unexplored how environmental cues bring about epigenetic fluctuations and affect heterochromatin stability. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, heterochromatic silencing is quite stable at pericentromeres but unstable at the mating-type (mat) locus under chronic heat stress, although both loci are within the major constitutive heterochromatin regions. Here, we found that the compromised gene silencing at the mat locus at elevated temperature is linked to the phosphorylation status of Atf1, a member of the ATF/CREB superfamily. Constitutive activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling disrupts epigenetic maintenance of heterochromatin at the mat locus even under normal temperature. Mechanistically, phosphorylation of Atf1 impairs its interaction with heterochromatin protein Swi6HP1, resulting in lower site-specific Swi6HP1 enrichment. Expression of non-phosphorylatable Atf1, tethering Swi6HP1 to the mat3M-flanking site or absence of the anti-silencing factor Epe1 can largely or partially rescue heat stress-induced defective heterochromatic maintenance at the mat locus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityXiamenChina
| | - Libo Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityXiamenChina
| | - Chunlin Song
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityXiamenChina
| | - Yamei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityXiamenChina
| | - Quan-wen Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityXiamenChina
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5
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Yuan AH, Moazed D. Minimal requirements for the epigenetic inheritance of engineered silent chromatin domains. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2318455121. [PMID: 38198529 PMCID: PMC10801849 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2318455121] [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: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms enabling genetically identical cells to differentially regulate gene expression are complex and central to organismal development and evolution. While gene silencing pathways involving DNA sequence-specific recruitment of histone-modifying enzymes are prevalent in nature, examples of sequence-independent heritable gene silencing are scarce. Studies of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe indicate that sequence-independent propagation of heterochromatin can occur but requires numerous multisubunit protein complexes and their diverse activities. Such complexity has so far precluded a coherent articulation of the minimal requirements for heritable gene silencing by conventional in vitro reconstitution approaches. Here, we take an unconventional approach to defining these requirements by engineering sequence-independent silent chromatin inheritance in budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. The mechanism conferring memory upon these cells is remarkably simple and requires only two proteins, one that recognizes histone H3 lysine 9 methylation (H3K9me) and catalyzes the deacetylation of histone H4 lysine 16 (H4K16), and another that recognizes deacetylated H4K16 and catalyzes H3K9me. Together, these bilingual "read-write" proteins form an interdependent positive feedback loop that is sufficient for the transmission of DNA sequence-independent silent information over multiple generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy H. Yuan
- HHMI, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Danesh Moazed
- HHMI, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
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6
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Mori T, Nakashima M. Sequence-dependent heterochromatin formation in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Heliyon 2023; 9:e19164. [PMID: 37681121 PMCID: PMC10480601 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19164] [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: 04/09/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum represses transcription of the gene encoding AP2-G, which is the master regulator of germ cell differentiation, via heterochromatin condensation following histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3). Although H3K9me3-marked heterochromatin is typically constitutive and its establishment depends on the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway in fission yeast centromeres, malaria parasites lack molecular members essential for RNAi. We developed a strategy to assess heterochromatin establishment on artificial chromosomes introduced into P. falciparum. We show that a particular DNA sequence in the AP2-G promoter is able to induce de novo H3K9me3 nucleosome deposition. In addition, we also found that the AP2-G promoter contains a distinct element required in maintenance of the repression memory. Thus, we speculate that malaria parasites have evolutionarily acquired a sequence-dependent establishment system of non-constitutive, i.e. facultative, H3K9me3-marked heterochromatin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshiyuki Mori
- Corresponding author. Department of Molecular Protozoology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases (RIMD), Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
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7
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Liu ZW, Liu J, Liu F, Zhong X. Depositing centromere repeats induces heritable intragenic heterochromatin establishment and spreading in Arabidopsis. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:6039-6054. [PMID: 37094065 PMCID: PMC10325890 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Stable transmission of non-DNA-sequence-based epigenetic information contributes to heritable phenotypic variants and thus to biological diversity. While studies on spontaneous natural epigenome variants have revealed an association of epialleles with a wide range of biological traits in both plants and animals, the function, transmission mechanism, and stability of an epiallele over generations in a locus-specific manner remain poorly investigated. Here, we invented a DNA sequence deposition strategy to generate a locus-specific epiallele by depositing CEN180 satellite repeats into a euchromatic target locus in Arabidopsis. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knock-in system, we demonstrated that depositing CEN180 repeats can induce heterochromatin nucleation accompanied by DNA methylation, H3K9me2, and changes in the nucleosome occupancy at the insertion sites. Interestingly, both DNA methylation and H3K9me2 are restricted within the depositing sites and depletion of an H3K9me2 demethylase IBM1 enables the outward heterochromatin propagation into the neighboring regions, leading to inheritable target gene silencing to persist for at least five generations. Together, these results demonstrate the promise of employing a cis-engineering system for the creation of stable and site-specific epialleles and provide important insights into functional epigenome studies and locus-specific transgenerational epigenetic inheritance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhang-Wei Liu
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery & Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Jie Liu
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery & Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Fengquan Liu
- Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210014, China
| | - Xuehua Zhong
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery & Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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8
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Grewal SIS. The molecular basis of heterochromatin assembly and epigenetic inheritance. Mol Cell 2023; 83:1767-1785. [PMID: 37207657 PMCID: PMC10309086 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Heterochromatin plays a fundamental role in gene regulation, genome integrity, and silencing of repetitive DNA elements. Histone modifications are essential for the establishment of heterochromatin domains, which is initiated by the recruitment of histone-modifying enzymes to nucleation sites. This leads to the deposition of histone H3 lysine-9 methylation (H3K9me), which provides the foundation for building high-concentration territories of heterochromatin proteins and the spread of heterochromatin across extended domains. Moreover, heterochromatin can be epigenetically inherited during cell division in a self-templating manner. This involves a "read-write" mechanism where pre-existing modified histones, such as tri-methylated H3K9 (H3K9me3), support chromatin association of the histone methyltransferase to promote further deposition of H3K9me. Recent studies suggest that a critical density of H3K9me3 and its associated factors is necessary for the propagation of heterochromatin domains across multiple generations. In this review, I discuss the key experiments that have highlighted the importance of modified histones for epigenetic inheritance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiv I S Grewal
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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9
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Arcangioli B, Gangloff S. The Fission Yeast Mating-Type Switching Motto: "One-for-Two" and "Two-for-One". Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2023; 87:e0000821. [PMID: 36629411 PMCID: PMC10029342 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00008-21] [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: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizosaccharomyces pombe is an ascomycete fungus that divides by medial fission; it is thus commonly referred to as fission yeast, as opposed to the distantly related budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The reproductive lifestyle of S. pombe relies on an efficient genetic sex determination system generating a 1:1 sex ratio and using alternating haploid/diploid phases in response to environmental conditions. In this review, we address how one haploid cell manages to generate two sister cells with opposite mating types, a prerequisite to conjugation and meiosis. This mating-type switching process depends on two highly efficient consecutive asymmetric cell divisions that rely on DNA replication, repair, and recombination as well as the structure and components of heterochromatin. We pay special attention to the intimate interplay between the genetic and epigenetic partners involved in this process to underscore the importance of basic research and its profound implication for a better understanding of chromatin biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoît Arcangioli
- Genome Dynamics Unit, Genomes and Genetics Department, Pasteur Institute, Paris, France
| | - Serge Gangloff
- Genome Dynamics Unit, Genomes and Genetics Department, Pasteur Institute, Paris, France
- UMR3525, Genetics of Genomes, CNRS-Pasteur Institute, Paris, France
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10
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Gao Z, Li Y, Ou Y, Yin M, Chen T, Zeng X, Li R, He Y. A pair of readers of bivalent chromatin mediate formation of Polycomb-based "memory of cold" in plants. Mol Cell 2023; 83:1109-1124.e4. [PMID: 36921607 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
The Polycomb-group chromatin modifiers play important roles to repress or switch off gene expression in plants and animals. How the active chromatin state is switched to a Polycomb-repressed state is unclear. In Arabidopsis, prolonged cold induces the switching of the highly active chromatin state at the potent floral repressor FLC to a Polycomb-repressed state, which is epigenetically maintained when temperature rises to confer "cold memory," enabling plants to flower in spring. We report that the cis-acting cold memory element (CME) region at FLC bears bivalent marks of active histone H3K4me3 and repressive H3K27me3 that are read and interpreted by an assembly of bivalent chromatin readers to drive cold-induced switching of the FLC chromatin state. In response to cold, the 47-bp CME and its associated bivalent chromatin feature drive the switching of active chromatin state at a recombinant gene to a Polycomb-repressed domain, conferring cold memory. We reveal a paradigm for environment-induced chromatin-state switching at bivalent loci in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai 201602, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yaxiao Li
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai 201602, China
| | - Yang Ou
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Mengnan Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai 201602, China
| | - Tao Chen
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai 201602, China
| | - Xiaolin Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai 201602, China
| | - Renjie Li
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yuehui He
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Weifang, Shandong 261325, China; Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai 201602, China.
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11
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Shan CM, Fang Y, Jia S. Leaving histone unturned for epigenetic inheritance. FEBS J 2023; 290:310-320. [PMID: 34726351 PMCID: PMC9058036 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Post-translational modifications in histones play important roles in regulating chromatin structure and gene expression programs, and the modified histones can be passed on to subsequent generations as an epigenetic memory. The fission yeast has been a great model organism for studying histone modifications in heterochromatin assembly and epigenetic inheritance. Here, we review findings in this organism that cemented the idea of chromatin-based inheritance and highlight recent studies that reveal the role of histone turnover in regulating this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Min Shan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
- Present address: State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Yimeng Fang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Songtao Jia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
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12
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Du W, Shi G, Shan CM, Li Z, Zhu B, Jia S, Li Q, Zhang Z. Mechanisms of chromatin-based epigenetic inheritance. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2022; 65:2162-2190. [PMID: 35792957 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-022-2120-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Multi-cellular organisms such as humans contain hundreds of cell types that share the same genetic information (DNA sequences), and yet have different cellular traits and functions. While how genetic information is passed through generations has been extensively characterized, it remains largely obscure how epigenetic information encoded by chromatin regulates the passage of certain traits, gene expression states and cell identity during mitotic cell divisions, and even through meiosis. In this review, we will summarize the recent advances on molecular mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance, discuss the potential impacts of epigenetic inheritance during normal development and in some disease conditions, and outline future research directions for this challenging, but exciting field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenlong Du
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Guojun Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Chun-Min Shan
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Zhiming Li
- Institutes of Cancer Genetics, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Bing Zhu
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Songtao Jia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
| | - Qing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
| | - Zhiguo Zhang
- Institutes of Cancer Genetics, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
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13
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Saxton DS, Rine J. Distinct silencer states generate epigenetic states of heterochromatin. Mol Cell 2022; 82:3566-3579.e5. [PMID: 36041432 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Heterochromatic loci can exhibit different transcriptional states in genetically identical cells. A popular model posits that the inheritance of modified histones is sufficient for inheritance of the silenced state. However, silencing inheritance requires silencers and therefore cannot be driven by the inheritance of modified histones alone. To address these observations, we determined the chromatin architectures produced by strong and weak silencers in Saccharomyces. Strong silencers recruited Sir proteins and silenced the locus in all cells. Strikingly, weakening these silencers reduced Sir protein recruitment and stably silenced the locus in some cells; however, this silenced state could probabilistically convert to an expressed state that lacked Sir protein recruitment. Additionally, changes in the constellation of silencer-bound proteins or the concentration of a structural Sir protein modulated the probability that a locus exhibited the silenced or expressed state. These findings argued that distinct silencer states generate epigenetic states and regulate their dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel S Saxton
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Jasper Rine
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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A stress-blinded Atf1 can fully assemble heterochromatin in a RNAi-independent minimal mat locus but impairs directionality of mat2/3 switching. iScience 2022; 25:104820. [PMID: 35992058 PMCID: PMC9389250 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The MAP kinase Sty1 phosphorylates and activates the transcription factor Atf1 in response to several stress conditions, which then shifts from a transcriptional repressor to an activator. Atf1 also participates in heterochromatin assembly at the mat locus, in combination with the RNA interference (RNAi) machinery. Here, we study the role of signal-dependent phosphorylation of Atf1 in heterochromatin establishment at mat, using different Atf1 phospho mutants. Although a hypo-phosphorylation Atf1 mutant, Atf1.10M, mediates heterochromatin assembly, the phosphomimic Atf1.10D is unable to maintain silencing. In a minimal mat locus, lacking the RNAi-recruiting cis elements and displaying intermediate silencing, Atf1.10M restores full heterochromatin and silencing. However, evolution experiments with this stress-blinded Atf1.10M show that it is unable to facilitate switching between the donor site mat3 and mat1. We propose that the unphosphorylated, inactive Atf1 contributes to proper heterochromatin assembly by recruiting repressive complexes, but its stress-dependent phosphorylation is required for recombination/switching to occur. The phosphorylation domain of Atf1 TF is required for heterochromatin assembly at mat Hypo-phosphorylated Atf1.10M mediates silencing by recruiting repressive complexes Stress-dependent phosphorylation of Atf1 is required for recombination and switching Atf1.10M is a heterochromatin assembly factor but impairs mat2/3 switching
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The transcription factor Atf1 lowers the transition barrier for nucleosome-mediated establishment of heterochromatin. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110828. [PMID: 35584672 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors can exert opposite effects depending on the chromosomal context. The fission yeast transcription factor Atf1 both activates numerous genes in response to stresses and mediates heterochromatic gene silencing in the mating-type region. Investigating this context dependency, we report here that the establishment of silent heterochromatin in the mating-type region occurs at a reduced rate in the absence of Atf1 binding. Quantitative modeling accounts for the observed establishment profiles by a combinatorial recruitment of histone-modifying enzymes: locally by Atf1 at two binding sites and over the whole region by dynamically appearing heterochromatic nucleosomes, a source of which is the RNAi-dependent cenH element. In the absence of Atf1 binding, the synergy is lost, resulting in a slow rate of heterochromatin formation. The system shows how DNA-binding proteins can influence local nucleosome states and thereby potentiate long-range positive feedback on histone-modification reactions to enable heterochromatin formation over large regions in a context-dependent manner.
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