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Luo Y, Zhou T, Liu D, Wang F, Zhao Q. AIMER: A SNP-independent software for identifying imprinting-like allelic methylated regions from DNA methylome. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2024; 23:566-576. [PMID: 38274999 PMCID: PMC10809074 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.12.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Genomic imprinting is essential for mammalian growth and embryogenesis. High-throughput bisulfite sequencing accompanied with parental haplotype-specific information allows analysis of imprinted genes and imprinting control regions (ICRs) on a large scale. Currently, although several allelic methylated regions (AMRs) detection software were developed, methods for detecting imprinted AMRs is still limited. Here, we developed a SNP-independent statistical approach, AIMER, to detect imprinting-like AMRs. By using the mouse frontal cortex methylome as input, we demonstrated that AIMER performs very well in detecting known germline ICRs compared with other methods. Furthermore, we found the putative parental AMRs AIMER detected could be distinguished from sequence-dependent AMRs. Finally, we found a novel germline imprinting-like AMR using WGBS data from 17 distinct mouse tissue samples. The results indicate that AIMER is a good choice for detecting imprinting-like (parent-of-origin-dependent) AMRs. We hope this method will be helpful for future genomic imprinting studies. The Python source code for our project is now publicly available on both GitHub (https://github.com/ZhaoLab-TMU/AIMER) and Gitee (https://gitee.com/zhaolab_tmu/AIMER).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Deng Liu
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Fan Wang
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Qian Zhao
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
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2
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Huang M, Lou D, Charli A, Kong D, Jin H, Zenitsky G, Anantharam V, Kanthasamy A, Wang Z, Kanthasamy AG. Mitochondrial dysfunction-induced H3K27 hyperacetylation perturbs enhancers in Parkinson's disease. JCI Insight 2021; 6:e138088. [PMID: 34494552 PMCID: PMC8492320 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.138088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial dysfunction is a major pathophysiological contributor to the progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD); however, whether it contributes to epigenetic dysregulation remains unknown. Here, we show that both chemically and genetically driven mitochondrial dysfunctions share a common mechanism of epigenetic dysregulation. Under both scenarios, lysine 27 acetylation of likely variant H3.3 (H3.3K27ac) increased in dopaminergic neuronal models of PD, thereby opening that region to active enhancer activity via H3K27ac. These vulnerable epigenomic loci represent potential transcription factor motifs for PD pathogenesis. We further confirmed that mitochondrial dysfunction induces H3K27ac in ex vivo and in vivo (MitoPark) neurodegenerative models of PD. Notably, the significantly increased H3K27ac in postmortem PD brains highlights the clinical relevance to the human PD population. Our results reveal an exciting mitochondrial dysfunction-metabolism-H3K27ac-transcriptome axis for PD pathogenesis. Collectively, the mechanistic insights link mitochondrial dysfunction to epigenetic dysregulation in dopaminergic degeneration and offer potential new epigenetic intervention strategies for PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minhong Huang
- Parkinson Disorders Research Laboratory, Iowa Center for Advanced Neurotoxicology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Dan Lou
- Laboratory of Environmental Epigenomes, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Adhithiya Charli
- Parkinson Disorders Research Laboratory, Iowa Center for Advanced Neurotoxicology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Dehui Kong
- Laboratory of Environmental Epigenomes, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
| | - Huajun Jin
- Parkinson Disorders Research Laboratory, Iowa Center for Advanced Neurotoxicology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Gary Zenitsky
- Parkinson Disorders Research Laboratory, Iowa Center for Advanced Neurotoxicology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Vellareddy Anantharam
- Parkinson Disorders Research Laboratory, Iowa Center for Advanced Neurotoxicology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Arthi Kanthasamy
- Parkinson Disorders Research Laboratory, Iowa Center for Advanced Neurotoxicology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Zhibin Wang
- Laboratory of Environmental Epigenomes, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
| | - Anumantha G Kanthasamy
- Parkinson Disorders Research Laboratory, Iowa Center for Advanced Neurotoxicology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
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3
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Zhou Q, Wang Z, Li J, Sung WK, Li G. MethHaplo: combining allele-specific DNA methylation and SNPs for haplotype region identification. BMC Bioinformatics 2020; 21:451. [PMID: 33045983 PMCID: PMC7552496 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-020-03798-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification that plays a critical role in most eukaryotic organisms. Parental alleles in haploid genomes may exhibit different methylation patterns, which can lead to different phenotypes and even different therapeutic and drug responses to diseases. However, to our knowledge, no software is available for the identification of DNA methylation haplotype regions with combined allele-specific DNA methylation, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) data. Results In this paper, we developed a new method, MethHaplo, that identify DNA methylation haplotype regions with allele-specific DNA methylation and SNPs from whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) data. Our results showed that methylation haplotype regions were ten times longer than haplotypes with SNPs only. When we integrate WGBS and Hi-C data, MethHaplo could call even longer haplotypes. Conclusions This study illustrates the usefulness of methylation haplotypes. By constructing methylation haplotypes for various cell lines, we provide a clearer picture of the effect of DNA methylation on gene expression, histone modification and three-dimensional chromosome structure at the haplotype level. Our method could benefit the study of parental inheritance-related disease and hybrid vigor in agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiangwei Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.,Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province, Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center of Agricultural Big Data, 3D Genomics Research Center, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Ze Wang
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Jing Li
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Wing-Kin Sung
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province, Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center of Agricultural Big Data, 3D Genomics Research Center, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.,Department of Computer Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117417, Singapore.,Department of Computational and Systems Biology, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore, 138672, Singapore
| | - Guoliang Li
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China. .,Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province, Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center of Agricultural Big Data, 3D Genomics Research Center, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
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4
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Li T, Lin W, Zhao Y, Zhu J, Sun T, Ren L. Distinct promoter methylation patterns of LKB1 in the hamartomatous polyps of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and its potential in gastrointestinal malignancy prediction. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2020; 15:208. [PMID: 32799895 PMCID: PMC7429683 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-020-01502-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome (PJS) is known as a rare inherited polyposis due to the malfunction of serine/threonine kinase gene LKB1. However, not all of PJS patients carry LKB1 germline mutation. Previous researches have observed the elevated DNA methylation level in PJS polyps. Nevertheless, the mechanism of such abnormal and its impact on PJS patients remains to be fully described. Results The results proved a significant increase on the methylation level of LKB1 promoter in PJS polyps compared with normal colon biopsies through bisulfite PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Moreover, the methylation pattern in PJS polyps could be further categorized as three different scenarios: hypermethylated, hemimethylated and hypomethylated pattern. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry of DNMT1/3a/3b suggested the up-regulation of DNMT1 and 3a might participate the epigenetic alternation of LKB1 in PJS polyps. Logistic regression suggested hypomethylated LKB1 promoter in PJS polyps as a risk factor for gastrointestinal malignancies in PJS patients. Conclusions The promoter methylation level of LKB1 gene in PJS polyps is generally elevated compared with normal colon mucosa. Yet not all of PJS polyps carry hypermethylated LKB1 promoter. Hypomethylation in this region has linked to malignant tumors in PJS patients. Given the rarity of PJS, this work together with previous researches, have proved the importance of LKB1 promoter methylation in PJS development and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teng Li
- Department of Pathology, Air Force Medical Center, PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Wensheng Lin
- Department of Pathology, Air Force Medical Center, PLA, Beijing, China.,Department of Pathology, Huizhou Third People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Huizhou, China
| | - Yilei Zhao
- Department of Pathology, Air Force Medical Center, PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Jianping Zhu
- Department of Pathology, Air Force Medical Center, PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Sun
- Department of Gastroenterology, Air Force Medical Center, PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Li Ren
- Department of Pathology, Air Force Medical Center, PLA, Beijing, China.
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5
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Freeman DM, Wang Z. Epigenetic Vulnerability of Insulator CTCF Motifs at Parkinson's Disease-Associated Genes in Response to Neurotoxicant Rotenone. Front Genet 2020; 11:627. [PMID: 32774342 PMCID: PMC7381335 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is a regulatory protein that binds DNA to control spatial organization and transcription. The sequence-specific binding of CTCF is variable and is impacted by nearby epigenetic patterns. It has been demonstrated that non-coding genetic variants cluster with CTCF sites in topological associating domains and thus can affect CTCF activity on gene expression. Therefore, environmental factors that alter epigenetic patterns at CTCF binding sites may dictate the interaction of non-coding genetic variants with regulatory proteins. To test this mechanism, we treated human cell line HEK293 with rotenone for 24 h and characterized its effect on global epigenetic patterns specifically at regulatory regions of Parkinson's disease (PD) risk loci. We used RNA sequencing to examine changes in global transcription and identified over 2000 differentially expressed genes (DEGs, >1.5-fold change, FDR < 0.05). Among these DEGs, 13 were identified as PD-associated genes according to Genome-wide association studies meta-data. We focused on eight genes that have non-coding risk variants and a prominent CTCF binding site. We analyzed methylation of a total of 165 CGs surrounding CTCF binding sites and detected differential methylation (|>1%|, q < 0.05) in 45 CGs at 7 PD-associated genes. Of these 45 CGs, 47% were hypomethylated and 53% were hypermethylated. Interestingly, 5 out of the 7 genes had correlated gene upregulation with CG hypermethylation at CTCF and gene downregulation with CG hypomethylation at CTCF. We also investigated active H3K27ac surrounding the same CTCF binding sites within these seven genes. We observed a significant increase in H3K27ac in four genes (FDR < 0.05). Three genes (PARK2, GPRIN3, FER) showed increased CTCF binding in response to rotenone. Our data indicate that rotenone alters regulatory regions of PD-associated genes through changes in epigenetic patterns, and these changes impact high-order chromatin organization to increase the influence of non-coding variants on genome integrity and cellular survival.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zhibin Wang
- Laboratory of Environmental Epigenomes, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
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6
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Li Y, Li T, Tang Y, Zhan Z, Ding L, Song L, Yu T, Yang Y, Ma J, Zhang Y, Zhou Y, Gu S, Xu M, Gao Y, Li Y. The function of a heterozygous p53 mutation in a Li-Fraumeni syndrome patient. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0234262. [PMID: 32516327 PMCID: PMC7282642 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
p53 is one of the most extensively studied proteins in cancer research. Mutations in p53 generally abolish normal p53 function, and some mutants can gain new oncogenic functions. However, the mechanisms underlying p53 mutation-driven cancer remains to be elucidated. Our study investigated the function of a heterozygous p53 mutation (p.Asn268Glufs*4) in a Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) patient. We used episomal technology to perform somatic reprogramming, and used molecular and cell biology methods to determine the p53 mutation levels in patient-originated induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells at the RNA and protein levels. We found that p53 protein expression was not increased in this patient’s somatic cells compared with those of a healthy control. p53 mutation facilitates the proliferation of tumor cells by inhibiting apoptosis and promoting cell division. It can inhibit the efficiency of somatic reprogramming by inhibiting OCT4 expression during reprogramming stage. Moreover, not all p53 mutant iPS cell lines have mutant p53 RNA sequences. A small percentage of mutant p53 mRNA is present in the somatic cells from the patient and his mother. In summary, this p53 mutation can promote tumor cell proliferation, inhibit somatic reprogramming, and exhibit random p53 allelic expression of heterozygous mutations in the patient and iPS cells which may be one of the reasons why the people with p53 mutations develop cancer at random. This finding suggested that mutant p53 allelic expression should be added to the risk forecasting of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Li
- Department of Hematology & Oncology, Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Ministry of Health, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ting Li
- Department of Hematology & Oncology, Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Ministry of Health, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuejia Tang
- Department of Hematology & Oncology, Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Ministry of Health, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiyan Zhan
- Department of Hematology & Oncology, Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Ministry of Health, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lixia Ding
- Department of Hematology & Oncology, Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Ministry of Health, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lili Song
- Department of Hematology & Oncology, Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Ministry of Health, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Tingting Yu
- Molecular Biological Diagnostic Laboratory, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Department of Hematology & Oncology, Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Ministry of Health, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Ma
- Department of Pathology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yingwen Zhang
- Department of Hematology & Oncology, Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Ministry of Health, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Zhou
- Department of Radiology, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Song Gu
- Department of General Surgery/Surgical Oncology Center, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Min Xu
- Department of General Surgery/Surgical Oncology Center, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- * E-mail: (YL); (YG); (MX)
| | - Yijin Gao
- Department of Hematology & Oncology, Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Ministry of Health, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- * E-mail: (YL); (YG); (MX)
| | - Yanxin Li
- Department of Hematology & Oncology, Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Ministry of Health, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- * E-mail: (YL); (YG); (MX)
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7
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Orjuela S, Machlab D, Menigatti M, Marra G, Robinson MD. DAMEfinder: a method to detect differential allele-specific methylation. Epigenetics Chromatin 2020; 13:25. [PMID: 32487212 PMCID: PMC7268773 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-020-00346-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background DNA methylation is a highly studied epigenetic signature that is associated with regulation of gene expression, whereby genes with high levels of promoter methylation are generally repressed. Genomic imprinting occurs when one of the parental alleles is methylated, i.e., when there is inherited allele-specific methylation (ASM). A special case of imprinting occurs during X chromosome inactivation in females, where one of the two X chromosomes is silenced, to achieve dosage compensation between the sexes. Another more widespread form of ASM is sequence dependent (SD-ASM), where ASM is linked to a nearby heterozygous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). Results We developed a method to screen for genomic regions that exhibit loss or gain of ASM in samples from two conditions (treatments, diseases, etc.). The method relies on the availability of bisulfite sequencing data from multiple samples of the two conditions. We leverage other established computational methods to screen for these regions within a new R package called DAMEfinder. It calculates an ASM score for all CpG sites or pairs in the genome of each sample, and then quantifies the change in ASM between conditions. It then clusters nearby CpG sites with consistent change into regions. In the absence of SNP information, our method relies only on reads to quantify ASM. This novel ASM score compares favorably to current methods that also screen for ASM. Not only does it easily discern between imprinted and non-imprinted regions, but also females from males based on X chromosome inactivation. We also applied DAMEfinder to a colorectal cancer dataset and observed that colorectal cancer subtypes are distinguishable according to their ASM signature. We also re-discover known cases of loss of imprinting. Conclusion We have designed DAMEfinder to detect regions of differential ASM (DAMEs), which is a more refined definition of differential methylation, and can therefore help in breaking down the complexity of DNA methylation and its influence in development and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephany Orjuela
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences and SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.,Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dania Machlab
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mirco Menigatti
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Giancarlo Marra
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mark D Robinson
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences and SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
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8
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Freeman DM, Lou D, Li Y, Martos SN, Wang Z. The conserved DNMT1-dependent methylation regions in human cells are vulnerable to neurotoxicant rotenone exposure. Epigenetics Chromatin 2020; 13:17. [PMID: 32178731 PMCID: PMC7076959 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-020-00338-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Allele-specific DNA methylation (ASM) describes genomic loci that maintain CpG methylation at only one inherited allele rather than having coordinated methylation across both alleles. The most prominent of these regions are germline ASMs (gASMs) that control the expression of imprinted genes in a parent of origin-dependent manner and are associated with disease. However, our recent report reveals numerous ASMs at non-imprinted genes. These non-germline ASMs are dependent on DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and strikingly show the feature of random, switchable monoallelic methylation patterns in the mouse genome. The significance of these ASMs to human health has not been explored. Due to their shared allelicity with gASMs, herein, we propose that non-traditional ASMs are sensitive to exposures in association with human disease. RESULTS We first explore their conservancy in the human genome. Our data show that our putative non-germline ASMs were in conserved regions of the human genome and located adjacent to genes vital for neuronal development and maturation. We next tested the hypothesized vulnerability of these regions by exposing human embryonic kidney cell HEK293 with the neurotoxicant rotenone for 24 h. Indeed,14 genes adjacent to our identified regions were differentially expressed from RNA-sequencing. We analyzed the base-resolution methylation patterns of the predicted non-germline ASMs at two neurological genes, HCN2 and NEFM, with potential to increase the risk of neurodegeneration. Both regions were significantly hypomethylated in response to rotenone. CONCLUSIONS Our data indicate that non-germline ASMs seem conserved between mouse and human genomes, overlap important regulatory factor binding motifs, and regulate the expression of genes vital to neuronal function. These results support the notion that ASMs are sensitive to environmental factors such as rotenone and may alter the risk of neurological disease later in life by disrupting neuronal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana M Freeman
- Laboratory of Environmental Epigenomes, Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Dan Lou
- Laboratory of Environmental Epigenomes, Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Yanqiang Li
- Laboratory of Environmental Epigenomes, Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Suzanne N Martos
- Laboratory of Environmental Epigenomes, Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Zhibin Wang
- Laboratory of Environmental Epigenomes, Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- The State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, Hubei, China.
- Department of Oncology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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9
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Barnett KR, Decato BE, Scott TJ, Hansen TJ, Chen B, Attalla J, Smith AD, Hodges E. ATAC-Me Captures Prolonged DNA Methylation of Dynamic Chromatin Accessibility Loci during Cell Fate Transitions. Mol Cell 2020; 77:1350-1364.e6. [PMID: 31999955 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2020.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Revised: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
DNA methylation of enhancers is dynamic, cell-type specific, and vital for cell fate progression. However, current models inadequately define its role within the hierarchy of gene regulation. Analysis of independent datasets shows an unanticipated overlap between DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility at enhancers of steady-state stem cells, suggesting that these two opposing features might exist concurrently. To define their temporal relationship, we developed ATAC-Me, which probes accessibility and methylation from single DNA library preparations. We identified waves of accessibility occurring rapidly across thousands of myeloid enhancers in a monocyte-to-macrophage cell fate model. Prolonged methylation states were observed at a majority of these sites, while transcription of nearby genes tracked closely with accessibility. ATAC-Me uncovers a significant disconnect between chromatin accessibility, DNA methylation status, and gene activity. This unexpected observation highlights the value of ATAC-Me in constructing precise molecular timelines for understanding the role of DNA methylation in gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly R Barnett
- Department of Biochemistry and Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Benjamin E Decato
- Quantitative and Computational Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Timothy J Scott
- Department of Biochemistry and Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Tyler J Hansen
- Department of Biochemistry and Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Bob Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Jonathan Attalla
- Department of Biochemistry and Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Andrew D Smith
- Quantitative and Computational Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Emily Hodges
- Department of Biochemistry and Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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10
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Benton MC, Lea RA, Macartney-Coxson D, Sutherland HG, White N, Kennedy D, Mengersen K, Haupt LM, Griffiths LR. Genome-wide allele-specific methylation is enriched at gene regulatory regions in a multi-generation pedigree from the Norfolk Island isolate. Epigenetics Chromatin 2019; 12:60. [PMID: 31594537 PMCID: PMC6781349 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-019-0304-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Allele-specific methylation (ASM) occurs when DNA methylation patterns exhibit asymmetry among alleles. ASM occurs at imprinted loci, but its presence elsewhere across the human genome is indicative of wider importance in terms of gene regulation and disease risk. Here, we studied ASM by focusing on blood-based DNA collected from 24 subjects comprising a 3-generation pedigree from the Norfolk Island genetic isolate. We applied a genome-wide bisulphite sequencing approach with a genotype-independent ASM calling method to map ASM across the genome. Regions of ASM were then tested for enrichment at gene regulatory regions using Genomic Association Test (GAT) tool. Results In total, we identified 1.12 M CpGs of which 147,170 (13%) exhibited ASM (P ≤ 0.05). When including contiguous ASM signal spanning ≥ 2 CpGs, this condensed to 12,761 ASM regions (AMRs). These AMRs tagged 79% of known imprinting regions and most (98.1%) co-localised with known single nucleotide variants. Notably, miRNA and lncRNA showed a 3.3- and 1.8-fold enrichment of AMRs, respectively (P < 0.005). Also, the 5′ UTR and start codons each showed a 3.5-fold enrichment of AMRs (P < 0.005). There was also enrichment of AMRs observed at subtelomeric regions of many chromosomes. Five out of 11 large AMRs localised to the protocadherin cluster on chromosome 5. Conclusions This study shows ASM extends far beyond genomic imprinting in humans and that gene regulatory regions are hotspots for ASM. Future studies of ASM in pedigrees should help to clarify transgenerational inheritance patterns in relation to genotype and disease phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miles C Benton
- Genomics Research Centre, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Human Genomics, Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Rodney A Lea
- Genomics Research Centre, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
| | - Donia Macartney-Coxson
- Human Genomics, Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Heidi G Sutherland
- Genomics Research Centre, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Nicole White
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Daniel Kennedy
- Genomics Research Centre, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Kerry Mengersen
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Larisa M Haupt
- Genomics Research Centre, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Lyn R Griffiths
- Genomics Research Centre, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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11
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Zeng Y, Amador C, Xia C, Marioni R, Sproul D, Walker RM, Morris SW, Bretherick A, Canela-Xandri O, Boutin TS, Clark DW, Campbell A, Rawlik K, Hayward C, Nagy R, Tenesa A, Porteous DJ, Wilson JF, Deary IJ, Evans KL, McIntosh AM, Navarro P, Haley CS. Parent of origin genetic effects on methylation in humans are common and influence complex trait variation. Nat Commun 2019; 10:1383. [PMID: 30918249 PMCID: PMC6437195 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09301-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Parent-of-origin effects (POE) exist when there is differential expression of alleles inherited from the two parents. A genome-wide scan for POE on DNA methylation at 639,238 CpGs in 5,101 individuals identifies 733 independent methylation CpGs potentially influenced by POE at a false discovery rate ≤ 0.05 of which 331 had not previously been identified. Cis and trans methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTL) regulate methylation variation through POE at 54% (399/733) of the identified POE-influenced CpGs. The combined results provide strong evidence for previously unidentified POE-influenced CpGs at 171 independent loci. Methylation variation at 14 of the POE-influenced CpGs is associated with multiple metabolic traits. A phenome-wide association analysis using the POE mQTL SNPs identifies a previously unidentified imprinted locus associated with waist circumference. These results provide a high resolution population-level map for POE on DNA methylation sites, their local and distant regulators and potential consequences for complex traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanni Zeng
- MRC Human Genetic Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Carmen Amador
- MRC Human Genetic Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Charley Xia
- MRC Human Genetic Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Riccardo Marioni
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, IGMM, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Duncan Sproul
- MRC Human Genetic Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XR, UK
| | - Rosie M Walker
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, IGMM, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Stewart W Morris
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, IGMM, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Andrew Bretherick
- MRC Human Genetic Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Oriol Canela-Xandri
- MRC Human Genetic Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Thibaud S Boutin
- MRC Human Genetic Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - David W Clark
- Centre for Global Health Research, Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG, UK
| | - Archie Campbell
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, IGMM, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Konrad Rawlik
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Caroline Hayward
- MRC Human Genetic Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Reka Nagy
- MRC Human Genetic Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Albert Tenesa
- MRC Human Genetic Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - David J Porteous
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, IGMM, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - James F Wilson
- MRC Human Genetic Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
- Centre for Global Health Research, Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG, UK
| | - Ian J Deary
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK
| | - Kathryn L Evans
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, IGMM, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Andrew M McIntosh
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH10 5HF, UK
| | - Pau Navarro
- MRC Human Genetic Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Chris S Haley
- MRC Human Genetic Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK.
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH25 9RG, UK.
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12
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Wang H, Lou D, Wang Z. Crosstalk of Genetic Variants, Allele-Specific DNA Methylation, and Environmental Factors for Complex Disease Risk. Front Genet 2019; 9:695. [PMID: 30687383 PMCID: PMC6334214 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past decades, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of phenotype-associated DNA sequence variants for potential explanations of inter-individual phenotypic differences and disease susceptibility. However, it remains a challenge for translating the associations into causative mechanisms for complex diseases, partially due to the involved variants in the noncoding regions and the inconvenience of functional studies in human population samples. So far, accumulating evidence has suggested a complex crosstalk among genetic variants, allele-specific binding of transcription factors (ABTF), and allele-specific DNA methylation patterns (ASM), as well as environmental factors for disease risk. This review aims to summarize the current studies regarding the interactions of the aforementioned factors with a focus on epigenetic insights. We present two scenarios of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in coding regions and non-coding regions for disease risk, via potentially impacting epigenetic patterns. While a SNP in a coding region may confer disease risk via altering protein functions, a SNP in non-coding region may cause diseases, via SNP-altering ABTF, ASM, and allele-specific gene expression (ASE). The allelic increases or decreases of gene expression are key for disease risk during development. Such ASE can be achieved via either a "SNP-introduced ABTF to ASM" or a "SNP-introduced ASM to ABTF." Together with our additional in-depth review on insulator CTCF, we are convinced to propose a working model that the small effect of a SNP acts through altered ABTF and/or ASM, for ASE and eventual disease outcome (named as a "SNP intensifier" model). In summary, the significance of complex crosstalk among genetic factors, epigenetic patterns, and environmental factors requires further investigations for disease susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huishan Wang
- Laboratory of Human Environmental Epigenome, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Dan Lou
- Laboratory of Human Environmental Epigenome, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Zhibin Wang
- Laboratory of Human Environmental Epigenome, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
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13
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Insights from epigenetic studies on human health and evolution. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2018; 53:36-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2018.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Revised: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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14
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Onuchic V, Lurie E, Carrero I, Pawliczek P, Patel RY, Rozowsky J, Galeev T, Huang Z, Altshuler RC, Zhang Z, Harris RA, Coarfa C, Ashmore L, Bertol JW, Fakhouri WD, Yu F, Kellis M, Gerstein M, Milosavljevic A. Allele-specific epigenome maps reveal sequence-dependent stochastic switching at regulatory loci. Science 2018; 361:eaar3146. [PMID: 30139913 PMCID: PMC6198826 DOI: 10.1126/science.aar3146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Revised: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
To assess the impact of genetic variation in regulatory loci on human health, we constructed a high-resolution map of allelic imbalances in DNA methylation, histone marks, and gene transcription in 71 epigenomes from 36 distinct cell and tissue types from 13 donors. Deep whole-genome bisulfite sequencing of 49 methylomes revealed sequence-dependent CpG methylation imbalances at thousands of heterozygous regulatory loci. Such loci are enriched for stochastic switching, which is defined as random transitions between fully methylated and unmethylated states of DNA. The methylation imbalances at thousands of loci are explainable by different relative frequencies of the methylated and unmethylated states for the two alleles. Further analyses provided a unifying model that links sequence-dependent allelic imbalances of the epigenome, stochastic switching at gene regulatory loci, and disease-associated genetic variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitor Onuchic
- Molecular and Human Genetics Department, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Program in Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Epigenome Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Project
| | - Eugene Lurie
- Molecular and Human Genetics Department, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Epigenome Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Project
| | - Ivenise Carrero
- Molecular and Human Genetics Department, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Epigenome Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Piotr Pawliczek
- Molecular and Human Genetics Department, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Epigenome Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ronak Y Patel
- Molecular and Human Genetics Department, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Epigenome Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joel Rozowsky
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Timur Galeev
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Zhuoyi Huang
- Molecular and Human Genetics Department, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Robert C Altshuler
- NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Project
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Zhizhuo Zhang
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - R Alan Harris
- Molecular and Human Genetics Department, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Epigenome Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Project
| | - Cristian Coarfa
- Molecular and Human Genetics Department, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Epigenome Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Project
| | - Lillian Ashmore
- Molecular and Human Genetics Department, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Program in Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Epigenome Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jessica W Bertol
- Center for Craniofacial Research, Department of Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Walid D Fakhouri
- Center for Craniofacial Research, Department of Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Fuli Yu
- Molecular and Human Genetics Department, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Program in Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Manolis Kellis
- NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Project
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mark Gerstein
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Aleksandar Milosavljevic
- Molecular and Human Genetics Department, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Program in Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Epigenome Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Project
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15
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Jorgensen BG, Berent RM, Ha SE, Horiguchi K, Sasse KC, Becker LS, Ro S. DNA methylation, through DNMT1, has an essential role in the development of gastrointestinal smooth muscle cells and disease. Cell Death Dis 2018; 9:474. [PMID: 29700293 PMCID: PMC5920081 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-018-0495-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Revised: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
DNA methylation is a key epigenetic modification that can regulate gene expression. Genomic DNA hypomethylation is commonly found in many gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. Dysregulated gene expression in GI smooth muscle cells (GI-SMCs) can lead to motility disorders. However, the consequences of genomic DNA hypomethylation within GI-SMCs are still elusive. Utilizing a Cre-lox murine model, we have generated SMC-restricted DNA methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1) knockout (KO) mice and analyzed the effects of Dnmt1 deficiency. Dnmt1-KO pups are born smaller than their wild-type littermates, have shortened GI tracts, and lose peristaltic movement due to loss of the tunica muscularis in their intestine, causing massive intestinal dilation, and death around postnatal day 21. Within smooth muscle tissue, significant CpG hypomethylation occurs across the genome at promoters, introns, and exons. Additionally, there is a marked loss of differentiated SMC markers (Srf, Myh11, miR-133, miR-143/145), an increase in pro-apoptotic markers (Nr4a1, Gadd45g), loss of cellular connectivity, and an accumulation of coated vesicles within SMC. Interestingly, we observed consistent abnormal expression patterns of enzymes involved in DNA methylation between both Dnmt1-KO mice and diseased human GI tissue. These data demonstrate that DNA hypomethylation in embryonic SMC, via congenital Dnmt1 deficiency, contributes to massive dysregulation of gene expression and is lethal to GI-SMC. These results suggest that Dnmt1 has a necessary role in the embryonic, primary development process of SMC with consistent patterns being found in human GI diseased tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian G Jorgensen
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Robyn M Berent
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Se Eun Ha
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Kazuhide Horiguchi
- Department of Morphological and Physiological Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, 910-8507, Japan
| | | | - Laren S Becker
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Seungil Ro
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
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