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Newman T, Ishihara T, Shaw G, Renfree MB. The structure of the TH/INS locus and the parental allele expressed are not conserved between mammals. Heredity (Edinb) 2024; 133:21-32. [PMID: 38834866 PMCID: PMC11222543 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-024-00689-y] [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: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Parent-of-origin-specific expression of imprinted genes is critical for successful mammalian growth and development. Insulin, coded by the INS gene, is an important growth factor expressed from the paternal allele in the yolk sac placenta of therian mammals. The tyrosine hydroxylase gene TH encodes an enzyme involved in dopamine synthesis. TH and INS are closely associated in most vertebrates, but the mouse orthologues, Th and Ins2, are separated by repeated DNA. In mice, Th is expressed from the maternal allele, but the parental origin of expression is not known for any other mammal so it is unclear whether the maternal expression observed in the mouse represents an evolutionary divergence or an ancestral condition. We compared the length of the DNA segment between TH and INS across species and show that separation of these genes occurred in the rodent lineage with an accumulation of repeated DNA. We found that the region containing TH and INS in the tammar wallaby produces at least five distinct RNA transcripts: TH, TH-INS1, TH-INS2, lncINS and INS. Using allele-specific expression analysis, we show that the TH/INS locus is expressed from the paternal allele in pre- and postnatal tammar wallaby tissues. Determining the imprinting pattern of TH/INS in other mammals might clarify if paternal expression is the ancestral condition which has been flipped to maternal expression in rodents by the accumulation of repeat sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trent Newman
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Teruhito Ishihara
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Geoff Shaw
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Marilyn B Renfree
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
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2
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Hossain MN, Gao Y, Hatfield MJ, de Avila JM, McClure MC, Du M. Cold exposure impacts DNA methylation patterns in cattle sperm. Front Genet 2024; 15:1346150. [PMID: 38444759 PMCID: PMC10912962 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1346150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation is influenced by various exogenous factors such as nutrition, temperature, toxicants, and stress. Bulls from the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and other northern areas are exposed to extreme cold temperatures during winter. However, the effects of cold exposure on the methylation patterns of bovine sperm remain unclear. To address, DNA methylation profiles of sperm collected during late spring and winter from the same bulls were analyzed using whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS). Bismark (0.22.3) were used for mapping the WGBS reads and R Bioconductor package DSS was used for differential methylation analysis. Cold exposure induced 3,163 differentially methylated cytosines (DMCs) with methylation difference ≥10% and a q-value < 0.05. We identified 438 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) with q-value < 0.05, which overlapped with 186 unique genes. We also identified eight unique differentially methylated genes (DMGs) (Pax6, Macf1, Mest, Ubqln1, Smg9, Ctnnb1, Lsm4, and Peg10) involved in embryonic development, and nine unique DMGs (Prmt6, Nipal1, C21h15orf40, Slc37a3, Fam210a, Raly, Rgs3, Lmbr1, and Gan) involved in osteogenesis. Peg10 and Mest, two paternally expressed imprinted genes, exhibited >50% higher methylation. The differential methylation patterns of six distinct DMRs: Peg10, Smg9 and Mest related to embryonic development and Lmbr1, C21h15orf40 and Prtm6 related to osteogenesis, were assessed by methylation-specific PCR (MS-PCR), which confirmed the existence of variable methylation patterns in those locations across the two seasons. In summary, cold exposure induces differential DNA methylation patterns in genes that appear to affect embryonic development and osteogenesis in the offspring. Our findings suggest the importance of replicating the results of the current study with a larger sample size and exploring the potential of these changes in affecting offspring development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Nazmul Hossain
- Nutrigenomics and Growth Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
- Department of Livestock Production and Management, Faculty of Veterinary, Animal, and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Yao Gao
- Nutrigenomics and Growth Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
| | - Michael J. Hatfield
- Nutrigenomics and Growth Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
| | - Jeanene M. de Avila
- Nutrigenomics and Growth Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
| | | | - Min Du
- Nutrigenomics and Growth Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
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3
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Marttila S, Tamminen H, Rajić S, Mishra PP, Lehtimäki T, Raitakari O, Kähönen M, Kananen L, Jylhävä J, Hägg S, Delerue T, Peters A, Waldenberger M, Kleber ME, März W, Luoto R, Raitanen J, Sillanpää E, Laakkonen EK, Heikkinen A, Ollikainen M, Raitoharju E. Methylation status of VTRNA2-1/ nc886 is stable across populations, monozygotic twin pairs and in majority of tissues. Epigenomics 2022; 14:1105-1124. [PMID: 36200237 DOI: 10.2217/epi-2022-0228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aims & methods: The aim of this study was to characterize the methylation level of a polymorphically imprinted gene, VTRNA2-1/nc886, in human populations and somatic tissues.48 datasets, consisting of more than 30 tissues and >30,000 individuals, were used. Results: nc886 methylation status is associated with twin status and ethnic background, but the variation between populations is limited. Monozygotic twin pairs present concordant methylation, whereas ∼30% of dizygotic twin pairs present discordant methylation in the nc886 locus. The methylation levels of nc886 are uniform across somatic tissues, except in cerebellum and skeletal muscle. Conclusion: The nc886 imprint may be established in the oocyte, and, after implantation, the methylation status is stable, excluding a few specific tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saara Marttila
- Molecular Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine & Health Technology, Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, Tampere, 33520, Finland.,Gerontology Research Center, Tampere University, Tampere, 33014, Finland
| | - Hely Tamminen
- Molecular Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine & Health Technology, Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, Tampere, 33520, Finland
| | - Sonja Rajić
- Molecular Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine & Health Technology, Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, Tampere, 33520, Finland
| | - Pashupati P Mishra
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine & Health Technology, Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, Tampere, 33520, Finland.,Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center Tampere, Faculty of Medicine & Health Technology, Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, Tampere, 33520, Finland.,Fimlab Laboratories, Arvo Ylpön katu 4, Tampere, 33520, Finland
| | - Terho Lehtimäki
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine & Health Technology, Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, Tampere, 33520, Finland.,Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center Tampere, Faculty of Medicine & Health Technology, Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, Tampere, 33520, Finland.,Fimlab Laboratories, Arvo Ylpön katu 4, Tampere, 33520, Finland
| | - Olli Raitakari
- Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku & Turku University Hospital, Turku, 20014, Finland.,Research Centre of Applied & Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, 20014, Finland.,Department of Clinical Physiology & Nuclear Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Turku, 20014, Finland
| | - Mika Kähönen
- Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center Tampere, Faculty of Medicine & Health Technology, Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, Tampere, 33520, Finland.,Department of Clinical Physiology, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, 33521, Finland
| | - Laura Kananen
- Faculty of Medicine & Health Technology, & Gerontology Research Center, Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, Tampere, 33520,Finland.,Department of Medical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, 171 77, Sweden.,Faculty of Social Sciences (Health Sciences), & Gerontology Research Center, Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, Tampere, 33520, Finland
| | - Juulia Jylhävä
- Department of Medical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, 171 77, Sweden.,Faculty of Social Sciences (Health Sciences), & Gerontology Research Center, Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, Tampere, 33520, Finland
| | - Sara Hägg
- Department of Medical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, 171 77, Sweden
| | - Thomas Delerue
- Research Unit Molecular Epidemiology, Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Bavaria, D-85764,, Germany
| | - Annette Peters
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Bavaria, D-85764, Germany.,German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
| | - Melanie Waldenberger
- Research Unit Molecular Epidemiology, Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Bavaria, D-85764,, Germany.,German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
| | - Marcus E Kleber
- Vth Department of Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, 68167, Germany.,SYNLAB MVZ Humangenetik Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Winfried März
- Vth Department of Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, 68167, Germany.,Competence Cluster for Nutrition & Cardiovascular Health (nutriCARD) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Jena, 07743, Germany.,SYNLAB Academy, SYNLAB Holding Deutschland GmbH, Augsburg, 86156, Germany.,Clinical Institute of Medical & Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, 8010, Austria
| | - Riitta Luoto
- The Social Insurance Institute of Finland (Kela), Helsinki, 00250, Finland.,The UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, Kaupinpuistonkatu 1, Tampere, 33500, Finland
| | - Jani Raitanen
- The UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, Kaupinpuistonkatu 1, Tampere, 33500, Finland.,Faculty of Social Sciences (Health Sciences), Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, Tampere, 33520, Finland
| | - Elina Sillanpää
- Gerontology Research Center & Faculty of Sport & Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland.,Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, FIMM, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Eija K Laakkonen
- Gerontology Research Center & Faculty of Sport & Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland
| | - Aino Heikkinen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, FIMM, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Miina Ollikainen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, FIMM, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Emma Raitoharju
- Molecular Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine & Health Technology, Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, Tampere, 33520, Finland.,Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center Tampere, Faculty of Medicine & Health Technology, Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, Tampere, 33520, Finland
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4
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Genomic imprinting in human placentation. Reprod Med Biol 2022; 21:e12490. [DOI: 10.1002/rmb2.12490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
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5
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Poirier M, Smith OE, Therrien J, Rigoglio NN, Miglino MA, Silva LA, Meirelles FV, Smith LC. Resiliency of equid H19 imprint to somatic cell reprogramming by oocyte nuclear transfer and genetically induced pluripotency†. Biol Reprod 2021; 102:211-219. [PMID: 31504208 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioz168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell reprogramming by somatic cell nuclear transfer and in induced pluripotent stem cells is associated with epigenetic modifications that are often incompatible with embryonic development and differentiation. For instance, aberrant DNA methylation patterns of the differentially methylated region and biallelic expression of H19-/IGF2-imprinted gene locus have been associated with abnormal growth of fetuses and placenta in several mammalian species. However, cloned horses are born with normal sizes and with no apparent placental anomalies, suggesting that H19/IGF2 imprinting may be epigenetically stable after reprogramming in this species. In light of this, we aimed at characterizing the equid H19 gene to determine whether imprinting is altered in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)-derived conceptuses and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines using the mule hybrid model. A CpG-rich region containing five CTCF binding sites was identified upstream of the equine H19 gene and analyzed by bisulfite sequencing. Coupled with parent-specific and global H19 transcript analysis, we found that the imprinted H19 remains monoallelic and that on average the methylation levels of both parental differentially methylated regions in embryonic and extra-embryonic SCNT tissues and iPSC lines remained unaltered after reprogramming. Together, these results show that, compared to other species, equid somatic cells are more resilient to epigenetic alterations to the H19-imprinted locus during SCNT and iPSC reprogramming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikhael Poirier
- Centre de Recherche en Reproduction et Fértilité, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montreal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Olivia Eilers Smith
- Centre de Recherche en Reproduction et Fértilité, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montreal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Jacinthe Therrien
- Centre de Recherche en Reproduction et Fértilité, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montreal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Nathia Nathaly Rigoglio
- Centre de Recherche en Reproduction et Fértilité, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montreal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada.,Department of Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Maria Angélica Miglino
- Department of Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Luciano Andrade Silva
- Department of Veterinary, School of Animal and Food Sciences, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
| | - Flavio Vieira Meirelles
- Department of Veterinary, School of Animal and Food Sciences, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
| | - Lawrence Charles Smith
- Centre de Recherche en Reproduction et Fértilité, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montreal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
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6
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Brekke TD, Moore EC, Campbell-Staton SC, Callahan CM, Cheviron ZA, Good JM. X chromosome-dependent disruption of placental regulatory networks in hybrid dwarf hamsters. Genetics 2021; 218:6168998. [PMID: 33710276 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Embryonic development in mammals is highly sensitive to changes in gene expression within the placenta. The placenta is also highly enriched for genes showing parent-of-origin or imprinted expression, which is predicted to evolve rapidly in response to parental conflict. However, little is known about the evolution of placental gene expression, or if divergence of placental gene expression plays an important role in mammalian speciation. We used crosses between two species of dwarf hamsters (Phodopus sungorus and Phodopus campbelli) to examine the genetic and regulatory underpinnings of severe placental overgrowth in their hybrids. Using quantitative genetic mapping and mitochondrial substitution lines, we show that overgrowth of hybrid placentas was primarily caused by genetic differences on the maternally inherited P. sungorus X chromosome. Mitochondrial interactions did not contribute to abnormal hybrid placental development, and there was only weak correspondence between placental disruption and embryonic growth. Genome-wide analyses of placental transcriptomes from the parental species and first- and second-generation hybrids revealed a central group of co-expressed X-linked and autosomal genes that were highly enriched for maternally biased expression. Expression of this gene network was strongly correlated with placental size and showed widespread misexpression dependent on epistatic interactions with X-linked hybrid incompatibilities. Collectively, our results indicate that the X chromosome is likely to play a prominent role in the evolution of placental gene expression and the accumulation of hybrid developmental barriers between mammalian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D Brekke
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA.,School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Emily C Moore
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Shane C Campbell-Staton
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Colin M Callahan
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Zachary A Cheviron
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Good
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
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7
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Baulina N, Kiselev I, Favorova O. Imprinted Genes and Multiple Sclerosis: What Do We Know? Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:1346. [PMID: 33572862 PMCID: PMC7866243 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22031346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that arises from interplay between non-genetic and genetic risk factors. The epigenetics functions as a link between these factors, affecting gene expression in response to external influence, and therefore should be extensively studied to improve the knowledge of MS molecular mechanisms. Among others, the epigenetic mechanisms underlie the establishment of parent-of-origin effects that appear as phenotypic differences depending on whether the allele was inherited from the mother or father. The most well described manifestation of parent-of-origin effects is genomic imprinting that causes monoallelic gene expression. It becomes more obvious that disturbances in imprinted genes at the least affecting their expression do occur in MS and may be involved in its pathogenesis. In this review we will focus on the potential role of imprinted genes in MS pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Baulina
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (I.K.); (O.F.)
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ivan Kiselev
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (I.K.); (O.F.)
| | - Olga Favorova
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (I.K.); (O.F.)
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, 117997 Moscow, Russia
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8
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Roles of MicroRNAs in Establishing and Modulating Stem Cell Potential. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20153643. [PMID: 31349654 PMCID: PMC6696000 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20153643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Early embryonic development in mammals, from fertilization to implantation, can be viewed as a process in which stem cells alternate between self-renewal and differentiation. During this process, the fates of stem cells in embryos are gradually specified, from the totipotent state, through the segregation of embryonic and extraembryonic lineages, to the molecular and cellular defined progenitors. Most of those stem cells with different potencies in vivo can be propagated in vitro and recapitulate their differentiation abilities. Complex and coordinated regulations, such as epigenetic reprogramming, maternal RNA clearance, transcriptional and translational landscape changes, as well as the signal transduction, are required for the proper development of early embryos. Accumulated studies suggest that Dicer-dependent noncoding RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and endogenous small-interfering RNAs (endo-siRNAs), are involved in those regulations and therefore modulate biological properties of stem cells in vitro and in vivo. Elucidating roles of these noncoding RNAs will give us a more comprehensive picture of mammalian embryonic development and enable us to modulate stem cell potencies. In this review, we will discuss roles of miRNAs in regulating the maintenance and cell fate potential of stem cells in/from mouse and human early embryos.
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9
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Sharma A, Lacko LA, Argueta LB, Glendinning MD, Stuhlmann H. miR-126 regulates glycogen trophoblast proliferation and DNA methylation in the murine placenta. Dev Biol 2019; 449:21-34. [PMID: 30771304 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2019.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Revised: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
A functional placenta develops through a delicate interplay of its vascular and trophoblast compartments. We have identified a previously unknown expression domain for the endothelial-specific microRNA miR-126 in trophoblasts of murine and human placentas. Here, we determine the role of miR-126 in placental development using a mouse model with a targeted deletion of miR-126. In addition to vascular defects observed only in the embryo, loss of miR-126 function in the placenta leads to junctional zone hyperplasia at E15.5 at the expense of the labyrinth, reduced placental volume for nutrient exchange and intra-uterine growth restriction of the embryos. Junctional zone hyperplasia results from increased numbers of proliferating glycogen trophoblast (GlyT) progenitors at E13.5 that give rise to an expanded glycogen trophoblast population at E15.5. Transcriptomic profile of miR-126-/- placentas revealed dysregulation of a large number of GlyT (Prl6a1, Prl7c1, Pcdh12) and trophoblast-specific genes (Tpbpa, Tpbpb, Prld1) and genes with known roles in placental development. We show that miR-126-/- placentas, but not miR-126-/- embryos, display aberrant expression of imprinted genes with important roles in glycogen trophoblasts and junctional zone development, including Igf2, H19, Cdkn1c and Phlda2, during mid-gestation. We also show that miR126-/- placentas display global hypermethylation, including at several imprint control centers. Our findings uncover a novel role for miR-126 in regulating extra-embryonic energy stores, expression of imprinted genes and DNA methylation in the placenta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhijeet Sharma
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, Box 60, New York, NY 10065, United States
| | - Lauretta A Lacko
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, Box 60, New York, NY 10065, United States; Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, Box 60, New York, NY 10065, United States
| | - Lissenya B Argueta
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, Box 60, New York, NY 10065, United States
| | - Michael D Glendinning
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, Box 60, New York, NY 10065, United States
| | - Heidi Stuhlmann
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, Box 60, New York, NY 10065, United States.
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10
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Programming asynchronous replication in stem cells. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2017; 24:1132-1138. [PMID: 29131141 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.3503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Many regions of the genome replicate asynchronously and are expressed monoallelically. It is thought that asynchronous replication may be involved in choosing one allele over the other, but little is known about how these patterns are established during development. We show that, unlike somatic cells, which replicate in a clonal manner, embryonic and adult stem cells are programmed to undergo switching, such that daughter cells with an early-replicating paternal allele are derived from mother cells that have a late-replicating paternal allele. Furthermore, using ground-state embryonic stem (ES) cells, we demonstrate that in the initial transition to asynchronous replication, it is always the paternal allele that is chosen to replicate early, suggesting that primary allelic choice is directed by preset gametic DNA markers. Taken together, these studies help define a basic general strategy for establishing allelic discrimination and generating allelic diversity throughout the organism.
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11
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Wang D, Wang G, Yang H, Liu H, Li C, Li X, Lin C, Song Y, Li Z, Liu D. DNA methylation modulates H19 and IGF2 expression in porcine female eye. Genet Mol Biol 2017; 40:153-159. [PMID: 28266684 PMCID: PMC5409778 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2016-0194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The sexually dimorphic expression of H19/IGF2 is evolutionarily conserved. To investigate whether the expression of H19/IGF2 in the female porcine eye is sex-dependent, gene expression and methylation status were evaluated using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP). We hypothesized that H19/IGF2 might exhibit a different DNA methylation status in the female eye. In order to evaluate our hypothesis, parthenogenetic (PA) cells were used for analysis by qPCR and BSP. Our results showed that H19 and IGF2 were over-expressed in the female eye compared with the male eye (3-fold and 2-fold, respectively). We observed a normal monoallelic methylation pattern for H19 differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Compared with H19 DMRs, IGF2 DMRs showed a different methylation pattern in the eye. Taken together, these results suggest that elevated expression of H19/IGF2 is caused by a specific chromatin structure that is regulated by the DNA methylation status of IGF2 DMRs in the female eye.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongxu Wang
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Guodong Wang
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Hao Yang
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Haibo Liu
- Department of Emergency, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Cuie Li
- Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangdong, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaolan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Chao Lin
- Department of Emergency, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Yuning Song
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Zhanjun Li
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Dianfeng Liu
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
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12
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Lo Nigro A, de Jaime-Soguero A, Khoueiry R, Cho DS, Ferlazzo GM, Perini I, Abon Escalona V, Aranguren XL, Chuva de Sousa Lopes SM, Koh KP, Conaldi PG, Hu WS, Zwijsen A, Lluis F, Verfaillie CM. PDGFRα + Cells in Embryonic Stem Cell Cultures Represent the In Vitro Equivalent of the Pre-implantation Primitive Endoderm Precursors. Stem Cell Reports 2017; 8:318-333. [PMID: 28089671 PMCID: PMC5311469 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2016.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2015] [Revised: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In early mouse pre-implantation development, primitive endoderm (PrE) precursors are platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRα) positive. Here, we demonstrated that cultured mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) express PDGFRα heterogeneously, fluctuating between a PDGFRα+ (PrE-primed) and a platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (PECAM1)-positive state (epiblast-primed). The two surface markers can be co-detected on a third subpopulation, expressing epiblast and PrE determinants (double-positive). In vitro, these subpopulations differ in their self-renewal and differentiation capability, transcriptional and epigenetic states. In vivo, double-positive cells contributed to epiblast and PrE, while PrE-primed cells exclusively contributed to PrE derivatives. The transcriptome of PDGFRα+ subpopulations differs from previously described subpopulations and shows similarities with early/mid blastocyst cells. The heterogeneity did not depend on PDGFRα but on leukemia inhibitory factor and fibroblast growth factor signaling and DNA methylation. Thus, PDGFRα+ cells represent the in vitro counterpart of in vivo PrE precursors, and their selection from cultured mESCs yields pure PrE precursors. Three subpopulations can be purified from mESC cultures by using PECAM1 and PDGFRα Expression of PDGFRα is associated with a molecular and epigenetic PrE signature PDGFRα+ cells are committed toward PrE derivatives in vitro and in vivo
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Lo Nigro
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Biology and Embryology, KU Leuven Stem Cell Institute, Herestraat 49, Onderwijs en Navorsing 4, Box 804, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Ri.Med Foundation, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Advanced Biotechnologies, IRCCS-ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione), Via Tricomi 5, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
| | - Anchel de Jaime-Soguero
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Biology and Embryology, KU Leuven Stem Cell Institute, Herestraat 49, Onderwijs en Navorsing 4, Box 804, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rita Khoueiry
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Biology and Embryology, KU Leuven Stem Cell Institute, Herestraat 49, Onderwijs en Navorsing 4, Box 804, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dong Seong Cho
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, 421 Washington Avenue Southeast, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Giorgia Maria Ferlazzo
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Biology and Embryology, KU Leuven Stem Cell Institute, Herestraat 49, Onderwijs en Navorsing 4, Box 804, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ilaria Perini
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Biology and Embryology, KU Leuven Stem Cell Institute, Herestraat 49, Onderwijs en Navorsing 4, Box 804, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Vanesa Abon Escalona
- VIB Center for the Biology of Disease, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven Department of Human Genetics, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Xabier Lopez Aranguren
- Cell Therapy Program, Foundation for Applied Medical Research, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Susana M Chuva de Sousa Lopes
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Einthovenweg 20, 2333 ZC Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Kian Peng Koh
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Biology and Embryology, KU Leuven Stem Cell Institute, Herestraat 49, Onderwijs en Navorsing 4, Box 804, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pier Giulio Conaldi
- Ri.Med Foundation, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Advanced Biotechnologies, IRCCS-ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione), Via Tricomi 5, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Wei-Shou Hu
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, 421 Washington Avenue Southeast, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - An Zwijsen
- VIB Center for the Biology of Disease, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven Department of Human Genetics, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Frederic Lluis
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Biology and Embryology, KU Leuven Stem Cell Institute, Herestraat 49, Onderwijs en Navorsing 4, Box 804, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Catherine M Verfaillie
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Biology and Embryology, KU Leuven Stem Cell Institute, Herestraat 49, Onderwijs en Navorsing 4, Box 804, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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Prudhomme J, Morey C. Epigenesis and plasticity of mouse trophoblast stem cells. Cell Mol Life Sci 2016; 73:757-74. [PMID: 26542801 PMCID: PMC11108370 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-015-2086-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2015] [Accepted: 10/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The critical role of the placenta in supporting a healthy pregnancy is mostly ensured by the extraembryonic trophoblast lineage that acts as the interface between the maternal and the foetal compartments. The diverse trophoblast cell subtypes that form the placenta originate from a single layer of stem cells that emerge from the embryo when the earliest cell fate decisions are occurring. Recent studies show that these trophoblast stem cells exhibit extensive plasticity as they are capable of differentiating down multiple pathways and are easily converted into embryonic stem cells in vitro. In this review, we discuss current knowledge of the mechanisms and control of the epigenesis of mouse trophoblast stem cells through a comparison with the corresponding mechanisms in pluripotent embryonic stem cells. To illustrate some of the more striking manifestations of the epigenetic plasticity of mouse trophoblast stem cells, we discuss them within the context of two paradigms of epigenetic regulation of gene expression: the imprinted gene expression of specific loci and the process of X-chromosome inactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Prudhomme
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire Murine, Institut Pasteur, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Céline Morey
- CNRS, UMR7216 Epigenetics and Cell Fate, 75013, Paris, France.
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14
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Cheeseman K, Weitzman JB. Host–parasite interactions: an intimate epigenetic relationship. Cell Microbiol 2015; 17:1121-32. [DOI: 10.1111/cmi.12471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Revised: 05/28/2015] [Accepted: 06/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Cheeseman
- Sorbonne Paris Cité Epigenetics and Cell Fate UMR 7216 CNRS Université Paris Diderot Paris France
| | - Jonathan B. Weitzman
- Sorbonne Paris Cité Epigenetics and Cell Fate UMR 7216 CNRS Université Paris Diderot Paris France
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15
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Kulinski TM, Casari MRT, Guenzl PM, Wenzel D, Andergassen D, Hladik A, Datlinger P, Farlik M, Theussl HC, Penninger JM, Knapp S, Bock C, Barlow DP, Hudson QJ. Imprinted expression in cystic embryoid bodies shows an embryonic and not an extra-embryonic pattern. Dev Biol 2015; 402:291-305. [PMID: 25912690 PMCID: PMC4454777 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2015.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2014] [Revised: 04/08/2015] [Accepted: 04/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
A large subset of mammalian imprinted genes show extra-embryonic lineage (EXEL) specific imprinted expression that is restricted to placental trophectoderm lineages and to visceral yolk sac endoderm (ysE). Isolated ysE provides a homogenous in vivo model of a mid-gestation extra-embryonic tissue to examine the mechanism of EXEL-specific imprinted gene silencing, but an in vitro model of ysE to facilitate more rapid and cost-effective experiments is not available. Reports indicate that ES cells differentiated into cystic embryoid bodies (EBs) contain ysE, so here we investigate if cystic EBs model ysE imprinted expression. The imprinted expression pattern of cystic EBs is shown to resemble fetal liver and not ysE. To investigate the reason for this we characterized the methylome and transcriptome of cystic EBs in comparison to fetal liver and ysE, by whole genome bisulphite sequencing and RNA-seq. Cystic EBs show a fetal liver pattern of global hypermethylation and low expression of repeats, while ysE shows global hypomethylation and high expression of IAPEz retroviral repeats, as reported for placenta. Transcriptome analysis confirmed that cystic EBs are more similar to fetal liver than ysE and express markers of early embryonic endoderm. Genome-wide analysis shows that ysE shares epigenetic and repeat expression features with placenta. Contrary to previous reports, we show that cystic EBs do not contain ysE, but are more similar to the embryonic endoderm of fetal liver. This explains why cystic EBs reproduce the imprinted expression seen in the embryo but not that seen in the ysE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz M Kulinski
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH-BT25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - M Rita T Casari
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH-BT25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Philipp M Guenzl
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH-BT25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Daniel Wenzel
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Bohr Gasse 3, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Daniel Andergassen
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH-BT25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Anastasiya Hladik
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH-BT25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Department of Medicine 1, Laboratory of Infection Biology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Paul Datlinger
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH-BT25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Matthias Farlik
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH-BT25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - H-Christian Theussl
- IMP/IMBA Transgenic Service, Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Dr. Bohr Gasse 7, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Josef M Penninger
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Bohr Gasse 3, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Sylvia Knapp
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH-BT25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Department of Medicine 1, Laboratory of Infection Biology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Christoph Bock
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH-BT25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Denise P Barlow
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH-BT25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Quanah J Hudson
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH-BT25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
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16
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Zhang B, Denomme MM, White CR, Leung KY, Lee MB, Greene NDE, Mann MRW, Trasler JM, Baltz JM. Both the folate cycle and betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase contribute methyl groups for DNA methylation in mouse blastocysts. FASEB J 2014; 29:1069-79. [PMID: 25466894 DOI: 10.1096/fj.14-261131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The embryonic pattern of global DNA methylation is first established in the inner cell mass (ICM) of the mouse blastocyst. The methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is produced in most cells through the folate cycle, but only a few cell types generate SAM from betaine (N,N,N-trimethylglycine) via betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT), which is expressed in the mouse ICM. Here, mean ICM cell numbers decreased from 18-19 in controls to 11-13 when the folate cycle was inhibited by the antifolate methotrexate and to 12-14 when BHMT expression was knocked down by antisense morpholinos. Inhibiting both pathways, however, much more severely affected ICM development (7-8 cells). Total SAM levels in mouse blastocysts decreased significantly only when both pathways were inhibited (from 3.1 to 1.6 pmol/100 blastocysts). DNA methylation, detected as 5-methylcytosine (5-MeC) immunofluorescence in isolated ICMs, was minimally affected by inhibition of either pathway alone but decreased by at least 45-55% when both BHMT and the folate cycle were inhibited simultaneously. Effects on cell numbers and 5-MeC levels in the ICM were completely rescued by methionine (immediate SAM precursor) or SAM. Both the folate cycle and betaine/BHMT appear to contribute to a methyl pool required for normal ICM development and establishing initial embryonic DNA methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baohua Zhang
- *Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Children's Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Developmental Biology and Cancer Program, University College London Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom; Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal Children's Hospital, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; and Departments of Human Genetics, Pediatrics, and Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Michelle M Denomme
- *Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Children's Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Developmental Biology and Cancer Program, University College London Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom; Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal Children's Hospital, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; and Departments of Human Genetics, Pediatrics, and Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Carlee R White
- *Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Children's Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Developmental Biology and Cancer Program, University College London Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom; Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal Children's Hospital, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; and Departments of Human Genetics, Pediatrics, and Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kit-Yi Leung
- *Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Children's Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Developmental Biology and Cancer Program, University College London Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom; Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal Children's Hospital, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; and Departments of Human Genetics, Pediatrics, and Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Martin B Lee
- *Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Children's Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Developmental Biology and Cancer Program, University College London Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom; Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal Children's Hospital, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; and Departments of Human Genetics, Pediatrics, and Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nicholas D E Greene
- *Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Children's Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Developmental Biology and Cancer Program, University College London Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom; Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal Children's Hospital, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; and Departments of Human Genetics, Pediatrics, and Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mellissa R W Mann
- *Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Children's Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Developmental Biology and Cancer Program, University College London Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom; Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal Children's Hospital, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; and Departments of Human Genetics, Pediatrics, and Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jacquetta M Trasler
- *Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Children's Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Developmental Biology and Cancer Program, University College London Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom; Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal Children's Hospital, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; and Departments of Human Genetics, Pediatrics, and Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jay M Baltz
- *Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Children's Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Developmental Biology and Cancer Program, University College London Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom; Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal Children's Hospital, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; and Departments of Human Genetics, Pediatrics, and Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
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Insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptors are required for normal expression of imprinted genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:14512-7. [PMID: 25246545 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1415475111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In addition to signaling through the classical tyrosine kinase pathway, recent studies indicate that insulin receptors (IRs) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) receptors (IGF1Rs) can emit signals in the unoccupied state through some yet-to-be-defined noncanonical pathways. Here we show that cells lacking both IRs and IGF1Rs exhibit a major decrease in expression of multiple imprinted genes and microRNAs, which is partially mimicked by inactivation of IR alone in mouse embryonic fibroblasts or in vivo in brown fat in mice. This down-regulation is accompanied by changes in DNA methylation of differentially methylated regions related to these loci. Different from a loss of imprinting pattern, loss of IR and IGF1R causes down-regulated expression of both maternally and paternally expressed imprinted genes and microRNAs, including neighboring reciprocally imprinted genes. Thus, the unoccupied IR and IGF1R generate previously unidentified signals that control expression of imprinted genes and miRNAs through transcriptional mechanisms that are distinct from classical imprinting control.
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18
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Pires ND, Grossniklaus U. Different yet similar: evolution of imprinting in flowering plants and mammals. F1000PRIME REPORTS 2014; 6:63. [PMID: 25165562 PMCID: PMC4126536 DOI: 10.12703/p6-63] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Genomic imprinting refers to a form of epigenetic gene regulation whereby alleles are differentially expressed in a parent-of-origin-dependent manner. Imprinting evolved independently in flowering plants and in therian mammals in association with the elaboration of viviparity and a placental habit. Despite the striking differences in plant and animal reproduction, genomic imprinting shares multiple characteristics between them. In both groups, imprinted expression is controlled, at least in part, by DNA methylation and chromatin modifications in cis-regulatory regions, and many maternally and paternally expressed genes display complementary dosage-dependent effects during embryogenesis. This suggests that genomic imprinting evolved in response to similar selective pressures in flowering plants and mammals. Nevertheless, there are important differences between plant and animal imprinting. In particular, genomic imprinting has been shown to be more flexible and evolutionarily labile in plants. In mammals, imprinted genes are organized mainly in highly conserved clusters, whereas in plants they occur in isolation throughout the genome and are affected by local gene duplications. There is a large degree of intra- and inter-specific variation in imprinted gene expression in plants. These differences likely reflect the distinct life cycles and the different evolutionary dynamics that shape plant and animal genomes.
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Demars J, Shmela ME, Khan AW, Lee KS, Azzi S, Dehais P, Netchine I, Rossignol S, Le Bouc Y, El-Osta A, Gicquel C. Genetic variants within the second intron of the KCNQ1 gene affect CTCF binding and confer a risk of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome upon maternal transmission. J Med Genet 2014; 51:502-11. [PMID: 24996904 DOI: 10.1136/jmedgenet-2014-102368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Disruption of 11p15 imprinting results in two fetal growth disorders with opposite phenotypes: the Beckwith-Wiedemann (BWS; MIM 130650) and the Silver-Russell (SRS; MIM 180860) syndromes. DNA methylation defects account for 60% of BWS and SRS cases and, in most cases, occur without any identified mutation in a cis-acting regulatory sequence or a trans-acting factor. METHODS We investigated whether 11p15 cis-acting sequence variants account for primary DNA methylation defects in patients with SRS and BWS with loss of DNA methylation at ICR1 and ICR2, respectively. RESULTS We identified a 4.5 kb haplotype that, upon maternal transmission, is associated with a risk of ICR2 loss of DNA methylation in patients with BWS. This novel region is located within the second intron of the KCNQ1 gene, 170 kb upstream of the ICR2 imprinting centre and encompasses two CTCF binding sites. We showed that, within the 4.5 kb region, two SNPs (rs11823023 and rs179436) affect CTCF occupancy at DNA motifs flanking the CTCF 20 bp core motif. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that genetic variants confer a risk of DNA methylation defect with a parent-of-origin effect and highlights the crucial role of CTCF for the regulation of genomic imprinting of the CDKN1C/KCNQ1 domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Demars
- Epigenetics in Human Health and Disease, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia INRA, GenPhySE (Génétique, Physiologie et Systèmes d'Elevage), Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Mansur Ennuri Shmela
- Epigenetics in Human Health and Disease, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Abdul Waheed Khan
- Epigenetics in Human Health and Disease, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Kai Syin Lee
- Epigenetics in Human Health and Disease, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Salah Azzi
- APHP, Armand Trousseau Hôpital, Pediatric Endocrinology, INSERM, UMR_S 938, CDR Saint-Antoine, F-75012, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR_S 938, CDR Saint-Antoine, F-75012, Paris, France
| | - Patrice Dehais
- INRA, GenPhySE (Génétique, Physiologie et Systèmes d'Elevage), Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Irène Netchine
- APHP, Armand Trousseau Hôpital, Pediatric Endocrinology, INSERM, UMR_S 938, CDR Saint-Antoine, F-75012, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR_S 938, CDR Saint-Antoine, F-75012, Paris, France
| | - Sylvie Rossignol
- APHP, Armand Trousseau Hôpital, Pediatric Endocrinology, INSERM, UMR_S 938, CDR Saint-Antoine, F-75012, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR_S 938, CDR Saint-Antoine, F-75012, Paris, France
| | - Yves Le Bouc
- APHP, Armand Trousseau Hôpital, Pediatric Endocrinology, INSERM, UMR_S 938, CDR Saint-Antoine, F-75012, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR_S 938, CDR Saint-Antoine, F-75012, Paris, France
| | - Assam El-Osta
- Epigenetics in Human Health and Disease, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Christine Gicquel
- Epigenetics in Human Health and Disease, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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21
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Hasin-Brumshtein Y, Hormozdiari F, Martin L, van Nas A, Eskin E, Lusis AJ, Drake TA. Allele-specific expression and eQTL analysis in mouse adipose tissue. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:471. [PMID: 24927774 PMCID: PMC4089026 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2013] [Accepted: 05/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The simplest definition of cis-eQTLs versus trans, refers to genetic variants that affect expression in an allele specific manner, with implications on underlying mechanism. Yet, due to technical limitations of expression microarrays, the vast majority of eQTL studies performed in the last decade used a genomic distance based definition as a surrogate for cis, therefore exploring local rather than cis-eQTLs. Results In this study we use RNAseq to explore allele specific expression (ASE) in adipose tissue of male and female F1 mice, produced from reciprocal crosses of C57BL/6J and DBA/2J strains. Comparison of the identified cis-eQTLs, to local-eQTLs, that were obtained from adipose tissue expression in two previous population based studies in our laboratory, yields poor overlap between the two mapping approaches, while both local-eQTL studies show highly concordant results. Specifically, local-eQTL studies show ~60% overlap between themselves, while only 15-20% of local-eQTLs are identified as cis by ASE, and less than 50% of ASE genes are recovered in local-eQTL studies. Utilizing recently published ENCODE data, we also find that ASE genes show significant bias for SNPs prevalence in DNase I hypersensitive sites that is ASE direction specific. Conclusions We suggest a new approach to analysis of allele specific expression that is more sensitive and accurate than the commonly used fisher or chi-square statistics. Our analysis indicates that technical differences between the cis and local-eQTL approaches, such as differences in genomic background or sex specificity, account for relatively small fraction of the discrepancy. Therefore, we suggest that the differences between two eQTL mapping approaches may facilitate sorting of SNP-eQTL interactions into true cis and trans, and that a considerable portion of local-eQTL may actually represent trans interactions. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-471) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yehudit Hasin-Brumshtein
- Department of Medicine/Division of Cardiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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22
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Keverne EB. Mammalian viviparity: a complex niche in the evolution of genomic imprinting. Heredity (Edinb) 2014; 113:138-44. [PMID: 24569636 DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2014.8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2013] [Revised: 12/17/2013] [Accepted: 01/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolution of mammalian reproductive success has witnessed a strong dependence on maternal resources through placental in utero development. Genomic imprinting, which has an active role in mammalian viviparity, also reveals a biased role for matrilineal DNA in its regulation. The co-existence of three matrilineal generations as one (mother, foetus and post-meiotic oocytes) has provided a maternal niche for transgenerational co-adaptive selection pressures to operate. In utero foetal growth has required increased maternal feeding in advance of foetal energetic demands; the mammary glands are primed for milk production in advance of birth, while the maternal hypothalamus is hormonally primed by the foetal placenta for nest building and post-natal care. Such biological forward planning resulted from maternal-foetal co-adaptation facilitated by co-expression of the same imprinted allele in the developing hypothalamus and placenta. This co-expression is concurrent with the placenta interacting with the adult maternal hypothalamus thereby providing a transgenerational template on which selection pressures may operate ensuring optimal maternalism in this and the next generation. Invasive placentation has further required the maternal immune system to adapt and positively respond to the foetal allotype. Pivotal to these mammalian evolutionary developments, genomic imprinting emerged as a monoallelic gene dosage regulatory mechanism of tightly interconnected gene networks providing developmental genetic stability for in utero development.
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Affiliation(s)
- E B Keverne
- Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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23
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Banaszynski LA, Wen D, Dewell S, Whitcomb SJ, Lin M, Diaz N, Elsässer SJ, Chapgier A, Goldberg AD, Canaani E, Rafii S, Zheng D, Allis CD. Hira-dependent histone H3.3 deposition facilitates PRC2 recruitment at developmental loci in ES cells. Cell 2013; 155:107-20. [PMID: 24074864 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2013.08.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 205] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2012] [Revised: 07/08/2013] [Accepted: 08/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) regulates gene expression during lineage specification through trimethylation of lysine 27 on histone H3 (H3K27me3). In Drosophila, polycomb binding sites are dynamic chromatin regions enriched with the histone variant H3.3. Here, we show that, in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), H3.3 is required for proper establishment of H3K27me3 at the promoters of developmentally regulated genes. Upon H3.3 depletion, these promoters show reduced nucleosome turnover measured by deposition of de novo synthesized histones and reduced PRC2 occupancy. Further, we show H3.3-dependent interaction of PRC2 with the histone chaperone, Hira, and that Hira localization to chromatin requires H3.3. Our data demonstrate the importance of H3.3 in maintaining a chromatin landscape in ESCs that is important for proper gene regulation during differentiation. Moreover, our findings support the emerging notion that H3.3 has multiple functions in distinct genomic locations that are not always correlated with an "active" chromatin state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Banaszynski
- Laboratory of Chromatin Biology & Epigenetics, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, 10065 USA
| | - Duancheng Wen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ansary Stem Cell Institute, and Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, 10065 USA
| | - Scott Dewell
- Genomics Resource Center, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, 10065 USA
| | - Sarah J Whitcomb
- Laboratory of Chromatin Biology & Epigenetics, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, 10065 USA
| | - Mingyan Lin
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, 10461 USA
| | - Nichole Diaz
- Laboratory of Chromatin Biology & Epigenetics, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, 10065 USA
| | - Simon J Elsässer
- Laboratory of Chromatin Biology & Epigenetics, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, 10065 USA
| | - Ariane Chapgier
- Molecular Medicine Unit, Institute of Child Health, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Aaron D Goldberg
- Laboratory of Chromatin Biology & Epigenetics, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, 10065 USA
| | - Eli Canaani
- The Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Isreal
| | - Shahin Rafii
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ansary Stem Cell Institute, and Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, 10065 USA
| | - Deyou Zheng
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, 10461 USA.,Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, 10461 USA
| | - C David Allis
- Laboratory of Chromatin Biology & Epigenetics, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, 10065 USA
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24
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Abstract
The mouse is the first species in which genomic imprinting was studied. Imprinting research in farm species has lagged behind owing to a lack of sequencing and genetic background information, as well as long generation intervals and high costs in tissue collection. Since the creation of Dolly, the first cloned mammal from an adult sheep, studies on genomic imprinting in domestic species have accelerated because animals from cloning and other assisted reproductive technologies exhibit phenotypes of imprinting disruptions. Although this review focuses on new developments in farm animals, most of the imprinting mechanism information was derived from the mouse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuchun Cindy Tian
- Department of Animal Science, Center for Regenerative Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-4163;
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25
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Zimmerman DL, Boddy CS, Schoenherr CS. Aberrant methylation of the H19 imprinting control region may increase the risk of spontaneous abortion. Epigenomics 2013; 8:e81962. [PMID: 24324735 PMCID: PMC3855764 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0081962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2013] [Accepted: 10/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
A central question in genomic imprinting is how parental-specific DNA methylation of imprinting control regions (ICR) is established during gametogenesis and maintained after fertilization. At the imprinted Igf2/H19 locus, CTCF binding maintains the unmethylated state of the maternal ICR after the blastocyst stage. In addition, evidence from Beckwith-Wiedemann patients and cultured mouse cells suggests that two Sox-Oct binding motifs within the Igf2/H19 ICR also participate in maintaining hypomethylation of the maternal allele. We found that the Sox and octamer elements from both Sox-Oct motifs were required to drive hypomethylation of integrated transgenes in mouse embryonic carcinoma cells. Oct4 and Sox2 showed cooperative binding to the Sox-Oct motifs, and both were present at the endogenous ICR. Using a mouse with mutations in the Oct4 binding sites, we found that maternally transmitted mutant ICRs acquired partial methylation in somatic tissues, but there was little effect on imprinted expression of H19 and Igf2. A subset of mature oocytes also showed partial methylation of the mutant ICR, which suggested that the Sox-Oct motifs provide some protection from methylation during oogenesis. The Sox-Oct motifs, however, were not required for erasure of paternal methylation in primordial germ cells, which indicated that the oocyte methylation was acquired post-natally. Maternally inherited mutant ICRs were unmethylated in blastocysts, which suggested that at least a portion of the methylation in somatic tissues occurred after implantation. These findings provide evidence that Sox-Oct motifs contribute to ICR hypomethylation in post-implantation embryos and maturing oocytes and link imprinted DNA methylation with key stem cell/germline transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- David L. Zimmerman
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Biology Department, College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, Missouri, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Craig S. Boddy
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Division of Medical Education, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Christopher S. Schoenherr
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
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26
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Venkatraman A, He XC, Thorvaldsen JL, Sugimura R, Perry JM, Tao F, Zhao M, Christenson MK, Sanchez R, Yu JY, Peng L, Haug JS, Paulson A, Li H, Zhong XB, Clemens TL, Bartolomei MS, Li L. Maternal imprinting at the H19-Igf2 locus maintains adult haematopoietic stem cell quiescence. Nature 2013; 500:345-9. [PMID: 23863936 DOI: 10.1038/nature12303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 226] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2011] [Accepted: 05/15/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The epigenetic regulation of imprinted genes by monoallelic DNA methylation of either maternal or paternal alleles is critical for embryonic growth and development. Imprinted genes were recently shown to be expressed in mammalian adult stem cells to support self-renewal of neural and lung stem cells; however, a role for imprinting per se in adult stem cells remains elusive. Here we show upregulation of growth-restricting imprinted genes, including in the H19-Igf2 locus, in long-term haematopoietic stem cells and their downregulation upon haematopoietic stem cell activation and proliferation. A differentially methylated region upstream of H19 (H19-DMR), serving as the imprinting control region, determines the reciprocal expression of H19 from the maternal allele and Igf2 from the paternal allele. In addition, H19 serves as a source of miR-675, which restricts Igf1r expression. We demonstrate that conditional deletion of the maternal but not the paternal H19-DMR reduces adult haematopoietic stem cell quiescence, a state required for long-term maintenance of haematopoietic stem cells, and compromises haematopoietic stem cell function. Maternal-specific H19-DMR deletion results in activation of the Igf2-Igfr1 pathway, as shown by the translocation of phosphorylated FoxO3 (an inactive form) from nucleus to cytoplasm and the release of FoxO3-mediated cell cycle arrest, thus leading to increased activation, proliferation and eventual exhaustion of haematopoietic stem cells. Mechanistically, maternal-specific H19-DMR deletion leads to Igf2 upregulation and increased translation of Igf1r, which is normally suppressed by H19-derived miR-675. Similarly, genetic inactivation of Igf1r partly rescues the H19-DMR deletion phenotype. Our work establishes a new role for this unique form of epigenetic control at the H19-Igf2 locus in maintaining adult stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aparna Venkatraman
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA
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27
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Santoro F, Mayer D, Klement RM, Warczok KE, Stukalov A, Barlow DP, Pauler FM. Imprinted Igf2r silencing depends on continuous Airn lncRNA expression and is not restricted to a developmental window. Development 2013; 140:1184-95. [PMID: 23444351 DOI: 10.1242/dev.088849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The imprinted Airn macro long non-coding (lnc) RNA is an established example of a cis-silencing lncRNA. Airn expression is necessary to initiate paternal-specific silencing of the Igf2r gene, which is followed by gain of a somatic DNA methylation imprint on the silent Igf2r promoter. However, the developmental requirements for Airn initiation of Igf2r silencing and the role of Airn or DNA methylation in maintaining stable Igf2r repression have not been investigated. Here, we use inducible systems to control Airn expression during mouse embryonic stem cell (ESC) differentiation. By turning Airn expression off during ESC differentiation, we show that continuous Airn expression is needed to maintain Igf2r silencing, but only until the paternal Igf2r promoter is methylated. By conditionally turning Airn expression on, we show that Airn initiation of Igf2r silencing is not limited to one developmental 'window of opportunity' and can be maintained in the absence of DNA methylation. Together, this study shows that Airn expression is both necessary and sufficient to silence Igf2r throughout ESC differentiation and that the somatic methylation imprint, although not required to initiate or maintain silencing, adds a secondary layer of repressive epigenetic information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Santoro
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH BT 25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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28
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Reichmann J, Reddington JP, Best D, Read D, Öllinger R, Meehan RR, Adams IR. The genome-defence gene Tex19.1 suppresses LINE-1 retrotransposons in the placenta and prevents intra-uterine growth retardation in mice. Hum Mol Genet 2013; 22:1791-806. [PMID: 23364048 PMCID: PMC3613164 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddt029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2012] [Revised: 12/19/2012] [Accepted: 01/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation plays an important role in suppressing retrotransposon activity in mammalian genomes, yet there are stages of mammalian development where global hypomethylation puts the genome at risk of retrotransposition-mediated genetic instability. Hypomethylated primordial germ cells appear to limit this risk by expressing a cohort of retrotransposon-suppressing genome-defence genes whose silencing depends on promoter DNA methylation. Here, we investigate whether similar mechanisms operate in hypomethylated trophectoderm-derived components of the mammalian placenta to couple expression of genome-defence genes to the potential for retrotransposon activity. We show that the hypomethylated state of the mouse placenta results in activation of only one of the hypomethylation-sensitive germline genome-defence genes: Tex19.1. Tex19.1 appears to play an important role in placenta function as Tex19.1(-/-) mouse embryos exhibit intra-uterine growth retardation and have small placentas due to a reduction in the number of spongiotrophoblast, glycogen trophoblast and sinusoidal trophoblast giant cells. Furthermore, we show that retrotransposon mRNAs are derepressed in Tex19.1(-/-) placentas and that protein encoded by the LINE-1 retrotransposon is upregulated in hypomethylated trophectoderm-derived cells that normally express Tex19.1. This study suggests that post-transcriptional genome-defence mechanisms are operating in the placenta to protect the hypomethylated cells in this tissue from retrotransposons and suggests that imbalances between retrotransposon activity and genome-defence mechanisms could contribute to placenta dysfunction and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Richard R. Meehan
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Ian R. Adams
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
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29
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Tunster SJ, Jensen AB, John RM. Imprinted genes in mouse placental development and the regulation of fetal energy stores. Reproduction 2013; 145:R117-37. [PMID: 23445556 DOI: 10.1530/rep-12-0511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Imprinted genes, which are preferentially expressed from one or other parental chromosome as a consequence of epigenetic events in the germline, are known to functionally converge on biological processes that enable in utero development in mammals. Over 100 imprinted genes have been identified in the mouse, the majority of which are both expressed and imprinted in the placenta. The purpose of this review is to provide a summary of the current knowledge regarding imprinted gene function in the mouse placenta. Few imprinted genes have been assessed with respect to their dosage-related action in the placenta. Nonetheless, current data indicate that imprinted genes converge on two key functions of the placenta, nutrient transport and placental signalling. Murine studies may provide a greater understanding of certain human pathologies, including low birth weight and the programming of metabolic diseases in the adult, and complications of pregnancy, such as pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes, resulting from fetuses carrying abnormal imprints.
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Affiliation(s)
- S J Tunster
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, Wales CF10 3AX, UK
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30
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Kulinski TM, Barlow DP, Hudson QJ. Imprinted silencing is extended over broad chromosomal domains in mouse extra-embryonic lineages. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2013; 25:297-304. [PMID: 23478214 PMCID: PMC3695569 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2013.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2013] [Revised: 02/12/2013] [Accepted: 02/16/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Gene silencing in imprinted gene clusters is established by an epigenetic initiator that is often a long non-coding (lnc) RNA. The clustered organization of known imprinted genes indicates that the initiator extends imprinted silencing over broader chromosomal domains in extra-embryonic lineages compared to the embryo. We propose that extension of imprinted gene clusters may result from known epigenetic differences between extra-embryonic and embryonic lineages that alter the behavior of epigenetic initiators. New RNA sequencing technology will enable the full extent of imprinted silencing in embryonic and extra-embryonic lineages to be defined, but appropriate analysis and cell systems are required, which we define here based on a review of recent studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz M Kulinski
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH-BT25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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31
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Carbon M, Raymond D, Ozelius L, Saunders-Pullman R, Frucht S, Dhawan V, Bressman S, Eidelberg D. Metabolic changes in DYT11 myoclonus-dystonia. Neurology 2013; 80:385-91. [PMID: 23284065 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0b013e31827f0798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To identify brain regions with metabolic changes in DYT11 myoclonus-dystonia (DYT11-MD) relative to control subjects and to compare metabolic abnormalities in DYT11-MD with those found in other forms of hereditary dystonia and in posthypoxic myoclonus. METHODS [(18)F]-fluorodeoxyglucose PET was performed in 6 subjects with DYT11-MD (age 30.5 ± 10.1 years) and in 6 nonmanifesting DYT11 mutation carriers (NM-DYT11; age 59.1 ± 8.9 years) representing the parental generation of the affected individuals. These data were compared to scan data from age-matched healthy control subjects using voxel-based whole brain searches and group differences were considered significant at p < 0.05 (corrected, statistical parametric mapping). As a secondary analysis, overlapping abnormalities were identified by comparisons to hereditary dystonias (DYT1, DYT6, dopa-responsive dystonia) and to posthypoxic myoclonus. RESULTS We found significant DYT11 genotype-specific metabolic increases in the inferior pons and in the posterior thalamus as well as reductions in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Significant phenotype-related increases were present in the parasagittal cerebellum. This latter abnormality was shared with posthypoxic myoclonus, but not with other forms of dystonia. By contrast, all dystonia cohorts exhibited significant metabolic increases in the superior parietal lobule. CONCLUSIONS The findings are consistent with a subcortical myoclonus generator in DYT11-MD, likely involving the cerebellum. By contrast, subtle increases in the superior parietal cortex relate to the additional presence of dystonic symptoms. Although reduced penetrance in DYT11-MD has been attributed to the maternal imprinting epsilon-sarcoglycan mutations, NM-DYT11 carriers showed significant metabolic abnormalities that are not explained by this genetic model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maren Carbon
- Center for Neurosciences, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
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32
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Van Wynsberghe PM, Maine EM. Epigenetic control of germline development. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2013; 757:373-403. [PMID: 22872484 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-4015-4_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Dynamic regulation of histone modifications and small noncoding RNAs is observed throughout the development of the C. elegans germ line. Histone modifications are differentially regulated in the mitotic vs meiotic germ line, on X chromosomes vs autosomes and on paired chromosomes vs unpaired chromosomes. Small RNAs function in transposon silencing and developmental gene regulation. Histone modifications and small RNAs produced in the germ line can be inherited and impact embryonic development. Disruption of histone-modifying enzymes or small RNA machinery in the germ line can result in sterility due to degeneration of the germ line and/or an inability to produce functional gametes.
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33
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Differentiation-driven nucleolar association of the mouse imprinted Kcnq1 locus. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2012; 2:1521-8. [PMID: 23275875 PMCID: PMC3516474 DOI: 10.1534/g3.112.004226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2012] [Accepted: 09/22/2012] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The organization of the genome within the mammalian nucleus is nonrandom, with physiologic processes often concentrated in specific three-dimensional domains. This organization may be functionally related to gene regulation and, as such, may play a role in normal development and human disease processes. However, the mechanisms that participate in nuclear organization are poorly understood. Here, we present data characterizing localization of the imprinted Kcnq1 alleles. We show that nucleolar association of the paternal allele (1) is stimulated during the differentiation of trophoblast stem cells, (ii) is dependent upon the Kcnq1ot1 noncoding RNA, (3) does not require polycomb repressive complex 2, and (4) is not sufficient to preclude transcription of imprinted genes. Although nucleolar positioning has been proposed as a mechanism to related to gene silencing, we find that silencing and perinucleolar localization through the Kcnq1ot1 noncoding RNA are separable events.
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34
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Fedoriw A, Mugford J, Magnuson T. Genomic imprinting and epigenetic control of development. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2012; 4:a008136. [PMID: 22687277 PMCID: PMC3385953 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a008136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms are extensively utilized during mammalian development. Specific patterns of gene expression are established during cell fate decisions, maintained as differentiation progresses, and often augmented as more specialized cell types are required. Much of what is known about these mechanisms comes from the study of two distinct epigenetic phenomena: genomic imprinting and X-chromosome inactivation. In the case of genomic imprinting, alleles are expressed in a parent-of-origin-dependent manner, whereas X-chromosome inactivation in females requires that only one X chromosome is active in each somatic nucleus. As model systems for epigenetic regulation, genomic imprinting and X-chromosome inactivation have identified and elucidated the numerous regulatory mechanisms that function throughout the genome during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Fedoriw
- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Department of Genetics, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
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35
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Guenzl PM, Barlow DP. Macro lncRNAs: a new layer of cis-regulatory information in the mammalian genome. RNA Biol 2012; 9:731-41. [PMID: 22617879 DOI: 10.4161/rna.19985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In the past ten years, long non-protein-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to comprise a major part of the mammalian transcriptome and are predicted from their highly specific expression patterns, to play a role in regulating protein-coding gene expression in development and disease. Many lncRNAs particularly those lying in imprinted clusters, are predominantly unspliced "macro" transcripts that can also show a low level of splicing, and both the unspliced and spliced transcript have the potential to be functional. Three known imprinted macro lncRNAs have been shown to silence from three to ten genes in cis in imprinted gene clusters. We review here the potential for functional macro lncRNAs, defined here as "inefficiently-spliced lncRNAs" to play a wider cis-regulatory role in the mammalian genome. This potential has been underestimated by the inability of current RNA-seq technology to annotate unspliced macro lncRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp M Guenzl
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH-BT25.3, Vienna 1090, Austria
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36
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Abstract
DNA methylation represents a form of genome annotation that mediates gene repression by serving as a maintainable mark that can be used to reconstruct silent chromatin following each round of replication. During development, germline DNA methylation is erased in the blastocyst, and a bimodal pattern is established anew at the time of implantation when the entire genome gets methylated while CpG islands are protected. This brings about global repression and allows housekeeping genes to be expressed in all cells of the body. Postimplantation development is characterized by stage- and tissue-specific changes in methylation that ultimately mold the epigenetic patterns that define each individual cell type. This is directed by sequence information in DNA and represents a secondary event that provides long-term expression stability. Abnormal methylation changes play a role in diseases, such as cancer or fragile X syndrome, and may also occur as a function of aging or as a result of environmental influences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard Cedar
- Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research, Hebrew University Medical School, Ein Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel.
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37
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Crider KS, Yang TP, Berry RJ, Bailey LB. Folate and DNA methylation: a review of molecular mechanisms and the evidence for folate's role. Adv Nutr 2012; 3:21-38. [PMID: 22332098 PMCID: PMC3262611 DOI: 10.3945/an.111.000992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 587] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification critical to normal genome regulation and development. The vitamin folate is a key source of the one carbon group used to methylate DNA. Because normal mammalian development is dependent on DNA methylation, there is enormous interest in assessing the potential for changes in folate intake to modulate DNA methylation both as a biomarker for folate status and as a mechanistic link to developmental disorders and chronic diseases including cancer. This review highlights the role of DNA methylation in normal genome function, how it can be altered, and the evidence of the role of folate/folic acid in these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista S Crider
- Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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38
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise P. Barlow
- CeMM, Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria;
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39
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Golbabapour S, Abdulla MA, Hajrezaei M. A concise review on epigenetic regulation: insight into molecular mechanisms. Int J Mol Sci 2011; 12:8661-94. [PMID: 22272098 PMCID: PMC3257095 DOI: 10.3390/ijms12128661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2011] [Revised: 11/07/2011] [Accepted: 11/10/2011] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms are responsible for the regulation of transcription of imprinted genes and those that induce a totipotent state. Starting just after fertilization, DNA methylation pattern undergoes establishment, reestablishment and maintenance. These modifications are important for normal embryo and placental developments. Throughout life and passing to the next generation, epigenetic events establish, maintain, erase and reestablish. In the context of differentiated cell reprogramming, demethylation and activation of genes whose expressions contribute to the pluripotent state is the crux of the matter. In this review, firstly, regulatory epigenetic mechanisms related to somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) reprogramming are discussed, followed by embryonic development, and placental epigenetic issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahram Golbabapour
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; E-Mails: (M.A.A.); (M.H.)
| | - Mahmood Ameen Abdulla
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; E-Mails: (M.A.A.); (M.H.)
| | - Maryam Hajrezaei
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; E-Mails: (M.A.A.); (M.H.)
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40
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Okae H, Hiura H, Nishida Y, Funayama R, Tanaka S, Chiba H, Yaegashi N, Nakayama K, Sasaki H, Arima T. Re-investigation and RNA sequencing-based identification of genes with placenta-specific imprinted expression. Hum Mol Genet 2011; 21:548-58. [PMID: 22025075 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddr488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Within the vertebrate groups, only mammals are subject to a specialized epigenetic process termed genomic imprinting in which genes are preferentially expressed from one parental allele. Imprinted expression has been reported for >100 mouse genes and, for approximately one-quarter of these genes, the imprinted expression is specific to the placenta (or extraembryonic tissues). This seemingly placenta-specific imprinted expression has garnered much attention, as has the apparent lack of conserved imprinting between the human and mouse placenta. In this study, we used a novel approach to re-investigate the placenta-specific expression using embryo transfer and trophoblast stem cells. We analyzed 20 genes previously reported to show maternal allele-specific expression in the placenta, and only 8 genes were confirmed to be imprinted. Other genes were likely to be falsely identified as imprinted due to their relatively high expression in contaminating maternal cells. Next, we performed a genome-wide transcriptome assay and identified 133 and 955 candidate imprinted genes with paternal allele- and maternal allele-specific expression. Of those we analyzed in detail, 1/6 (Gab1) of the candidates for paternal allele-specific expression and only 1/269 (Ano1) candidates for maternal allele-specific expression were authentically imprinted genes. Imprinting of Ano1 and Gab1 was specific to the placenta and neither gene displayed allele-specific promoter DNA methylation. Imprinting of ANO1, but not GAB1, was conserved in the human placenta. Our findings impose a considerable revision of the current views of placental imprinting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroaki Okae
- Department of Informative Genetics, Environment and Genome Research Center, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, Japan
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De Felici M. Nuclear reprogramming in mouse primordial germ cells: epigenetic contribution. Stem Cells Int 2011; 2011:425863. [PMID: 21969835 PMCID: PMC3182379 DOI: 10.4061/2011/425863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2011] [Accepted: 07/11/2011] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The unique capability of germ cells to give rise to a new organism, allowing the transmission of primary genetic information from generation to generation, depends on their epigenetic reprogramming ability and underlying genomic totipotency. Recent studies have shown that genome-wide epigenetic modifications, referred to as “epigenetic reprogramming”, occur during the development of the gamete precursors termed primordial germ cells (PGCs) in the embryo. This reprogramming is likely to be critical for the germ line development itself and necessary to erase the parental imprinting and setting the base for totipotency intrinsic to this cell lineage. The status of genome acquired during reprogramming and the associated expression of key pluripotency genes render PGCs susceptible to transform into pluripotent stem cells. This may occur in vivo under still undefined condition, and it is likely at the origin of the formation of germ cell tumors. The phenomenon appears to be reproduced under partly defined in vitro culture conditions, when PGCs are transformed into embryonic germ (EG) cells. In the present paper, I will try to summarize the contribution that epigenetic modifications give to nuclear reprogramming in mouse PGCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo De Felici
- Section of Histology and Embryology, Department of Public Health and Cell Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata," 00173 Rome, Italy
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Chiesa N, De Crescenzo A, Mishra K, Perone L, Carella M, Palumbo O, Mussa A, Sparago A, Cerrato F, Russo S, Lapi E, Cubellis MV, Kanduri C, Cirillo Silengo M, Riccio A, Ferrero GB. The KCNQ1OT1 imprinting control region and non-coding RNA: new properties derived from the study of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome and Silver-Russell syndrome cases. Hum Mol Genet 2011; 21:10-25. [PMID: 21920939 PMCID: PMC3235007 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddr419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A cluster of imprinted genes at chromosome 11p15.5 is associated with the growth disorders, Silver–Russell syndrome (SRS) and Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome (BWS). The cluster is divided into two domains with independent imprinting control regions (ICRs). We describe two maternal 11p15.5 microduplications with contrasting phenotypes. The first is an inverted and in cis duplication of the entire 11p15.5 cluster associated with the maintenance of genomic imprinting and with the SRS phenotype. The second is a 160 kb duplication also inverted and in cis, but resulting in the imprinting alteration of the centromeric domain. It includes the centromeric ICR (ICR2) and the most 5′ 20 kb of the non-coding KCNQ1OT1 gene. Its maternal transmission is associated with ICR2 hypomethylation and the BWS phenotype. By excluding epigenetic mosaicism, cell clones analysis indicated that the two closely located ICR2 sequences resulting from the 160 kb duplication carried discordant DNA methylation on the maternal chromosome and supported the hypothesis that the ICR2 sequence is not sufficient for establishing imprinted methylation and some other property, possibly orientation-dependent, is needed. Furthermore, the 1.2 Mb duplication demonstrated that all features are present for correct imprinting at ICR2 when this is duplicated and inverted within the entire cluster. In the individuals maternally inheriting the 160 kb duplication, ICR2 hypomethylation led to the expression of a truncated KCNQ1OT1 transcript and to down-regulation of CDKN1C. We demonstrated by chromatin RNA immunopurification that the KCNQ1OT1 RNA interacts with chromatin through its most 5′ 20 kb sequence, providing a mechanism likely mediating the silencing activity of this long non-coding RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicoletta Chiesa
- Dipartimento di Scienze Pediatriche e dell’Adolescenza, Università di Torino, Torino, Italy
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Demars J, Rossignol S, Netchine I, Lee KS, Shmela M, Faivre L, Weill J, Odent S, Azzi S, Callier P, Lucas J, Dubourg C, Andrieux J, Le Bouc Y, El-Osta A, Gicquel C. New insights into the pathogenesis of Beckwith-Wiedemann and Silver-Russell syndromes: contribution of small copy number variations to 11p15 imprinting defects. Hum Mutat 2011; 32:1171-82. [PMID: 21780245 DOI: 10.1002/humu.21558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2011] [Accepted: 06/12/2011] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The imprinted 11p15 region is organized in two domains, each of them under the control of its own imprinting control region (ICR1 for the IGF2/H19 domain and ICR2 for the KCNQ1OT1/CDKN1C domain). Disruption of 11p15 imprinting results in two fetal growth disorders with opposite phenotypes: the Beckwith-Wiedemann (BWS) and the Silver-Russell (SRS) syndromes. Various 11p15 genetic and epigenetic defects have been demonstrated in BWS and SRS. Among them, isolated DNA methylation defects account for approximately 60% of patients. To investigate whether cryptic copy number variations (CNVs) involving only part of one of the two imprinted domains account for 11p15 isolated DNA methylation defects, we designed a single nucleotide polymorphism array covering the whole 11p15 imprinted region and genotyped 185 SRS or BWS cases with loss or gain of DNA methylation at either ICR1 or ICR2. We describe herein novel small gain and loss CNVs in six BWS or SRS patients, including maternally inherited cis-duplications involving only part of one of the two imprinted domains. We also show that ICR2 deletions do not account for BWS with ICR2 loss of methylation and that uniparental isodisomy involving only one of the two imprinted domains is not a mechanism for SRS or BWS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Demars
- Epigenetics in Human Health and Disease, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Abstract
Many questions about the regulation, functional specialization, computational prediction, and evolution of genomic imprinting would be better addressed by having an exhaustive genome-wide catalog of genes that display parent-of-origin differential expression. As a first-pass scan for novel imprinted genes, we performed mRNA-seq experiments on embryonic day 17.5 (E17.5) mouse placenta cDNA samples from reciprocal cross F1 progeny of AKR and PWD mouse strains and quantified the allele-specific expression and the degree of parent-of-origin allelic imbalance. We confirmed the imprinting status of 23 known imprinted genes in the placenta and found that 12 genes reported previously to be imprinted in other tissues are also imprinted in mouse placenta. Through a well-replicated design using an orthogonal allelic-expression technology, we verified 5 novel imprinted genes that were not previously known to be imprinted in mouse (Pde10, Phf17, Phactr2, Zfp64, and Htra3). Our data suggest that most of the strongly imprinted genes have already been identified, at least in the placenta, and that evidence supports perhaps 100 additional weakly imprinted genes. Despite previous appearance that the placenta tends to display an excess of maternally expressed imprinted genes, with the addition of our validated set of placenta-imprinted genes, this maternal bias has disappeared.
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Labialle S, Cavaillé J. Do repeated arrays of regulatory small-RNA genes elicit genomic imprinting?: Concurrent emergence of large clusters of small non-coding RNAs and genomic imprinting at four evolutionarily distinct eutherian chromosomal loci. Bioessays 2011; 33:565-73. [PMID: 21618561 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201100032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2011] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The basic premise of the host-defense theory is that genomic imprinting, the parent-of-origin expression of a subset of mammalian genes, derives from mechanisms originally dedicated to silencing repeated and retroviral-like sequences that deeply colonized mammalian genomes. We propose that large clusters of tandemly-repeated C/D-box small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) or microRNAs represent a novel category of sequences recognized as "genomic parasites", contributing to the emergence of genomic imprinting in a subset of chromosomal regions that contain them. Such a view is supported by evidence derived from studies of the imprinted snoRNA- and/or miRNA-encoding Dlk1-Dio3, Snurf-Snrpn, Sfbmt2, and C19MC domains. While adding a new piece to the challenging puzzle of mammalian genome history, this hypothesis also reinforces the notion that dissecting the features and molecular mechanisms that discriminate between "foreign" and "endogenous" sequences is of crucial importance in the field of mammalian epigenetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Labialle
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Eucaryote, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France
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Wang Q, Chow J, Hong J, Smith AF, Moreno C, Seaby P, Vrana P, Miri K, Tak J, Chung ED, Mastromonaco G, Caniggia I, Varmuza S. Recent acquisition of imprinting at the rodent Sfmbt2 locus correlates with insertion of a large block of miRNAs. BMC Genomics 2011; 12:204. [PMID: 21510876 PMCID: PMC3110154 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-12-204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2011] [Accepted: 04/21/2011] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The proximal region of murine Chr 2 has long been known to harbour one or more imprinted genes from classic genetic studies involving reciprocal translocations. No imprinted gene had been identified from this region until our study demonstrated that the PcG gene Sfmbt2 is expressed from the paternally inherited allele in early embryos and extraembryonic tissues. Imprinted genes generally reside in clusters near elements termed Imprinting Control Regions (ICRs), suggesting that Sfmbt2 might represent an anchor for a new imprinted domain. Results We analyzed allelic expression of approximately 20 genes within a 3.9 Mb domain and found that Sfmbt2 and an overlapping non-coding antisense transcript are the only imprinted genes in this region. These transcripts represent a very narrow imprinted gene locus. We also demonstrate that rat Sfmbt2 is imprinted in extraembryonic tissues. An interesting feature of both mouse and rat Sfmbt2 genes is the presence of a large block of miRNAs in intron 10. Other mammals, including the bovine, lack this block of miRNAs. Consistent with this association, we show that human and bovine Sfmbt2 are biallelic. Other evidence indicates that pig Sfmbt2 is also not imprinted. Further strengthening the argument for recent evolution of Sfmbt2 is our demonstration that a more distant muroid rodent, Peromyscus also lacks imprinting and the block of miRNAs. Conclusions These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that the block of miRNAs are driving imprinting at this locus. Our results are discussed in the context of ncRNAs at other imprinted loci. Accession numbers for Peromyscus cDNA and intron 10 genomic DNA are [Genbank:HQ416417 and Genbank:HQ416418], respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianwei Wang
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Extra-embryonic-specific imprinted expression is restricted to defined lineages in the post-implantation embryo. Dev Biol 2011; 353:420-31. [PMID: 21354127 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2011.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2011] [Revised: 02/15/2011] [Accepted: 02/16/2011] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A subset of imprinted genes in the mouse have been reported to show imprinted expression that is restricted to the placenta, a short-lived extra-embryonic organ. Notably, these so-called "placental-specific" imprinted genes are expressed from both parental alleles in embryo and adult tissues. The placenta is an embryonic-derived organ that is closely associated with maternal tissue, and as a consequence, maternal contamination can be mistaken for maternal-specific imprinted expression. The complexity of the placenta, which arises from multiple embryonic lineages, poses additional problems in accurately assessing allele-specific repressive epigenetic modifications in genes that also show lineage-specific silencing in this organ. These problems require that extra evidence be obtained to support the imprinted status of genes whose imprinted expression is restricted to the placenta. We show here that the extra-embryonic visceral yolk sac (VYS), a nutritive membrane surrounding the developing embryo, shows a similar "extra-embryonic-lineage-specific" pattern of imprinted expression. We present an improved enzymatic technique for separating the bilaminar VYS and show that this pattern of imprinted expression is restricted to the endoderm layer. Finally, we show that VYS "extra-embryonic-lineage-specific" imprinted expression is regulated by DNA methylation in a similar manner as shown for genes showing multi-lineage imprinted expression in extra-embryonic, embryonic, and adult tissues. These results show that the VYS is an improved model for studying the epigenetic mechanisms regulating extra-embryonic-lineage-specific imprinted expression.
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Santoro F, Barlow DP. Developmental control of imprinted expression by macro non-coding RNAs. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2011; 22:328-35. [PMID: 21333747 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2011.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2010] [Accepted: 02/11/2011] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Genomic imprinting is a developmentally regulated epigenetic phenomenon. The majority of imprinted genes only show parent-of-origin specific expression in a subset of tissues or at defined developmental stages. In some cases, imprinted expression is controlled by an imprinted macro non-coding RNA (ncRNA) whose expression pattern and repressive activity does not necessarily correlate with that of the genes whose imprinted expression it controls. This suggests that developmentally regulated factors other than the macro ncRNA are involved in establishing or maintaining imprinted expression. Here, we review how macro ncRNAs control imprinted expression during development and differentiation and consider how this impacts on target choice in epigenetic therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Santoro
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Science, Lazarettgasse 14, AKH-BT25.3, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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Choufani S, Shapiro JS, Susiarjo M, Butcher DT, Grafodatskaya D, Lou Y, Ferreira JC, Pinto D, Scherer SW, Shaffer LG, Coullin P, Caniggia I, Beyene J, Slim R, Bartolomei MS, Weksberg R. A novel approach identifies new differentially methylated regions (DMRs) associated with imprinted genes. Genome Res 2011; 21:465-76. [PMID: 21324877 DOI: 10.1101/gr.111922.110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Imprinted genes are critical for normal human growth and neurodevelopment. They are characterized by differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of DNA that confer parent of origin-specific transcription. We developed a new strategy to identify imprinted gene-associated DMRs. Using genome-wide methylation profiling of sodium bisulfite modified DNA from normal human tissues of biparental origin, candidate DMRs were identified by selecting CpGs with methylation levels consistent with putative allelic differential methylation. In parallel, the methylation profiles of tissues of uniparental origin, i.e., paternally-derived androgenetic complete hydatidiform moles (AnCHMs), and maternally-derived mature cystic ovarian teratoma (MCT), were examined and then used to identify CpGs with parent of origin-specific DNA methylation. With this approach, we found known DMRs associated with imprinted genomic regions as well as new DMRs for known imprinted genes, NAP1L5 and ZNF597, and novel candidate imprinted genes. The paternally methylated DMR for one candidate, AXL, a receptor tyrosine kinase, was also validated in experiments with mouse embryos that demonstrated Axl was expressed preferentially from the maternal allele in a DNA methylation-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanaa Choufani
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada
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Abstract
Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic marking of genes in the parental germline that ensures the stable transmission of monoallelic gene expression patterns in a parent-of-origin-specific manner. Epigenetic marking systems are thus able to regulate gene activity independently of the underlying DNA sequence. Several imprinted gene products regulate cell proliferation and fetal growth; loss of their imprinted state, which effectively alters their dosage, might promote or suppress tumourigenic processes. Conversely, global epigenetic changes that underlie tumourigenesis might affect imprinted gene expression. Here, we review imprinted genes with regard to their roles in epigenetic predisposition to cancer, and discuss acquired epigenetic changes (DNA methylation, histone modifications and chromatin conformation) either as a result of cancer or as an early event in neoplasia. We also address recent work showing the potential role of noncoding RNA in modifying chromatin and affecting imprinted gene expression, and summarise the effects of loss of imprinting in cancer with regard to the roles that imprinted genes play in regulating growth signalling cascades. Finally, we speculate on the clinical applications of epigenetic drugs in cancer.
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