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Wang F, Mehta P, Bach I. How does the Xist activator Rlim/Rnf12 regulate Xist expression? Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:1099-1107. [PMID: 38747697 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) Xist is crucially involved in a process called X chromosome inactivation (XCI), the transcriptional silencing of one of the two X chromosomes in female mammals to achieve X dosage compensation between the sexes. Because Xist RNA silences the X chromosome from which it is transcribed, the activation of Xist transcription marks the initiation of the XCI process and thus, mechanisms and players that activate this gene are of central importance to the XCI process. During female mouse embryogenesis, XCI occurs in two steps. At the 2-4 cell stages imprinted XCI (iXCI) silences exclusively the paternally inherited X chromosome (Xp). While extraembryonic cells including trophoblasts keep the Xp silenced, epiblast cells that give rise to the embryo proper reactivate the Xp and undergo random XCI (rXCI) around implantation. Both iXCI and rXCI are dependent on Xist. Rlim, also known as Rnf12, is an X-linked E3 ubiquitin ligase that is involved in the transcriptional activation of Xist. However, while data on the crucial involvement of Rlim during iXCI appear clear, its role in rXCI has been controversial. This review discusses data leading to this disagreement and recent evidence for a regulatory switch of Xist transcription in epiblasts of implanting embryos, partially reconciling the roles of Rlim during Xist activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Wang
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, U.S.A
| | - Poonam Mehta
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, U.S.A
| | - Ingolf Bach
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, U.S.A
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Cuinat S, Quélin C, Effray C, Dubourg C, Le Bouar G, Cabaret-Dufour AS, Loget P, Proisy M, Sauvestre F, Sarreau M, Martin-Berenguer S, Beneteau C, Naudion S, Michaud V, Arveiler B, Trimouille A, Macé P, Sigaudy S, Glazunova O, Torrents J, Raymond L, Saint-Frison MH, Attié-Bitach T, Lefebvre M, Capri Y, Bourgon N, Thauvin-Robinet C, Tran Mau-Them F, Bruel AL, Vitobello A, Denommé-Pichon AS, Faivre L, Brehin AC, Goldenberg A, Patrier-Sallebert S, Perani A, Dauriat B, Bourthoumieu S, Yardin C, Marquet V, Barnique M, Fiorenza-Gasq M, Marey I, Tournadre D, Doumit R, Nugues F, Barakat TS, Bustos F, Jaillard S, Launay E, Pasquier L, Odent S. Extending the clinical spectrum of X-linked Tonne-Kalscheuer syndrome (TOKAS): new insights from the fetal perspective. J Med Genet 2024:jmg-2024-109854. [PMID: 38849204 DOI: 10.1136/jmg-2024-109854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Tonne-Kalscheuer syndrome (TOKAS) is a recessive X-linked multiple congenital anomaly disorder caused by RLIM variations. Of the 41 patients reported, only 7 antenatal cases were described. METHOD After the antenatal diagnosis of TOKAS by exome analysis in a family followed for over 35 years because of multiple congenital anomalies in five male fetuses, a call for collaboration was made, resulting in a cohort of 11 previously unpublished cases. RESULTS We present a TOKAS antenatal cohort, describing 11 new cases in 6 French families. We report a high frequency of diaphragmatic hernia (9 of 11), differences in sex development (10 of 11) and various visceral malformations. We report some recurrent dysmorphic features, but also pontocerebellar hypoplasia, pre-auricular skin tags and olfactory bulb abnormalities previously unreported in the literature. Although no clear genotype-phenotype correlation has yet emerged, we show that a recurrent p.(Arg611Cys) variant accounts for 66% of fetal TOKAS cases. We also report two new likely pathogenic variants in RLIM, outside of the two previously known mutational hotspots. CONCLUSION Overall, we present the first fetal cohort of TOKAS, describe the clinical features that made it a recognisable syndrome at fetopathological examination, and extend the phenotypical spectrum and the known genotype of this rare disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvestre Cuinat
- Service de Génétique Clinique, CRMR anomalies du développement CLAD-Ouest, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France
| | - Chloé Quélin
- Service de Génétique Clinique, CRMR anomalies du développement CLAD-Ouest, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France
- Service d'Anatomie et Cytologie Pathologiques, Hôpital Pontchaillou, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France
| | - Claire Effray
- Service de Génétique Clinique, CRMR anomalies du développement CLAD-Ouest, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France
| | - Christèle Dubourg
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Hôpital Pontchaillou, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France
- CNRS, INSERM UMR 6290, ERL U1305, F-35000, Université de Rennes, IGDR, Rennes, France
| | - Gwenaelle Le Bouar
- Unité de Médecine fœtale, Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France
| | | | - Philippe Loget
- Service d'Anatomie et Cytologie Pathologiques, Hôpital Pontchaillou, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France
| | - Maia Proisy
- Radiology Department, CHU de Brest, Brest, France
| | - Fanny Sauvestre
- Unité de Pathologie Fœto-placentaire, Service de Pathologie, CHU de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Mélie Sarreau
- Unité de Pathologie Fœto-placentaire, Service de Pathologie, CHU de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Sophie Martin-Berenguer
- Unité de Pathologie Fœto-placentaire, Service de Pathologie, CHU de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
- Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Mother and Children's Hospital, CHU Limoges, Limoges, France
| | - Claire Beneteau
- Service de Génétique Médicale, CHU de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Sophie Naudion
- Service de Génétique Médicale, CHU de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Vincent Michaud
- Service de Génétique Médicale, CHU de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
- INSERM U1211, Maladies Rares, Génétique et Métabolisme, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Benoit Arveiler
- Service de Génétique Médicale, CHU de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
- INSERM U1211, Maladies Rares, Génétique et Métabolisme, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Aurélien Trimouille
- Service de Génétique Médicale, CHU de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
- INSERM U1211, Maladies Rares, Génétique et Métabolisme, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Pierre Macé
- Institut méditerranéen d'imagerie médicale appliquée à la gynécologie, la grossesse et l'enfance IMAGE2, Marseille, France
| | - Sabine Sigaudy
- Département de Génétique Médicale, Hôpital Timone Enfant, AP-HM, Marseille, France
| | - Olga Glazunova
- Département de Génétique Médicale, Hôpital Timone Enfant, AP-HM, Marseille, France
| | - Julia Torrents
- Department of Pathology and Neuropathology, La Timone Hospital, Aix Marseille University, AP-HM, Marseille, France
| | - Laure Raymond
- Genetics Department, Laboratoire Eurofins Biomnis, Lyon, France
| | | | - Tania Attié-Bitach
- Service de Médecine Génomique des Maladies Rares, Hopital Universitaire Necker-Enfants Malades, AP-HP, Paris, France
- INSERM UMR 1163, Imagine Institute, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Mathilde Lefebvre
- Service de Pathologie fœtale, Hôpital Universitaire Armand Trousseau, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Yline Capri
- Département de Génétique, Hôpital Robert Debré, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Bourgon
- Service d'Obstétrique-Maternité Chirurgie, Médecine et Imagerie foetales, AP-HP, Hopital Universitaire Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France
- UMR1231 GAD, INSERM, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Christel Thauvin-Robinet
- UMR1231 GAD, INSERM, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
- Unité Fonctionnelle Innovation en Diagnostic Génomique des Maladies Rares, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon, Dijon, France
- Centre de référence Anomalies du Développement et Syndromes Malformatifs, Fédération Hospitalo-Universitaire TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon, Dijon, France
| | - Frédéric Tran Mau-Them
- UMR1231 GAD, INSERM, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
- Unité Fonctionnelle Innovation en Diagnostic Génomique des Maladies Rares, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon, Dijon, France
| | - Ange-Line Bruel
- UMR1231 GAD, INSERM, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
- Unité Fonctionnelle Innovation en Diagnostic Génomique des Maladies Rares, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon, Dijon, France
| | - Antonio Vitobello
- UMR1231 GAD, INSERM, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
- Unité Fonctionnelle Innovation en Diagnostic Génomique des Maladies Rares, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon, Dijon, France
| | - Anne-Sophie Denommé-Pichon
- UMR1231 GAD, INSERM, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
- Unité Fonctionnelle Innovation en Diagnostic Génomique des Maladies Rares, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon, Dijon, France
| | - Laurence Faivre
- UMR1231 GAD, INSERM, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
- Centre de référence Anomalies du Développement et Syndromes Malformatifs, Fédération Hospitalo-Universitaire TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon, Dijon, France
| | - Anne-Claire Brehin
- Department of Pathology, Department of Genetics and Reference Center for Developmental Abnormalities, F-76000, CHU de Rouen, Rouen, France
- Inserm U1245, Université de Rouen Normandie, Rouen, France
| | - Alice Goldenberg
- Inserm U1245, Université de Rouen Normandie, Rouen, France
- Department of Genetics and Reference Center for Developmental Abnormalities, F-76000, CHU de Rouen, Rouen, France
| | | | - Alexandre Perani
- Cytogenetic, Medical Genetic and Reproductive Biology Department, Hôpital de la Mère et de l'Enfant, CHU Dupuytren, CHU Limoges, Limoges, France
| | - Benjamin Dauriat
- Cytogenetic, Medical Genetic and Reproductive Biology Department, Hôpital de la Mère et de l'Enfant, CHU Dupuytren, CHU Limoges, Limoges, France
| | - Sylvie Bourthoumieu
- Cytogenetic, Medical Genetic and Reproductive Biology Department, Hôpital de la Mère et de l'Enfant, CHU Dupuytren, CHU Limoges, Limoges, France
- UMR 7252, CNRS, XLIM, F-87000, Université de Limoges, Limoges, France
| | - Catherine Yardin
- Cytogenetic, Medical Genetic and Reproductive Biology Department, Hôpital de la Mère et de l'Enfant, CHU Dupuytren, CHU Limoges, Limoges, France
- UMR 7252, CNRS, XLIM, F-87000, Université de Limoges, Limoges, France
| | - Valentine Marquet
- Cytogenetic, Medical Genetic and Reproductive Biology Department, Hôpital de la Mère et de l'Enfant, CHU Dupuytren, CHU Limoges, Limoges, France
| | - Marion Barnique
- Cytogenetic, Medical Genetic and Reproductive Biology Department, Hôpital de la Mère et de l'Enfant, CHU Dupuytren, CHU Limoges, Limoges, France
| | - Maryse Fiorenza-Gasq
- Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Mother and Children's Hospital, CHU Limoges, Limoges, France
| | - Isabelle Marey
- INSERM U1209, Institute for Advanced Bioscience, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Danielle Tournadre
- CPDPN de Grenoble, Echographie obstétricale dépistage et diagnostic, CHU Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Raïa Doumit
- Service d'Imagerie Pédiatrique, CHU Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Frédérique Nugues
- Service d'Imagerie Pédiatrique, CHU Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Tahsin Stefan Barakat
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- ENCORE Expertise Center for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Discovery Unit, Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Francisco Bustos
- Pediatrics and Rare Diseases Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota, USA
| | - Sylvie Jaillard
- Service de Cytogénétique et Biologie Cellulaire, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France
- EHESP, INSERM U1085 IRSET, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Erika Launay
- Service de Cytogénétique et Biologie Cellulaire, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France
| | - Laurent Pasquier
- Service de Génétique Clinique, CRMR anomalies du développement CLAD-Ouest, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France
- CNRS, INSERM UMR 6290, ERL U1305, F-35000, Université de Rennes, IGDR, Rennes, France
- FHU GenoMeds, ERN ITHACA, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France
| | - Sylvie Odent
- Service de Génétique Clinique, CRMR anomalies du développement CLAD-Ouest, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France
- CNRS, INSERM UMR 6290, ERL U1305, F-35000, Université de Rennes, IGDR, Rennes, France
- FHU GenoMeds, ERN ITHACA, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France
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Brewer A, Sathe G, Pflug BE, Clarke RG, Macartney TJ, Sapkota GP. Mapping the substrate landscape of protein phosphatase 2A catalytic subunit PPP2CA. iScience 2024; 27:109302. [PMID: 38450154 PMCID: PMC10915630 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109302] [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: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is an essential Ser/Thr phosphatase. The PP2A holoenzyme complex comprises a scaffolding (A), regulatory (B), and catalytic (C) subunit, with PPP2CA being the principal catalytic subunit. The full scope of PP2A substrates in cells remains to be defined. To address this, we employed dTAG proteolysis-targeting chimeras to efficiently and selectively degrade dTAG-PPP2CA in homozygous knock-in HEK293 cells. Unbiased global phospho-proteomics identified 2,204 proteins with significantly increased phosphorylation upon dTAG-PPP2CA degradation, implicating them as potential PPP2CA substrates. A vast majority of these are novel. Bioinformatic analyses revealed involvement of the potential PPP2CA substrates in spliceosome function, cell cycle, RNA transport, and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. We identify a pSP/pTP motif as a predominant target for PPP2CA and confirm some of our phospho-proteomic data with immunoblotting. We provide an in-depth atlas of potential PPP2CA substrates and establish targeted degradation as a robust tool to unveil phosphatase substrates in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Brewer
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation & Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Gajanan Sathe
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation & Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Billie E. Pflug
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation & Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Rosemary G. Clarke
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation & Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Thomas J. Macartney
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation & Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Gopal P. Sapkota
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation & Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
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Espejo-Serrano C, Aitken C, Tan BF, May DG, Chrisopulos RJ, Roux KJ, Demmers JA, Mackintosh SG, Gribnau J, Bustos F, Gontan C, Findlay GM. Chromatin targeting of the RNF12/RLIM E3 ubiquitin ligase controls transcriptional responses. Life Sci Alliance 2024; 7:e202302282. [PMID: 38199845 PMCID: PMC10781586 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Protein ubiquitylation regulates key biological processes including transcription. This is exemplified by the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF12/RLIM, which controls developmental gene expression by ubiquitylating the REX1 transcription factor and is mutated in an X-linked intellectual disability disorder. However, the precise mechanisms by which ubiquitylation drives specific transcriptional responses are not known. Here, we show that RNF12 is recruited to specific genomic locations via a consensus sequence motif, which enables co-localisation with REX1 substrate at gene promoters. Surprisingly, RNF12 chromatin recruitment is achieved via a non-catalytic basic region and comprises a previously unappreciated N-terminal autoinhibitory mechanism. Furthermore, RNF12 chromatin targeting is critical for REX1 ubiquitylation and downstream RNF12-dependent gene regulation. Our results demonstrate a key role for chromatin in regulation of the RNF12-REX1 axis and provide insight into mechanisms by which protein ubiquitylation enables programming of gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Espejo-Serrano
- https://ror.org/01zg1tt02 MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Catriona Aitken
- https://ror.org/01zg1tt02 MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Beatrice F Tan
- https://ror.org/018906e22 Department of Developmental Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Danielle G May
- https://ror.org/00sfn8y78 Enabling Technologies Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Rachel J Chrisopulos
- https://ror.org/00sfn8y78 Enabling Technologies Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Kyle J Roux
- https://ror.org/00sfn8y78 Enabling Technologies Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Jeroen Aa Demmers
- https://ror.org/018906e22 Proteomics Center and Department of Biochemistry, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Samuel G Mackintosh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Joost Gribnau
- https://ror.org/018906e22 Department of Developmental Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Francisco Bustos
- Department of Pediatrics, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
- https://ror.org/00sfn8y78 Pediatrics and Rare Diseases Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Cristina Gontan
- https://ror.org/018906e22 Department of Developmental Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Greg M Findlay
- https://ror.org/01zg1tt02 MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
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Malcore RM, Kalantry S. A Comparative Analysis of Mouse Imprinted and Random X-Chromosome Inactivation. EPIGENOMES 2024; 8:8. [PMID: 38390899 PMCID: PMC10885068 DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes8010008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The mammalian sexes are distinguished by the X and Y chromosomes. Whereas males harbor one X and one Y chromosome, females harbor two X chromosomes. To equalize X-linked gene expression between the sexes, therian mammals have evolved X-chromosome inactivation as a dosage compensation mechanism. During X-inactivation, most genes on one of the two X chromosomes in females are transcriptionally silenced, thus equalizing X-linked gene expression between the sexes. Two forms of X-inactivation characterize eutherian mammals, imprinted and random. Imprinted X-inactivation is defined by the exclusive inactivation of the paternal X chromosome in all cells, whereas random X-inactivation results in the silencing of genes on either the paternal or maternal X chromosome in individual cells. Both forms of X-inactivation have been studied intensively in the mouse model system, which undergoes both imprinted and random X-inactivation early in embryonic development. Stable imprinted and random X-inactivation requires the induction of the Xist long non-coding RNA. Following its induction, Xist RNA recruits proteins and complexes that silence genes on the inactive-X. In this review, we present a current understanding of the mechanisms of Xist RNA induction, and, separately, the establishment and maintenance of gene silencing on the inactive-X by Xist RNA during imprinted and random X-inactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sundeep Kalantry
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA
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6
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Luchsinger-Morcelle SJ, Gribnau J, Mira-Bontenbal H. Orchestrating Asymmetric Expression: Mechanisms behind Xist Regulation. EPIGENOMES 2024; 8:6. [PMID: 38390897 PMCID: PMC10885031 DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes8010006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Compensation for the gene dosage disequilibrium between sex chromosomes in mammals is achieved in female cells by repressing one of its X chromosomes through a process called X chromosome inactivation (XCI), exemplifying the control of gene expression by epigenetic mechanisms. A critical player in this mechanism is Xist, a long, non-coding RNA upregulated from a single X chromosome during early embryonic development in female cells. Over the past few decades, many factors involved at different levels in the regulation of Xist have been discovered. In this review, we hierarchically describe and analyze the different layers of Xist regulation operating concurrently and intricately interacting with each other to achieve asymmetric and monoallelic upregulation of Xist in murine female cells. We categorize these into five different classes: DNA elements, transcription factors, other regulatory proteins, long non-coding RNAs, and the chromatin and topological landscape surrounding Xist.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joost Gribnau
- Department of Developmental Biology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hegias Mira-Bontenbal
- Department of Developmental Biology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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7
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Wang F, Chander A, Yoon Y, Welton JM, Wallingford MC, Espejo-Serrano C, Bustos F, Findlay GM, Mager J, Bach I. Roles of the Rlim-Rex1 axis during X chromosome inactivation in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2313200120. [PMID: 38113263 PMCID: PMC10756295 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313200120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
In female mice, the gene dosage from X chromosomes is adjusted by a process called X chromosome inactivation (XCI) that occurs in two steps. An imprinted form of XCI (iXCI) that silences the paternally inherited X chromosome (Xp) is initiated at the 2- to 4-cell stages. As extraembryonic cells including trophoblasts keep the Xp silenced, epiblast cells that give rise to the embryo proper reactivate the Xp and undergo a random form of XCI (rXCI) around implantation. Both iXCI and rXCI require the lncRNA Xist, which is expressed from the X to be inactivated. The X-linked E3 ubiquitin ligase Rlim (Rnf12) in conjunction with its target protein Rex1 (Zfp42), a critical repressor of Xist, have emerged as major regulators of iXCI. However, their roles in rXCI remain controversial. Investigating early mouse development, we show that the Rlim-Rex1 axis is active in pre-implantation embryos. Upon implantation Rex1 levels are downregulated independently of Rlim specifically in epiblast cells. These results provide a conceptual framework of how the functional dynamics between Rlim and Rex1 ensures regulation of iXCI but not rXCI in female mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Wang
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA01605
| | - Ashmita Chander
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA01003
| | - Yeonsoo Yoon
- Division of Genes and Development, Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA01605
| | - Janelle M. Welton
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA01003
| | - Mary C. Wallingford
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA01003
| | - Carmen Espejo-Serrano
- Medical Research Council Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DundeeDD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Francisco Bustos
- Medical Research Council Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DundeeDD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Greg M. Findlay
- Medical Research Council Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DundeeDD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Jesse Mager
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA01003
| | - Ingolf Bach
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA01605
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8
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Ravid Lustig L, Sampath Kumar A, Schwämmle T, Dunkel I, Noviello G, Limberg E, Weigert R, Pacini G, Buschow R, Ghauri A, Stötzel M, Wittler L, Meissner A, Schulz EG. GATA transcription factors drive initial Xist upregulation after fertilization through direct activation of long-range enhancers. Nat Cell Biol 2023; 25:1704-1715. [PMID: 37932452 PMCID: PMC10635832 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-023-01266-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) balances gene expression between the sexes in female mammals. Shortly after fertilization, upregulation of Xist RNA from one X chromosome initiates XCI, leading to chromosome-wide gene silencing. XCI is maintained in all cell types, except the germ line and the pluripotent state where XCI is reversed. The mechanisms triggering Xist upregulation have remained elusive. Here we identify GATA transcription factors as potent activators of Xist. Through a pooled CRISPR activation screen in murine embryonic stem cells, we demonstrate that GATA1, as well as other GATA transcription factors can drive ectopic Xist expression. Moreover, we describe GATA-responsive regulatory elements in the Xist locus bound by different GATA factors. Finally, we show that GATA factors are essential for XCI induction in mouse preimplantation embryos. Deletion of GATA1/4/6 or GATA-responsive Xist enhancers in mouse zygotes effectively prevents Xist upregulation. We propose that the activity or complete absence of various GATA family members controls initial Xist upregulation, XCI maintenance in extra-embryonic lineages and XCI reversal in the epiblast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liat Ravid Lustig
- Systems Epigenetics, Otto Warburg Laboratories, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Abhishek Sampath Kumar
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Till Schwämmle
- Systems Epigenetics, Otto Warburg Laboratories, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ilona Dunkel
- Systems Epigenetics, Otto Warburg Laboratories, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gemma Noviello
- Systems Epigenetics, Otto Warburg Laboratories, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Elodie Limberg
- Systems Epigenetics, Otto Warburg Laboratories, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Raha Weigert
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Guido Pacini
- Systems Epigenetics, Otto Warburg Laboratories, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - René Buschow
- Microscopy and Cryo-Electron Microscopy, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Afrah Ghauri
- Systems Epigenetics, Otto Warburg Laboratories, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maximilian Stötzel
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Wittler
- Transgenic Unit, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexander Meissner
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Edda G Schulz
- Systems Epigenetics, Otto Warburg Laboratories, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany.
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9
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Hogg EKJ, Findlay GM. Functions of SRPK, CLK and DYRK kinases in stem cells, development, and human developmental disorders. FEBS Lett 2023; 597:2375-2415. [PMID: 37607329 PMCID: PMC10952393 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14723] [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: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Human developmental disorders encompass a wide range of debilitating physical conditions and intellectual disabilities. Perturbation of protein kinase signalling underlies the development of some of these disorders. For example, disrupted SRPK signalling is associated with intellectual disabilities, and the gene dosage of DYRKs can dictate the pathology of disorders including Down's syndrome. Here, we review the emerging roles of the CMGC kinase families SRPK, CLK, DYRK, and sub-family HIPK during embryonic development and in developmental disorders. In particular, SRPK, CLK, and DYRK kinase families have key roles in developmental signalling and stem cell regulation, and can co-ordinate neuronal development and function. Genetic studies in model organisms reveal critical phenotypes including embryonic lethality, sterility, musculoskeletal errors, and most notably, altered neurological behaviours arising from defects of the neuroectoderm and altered neuronal signalling. Further unpicking the mechanisms of specific kinases using human stem cell models of neuronal differentiation and function will improve our understanding of human developmental disorders and may provide avenues for therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth K. J. Hogg
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life SciencesUniversity of DundeeUK
| | - Greg M. Findlay
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life SciencesUniversity of DundeeUK
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10
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Schwämmle T, Schulz EG. Regulatory principles and mechanisms governing the onset of random X-chromosome inactivation. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2023; 81:102063. [PMID: 37356341 PMCID: PMC10465972 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2023.102063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) has evolved in mammals to compensate for the difference in X-chromosomal dosage between the sexes. In placental mammals, XCI is initiated during early embryonic development through upregulation of the long noncoding RNA Xist from one randomly chosen X chromosome in each female cell. The Xist locus must thus integrate both X-linked and developmental trans-regulatory factors in a dosage-dependent manner. Furthermore, the two alleles must coordinate to ensure inactivation of exactly one X chromosome per cell. In this review, we summarize the regulatory principles that govern the onset of XCI. We go on to provide an overview over the factors that have been implicated in Xist regulation and discuss recent advances in our understanding of how Xist's cis-regulatory landscape integrates information in a precise fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Till Schwämmle
- Otto Warburg Laboratories, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany. https://twitter.com/@TSchwammle
| | - Edda G Schulz
- Otto Warburg Laboratories, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany.
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11
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Valledor M, Byron M, Dumas B, Carone DM, Hall LL, Lawrence JB. Early chromosome condensation by XIST builds A-repeat RNA density that facilitates gene silencing. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112686. [PMID: 37384527 PMCID: PMC10461597 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
XIST RNA triggers chromosome-wide gene silencing and condenses an active chromosome into a Barr body. Here, we use inducible human XIST to examine early steps in the process, showing that XIST modifies cytoarchitecture before widespread gene silencing. In just 2-4 h, barely visible transcripts populate the large "sparse zone" surrounding the smaller "dense zone"; importantly, density zones exhibit different chromatin impacts. Sparse transcripts immediately trigger immunofluorescence for H2AK119ub and CIZ1, a matrix protein. H3K27me3 appears hours later in the dense zone, which enlarges with chromosome condensation. Genes examined are silenced after compaction of the RNA/DNA territory. Insights into this come from the findings that the A-repeat alone can silence genes and rapidly, but only where dense RNA supports sustained histone deacetylation. We propose that sparse XIST RNA quickly impacts architectural elements to condense the largely non-coding chromosome, coalescing RNA density that facilitates an unstable, A-repeat-dependent step required for gene silencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melvys Valledor
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Meg Byron
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Brett Dumas
- Department of Medicine, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Dawn M Carone
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA
| | - Lisa L Hall
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA.
| | - Jeanne B Lawrence
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA.
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12
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Giassetti MI, Miao D, Law NC, Oatley MJ, Park J, Robinson LD, Maddison LA, Bernhardt ML, Oatley JM. ARRDC5 expression is conserved in mammalian testes and required for normal sperm morphogenesis. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2111. [PMID: 37069147 PMCID: PMC10110545 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37735-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023] Open
Abstract
In sexual reproduction, sperm contribute half the genomic material required for creation of offspring yet core molecular mechanisms essential for their formation are undefined. Here, the α-arrestin molecule arrestin-domain containing 5 (ARRDC5) is identified as an essential regulator of mammalian spermatogenesis. Multispecies testicular tissue transcriptome profiling indicates that expression of Arrdc5 is testis enriched, if not specific, in mice, pigs, cattle, and humans. Knockout of Arrdc5 in mice leads to male specific sterility due to production of low numbers of sperm that are immotile and malformed. Spermiogenesis, the final phase of spermatogenesis when round spermatids transform to spermatozoa, is defective in testes of Arrdc5 deficient mice. Also, epididymal sperm in Arrdc5 knockouts are unable to capacitate and fertilize oocytes. These findings establish ARRDC5 as an essential regulator of mammalian spermatogenesis. Considering the role of arrestin molecules as modulators of cellular signaling and ubiquitination, ARRDC5 is a potential male contraceptive target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana I Giassetti
- Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Deqiang Miao
- Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Nathan C Law
- Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
- Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Melissa J Oatley
- Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Julie Park
- Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - LeeLa D Robinson
- Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Lisette A Maddison
- Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Miranda L Bernhardt
- Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Jon M Oatley
- Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
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13
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Rosspopoff O, Cazottes E, Huret C, Loda A, Collier A, Casanova M, Rugg-Gunn P, Heard E, Ouimette JF, Rougeulle C. Species-specific regulation of XIST by the JPX/FTX orthologs. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:2177-2194. [PMID: 36727460 PMCID: PMC10018341 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is an essential process, yet it initiates with remarkable diversity in various mammalian species. XIST, the main trigger of XCI, is controlled in the mouse by an interplay of lncRNA genes (LRGs), some of which evolved concomitantly to XIST and have orthologues across all placental mammals. Here, we addressed the functional conservation of human orthologues of two such LRGs, FTX and JPX. By combining analysis of single-cell RNA-seq data from early human embryogenesis with various functional assays in matched human and mouse pluripotent stem- or differentiated post-XCI cells, we demonstrate major functional differences for these orthologues between species, independently of primary sequence conservation. While the function of FTX is not conserved in humans, JPX stands as a major regulator of XIST expression in both species. However, we show that different entities of JPX control the production of XIST at various steps depending on the species. Altogether, our study highlights the functional versatility of LRGs across evolution, and reveals that functional conservation of orthologous LRGs may involve diversified mechanisms of action. These findings represent a striking example of how the evolvability of LRGs can provide adaptative flexibility to constrained gene regulatory networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Rosspopoff
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Emmanuel Cazottes
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Christophe Huret
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Agnese Loda
- Directors' research, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Amanda J Collier
- Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
- Wellcome Trust – Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK
| | - Miguel Casanova
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Peter J Rugg-Gunn
- Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
- Wellcome Trust – Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK
| | - Edith Heard
- Directors' research, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
- Collège de France, Paris, France
| | | | - Claire Rougeulle
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, F-75013 Paris, France
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14
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Knockout of Rlim Results in a Sex Ratio Shift toward Males but Superovulation Cannot Compensate for the Reduced Litter Size. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13061079. [PMID: 36978620 PMCID: PMC10044649 DOI: 10.3390/ani13061079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Technologies that can preselect offspring gender hold great promise for improving farm animal productivity and preventing human sex-related hereditary diseases. The maternal Rlim allele is required for imprinted X-chromosome inactivation, which is essential for the normal development of female mouse embryos. In this study, we inactivated the maternal Rlim allele in embryos by crossing a male transgenic mouse line carrying an X-linked CMV-Cre transgene with a female line carrying a loxP-flanked Rlim gene. Knockout of the maternal Rlim gene in embryos resulted in a male-biased sex ratio skew in the offspring. However, it also reduced litter size, and this effect was not compensated for by superovulation in the mother mice. In addition, we showed that siRNA-mediated knockdown of Rlim in mouse embryos leads to the birth of male-only progenies. This study provides a new promising method for male-biased sex selection, which may help to improve the productivity in livestock and prevent sex-associated hereditary diseases in humans.
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15
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Somatic XIST activation and features of X chromosome inactivation in male human cancers. Cell Syst 2022; 13:932-944.e5. [PMID: 36356577 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2022.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Expression of the non-coding RNA XIST is essential for initiating X chromosome inactivation (XCI) during early development in female mammals. As the main function of XCI is to enable dosage compensation of chromosome X genes between the sexes, XCI and XIST expression are generally absent in male normal tissues, except in germ cells and in individuals with supernumerary X chromosomes. Via a systematic analysis of public sequencing data of both cancerous and normal tissues, we report that XIST is somatically activated in a subset of male human cancers across diverse lineages. Some of these cancers display hallmarks of XCI, including silencing of gene expression, reduced chromatin accessibility, and increased DNA methylation across chromosome X, suggesting that the developmentally restricted, female-specific program of XCI can be somatically accessed in male cancers.
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16
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Zhao Y, Bai D, Wu Y, Zhang D, Liu M, Tian Y, Lu J, Wang H, Gao S, Lu Z. Maternal Ezh1/2 deficiency in oocyte delays H3K27me2/3 restoration and impairs epiblast development responsible for embryonic sub-lethality in mouse. Development 2022; 149:dev200316. [PMID: 38771308 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
How maternal Ezh1 and Ezh2 function in H3K27 methylation in vivo in pre-implantation embryos and during embryonic development is not clear. Here, we have deleted Ezh1 and Ezh2 alone or simultaneously from mouse oocytes. H3K27me3 was absent in oocytes without Ezh2 alone, while both H3K27me2 and H3K27me3 were absent in Ezh1/Ezh2 (Ezh1/2) double knockout (KO) oocytes. The effects of Ezh1/2 maternal KO were inherited in zygotes and early embryos, in which restoration of H3K27me3 and H3K27me2 was delayed by the loss of Ezh2 alone or of both Ezh1 and Ezh2. However, the ablation of both Ezh1 and Ezh2, but not Ezh1 or Ezh2 alone, led to significantly decreased litter size due to growth retardation post-implantation. Maternal Ezh1/2 deficiency caused compromised H3K27me3 and pluripotent epiblast cells in late blastocysts, followed by defective embryonic development. By using RNA-seq, we examined crucial developmental genes in maternal Ezh1/2 KO embryos and identified 80 putatively imprinted genes. Maternal Ezh1/2-H3K27 methylation is inherited in offspring embryos and has a critical effect on fetal and placental development. Thus, this work sheds light on maternal epigenetic modifications during embryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinan Zhao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Dandan Bai
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - You Wu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Dan Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Mengying Liu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Yingpu Tian
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Jinhua Lu
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health Research, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Haibin Wang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health Research, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Shaorong Gao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Zhongxian Lu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health Research, Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
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17
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Segarra-Fas A, Espejo-Serrano C, Bustos F, Zhou H, Wang F, Toth R, Macartney T, Bach I, Nardocci G, Findlay GM. An RNF12-USP26 amplification loop drives germ cell specification and is disrupted by disease-associated mutations. Sci Signal 2022; 15:eabm5995. [PMID: 35857630 PMCID: PMC7613676 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.abm5995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF12 plays essential roles during development, and the gene encoding it, RLIM, is mutated in the X-linked human developmental disorder Tonne-Kalscheuer syndrome (TOKAS). Substrates of RNF12 include transcriptional regulators such as the pluripotency-associated transcriptional repressor REX1. Using global quantitative proteomics in male mouse embryonic stem cells, we identified the deubiquitylase USP26 as a putative downstream target of RNF12 activity. RNF12 relieved REX1-mediated repression of Usp26, leading to an increase in USP26 abundance and the formation of RNF12-USP26 complexes. Interaction with USP26 prevented RNF12 autoubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation, thereby establishing a transcriptional feed-forward loop that amplified RNF12-dependent derepression of REX1 targets. We showed that the RNF12-USP26 axis operated specifically in mouse testes and was required for the expression of gametogenesis genes and for germ cell differentiation in vitro. Furthermore, this RNF12-USP26 axis was disrupted by RLIM and USP26 variants found in TOKAS and infertility patients, respectively. This work reveals synergy within the ubiquitylation cycle that controls a key developmental process in gametogenesis and that is disrupted in human genetic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Segarra-Fas
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Carmen Espejo-Serrano
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Francisco Bustos
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Houjiang Zhou
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Feng Wang
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Rachel Toth
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Thomas Macartney
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Ingolf Bach
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Gino Nardocci
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes, Santiago, Chile
- Program in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, Center for Biomedical Research and Innovation (CIIB), Universidad de los Andes, Santiago, Chile
- IMPACT, Center of Interventional Medicine for Precision and Advanced Cellular Therapy, Santiago, Chile
| | - Greg M. Findlay
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
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18
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Dossin F, Heard E. The Molecular and Nuclear Dynamics of X-Chromosome Inactivation. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2022; 14:a040196. [PMID: 34312245 PMCID: PMC9121902 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a040196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In female eutherian mammals, dosage compensation of X-linked gene expression is achieved during development through transcriptional silencing of one of the two X chromosomes. Following X chromosome inactivation (XCI), the inactive X chromosome remains faithfully silenced throughout somatic cell divisions. XCI is dependent on Xist, a long noncoding RNA that coats and silences the X chromosome from which it is transcribed. Xist coating triggers a cascade of chromosome-wide changes occurring at the levels of transcription, chromatin composition, chromosome structure, and spatial organization within the nucleus. XCI has emerged as a paradigm for the study of such crucial nuclear processes and the dissection of their functional interplay. In the past decade, the advent of tools to characterize and perturb these processes have provided an unprecedented understanding into their roles during XCI. The mechanisms orchestrating the initiation of XCI as well as its maintenance are thus being unraveled, although many questions still remain. Here, we introduce key aspects of the XCI process and review the recent discoveries about its molecular basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Dossin
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Director's Unit, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Edith Heard
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Director's Unit, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
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19
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Samanta MK, Gayen S, Harris C, Maclary E, Murata-Nakamura Y, Malcore RM, Porter RS, Garay PM, Vallianatos CN, Samollow PB, Iwase S, Kalantry S. Activation of Xist by an evolutionarily conserved function of KDM5C demethylase. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2602. [PMID: 35545632 PMCID: PMC9095838 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30352-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
XX female and XY male therian mammals equalize X-linked gene expression through the mitotically-stable transcriptional inactivation of one of the two X chromosomes in female somatic cells. Here, we describe an essential function of the X-linked homolog of an ancestral X-Y gene pair, Kdm5c-Kdm5d, in the expression of Xist lncRNA, which is required for stable X-inactivation. Ablation of Kdm5c function in females results in a significant reduction in Xist RNA expression. Kdm5c encodes a demethylase that enhances Xist expression by converting histone H3K4me2/3 modifications into H3K4me1. Ectopic expression of mouse and human KDM5C, but not the Y-linked homolog KDM5D, induces Xist in male mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Similarly, marsupial (opossum) Kdm5c but not Kdm5d also upregulates Xist in male mESCs, despite marsupials lacking Xist, suggesting that the KDM5C function that activates Xist in eutherians is strongly conserved and predates the divergence of eutherian and metatherian mammals. In support, prototherian (platypus) Kdm5c also induces Xist in male mESCs. Together, our data suggest that eutherian mammals co-opted the ancestral demethylase KDM5C during sex chromosome evolution to upregulate Xist for the female-specific induction of X-inactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milan Kumar Samanta
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5618, USA
| | - Srimonta Gayen
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5618, USA
- Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560012, India
| | - Clair Harris
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5618, USA
| | - Emily Maclary
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5618, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Yumie Murata-Nakamura
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5618, USA
| | - Rebecca M Malcore
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5618, USA
| | - Robert S Porter
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5618, USA
| | - Patricia M Garay
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5618, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5618, USA
| | - Christina N Vallianatos
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5618, USA
| | - Paul B Samollow
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-4458, USA
| | - Shigeki Iwase
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5618, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5618, USA
| | - Sundeep Kalantry
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5618, USA.
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20
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Molecular basis of cycloheximide resistance in the Ophiostomatales revealed. Curr Genet 2022; 68:505-514. [PMID: 35314878 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-022-01235-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Resistance to the antibiotic Cycloheximide has been reported for a number of fungal taxa. In particular, some yeasts are known to be highly resistant to this antibiotic. Early research showed that this resulted from a transition mutation in one of the 60S ribosomal protein genes. In addition to the yeasts, most genera and species in the Ophiostomatales are highly resistant to this antibiotic, which is widely used to selectively isolate these fungi. Whole-genome sequences are now available for numerous members of the Ophiostomatales providing an opportunity to determine whether the mechanism of resistance in these fungi is the same as that reported for yeast genera such as Kluyveromyces. We examined all the available genomes for the Ophiostomatales and discovered that a transition mutation in the gene coding for ribosomal protein eL42, which results in the substitution of the amino acid Proline to Glutamine, likely confers resistance to this antibiotic. This change across all genera in the Ophiostomatales suggests that the mutation arose early in the evolution of these fungi.
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21
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Mechanisms of Choice in X-Chromosome Inactivation. Cells 2022; 11:cells11030535. [PMID: 35159344 PMCID: PMC8833938 DOI: 10.3390/cells11030535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Early in development, placental and marsupial mammals harbouring at least two X chromosomes per nucleus are faced with a choice that affects the rest of their lives: which of those X chromosomes to transcriptionally inactivate. This choice underlies phenotypical diversity in the composition of tissues and organs and in their response to the environment, and can determine whether an individual will be healthy or affected by an X-linked disease. Here, we review our current understanding of the process of choice during X-chromosome inactivation and its implications, focusing on the strategies evolved by different mammalian lineages and on the known and unknown molecular mechanisms and players involved.
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22
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Li Y, Yang C, Wang H, Zhao L, Kong Q, Cang Y, Zhao S, Lv L, Li Y, Mao B, Ma P. Sequential stabilization of RNF220 by RLIM and ZC4H2 during cerebellum development and Shh-group medulloblastoma progression. J Mol Cell Biol 2022; 14:6510822. [PMID: 35040952 PMCID: PMC8982406 DOI: 10.1093/jmcb/mjab082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling is essential for the proliferation of cerebellar granule neuron progenitors (CGNPs), and its misregulation is linked to various disorders, including cerebellar cancer medulloblastoma (MB). During vertebrate neural development, RNF220, a ubiquitin E3 ligase, is involved in spinal cord patterning by modulating the subcellular location of glioma-associated oncogene homologs (Glis) through ubiquitination. RNF220 is also required for full activation of Shh signaling during cerebellum development in an epigenetic manner through targeting embryonic ectoderm development. ZC4H2 was reported to be involved in spinal cord patterning by acting as an RNF220 stabilizer. Here, we provided evidence to show that ZC4H2 is also required for full activation of Shh signaling in CGNP and MB progression by stabilizing RNF220. In addition, we found that the ubiquitin E3 ligase RING finger LIM domain-binding protein (RLIM) is responsible for ZC4H2 stabilization via direct ubiquitination, through which RNF220 is also thus stabilized. RLIM is a direct target of Shh signaling and is also required for full activation of Shh signaling in CGNP and MB cell proliferation. We further provided clinical evidence to show that the RLIM‒ZC4H2‒RNF220 cascade is involved in Shh-group MB progression. Disease-causative human RLIM and ZC4H2 mutations affect their interaction and regulation. Therefore, our study sheds light on the regulation of Shh signaling during cerebellar development and MB progression and provides insights into neural disorders caused by RLIM or ZC4H2 mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuwei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China.,Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650203, China
| | - Chencheng Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China.,Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650203, China
| | - Huishan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China.,Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650203, China
| | - Ling Zhao
- Experimental Animal Center, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Qinghua Kong
- Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Yu Cang
- Department of Urology, the Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University, Kunming 650021, China
| | - Shuhua Zhao
- First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, China
| | - Longbao Lv
- Experimental Animal Center, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Yan Li
- Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Bingyu Mao
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China.,Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Pengcheng Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
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23
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Huang Y, Liu S, Shan M, Hagenaars SC, Mesker WE, Cohen D, Wang L, Zheng Z, Devilee P, Tollenaar RAEM, Li Z, Song Y, Zhang L, Li D, Ten Dijke P. RNF12 is regulated by AKT phosphorylation and promotes TGF-β driven breast cancer metastasis. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:44. [PMID: 35013159 PMCID: PMC8748510 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-021-04493-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) acts as a pro-metastatic factor in advanced breast cancer. RNF12, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, stimulates TGF-β signaling by binding to the inhibitory SMAD7 and inducing its proteasomal degradation. How RNF12 activity is regulated and its exact role in cancer is incompletely understood. Here we report that RNF12 was overexpressed in invasive breast cancers and its high expression correlated with poor prognosis. RNF12 promoted breast cancer cell migration, invasion, and experimental metastasis in zebrafish and murine xenograft models. RNF12 levels were positively associated with the phosphorylated AKT/protein kinase B (PKB) levels, and both displayed significant higher levels in the basal-like subtype compared with the levels in luminal-like subtype of breast cancer cells. Mechanistically, AKT-mediated phosphorylation induced the nuclear localization of RNF12, maintained its stability, and accelerated the degradation of SMAD7 mediated by RNF12. Furthermore, we demonstrated that RNF12 and AKT cooperated functionally in breast cancer cell migration. Notably, RNF12 expression strongly correlated with both phosphorylated AKT and phosphorylated SMAD2 levels in breast cancer tissues. Thus, our results uncovered RNF12 as an important determinant in the crosstalk between the TGF-β and AKT signaling pathways during breast cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongsheng Huang
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and School of Basic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China. .,Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Sijia Liu
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Mengjie Shan
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and School of Basic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Sophie C Hagenaars
- Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Wilma E Mesker
- Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Danielle Cohen
- Department of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Lin Wang
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and School of Basic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Zhi Zheng
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and School of Basic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Peter Devilee
- Department of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Rob A E M Tollenaar
- Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Zhangfu Li
- Key Laboratory of Cancer and Microbiome, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yongmei Song
- Key Laboratory of Cancer and Microbiome, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Long Zhang
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. .,Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Dan Li
- Key Laboratory of Cancer and Microbiome, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
| | - Peter Ten Dijke
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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24
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Gene regulation in time and space during X-chromosome inactivation. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2022; 23:231-249. [PMID: 35013589 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-021-00438-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) is the epigenetic mechanism that ensures X-linked dosage compensation between cells of females (XX karyotype) and males (XY). XCI is essential for female embryos to survive through development and requires the accurate spatiotemporal regulation of many different factors to achieve remarkable chromosome-wide gene silencing. As a result of XCI, the active and inactive X chromosomes are functionally and structurally different, with the inactive X chromosome undergoing a major conformational reorganization within the nucleus. In this Review, we discuss the multiple layers of genetic and epigenetic regulation that underlie initiation of XCI during development and then maintain it throughout life, in light of the most recent findings in this rapidly advancing field. We discuss exciting new insights into the regulation of X inactive-specific transcript (XIST), the trigger and master regulator of XCI, and into the mechanisms and dynamics that underlie the silencing of nearly all X-linked genes. Finally, given the increasing interest in understanding the impact of chromosome organization on gene regulation, we provide an overview of the factors that are thought to reshape the 3D structure of the inactive X chromosome and of the relevance of such structural changes for XCI establishment and maintenance.
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25
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Abstract
Mammalian cells equalize X-linked dosages between the male (XY) and female (XX) sexes by silencing one X chromosome in the female sex. This process, known as "X chromosome inactivation" (XCI), requires a master switch within the X inactivation center (Xic). The Xic spans several hundred kilobases in the mouse and includes a number of regulatory noncoding genes that produce functional transcripts. Over three decades, transgenic and deletional analyses have demonstrated both the necessity and sufficiency of the Xic to induce XCI, including the steps of X chromosome counting, choice, and initiation of whole-chromosome silencing. One recent study, however, reported that deleting the noncoding sequences of the Xic surprisingly had no effect for XCI and attributed a sufficiency to drive counting to the coding gene, Rnf12/Rlim Here, we revisit the question by creating independent Xic deletion cell lines. Multiple independent clones carrying heterozygous deletions of the Xic display an inability to up-regulate Xist expression, consistent with a counting defect. This defect is rescued by a second site mutation in Tsix occurring in trans, bypassing the defect in counting. These findings reaffirm the essential nature of noncoding Xic elements for the initiation of XCI.
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26
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Mutzel V, Schulz EG. Dosage Sensing, Threshold Responses, and Epigenetic Memory: A Systems Biology Perspective on Random X-Chromosome Inactivation. Bioessays 2021; 42:e1900163. [PMID: 32189388 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201900163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
X-chromosome inactivation ensures dosage compensation between the sexes in mammals by randomly choosing one out of the two X chromosomes in females for inactivation. This process imposes a plethora of questions: How do cells count their X chromosome number and ensure that exactly one stays active? How do they randomly choose one of two identical X chromosomes for inactivation? And how do they stably maintain this state of monoallelic expression? Here, different regulatory concepts and their plausibility are evaluated in the context of theoretical studies that have investigated threshold behavior, ultrasensitivity, and bistability through mathematical modeling. It is discussed how a twofold difference between a single and a double dose of X-linked genes might be converted to an all-or-nothing response and how mutually exclusive expression can be initiated and maintained. Finally, candidate factors that might mediate the proposed regulatory principles are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Mutzel
- Otto Warburg Laboratories, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Edda G Schulz
- Otto Warburg Laboratories, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, 14195, Germany
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27
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Bustos F, Espejo-Serrano C, Segarra-Fas A, Toth R, Eaton AJ, Kernohan KD, Wilson MJ, Riley LG, Findlay GM. A novel RLIM/RNF12 variant disrupts protein stability and function to cause severe Tonne-Kalscheuer syndrome. Sci Rep 2021; 11:9560. [PMID: 33953269 PMCID: PMC8100121 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88911-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tonne-Kalscheuer syndrome (TOKAS) is an X-linked intellectual disability syndrome associated with variable clinical features including craniofacial abnormalities, hypogenitalism and diaphragmatic hernia. TOKAS is caused exclusively by variants in the gene encoding the E3 ubiquitin ligase gene RLIM, also known as RNF12. Here we report identification of a novel RLIM missense variant, c.1262A>G p.(Tyr421Cys) adjacent to the regulatory basic region, which causes a severe form of TOKAS resulting in perinatal lethality by diaphragmatic hernia. Inheritance and X-chromosome inactivation patterns implicate RLIM p.(Tyr421Cys) as the likely pathogenic variant in the affected individual and within the kindred. We show that the RLIM p.(Tyr421Cys) variant disrupts both expression and function of the protein in an embryonic stem cell model. RLIM p.(Tyr421Cys) is correctly localised to the nucleus, but is readily degraded by the proteasome. The RLIM p.(Tyr421Cys) variant also displays significantly impaired E3 ubiquitin ligase activity, which interferes with RLIM function in Xist long-non-coding RNA induction that initiates imprinted X-chromosome inactivation. Our data uncover a highly disruptive missense variant in RLIM that causes a severe form of TOKAS, thereby expanding our understanding of the molecular and phenotypic spectrum of disease severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Bustos
- MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Carmen Espejo-Serrano
- MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Anna Segarra-Fas
- MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Rachel Toth
- MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Alison J Eaton
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Kristin D Kernohan
- Newborn Screening Ontario, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Canada
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Meredith J Wilson
- Department of Clinical Genetics, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia
- Discipline of Genomic Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Lisa G Riley
- Rare Diseases Functional Genomics, Kids Research, The Children's Hospital at Westmead and The Children's Medical Research Institute, Sydney, Australia.
- Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
| | - Greg M Findlay
- MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK.
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28
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Young AN, Perlas E, Ruiz-Blanes N, Hierholzer A, Pomella N, Martin-Martin B, Liverziani A, Jachowicz JW, Giannakouros T, Cerase A. Deletion of LBR N-terminal domains recapitulates Pelger-Huet anomaly phenotypes in mouse without disrupting X chromosome inactivation. Commun Biol 2021; 4:478. [PMID: 33846535 PMCID: PMC8041748 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01944-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the gene encoding Lamin B receptor (LBR), a nuclear-membrane protein with sterol reductase activity, have been linked to rare human disorders. Phenotypes range from a benign blood disorder, such as Pelger-Huet anomaly (PHA), affecting the morphology and chromatin organization of white blood cells, to embryonic lethality as for Greenberg dysplasia (GRBGD). Existing PHA mouse models do not fully recapitulate the human phenotypes, hindering efforts to understand the molecular etiology of this disorder. Here we show, using CRISPR/Cas-9 gene editing technology, that a 236bp N-terminal deletion in the mouse Lbr gene, generating a protein missing the N-terminal domains of LBR, presents a superior model of human PHA. Further, we address recent reports of a link between Lbr and defects in X chromosome inactivation (XCI) and show that our mouse mutant displays minor X chromosome inactivation defects that do not lead to any overt phenotypes in vivo. We suggest that our N-terminal deletion model provides a valuable pre-clinical tool to the research community and will aid in further understanding the etiology of PHA and the diverse functions of LBR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Neil Young
- EMBL-Rome, Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, Monterotondo (RM), Italy
- Blizard Institute, Centre for Genomics and Child Health, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Emerald Perlas
- EMBL-Rome, Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, Monterotondo (RM), Italy
| | - Nerea Ruiz-Blanes
- Blizard Institute, Centre for Genomics and Child Health, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Andreas Hierholzer
- EMBL-Rome, Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, Monterotondo (RM), Italy
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nicola Pomella
- Blizard Institute, Centre for Genomics and Child Health, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Belen Martin-Martin
- Blizard Institute, Centre for Genomics and Child Health, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | | | - Joanna W Jachowicz
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Thomas Giannakouros
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Aristotelian University, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Andrea Cerase
- EMBL-Rome, Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, Monterotondo (RM), Italy.
- Blizard Institute, Centre for Genomics and Child Health, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
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29
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Yang L, Wu X, Zhang N, Shi J, Zhou R, Su Q, Zheng E, Huang S, Xu Z, Hong L, Gu T, Yang J, Yang H, Cai G, Wu Z, Li Z. Knockdown of RLIM inhibits XIST expression and improves developmental competence of cloned male pig embryos. Mol Reprod Dev 2021; 88:228-237. [PMID: 33650239 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.23460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Ectopic expression of Xist on the putative active X chromosome is a primary cause of the low developmental efficiency of cloned mouse and pig embryos. Suppression of abnormal Xist expression via gene knockout or RNA interference (RNAi) can significantly enhance the developmental competence of cloned mouse and pig embryos. RLIM is a Xist expression activator, whereas REX1 is an Xist transcription inhibitor, as RLIM triggers Xist expression by mediating the proteasomal degradation of REX1 to induce imprinted and random X chromosome inactivation in mice. This study aimed to test whether the knockdown of RLIM and overexpression of REX1 can repress aberrant Xist expression and improve the developmental ability of cloned male pig embryos. Results showed that injection of anti-RLIM small interfering RNA significantly decreased Xist messenger RNA abundance, increased REX1 protein level, and enhanced the preimplantation development of cloned male porcine embryos. These positive effects were not observed in cloned male pig embryos injected with REX1 expression plasmid, which might be due to the low expression efficiency of injected REX1 plasmid and/or the short half-life of expressed REX1 protein. The findings from this study indicated that RLIM participated in the ectopic activation of Xist expression in cloned pig embryos by targeting REX1 degradation. Furthermore, this study provided a new method to improve cloned pig embryo development by the inhibition of Xist expression via RNAi of RLIM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liusong Yang
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiao Wu
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Ning Zhang
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Junsong Shi
- Guangdong Wens Pig Breeding Technology Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Rong Zhou
- Guangdong Wens Pig Breeding Technology Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Qiaoyun Su
- Guangdong Wens Pig Breeding Technology Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Enqin Zheng
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Sixiu Huang
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zheng Xu
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Linjun Hong
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Ting Gu
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jie Yang
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Huaqiang Yang
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Gengyuan Cai
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhenfang Wu
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zicong Li
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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30
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Wang F, Gervasi MG, Bošković A, Sun F, Rinaldi VD, Yu J, Wallingford MC, Tourzani DA, Mager J, Zhu LJ, Rando OJ, Visconti PE, Strittmatter L, Bach I. Deficient spermiogenesis in mice lacking Rlim. eLife 2021; 10:e63556. [PMID: 33620316 PMCID: PMC7935487 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The X-linked gene Rlim plays major roles in female mouse development and reproduction, where it is crucial for the maintenance of imprinted X chromosome inactivation in extraembryonic tissues of embryos. However, while females carrying a systemic Rlim knockout (KO) die around implantation, male Rlim KO mice appear healthy and are fertile. Here, we report an important role for Rlim in testis where it is highly expressed in post-meiotic round spermatids as well as in Sertoli cells. Systemic deletion of the Rlim gene results in lower numbers of mature sperm that contains excess cytoplasm, leading to decreased sperm motility and in vitro fertilization rates. Targeting the conditional Rlim cKO specifically to the spermatogenic cell lineage largely recapitulates this phenotype. These results reveal functions of Rlim in male reproduction specifically in round spermatids during spermiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Wang
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Maria Gracia Gervasi
- Department of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherstUnited States
| | - Ana Bošković
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Fengyun Sun
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Vera D Rinaldi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Jun Yu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Mary C Wallingford
- Department of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherstUnited States
| | - Darya A Tourzani
- Department of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherstUnited States
| | - Jesse Mager
- Department of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherstUnited States
| | - Lihua Julie Zhu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Oliver J Rando
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Pablo E Visconti
- Department of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherstUnited States
| | - Lara Strittmatter
- Electron Microscopy Core, University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Ingolf Bach
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
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31
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Bustos F, Segarra-Fas A, Nardocci G, Cassidy A, Antico O, Davidson L, Brandenburg L, Macartney TJ, Toth R, Hastie CJ, Moran J, Gourlay R, Varghese J, Soares RF, Montecino M, Findlay GM. Functional Diversification of SRSF Protein Kinase to Control Ubiquitin-Dependent Neurodevelopmental Signaling. Dev Cell 2020; 55:629-647.e7. [PMID: 33080171 PMCID: PMC7725506 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.09.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Conserved protein kinases with core cellular functions have been frequently redeployed during metazoan evolution to regulate specialized developmental processes. The Ser/Arg (SR)-rich splicing factor (SRSF) protein kinase (SRPK), which is implicated in splicing regulation, is one such conserved eukaryotic kinase. Surprisingly, we show that SRPK has acquired the capacity to control a neurodevelopmental ubiquitin signaling pathway. In mammalian embryonic stem cells and cultured neurons, SRPK phosphorylates Ser-Arg motifs in RNF12/RLIM, a key developmental E3 ubiquitin ligase that is mutated in an intellectual disability syndrome. Processive phosphorylation by SRPK stimulates RNF12-dependent ubiquitylation of nuclear transcription factor substrates, thereby acting to restrain a neural gene expression program that is aberrantly expressed in intellectual disability. SRPK family genes are also mutated in intellectual disability disorders, and patient-derived SRPK point mutations impair RNF12 phosphorylation. Our data reveal unappreciated functional diversification of SRPK to regulate ubiquitin signaling that ensures correct regulation of neurodevelopmental gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Bustos
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, the University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Anna Segarra-Fas
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, the University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Gino Nardocci
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences and FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Andrew Cassidy
- Tayside Centre for Genomic Analysis, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK
| | - Odetta Antico
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, the University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Lindsay Davidson
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Lennart Brandenburg
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, the University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Thomas J Macartney
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, the University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Rachel Toth
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, the University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - C James Hastie
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, the University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Jennifer Moran
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, the University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Robert Gourlay
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, the University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Joby Varghese
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, the University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Renata F Soares
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, the University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Martin Montecino
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences and FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Greg M Findlay
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, the University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK.
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32
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Wanigasuriya I, Gouil Q, Kinkel SA, Tapia Del Fierro A, Beck T, Roper EA, Breslin K, Stringer J, Hutt K, Lee HJ, Keniry A, Ritchie ME, Blewitt ME. Smchd1 is a maternal effect gene required for genomic imprinting. eLife 2020; 9:55529. [PMID: 33186096 PMCID: PMC7665889 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Genomic imprinting establishes parental allele-biased expression of a suite of mammalian genes based on parent-of-origin specific epigenetic marks. These marks are under the control of maternal effect proteins supplied in the oocyte. Here we report epigenetic repressor Smchd1 as a novel maternal effect gene that regulates the imprinted expression of ten genes in mice. We also found zygotic SMCHD1 had a dose-dependent effect on the imprinted expression of seven genes. Together, zygotic and maternal SMCHD1 regulate three classic imprinted clusters and eight other genes, including non-canonical imprinted genes. Interestingly, the loss of maternal SMCHD1 does not alter germline DNA methylation imprints pre-implantation or later in gestation. Instead, what appears to unite most imprinted genes sensitive to SMCHD1 is their reliance on polycomb-mediated methylation as germline or secondary imprints, therefore we propose that SMCHD1 acts downstream of polycomb imprints to mediate its function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iromi Wanigasuriya
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia.,The Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Quentin Gouil
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia.,The Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Sarah A Kinkel
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia.,The Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Andrés Tapia Del Fierro
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia.,The Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Tamara Beck
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia
| | - Ellise A Roper
- Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Kelsey Breslin
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia
| | - Jessica Stringer
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Karla Hutt
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Heather J Lee
- Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Andrew Keniry
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia.,The Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Matthew E Ritchie
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia.,The Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.,The Department of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Marnie E Blewitt
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia.,The Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
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33
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Deng M, Liu Z, Ren C, An S, Wan Y, Wang F. Highly methylated Xist in SCNT embryos was retained in deceased cloned female goats. Reprod Fertil Dev 2020; 31:855-866. [PMID: 30641030 DOI: 10.1071/rd18302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
X (inactive)-specific transcript (Xist) is crucial in murine cloned embryo development, but its role in cloned goats remains unknown. Therefore, in this study we examined the expression and methylation status of Xist in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos, as well as in ear, lung, and brain tissue of deceased cloned goats. First, the Xist sequence was amplified and a differentially methylated region was identified in oocytes and spermatozoa. Xist methylation levels were greater in SCNT- than intracytoplasmic sperm injection-generated female 8-cell embryos. In addition, compared with naturally bred controls, Xist methylation levels were significantly increased in the ear, lung, and brain tissue of 3-day-old female deceased cloned goats, but were unchanged in the ear tissue of female live cloned goats and in the lung and brain of male deceased cloned goats. Xist expression was significantly increased in the ear tissue of female live cloned goats, but decreased in the lung and brain of female deceased cloned goats. In conclusion, hypermethylation of Xist may have resulted from incomplete reprogramming and may be retained in 3-day-old female deceased cloned goats, subsequently leading to dysregulation of Xist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingtian Deng
- Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Zifei Liu
- Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Caifang Ren
- Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Shiyu An
- Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Yongjie Wan
- Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China; and Corresponding authors. Emails: ;
| | - Feng Wang
- Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China; and Corresponding authors. Emails: ;
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34
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Wang F, Bach I. Rlim/Rnf12, Rex1, and X Chromosome Inactivation. Front Cell Dev Biol 2019; 7:258. [PMID: 31737626 PMCID: PMC6834644 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2019.00258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
RLIM/Rnf12 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that has originally been identified as a transcriptional cofactor associated with LIM domain transcription factors. Indeed, this protein modulates transcriptional activities and multiprotein complexes recruited by several classes of transcription factors thereby enhancing or repressing transcription. Around 10 years ago, RLIM/Rnf12 has been identified as a major regulator for the process of X chromosome inactivation (XCI), the transcriptional silencing of one of the two X chromosomes in female mice and ESCs. However, the precise roles of RLIM during XCI have been controversial. Here, we discuss the cellular and developmental functions of RLIM as an E3 ubiquitin ligase and its roles during XCI in conjunction with its target protein Rex1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Wang
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Ingolf Bach
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
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35
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Frints SGM, Ozanturk A, Rodríguez Criado G, Grasshoff U, de Hoon B, Field M, Manouvrier-Hanu S, E Hickey S, Kammoun M, Gripp KW, Bauer C, Schroeder C, Toutain A, Mihalic Mosher T, Kelly BJ, White P, Dufke A, Rentmeester E, Moon S, Koboldt DC, van Roozendaal KEP, Hu H, Haas SA, Ropers HH, Murray L, Haan E, Shaw M, Carroll R, Friend K, Liebelt J, Hobson L, De Rademaeker M, Geraedts J, Fryns JP, Vermeesch J, Raynaud M, Riess O, Gribnau J, Katsanis N, Devriendt K, Bauer P, Gecz J, Golzio C, Gontan C, Kalscheuer VM. Pathogenic variants in E3 ubiquitin ligase RLIM/RNF12 lead to a syndromic X-linked intellectual disability and behavior disorder. Mol Psychiatry 2019; 24:1748-1768. [PMID: 29728705 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-018-0065-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
RLIM, also known as RNF12, is an X-linked E3 ubiquitin ligase acting as a negative regulator of LIM-domain containing transcription factors and participates in X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) in mice. We report the genetic and clinical findings of 84 individuals from nine unrelated families, eight of whom who have pathogenic variants in RLIM (RING finger LIM domain-interacting protein). A total of 40 affected males have X-linked intellectual disability (XLID) and variable behavioral anomalies with or without congenital malformations. In contrast, 44 heterozygous female carriers have normal cognition and behavior, but eight showed mild physical features. All RLIM variants identified are missense changes co-segregating with the phenotype and predicted to affect protein function. Eight of the nine altered amino acids are conserved and lie either within a domain essential for binding interacting proteins or in the C-terminal RING finger catalytic domain. In vitro experiments revealed that these amino acid changes in the RLIM RING finger impaired RLIM ubiquitin ligase activity. In vivo experiments in rlim mutant zebrafish showed that wild type RLIM rescued the zebrafish rlim phenotype, whereas the patient-specific missense RLIM variants failed to rescue the phenotype and thus represent likely severe loss-of-function mutations. In summary, we identified a spectrum of RLIM missense variants causing syndromic XLID and affecting the ubiquitin ligase activity of RLIM, suggesting that enzymatic activity of RLIM is required for normal development, cognition and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanna G M Frints
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Maastricht University Medical Center+, azM, Maastricht, 6202 AZ, The Netherlands. .,Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, GROW, FHML, Maastricht University, Maastricht, 6200 MD, The Netherlands.
| | - Aysegul Ozanturk
- Center for Human Disease Modeling and Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | | | - Ute Grasshoff
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, 72076, Germany
| | - Bas de Hoon
- Department of Developmental Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, 3015 CN, The Netherlands
| | - Michael Field
- GOLD (Genetics of Learning and Disability) Service, Hunter Genetics, Waratah, NSW, 2298, Australia
| | - Sylvie Manouvrier-Hanu
- Clinique de Génétique médicale Guy Fontaine, Centre de référence maladies rares Anomalies du développement Hôpital Jeanne de Flandre, Lille, 59000, France.,EA 7364 RADEME Maladies Rares du Développement et du Métabolisme, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Lille, Lille, 59000, France
| | - Scott E Hickey
- Division of Molecular & Human Genetics, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA
| | - Molka Kammoun
- Center for Human Genetics, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium
| | - Karen W Gripp
- Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children Nemours, Wilmington, DE, 19803, USA
| | - Claudia Bauer
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, 72076, Germany
| | - Christopher Schroeder
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, 72076, Germany
| | - Annick Toutain
- Service de Génétique, Hôpital Bretonneau, CHU de Tours, Tours, 37044, France.,UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, 37032, France
| | - Theresa Mihalic Mosher
- Division of Molecular & Human Genetics, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA.,The Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA
| | - Benjamin J Kelly
- The Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA
| | - Peter White
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA.,The Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA
| | - Andreas Dufke
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, 72076, Germany
| | - Eveline Rentmeester
- Department of Developmental Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sungjin Moon
- Center for Human Disease Modeling and Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Daniel C Koboldt
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA.,The Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA
| | - Kees E P van Roozendaal
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Maastricht University Medical Center+, azM, Maastricht, 6202 AZ, The Netherlands.,Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, GROW, FHML, Maastricht University, Maastricht, 6200 MD, The Netherlands
| | - Hao Hu
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Stefan A Haas
- Department of Computational Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Hans-Hilger Ropers
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Lucinda Murray
- GOLD (Genetics of Learning and Disability) Service, Hunter Genetics, Waratah, NSW, 2298, Australia
| | - Eric Haan
- Adelaide Medical School and Robinson Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia.,South Australian Clinical Genetics Service, SA Pathology (at Women's and Children's Hospital), North Adelaide, SA, 5006, Australia
| | - Marie Shaw
- Adelaide Medical School and Robinson Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia
| | - Renee Carroll
- Adelaide Medical School and Robinson Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia
| | - Kathryn Friend
- Genetics and Molecular Pathology, SA Pathology, Adelaide, SA, 5006, Australia
| | - Jan Liebelt
- South Australian Clinical Genetics Service, SA Pathology (at Women's and Children's Hospital), North Adelaide, SA, 5006, Australia
| | - Lynne Hobson
- Genetics and Molecular Pathology, SA Pathology, Adelaide, SA, 5006, Australia
| | - Marjan De Rademaeker
- Centre for Medical Genetics, Reproduction and Genetics, Reproduction Genetics and Regenerative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), UZ Brussel, 1090, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Joep Geraedts
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Maastricht University Medical Center+, azM, Maastricht, 6202 AZ, The Netherlands.,Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, GROW, FHML, Maastricht University, Maastricht, 6200 MD, The Netherlands
| | - Jean-Pierre Fryns
- Center for Human Genetics, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium
| | - Joris Vermeesch
- Center for Human Genetics, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium
| | - Martine Raynaud
- Service de Génétique, Hôpital Bretonneau, CHU de Tours, Tours, 37044, France.,UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, 37032, France
| | - Olaf Riess
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, 72076, Germany
| | - Joost Gribnau
- Department of Developmental Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Nicholas Katsanis
- Center for Human Disease Modeling and Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Koen Devriendt
- Center for Human Genetics, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium
| | - Peter Bauer
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, 72076, Germany
| | - Jozef Gecz
- Adelaide Medical School and Robinson Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia.,South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia
| | - Christelle Golzio
- Center for Human Disease Modeling and Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.,Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Department of Translational Medicine and Neurogenetics; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, Université de Strasbourg, 67400, Illkirch, France
| | - Cristina Gontan
- Department of Developmental Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Vera M Kalscheuer
- Research Group Development and Disease, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, 14195, Germany.
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36
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Baloghova N, Lidak T, Cermak L. Ubiquitin Ligases Involved in the Regulation of Wnt, TGF-β, and Notch Signaling Pathways and Their Roles in Mouse Development and Homeostasis. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10100815. [PMID: 31623112 PMCID: PMC6826584 DOI: 10.3390/genes10100815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2019] [Revised: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Wnt, TGF-β, and Notch signaling pathways are essential for the regulation of cellular polarity, differentiation, proliferation, and migration. Differential activation and mutual crosstalk of these pathways during animal development are crucial instructive forces in the initiation of the body axis and the development of organs and tissues. Due to the ability to initiate cell proliferation, these pathways are vulnerable to somatic mutations selectively producing cells, which ultimately slip through cellular and organismal checkpoints and develop into cancer. The architecture of the Wnt, TGF-β, and Notch signaling pathways is simple. The transmembrane receptor, activated by the extracellular stimulus, induces nuclear translocation of the transcription factor, which subsequently changes the expression of target genes. Nevertheless, these pathways are regulated by a myriad of factors involved in various feedback mechanisms or crosstalk. The most prominent group of regulators is the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). To open the door to UPS-based therapeutic manipulations, a thorough understanding of these regulations at a molecular level and rigorous confirmation in vivo are required. In this quest, mouse models are exceptional and, thanks to the progress in genetic engineering, also an accessible tool. Here, we reviewed the current understanding of how the UPS regulates the Wnt, TGF-β, and Notch pathways and we summarized the knowledge gained from related mouse models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikol Baloghova
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Division BIOCEV, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 252 42 Vestec, Czech Republic.
| | - Tomas Lidak
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Division BIOCEV, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 252 42 Vestec, Czech Republic.
| | - Lukas Cermak
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Division BIOCEV, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 252 42 Vestec, Czech Republic.
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37
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Xavier MJ, Roman SD, Aitken RJ, Nixon B. Transgenerational inheritance: how impacts to the epigenetic and genetic information of parents affect offspring health. Hum Reprod Update 2019; 25:518-540. [DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmz017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Revised: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
BACKGROUND
A defining feature of sexual reproduction is the transmission of genomic information from both parents to the offspring. There is now compelling evidence that the inheritance of such genetic information is accompanied by additional epigenetic marks, or stable heritable information that is not accounted for by variations in DNA sequence. The reversible nature of epigenetic marks coupled with multiple rounds of epigenetic reprogramming that erase the majority of existing patterns have made the investigation of this phenomenon challenging. However, continual advances in molecular methods are allowing closer examination of the dynamic alterations to histone composition and DNA methylation patterns that accompany development and, in particular, how these modifications can occur in an individual’s germline and be transmitted to the following generation. While the underlying mechanisms that permit this form of transgenerational inheritance remain unclear, it is increasingly apparent that a combination of genetic and epigenetic modifications plays major roles in determining the phenotypes of individuals and their offspring.
OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE
Information pertaining to transgenerational inheritance was systematically reviewed focusing primarily on mammalian cells to the exclusion of inheritance in plants, due to inherent differences in the means by which information is transmitted between generations. The effects of environmental factors and biological processes on both epigenetic and genetic information were reviewed to determine their contribution to modulating inheritable phenotypes.
SEARCH METHODS
Articles indexed in PubMed were searched using keywords related to transgenerational inheritance, epigenetic modifications, paternal and maternal inheritable traits and environmental and biological factors influencing transgenerational modifications. We sought to clarify the role of epigenetic reprogramming events during the life cycle of mammals and provide a comprehensive review of how the genomic and epigenomic make-up of progenitors may determine the phenotype of its descendants.
OUTCOMES
We found strong evidence supporting the role of DNA methylation patterns, histone modifications and even non-protein-coding RNA in altering the epigenetic composition of individuals and producing stable epigenetic effects that were transmitted from parents to offspring, in both humans and rodent species. Multiple genomic domains and several histone modification sites were found to resist demethylation and endure genome-wide reprogramming events. Epigenetic modifications integrated into the genome of individuals were shown to modulate gene expression and activity at enhancer and promoter domains, while genetic mutations were shown to alter sequence availability for methylation and histone binding. Fundamentally, alterations to the nuclear composition of the germline in response to environmental factors, ageing, diet and toxicant exposure have the potential to become hereditably transmitted.
WIDER IMPLICATIONS
The environment influences the health and well-being of progeny by working through the germline to introduce spontaneous genetic mutations as well as a variety of epigenetic changes, including alterations in DNA methylation status and the post-translational modification of histones. In evolutionary terms, these changes create the phenotypic diversity that fuels the fires of natural selection. However, rather than being adaptive, such variation may also generate a plethora of pathological disease states ranging from dominant genetic disorders to neurological conditions, including spontaneous schizophrenia and autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel João Xavier
- Reproductive Science Group, Faculty of Science, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - Shaun D Roman
- Reproductive Science Group, Faculty of Science, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
- Priority Research Centre for Chemical Biology and Clinical Pharmacology, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - R John Aitken
- Reproductive Science Group, Faculty of Science, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
- Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - Brett Nixon
- Reproductive Science Group, Faculty of Science, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
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A novel approach to differentiate rat embryonic stem cells in vitro reveals a role for RNF12 in activation of X chromosome inactivation. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6068. [PMID: 30988473 PMCID: PMC6465393 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42246-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is a mammalian specific, developmentally regulated process relying on several mechanisms including antisense transcription, non-coding RNA-mediated silencing, and recruitment of chromatin remodeling complexes. In vitro modeling of XCI, through differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), provides a powerful tool to study the dynamics of XCI, overcoming the need for embryos, and facilitating genetic modification of key regulatory players. However, to date, robust initiation of XCI in vitro has been mostly limited to mouse pluripotent stem cells. Here, we adapted existing protocols to establish a novel monolayer differentiation protocol for rat ESCs to study XCI. We show that differentiating rat ESCs properly downregulate pluripotency factor genes, and present female specific Xist RNA accumulation and silencing of X-linked genes. We also demonstrate that RNF12 seems to be an important player in regulation of initiation of XCI in rat, acting as an Xist activator. Our work provides the basis to investigate the mechanisms directing the XCI process in a model organism different from the mouse.
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Harris C, Cloutier M, Trotter M, Hinten M, Gayen S, Du Z, Xie W, Kalantry S. Conversion of random X-inactivation to imprinted X-inactivation by maternal PRC2. eLife 2019; 8:e44258. [PMID: 30938678 PMCID: PMC6541438 DOI: 10.7554/elife.44258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Imprinted X-inactivation silences genes exclusively on the paternally-inherited X-chromosome and is a paradigm of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in mammals. Here, we test the role of maternal vs. zygotic Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) protein EED in orchestrating imprinted X-inactivation in mouse embryos. In maternal-null (Eedm-/-) but not zygotic-null (Eed-/-) early embryos, the maternal X-chromosome ectopically induced Xist and underwent inactivation. Eedm-/- females subsequently stochastically silenced Xist from one of the two X-chromosomes and displayed random X-inactivation. This effect was exacerbated in embryos lacking both maternal and zygotic EED (Eedmz-/-), suggesting that zygotic EED can also contribute to the onset of imprinted X-inactivation. Xist expression dynamics in Eedm-/- embryos resemble that of early human embryos, which lack oocyte-derived maternal PRC2 and only undergo random X-inactivation. Thus, expression of PRC2 in the oocyte and transmission of the gene products to the embryo may dictate the occurrence of imprinted X-inactivation in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clair Harris
- Department of Human GeneticsUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Marissa Cloutier
- Department of Human GeneticsUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Megan Trotter
- Department of Human GeneticsUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Michael Hinten
- Department of Human GeneticsUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Srimonta Gayen
- Department of Human GeneticsUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Zhenhai Du
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, THU-PKU Center for Life ScienceTsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Wei Xie
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, THU-PKU Center for Life ScienceTsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Sundeep Kalantry
- Department of Human GeneticsUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
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Wang F, McCannell KN, Bošković A, Zhu X, Shin J, Yu J, Gallant J, Byron M, Lawrence JB, Zhu LJ, Jones SN, Rando OJ, Fazzio TG, Bach I. Rlim-Dependent and -Independent Pathways for X Chromosome Inactivation in Female ESCs. Cell Rep 2019; 21:3691-3699. [PMID: 29281819 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2017] [Revised: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
During female mouse embryogenesis, two forms of X chromosome inactivation (XCI) ensure dosage compensation from sex chromosomes. Beginning at the four-cell stage, imprinted XCI (iXCI) exclusively silences the paternal X (Xp), and this pattern is maintained in extraembryonic cell types. Epiblast cells, which give rise to the embryo proper, reactivate the Xp (XCR) and undergo a random form of XCI (rXCI) around implantation. Both iXCI and rXCI depend on the long non-coding RNA Xist. The ubiquitin ligase RLIM is required for iXCI in vivo and occupies a central role in current models of rXCI. Here, we demonstrate the existence of Rlim-dependent and Rlim-independent pathways for rXCI in differentiating female ESCs. Upon uncoupling these pathways, we find more efficient Rlim-independent XCI in ESCs cultured under physiological oxygen conditions. Our results revise current models of rXCI and suggest that caution must be taken when comparing XCI studies in ESCs and mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Wang
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Kurtis N McCannell
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Ana Bošković
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Xiaochun Zhu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - JongDae Shin
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Jun Yu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Judith Gallant
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Meg Byron
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Jeanne B Lawrence
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Lihua J Zhu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Stephen N Jones
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Oliver J Rando
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Thomas G Fazzio
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Ingolf Bach
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
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Inoue A, Chen Z, Yin Q, Zhang Y. Maternal Eed knockout causes loss of H3K27me3 imprinting and random X inactivation in the extraembryonic cells. Genes Dev 2018; 32:1525-1536. [PMID: 30463900 PMCID: PMC6295166 DOI: 10.1101/gad.318675.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In this study, Inoue et al. investigated the regulatory mechanisms and functions of the maternal H3K27me3 mechanism. They found that maternal Eed, an essential component of the Polycomb group complex 2 (PRC2), is required for establishing H3K27me3 imprinting, and their results also reveal unique XCI dynamics in the absence of Xist imprinting. Genomic imprinting is essential for mammalian development. Recent studies have revealed that maternal histone H3 Lys27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) can mediate DNA methylation-independent genomic imprinting. However, the regulatory mechanisms and functions of this new imprinting mechanism are largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that maternal Eed, an essential component of the Polycomb group complex 2 (PRC2), is required for establishing H3K27me3 imprinting. We found that all H3K27me3-imprinted genes, including Xist, lose their imprinted expression in Eed maternal knockout (matKO) embryos, resulting in male-biased lethality. Surprisingly, although maternal X-chromosome inactivation (XmCI) occurs in Eed matKO embryos at preimplantation due to loss of Xist imprinting, it is resolved at peri-implantation. Ultimately, both X chromosomes are reactivated in the embryonic cell lineage prior to random XCI, and only a single X chromosome undergoes random XCI in the extraembryonic cell lineage. Thus, our study not only demonstrates an essential role of Eed in H3K27me3 imprinting establishment but also reveals a unique XCI dynamic in the absence of Xist imprinting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azusa Inoue
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Zhiyuan Chen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Qiangzong Yin
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Yi Zhang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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REX1 is the critical target of RNF12 in imprinted X chromosome inactivation in mice. Nat Commun 2018; 9:4752. [PMID: 30420655 PMCID: PMC6232137 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07060-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In mice, imprinted X chromosome inactivation (iXCI) of the paternal X in the pre-implantation embryo and extraembryonic tissues is followed by X reactivation in the inner cell mass (ICM) of the blastocyst to facilitate initiation of random XCI (rXCI) in all embryonic tissues. RNF12 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that plays a key role in XCI. RNF12 targets pluripotency protein REX1 for degradation to initiate rXCI in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and loss of the maternal copy of Rnf12 leads to embryonic lethality due to iXCI failure. Here, we show that loss of Rex1 rescues the rXCI phenotype observed in Rnf12−/− ESCs, and that REX1 is the prime target of RNF12 in ESCs. Genetic ablation of Rex1 in Rnf12−/− mice rescues the Rnf12−/− iXCI phenotype, and results in viable and fertile Rnf12−/−:Rex1−/− female mice displaying normal iXCI and rXCI. Our results show that REX1 is the critical target of RNF12 in XCI. REX1 has been shown to regulate pluripotency of ESCs, genomic imprinting and preimplantation development in mice. Here the authors provide evidence that REX1 is the prime target of RNF12 E3 ubiquitin ligase and that Rex1 removal rescues the Rnf12 knockout phenotype in imprinted X chromosome inactivation in mice.
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Wang F, Zhao K, Yu S, Xu A, Han W, Mei Y. RNF12 catalyzes BRF1 ubiquitination and regulates RNA polymerase III-dependent transcription. J Biol Chem 2018; 294:130-141. [PMID: 30413534 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.004524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA polymerase III (Pol III) is responsible for the production of small noncoding RNA species, including tRNAs and 5S rRNA. Pol III-dependent transcription is generally enhanced in transformed cells and tumors, but the underlying mechanisms remain not well-understood. It has been demonstrated that the BRF1 subunit of TFIIIB is essential for the accurate initiation of Pol III-dependent transcription. However, it is not known whether BRF1 undergoes ubiquitin modification and whether BRF1 ubiquitination regulates Pol III-dependent transcription. Here, we show that RNF12, a RING domain-containing ubiquitin E3 ligase, physically interacts with BRF1. Via direct interaction, RNF12 catalyzes Lys27- and Lys33-linked polyubiquitination of BRF1. Furthermore, RNF12 is able to negatively regulate Pol III-dependent transcription and cell proliferation via BRF1. These findings uncover a novel mechanism for the regulation of BRF1 and reveal RNF12 as an important regulator of Pol III-dependent transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Wang
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology/Center of Medical Physics and Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, Anhui, China; Division of Molecular Medicine, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Kailiang Zhao
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Sixiang Yu
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China
| | - An Xu
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Wei Han
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology/Center of Medical Physics and Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, Anhui, China.
| | - Yide Mei
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China.
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Galupa R, Heard E. X-Chromosome Inactivation: A Crossroads Between Chromosome Architecture and Gene Regulation. Annu Rev Genet 2018; 52:535-566. [PMID: 30256677 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-120116-024611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In somatic nuclei of female therian mammals, the two X chromosomes display very different chromatin states: One X is typically euchromatic and transcriptionally active, and the other is mostly silent and forms a cytologically detectable heterochromatic structure termed the Barr body. These differences, which arise during female development as a result of X-chromosome inactivation (XCI), have been the focus of research for many decades. Initial approaches to define the structure of the inactive X chromosome (Xi) and its relationship to gene expression mainly involved microscopy-based approaches. More recently, with the advent of genomic techniques such as chromosome conformation capture, molecular details of the structure and expression of the Xi have been revealed. Here, we review our current knowledge of the 3D organization of the mammalian X-chromosome chromatin and discuss its relationship with gene activity in light of the initiation, spreading, and maintenance of XCI, as well as escape from gene silencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Galupa
- Genetics and Developmental Biology Unit and Mammalian Developmental Epigenetics Group, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, 75248 Paris, France; .,Current affiliation: Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Edith Heard
- Genetics and Developmental Biology Unit and Mammalian Developmental Epigenetics Group, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, 75248 Paris, France; .,Collège de France, 75231 Paris, France
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45
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Female mice lacking Ftx lncRNA exhibit impaired X-chromosome inactivation and a microphthalmia-like phenotype. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3829. [PMID: 30237402 PMCID: PMC6148026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06327-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) is an essential epigenetic process in female mammalian development. Although cell-based studies suggest the potential importance of the Ftx long non-protein-coding RNA (lncRNA) in XCI, its physiological roles in vivo remain unclear. Here we show that targeted deletion of X-linked mouse Ftx lncRNA causes eye abnormalities resembling human microphthalmia in a subset of females but rarely in males. This inheritance pattern cannot be explained by X-linked dominant or recessive inheritance, where males typically show a more severe phenotype than females. In Ftx-deficient mice, some X-linked genes remain active on the inactive X, suggesting that defects in random XCI in somatic cells cause a substantially female-specific phenotype. The expression level of Xist, a master regulator of XCI, is diminished in females homozygous or heterozygous for Ftx deficiency. We propose that loss-of-Ftx lncRNA abolishes gene silencing on the inactive X chromosome, leading to a female microphthalmia-like phenotype. Although Ftx lncRNA has been linked to X-chromosome inactivation, its physiological roles in vivo remain unclear. Here the authors show that deletion of mouse Ftx causes eye abnormalities similar to human microphthalmia in a subset of female mice but rarely in males and provide evidence that Ftx plays a role in gene silencing on the inactive X chromosome.
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de Hoon B, Splinter E, Eussen B, Douben JCW, Rentmeester E, van de Heijning M, Laven JSE, de Klein JEMM, Liebelt J, Gribnau J. X chromosome inactivation in a female carrier of a 1.28 Mb deletion encompassing the human X inactivation centre. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0359. [PMID: 28947658 PMCID: PMC5627161 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is a mechanism specifically initiated in female cells to silence one X chromosome, thereby equalizing the dose of X-linked gene products between male and female cells. XCI is regulated by a locus on the X chromosome termed the X-inactivation centre (XIC). Located within the XIC is XIST, which acts as a master regulator of XCI. During XCI, XIST is upregulated on the inactive X chromosome and chromosome-wide cis spreading of XIST leads to inactivation. In mouse, the Xic comprises Xist and all cis-regulatory elements and genes involved in Xist regulation. The activity of the XIC is regulated by trans-acting factors located elsewhere in the genome: X-encoded XCI activators positively regulating XCI, and autosomally encoded XCI inhibitors providing the threshold for XCI initiation. Whether human XCI is regulated through a similar mechanism, involving trans-regulatory factors acting on the XIC has remained elusive so far. Here, we describe a female individual with ovarian dysgenesis and a small X chromosomal deletion of the XIC. SNP-array and targeted locus amplification (TLA) analysis defined the deletion to a 1.28 megabase region, including XIST and all elements and genes that perform cis-regulatory functions in mouse XCI. Cells carrying this deletion still initiate XCI on the unaffected X chromosome, indicating that XCI can be initiated in the presence of only one XIC. Our results indicate that the trans-acting factors required for XCI initiation are located outside the deletion, providing evidence that the regulatory mechanisms of XCI are conserved between mouse and human. This article is part of the themed issue ‘X-chromosome inactivation: a tribute to Mary Lyon’.
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Affiliation(s)
- B de Hoon
- Department of Developmental Biology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - B Eussen
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - J C W Douben
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - E Rentmeester
- Department of Developmental Biology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - J S E Laven
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - J Liebelt
- Division of Genetics and Molecular Pathology, Women's and Children's Hospital, North Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - J Gribnau
- Department of Developmental Biology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Bustos F, Segarra-Fas A, Chaugule VK, Brandenburg L, Branigan E, Toth R, Macartney T, Knebel A, Hay RT, Walden H, Findlay GM. RNF12 X-Linked Intellectual Disability Mutations Disrupt E3 Ligase Activity and Neural Differentiation. Cell Rep 2018; 23:1599-1611. [PMID: 29742418 PMCID: PMC5976579 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2017] [Revised: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
X-linked intellectual disability (XLID) is a heterogeneous syndrome affecting mainly males. Human genetics has identified >100 XLID genes, although the molecular and developmental mechanisms underpinning this disorder remain unclear. Here, we employ an embryonic stem cell model to explore developmental functions of a recently identified XLID gene, the RNF12/RLIM E3 ubiquitin ligase. We show that RNF12 catalytic activity is required for proper stem cell maintenance and neural differentiation, and this is disrupted by patient-associated XLID mutation. We further demonstrate that RNF12 XLID mutations specifically impair ubiquitylation of developmentally relevant substrates. XLID mutants disrupt distinct RNF12 functional modules by either inactivating the catalytic RING domain or interfering with a distal regulatory region required for efficient ubiquitin transfer. Our data thereby uncover a key function for RNF12 E3 ubiquitin ligase activity in stem cell and neural development and identify mechanisms by which this is disrupted in intellectual disability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Bustos
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Anna Segarra-Fas
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Viduth K Chaugule
- Institute of Molecular Cell and Systems Biology, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Lennart Brandenburg
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Emma Branigan
- Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Rachel Toth
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Thomas Macartney
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Axel Knebel
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Ronald T Hay
- Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Helen Walden
- Institute of Molecular Cell and Systems Biology, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Greg M Findlay
- The MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK.
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Carmona S, Lin B, Chou T, Arroyo K, Sun S. LncRNA Jpx induces Xist expression in mice using both trans and cis mechanisms. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007378. [PMID: 29734339 PMCID: PMC5957434 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Revised: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian X chromosome dosage compensation balances X-linked gene products between sexes and is coordinated by the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) Xist. Multiple cis and trans-acting factors modulate Xist expression; however, the primary competence factor responsible for activating Xist remains a subject of dispute. The lncRNA Jpx is a proposed competence factor, yet it remains unknown if Jpx is sufficient to activate Xist expression in mice. Here, we utilize a novel transgenic mouse system to demonstrate a dose-dependent relationship between Jpx copy number and ensuing Jpx and Xist expression. By localizing transcripts of Jpx and Xist using RNA Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) in mouse embryonic cells, we provide evidence of Jpx acting in both trans and cis to activate Xist. Our data contribute functional and mechanistic insight for lncRNA activity in mice, and argue that Jpx is a competence factor for Xist activation in vivo. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) have been identified in all eukaryotes but mechanisms of lncRNA function remain challenging to study in vivo. A classic model of lncRNA function and mechanism is X-Chromosome Inactivation (XCI): an essential process which balances X-linked gene expression between male and female mammals. The “master regulator” of XCI is lncRNA Xist, which is responsible for silencing one of the two X chromosomes in females. Another lncRNA, Jpx, has been proposed to activate Xist gene expression in mouse embryonic stem cells; however, no mouse models exist to address Jpx function in vivo. In this study, we developed a novel transgenic mouse system to demonstrate the regulatory mechanisms of lncRNA Jpx. We observed a dose-dependent relationship between Jpx copy number and Xist expression in transgenic mice, suggesting that Jpx is sufficient to activate Xist expression in vivo. In addition, we analyzed Jpx’s allelic origin and have provided evidence for Jpx inducing Xist transcription using both trans and cis mechanisms. Our work provides a framework for lncRNA functional studies in mice, which will help us understand how lncRNA regulate eukaryotic gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Carmona
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, Ayala School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States of America
| | - Benjamin Lin
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, Ayala School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States of America
| | - Tristan Chou
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, Ayala School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States of America
| | - Katti Arroyo
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, Ayala School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States of America
| | - Sha Sun
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, Ayala School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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49
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Studying X chromosome inactivation in the single-cell genomic era. Biochem Soc Trans 2018; 46:577-586. [PMID: 29678955 DOI: 10.1042/bst20170346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2017] [Revised: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Single-cell genomics is set to revolutionise our understanding of how epigenetic silencing works; by studying specific epigenetic marks or chromatin conformations in single cells, it is possible to ask whether they cause transcriptional silencing or are instead a consequence of the silent state. Here, we review what single-cell genomics has revealed about X chromosome inactivation, perhaps the best characterised mammalian epigenetic process, highlighting the novel findings and important differences between mouse and human X inactivation uncovered through these studies. We consider what fundamental questions these techniques are set to answer in coming years and propose that X chromosome inactivation is an ideal model to study gene silencing by single-cell genomics as technical limitations are minimised through the co-analysis of hundreds of genes.
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50
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Xie F, Ling L, van Dam H, Zhou F, Zhang L. TGF-β signaling in cancer metastasis. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2018; 50:121-132. [PMID: 29190313 DOI: 10.1093/abbs/gmx123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling events are well known to control diverse processes and numerous responses, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and migration. TGF-β signaling plays context-dependent roles in cancer: in pre-malignant cells TGF-β primarily functions as a tumor suppressor, while in the later stages of cancer TGF-β signaling promotes invasion and metastasis. Recent studies have also suggested that the cross-talk between TGF-β signaling and other signaling pathways, such as Hippo, Wnt, EGFR/RAS, and PI3K/AKT pathways, may substantially contribute to our current understanding of TGF-β signaling and cancer. As a result of the wide-ranging effects of TGF-β, blockade of TGF-β and its downstream signaling components provides multiple therapeutic opportunities. Therefore, the outlook for anti-TGF-β signaling therapy for numerous diseases appears bright and will provide valuable information and thinking on the drug molecular design. In this review, we focus on recent insights into the regulation of TGF-β signaling in cancer metastasis which may contribute to the development of novel cancer-targeting therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Xie
- Institutes of Biology and Medical Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
- Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Li Ling
- Institutes of Biology and Medical Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Hans van Dam
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Cancer Genomics Centre Netherlands, Leiden University Medical Center, Postbus 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Fangfang Zhou
- Institutes of Biology and Medical Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Long Zhang
- Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
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