1
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Pal S, Dhar R. Living in a noisy world-origins of gene expression noise and its impact on cellular decision-making. FEBS Lett 2024; 598:1673-1691. [PMID: 38724715 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14898] [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: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
The expression level of a gene can vary between genetically identical cells under the same environmental condition-a phenomenon referred to as gene expression noise. Several studies have now elucidated a central role of transcription factors in the generation of expression noise. Transcription factors, as the key components of gene regulatory networks, drive many important cellular decisions in response to cellular and environmental signals. Therefore, a very relevant question is how expression noise impacts gene regulation and influences cellular decision-making. In this Review, we summarize the current understanding of the molecular origins of expression noise, highlighting the role of transcription factors in this process, and discuss the ways in which noise can influence cellular decision-making. As advances in single-cell technologies open new avenues for studying expression noise as well as gene regulatory circuits, a better understanding of the influence of noise on cellular decisions will have important implications for many biological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sampriti Pal
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, IIT Kharagpur, India
| | - Riddhiman Dhar
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, IIT Kharagpur, India
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2
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Aqeel SM, Abdulqader AA, Du G, Liu S. Integrated strategies for efficient production of Streptomyces mobaraensis transglutaminase in Komagataella phaffii. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 273:133113. [PMID: 38885870 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.133113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Transglutaminase (TGase) from Streptomyces mobaraensis commonly used to improve protein-based foods due to its unique enzymatic reactions, which imply considerable attention in its production. Recently, TGase exhibit broad market potential in non-food industries. However, achieving efficient synthesis of TGase remains a significant challenge. Herein, we achieved a substantial amount of a fully functional and kinetically stable TGase produced by Komagataella phaffii (Pichia pastoris) using multiple strategies including Geneticin (G418) screening, combinatorial mutations, promoter optimization, and co-expression. The active TGase expression reached a maximum of 10.1 U mL-1 in shake flask upon 96 h of induction, which was 3.8-fold of the wild type. Also, the engineered strain exhibited a 6.4-fold increase in half-life and a 2-fold increase in specific activity, reaching 172.67 min at 60 °C (t1/2(60 °C)) and 65.3 U mg-1, respectively. Moreover, the high-cell density cultivation in 5-L fermenter was also applied to test the productivity at large scale. Following optimization at a fermenter, the secretory yield of TGase reached 47.96 U mL-1 in the culture supernatant. Given the complexity inherent in protein expression and secretion, our research is of great significance and offers a comprehensive guide for improving the production of a wide range of heterologous proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahibzada Muhammad Aqeel
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China; School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Al-Adeeb Abdulqader
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Guocheng Du
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China; School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China; The Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China.
| | - Song Liu
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China; School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China.
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3
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Kadyrova LY, Mieczkowski PA, Kadyrov FA. MutLα suppresses error-prone DNA mismatch repair and preferentially protects noncoding DNA from mutations. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107406. [PMID: 38782208 PMCID: PMC11231602 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system promotes genome stability and protects humans from certain types of cancer. Its primary function is the correction of DNA polymerase errors. MutLα is an important eukaryotic MMR factor. We have examined the contributions of MutLα to maintaining genome stability. We show here that loss of MutLα in yeast increases the genome-wide mutation rate by ∼130-fold and generates a genome-wide mutation spectrum that consists of small indels and base substitutions. We also show that loss of yeast MutLα leads to error-prone MMR that produces T > C base substitutions in 5'-ATA-3' sequences. In agreement with this finding, our examination of human whole-genome DNA sequencing data has revealed that loss of MutLα in induced pluripotent stem cells triggers error-prone MMR that leads to the formation of T > C mutations in 5'-NTN-3' sequences. Our further analysis has shown that MutLα-independent MMR plays a role in suppressing base substitutions in N3 homopolymeric runs. In addition, we describe that MutLα preferentially protects noncoding DNA from mutations. Our study defines the contributions of MutLα-dependent and independent mechanisms to genome-wide MMR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyudmila Y Kadyrova
- Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Carbondale, Illinois, USA
| | - Piotr A Mieczkowski
- Department of Genetics, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Farid A Kadyrov
- Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Carbondale, Illinois, USA.
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4
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Lizana L, Schwartz YB. The scales, mechanisms, and dynamics of the genome architecture. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadm8167. [PMID: 38598632 PMCID: PMC11006219 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adm8167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Even when split into several chromosomes, DNA molecules that make up our genome are too long to fit into the cell nuclei unless massively folded. Such folding must accommodate the need for timely access to selected parts of the genome by transcription factors, RNA polymerases, and DNA replication machinery. Here, we review our current understanding of the genome folding inside the interphase nuclei. We consider the resulting genome architecture at three scales with a particular focus on the intermediate (meso) scale and summarize the insights gained from recent experimental observations and diverse computational models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludvig Lizana
- Integrated Science Lab, Department of Physics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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5
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Kadyrova LY, Mieczkowski PA, Kadyrov FA. MutLα suppresses error-prone DNA mismatch repair and preferentially protects noncoding DNA from mutations. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.01.587563. [PMID: 38617288 PMCID: PMC11014525 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.01.587563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
The DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system promotes genome stability and protects humans from certain types of cancer. Its primary function is the correction of DNA polymerase errors. MutLα is an important eukaryotic MMR factor. We have examined the contributions of MutLα to maintaining genome stability. We show here that loss of MutLα in yeast increases the genome-wide mutation rate by ~130-fold and generates a genome-wide mutation spectrum that consists of small indels and base substitutions. We also show that loss of yeast MutLα leads to error-prone MMR that produces T>C base substitutions in 5'-ATA-3' sequences. In agreement with this finding, our examination of human whole genome DNA sequencing data has revealed that loss of MutLα in induced pluripotent stem cells triggers error-prone MMR that leads to the formation of T>C mutations in 5'-NTN-3' sequences. Our further analysis has shown that MutLα-independent MMR plays a role in suppressing base substitutions in N3 homopolymeric runs. In addition, we describe that MutLα preferentially defends noncoding DNA from mutations. Our study defines the contributions of MutLα-dependent and independent mechanisms to genome-wide MMR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyudmila Y. Kadyrova
- Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
| | - Piotr A. Mieczkowski
- Department of Genetics, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
| | - Farid A. Kadyrov
- Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
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6
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Henn L, Sievers A, Hausmann M, Hildenbrand G. Specific Patterns in Correlations of Super-Short Tandem Repeats (SSTRs) with G+C Content, Genic and Intergenic Regions, and Retrotransposons on All Human Chromosomes. Genes (Basel) 2023; 15:33. [PMID: 38254923 PMCID: PMC10815669 DOI: 10.3390/genes15010033] [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: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The specific characteristics of k-mer words (2 ≤ k ≤ 11) regarding genomic distribution and evolutionary conservation were recently found. Among them are, in high abundance, words with a tandem repeat structure (repeat unit length of 1 bp to 3 bp). Furthermore, there seems to be a class of extremely short tandem repeats (≤12 bp), so far overlooked, that are non-random-distributed and, therefore, may play a crucial role in the functioning of the genome. In the following article, the positional distributions of these motifs we call super-short tandem repeats (SSTRs) were compared to other functional elements, like genes and retrotransposons. We found length- and sequence-dependent correlations between the local SSTR density and G+C content, and also between the density of SSTRs and genes, as well as correlations with retrotransposon density. In addition to many general interesting relations, we found that SINE Alu has a strong influence on the local SSTR density. Moreover, the observed connection of SSTR patterns to pseudogenes and -exons might imply a special role of SSTRs in gene expression. In summary, our findings support the idea of a special role and the functional relevance of SSTRs in the genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Henn
- Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, Heidelberg University, INF 227, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany; (L.H.); (A.S.); (M.H.)
| | - Aaron Sievers
- Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, Heidelberg University, INF 227, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany; (L.H.); (A.S.); (M.H.)
- Institute for Human Genetics, University Hospital Heidelberg, INF 366, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Hausmann
- Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, Heidelberg University, INF 227, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany; (L.H.); (A.S.); (M.H.)
| | - Georg Hildenbrand
- Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, Heidelberg University, INF 227, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany; (L.H.); (A.S.); (M.H.)
- Faculty of Engineering, University of Applied Science Aschaffenburg, Würzburger Str. 45, 63743 Aschaffenburg, Germany
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7
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Flores-Villegas M, Rebnegger C, Kowarz V, Prielhofer R, Mattanovich D, Gasser B. Systematic sequence engineering enhances the induction strength of the glucose-regulated GTH1 promoter of Komagataella phaffii. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:11358-11374. [PMID: 37791854 PMCID: PMC10639056 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The promoter of the high-affinity glucose transporter Gth1 (PGTH1) is tightly repressed on glucose and glycerol surplus, and strongly induced in glucose-limitation, thus enabling regulated methanol-free production processes in the yeast production host Komagataella phaffii. To further improve this promoter, an intertwined approach of nucleotide diversification through random and rational engineering was pursued. Random mutagenesis and fluorescence activated cell sorting of PGTH1 yielded five variants with enhanced induction strength. Reverse engineering of individual point mutations found in the improved variants identified two single point mutations with synergistic action. Sequential deletions revealed the key promoter segments for induction and repression properties, respectively. Combination of the single point mutations and the amplification of key promoter segments led to a library of novel promoter variants with up to 3-fold higher activity. Unexpectedly, the effect of gaining or losing a certain transcription factor binding site (TFBS) was highly dependent on its context within the promoter. Finally, the applicability of the novel promoter variants for biotechnological production was proven for the secretion of different recombinant model proteins in fed batch cultivation, where they clearly outperformed their ancestors. In addition to advancing the toolbox for recombinant protein production and metabolic engineering of K. phaffii, we discovered single nucleotide positions and correspondingly affected TFBS that distinguish between glycerol- and glucose-mediated repression of the native promoter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirelle Flores-Villegas
- CD-Laboratory for Growth-decoupled Protein Production in Yeast at Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Corinna Rebnegger
- CD-Laboratory for Growth-decoupled Protein Production in Yeast at Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
- ACIB GmbH, Muthgasse 11, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Viktoria Kowarz
- CD-Laboratory for Growth-decoupled Protein Production in Yeast at Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Roland Prielhofer
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Diethard Mattanovich
- CD-Laboratory for Growth-decoupled Protein Production in Yeast at Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
- ACIB GmbH, Muthgasse 11, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Brigitte Gasser
- CD-Laboratory for Growth-decoupled Protein Production in Yeast at Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
- ACIB GmbH, Muthgasse 11, 1190 Vienna, Austria
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8
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Horton CA, Alexandari AM, Hayes MGB, Marklund E, Schaepe JM, Aditham AK, Shah N, Suzuki PH, Shrikumar A, Afek A, Greenleaf WJ, Gordân R, Zeitlinger J, Kundaje A, Fordyce PM. Short tandem repeats bind transcription factors to tune eukaryotic gene expression. Science 2023; 381:eadd1250. [PMID: 37733848 DOI: 10.1126/science.add1250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Short tandem repeats (STRs) are enriched in eukaryotic cis-regulatory elements and alter gene expression, yet how they regulate transcription remains unknown. We found that STRs modulate transcription factor (TF)-DNA affinities and apparent on-rates by about 70-fold by directly binding TF DNA-binding domains, with energetic impacts exceeding many consensus motif mutations. STRs maximize the number of weakly preferred microstates near target sites, thereby increasing TF density, with impacts well predicted by statistical mechanics. Confirming that STRs also affect TF binding in cells, neural networks trained only on in vivo occupancies predicted effects identical to those observed in vitro. Approximately 90% of TFs preferentially bound STRs that need not resemble known motifs, providing a cis-regulatory mechanism to target TFs to genomic sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Connor A Horton
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Amr M Alexandari
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michael G B Hayes
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Emil Marklund
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Julia M Schaepe
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Arjun K Aditham
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- ChEM-H Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Nilay Shah
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Peter H Suzuki
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Avanti Shrikumar
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ariel Afek
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Chemical and Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | | | - Raluca Gordân
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Julia Zeitlinger
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
- The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66103, USA
| | - Anshul Kundaje
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Polly M Fordyce
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- ChEM-H Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA
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9
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Kleinschmidt H, Xu C, Bai L. Using Synthetic DNA Libraries to Investigate Chromatin and Gene Regulation. Chromosoma 2023; 132:167-189. [PMID: 37184694 PMCID: PMC10542970 DOI: 10.1007/s00412-023-00796-5] [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: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Despite the recent explosion in genome-wide studies in chromatin and gene regulation, we are still far from extracting a set of genetic rules that can predict the function of the regulatory genome. One major reason for this deficiency is that gene regulation is a multi-layered process that involves an enormous variable space, which cannot be fully explored using native genomes. This problem can be partially solved by introducing synthetic DNA libraries into cells, a method that can test the regulatory roles of thousands to millions of sequences with limited variables. Here, we review recent applications of this method to study transcription factor (TF) binding, nucleosome positioning, and transcriptional activity. We discuss the design principles, experimental procedures, and major findings from these studies and compare the pros and cons of different approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Kleinschmidt
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Cheng Xu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Lu Bai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
- Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
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10
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Dawes P, Murray LF, Olson MN, Barton NJ, Smullen M, Suresh M, Yan G, Zhang Y, Fernandez-Fontaine A, English J, Uddin M, Pak C, Church GM, Chan Y, Lim ET. oFlowSeq: a quantitative approach to identify protein coding mutations affecting cell type enrichment using mosaic CRISPR-Cas9 edited cerebral organoids. Hum Genet 2023; 142:1281-1291. [PMID: 36877372 PMCID: PMC10807401 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-023-02534-4] [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: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
Cerebral organoids are comprised of diverse cell types found in the developing human brain, and can be leveraged in the identification of critical cell types perturbed by genetic risk variants in common, neuropsychiatric disorders. There is great interest in developing high-throughput technologies to associate genetic variants with cell types. Here, we describe a high-throughput, quantitative approach (oFlowSeq) by utilizing CRISPR-Cas9, FACS sorting, and next-generation sequencing. Using oFlowSeq, we found that deleterious mutations in autism-associated gene KCTD13 resulted in increased proportions of Nestin+ cells and decreased proportions of TRA-1-60+ cells within mosaic cerebral organoids. We further identified that a locus-wide CRISPR-Cas9 survey of another 18 genes in the 16p11.2 locus resulted in most genes with > 2% maximum editing efficiencies for short and long indels, suggesting a high feasibility for an unbiased, locus-wide experiment using oFlowSeq. Our approach presents a novel method to identify genotype-to-cell type imbalances in an unbiased, high-throughput, quantitative manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pepper Dawes
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Liam F Murray
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Meagan N Olson
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Nathaniel J Barton
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Molly Smullen
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Madhusoodhanan Suresh
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Guang Yan
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Yucheng Zhang
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Aria Fernandez-Fontaine
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Jay English
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Mohammed Uddin
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, UAE
- Cellular Intelligence (Ci) Lab, GenomeArc Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - ChangHui Pak
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - George M Church
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Yingleong Chan
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Elaine T Lim
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
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11
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Sievers A, Sauer L, Bisch M, Sprengel J, Hausmann M, Hildenbrand G. Moderation of Structural DNA Properties by Coupled Dinucleotide Contents in Eukaryotes. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14030755. [PMID: 36981025 PMCID: PMC10048725 DOI: 10.3390/genes14030755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Dinucleotides are known as determinants for various structural and physiochemical properties of DNA and for binding affinities of proteins to DNA. These properties (e.g., stiffness) and bound proteins (e.g., transcription factors) are known to influence important biological functions, such as transcription regulation and 3D chromatin organization. Accordingly, the question arises of how the considerable variations in dinucleotide contents of eukaryotic chromosomes could still provide consistent DNA properties resulting in similar functions and 3D conformations. In this work, we investigate the hypothesis that coupled dinucleotide contents influence DNA properties in opposite directions to moderate each other's influences. Analyzing all 2478 chromosomes of 155 eukaryotic species, considering bias from coding sequences and enhancers, we found sets of correlated and anti-correlated dinucleotide contents. Using computational models, we estimated changes of DNA properties resulting from this coupling. We found that especially pure A/T dinucleotides (AA, TT, AT, TA), known to influence histone positioning and AC/GT contents, are relevant moderators and that, e.g., the Roll property, which is known to influence histone affinity of DNA, is preferably moderated. We conclude that dinucleotide contents might indirectly influence transcription and chromatin 3D conformation, via regulation of histone occupancy and/or other mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Sievers
- Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, Heidelberg University, INF 227, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
- Institute for Human Genetics, University Hospital Heidelberg, INF 366, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Liane Sauer
- Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, Heidelberg University, INF 227, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
- Institute for Human Genetics, University Hospital Heidelberg, INF 366, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marc Bisch
- Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, Heidelberg University, INF 227, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jan Sprengel
- Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, Heidelberg University, INF 227, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Hausmann
- Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, Heidelberg University, INF 227, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Georg Hildenbrand
- Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, Heidelberg University, INF 227, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Engeneering, University of Applied Science Aschaffenburg, Würzburger Str. 45, 63743 Aschaffenburg, Germany
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12
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Verbiest M, Maksimov M, Jin Y, Anisimova M, Gymrek M, Bilgin Sonay T. Mutation and selection processes regulating short tandem repeats give rise to genetic and phenotypic diversity across species. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:321-336. [PMID: 36289560 PMCID: PMC9990875 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Short tandem repeats (STRs) are units of 1-6 bp that repeat in a tandem fashion in DNA. Along with single nucleotide polymorphisms and large structural variations, they are among the major genomic variants underlying genetic, and likely phenotypic, divergence. STRs experience mutation rates that are orders of magnitude higher than other well-studied genotypic variants. Frequent copy number changes result in a wide range of alleles, and provide unique opportunities for modulating complex phenotypes through variation in repeat length. While classical studies have identified key roles of individual STR loci, the advent of improved sequencing technology, high-quality genome assemblies for diverse species, and bioinformatics methods for genome-wide STR analysis now enable more systematic study of STR variation across wide evolutionary ranges. In this review, we explore mutation and selection processes that affect STR copy number evolution, and how these processes give rise to varying STR patterns both within and across species. Finally, we review recent examples of functional and adaptive changes linked to STRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Verbiest
- Institute of Computational Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Facility ManagementZürich University of Applied SciencesWädenswilSwitzerland
- Department of Molecular Life SciencesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Swiss Institute of BioinformaticsLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Mikhail Maksimov
- Department of Computer Science & EngineeringUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Department of MedicineUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Ye Jin
- Department of MedicineUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Department of BioengineeringUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Maria Anisimova
- Institute of Computational Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Facility ManagementZürich University of Applied SciencesWädenswilSwitzerland
- Swiss Institute of BioinformaticsLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Melissa Gymrek
- Department of Computer Science & EngineeringUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Department of MedicineUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Tugce Bilgin Sonay
- Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental BiologyColumbia UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
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13
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Smith EG, Surm JM, Macrander J, Simhi A, Amir G, Sachkova MY, Lewandowska M, Reitzel AM, Moran Y. Micro and macroevolution of sea anemone venom phenotype. Nat Commun 2023; 14:249. [PMID: 36646703 PMCID: PMC9842752 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35794-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Venom is a complex trait with substantial inter- and intraspecific variability resulting from strong selective pressures acting on the expression of many toxic proteins. However, understanding the processes underlying toxin expression dynamics that determine the venom phenotype remains unresolved. By interspecific comparisons we reveal that toxin expression in sea anemones evolves rapidly and that in each species different toxin family dictates the venom phenotype by massive gene duplication events. In-depth analysis of the sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis, revealed striking variation of the dominant toxin (Nv1) diploid copy number across populations (1-24 copies) resulting from independent expansion/contraction events, which generate distinct haplotypes. Nv1 copy number correlates with expression at both the transcript and protein levels with one population having a near-complete loss of Nv1 production. Finally, we establish the dominant toxin hypothesis which incorporates observations in other venomous lineages that animals have convergently evolved a similar strategy in shaping their venom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward G Smith
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Department of Biological Sciences, Charlotte, NC, USA. .,School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.
| | - Joachim M Surm
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Jason Macrander
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Department of Biological Sciences, Charlotte, NC, USA.,Florida Southern College, Biology Department, Lakeland, FL, USA
| | - Adi Simhi
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The School of Computer Science & Engineering, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Guy Amir
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The School of Computer Science & Engineering, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Maria Y Sachkova
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Magda Lewandowska
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Adam M Reitzel
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Department of Biological Sciences, Charlotte, NC, USA
| | - Yehu Moran
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
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14
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He S, Zhang Z, Lu W. Natural promoters and promoter engineering strategies for metabolic regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 50:6986260. [PMID: 36633543 PMCID: PMC9936215 DOI: 10.1093/jimb/kuac029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Sharomyces cerevisiae is currently one of the most important foreign gene expression systems. S. cerevisiae is an excellent host for high-value metabolite cell factories due to its advantages of simplicity, safety, and nontoxicity. A promoter, as one of the basic elements of gene transcription, plays an important role in regulating gene expression and optimizing metabolic pathways. Promoters control the direction and intensity of transcription, and the application of promoters with different intensities and performances will largely determine the effect of gene expression and ultimately affect the experimental results. Due to its significant role, there have been many studies on promoters for decades. While some studies have explored and analyzed new promoters with different functions, more studies have focused on artificially modifying promoters to meet their own scientific needs. Thus, this article reviews current research on promoter engineering techniques and related natural promoters in S. cerevisiae. First, we introduce the basic structure of promoters and the classification of natural promoters. Then, the classification of various promoter strategies is reviewed. Finally, by grouping related articles together using various strategies, this review anticipates the future development direction of promoter engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zhanwei Zhang
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, PR China
| | - Wenyu Lu
- Correspondence should be addressed to: W. Y. Lu, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, PR China. Phone: +86-22-853-56523. Fax: +86-22-274-00973. E-mail:
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15
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Murray L, Olson MN, Barton N, Dawes P, Chan Y, Lim ET. FACS-Based Sequencing Approach to Evaluate Cell Type to Genotype Associations Using Cerebral Organoids. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2683:193-199. [PMID: 37300776 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3287-1_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Recent technological developments have led to widespread applications of large-scale transcriptomics-based sequencing methods to identify genotype-to-cell type associations. Here we describe a fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)-based sequencing method to utilize CRISPR/Cas9 edited mosaic cerebral organoids to identify or validate genotype-to-cell type associations. Our approach is high-throughput and quantitative and uses internal controls to enable comparisons of the results across different antibody markers and experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam Murray
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Meagan N Olson
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Nathaniel Barton
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Pepper Dawes
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Yingleong Chan
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Elaine T Lim
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
- NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
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16
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Onufriev AV. Biologically relevant small variations of intra-cellular pH can have significant effect on stability of protein-DNA complexes, including the nucleosome. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1067787. [PMID: 37143824 PMCID: PMC10151541 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1067787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Stability of a protein-ligand complex may be sensitive to pH of its environment. Here we explore, computationally, stability of a set of protein-nucleic acid complexes using fundamental thermodynamic linkage relationship. The nucleosome, as well as an essentially random selection of 20 protein complexes with DNA or RNA, are included in the analysis. An increase in intra-cellular/intra-nuclear pH destabilizes most complexes, including the nucleosome. We propose to quantify the effect by ΔΔG0.3-the change in the binding free energy due to pH increase of 0.3 units, corresponding to doubling of the H + activity; variations of pH of this amplitude can occur in living cells, including in the course of the cell cycle, and in cancer cells relative to normal ones. We suggest, based on relevant experimental findings, a threshold of biological significance of 1 2 k B T ( ∼ 0.3 k c a l / m o l ) for changes of stability of chromatin-related protein-DNA complexes: a change in the binding affinity above the threshold may have biological consequences. We find that for 70% of the examined complexes, Δ Δ G 0.3 > 1 2 k B T (for 10%, ΔΔG0.3 is between 3 and 4 k B T). Thus, small but relevant variations of intra-nuclear pH of 0.3 may have biological consequences for many protein-nucleic acid complexes. The binding affinity between the histone octamer and its DNA, which directly affects the DNA accessibility in the nucleosome, is predicted to be highly sensitive to intra-nuclear pH. A variation of 0.3 units results in ΔΔG0.3 ∼ 10k B T ( ∼ 6 k c a l / m o l ) ; for spontaneous unwrapping of 20 bp long entry/exit fragments of the nucleosomal DNA, ΔΔG0.3 = 2.2k B T; partial disassembly of the nucleosome into the tetrasome is characterized by ΔΔG0.3 = 5.2k B T. The predicted pH -induced modulations of the nucleosome stability are significant enough to suggest that they may have consequences relevant to the biological function of the nucleosome. Accessibility of the nucleosomal DNA is predicted to positively correlate with pH variations during the cell cycle; an increase in intra-cellular pH seen in cancer cells is predicted to lead to a more accessible nucleosomal DNA; a drop in pH associated with apoptosis is predicted to make nucleosomal DNA less accessible. We speculate that processes that depend on accessibility to the DNA in the nucleosomes, such as transcription or DNA replication, might become upregulated due to relatively small, but nevertheless realistic increases of intra-nuclear pH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey V. Onufriev
- Department of Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Center from Soft Matter and Biological Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- *Correspondence: Alexey V. Onufriev,
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17
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Construction and Optimization of Malonyl-CoA Sensors in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by Combining Promoter Engineering Strategies. Processes (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/pr10122660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Biosensors can be used for high-throughput screening, real-time monitoring of metabolites, and dynamic regulation of metabolic processes, which have been a popular research direction in recent years. Here, five promoters from Saccharomyces cerevisiae were selected to construct Malonyl-CoA sensors with the fapO/fapR system derived from Bacillus subtilis, and pCCW12 was finally selected for further optimization. Based on pCCW12, a series of sensors with different response sensitivities were obtained by selecting different fapO insertion sites and combining the best two or three of them. Then, through a combination of promoter hybrid, intron insertion, and transcription factor modification strategies, we obtained sensors with different effects, one of which, the H-pCCW12(TFBS)-Cti6~fapR sensor, had the lowest background noise, doubled response range and higher response sensitivity compared to the original sensor. Sensors with different characteristics constructed in this study, can be applied to Malonyl-CoA related high-throughput screening and finer regulation of metabolism. It also proves that the combined application of different promoter engineering strategies is a feasible idea for the precise construction and regulation of biosensors.
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18
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Carter JL, Kempton CE, Hales EDS, Johnson SM. Manipulating chromatin architecture in C. elegans. Epigenetics Chromatin 2022; 15:38. [PMID: 36443798 PMCID: PMC9706983 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-022-00472-5] [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: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nucleosome-mediated chromatin compaction has a direct effect on the accessibility of trans-acting activators and repressors to DNA targets and serves as a primary regulatory agent of genetic expression. Understanding the nature and dynamics of chromatin is fundamental to elucidating the mechanisms and factors that epigenetically regulate gene expression. Previous work has shown that there are three types of canonical sequences that strongly regulate nucleosome positioning and thus chromatin accessibility: putative nucleosome-positioning elements, putative nucleosome-repelling sequences, and homopolymeric runs of A/T. It is postulated that these elements can be used to remodel chromatin in C. elegans. Here we show the utility of such elements in vivo, and the extreme efficacy of a newly discovered repelling sequence, PRS-322. RESULTS In this work, we show that it is possible to manipulate nucleosome positioning in C. elegans solely using canonical and putative positioning sequences. We have not only tested previously described sequences such as the Widom 601, but also have tested additional nucleosome-positioning sequences: the Trifonov sequence, putative repelling sequence-322 (PRS-322), and various homopolymeric runs of A and T nucleotides. CONCLUSIONS Using each of these types of putative nucleosome-positioning sequences, we demonstrate their ability to alter the nucleosome profile in C. elegans as evidenced by altered nucleosome occupancy and positioning in vivo. Additionally, we show the effect that PRS-322 has on nucleosome-repelling and chromatin remodeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- John L. Carter
- grid.253294.b0000 0004 1936 9115Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602 USA
| | - Colton E. Kempton
- grid.253294.b0000 0004 1936 9115Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602 USA
| | - Emily D. S. Hales
- grid.253294.b0000 0004 1936 9115Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602 USA
| | - Steven M. Johnson
- grid.253294.b0000 0004 1936 9115Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602 USA
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19
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A Poly(dA:dT) Tract in the IGF1 Gene Is a Genetic Marker for Growth Traits in Pigs. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12233316. [PMID: 36496837 PMCID: PMC9738049 DOI: 10.3390/ani12233316] [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: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is an important regulator of body growth, development, and metabolism. The poly(dA:dT) tract affects the accessibility of transcription factor binding sites to regulate transcription. Therefore, this study assessed the effects of two poly(dA:dT) tracts on the transcriptional activity of porcine IGF1. The luciferase assay results demonstrated that the poly(dA:dT) tract 2 (−264/−255) was a positive regulatory element for IGF1 gene expression, and the activities between the different lengths of the poly(dA:dT) tract 2 were significant (p<0.01). The transcription factor C/EBPα inhibited the transcription of IGF1 by binding to tract 2, and the expression levels between the lengths of tract 2 after C/EBPα binding were also statistically different (p<0.01). Only the alleles 10T and 11T were found in the tract 2 in commercial pig breeds, while the 9T, 10T, and 11T alleles were found in Chinese native pig breeds. The allele frequencies were in Hardy−Weinberg equilibrium in all pig breeds. The genotypes of tract 2 were significantly associated with the growth traits (days to 115 kg and average daily gain) (p<0.05) in commercial pig breeds. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the tract 2 mutation could be applied as a candidate genetic marker for growth trait selection in pig breeding programs.
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20
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Efremov AK, Hovan L, Yan J. Nucleus size and its effect on nucleosome stability in living cells. Biophys J 2022; 121:4189-4204. [PMID: 36146936 PMCID: PMC9675033 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA architectural proteins play a major role in organization of chromosomal DNA in living cells by packaging it into chromatin, whose spatial conformation is determined by an intricate interplay between the DNA-binding properties of architectural proteins and physical constraints applied to the DNA by a tight nuclear space. Yet, the exact effects of the nucleus size on DNA-protein interactions and chromatin structure currently remain obscure. Furthermore, there is even no clear understanding of molecular mechanisms responsible for the nucleus size regulation in living cells. To find answers to these questions, we developed a general theoretical framework based on a combination of polymer field theory and transfer-matrix calculations, which showed that the nucleus size is mainly determined by the difference between the surface tensions of the nuclear envelope and the endoplasmic reticulum membrane as well as the osmotic pressure exerted by cytosolic macromolecules on the nucleus. In addition, the model demonstrated that the cell nucleus functions as a piezoelectric element, changing its electrostatic potential in a size-dependent manner. This effect has been found to have a profound impact on stability of nucleosomes, revealing a previously unknown link between the nucleus size and chromatin structure. Overall, our study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms responsible for regulation of the nucleus size, as well as the potential role of nuclear organization in shaping the cell response to environmental cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artem K Efremov
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China; Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Ladislav Hovan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jie Yan
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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21
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Kadam S, Bameta T, Padinhateeri R. Nucleosome sliding can influence the spreading of histone modifications. Phys Rev E 2022; 106:024408. [PMID: 36110002 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.106.024408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Nucleosomes are the fundamental building blocks of chromatin that not only help in the folding of chromatin, but also in carrying epigenetic information. It is known that nucleosome sliding is responsible for dynamically organizing chromatin structure and the resulting gene regulation. Since sliding can move two neighboring nucleosomes physically close or away, can it play a role in the spreading of histone modifications? We investigate this by simulating a stochastic model that couples nucleosome dynamics with the kinetics of histone modifications. We show that the sliding of nucleosomes can affect the modification pattern as well as the time it takes to modify a given region of chromatin. Exploring different nucleosome densities and modification kinetic parameters, we show that nucleosome sliding can be important for creating histone modification domains. Our model predicts that nucleosome density coupled with sliding dynamics can create an asymmetric histone modification profile around regulatory regions. We also compute the probability distribution of modified nucleosomes and relaxation kinetics of modifications. Our predictions are comparable with known experimental results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shantanu Kadam
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Tripti Bameta
- Department of Medical Oncology, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai 410210, India
| | - Ranjith Padinhateeri
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
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22
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High-throughput techniques enable advances in the roles of DNA and RNA secondary structures in transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulation. Genome Biol 2022; 23:159. [PMID: 35851062 PMCID: PMC9290270 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-022-02727-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The most stable structure of DNA is the canonical right-handed double helix termed B DNA. However, certain environments and sequence motifs favor alternative conformations, termed non-canonical secondary structures. The roles of DNA and RNA secondary structures in transcriptional regulation remain incompletely understood. However, advances in high-throughput assays have enabled genome wide characterization of some secondary structures. Here, we describe their regulatory functions in promoters and 3’UTRs, providing insights into key mechanisms through which they regulate gene expression. We discuss their implication in human disease, and how advances in molecular technologies and emerging high-throughput experimental methods could provide additional insights.
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23
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Ruggiero E, Lavezzo E, Grazioli M, Zanin I, Marušič M, Plavec J, Richter SN, Toppo S. Human Virus Genomes Are Enriched in Conserved Adenine/Thymine/Uracil Multiple Tracts That Pause Polymerase Progression. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:915069. [PMID: 35722311 PMCID: PMC9198555 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.915069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The DNA secondary structures that deviate from the classic Watson and Crick base pairing are increasingly being reported to form transiently in the cell and regulate specific cellular mechanisms. Human viruses are cell parasites that have evolved mechanisms shared with the host cell to support their own replication and spreading. Contrary to human host cells, viruses display a diverse array of nucleic acid types, which include DNA or RNA in single-stranded or double-stranded conformations. This heterogeneity improves the possible occurrence of non-canonical nucleic acid structures. We have previously shown that human virus genomes are enriched in G-rich sequences that fold in four-stranded nucleic acid secondary structures, the G-quadruplexes.Here, by extensive bioinformatics analysis on all available genomes, we showed that human viruses are enriched in highly conserved multiple A (and T or U) tracts, with such an array that they could in principle form quadruplex structures. By circular dichroism, NMR, and Taq polymerase stop assays, we proved that, while A/T/U-quadruplexes do not form, these tracts still display biological significance, as they invariably trigger polymerase pausing within two bases from the A/T/U tract. “A” bases display the strongest effect. Most of the identified A-tracts are in the coding strand, both at the DNA and RNA levels, suggesting their possible relevance during viral translation. This study expands on the presence and mechanism of nucleic acid secondary structures in human viruses and provides a new direction for antiviral research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Enrico Lavezzo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Marco Grazioli
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Irene Zanin
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Maja Marušič
- Slovenian NMR Centre, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Janez Plavec
- Slovenian NMR Centre, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Sara N Richter
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Stefano Toppo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.,CRIBI Biotechnology Center, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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24
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Brooks AN, Hughes AL, Clauder-Münster S, Mitchell LA, Boeke JD, Steinmetz LM. Transcriptional neighborhoods regulate transcript isoform lengths and expression levels. Science 2022; 375:1000-1005. [PMID: 35239377 DOI: 10.1126/science.abg0162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Sequence features of genes and their flanking regulatory regions are determinants of RNA transcript isoform expression and have been used as context-independent plug-and-play modules in synthetic biology. However, genetic context-including the adjacent transcriptional environment-also influences transcript isoform expression levels and boundaries. We used synthetic yeast strains with stochastically repositioned genes to systematically disentangle the effects of sequence and context. Profiling 120 million full-length transcript molecules across 612 genomic perturbations, we observed sequence-independent alterations to gene expression levels and transcript isoform boundaries that were influenced by neighboring transcription. We identified features of transcriptional context that could predict these alterations and used these features to engineer a synthetic circuit where transcript length was controlled by neighboring transcription. This demonstrates how positional context can be leveraged in synthetic genome engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron N Brooks
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Genome Biology Unit, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Amanda L Hughes
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Genome Biology Unit, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sandra Clauder-Münster
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Genome Biology Unit, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Leslie A Mitchell
- Institute for Systems Genetics and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Jef D Boeke
- Institute for Systems Genetics and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
| | - Lars M Steinmetz
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Genome Biology Unit, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.,Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.,Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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25
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Chaudhary A, Singh D. In-silico analysis of the regulatory region of effector protein genes in Verticillium dahliae. GENE REPORTS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.genrep.2022.101533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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26
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Barnes T, Korber P. The Active Mechanism of Nucleosome Depletion by Poly(dA:dT) Tracts In Vivo. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22158233. [PMID: 34360997 PMCID: PMC8347975 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22158233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Poly(dA:dT) tracts cause nucleosome depletion in many species, e.g., at promoters and replication origins. Their intrinsic biophysical sequence properties make them stiff and unfavorable for nucleosome assembly, as probed by in vitro nucleosome reconstitution. The mere correlation between nucleosome depletion over poly(dA:dT) tracts in in vitro reconstituted and in in vivo chromatin inspired an intrinsic nucleosome exclusion mechanism in vivo that is based only on DNA and histone properties. However, we compile here published and new evidence that this correlation does not reflect mechanistic causation. (1) Nucleosome depletion over poly(dA:dT) in vivo is not universal, e.g., very weak in S. pombe. (2) The energy penalty for incorporating poly(dA:dT) tracts into nucleosomes is modest (<10%) relative to ATP hydrolysis energy abundantly invested by chromatin remodelers. (3) Nucleosome depletion over poly(dA:dT) is much stronger in vivo than in vitro if monitored without MNase and (4) actively maintained in vivo. (5) S. cerevisiae promoters evolved a strand-biased poly(dA) versus poly(dT) distribution. (6) Nucleosome depletion over poly(dA) is directional in vivo. (7) The ATP dependent chromatin remodeler RSC preferentially and directionally displaces nucleosomes towards 5′ of poly(dA). Especially distribution strand bias and displacement directionality would not be expected for an intrinsic mechanism. Together, this argues for an in vivo mechanism where active and species-specific read out of intrinsic sequence properties, e.g., by remodelers, shapes nucleosome organization.
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27
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Saccharomyces cerevisiae Promoter Engineering before and during the Synthetic Biology Era. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:biology10060504. [PMID: 34204069 PMCID: PMC8229000 DOI: 10.3390/biology10060504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Promoters are DNA sequences where the process of transcription starts. They can work constitutively or be controlled by environmental signals of different types. The quantity of proteins and RNA present in yeast genetic circuits highly depends on promoter strength. Hence, they have been deeply studied and modified over, at least, the last forty years, especially since the year 2000 when Synthetic Biology was born. Here, we present how promoter engineering changed over these four decades and discuss its possible future directions due to novel computational methods and technology. Abstract Synthetic gene circuits are made of DNA sequences, referred to as transcription units, that communicate by exchanging proteins or RNA molecules. Proteins are, mostly, transcription factors that bind promoter sequences to modulate the expression of other molecules. Promoters are, therefore, key components in genetic circuits. In this review, we focus our attention on the construction of artificial promoters for the yeast S. cerevisiae, a popular chassis for gene circuits. We describe the initial techniques and achievements in promoter engineering that predated the start of the Synthetic Biology epoch of about 20 years. We present the main applications of synthetic promoters built via different methods and discuss the latest innovations in the wet-lab engineering of novel promoter sequences.
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Barbier J, Vaillant C, Volff JN, Brunet FG, Audit B. Coupling between Sequence-Mediated Nucleosome Organization and Genome Evolution. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12060851. [PMID: 34205881 PMCID: PMC8228248 DOI: 10.3390/genes12060851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The nucleosome is a major modulator of DNA accessibility to other cellular factors. Nucleosome positioning has a critical importance in regulating cell processes such as transcription, replication, recombination or DNA repair. The DNA sequence has an influence on the position of nucleosomes on genomes, although other factors are also implicated, such as ATP-dependent remodelers or competition of the nucleosome with DNA binding proteins. Different sequence motifs can promote or inhibit the nucleosome formation, thus influencing the accessibility to the DNA. Sequence-encoded nucleosome positioning having functional consequences on cell processes can then be selected or counter-selected during evolution. We review the interplay between sequence evolution and nucleosome positioning evolution. We first focus on the different ways to encode nucleosome positions in the DNA sequence, and to which extent these mechanisms are responsible of genome-wide nucleosome positioning in vivo. Then, we discuss the findings about selection of sequences for their nucleosomal properties. Finally, we illustrate how the nucleosome can directly influence sequence evolution through its interactions with DNA damage and repair mechanisms. This review aims to provide an overview of the mutual influence of sequence evolution and nucleosome positioning evolution, possibly leading to complex evolutionary dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérémy Barbier
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Univ Lyon, CNRS UMR 5242, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard Lyon 1, F-69364 Lyon, France; (J.B.); (F.G.B.)
- Laboratoire de Physique, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, CNRS, F-69342 Lyon, France;
| | - Cédric Vaillant
- Laboratoire de Physique, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, CNRS, F-69342 Lyon, France;
| | - Jean-Nicolas Volff
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Univ Lyon, CNRS UMR 5242, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard Lyon 1, F-69364 Lyon, France; (J.B.); (F.G.B.)
- Correspondence: (J.-N.V.); (B.A.)
| | - Frédéric G. Brunet
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Univ Lyon, CNRS UMR 5242, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard Lyon 1, F-69364 Lyon, France; (J.B.); (F.G.B.)
| | - Benjamin Audit
- Laboratoire de Physique, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, CNRS, F-69342 Lyon, France;
- Correspondence: (J.-N.V.); (B.A.)
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Feng X, Marchisio MA. Novel S. cerevisiae Hybrid Synthetic Promoters Based on Foreign Core Promoter Sequences. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22115704. [PMID: 34071849 PMCID: PMC8198421 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Promoters are fundamental components of synthetic gene circuits. They are DNA segments where transcription initiation takes place. New constitutive and regulated promoters are constantly engineered in order to meet the requirements for protein and RNA expression into different genetic networks. In this work, we constructed and optimized new synthetic constitutive promoters for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We started from foreign (e.g., viral) core promoters as templates. They are, usually, unfunctional in yeast but can be activated by extending them with a short sequence, from the CYC1 promoter, containing various transcription start sites (TSSs). Transcription was modulated by mutating the TATA box composition and varying its distance from the TSS. We found that gene expression is maximized when the TATA box has the form TATAAAA or TATATAA and lies between 30 and 70 nucleotides upstream of the TSS. Core promoters were turned into stronger promoters via the addition of a short UAS. In particular, the 40 nt bipartite UAS from the GPD promoter can enhance protein synthesis considerably when placed 150 nt upstream of the TATA box. Overall, we extended the pool of S. cerevisiae promoters with 59 new samples, the strongest overcoming the native TEF2 promoter.
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30
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Molecular and evolutionary processes generating variation in gene expression. Nat Rev Genet 2020; 22:203-215. [PMID: 33268840 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-020-00304-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Heritable variation in gene expression is common within and between species. This variation arises from mutations that alter the form or function of molecular gene regulatory networks that are then filtered by natural selection. High-throughput methods for introducing mutations and characterizing their cis- and trans-regulatory effects on gene expression (particularly, transcription) are revealing how different molecular mechanisms generate regulatory variation, and studies comparing these mutational effects with variation seen in the wild are teasing apart the role of neutral and non-neutral evolutionary processes. This integration of molecular and evolutionary biology allows us to understand how the variation in gene expression we see today came to be and to predict how it is most likely to evolve in the future.
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31
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Capturing and Understanding the Dynamics and Heterogeneity of Gene Expression in the Living Cell. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21218278. [PMID: 33167354 PMCID: PMC7663833 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21218278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The regulation of gene expression is a fundamental process enabling cells to respond to internal and external stimuli or to execute developmental programs. Changes in gene expression are highly dynamic and depend on many intrinsic and extrinsic factors. In this review, we highlight the dynamic nature of transient gene expression changes to better understand cell physiology and development in general. We will start by comparing recent in vivo procedures to capture gene expression in real time. Intrinsic factors modulating gene expression dynamics will then be discussed, focusing on chromatin modifications. Furthermore, we will dissect how cell physiology or age impacts on dynamic gene regulation and especially discuss molecular insights into acquired transcriptional memory. Finally, this review will give an update on the mechanisms of heterogeneous gene expression among genetically identical individual cells. We will mainly focus on state-of-the-art developments in the yeast model but also cover higher eukaryotic systems.
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32
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Marin-Gonzalez A, Pastrana CL, Bocanegra R, Martín-González A, Vilhena JG, Pérez R, Ibarra B, Aicart-Ramos C, Moreno-Herrero F. Understanding the paradoxical mechanical response of in-phase A-tracts at different force regimes. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:5024-5036. [PMID: 32282908 PMCID: PMC7229863 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
A-tracts are A:T rich DNA sequences that exhibit unique structural and mechanical properties associated with several functions in vivo. The crystallographic structure of A-tracts has been well characterized. However, the mechanical properties of these sequences is controversial and their response to force remains unexplored. Here, we rationalize the mechanical properties of in-phase A-tracts present in the Caenorhabditis elegans genome over a wide range of external forces, using single-molecule experiments and theoretical polymer models. Atomic Force Microscopy imaging shows that A-tracts induce long-range (∼200 nm) bending, which originates from an intrinsically bent structure rather than from larger bending flexibility. These data are well described with a theoretical model based on the worm-like chain model that includes intrinsic bending. Magnetic tweezers experiments show that the mechanical response of A-tracts and arbitrary DNA sequences have a similar dependence with monovalent salt supporting that the observed A-tract bend is intrinsic to the sequence. Optical tweezers experiments reveal a high stretch modulus of the A-tract sequences in the enthalpic regime. Our work rationalizes the complex multiscale flexibility of A-tracts, providing a physical basis for the versatile character of these sequences inside the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Marin-Gonzalez
- Department of Macromolecular Structures, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Cesar L Pastrana
- Department of Macromolecular Structures, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rebeca Bocanegra
- IMDEA Nanociencia, C/Faraday 9, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Alejandro Martín-González
- Department of Macromolecular Structures, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - J G Vilhena
- Departamento de Física Teórica de la Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049 Madrid, Spain.,Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, CH 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rubén Pérez
- Departamento de Física Teórica de la Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049 Madrid, Spain.,Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Borja Ibarra
- IMDEA Nanociencia, C/Faraday 9, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.,Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados en Nanociencia (IMDEA Nanociencia) & CNB-CSIC-IMDEA Nanociencia Associated Unit 'Unidad de Nanobiotecnología', 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Clara Aicart-Ramos
- Department of Macromolecular Structures, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Fernando Moreno-Herrero
- Department of Macromolecular Structures, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
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33
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Liu J, Shively CA, Mitra RD. Quantitative analysis of transcription factor binding and expression using calling cards reporter arrays. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:e50. [PMID: 32133534 PMCID: PMC7229839 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We report a tool, Calling Cards Reporter Arrays (CCRA), that measures transcription factor (TF) binding and the consequences on gene expression for hundreds of synthetic promoters in yeast. Using Cbf1p and MAX, we demonstrate that the CCRA method is able to detect small changes in binding free energy with a sensitivity comparable to in vitro methods, enabling the measurement of energy landscapes in vivo. We then demonstrate the quantitative analysis of cooperative interactions by measuring Cbf1p binding at synthetic promoters with multiple sites. We find that the cooperativity between Cbf1p dimers varies sinusoidally with a period of 10.65 bp and energetic cost of 1.37 KBT for sites that are positioned ‘out of phase’. Finally, we characterize the binding and expression of a group of TFs, Tye7p, Gcr1p and Gcr2p, that act together as a ‘TF collective’, an important but poorly characterized model of TF cooperativity. We demonstrate that Tye7p often binds promoters without its recognition site because it is recruited by other collective members, whereas these other members require their recognition sites, suggesting a hierarchy where these factors recruit Tye7p but not vice versa. Our experiments establish CCRA as a useful tool for quantitative investigations into TF binding and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayue Liu
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.,The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Christian A Shively
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.,The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Robi D Mitra
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.,The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
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34
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Tang H, Wu Y, Deng J, Chen N, Zheng Z, Wei Y, Luo X, Keasling JD. Promoter Architecture and Promoter Engineering in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Metabolites 2020; 10:metabo10080320. [PMID: 32781665 PMCID: PMC7466126 DOI: 10.3390/metabo10080320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Promoters play an essential role in the regulation of gene expression for fine-tuning genetic circuits and metabolic pathways in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae). However, native promoters in S. cerevisiae have several limitations which hinder their applications in metabolic engineering. These limitations include an inadequate number of well-characterized promoters, poor dynamic range, and insufficient orthogonality to endogenous regulations. Therefore, it is necessary to perform promoter engineering to create synthetic promoters with better properties. Here, we review recent advances related to promoter architecture, promoter engineering and synthetic promoter applications in S. cerevisiae. We also provide a perspective of future directions in this field with an emphasis on the recent advances of machine learning based promoter designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongting Tang
- Center for Synthetic Biochemistry, Shenzhen Institutes for Advanced Technologies, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; (H.T.); (Y.W.); (J.D.); (N.C.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Yanling Wu
- Center for Synthetic Biochemistry, Shenzhen Institutes for Advanced Technologies, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; (H.T.); (Y.W.); (J.D.); (N.C.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Jiliang Deng
- Center for Synthetic Biochemistry, Shenzhen Institutes for Advanced Technologies, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; (H.T.); (Y.W.); (J.D.); (N.C.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Nanzhu Chen
- Center for Synthetic Biochemistry, Shenzhen Institutes for Advanced Technologies, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; (H.T.); (Y.W.); (J.D.); (N.C.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Zhaohui Zheng
- Center for Synthetic Biochemistry, Shenzhen Institutes for Advanced Technologies, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; (H.T.); (Y.W.); (J.D.); (N.C.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Yongjun Wei
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China;
| | - Xiaozhou Luo
- Center for Synthetic Biochemistry, Shenzhen Institutes for Advanced Technologies, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; (H.T.); (Y.W.); (J.D.); (N.C.); (Z.Z.)
- Correspondence: (X.L.); (J.D.K.)
| | - Jay D. Keasling
- Center for Synthetic Biochemistry, Shenzhen Institutes for Advanced Technologies, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; (H.T.); (Y.W.); (J.D.); (N.C.); (Z.Z.)
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering & Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
- Correspondence: (X.L.); (J.D.K.)
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35
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Genetic circuit design automation for yeast. Nat Microbiol 2020; 5:1349-1360. [DOI: 10.1038/s41564-020-0757-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Abstract
Transcription in several organisms from certain bacteria to humans has been observed to be stochastic in nature: toggling between active and inactive states. Periods of active nascent RNA synthesis known as bursts represent individual gene activation events in which multiple polymerases are initiated. Therefore, bursting is the single locus illustration of both gene activation and repression. Although transcriptional bursting was originally observed decades ago, only recently have technological advances enabled the field to begin elucidating gene regulation at the single-locus level. In this review, we focus on how biochemical, genomic, and single-cell data describe the regulatory steps of transcriptional bursts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Rodriguez
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, North Carolina 27709, USA
| | - Daniel R. Larson
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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37
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Lopez C, Zhao Y, Masonbrink R, Shao Z. Modulating Pathway Performance by Perturbing Local Genetic Context. ACS Synth Biol 2020; 9:706-717. [PMID: 32207925 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Combinatorial engineering is a preferred strategy for attaining optimal pathway performance. Previous endeavors have been concentrated on regulatory elements (e.g., promoters, terminators, and ribosomal binding sites) and/or open reading frames. Accumulating evidence indicates that noncoding DNA sequences flanking a transcriptional unit on the genome strongly impact gene expression. Here, we sought to mimic the effect imposed on expression cassettes by the genome. We created variants of the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae with significantly improved fluorescence or cellobiose consumption rate by randomizing the sequences adjacent to the GFP expression cassette or the cellobiose-utilization pathway, respectively. Interestingly, nucleotide specificity was observed at certain positions and showed to be essential for achieving optimal cellobiose assimilation. Further characterization suggested that the modulation effects of the short sequences flanking the expression cassettes could be potentially mediated by remodeling DNA packaging and/or recruiting transcription factors. Collectively, these results indicate that the often-overlooked contiguous DNA sequences can be exploited to rapidly achieve balanced pathway expression, and the corresponding approach could be easily stacked with other combinatorial engineering strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Lopez
- Interdepartmental Microbiology Program, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
| | - Yuxin Zhao
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
| | - Rick Masonbrink
- Office of Biotechnology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
| | - Zengyi Shao
- Interdepartmental Microbiology Program, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
- NSF Engineering Research Center for Biorenewable Chemicals, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
- Ames Laboratory, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
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38
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Flickinger R. Polymorphism of simple sequence repeats may quantitatively regulate gene transcription. Exp Cell Res 2020; 390:111969. [PMID: 32199920 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2020.111969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The degree of polymorphism, i.e., DNA sequence divergence, of short AT-rich tandemly arranged simple sequence repeats at or near promoters and 5'- untranslated regions of mRNA may quantitatively regulate transcription of tissue-specific genes. Less polymorphic repeats allow greater gene expression. Preferential binding of hypophosphorylated H1 histone to these repeats may diminish binding of transcription factors. Preferential binding of hypophosphorylated high mobility group chromatin proteins would increase this binding. Shorter simple sequence repeats have undergone fewer point mutations than longer repeats, hence they are less polymorphic and more conserved. The role of transcribed simple sequence repeats in frog embryo germ layer determination is considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reed Flickinger
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York, Buffalo, N.Y. 14260, Mailing Address:P.O. Box 741 Captain Cook, HI, 96704, USA.
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39
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Schnepf M, Ludwig C, Bandilla P, Ceolin S, Unnerstall U, Jung C, Gaul U. Sensitive Automated Measurement of Histone-DNA Affinities in Nucleosomes. iScience 2020; 23:100824. [PMID: 31982782 PMCID: PMC6994541 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.100824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The DNA of eukaryotes is wrapped around histone octamers to form nucleosomes. Although it is well established that the DNA sequence significantly influences nucleosome formation, its precise contribution has remained controversial, partially owing to the lack of quantitative affinity data. Here, we present a method to measure DNA-histone binding free energies at medium throughput and with high sensitivity. Competitive nucleosome formation is achieved through automation, and a modified epifluorescence microscope is used to rapidly and accurately measure the fractions of bound/unbound DNA based on fluorescence anisotropy. The procedure allows us to obtain full titration curves with high reproducibility. We applied this technique to measure the histone-DNA affinities for 47 DNA sequences and analyzed how the affinities correlate with relevant DNA sequence features. We found that the GC content has a significant impact on nucleosome-forming preferences, but 10 bp dinucleotide periodicities and the presence of poly(dA:dT) stretches do not. Robotics permits full titration series to measure histone-DNA binding affinities Fluorescence anisotropy used as a fast, sensitive readout of bound/unbound DNA Free energies span three orders of magnitude, less for naturally occurring sequences GC content is a major determinant of measured binding free energies
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Schnepf
- Gene Center and Department of Biochemistry, Center for Protein Science Munich (CIPSM), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 25, 81377 München, Germany
| | - Claudia Ludwig
- Gene Center and Department of Biochemistry, Center for Protein Science Munich (CIPSM), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 25, 81377 München, Germany
| | - Peter Bandilla
- Gene Center and Department of Biochemistry, Center for Protein Science Munich (CIPSM), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 25, 81377 München, Germany
| | - Stefano Ceolin
- Gene Center and Department of Biochemistry, Center for Protein Science Munich (CIPSM), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 25, 81377 München, Germany
| | - Ulrich Unnerstall
- Gene Center and Department of Biochemistry, Center for Protein Science Munich (CIPSM), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 25, 81377 München, Germany
| | - Christophe Jung
- Gene Center and Department of Biochemistry, Center for Protein Science Munich (CIPSM), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 25, 81377 München, Germany.
| | - Ulrike Gaul
- Gene Center and Department of Biochemistry, Center for Protein Science Munich (CIPSM), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 25, 81377 München, Germany
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40
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Liu R, Liu L, Li X, Liu D, Yuan Y. Engineering yeast artificial core promoter with designated base motifs. Microb Cell Fact 2020; 19:38. [PMID: 32070349 PMCID: PMC7026997 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-020-01305-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Synthetic biology requires toolbox of promoters to finely tune gene expression levels for building up efficient cell factories. Yeast promoters owned variable core promoter regions between the TATA-box and transcriptional starting site (TSS) at the length mostly around 20-80 bases. This region allowed flexible design of artificial promoter but potentially demand special base motifs to maintain or enhance the promoter's strength. RESULTS Here, we designed and screened the base motifs and tested the activities of yeast artificial core promoters. Different 30 bases of artificial sequences led to variable expression levels of CrtY enzyme which determined the lycopene-carotene compositions, represented in the colony-color spectrum of red-orange-yellow. The upstream sequences of two strong promoter PEXP1 and PGPD and two starting strains with distinguishable lycopene production levels were utilized to characterize the promoter sequences. Different partition designs of T-rich or G/C-rich base motifs led to distinguishable colony-color distributions. Finally, we screened a champion promoter with a highest 5.5-fold enhancement of lycopene-carotene transformation. Another selected promoter generated a highest beta-carotene production as 7.4 mg/g DCW. CONCLUSIONS This work offered an approach to redesign promoter with artificial sequences. We concluded that the core promoter region could be designated as 30 bases and different base motifs would enhance or weaken the promoter's strength. Generally, more T-rich elements, higher %T and lower G/C percentage were beneficial to enhance the strength of artificial core promoter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Liu
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, People's Republic of China.,SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Lanqing Liu
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, People's Republic of China.,SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Xia Li
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, People's Republic of China.,SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Duo Liu
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, People's Republic of China. .,SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yingjin Yuan
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, People's Republic of China.,SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
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41
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Velasco-Berrelleza V, Burman M, Shepherd JW, Leake MC, Golestanian R, Noy A. SerraNA: a program to determine nucleic acids elasticity from simulation data. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:19254-19266. [DOI: 10.1039/d0cp02713h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
AT-rich motifs can generate extreme mechanical properties, which are critical for creating strong global bends when phased properly.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mark C. Leake
- Department of Physics
- University of York
- York
- UK
- Department of Biology
| | - Ramin Golestanian
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS)
- Göttingen
- Germany
- Rudolf Peierls Center for Theoretical Physics
- University of Oxford
| | - Agnes Noy
- Department of Physics
- University of York
- York
- UK
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42
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Buitrago D, Codó L, Illa R, de Jorge P, Battistini F, Flores O, Bayarri G, Royo R, Del Pino M, Heath S, Hospital A, Gelpí JL, Heath IB, Orozco M. Nucleosome Dynamics: a new tool for the dynamic analysis of nucleosome positioning. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:9511-9523. [PMID: 31504766 PMCID: PMC6765203 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
We present Nucleosome Dynamics, a suite of programs integrated into a virtual research environment and created to define nucleosome architecture and dynamics from noisy experimental data. The package allows both the definition of nucleosome architectures and the detection of changes in nucleosomal organization due to changes in cellular conditions. Results are displayed in the context of genomic information thanks to different visualizers and browsers, allowing the user a holistic, multidimensional view of the genome/transcriptome. The package shows good performance for both locating equilibrium nucleosome architecture and nucleosome dynamics and provides abundant useful information in several test cases, where experimental data on nucleosome position (and for some cases expression level) have been collected for cells under different external conditions (cell cycle phase, yeast metabolic cycle progression, changes in nutrients or difference in MNase digestion level). Nucleosome Dynamics is a free software and is provided under several distribution models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Buitrago
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Laia Codó
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Jordi Girona 31, Barcelona 08028. Spain
| | - Ricard Illa
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Pau de Jorge
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Federica Battistini
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Oscar Flores
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Genis Bayarri
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Romina Royo
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Jordi Girona 31, Barcelona 08028. Spain
| | - Marc Del Pino
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Jordi Girona 31, Barcelona 08028. Spain
| | - Simon Heath
- Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG-CRG), Centre de Regulacio Genómico (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Adam Hospital
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Josep Lluís Gelpí
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Jordi Girona 31, Barcelona 08028. Spain.,Departament de Bioquímica i Biomedicina. Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avgda Diagonal 647, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Isabelle Brun Heath
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Modesto Orozco
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain.,Departament de Bioquímica i Biomedicina. Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avgda Diagonal 647, Barcelona 08028, Spain
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43
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Decoene T, De Maeseneire SL, De Mey M. Modulating transcription through development of semi-synthetic yeast core promoters. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0224476. [PMID: 31689317 PMCID: PMC6830820 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Altering gene expression regulation by promoter engineering is a very effective way to fine-tune heterologous pathways in eukaryotic hosts. Typically, pathway building approaches in yeast still use a limited set of long, native promoters. With the today’s introduction of longer and more complex pathways, an expansion of this synthetic biology toolbox is necessary. In this study we elucidated the core promoter structure of the well-characterized yeast TEF1 promoter and determined the minimal length needed for sufficient protein expression. Furthermore, this minimal core promoter sequence was used for the creation of a promoter library covering different expression strengths. This resulted in a group of short, 69 bp promoters with an 8.0-fold expression range. One exemplar had a two and four times higher expression compared to the native CYC1 and ADH1 promoter, respectively. Additionally, as it was described that the protein expression range could be broadened by upstream activating sequences (UASs), we integrated earlier described single and multiple short, synthetic UASs in front of the strongest yeast core promoter. This approach resulted to further variation in protein expression and an overall promoter library spanning a 20-fold activity range and covering a length from 69 bp to maximally 129 bp. Furthermore, the robustness of this library was assessed on three alternative carbon sources besides glucose. As such, the suitability of short yeast core promoters for metabolic engineering applications on different media, either in an individual context or combined with UAS elements, was demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Decoene
- Centre for Synthetic Biology (CSB), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sofie L. De Maeseneire
- Centre for Industrial Biotechnology and Biocatalysis (InBio.be), Ghent University, Coupure links, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Marjan De Mey
- Centre for Synthetic Biology (CSB), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- * E-mail:
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44
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The impact of short tandem repeat variation on gene expression. Nat Genet 2019; 51:1652-1659. [PMID: 31676866 PMCID: PMC6917484 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-019-0521-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Short tandem repeats (STRs) have been implicated in a variety of complex traits in humans. However, genome-wide studies of the effects of STRs on gene expression thus far have had limited power to detect associations and provide insights into putative mechanisms. Here, we leverage whole-genome sequencing and expression data for 17 tissues from the Genotype-Tissue Expression Project to identify more than 28,000 STRs for which repeat number is associated with expression of nearby genes (eSTRs). We use fine-mapping to quantify the probability that each eSTR is causal and characterize the top 1,400 fine-mapped eSTRs. We identify hundreds of eSTRs linked with published genome-wide association study signals and implicate specific eSTRs in complex traits, including height, schizophrenia, inflammatory bowel disease and intelligence. Overall, our results support the hypothesis that eSTRs contribute to a range of human phenotypes, and our data should serve as a valuable resource for future studies of complex traits.
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45
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Beytebiere JR, Greenwell BJ, Sahasrabudhe A, Menet JS. Clock-controlled rhythmic transcription: is the clock enough and how does it work? Transcription 2019; 10:212-221. [PMID: 31595813 DOI: 10.1080/21541264.2019.1673636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Circadian clocks regulate the rhythmic expression of thousands of genes underlying the daily oscillations of biological functions. Here, we discuss recent findings showing that circadian clock rhythmic transcriptional outputs rely on additional mechanisms than just clock gene DNA binding, which may ultimately contribute to the plasticity of circadian transcriptional programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua R Beytebiere
- Department of Biology, Center for Biological Clock Research, Texas A&M University, TX, USA
| | - Ben J Greenwell
- Department of Biology, Center for Biological Clock Research, Texas A&M University, TX, USA.,Program of Genetics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Aishwarya Sahasrabudhe
- Department of Biology, Center for Biological Clock Research, Texas A&M University, TX, USA
| | - Jerome S Menet
- Department of Biology, Center for Biological Clock Research, Texas A&M University, TX, USA.,Program of Genetics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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46
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Abstract
Physical access to DNA is a highly dynamic property of chromatin that plays an essential role in establishing and maintaining cellular identity. The organization of accessible chromatin across the genome reflects a network of permissible physical interactions through which enhancers, promoters, insulators and chromatin-binding factors cooperatively regulate gene expression. This landscape of accessibility changes dynamically in response to both external stimuli and developmental cues, and emerging evidence suggests that homeostatic maintenance of accessibility is itself dynamically regulated through a competitive interplay between chromatin-binding factors and nucleosomes. In this Review, we examine how the accessible genome is measured and explore the role of transcription factors in initiating accessibility remodelling; our goal is to illustrate how chromatin accessibility defines regulatory elements within the genome and how these epigenetic features are dynamically established to control gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandy L Klemm
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Zohar Shipony
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - William J Greenleaf
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. .,Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. .,Chan Zuckerberg BioHub, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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47
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Onufriev AV, Schiessel H. The nucleosome: from structure to function through physics. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2019; 56:119-130. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2018.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2018] [Revised: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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48
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Nucleosome positioning and spacing: from genome-wide maps to single arrays. Essays Biochem 2019; 63:5-14. [PMID: 31015380 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20180058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The positioning of nucleosomes relative to DNA and their neighboring nucleosomes represents a fundamental layer of chromatin organization. Changes in nucleosome positioning and spacing affect the accessibility of DNA to regulatory factors and the formation of higher order chromatin structures. Sequencing of mononucleosomal fragments allowed mapping nucleosome positions on a genome-wide level in many organisms. This revealed that successions of evenly spaced and well-positioned nucleosomes-so called phased nucleosome arrays-occur at the 5' end of many active genes and in the vicinity of transcription factor and other protein binding sites. Phased arrays arise from the interplay of barrier elements on the DNA, which position adjacent nucleosomes, and the nucleosome spacing activity of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers. A shortcoming of classic mononucleosomal mapping experiments is that they only reveal nucleosome spacing and array regularity at select sites in the genome with well-positioned nucleosomes. However, new technological approaches elucidate nucleosome array structure throughout the genome and with single-cell resolution. In the future, it will be interesting to see whether changes in nucleosome array regularity and spacing contribute to the formation of higher order chromatin structures and the spatial organization of the genome in vivo.
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49
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Mejía-Guerra MK, Buckler ES. A k-mer grammar analysis to uncover maize regulatory architecture. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2019; 19:103. [PMID: 30876396 PMCID: PMC6419808 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-019-1693-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Only a small percentage of the genome sequence is involved in regulation of gene expression, but to biochemically identify this portion is expensive and laborious. In species like maize, with diverse intergenic regions and lots of repetitive elements, this is an especially challenging problem that limits the use of the data from one line to the other. While regulatory regions are rare, they do have characteristic chromatin contexts and sequence organization (the grammar) with which they can be identified. RESULTS We developed a computational framework to exploit this sequence arrangement. The models learn to classify regulatory regions based on sequence features - k-mers. To do this, we borrowed two approaches from the field of natural language processing: (1) "bag-of-words" which is commonly used for differentially weighting key words in tasks like sentiment analyses, and (2) a vector-space model using word2vec (vector-k-mers), that captures semantic and linguistic relationships between words. We built "bag-of-k-mers" and "vector-k-mers" models that distinguish between regulatory and non-regulatory regions with an average accuracy above 90%. Our "bag-of-k-mers" achieved higher overall accuracy, while the "vector-k-mers" models were more useful in highlighting key groups of sequences within the regulatory regions. CONCLUSIONS These models now provide powerful tools to annotate regulatory regions in other maize lines beyond the reference, at low cost and with high accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Edward S. Buckler
- Institute for Genomic Diversity, Cornell University, 175 Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, 14853 NY USA
- USDA-ARS, Research Geneticist, USDA ARS Robert Holley Center, Ithaca, 14853 NY USA
- Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Cornell University, 159 Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, 14853 NY USA
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50
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Weingarten-Gabbay S, Nir R, Lubliner S, Sharon E, Kalma Y, Weinberger A, Segal E. Systematic interrogation of human promoters. Genome Res 2019; 29:171-183. [PMID: 30622120 PMCID: PMC6360817 DOI: 10.1101/gr.236075.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Despite much research, our understanding of the architecture and cis-regulatory elements of human promoters is still lacking. Here, we devised a high-throughput assay to quantify the activity of approximately 15,000 fully designed sequences that we integrated and expressed from a fixed location within the human genome. We used this method to investigate thousands of native promoters and preinitiation complex (PIC) binding regions followed by in-depth characterization of the sequence motifs underlying promoter activity, including core promoter elements and TF binding sites. We find that core promoters drive transcription mostly unidirectionally and that sequences originating from promoters exhibit stronger activity than those originating from enhancers. By testing multiple synthetic configurations of core promoter elements, we dissect the motifs that positively and negatively regulate transcription as well as the effect of their combinations and distances, including a 10-bp periodicity in the optimal distance between the TATA and the initiator. By comprehensively screening 133 TF binding sites, we find that in contrast to core promoters, TF binding sites maintain similar activity levels in both orientations, supporting a model by which divergent transcription is driven by two distinct unidirectional core promoters sharing bidirectional TF binding sites. Finally, we find a striking agreement between the effect of binding site multiplicity of individual TFs in our assay and their tendency to appear in homotypic clusters throughout the genome. Overall, our study systematically assays the elements that drive expression in core and proximal promoter regions and sheds light on organization principles of regulatory regions in the human genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shira Weingarten-Gabbay
- Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.,Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Ronit Nir
- Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.,Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Shai Lubliner
- Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.,Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Eilon Sharon
- Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.,Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Yael Kalma
- Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.,Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Adina Weinberger
- Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.,Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Eran Segal
- Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.,Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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