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Devens HR, Davidson PL, Byrne M, Wray GA. Hybrid Epigenomes Reveal Extensive Local Genetic Changes to Chromatin Accessibility Contribute to Divergence in Embryonic Gene Expression Between Species. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad222. [PMID: 37823438 PMCID: PMC10638671 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Chromatin accessibility plays an important role in shaping gene expression, yet little is known about the genetic and molecular mechanisms that influence the evolution of chromatin configuration. Both local (cis) and distant (trans) genetic influences can in principle influence chromatin accessibility and are based on distinct molecular mechanisms. We, therefore, sought to characterize the role that each of these plays in altering chromatin accessibility in 2 closely related sea urchin species. Using hybrids of Heliocidaris erythrogramma and Heliocidaris tuberculata, and adapting a statistical framework previously developed for the analysis of cis and trans influences on the transcriptome, we examined how these mechanisms shape the regulatory landscape at 3 important developmental stages, and compared our results to similar analyses of the transcriptome. We found extensive cis- and trans-based influences on evolutionary changes in chromatin, with cis effects generally larger in effect. Evolutionary changes in accessibility and gene expression are correlated, especially when expression has a local genetic basis. Maternal influences appear to have more of an effect on chromatin accessibility than on gene expression, persisting well past the maternal-to-zygotic transition. Chromatin accessibility near gene regulatory network genes appears to be distinctly regulated, with trans factors appearing to play an outsized role in the configuration of chromatin near these genes. Together, our results represent the first attempt to quantify cis and trans influences on evolutionary divergence in chromatin configuration in an outbred natural study system and suggest that chromatin regulation is more genetically complex than was previously appreciated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Maria Byrne
- School of Medical Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Gregory A Wray
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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Martinez-Corral R, Park M, Biette KM, Friedrich D, Scholes C, Khalil AS, Gunawardena J, DePace AH. Transcriptional kinetic synergy: A complex landscape revealed by integrating modeling and synthetic biology. Cell Syst 2023; 14:324-339.e7. [PMID: 37080164 PMCID: PMC10472254 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2023.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) control gene expression, often acting synergistically. Classical thermodynamic models offer a biophysical explanation for synergy based on binding cooperativity and regulated recruitment of RNA polymerase. Because transcription requires polymerase to transition through multiple states, recent work suggests that "kinetic synergy" can arise through TFs acting on distinct steps of the transcription cycle. These types of synergy are not mutually exclusive and are difficult to disentangle conceptually and experimentally. Here, we model and build a synthetic circuit in which TFs bind to a single shared site on DNA, such that TFs cannot synergize by simultaneous binding. We model mRNA production as a function of both TF binding and regulation of the transcription cycle, revealing a complex landscape dependent on TF concentration, DNA binding affinity, and regulatory activity. We use synthetic TFs to confirm that the transcription cycle must be integrated with recruitment for a quantitative understanding of gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Minhee Park
- Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Kelly M Biette
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Dhana Friedrich
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Clarissa Scholes
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ahmad S Khalil
- Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jeremy Gunawardena
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Angela H DePace
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Devens HR, Davidson PL, Byrne M, Wray GA. Hybrid epigenomes reveal extensive local genetic changes to chromatin accessibility contribute to divergence in embryonic gene expression between species. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.04.522781. [PMID: 36711588 PMCID: PMC9881966 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.04.522781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Chromatin accessibility plays an important role in shaping gene expression patterns across development and evolution; however, little is known about the genetic and molecular mechanisms that influence chromatin configuration itself. Because cis and trans influences can both theoretically influence the accessibility of the epigenome, we sought to better characterize the role that both of these mechanisms play in altering chromatin accessibility in two closely related sea urchin species. Using hybrids of the two species, and adapting a statistical framework previously developed for the analysis of cis and trans influences on the transcriptome, we examined how these mechanisms shape the regulatory landscape at three important developmental stages, and compared our results to similar patterns in the transcriptome. We found extensive cis- and trans-based influences on evolutionary changes in chromatin, with cis effects slightly more numerous and larger in effect. Genetic mechanisms influencing gene expression and chromatin configuration are correlated, but differ in several important ways. Maternal influences also appear to have more of an effect on chromatin accessibility than on gene expression, persisting well past the maternal-to-zygotic transition. Furthermore, chromatin accessibility near GRN genes appears to be regulated differently than the rest of the epigenome, and indicates that trans factors may play an outsized role in the configuration of chromatin near these genes. Together, our results represent the first attempt to quantify cis and trans influences on evolutionary divergence in chromatin configuration in an outbred natural study system, and suggest that the regulation of chromatin is more genetically complex than was previously appreciated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Maria Byrne
- School of Medical Science, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Science, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Gregory A. Wray
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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Taylor TB, Shepherd MJ, Jackson RW, Silby MW. Natural selection on crosstalk between gene regulatory networks facilitates bacterial adaptation to novel environments. Curr Opin Microbiol 2022; 67:102140. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2022.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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Tafessu A, Banaszynski LA. Establishment and function of chromatin modification at enhancers. Open Biol 2020; 10:200255. [PMID: 33050790 PMCID: PMC7653351 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.200255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
How a single genome can give rise to distinct cell types remains a fundamental question in biology. Mammals are able to specify and maintain hundreds of cell fates by selectively activating unique subsets of their genome. This is achieved, in part, by enhancers-genetic elements that can increase transcription of both nearby and distal genes. Enhancers can be identified by their unique chromatin signature, including transcription factor binding and the enrichment of specific histone post-translational modifications, histone variants, and chromatin-associated cofactors. How each of these chromatin features contributes to enhancer function remains an area of intense study. In this review, we provide an overview of enhancer-associated chromatin states, and the proteins and enzymes involved in their establishment. We discuss recent insights into the effects of the enhancer chromatin state on ongoing transcription versus their role in the establishment of new transcription programmes, such as those that occur developmentally. Finally, we highlight the role of enhancer chromatin in new conceptual advances in gene regulation such as condensate formation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura A. Banaszynski
- UT Southwestern Medical Center, Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Children's Research Institute, Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, Dallas, TX 75390-8511, USA
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Kang SK, Chu XY, Tian T, Dong PF, Chen BX, Zhang HY. Why the c-Fos/c-Jun complex is extremely conserved: An in vitro evolution exploration by combining cDNA display and proximity ligation. FEBS Lett 2019; 593:1040-1049. [PMID: 31002393 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Transcriptional regulation involves a series of sophisticated protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions (PPI and PDI). Some transcriptional complexes, such as c-Fos/c-Jun and their binding DNA fragments, have been conserved over the past one billion years. Considering the thermodynamic principle for transcriptional complex formation, we hypothesized that the c-Fos/c-Jun complex may represent a thermodynamic summit in the evolutionary space. To test this, we invented a new method, termed One-Pot-seq, which combines cDNA display and proximity ligation to analyse PPI/PDI complexes simultaneously. We found that the wild-type c-Fos/c-Jun complex is indeed the most thermodynamically stable relative to various mutants of c-Fos/c-Jun and binding DNA fragments. Our method also provides a universal approach to detect transcriptional complexes and explore transcriptional regulation mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shou-Kai Kang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xin-Yi Chu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Tian Tian
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Peng-Fei Dong
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Bai-Xue Chen
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Hong-Yu Zhang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
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