1
|
Boman J, Qvarnström A, Mugal CF. Regulatory and evolutionary impact of DNA methylation in two songbird species and their naturally occurring F 1 hybrids. BMC Biol 2024; 22:124. [PMID: 38807214 PMCID: PMC11134931 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01920-2] [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: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Regulation of transcription by DNA methylation in 5'-CpG-3' context is a widespread mechanism allowing differential expression of genetically identical cells to persist throughout development. Consequently, differences in DNA methylation can reinforce variation in gene expression among cells, tissues, populations, and species. Despite a surge in studies on DNA methylation, we know little about the importance of DNA methylation in population differentiation and speciation. Here we investigate the regulatory and evolutionary impact of DNA methylation in five tissues of two Ficedula flycatcher species and their naturally occurring F1 hybrids. RESULTS We show that the density of CpG in the promoters of genes determines the strength of the association between DNA methylation and gene expression. The impact of DNA methylation on gene expression varies among tissues with the brain showing unique patterns. Differentially expressed genes between parental species are predicted by genetic and methylation differentiation in CpG-rich promoters. However, both these factors fail to predict hybrid misexpression suggesting that promoter mismethylation is not a main determinant of hybrid misexpression in Ficedula flycatchers. Using allele-specific methylation estimates in hybrids, we also determine the genome-wide contribution of cis- and trans effects in DNA methylation differentiation. These distinct mechanisms are roughly balanced in all tissues except the brain, where trans differences predominate. CONCLUSIONS Overall, this study provides insight on the regulatory and evolutionary impact of DNA methylation in songbirds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jesper Boman
- Department of Ecology and Genetics (IEG), Division of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, Uppsala, SE-752 36, Sweden.
| | - Anna Qvarnström
- Department of Ecology and Genetics (IEG), Division of Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, Uppsala, SE-752 36, Sweden
| | - Carina F Mugal
- Department of Ecology and Genetics (IEG), Division of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, Uppsala, SE-752 36, Sweden.
- CNRS, Laboratory of Biometry and Evolutionary Biology (LBBE), UMR 5558, University of Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Dimayacyac JR, Wu S, Jiang D, Pennell M. Evaluating the Performance of Widely Used Phylogenetic Models for Gene Expression Evolution. Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:evad211. [PMID: 38000902 PMCID: PMC10709115 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad211] [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: 01/08/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Phylogenetic comparative methods are increasingly used to test hypotheses about the evolutionary processes that drive divergence in gene expression among species. However, it is unknown whether the distributional assumptions of phylogenetic models designed for quantitative phenotypic traits are realistic for expression data and importantly, the reliability of conclusions of phylogenetic comparative studies of gene expression may depend on whether the data is well described by the chosen model. To evaluate this, we first fit several phylogenetic models of trait evolution to 8 previously published comparative expression datasets, comprising a total of 54,774 genes with 145,927 unique gene-tissue combinations. Using a previously developed approach, we then assessed how well the best model of the set described the data in an absolute (not just relative) sense. First, we find that Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models, in which expression values are constrained around an optimum, were the preferred models for 66% of gene-tissue combinations. Second, we find that for 61% of gene-tissue combinations, the best-fit model of the set was found to perform well; the rest were found to be performing poorly by at least one of the test statistics we examined. Third, we find that when simple models do not perform well, this appears to be typically a consequence of failing to fully account for heterogeneity in the rate of the evolution. We advocate that assessment of model performance should become a routine component of phylogenetic comparative expression studies; doing so can improve the reliability of inferences and inspire the development of novel models.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jose Rafael Dimayacyac
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Shanyun Wu
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Daohan Jiang
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Matt Pennell
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Barr KA, Rhodes KL, Gilad Y. The relationship between regulatory changes in cis and trans and the evolution of gene expression in humans and chimpanzees. Genome Biol 2023; 24:207. [PMID: 37697401 PMCID: PMC10496171 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-03019-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Comparative gene expression studies in apes are fundamentally limited by the challenges associated with sampling across different tissues. Here, we used single-cell RNA sequencing of embryoid bodies to collect transcriptomic data from over 70 cell types in three humans and three chimpanzees. RESULTS We find hundreds of genes whose regulation is conserved across cell types, as well as genes whose regulation likely evolves under directional selection in one or a handful of cell types. Using embryoid bodies from a human-chimpanzee fused cell line, we also infer the proportion of inter-species regulatory differences due to changes in cis and trans elements between the species. Using the cis/trans inference and an analysis of transcription factor binding sites, we identify dozens of transcription factors whose inter-species differences in expression are affecting expression differences between humans and chimpanzees in hundreds of target genes. CONCLUSIONS Here, we present the most comprehensive dataset of comparative gene expression from humans and chimpanzees to date, including a catalog of regulatory mechanisms associated with inter-species differences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth A Barr
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | | | - Yoav Gilad
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dimayacyac JR, Wu S, Jiang D, Pennell M. Evaluating the Performance of Widely Used Phylogenetic Models for Gene Expression Evolution. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.09.527893. [PMID: 37645857 PMCID: PMC10461906 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.09.527893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Phylogenetic comparative methods are increasingly used to test hypotheses about the evolutionary processes that drive divergence in gene expression among species. However, it is unknown whether the distributional assumptions of phylogenetic models designed for quantitative phenotypic traits are realistic for expression data and importantly, the reliability of conclusions of phylogenetic comparative studies of gene expression may depend on whether the data is well-described by the chosen model. To evaluate this, we first fit several phylogenetic models of trait evolution to 8 previously published comparative expression datasets, comprising a total of 54,774 genes with 145,927 unique gene-tissue combinations. Using a previously developed approach, we then assessed how well the best model of the set described the data in an absolute (not just relative) sense. First, we find that Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models, in which expression values are constrained around an optimum, were the preferred model for 66% of gene-tissue combinations. Second, we find that for 61% of gene-tissue combinations, the best fit model of the set was found to perform well; the rest were found to be performing poorly by at least one of the test statistics we examined. Third, we find that when simple models do not perform well, this appears to be typically a consequence of failing to fully account for heterogeneity in the rate of the evolution. We advocate that assessment of model performance should become a routine component of phylogenetic comparative expression studies; doing so can improve the reliability of inferences and inspire the development of novel models.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jose Rafael Dimayacyac
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Canada
| | - Shanyun Wu
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, USA
| | - Daohan Jiang
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, USA
| | - Matt Pennell
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hu Y, Yuan S, Du X, Liu J, Zhou W, Wei F. Comparative analysis reveals epigenomic evolution related to species traits and genomic imprinting in mammals. Innovation (N Y) 2023; 4:100434. [PMID: 37215528 PMCID: PMC10196708 DOI: 10.1016/j.xinn.2023.100434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that plays a crucial role in various regulatory processes, including gene expression regulation, transposable element repression, and genomic imprinting. However, most studies on DNA methylation have been conducted in humans and other model species, whereas the dynamics of DNA methylation across mammals remain poorly explored, limiting our understanding of epigenomic evolution in mammals and the evolutionary impacts of conserved and lineage-specific DNA methylation. Here, we generated and gathered comparative epigenomic data from 13 mammalian species, including two marsupial species, to demonstrate that DNA methylation plays critical roles in several aspects of gene evolution and species trait evolution. We found that the species-specific DNA methylation of promoters and noncoding elements correlates with species-specific traits such as body patterning, indicating that DNA methylation might help establish or maintain interspecies differences in gene regulation that shape phenotypes. For a broader view, we investigated the evolutionary histories of 88 known imprinting control regions across mammals to identify their evolutionary origins. By analyzing the features of known and newly identified potential imprints in all studied mammals, we found that genomic imprinting may function in embryonic development through the binding of specific transcription factors. Our findings show that DNA methylation and the complex interaction between the genome and epigenome have a significant impact on mammalian evolution, suggesting that evolutionary epigenomics should be incorporated to develop a unified evolutionary theory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yisi Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Center for Evolution and Conservation Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Shenli Yuan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xin Du
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jiang Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Wenliang Zhou
- Center for Evolution and Conservation Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Fuwen Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Center for Evolution and Conservation Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Current advances in primate genomics: novel approaches for understanding evolution and disease. Nat Rev Genet 2023; 24:314-331. [PMID: 36599936 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-022-00554-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Primate genomics holds the key to understanding fundamental aspects of human evolution and disease. However, genetic diversity and functional genomics data sets are currently available for only a few of the more than 500 extant primate species. Concerted efforts are under way to characterize primate genomes, genetic polymorphism and divergence, and functional landscapes across the primate phylogeny. The resulting data sets will enable the connection of genotypes to phenotypes and provide new insight into aspects of the genetics of primate traits, including human diseases. In this Review, we describe the existing genome assemblies as well as genetic variation and functional genomic data sets. We highlight some of the challenges with sample acquisition. Finally, we explore how technological advances in single-cell functional genomics and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived organoids will facilitate our understanding of the molecular foundations of primate biology.
Collapse
|
7
|
Švorcová J. Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance of Traumatic Experience in Mammals. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:120. [PMID: 36672861 PMCID: PMC9859285 DOI: 10.3390/genes14010120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, we have seen an increasing amount of evidence pointing to the existence of a non-genetic heredity of the effects of events such as separation from parents, threat to life, or other traumatising experiences such as famine. This heredity is often mediated by epigenetic regulations of gene expression and may be transferred even across several generations. In this review, we focus on studies which involve transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI), with a short detour to intergenerational studies focused on the inheritance of trauma or stressful experiences. The reviewed studies show a plethora of universal changes which stress exposure initiates on multiple levels of organisation ranging from hormonal production and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis modulation all the way to cognition, behaviour, or propensity to certain psychiatric or metabolic disorders. This review will also provide an overview of relevant methodology and difficulties linked to implementation of epigenetic studies. A better understanding of these processes may help us elucidate the evolutionary pathways which are at work in the course of emergence of the diseases and disorders associated with exposure to trauma, either direct or in a previous generation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jana Švorcová
- Department of Philosophy and History of Science, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Dhillon VS, Deo P, Fenech M. Plasma Micronutrient Profile of Prostate Cancer Cases Is Altered Relative to Healthy Controls-Results of a Pilot Study in South Australia. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 15:cancers15010077. [PMID: 36612074 PMCID: PMC9817984 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15010077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests possible roles of micronutrients in cancer prevention. The study was designed to test the hypothesis that the concentration profile of plasma micronutrients (i.e., the nutriome) in prostate cancer patients is different from that of healthy controls. Plasma samples from 116 Caucasian men diagnosed with late onset of prostate cancer and 132 matched controls from the South Australian population were collected and analysed for their concentration of micronutrients. Plasma concentrations of lutein, lycopene, α-carotene and β-carotene were found to be significantly lower in prostate cancer patients (p = 0.03, 0.008, 0.002 and 0.002, respectively). Plasma levels of elements such as iron, copper, calcium and sulphur were significantly higher (p < 0.0001, <0.0001, <0.0001 and p = 0.0003, respectively) while that of selenium was significantly lower (p = 0.002) in prostate cancer patients. Higher prostate cancer risk is significantly associated with plasma levels below the median of lycopene (OR: 2.24), α-carotene (OR: 2.13), β-carotene (OR: 1.97) and high levels above the median of iron (OR: 2.31), calcium (OR: 4.35) and sulphur (OR: 2.39). The results of this study suggest that the plasma nutriome could be a useful diagnostic of prostate cancer risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Varinderpal S. Dhillon
- Health and Biomedical Innovation, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5000, Australia
- Correspondence: (V.S.D.); (M.F.)
| | - Permal Deo
- Health and Biomedical Innovation, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5000, Australia
| | - Michael Fenech
- Health and Biomedical Innovation, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5000, Australia
- Genome Health Foundation, North Brighton, Adelaide 5048, Australia
- Correspondence: (V.S.D.); (M.F.)
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
George S, Cassidy RN, Saintilnord WN, Fondufe-Mittendorf Y. Epigenomic reprogramming in iAs-mediated carcinogenesis. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2022; 96:319-365. [PMID: 36858778 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2022.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic is a naturally occurring metal carcinogen found in the Earth's crust. Millions of people worldwide are chronically exposed to arsenic through drinking water and food. Exposure to inorganic arsenic has been implicated in many diseases ranging from acute toxicities to malignant transformations. Despite the well-known deleterious health effects of arsenic exposure, the molecular mechanisms in arsenic-mediated carcinogenesis are not fully understood. Since arsenic is non-mutagenic, the mechanism by which arsenic causes carcinogenesis is via alterations in epigenetic-regulated gene expression. There are two possible ways by which arsenic may modify the epigenome-indirectly through an arsenic-induced generation of reactive oxygen species which then impacts chromatin remodelers, or directly through interaction and modulation of chromatin remodelers. Whether directly or indirectly, arsenic modulates epigenetic gene regulation and our understanding of the direct effect of this modulation on chromatin structure is limited. In this chapter we will discuss the various ways by which inorganic arsenic affects the epigenome with consequences in health and disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Smitha George
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
| | - Richard N Cassidy
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
| | - Wesley N Saintilnord
- Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, United States; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Guevara EE, Hopkins WD, Hof PR, Ely JJ, Bradley BJ, Sherwood CC. Epigenetic aging of the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum in humans and chimpanzees. Epigenetics 2022; 17:1774-1785. [PMID: 35603816 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2022.2080993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic age has emerged as an important biomarker of biological aging. It has revealed that some tissues age faster than others, which is vital to understanding the complex phenomenon of aging and developing effective interventions. Previous studies have demonstrated that humans exhibit heterogeneity in pace of epigenetic aging among brain structures that are consistent with differences in structural and microanatomical deterioration. Here, we add comparative data on epigenetic brain aging for chimpanzees, humans' closest relatives. Such comparisons can further our understanding of which aspects of human aging are evolutionarily conserved or specific to our species, especially given that humans are distinguished by a long lifespan, large brain, and, potentially, more severe neurodegeneration with age. Specifically, we investigated epigenetic aging of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and cerebellum, of humans and chimpanzees by generating genome-wide CpG methylation data and applying established epigenetic clock algorithms to produce estimates of biological age for these tissues. We found that both species exhibit relatively slow epigenetic aging in the brain relative to blood. Between brain structures, humans show a faster rate of epigenetic aging in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compared to the cerebellum, which is consistent with previous findings. Chimpanzees, in contrast, show comparable rates of epigenetic aging in the two brain structures. Greater epigenetic change in the human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compared to the cerebellum may reflect both the protracted development of this structure in humans and its greater age-related vulnerability to neurodegenerative pathology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elaine E Guevara
- Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA.,Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.,Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - William D Hopkins
- Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX 78602, USA
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, and Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10124, USA
| | - John J Ely
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.,MAEBIOS, Alamogordo, NM 88310, USA
| | - Brenda J Bradley
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Costello KR, Leung A, Trac C, Lee M, Basam M, Pospisilik JA, Schones DE. Sequence features of retrotransposons allow for epigenetic variability. eLife 2021; 10:71104. [PMID: 34668484 PMCID: PMC8555987 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile genetic elements that make up a large fraction of mammalian genomes. While select TEs have been co-opted in host genomes to have function, the majority of these elements are epigenetically silenced by DNA methylation in somatic cells. However, some TEs in mice, including the Intracisternal A-particle (IAP) subfamily of retrotransposons, have been shown to display interindividual variation in DNA methylation. Recent work has revealed that IAP sequence differences and strain-specific KRAB zinc finger proteins (KZFPs) may influence the methylation state of these IAPs. However, the mechanisms underlying the establishment and maintenance of interindividual variability in DNA methylation still remain unclear. Here, we report that sequence content and genomic context influence the likelihood that IAPs become variably methylated. IAPs that differ from consensus IAP sequences have altered KZFP recruitment that can lead to decreased KAP1 recruitment when in proximity of constitutively expressed genes. These variably methylated loci have a high CpG density, similar to CpG islands, and can be bound by ZF-CxxC proteins, providing a potential mechanism to maintain this permissive chromatin environment and protect from DNA methylation. These observations indicate that variably methylated IAPs escape silencing through both attenuation of KZFP binding and recognition by ZF-CxxC proteins to maintain a hypomethylated state.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin R Costello
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, United States.,Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, City of Hope, Duarte, United States
| | - Amy Leung
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, United States
| | - Candi Trac
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, United States
| | - Michael Lee
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, United States.,Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, City of Hope, Duarte, United States
| | - Mudaser Basam
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, United States
| | | | - Dustin E Schones
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, United States.,Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, City of Hope, Duarte, United States
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Sahm A, Koch P, Horvath S, Hoffmann S. An analysis of methylome evolution in primates. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:4700-4714. [PMID: 34175932 PMCID: PMC8557466 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the investigation of the epigenome becomes increasingly important, still little is known about the long-term evolution of epigenetic marks and systematic investigation strategies are still lacking. Here, we systematically demonstrate the transfer of classic phylogenetic methods such as maximum likelihood based on substitution models, parsimony, and distance-based to interval-scaled epigenetic data. Using a great apes blood data set, we demonstrate that DNA methylation is evolutionarily conserved at the level of individual CpGs in promotors, enhancers, and genic regions. Our analysis also reveals that this epigenomic conservation is significantly correlated with its transcription factor binding density. Binding sites for transcription factors involved in neuron differentiation and components of AP-1 evolve at a significantly higher rate at methylation than at the nucleotide level. Moreover, our models suggest an accelerated epigenomic evolution at binding sites of BRCA1, chromobox homolog protein 2, and factors of the polycomb repressor 2 complex in humans. For most genomic regions, the methylation-based reconstruction of phylogenetic trees is at par with sequence-based reconstruction. Most strikingly, phylogenetic reconstruction using methylation rates in enhancer regions was ineffective independently of the chosen model. We identify a set of phylogenetically uninformative CpG sites enriched in enhancers controlling immune-related genes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arne Sahm
- Computational Biology Group, Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Philipp Koch
- Core Facility Life Science Computing, Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Steve Horvath
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Steve Hoffmann
- Computational Biology Group, Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
García-Pérez R, Esteller-Cucala P, Mas G, Lobón I, Di Carlo V, Riera M, Kuhlwilm M, Navarro A, Blancher A, Di Croce L, Gómez-Skarmeta JL, Juan D, Marquès-Bonet T. Epigenomic profiling of primate lymphoblastoid cell lines reveals the evolutionary patterns of epigenetic activities in gene regulatory architectures. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3116. [PMID: 34035253 PMCID: PMC8149829 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23397-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Changes in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression have a central role in evolution. Here, we extensively profiled a panel of human, chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, and macaque lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), using ChIP-seq for five histone marks, ATAC-seq and RNA-seq, further complemented with whole genome sequencing (WGS) and whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS). We annotated regulatory elements (RE) and integrated chromatin contact maps to define gene regulatory architectures, creating the largest catalog of RE in primates to date. We report that epigenetic conservation and its correlation with sequence conservation in primates depends on the activity state of the regulatory element. Our gene regulatory architectures reveal the coordination of different types of components and highlight the role of promoters and intragenic enhancers (gE) in the regulation of gene expression. We observe that most regulatory changes occur in weakly active gE. Remarkably, novel human-specific gE with weak activities are enriched in human-specific nucleotide changes. These elements appear in genes with signals of positive selection and human acceleration, tissue-specific expression, and particular functional enrichments, suggesting that the regulatory evolution of these genes may have contributed to human adaptation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Glòria Mas
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Irene Lobón
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Valerio Di Carlo
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Meritxell Riera
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Martin Kuhlwilm
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Arcadi Navarro
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, Barcelona, Spain
- National Institute for Bioinformatics (INB), PRBB, Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antoine Blancher
- Laboratoire d'immunologie, CHU de Toulouse, Institut Fédératif de Biologie, hôpital Purpan, Toulouse, France
- Centre de Physiopathologie Toulouse-Purpan (CPTP), Université de Toulouse, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Inserm), Université Paul Sabatier (UPS), Toulouse, France
| | - Luciano Di Croce
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - José Luis Gómez-Skarmeta
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Pablo de Olavide-Junta de Andalucía, Seville, Spain
| | - David Juan
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Tomàs Marquès-Bonet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, Barcelona, Spain.
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.
- CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain.
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Guevara EE, Hopkins WD, Hof PR, Ely JJ, Bradley BJ, Sherwood CC. Comparative analysis reveals distinctive epigenetic features of the human cerebellum. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009506. [PMID: 33956822 PMCID: PMC8101944 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying the molecular underpinnings of the neural specializations that underlie human cognitive and behavioral traits has long been of considerable interest. Much research on human-specific changes in gene expression and epigenetic marks has focused on the prefrontal cortex, a brain structure distinguished by its role in executive functions. The cerebellum shows expansion in great apes and is gaining increasing attention for its role in motor skills and cognitive processing, including language. However, relatively few molecular studies of the cerebellum in a comparative evolutionary context have been conducted. Here, we identify human-specific methylation in the lateral cerebellum relative to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, in a comparative study with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Specifically, we profiled genome-wide methylation levels in the three species for each of the two brain structures and identified human-specific differentially methylated genomic regions unique to each structure. We further identified which differentially methylated regions (DMRs) overlap likely regulatory elements and determined whether associated genes show corresponding species differences in gene expression. We found greater human-specific methylation in the cerebellum than the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, with differentially methylated regions overlapping genes involved in several conditions or processes relevant to human neurobiology, including synaptic plasticity, lipid metabolism, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, and neurodevelopment, including developmental disorders. Moreover, our results show some overlap with those of previous studies focused on the neocortex, indicating that such results may be common to multiple brain structures. These findings further our understanding of the cerebellum in human brain evolution. Humans are distinguished from other species by several aspects of cognition. While much comparative evolutionary neuroscience has focused on the neocortex, increasing recognition of the cerebellum’s role in cognition and motor processing has inspired considerable new research. Comparative molecular studies, however, generally continue to focus on the neocortex. We sought to characterize potential genetic regulatory traits distinguishing the human cerebellum by undertaking genome-wide epigenetic profiling of the lateral cerebellum, and compared this to the prefrontal cortex of humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaque monkeys. We found that humans showed greater differential CpG methylation–an epigenetic modification of DNA that can reflect past or present gene expression–in the cerebellum than the prefrontal cortex, highlighting the importance of this structure in human brain evolution. Humans also specifically show methylation differences at genes involved in neurodevelopment, neuroinflammation, synaptic plasticity, and lipid metabolism. These differences are relevant for understanding processes specific to humans, such as extensive plasticity, as well as pronounced and prevalent neurodegenerative conditions associated with aging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elaine E. Guevara
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - William D. Hopkins
- Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, Texas, United States of America
| | - Patrick R. Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - John J. Ely
- MAEBIOS, Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Brenda J. Bradley
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
| | - Chet C. Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Pérez RF, Tejedor JR, Santamarina-Ojeda P, Martínez VL, Urdinguio RG, Villamañán L, Candiota AP, Sarró NMV, Barradas M, Fernandez-Marcos PJ, Serrano M, Fernández AF, Fraga MF. Conservation of Aging and Cancer Epigenetic Signatures across Human and Mouse. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:3415-3435. [PMID: 33871658 PMCID: PMC8321527 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging and cancer are two interrelated processes, with aging being a major risk factor for the development of cancer. Parallel epigenetic alterations have been described for both, although differences, especially within the DNA hypomethylation scenario, have also been recently reported. Although many of these observations arise from the use of mouse models, there is a lack of systematic comparisons of human and mouse epigenetic patterns in the context of disease. However, such comparisons are significant as they allow to establish the extent to which some of the observed similarities or differences arise from pre-existing species-specific epigenetic traits. Here, we have used reduced representation bisulfite sequencing to profile the brain methylomes of young and old, tumoral and nontumoral brain samples from human and mouse. We first characterized the baseline epigenomic patterns of the species and subsequently focused on the DNA methylation alterations associated with cancer and aging. Next, we described the functional genomic and epigenomic context associated with the alterations, and finally, we integrated our data to study interspecies DNA methylation levels at orthologous CpG sites. Globally, we found considerable differences between the characteristics of DNA methylation alterations in cancer and aging in both species. Moreover, we describe robust evidence for the conservation of the specific cancer and aging epigenomic signatures in human and mouse. Our observations point toward the preservation of the functional consequences of these alterations at multiple levels of genomic regulation. Finally, our analyses reveal a role for the genomic context in explaining disease- and species-specific epigenetic traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raúl F Pérez
- Cancer Epigenetics and Nanomedicine Laboratory, Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Research Center (CINN-CSIC), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Institute of Oncology of Asturias (IUOPA), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Health Research Institute of Asturias (ISPA), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Department of Organisms and Systems Biology (B.O.S.), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Rare Diseases CIBER (CIBERER) of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Ramón Tejedor
- Cancer Epigenetics and Nanomedicine Laboratory, Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Research Center (CINN-CSIC), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Institute of Oncology of Asturias (IUOPA), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Health Research Institute of Asturias (ISPA), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Department of Organisms and Systems Biology (B.O.S.), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Rare Diseases CIBER (CIBERER) of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Pablo Santamarina-Ojeda
- Cancer Epigenetics and Nanomedicine Laboratory, Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Research Center (CINN-CSIC), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Institute of Oncology of Asturias (IUOPA), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Health Research Institute of Asturias (ISPA), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Department of Organisms and Systems Biology (B.O.S.), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Rare Diseases CIBER (CIBERER) of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Virginia López Martínez
- Cancer Epigenetics and Nanomedicine Laboratory, Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Research Center (CINN-CSIC), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Institute of Oncology of Asturias (IUOPA), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Health Research Institute of Asturias (ISPA), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Department of Organisms and Systems Biology (B.O.S.), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Rare Diseases CIBER (CIBERER) of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Rocío G Urdinguio
- Cancer Epigenetics and Nanomedicine Laboratory, Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Research Center (CINN-CSIC), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Institute of Oncology of Asturias (IUOPA), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Health Research Institute of Asturias (ISPA), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Department of Organisms and Systems Biology (B.O.S.), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Rare Diseases CIBER (CIBERER) of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Lucía Villamañán
- Unitat de Bioquímica de Biociències, Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Edifici Cs, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Ana Paula Candiota
- Unitat de Bioquímica de Biociències, Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Edifici Cs, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Madrid, Spain
| | - N Mí Vidal Sarró
- Servicio Anatomía Patológica, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge-IDIBELL, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Marta Barradas
- Metabolic Syndrome Group-BIOPROMET, Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies-IMDEA Food, CEI UAM+CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pablo Jose Fernandez-Marcos
- Metabolic Syndrome Group-BIOPROMET, Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies-IMDEA Food, CEI UAM+CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Serrano
- Tumour Suppression Group, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain.,Cellular Plasticity and Disease Group, Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain.,Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Agusín F Fernández
- Cancer Epigenetics and Nanomedicine Laboratory, Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Research Center (CINN-CSIC), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Institute of Oncology of Asturias (IUOPA), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Health Research Institute of Asturias (ISPA), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Department of Organisms and Systems Biology (B.O.S.), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Rare Diseases CIBER (CIBERER) of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Mario F Fraga
- Cancer Epigenetics and Nanomedicine Laboratory, Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Research Center (CINN-CSIC), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Institute of Oncology of Asturias (IUOPA), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Health Research Institute of Asturias (ISPA), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Department of Organisms and Systems Biology (B.O.S.), University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Rare Diseases CIBER (CIBERER) of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Guevara EE, Lawler RR, Staes N, White CM, Sherwood CC, Ely JJ, Hopkins WD, Bradley BJ. Age-associated epigenetic change in chimpanzees and humans. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190616. [PMID: 32951551 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Methylation levels have been shown to change with age at sites across the human genome. Change at some of these sites is so consistent across individuals that it can be used as an 'epigenetic clock' to predict an individual's chronological age to within a few years. Here, we examined how the pattern of epigenetic ageing in chimpanzees compares with humans. We profiled genome-wide blood methylation levels by microarray for 113 samples from 83 chimpanzees aged 1-58 years (26 chimpanzees were sampled at multiple ages during their lifespan). Many sites (greater than 65 000) showed significant change in methylation with age and around one-third (32%) of these overlap with sites showing significant age-related change in humans. At over 80% of sites showing age-related change in both species, chimpanzees displayed a significantly faster rate of age-related change in methylation than humans. We also built a chimpanzee-specific epigenetic clock that predicted age in our test dataset with a median absolute deviation from known age of only 2.4 years. However, our chimpanzee clock showed little overlap with previously constructed human clocks. Methylation at CpGs comprising our chimpanzee clock showed moderate heritability. Although the use of a human microarray for profiling chimpanzees biases our results towards regions with shared genomic sequence between the species, nevertheless, our results indicate that there is considerable conservation in epigenetic ageing between chimpanzees and humans, but also substantial divergence in both rate and genomic distribution of ageing-associated sites. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution of the primate ageing process'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elaine E Guevara
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.,Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Richard R Lawler
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
| | - Nicky Staes
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.,Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.,Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Cassandra M White
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | | | - William D Hopkins
- Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX 78602, USA
| | - Brenda J Bradley
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Liu S, Yu Y, Zhang S, Cole JB, Tenesa A, Wang T, McDaneld TG, Ma L, Liu GE, Fang L. Epigenomics and genotype-phenotype association analyses reveal conserved genetic architecture of complex traits in cattle and human. BMC Biol 2020; 18:80. [PMID: 32620158 PMCID: PMC7334855 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-00792-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Lack of comprehensive functional annotations across a wide range of tissues and cell types severely hinders the biological interpretations of phenotypic variation, adaptive evolution, and domestication in livestock. Here we used a combination of comparative epigenomics, genome-wide association study (GWAS), and selection signature analysis, to shed light on potential adaptive evolution in cattle. Results We cross-mapped 8 histone marks of 1300 samples from human to cattle, covering 178 unique tissues/cell types. By uniformly analyzing 723 RNA-seq and 40 whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) datasets in cattle, we validated that cross-mapped histone marks captured tissue-specific expression and methylation, reflecting tissue-relevant biology. Through integrating cross-mapped tissue-specific histone marks with large-scale GWAS and selection signature results, we for the first time detected relevant tissues and cell types for 45 economically important traits and artificial selection in cattle. For instance, immune tissues are significantly associated with health and reproduction traits, multiple tissues for milk production and body conformation traits (reflecting their highly polygenic architecture), and thyroid for the different selection between beef and dairy cattle. Similarly, we detected relevant tissues for 58 complex traits and diseases in humans and observed that immune and fertility traits in humans significantly correlated with those in cattle in terms of relevant tissues, which facilitated the identification of causal genes for such traits. For instance, PIK3CG, a gene highly specifically expressed in mononuclear cells, was significantly associated with both age-at-menopause in human and daughter-still-birth in cattle. ICAM, a T cell-specific gene, was significantly associated with both allergic diseases in human and metritis in cattle. Conclusion Collectively, our results highlighted that comparative epigenomics in conjunction with GWAS and selection signature analyses could provide biological insights into the phenotypic variation and adaptive evolution. Cattle may serve as a model for human complex traits, by providing additional information beyond laboratory model organisms, particularly when more novel phenotypes become available in the near future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuli Liu
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, BARC-East, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA.,College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Ying Yu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Shengli Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - John B Cole
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, BARC-East, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Albert Tenesa
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK.,The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Ting Wang
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Tara G McDaneld
- US Meat Animal Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Clay Center, NE, 68933, USA
| | - Li Ma
- Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
| | - George E Liu
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, BARC-East, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA.
| | - Lingzhao Fang
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, BARC-East, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA. .,MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK. .,Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Mathov Y, Batyrev D, Meshorer E, Carmel L. Harnessing epigenetics to study human evolution. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2020; 62:23-29. [PMID: 32574964 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2020.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in ancient DNA extraction and high-throughput sequencing technologies enabled the high-quality sequencing of archaic genomes, including the Neanderthal and the Denisovan. While comparisons with modern humans revealed both archaic-specific and human-specific sequence changes, in the absence of gene expression information, understanding the functional implications of such genetic variations remains a major challenge. To study gene regulation in archaic humans, epigenetic research comes to our aid. DNA methylation, which is highly correlated with transcription, can be directly measured in modern samples, as well as reconstructed in ancient samples. This puts DNA methylation as a natural basis for comparative epigenetics between modern humans, archaic humans and nonhuman primates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoav Mathov
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem, 9190400, Israel; The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190400, Israel
| | - Daniel Batyrev
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem, 9190400, Israel; The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190400, Israel
| | - Eran Meshorer
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem, 9190400, Israel; The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190400, Israel.
| | - Liran Carmel
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem, 9190400, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Williams AC, Hill LJ. The 4 D's of Pellagra and Progress. Int J Tryptophan Res 2020; 13:1178646920910159. [PMID: 32327922 PMCID: PMC7163231 DOI: 10.1177/1178646920910159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Nicotinamide homeostasis is a candidate common denominator to explain smooth transitions, whether demographic, epidemiological or economic. This 'NAD world', dependent on hydrogen-based energy, is not widely recognised as it is neither measured nor viewed from a sufficiently multi-genomic or historical perspective. Reviewing the importance of meat and nicotinamide balances during our co-evolution, recent history suggests that populations only modernise and age well with low fertility on a suitably balanced diet. Imbalances on the low meat side lead to an excess of infectious disease, short lives and boom-bust demographics. On the high side, meat has led to an excess of degenerative, allergic and metabolic disease and low fertility. A 'Goldilocks' diet derived from mixed and sustainable farming (preserving the topsoil) allows for high intellectual capital, height and good health with controlled population growth resulting in economic growth and prosperity. Implementing meat equity worldwide could lead to progress for future generations on 'spaceship' earth by establishing control over population quality, thermostat and biodiversity, if it is not already too late.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adrian C Williams
- Department of Neurology, University
Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | - Lisa J Hill
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute
of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Machnik M, Oleksiewicz U. Dynamic Signatures of the Epigenome: Friend or Foe? Cells 2020; 9:cells9030653. [PMID: 32156057 PMCID: PMC7140607 DOI: 10.3390/cells9030653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Highly dynamic epigenetic signaling is influenced mainly by (micro)environmental stimuli and genetic factors. The exact mechanisms affecting particular epigenomic patterns differ dependently on the context. In the current review, we focus on the causes and effects of the dynamic signatures of the human epigenome as evaluated with the high-throughput profiling data and single-gene approaches. We will discuss three different aspects of phenotypic outcomes occurring as a consequence of epigenetics interplaying with genotype and environment. The first issue is related to the cases of environmental impacts on epigenetic profile, and its adverse and advantageous effects related to human health and evolutionary adaptation. The next topic will present a model of the interwoven co-evolution of genetic and epigenetic patterns exemplified with transposable elements (TEs) and their epigenetic repressors Krüppel-associated box zinc finger proteins (KRAB–ZNFs). The third aspect concentrates on the mitosis-based microevolution that takes place during carcinogenesis, leading to clonal diversity and expansion of tumor cells. The whole picture of epigenome plasticity and its role in distinct biological processes is still incomplete. However, accumulating data define epigenomic dynamics as an essential co-factor driving adaptation at the cellular and inter-species levels with a benefit or disadvantage to the host.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marta Machnik
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland;
- Department of Cancer Diagnostics and Immunology, Greater Poland Cancer Centre, 61-866 Poznan, Poland
| | - Urszula Oleksiewicz
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland;
- Department of Cancer Diagnostics and Immunology, Greater Poland Cancer Centre, 61-866 Poznan, Poland
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Gokhman D, Nissim-Rafinia M, Agranat-Tamir L, Housman G, García-Pérez R, Lizano E, Cheronet O, Mallick S, Nieves-Colón MA, Li H, Alpaslan-Roodenberg S, Novak M, Gu H, Osinski JM, Ferrando-Bernal M, Gelabert P, Lipende I, Mjungu D, Kondova I, Bontrop R, Kullmer O, Weber G, Shahar T, Dvir-Ginzberg M, Faerman M, Quillen EE, Meissner A, Lahav Y, Kandel L, Liebergall M, Prada ME, Vidal JM, Gronostajski RM, Stone AC, Yakir B, Lalueza-Fox C, Pinhasi R, Reich D, Marques-Bonet T, Meshorer E, Carmel L. Differential DNA methylation of vocal and facial anatomy genes in modern humans. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1189. [PMID: 32132541 PMCID: PMC7055320 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15020-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in potential regulatory elements are thought to be key drivers of phenotypic divergence. However, identifying changes to regulatory elements that underlie human-specific traits has proven very challenging. Here, we use 63 reconstructed and experimentally measured DNA methylation maps of ancient and present-day humans, as well as of six chimpanzees, to detect differentially methylated regions that likely emerged in modern humans after the split from Neanderthals and Denisovans. We show that genes associated with face and vocal tract anatomy went through particularly extensive methylation changes. Specifically, we identify widespread hypermethylation in a network of face- and voice-associated genes (SOX9, ACAN, COL2A1, NFIX and XYLT1). We propose that these repression patterns appeared after the split from Neanderthals and Denisovans, and that they might have played a key role in shaping the modern human face and vocal tract.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Gokhman
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Malka Nissim-Rafinia
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Lily Agranat-Tamir
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Statistics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91905, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Genevieve Housman
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | | | - Esther Lizano
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Olivia Cheronet
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Swapan Mallick
- Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Maria A Nieves-Colón
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - Heng Li
- Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | | | - Mario Novak
- Institute for Anthropological Research, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
- Earth Institute and School of Archaeology, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | | | - Jason M Osinski
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | | | - Pere Gelabert
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Iddi Lipende
- Gombe Stream Research Center, Jane Goodall Institute, Kigoma, Tanzania
| | - Deus Mjungu
- Gombe Stream Research Center, Jane Goodall Institute, Kigoma, Tanzania
| | - Ivanela Kondova
- Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, Netherlands
| | - Ronald Bontrop
- Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC), Rijswijk, Netherlands
| | - Ottmar Kullmer
- Department of Palaeoanthropology and Messel Research, Senckenberg Center of Human Evolution and Paleoecology, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Gerhard Weber
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tal Shahar
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Mona Dvir-Ginzberg
- Laboratory of Cartilage Biology, Institute of Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91120, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Marina Faerman
- Laboratory of Bioanthropology and Ancient DNA, Institute of Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dental Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91120, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ellen E Quillen
- Department of Genetics, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 85287, USA
| | - Alexander Meissner
- Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Yonatan Lahav
- Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Department, Laryngeal Surgery Unit, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel
- The Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Leonid Kandel
- Orthopaedic Department, Hadassah - Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Meir Liebergall
- Orthopaedic Department, Hadassah - Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - María E Prada
- I.E.S.O. 'Los Salados'. Junta de Castilla y León, León, Spain
| | - Julio M Vidal
- Junta de Castilla y León, Servicio de Cultura de León, León, Spain
| | - Richard M Gronostajski
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
- Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics Program, New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Anne C Stone
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - Benjamin Yakir
- Department of Statistics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91905, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Carles Lalueza-Fox
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ron Pinhasi
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - David Reich
- Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), 08010, Barcelona, Spain
- CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08028, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eran Meshorer
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel.
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Liran Carmel
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Kiefer H, Perrier JP. DNA methylation in bull spermatozoa: evolutionary impacts, interindividual variability, and contribution to the embryo. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1139/cjas-2019-0071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The DNA methylome of spermatozoa results from a unique epigenetic reprogramming crucial for chromatin compaction and the protection of the paternal genetic heritage. Although bull semen is widely used for artificial insemination (AI), little is known about the sperm epigenome in cattle. The purpose of this review is to synthetize recent work on the bull sperm methylome in light of the knowledge accumulated in humans and model species. We will address sperm-specific DNA methylation features and their potential evolutionary impacts, with particular emphasis on hypomethylated regions and repetitive elements. We will review recent examples of interindividual variability and intra-individual plasticity of the bull sperm methylome as related to fertility and age, respectively. Finally, we will address paternal methylome reprogramming after fertilization, as well as the mechanisms potentially involved in epigenetic inheritance, and provide some examples of disturbances that alter the dynamics of reprogramming in cattle. Because the selection of AI bulls is closely based on their genotypes, we will also discuss the complex interplay between sequence polymorphism and DNA methylation, which represents both a difficulty in addressing the role of DNA methylation in shaping phenotypes and an opportunity to better understand genome plasticity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hélène Kiefer
- UMR BDR, INRA, ENVA, Université Paris Saclay, 78350 Jouy en-Josas, France
- UMR BDR, INRA, ENVA, Université Paris Saclay, 78350 Jouy en-Josas, France
| | - Jean-Philippe Perrier
- UMR BDR, INRA, ENVA, Université Paris Saclay, 78350 Jouy en-Josas, France
- UMR BDR, INRA, ENVA, Université Paris Saclay, 78350 Jouy en-Josas, France
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Blake LE, Roux J, Hernando-Herraez I, Banovich NE, Perez RG, Hsiao CJ, Eres I, Cuevas C, Marques-Bonet T, Gilad Y. A comparison of gene expression and DNA methylation patterns across tissues and species. Genome Res 2020; 30:250-262. [PMID: 31953346 PMCID: PMC7050529 DOI: 10.1101/gr.254904.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Previously published comparative functional genomic data sets from primates using frozen tissue samples, including many data sets from our own group, were often collected and analyzed using nonoptimal study designs and analysis approaches. In addition, when samples from multiple tissues were studied in a comparative framework, individuals and tissues were confounded. We designed a multitissue comparative study of gene expression and DNA methylation in primates that minimizes confounding effects by using a balanced design with respect to species, tissues, and individuals. We also developed a comparative analysis pipeline that minimizes biases attributable to sequence divergence. Thus, we present the most comprehensive catalog of similarities and differences in gene expression and DNA methylation levels between livers, kidneys, hearts, and lungs, in humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaques. We estimate that overall, interspecies and inter-tissue differences in gene expression levels can only modestly be accounted for by corresponding differences in promoter DNA methylation. However, the expression pattern of genes with conserved inter-tissue expression differences can be explained by corresponding interspecies methylation changes more often. Finally, we show that genes whose tissue-specific regulatory patterns are consistent with the action of natural selection are highly connected in both gene regulatory and protein–protein interaction networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Blake
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Julien Roux
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.,Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Nicholas E Banovich
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Raquel Garcia Perez
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, 88 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Chiaowen Joyce Hsiao
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Ittai Eres
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Claudia Cuevas
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, 88 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,Passeig de Lluís Companys, Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies, 23 08010 Barcelona, Spain.,Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Centre for Genomic Regulation, 88 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Yoav Gilad
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Wulfridge P, Langmead B, Feinberg AP, Hansen KD. Analyzing whole genome bisulfite sequencing data from highly divergent genotypes. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:e117. [PMID: 31392989 PMCID: PMC6821270 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the study of DNA methylation, genetic variation between species, strains or individuals can result in CpG sites that are exclusive to a subset of samples, and insertions and deletions can rearrange the spatial distribution of CpGs. How to account for this variation in an analysis of the interplay between sequence variation and DNA methylation is not well understood, especially when the number of CpG differences between samples is large. Here, we use whole-genome bisulfite sequencing data on two highly divergent mouse strains to study this problem. We show that alignment to personal genomes is necessary for valid methylation quantification. We introduce a method for including strain-specific CpGs in differential analysis, and show that this increases power. We apply our method to a human normal-cancer dataset, and show this improves accuracy and power, illustrating the broad applicability of our approach. Our method uses smoothing to impute methylation levels at strain-specific sites, thereby allowing strain-specific CpGs to contribute to the analysis, while accounting for differences in the spatial occurrences of CpGs. Our results have implications for joint analysis of genetic variation and DNA methylation using bisulfite-converted DNA, and unlocks the use of personal genomes for addressing this question.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Phillip Wulfridge
- Center for Epigenetics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 855 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Ben Langmead
- Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Andrew P Feinberg
- Center for Epigenetics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 855 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.,Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 855 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, 3400 N. Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.,Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, MD 21205, USA
| | - Kasper D Hansen
- Center for Epigenetics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 855 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.,Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.,McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 733 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Banerjee N, Polushina T, Bettella F, Steen VM, Andreassen OA, Le Hellard S. Analysis of differentially methylated regions in great apes and extinct hominids provides support for the evolutionary hypothesis of schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2019; 206:209-216. [PMID: 30545758 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2018.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Revised: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 11/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The persistence of schizophrenia in human populations separated by geography and time led to the evolutionary hypothesis that proposes schizophrenia as a by-product of the higher cognitive abilities of modern humans. To explore this hypothesis, we used here an evolutionary epigenetics approach building on differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of the genome. METHODS We implemented a polygenic enrichment testing pipeline using the summary statistics of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of schizophrenia and 12 other phenotypes. We investigated the enrichment of association of these traits across genomic regions with variable methylation between modern humans and great apes (orangutans, chimpanzees and gorillas; great ape DMRs) and between modern humans and recently extinct hominids (Neanderthals and Denisovans; hominid DMRs). RESULTS Regions that are hypo-methylated in humans compared to great apes show enrichment of association with schizophrenia only if the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region is included. With the MHC region removed from the analysis, only a modest enrichment for SNPs of low effect persists. The INRICH pipeline confirms this finding after rigorous permutation and bootstrapping procedures. CONCLUSION The analyses of regions with differential methylation changes in humans and great apes do not provide compelling evidence of enrichment of association with schizophrenia, in contrast to our previous findings on more recent methylation differences between modern humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans. Our results further support the evolutionary hypothesis of schizophrenia and indicate that the origin of some of the genetic susceptibility factors of schizophrenia may lie in recent human evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Niladri Banerjee
- NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Center for Psychosis Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Dr. Einar Martens Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Tatiana Polushina
- NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Center for Psychosis Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Dr. Einar Martens Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Francesco Bettella
- NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Center for Psychosis Research, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Centre, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Vidar M Steen
- NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Center for Psychosis Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Dr. Einar Martens Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Ole A Andreassen
- NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Center for Psychosis Research, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Centre, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Stephanie Le Hellard
- NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Center for Psychosis Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Dr. Einar Martens Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Lannes R, Rizzon C, Lerat E. Does the Presence of Transposable Elements Impact the Epigenetic Environment of Human Duplicated Genes? Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10030249. [PMID: 30917603 PMCID: PMC6470583 DOI: 10.3390/genes10030249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Revised: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic modifications have an important role to explain part of the intra- and inter-species variation in gene expression. They also have a role in the control of transposable elements (TEs) whose activity may have a significant impact on genome evolution by promoting various mutations, which are expected to be mostly deleterious. A change in the local epigenetic landscape associated with the presence of TEs is expected to affect the expression of neighboring genes since these modifications occurring at TE sequences can spread to neighboring sequences. In this work, we have studied how the epigenetic modifications of genes are conserved and what the role of TEs is in this conservation. For that, we have compared the conservation of the epigenome associated with human duplicated genes and the differential presence of TEs near these genes. Our results show higher epigenome conservation of duplicated genes from the same family when they share similar TE environment, suggesting a role for the differential presence of TEs in the evolutionary divergence of duplicates through variation in the epigenetic landscape.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Romain Lannes
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Carène Rizzon
- Laboratoire de Mathématiques et Modélisation d'Evry (LaMME), Université d'Evry Val d'Essonne, UMR CNRS 8071, ENSIIE, USC INRA, 23 bvd de France, 91037, Evry CEDEX Paris, France.
| | - Emmanuelle Lerat
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Vilgalys TP, Rogers J, Jolly CJ, Baboon Genome Analysis, Mukherjee S, Tung J. Evolution of DNA Methylation in Papio Baboons. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 36:527-540. [PMID: 30521003 PMCID: PMC6389319 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msy227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Changes in gene regulation have long been thought to play an important role in primate evolution. However, although a number of studies have compared genome-wide gene expression patterns across primate species, fewer have investigated the gene regulatory mechanisms that underlie such patterns, or the relative contribution of drift versus selection. Here, we profiled genome-scale DNA methylation levels in blood samples from five of the six extant species of the baboon genus Papio (4-14 individuals per species). This radiation presents the opportunity to investigate DNA methylation divergence at both shallow and deeper timescales (0.380-1.4 My). In contrast to studies in human populations, but similar to studies in great apes, DNA methylation profiles clearly mirror genetic and geographic structure. Divergence in DNA methylation proceeds fastest in unannotated regions of the genome and slowest in regions of the genome that are likely more constrained at the sequence level (e.g., gene exons). Both heuristic approaches and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models suggest that DNA methylation levels at a small set of sites have been affected by positive selection, and that this class is enriched in functionally relevant contexts, including promoters, enhancers, and CpG islands. Our results thus indicate that the rate and distribution of DNA methylation changes across the genome largely mirror genetic structure. However, at some CpG sites, DNA methylation levels themselves may have been a target of positive selection, pointing to loci that could be important in connecting sequence variation to fitness-related traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tauras P Vilgalys
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Jeffrey Rogers
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Clifford J Jolly
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, New York University, New York, NY
- New York Consortium for Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY
| | | | - Sayan Mukherjee
- Department of Statistical Science, Duke University, Durham, NC
- Department of Mathematics, Duke University, Durham, NC
- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC
- Duke University Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Karen, Nairobi, Kenya
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Norouzitallab P, Baruah K, Vanrompay D, Bossier P. Can epigenetics translate environmental cues into phenotypes? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 647:1281-1293. [PMID: 30180336 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Revised: 06/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/04/2018] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Living organisms are constantly exposed to wide ranges of environmental cues. They react to these cues by undergoing a battery of phenotypic responses, such as by altering their physiological and behavioral traits, in order to adapt and survive in the changed environments. The adaptive response of a species induced by environmental cues is typically thought to be associated with its genetic diversity such that higher genetic diversity provides increased adaptive potential. This originates from the general consensus that phenotypic traits have a genetic basis and are subject to Darwinian natural selection and Mendelian inheritance. There is no doubt about the validity of these principles, supported by the successful introgression of specific traits during (selective) breeding. However, a range of recent studies provided fascinating evidences suggesting that environmental effects experienced by an organism during its lifetime can have marked influences on its phenotype, and additionally the organism can pass on the acquired phenotypes to its subsequent generations through non-genetic mechanisms (also termed as epigenetic mechanism) - a notion that dates back to Lamarck and has been controversial ever since. In this review, we describe how the epigenetics has reshaped our long perception about the inheritance/development of phenotypes within organisms, contrasting with the classical gene-based view of inheritance. We particularly highlighted recent developments in our understanding of inheritance of parental environmental induced phenotypic traits in multicellular organisms under different environmental conditions, and discuss how modifications of the epigenome contribute to the determination of the adult phenotype of future generations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Parisa Norouzitallab
- Laboratory for Immunology and Animal Biotechnology, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure 653, Ghent 9000, Belgium; Laboratory of Aquaculture &Artemia Reference Center, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure 653, Ghent 9000, Belgium.
| | - Kartik Baruah
- Laboratory of Aquaculture &Artemia Reference Center, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure 653, Ghent 9000, Belgium; Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Daisy Vanrompay
- Laboratory for Immunology and Animal Biotechnology, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure 653, Ghent 9000, Belgium
| | - Peter Bossier
- Laboratory of Aquaculture &Artemia Reference Center, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure 653, Ghent 9000, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Chen LY, Xia XD, Zhao ZW, Gong D, Ma XF, Yu XH, Zhang Q, Wang SQ, Dai XY, Zheng XL, Zhang DW, Yin WD, Tang CK. MicroRNA-377 Inhibits Atherosclerosis by Regulating Triglyceride Metabolism Through the DNA Methyltransferase 1 in Apolipoprotein E-Knockout Mice. Circ J 2018; 82:2861-2871. [PMID: 30232292 DOI: 10.1253/circj.cj-18-0410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) plays an important role in triglyceride metabolism. It is translocated across endothelial cells to reach the luminal surface of capillaries by glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored high-density lipoprotein binding protein 1 (GPIHBP1), where it hydrolyzes triglycerides in lipoproteins. MicroRNA 377 (miR-377) is highly associated with lipid levels. However, how miR-377 regulates triglyceride metabolism and whether it is involved in the development of atherosclerosis remain largely unexplored. Methods and Results: The clinical examination displayed that miR-377 expression was markedly lower in plasma from patients with hypertriglyceridemia compared with non-hypertriglyceridemic subjects. Bioinformatics analyses and a luciferase reporter assay showed that DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) was a target gene of miR-377. Moreover, miR-377 increased LPL binding to GPIHBP1 by directly targeting DNMT1 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-knockout (KO) mice aorta endothelial cells (MAECs). In vivo, hematoxylin-eosin (H&E), Oil Red O and Masson's trichrome staining showed that ApoE-KO mice treated with miR-377 developed less atherosclerotic plaques, accompanied by reduced plasma triglyceride levels. CONCLUSIONS It is concluded that miR-377 upregulates GPIHBP1 expression, increases the LPL binding to GPIHBP1, and reduces plasma triglyceride levels, likely through targeting DNMT1, inhibiting atherosclerosis in ApoE-KO mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Yan Chen
- Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Key Laboratory for Atherosclerology of Hunan Province, Medical Research Center, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China
| | - Xiao-Dan Xia
- Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Key Laboratory for Atherosclerology of Hunan Province, Medical Research Center, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China
| | - Zhen-Wang Zhao
- Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Key Laboratory for Atherosclerology of Hunan Province, Medical Research Center, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China
| | - Duo Gong
- Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Key Laboratory for Atherosclerology of Hunan Province, Medical Research Center, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China
| | - Xiao-Feng Ma
- Department of Internal Medicine-Cardiovascular, Nanhua Hospital, University of South China
| | - Xiao-Hua Yu
- Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Key Laboratory for Atherosclerology of Hunan Province, Medical Research Center, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Key Laboratory for Atherosclerology of Hunan Province, Medical Research Center, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China
| | - Si-Qi Wang
- Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Key Laboratory for Atherosclerology of Hunan Province, Medical Research Center, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China
| | - Xiao-Yan Dai
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences & the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou, Medical University
| | - Xi-Long Zheng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Health Sciences Center
| | - Da-Wei Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics and Group on the Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids, University of Alberta
| | - Wei-Dong Yin
- Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Key Laboratory for Atherosclerology of Hunan Province, Medical Research Center, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China
| | - Chao-Ke Tang
- Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Key Laboratory for Atherosclerology of Hunan Province, Medical Research Center, Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Lazar NH, Nevonen KA, O'Connell B, McCann C, O'Neill RJ, Green RE, Meyer TJ, Okhovat M, Carbone L. Epigenetic maintenance of topological domains in the highly rearranged gibbon genome. Genome Res 2018; 28:983-997. [PMID: 29914971 PMCID: PMC6028127 DOI: 10.1101/gr.233874.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The relationship between evolutionary genome remodeling and the three-dimensional structure of the genome remain largely unexplored. Here, we use the heavily rearranged gibbon genome to examine how evolutionary chromosomal rearrangements impact genome-wide chromatin interactions, topologically associating domains (TADs), and their epigenetic landscape. We use high-resolution maps of gibbon-human breaks of synteny (BOS), apply Hi-C in gibbon, measure an array of epigenetic features, and perform cross-species comparisons. We find that gibbon rearrangements occur at TAD boundaries, independent of the parameters used to identify TADs. This overlap is supported by a remarkable genetic and epigenetic similarity between BOS and TAD boundaries, namely presence of CpG islands and SINE elements, and enrichment in CTCF and H3K4me3 binding. Cross-species comparisons reveal that regions orthologous to BOS also correspond with boundaries of large (400-600 kb) TADs in human and other mammalian species. The colocalization of rearrangement breakpoints and TAD boundaries may be due to higher chromatin fragility at these locations and/or increased selective pressure against rearrangements that disrupt TAD integrity. We also examine the small portion of BOS that did not overlap with TAD boundaries and gave rise to novel TADs in the gibbon genome. We postulate that these new TADs generally lack deleterious consequences. Last, we show that limited epigenetic homogenization occurs across breakpoints, irrespective of their time of occurrence in the gibbon lineage. Overall, our findings demonstrate remarkable conservation of chromatin interactions and epigenetic landscape in gibbons, in spite of extensive genomic shuffling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathan H Lazar
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Division, Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
| | - Kimberly A Nevonen
- Department of Medicine, Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
| | - Brendan O'Connell
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
| | - Christine McCann
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA
| | - Rachel J O'Neill
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA
| | - Richard E Green
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
| | - Thomas J Meyer
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Division, Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
| | - Mariam Okhovat
- Department of Medicine, Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
| | - Lucia Carbone
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Division, Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
- Department of Medicine, Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
- Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
- Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, Oregon 97006, USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Anastasiadi D, Esteve-Codina A, Piferrer F. Consistent inverse correlation between DNA methylation of the first intron and gene expression across tissues and species. Epigenetics Chromatin 2018; 11:37. [PMID: 29958539 PMCID: PMC6025724 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-018-0205-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 240] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND DNA methylation is one of the main epigenetic mechanisms for the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes. In the standard model, methylation in gene promoters has received the most attention since it is generally associated with transcriptional silencing. Nevertheless, recent studies in human tissues reveal that methylation of the region downstream of the transcription start site is highly informative of gene expression. Also, in some cell types and specific genes it has been found that methylation of the first intron, a gene feature typically rich in enhancers, is linked with gene expression. However, a genome-wide, tissue-independent, systematic comparative analysis of the relationship between DNA methylation in the first intron and gene expression across vertebrates has not been explored yet. RESULTS The most important findings of this study are: (1) using different tissues from a modern fish, we show a clear genome-wide, tissue-independent quasi-linear inverse relationship between DNA methylation of the first intron and gene expression. (2) This relationship is conserved across vertebrates, since it is also present in the genomes of a model pufferfish, a model frog and different human tissues. Among the gene features, tissues and species interrogated, the first intron's negative correlation with the gene expression was most consistent. (3) We identified more tissue-specific differentially methylated regions (tDMRs) in the first intron than in any other gene feature. These tDMRs have positive or negative correlation with gene expression, indicative of distinct mechanisms of tissue-specific regulation. (4) Lastly, we identified CpGs in transcription factor binding motifs, enriched in the first intron, the methylation of which tended to increase with the distance from the first exon-first intron boundary, with a concomitant decrease in gene expression. CONCLUSIONS Our integrative analysis clearly reveals the important and conserved role of the methylation level of the first intron and its inverse association with gene expression regardless of tissue and species. These findings not only contribute to our basic understanding of the epigenetic regulation of gene expression but also identify the first intron as an informative gene feature regarding the relationship between DNA methylation and gene expression where future studies should be focused.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dafni Anastasiadi
- Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Esteve-Codina
- CNAG-CRG, Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri i Reixac 4, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Francesc Piferrer
- Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Banerjee N, Polushina T, Bettella F, Giddaluru S, Steen VM, Andreassen OA, Le Hellard S. Recently evolved human-specific methylated regions are enriched in schizophrenia signals. BMC Evol Biol 2018; 18:63. [PMID: 29747567 PMCID: PMC5946405 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-018-1177-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2017] [Accepted: 04/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background One explanation for the persistence of schizophrenia despite the reduced fertility of patients is that it is a by-product of recent human evolution. This hypothesis is supported by evidence suggesting that recently-evolved genomic regions in humans are involved in the genetic risk for schizophrenia. Using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of schizophrenia and 11 other phenotypes, we tested for enrichment of association with GWAS traits in regions that have undergone methylation changes in the human lineage compared to Neanderthals and Denisovans, i.e. human-specific differentially methylated regions (DMRs). We used analytical tools that evaluate polygenic enrichment of a subset of genomic variants against all variants. Results Schizophrenia was the only trait in which DMR SNPs showed clear enrichment of association that passed the genome-wide significance threshold. The enrichment was not observed for Neanderthal or Denisovan DMRs. The enrichment seen in human DMRs is comparable to that for genomic regions tagged by Neanderthal Selective Sweep markers, and stronger than that for Human Accelerated Regions. The enrichment survives multiple testing performed through permutation (n = 10,000) and bootstrapping (n = 5000) in INRICH (p < 0.01). Some enrichment of association with height was observed at the gene level. Conclusions Regions where DNA methylation modifications have changed during recent human evolution show enrichment of association with schizophrenia and possibly with height. Our study further supports the hypothesis that genetic variants conferring risk of schizophrenia co-occur in genomic regions that have changed as the human species evolved. Since methylation is an epigenetic mark, potentially mediated by environmental changes, our results also suggest that interaction with the environment might have contributed to that association. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-018-1177-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Niladri Banerjee
- NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Center for Psychosis Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Dr. Einar Martens Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Center for Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Tatiana Polushina
- NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Center for Psychosis Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Dr. Einar Martens Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Center for Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Francesco Bettella
- NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Center for Psychosis Research, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Centre, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sudheer Giddaluru
- NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Center for Psychosis Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Dr. Einar Martens Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Center for Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Vidar M Steen
- NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Center for Psychosis Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Dr. Einar Martens Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Center for Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ole A Andreassen
- NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Center for Psychosis Research, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Centre, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Stephanie Le Hellard
- NORMENT - K.G. Jebsen Center for Psychosis Research, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. .,Dr. Einar Martens Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Center for Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. .,Department of Clinical Medicine, Laboratory Building, Haukeland University Hospital, N-5021, Bergen, Norway.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Dahlhaus R. Of Men and Mice: Modeling the Fragile X Syndrome. Front Mol Neurosci 2018; 11:41. [PMID: 29599705 PMCID: PMC5862809 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is one of the most common forms of inherited intellectual disability in all human societies. Caused by the transcriptional silencing of a single gene, the fragile x mental retardation gene FMR1, FXS is characterized by a variety of symptoms, which range from mental disabilities to autism and epilepsy. More than 20 years ago, a first animal model was described, the Fmr1 knock-out mouse. Several other models have been developed since then, including conditional knock-out mice, knock-out rats, a zebrafish and a drosophila model. Using these model systems, various targets for potential pharmaceutical treatments have been identified and many treatments have been shown to be efficient in preclinical studies. However, all attempts to turn these findings into a therapy for patients have failed thus far. In this review, I will discuss underlying difficulties and address potential alternatives for our future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Regina Dahlhaus
- Institute for Biochemistry, Emil-Fischer Centre, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Yi SV. Insights into Epigenome Evolution from Animal and Plant Methylomes. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 9:3189-3201. [PMID: 29036466 PMCID: PMC5721340 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary studies of DNA methylation offer insights into the mechanisms governing the variation of genomic DNA methylation across different species. Comparisons of gross levels of DNA methylation between distantly related species indicate that the size of the genome and the level of genomic DNA methylation are positively correlated. In plant genomes, this can be reliably explained by the genomic contents of repetitive sequences. In animal genomes, the role of repetitive sequences on genomic DNA methylation is less clear. On a shorter timescale, population-level comparisons demonstrate that genetic variation can explain the observed variability of DNA methylation to some degree. The amount of DNA methylation variation that has been attributed to genetic variation in the human population studies so far is substantially lower than that from Arabidopsis population studies, but this disparity might reflect the differences in the computational and experimental techniques used. The effect of genetic variation on DNA methylation has been directly examined in mammalian systems, revealing several causative factors that govern DNA methylation. On the other hand, studies from Arabidopsis have furthered our understanding of spontaneous mutations of DNA methylation, termed “epimutations.” Arabidopsis has an extremely high rate of spontaneous epimutations, which may play a major role in shaping the global DNA methylation landscape in this genome. Key missing information includes the frequencies of spontaneous epimutations in other lineages, in particular animal genomes, and how population-level variation of DNA methylation leads to species-level differences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Soojin V Yi
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Qu J, Hodges E, Molaro A, Gagneux P, Dean MD, Hannon GJ, Smith AD. Evolutionary expansion of DNA hypomethylation in the mammalian germline genome. Genome Res 2018; 28:145-158. [PMID: 29259021 PMCID: PMC5793779 DOI: 10.1101/gr.225896.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
DNA methylation in the germline is among the most important factors influencing the evolution of mammalian genomes. Yet little is known about its evolutionary rate or the fraction of the methylome that has undergone change. We compared whole-genome, single-CpG DNA methylation profiles in sperm of seven species-human, chimpanzee, gorilla, rhesus macaque, mouse, rat, and dog-to investigate epigenomic evolution. We developed a phylo-epigenetic model for DNA methylation that accommodates the correlation of states at neighboring sites and allows for inference of ancestral states. Applying this model to the sperm methylomes, we uncovered an overall evolutionary expansion of the hypomethylated fraction of the genome, driven both by the birth of new hypomethylated regions and by extensive widening of hypomethylated intervals in ancestral species. This expansion shows strong lineage-specific aspects, most notably that hypomethylated intervals around transcription start sites have evolved to be considerably wider in primates and dog than in rodents, whereas rodents show evidence of a greater trend toward birth of new hypomethylated regions. Lineage-specific hypomethylated regions are enriched near sets of genes with common developmental functions and significant overlap across lineages. Rodent-specific and primate-specific hypomethylated regions are enriched for binding sites of similar transcription factors, suggesting that the plasticity accommodated by certain regulatory factors is conserved, despite substantial change in the specific sites of regulation. Overall our results reveal substantial global epigenomic change in mammalian sperm methylomes and point to a divergence in trans-epigenetic mechanisms that govern the organization of epigenetic states at gene promoters.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jianghan Qu
- Molecular and Computational Biology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA
| | - Emily Hodges
- Department of Biochemistry and Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Antoine Molaro
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
| | - Pascal Gagneux
- Division of Comparative Pathology and Medicine, Department of Pathology, Glycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Matthew D Dean
- Molecular and Computational Biology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA
| | - Gregory J Hannon
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815, USA
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0RE, United Kingdom
- The New York Genome Center, New York, New York 10013, USA
| | - Andrew D Smith
- Molecular and Computational Biology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Lea AJ, Vilgalys TP, Durst PAP, Tung J. Maximizing ecological and evolutionary insight in bisulfite sequencing data sets. Nat Ecol Evol 2017; 1:1074-1083. [PMID: 29046582 PMCID: PMC5656403 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0229-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Genome-scale bisulfite sequencing approaches have opened the door to ecological and evolutionary studies of DNA methylation in many organisms. These approaches can be powerful. However, they introduce new methodological and statistical considerations, some of which are particularly relevant to non-model systems. Here, we highlight how these considerations influence a study's power to link methylation variation with a predictor variable of interest. Relative to current practice, we argue that sample sizes will need to increase to provide robust insights. We also provide recommendations for overcoming common challenges and an R Shiny app to aid in study design.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J Lea
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Carl Icahn Laboratory, Washington Road, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08540, USA.
| | - Tauras P Vilgalys
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Paul A P Durst
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, 00502, Kenya.
- Duke University Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Sanchez H, Hossain MB, Lera L, Hirsch S, Albala C, Uauy R, Broberg K, Ronco AM. High levels of circulating folate concentrations are associated with DNA methylation of tumor suppressor and repair genes p16, MLH1, and MGMT in elderly Chileans. Clin Epigenetics 2017; 9:74. [PMID: 28748002 PMCID: PMC5525256 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-017-0374-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Changes in DNA methylation, one of the most studied epigenetic mechanisms, are considered an initial marker for early cancer detection. We evaluated how availability of dietary factors (folates and vitamin B12) involved in one-carbon metabolism may contribute to DNA methylation changes of cancer-related genes in human subjects. METHODS We studied, by pyrosequencing, the methylation of tumor suppressor gene p16, DNA repair genes MLH1 and MGMT, and the repetitive element LINE-1 (as a surrogate for global DNA methylation), in blood of elderly individuals (n = 249) who had been exposed to folic acid (FA) through FA-fortified wheat flour during the last 12 years. RESULTS We found that serum folate and to a lesser extent, vitamin B12 concentrations, were significantly correlated with DNA methylation of p16, MLH1, and MGMT, but not with LINE-1. High serum folate concentrations (>45.3 nmol/L) were present in 31.1% of the participants. Although the methylated fraction of CpG sites in p16, MLH1, and MGMT was low (1.17-3.8%), high folate concentrations were significantly associated with methylation at the 3rd tertile of specific CpG sites in all genes with OR between 1.97 and 4.17. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that a public policy, like food fortification with FA that increases circulating serum folate levels, could affect methylation levels of specific genes linked to cancer risk. Our present results deserve additional studies to clarify the real impact of high FA levels for risk of cancer in a whole population chronically exposed to a fortified food such as wheat flour. TRIAL REGISTRATION ISRCTN 48153354 and ISRCTN 02694183.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Sanchez
- Unidad de Nutrición Pública, Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos Doctor. Fernando Monckeberg Barros (INTA), Universidad de Chile, El Líbano 5524, Macul, Santiago, Chile
| | - Mohammad B. Hossain
- Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Lydia Lera
- Unidad de Nutrición Pública, Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos Doctor. Fernando Monckeberg Barros (INTA), Universidad de Chile, El Líbano 5524, Macul, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sandra Hirsch
- Unidad de Nutrición Humana, Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos Doctor Fernando Monckeberg Barros (INTA), Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Cecilia Albala
- Unidad de Nutrición Pública, Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos Doctor. Fernando Monckeberg Barros (INTA), Universidad de Chile, El Líbano 5524, Macul, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ricardo Uauy
- Unidad de Nutrición Pública, Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos Doctor. Fernando Monckeberg Barros (INTA), Universidad de Chile, El Líbano 5524, Macul, Santiago, Chile
| | - Karin Broberg
- Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Institutet of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ana M. Ronco
- Unidad de Nutrición Humana, Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos Doctor Fernando Monckeberg Barros (INTA), Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Savio AJ, Mrkonjic M, Lemire M, Gallinger S, Knight JA, Bapat B. The dynamic DNA methylation landscape of the mutL homolog 1 shore is altered by MLH1-93G>A polymorphism in normal tissues and colorectal cancer. Clin Epigenetics 2017; 9:26. [PMID: 28293327 PMCID: PMC5345264 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-017-0326-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Colorectal cancers (CRCs) undergo distinct genetic and epigenetic alterations. Expression of mutL homolog 1 (MLH1), a mismatch repair gene that corrects DNA replication errors, is lost in up to 15% of sporadic tumours due to mutation or, more commonly, due to DNA methylation of its promoter CpG island. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the CpG island of MLH1 (MLH1-93G>A or rs1800734) is associated with CpG island hypermethylation and decreased MLH1 expression in CRC tumours. Further, in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) DNA of both CRC cases and non-cancer controls, the variant allele of rs1800734 is associated with hypomethylation at the MLH1 shore, a region upstream of its CpG island that is less dense in CpG sites. RESULTS To determine whether this genotype-epigenotype association is present in other tissue types, including colorectal tumours, we assessed DNA methylation in matched normal colorectal tissue, tumour, and PBMC DNA from 349 population-based CRC cases recruited from the Ontario Familial Colorectal Cancer Registry. Using the semi-quantitative real-time PCR-based MethyLight assay, MLH1 shore methylation was significantly higher in tumour tissue than normal colon or PBMCs (P < 0.01). When shore methylation levels were stratified by SNP genotype, normal colorectal DNA and PBMC DNA were significantly hypomethylated in association with variant SNP genotype (P < 0.05). However, this association was lost in tumour DNA. Among distinct stages of CRC, metastatic stage IV CRC tumours incurred significant hypomethylation compared to stage I-III cases, irrespective of genotype status. Shore methylation of MLH1 was not associated with MSI status or promoter CpG island hypermethylation, regardless of genotype. To confirm these results, bisulfite sequencing was performed in matched tumour and normal colorectal specimens from six CRC cases, including two cases per genotype (wildtype, heterozygous, and homozygous variant). Bisulfite sequencing results corroborated the methylation patterns found by MethyLight, with significant hypomethylation in normal colorectal tissue of variant SNP allele carriers. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that the normal tissue types tested (colorectum and PBMC) experience dynamic genotype-associated epigenetic alterations at the MLH1 shore, whereas tumour DNA incurs aberrant hypermethylation compared to normal DNA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea J. Savio
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, 60 Murray St., Toronto, Ontario M5T 3L9 Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 27 King’s College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1 Canada
| | - Miralem Mrkonjic
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, 60 Murray St., Toronto, Ontario M5T 3L9 Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 27 King’s College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1 Canada
| | - Mathieu Lemire
- Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, 661 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A3 Canada
| | - Steven Gallinger
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, 60 Murray St., Toronto, Ontario M5T 3L9 Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 27 King’s College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1 Canada
- Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, 661 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A3 Canada
- Ontario Familial Colorectal Cancer Registry, Cancer Care Ontario, 60 Murray St., Toronto, Ontario M5T 3L9 Canada
- Department of Surgery, University Health Network, 200 Elizabeth St., Toronto, ON M5G 2C4 Canada
| | - Julia A. Knight
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, 60 Murray St., Toronto, Ontario M5T 3L9 Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 3M7 Canada
| | - Bharat Bapat
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, 60 Murray St., Toronto, Ontario M5T 3L9 Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 27 King’s College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1 Canada
- Department of Pathology, University Health Network, 200 Elizabeth St., Toronto, ON M5G 2C4 Canada
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Uno A, Nakamura R, Tsukahara T, Qu W, Sugano S, Suzuki Y, Morishita S, Takeda H. Comparative Analysis of Genome and Epigenome in Closely Related Medaka Species Identifies Conserved Sequence Preferences for DNA Hypomethylated Domains. Zoolog Sci 2017; 33:358-65. [PMID: 27498795 DOI: 10.2108/zs160030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The genomes of vertebrates are globally methylated, but a small portion of genomic regions are known to be hypomethylated. Although hypomethylated domains (HMDs) have been implicated in transcriptional regulation in various ways, how a HMD is determined in a particular genomic region remains elusive. To search for DNA motifs essential for the formation of HMDs, we performed the genome-wide comparative analysis of genome and DNA methylation patterns of the two medaka inbred lines, Hd-rRII1 and HNI-II, which are derived from northern and southern subpopulations of Japan and exhibit high levels of genetic variations (SNP, ∼ 3%). We successfully mapped > 70% of HMDs in both genomes and found that the majority of those mapped HMDs are conserved between the two lines (common HMDs). Unexpectedly, the average genetic variations are similar in the common HMD and other genome regions. However, we identified short well-conserved motifs that are specifically enriched in HMDs, suggesting that they may play roles in the establishment of HMDs in the medaka genome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ayako Uno
- 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science,The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Ryohei Nakamura
- 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science,The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Tsukahara
- 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science,The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.,2 Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Ave,Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Wei Qu
- 3 Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences,The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8562, Japan
| | - Sumio Sugano
- 3 Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences,The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8562, Japan
| | - Yutaka Suzuki
- 3 Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences,The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8562, Japan
| | - Shinichi Morishita
- 3 Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences,The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8562, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Takeda
- 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science,The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.,4 CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Simunovic MP, Jolly JK, Xue K, Edwards TL, Groppe M, Downes SM, MacLaren RE. The Spectrum of CHM Gene Mutations in Choroideremia and Their Relationship to Clinical Phenotype. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2016; 57:6033-6039. [PMID: 27820636 PMCID: PMC5102569 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.16-20230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE We report the underlying genotype and explore possible genotypic-phenotypic correlations in a large cohort of choroideremia patients. METHODS We studied prospectively a cohort of 79 patients diagnosed within a tertiary referral service for patients with retinal dystrophies. Phenotypic evaluation consisted of clinical examination, including visual acuity and residual retinal area by fundus autofluorescence (FAF). Genotype was established by sequencing. We also investigated whether particular genotypes were associated with more severe phenotypes by performing analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), with visual acuity and FAF as the dependent variables and age as the covariant. RESULTS A total of 74 (94%) of patients in our cohort had causative mutations by sequencing, the majority of which were anticipated to be null. Of these, 35 (47%) had insertions and deletions, 13 (18%) had mutations predicted to affect splicing, and 26 (35%) had single point mutations. In the latter case, 13 of 21 (62%) pedigrees with single point mutations were C to T transitions at C-phosphate-G (CpG) dinucleotides. These mutations were spread across 5 of only 24 CpG dinucleotides in the entire CHM cDNA. Furthermore, these 5 locations are the only sites at which C to T transitions result in a stop codon. No clear evidence was found for genotype-phenotype correlation except in the instance of a patient with a large deletion involving neighbouring sequences. CONCLUSIONS In patients with a diagnosis of choroideremia made by a specialty service, there is a high likelihood of establishing a genetic diagnosis. The majority of causative mutations appear to be null and, therefore, may benefit from gene replacement therapy. A disproportionate number of single point mutations observed were C to T transitions, consistent with the evolutionary decay of CpG dinucleotides through methylation and subsequent deamination. Hence, the development of choroideremia in such patients may represent the unwanted consequence of human evolution; de novo mutations are predicted to arise at these sites in future generations. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01461213.).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew P. Simunovic
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Eye Hospital, University of Oxford NHS Trust, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Save Sight Institute, Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Eye Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jasleen K. Jolly
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Eye Hospital, University of Oxford NHS Trust, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Kanmin Xue
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Eye Hospital, University of Oxford NHS Trust, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas L. Edwards
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Eye Hospital, University of Oxford NHS Trust, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Markus Groppe
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Eye Hospital, University of Oxford NHS Trust, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Susan M. Downes
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Eye Hospital, University of Oxford NHS Trust, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Robert E. MacLaren
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Eye Hospital, University of Oxford NHS Trust, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Kuhlwilm M, de Manuel M, Nater A, Greminger MP, Krützen M, Marques-Bonet T. Evolution and demography of the great apes. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2016; 41:124-129. [PMID: 27716526 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2016.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2016] [Revised: 09/03/2016] [Accepted: 09/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The great apes are the closest living relatives of humans. Chimpanzees and bonobos group together with humans, while gorillas and orangutans are more divergent from humans. Here, we review insights into their evolution pertaining to the topology of species and subspecies and the reconstruction of their demography based on genome-wide variation. These advances have only become possible recently through next-generation sequencing technologies. Given the close relationship to humans, they provide an important evolutionary context for human genetics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kuhlwilm
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), PRBB, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona, Catalonia 08003, Spain
| | - Marc de Manuel
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), PRBB, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona, Catalonia 08003, Spain
| | - Alexander Nater
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Maja P Greminger
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland; Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Krützen
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), PRBB, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona, Catalonia 08003, Spain; Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Catalonia 08010, Spain; CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri i Reixac 4, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Bell CG. Insights in human epigenomic dynamics through comparative primate analysis. Genomics 2016; 108:115-125. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2016.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2016] [Revised: 08/03/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
|
43
|
Mendizabal I, Shi L, Keller TE, Konopka G, Preuss TM, Hsieh TF, Hu E, Zhang Z, Su B, Yi SV. Comparative Methylome Analyses Identify Epigenetic Regulatory Loci of Human Brain Evolution. Mol Biol Evol 2016; 33:2947-2959. [PMID: 27563052 PMCID: PMC5062329 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msw176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
How do epigenetic modifications change across species and how do these modifications affect evolution? These are fundamental questions at the forefront of our evolutionary epigenomic understanding. Our previous work investigated human and chimpanzee brain methylomes, but it was limited by the lack of outgroup data which is critical for comparative (epi)genomic studies. Here, we compared whole genome DNA methylation maps from brains of humans, chimpanzees and also rhesus macaques (outgroup) to elucidate DNA methylation changes during human brain evolution. Moreover, we validated that our approach is highly robust by further examining 38 human-specific DMRs using targeted deep genomic and bisulfite sequencing in an independent panel of 37 individuals from five primate species. Our unbiased genome-scan identified human brain differentially methylated regions (DMRs), irrespective of their associations with annotated genes. Remarkably, over half of the newly identified DMRs locate in intergenic regions or gene bodies. Nevertheless, their regulatory potential is on par with those of promoter DMRs. An intriguing observation is that DMRs are enriched in active chromatin loops, suggesting human-specific evolutionary remodeling at a higher-order chromatin structure. These findings indicate that there is substantial reprogramming of epigenomic landscapes during human brain evolution involving noncoding regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Mendizabal
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain
| | - Lei Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China The Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Thomas E Keller
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
| | - Genevieve Konopka
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Todd M Preuss
- Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases & Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Tzung-Fu Hsieh
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and Plants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
| | - Enzhi Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhe Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Bing Su
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Soojin V Yi
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Contrasting Levels of Molecular Evolution on the Mouse X Chromosome. Genetics 2016; 203:1841-57. [PMID: 27317678 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.116.186825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 06/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The mammalian X chromosome has unusual evolutionary dynamics compared to autosomes. Faster-X evolution of spermatogenic protein-coding genes is known to be most pronounced for genes expressed late in spermatogenesis, but it is unclear if these patterns extend to other forms of molecular divergence. We tested for faster-X evolution in mice spanning three different forms of molecular evolution-divergence in protein sequence, gene expression, and DNA methylation-across different developmental stages of spermatogenesis. We used FACS to isolate individual cell populations and then generated cell-specific transcriptome profiles across different stages of spermatogenesis in two subspecies of house mice (Mus musculus), thereby overcoming a fundamental limitation of previous studies on whole tissues. We found faster-X protein evolution at all stages of spermatogenesis and faster-late protein evolution for both X-linked and autosomal genes. In contrast, there was less expression divergence late in spermatogenesis (slower late) on the X chromosome and for autosomal genes expressed primarily in testis (testis-biased). We argue that slower-late expression divergence reflects strong regulatory constraints imposed during this critical stage of sperm development and that these constraints are particularly acute on the tightly regulated sex chromosomes. We also found slower-X DNA methylation divergence based on genome-wide bisulfite sequencing of sperm from two species of mice (M. musculus and M. spretus), although it is unclear whether slower-X DNA methylation reflects development constraints in sperm or other X-linked phenomena. Our study clarifies key differences in patterns of regulatory and protein evolution across spermatogenesis that are likely to have important consequences for mammalian sex chromosome evolution, male fertility, and speciation.
Collapse
|
45
|
Lowdon RF, Jang HS, Wang T. Evolution of Epigenetic Regulation in Vertebrate Genomes. Trends Genet 2016; 32:269-283. [PMID: 27080453 PMCID: PMC4842087 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2016.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2015] [Revised: 03/02/2016] [Accepted: 03/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Empirical models of sequence evolution have spurred progress in the field of evolutionary genetics for decades. We are now realizing the importance and complexity of the eukaryotic epigenome. While epigenome analysis has been applied to genomes from single-cell eukaryotes to human, comparative analyses are still relatively few and computational algorithms to quantify epigenome evolution remain scarce. Accordingly, a quantitative model of epigenome evolution remains to be established. We review here the comparative epigenomics literature and synthesize its overarching themes. We also suggest one mechanism, transcription factor binding site (TFBS) turnover, which relates sequence evolution to epigenetic conservation or divergence. Lastly, we propose a framework for how the field can move forward to build a coherent quantitative model of epigenome evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca F Lowdon
- Department of Genetics, Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Hyo Sik Jang
- Department of Genetics, Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ting Wang
- Department of Genetics, Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Gokhman D, Meshorer E, Carmel L. Epigenetics: It's Getting Old. Past Meets Future in Paleoepigenetics. Trends Ecol Evol 2016; 31:290-300. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2015] [Revised: 01/18/2016] [Accepted: 01/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
|
47
|
Abstract
A fundamental initiative for evolutionary biologists is to understand the molecular basis underlying phenotypic diversity. A long-standing hypothesis states that species-specific traits may be explained by differences in gene regulation rather than differences at the protein level. Over the past few years, evolutionary studies have shifted from mere sequence comparisons to integrative analyses in which gene regulation is key to understanding species evolution. DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification involved in the regulation of numerous biological processes. Nevertheless, the evolution of the human methylome and the processes driving such changes are poorly understood. Here, we review the close interplay between Cytosine-phosphate-Guanine (CpG) methylation and the underlying genome sequence, as well as its evolutionary impact. We also summarize the latest advances in the field, revisiting the main literature on human and nonhuman primates. We hope to encourage the scientific community to address the many challenges posed by the field of comparative epigenomics.
Collapse
|