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Vijayabaskar MS, Goode DK, Obier N, Lichtinger M, Emmett AML, Abidin FNZ, Shar N, Hannah R, Assi SA, Lie-A-Ling M, Gottgens B, Lacaud G, Kouskoff V, Bonifer C, Westhead DR. Identification of gene specific cis-regulatory elements during differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells: An integrative approach using high-throughput datasets. PLoS Comput Biol 2019; 15:e1007337. [PMID: 31682597 PMCID: PMC6855567 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2017] [Revised: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene expression governs cell fate, and is regulated via a complex interplay of transcription factors and molecules that change chromatin structure. Advances in sequencing-based assays have enabled investigation of these processes genome-wide, leading to large datasets that combine information on the dynamics of gene expression, transcription factor binding and chromatin structure as cells differentiate. While numerous studies focus on the effects of these features on broader gene regulation, less work has been done on the mechanisms of gene-specific transcriptional control. In this study, we have focussed on the latter by integrating gene expression data for the in vitro differentiation of murine ES cells to macrophages and cardiomyocytes, with dynamic data on chromatin structure, epigenetics and transcription factor binding. Combining a novel strategy to identify communities of related control elements with a penalized regression approach, we developed individual models to identify the potential control elements predictive of the expression of each gene. Our models were compared to an existing method and evaluated using the existing literature and new experimental data from embryonic stem cell differentiation reporter assays. Our method is able to identify transcriptional control elements in a gene specific manner that reflect known regulatory relationships and to generate useful hypotheses for further testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. S. Vijayabaskar
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Debbie K. Goode
- Wellcome Trust & MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Nadine Obier
- Institute for Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham. Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Monika Lichtinger
- Institute for Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham. Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Amber M. L. Emmett
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Fatin N. Zainul Abidin
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Nisar Shar
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca Hannah
- Wellcome Trust & MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Salam A. Assi
- Institute for Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham. Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Lie-A-Ling
- CRUK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Berthold Gottgens
- Wellcome Trust & MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Georges Lacaud
- CRUK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Valerie Kouskoff
- Division of Developmental Biology and Medicine, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Constanze Bonifer
- Institute for Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham. Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - David R. Westhead
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
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