1
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Lee XY, Van Eynde W, Helsen C, Willems H, Peperstraete K, De Block S, Voet A, Claessens F. Structural mechanism underlying variations in DNA binding by the androgen receptor. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2024; 241:106499. [PMID: 38604378 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
The androgen receptor (AR) is a steroid activated transcription factor which recognizes DNA motifs resembling inverted repeats of a conserved 5'-AGAACA-3'-like hexanucleotides separated by a three-nucleotide spacer from a similar, but less conserved hexanucleotide. Here, we report the structures of the human AR DNA binding domain (DBD) bound to two natural AREs (C3 and MTV) in head-to-head dimer conformations, diffracting at 2.05 Å and 2.25 Å, respectively. These structures help to explain the impact of androgen insensitivity mutations on the structure integrity, DNA binding and DBD dimerization. The binding affinity of the AR DBD to different DNA motifs were measured by the BioLayer Interferometry (BLI) and further validated by Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. This shows that the high binding affinity of the first DBD to the upstream 5'-AGAACA-3' motif induces the cooperative binding of the second DBD to the second hexanucleotide. Our data indicate identical interaction of the DBDs to the upstream hexanucleotides, while forming an induced closer contact of the second DBD on the non-canonical hexanucleotides. The variation in binding between the DBD monomers are the result of differences in DNA occupancy, protein-protein interactions, DNA binding affinity, and DNA binding energy profiles. We propose this has functional consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Yin Lee
- Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Campus Gasthuisberg ON1 Herestraat 49 - box 901, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Wout Van Eynde
- Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Biomolecular Modelling and Design, Heverlee 3001, Belgium
| | - Christine Helsen
- Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Campus Gasthuisberg ON1 Herestraat 49 - box 901, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Hanne Willems
- Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Campus Gasthuisberg ON1 Herestraat 49 - box 901, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Kaat Peperstraete
- Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Campus Gasthuisberg ON1 Herestraat 49 - box 901, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Sofie De Block
- Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Campus Gasthuisberg ON1 Herestraat 49 - box 901, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Arnout Voet
- Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Biomolecular Modelling and Design, Heverlee 3001, Belgium
| | - Frank Claessens
- Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Campus Gasthuisberg ON1 Herestraat 49 - box 901, Leuven 3000, Belgium.
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2
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Zimmerman JAO, Fang M, Pufall MA. PI3Kδ Inhibition Potentiates Glucocorticoids in B-lymphoblastic Leukemia by Decreasing Receptor Phosphorylation and Enhancing Gene Regulation. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 16:143. [PMID: 38201570 PMCID: PMC10778422 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16010143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Glucocorticoids are the cornerstone of B-lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) therapy. Because response to glucocorticoids alone predicts overall outcomes for B-ALL, enhancing glucocorticoid potency should improve treatment. We previously showed that inhibition of the lymphoid-restricted PI3Kδ with idelalisib enhances glucocorticoid activity in B-ALL cells. Here, we show that idelalisib enhances glucocorticoid potency in 90% of primary B-ALL specimens and is most pronounced at sub-saturating doses of glucocorticoids near the EC50. Potentiation is associated with enhanced regulation of all glucocorticoid-regulated genes, including genes that drive B-ALL cell death. Idelalisib reduces phosphorylation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) at PI3Kδ/MAPK1 (ERK2) targets S203 and S226. Ablation of these phospho-acceptor sites enhances sensitivity to glucocorticoids with ablation of S226 in particular reducing synergy. We also show that phosphorylation of S226 reduces the affinity of GR for DNA in vitro. We propose that PI3Kδ inhibition improves glucocorticoid efficacy in B-ALL in part by decreasing GR phosphorylation, increasing DNA binding affinity, and enhancing downstream gene regulation. This mechanism and the response of patient specimens suggest that idelalisib will benefit most patients with B-ALL, but particularly patients with less responsive, including high-risk, disease. This combination is also promising for the development of less toxic glucocorticoid-sparing therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A. O. Zimmerman
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA;
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA;
| | - Mimi Fang
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA;
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Miles A. Pufall
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA;
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
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3
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Martin V, Zhuang F, Zhang Y, Pinheiro K, Gordân R. High-throughput data and modeling reveal insights into the mechanisms of cooperative DNA-binding by transcription factor proteins. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:11600-11612. [PMID: 37889068 PMCID: PMC10681739 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Cooperative DNA-binding by transcription factor (TF) proteins is critical for eukaryotic gene regulation. In the human genome, many regulatory regions contain TF-binding sites in close proximity to each other, which can facilitate cooperative interactions. However, binding site proximity does not necessarily imply cooperative binding, as TFs can also bind independently to each of their neighboring target sites. Currently, the rules that drive cooperative TF binding are not well understood. In addition, it is oftentimes difficult to infer direct TF-TF cooperativity from existing DNA-binding data. Here, we show that in vitro binding assays using DNA libraries of a few thousand genomic sequences with putative cooperative TF-binding events can be used to develop accurate models of cooperativity and to gain insights into cooperative binding mechanisms. Using factors ETS1 and RUNX1 as our case study, we show that the distance and orientation between ETS1 sites are critical determinants of cooperative ETS1-ETS1 binding, while cooperative ETS1-RUNX1 interactions show more flexibility in distance and orientation and can be accurately predicted based on the affinity and sequence/shape features of the binding sites. The approach described here, combining custom experimental design with machine-learning modeling, can be easily applied to study the cooperative DNA-binding patterns of any TFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincentius Martin
- Department of Computer Science, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Center for Genomic & Computational Biology, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Farica Zhuang
- Department of Computer Science, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Center for Genomic & Computational Biology, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Yuning Zhang
- Center for Genomic & Computational Biology, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Program in Computational Biology & Bioinformatics, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Kyle Pinheiro
- Department of Computer Science, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Center for Genomic & Computational Biology, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Raluca Gordân
- Department of Computer Science, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Center for Genomic & Computational Biology, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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4
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Horton CA, Alexandari AM, Hayes MGB, Marklund E, Schaepe JM, Aditham AK, Shah N, Suzuki PH, Shrikumar A, Afek A, Greenleaf WJ, Gordân R, Zeitlinger J, Kundaje A, Fordyce PM. Short tandem repeats bind transcription factors to tune eukaryotic gene expression. Science 2023; 381:eadd1250. [PMID: 37733848 DOI: 10.1126/science.add1250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Short tandem repeats (STRs) are enriched in eukaryotic cis-regulatory elements and alter gene expression, yet how they regulate transcription remains unknown. We found that STRs modulate transcription factor (TF)-DNA affinities and apparent on-rates by about 70-fold by directly binding TF DNA-binding domains, with energetic impacts exceeding many consensus motif mutations. STRs maximize the number of weakly preferred microstates near target sites, thereby increasing TF density, with impacts well predicted by statistical mechanics. Confirming that STRs also affect TF binding in cells, neural networks trained only on in vivo occupancies predicted effects identical to those observed in vitro. Approximately 90% of TFs preferentially bound STRs that need not resemble known motifs, providing a cis-regulatory mechanism to target TFs to genomic sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Connor A Horton
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Amr M Alexandari
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michael G B Hayes
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Emil Marklund
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Julia M Schaepe
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Arjun K Aditham
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- ChEM-H Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Nilay Shah
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Peter H Suzuki
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Avanti Shrikumar
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ariel Afek
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Chemical and Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | | | - Raluca Gordân
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Julia Zeitlinger
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
- The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66103, USA
| | - Anshul Kundaje
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Polly M Fordyce
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- ChEM-H Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA
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5
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Zimmerman JA, Fang M, Pufall MA. PI3Kδ inhibition potentiates glucocorticoids in B-lymphoblastic leukemia by decreasing receptor phosphorylation and enhancing gene regulation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.10.527869. [PMID: 36798391 PMCID: PMC9934697 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.10.527869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids, including dexamethasone and prednisone, are the cornerstone of B-lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) therapy. Because response to glucocorticoids alone predicts overall outcomes for B-ALL, enhancing glucocorticoid potency is a route to improving outcomes. However, systematic toxicities prevent the use of higher dose and more potent glucocorticoids. We therefore took a functional genomic approach to identify targets to enhance glucocorticoid activity specifically in B-ALL cells. Here we show that inhibition of the lymphoid-restricted PI3Kδ, signaling through the RAS/MAPK pathway, enhances both prednisone and dexamethasone activity in almost all ex vivo B-ALL specimens tested. This potentiation is most synergistic at sub-saturating doses of glucocorticoids, approaching the EC50. Potentiation correlates with global enhancement of glucocorticoid-induced gene regulation, including regulation of effector genes that drive B-ALL cell death. Idelalisib reduces phosphorylation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) at MAPK1/ERK2 targets S203 and S226, and ablation of these phospho-acceptor sites enhances glucocorticoid potency. We further show that phosphorylation of S226 reduces the affinity of GR for DNA in vitro, which impairs DNA binding. We therefore propose that PI3Kδ inhibition improves glucocorticoid efficacy in B-ALL in part by decreasing GR phosphorylation, increasing DNA binding affinity, and enhancing downstream gene regulation. The overall enhancement of GR function suggests that idelalisib will provide benefit to most patients with B-ALL by improving outcomes for patients whose disease is less responsive to glucocorticoid-based therapy, including high-risk disease, and allowing less toxic glucocorticoid-sparing strategies for patients with standard-risk disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A.O. Zimmerman
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Mimi Fang
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Miles A. Pufall
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
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6
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Bhimsaria D, Rodríguez-Martínez JA, Mendez-Johnson JL, Ghoshdastidar D, Varadarajan A, Bansal M, Daniels DL, Ramanathan P, Ansari AZ. Hidden modes of DNA binding by human nuclear receptors. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4179. [PMID: 37443151 PMCID: PMC10345098 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39577-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Human nuclear receptors (NRs) are a superfamily of ligand-responsive transcription factors that have central roles in cellular function. Their malfunction is linked to numerous diseases, and the ability to modulate their activity with synthetic ligands has yielded 16% of all FDA-approved drugs. NRs regulate distinct gene networks, however they often function from genomic sites that lack known binding motifs. Here, to annotate genomic binding sites of known and unexamined NRs more accurately, we use high-throughput SELEX to comprehensively map DNA binding site preferences of all full-length human NRs, in complex with their ligands. Furthermore, to identify non-obvious binding sites buried in DNA-protein interactomes, we develop MinSeq Find, a search algorithm based on the MinTerm concept from electrical engineering and digital systems design. The resulting MinTerm sequence set (MinSeqs) reveal a constellation of binding sites that more effectively annotate NR-binding profiles in cells. MinSeqs also unmask binding sites created or disrupted by 52,106 single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with human diseases. By implicating druggable NRs as hidden drivers of multiple human diseases, our results not only reveal new biological roles of NRs, but they also provide a resource for drug-repurposing and precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devesh Bhimsaria
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247667, India.
| | | | | | | | - Ashwin Varadarajan
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Manju Bansal
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
| | - Danette L Daniels
- Promega Corporation, Madison, WI, 53711, USA
- Foghorn Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Parameswaran Ramanathan
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
| | - Aseem Z Ansari
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA.
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7
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Ghoshdastidar D, Bansal M. Flexibility of flanking DNA is a key determinant of transcription factor affinity for the core motif. Biophys J 2022; 121:3987-4000. [PMID: 35978548 PMCID: PMC9674967 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Selective gene regulation is mediated by recognition of specific DNA sequences by transcription factors (TFs). The extremely challenging task of searching out specific cognate DNA binding sites among several million putative sites within the eukaryotic genome is achieved by complex molecular recognition mechanisms. Elements of this recognition code include the core binding sequence, the flanking sequence context, and the shape and conformational flexibility of the composite binding site. To unravel the extent to which DNA flexibility modulates TF binding, in this study, we employed experimentally guided molecular dynamics simulations of ternary complex of closely related Hox heterodimers Exd-Ubx and Exd-Scr with DNA. Results demonstrate that flexibility signatures embedded in the flanking sequences impact TF binding at the cognate binding site. A DNA sequence has intrinsic shape and flexibility features. While shape features are localized, our analyses reveal that flexibility features of the flanking sequences percolate several basepairs and allosterically modulate TF binding at the core. We also show that lack of flexibility in the motif context can render the cognate site resistant to protein-induced shape changes and subsequently lower TF binding affinity. Overall, this study suggests that flexibility-guided DNA shape, and not merely the static shape, is a key unexplored component of the complex DNA-TF recognition code.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Manju Bansal
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, Karnataka, India.
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8
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Cooper BH, Chiu TP, Rohs R. Top-Down Crawl: a method for the ultra-rapid and motif-free alignment of sequences with associated binding metrics. Bioinformatics 2022; 38:5121-5123. [PMID: 36179084 PMCID: PMC9665867 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btac653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY Several high-throughput protein-DNA binding methods currently available produce highly reproducible measurements of binding affinity at the level of the k-mer. However, understanding where a k-mer is positioned along a binding site sequence depends on alignment. Here, we present Top-Down Crawl (TDC), an ultra-rapid tool designed for the alignment of k-mer level data in a rank-dependent and position weight matrix (PWM)-independent manner. As the framework only depends on the rank of the input, the method can accept input from many types of experiments (protein binding microarray, SELEX-seq, SMiLE-seq, etc.) without the need for specialized parameterization. Measuring the performance of the alignment using multiple linear regression with 5-fold cross-validation, we find TDC to perform as well as or better than computationally expensive PWM-based methods. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION TDC can be run online at https://topdowncrawl.usc.edu or locally as a python package available through pip at https://pypi.org/project/TopDownCrawl. CONTACT SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendon H Cooper
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Tsu-Pei Chiu
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Remo Rohs
- To whom correspondence should be addressed.
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9
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Hernandez-Corchado A, Najafabadi HS. Toward a base-resolution panorama of the in vivo impact of cytosine methylation on transcription factor binding. Genome Biol 2022; 23:151. [PMID: 35799193 PMCID: PMC9264634 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-022-02713-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background While methylation of CpG dinucleotides is traditionally considered antagonistic to the DNA-binding activity of most transcription factors (TFs), recent in vitro studies have revealed a more complex picture, suggesting that over a third of TFs may preferentially bind to methylated sequences. Expanding these in vitro observations to in vivo TF binding preferences is challenging since the effect of methylation of individual CpG sites cannot be easily isolated from the confounding effects of DNA accessibility and regional DNA methylation. Thus, in vivo methylation preferences of most TFs remain uncharacterized. Results We introduce joint accessibility-methylation-sequence (JAMS) models, which connect the strength of the binding signal observed in ChIP-seq to the DNA accessibility of the binding site, regional methylation level, DNA sequence, and base-resolution cytosine methylation. We show that JAMS models quantitatively explain TF occupancy, recapitulate cell type-specific TF binding, and have high positive predictive value for identification of TFs affected by intra-motif methylation. Analysis of 2209 ChIP-seq experiments results in high-confidence JAMS models for 260 TFs, revealing a negative association between in vivo TF occupancy and intra-motif methylation for 45% of studied TFs, as well as 16 TFs that are predicted to bind to methylated sites, including 11 novel methyl-binding TFs mostly from the multi-zinc finger family. Conclusions Our study substantially expands the repertoire of in vivo methyl-binding TFs, but also suggests that most TFs that prefer methylated CpGs in vitro present themselves as methylation agnostic in vivo, potentially due to the balancing effect of competition with other methyl-binding proteins. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13059-022-02713-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aldo Hernandez-Corchado
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 0C7, Canada.,McGill Genome Centre, Montreal, QC, H3A 0G1, Canada
| | - Hamed S Najafabadi
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 0C7, Canada. .,McGill Genome Centre, Montreal, QC, H3A 0G1, Canada.
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10
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Özturan D, Morova T, Lack NA. Androgen Receptor-Mediated Transcription in Prostate Cancer. Cells 2022; 11:cells11050898. [PMID: 35269520 PMCID: PMC8909478 DOI: 10.3390/cells11050898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Androgen receptor (AR)-mediated transcription is critical in almost all stages of prostate cancer (PCa) growth and differentiation. This process involves a complex interplay of coregulatory proteins, chromatin remodeling complexes, and other transcription factors that work with AR at cis-regulatory enhancer regions to induce the spatiotemporal transcription of target genes. This enhancer-driven mechanism is remarkably dynamic and undergoes significant alterations during PCa progression. In this review, we discuss the AR mechanism of action in PCa with a focus on how cis-regulatory elements modulate gene expression. We explore emerging evidence of genetic variants that can impact AR regulatory regions and alter gene transcription in PCa. Finally, we highlight several outstanding questions and discuss potential mechanisms of this critical transcription factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doğancan Özturan
- School of Medicine, Koç University, Istanbul 34450, Turkey;
- Koç University Research Centre for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Koç University, Istanbul 34450, Turkey
| | - Tunç Morova
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada;
| | - Nathan A. Lack
- School of Medicine, Koç University, Istanbul 34450, Turkey;
- Koç University Research Centre for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Koç University, Istanbul 34450, Turkey
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-604-875-4411 (ext. 6417)
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11
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Datta RR, Rister J. The power of the (imperfect) palindrome: Sequence-specific roles of palindromic motifs in gene regulation. Bioessays 2022; 44:e2100191. [PMID: 35195290 PMCID: PMC8957550 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202100191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
In human languages, a palindrome reads the same forward as backward (e.g., 'madam'). In regulatory DNA, a palindrome is an inverted sequence repeat that allows a transcription factor to bind as a homodimer or as a heterodimer with another type of transcription factor. Regulatory palindromes are typically imperfect, that is, the repeated sequences differ in at least one base pair, but the functional significance of this asymmetry remains poorly understood. Here, we review the use of imperfect palindromes in Drosophila photoreceptor differentiation and mammalian steroid receptor signaling. Moreover, we discuss mechanistic explanations for the predominance of imperfect palindromes over perfect palindromes in these two gene regulatory contexts. Lastly, we propose to elucidate whether specific imperfectly palindromic variants have specific regulatory functions in steroid receptor signaling and whether such variants can help predict transcriptional outcomes as well as the response of individual patients to drug treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhea R Datta
- Department of Biology, Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, USA
| | - Jens Rister
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Integrated Sciences Complex, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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12
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Dinh DT, Russell DL. Nuclear Receptors in Ovarian Function. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1390:41-58. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-11836-4_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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13
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Kulik M, Bothe M, Kibar G, Fuchs A, Schöne S, Prekovic S, Mayayo-Peralta I, Chung HR, Zwart W, Helsen C, Claessens F, Meijsing SH. Androgen and glucocorticoid receptor direct distinct transcriptional programs by receptor-specific and shared DNA binding sites. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:3856-3875. [PMID: 33751115 PMCID: PMC8053126 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The glucocorticoid (GR) and androgen (AR) receptors execute unique functions in vivo, yet have nearly identical DNA binding specificities. To identify mechanisms that facilitate functional diversification among these transcription factor paralogs, we studied them in an equivalent cellular context. Analysis of chromatin and sequence suggest that divergent binding, and corresponding gene regulation, are driven by different abilities of AR and GR to interact with relatively inaccessible chromatin. Divergent genomic binding patterns can also be the result of subtle differences in DNA binding preference between AR and GR. Furthermore, the sequence composition of large regions (>10 kb) surrounding selectively occupied binding sites differs significantly, indicating a role for the sequence environment in guiding AR and GR to distinct binding sites. The comparison of binding sites that are shared shows that the specificity paradox can also be resolved by differences in the events that occur downstream of receptor binding. Specifically, shared binding sites display receptor-specific enhancer activity, cofactor recruitment and changes in histone modifications. Genomic deletion of shared binding sites demonstrates their contribution to directing receptor-specific gene regulation. Together, these data suggest that differences in genomic occupancy as well as divergence in the events that occur downstream of receptor binding direct functional diversification among transcription factor paralogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Kulik
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Ihnestraße 63–73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Melissa Bothe
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Ihnestraße 63–73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Gözde Kibar
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Ihnestraße 63–73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Alisa Fuchs
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Ihnestraße 63–73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefanie Schöne
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Ihnestraße 63–73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Prekovic
- Division of Oncogenomics, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Isabel Mayayo-Peralta
- Division of Oncogenomics, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ho-Ryun Chung
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Ihnestraße 63–73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Institute for Medical Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, Philipps University of Marburg, 35037, Marburg, Germany
| | - Wilbert Zwart
- Division of Oncogenomics, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Christine Helsen
- Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Frank Claessens
- Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sebastiaan H Meijsing
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Ihnestraße 63–73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, D-10117 Berlin, Germany
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14
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Genome-wide binding potential and regulatory activity of the glucocorticoid receptor's monomeric and dimeric forms. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1987. [PMID: 33790284 PMCID: PMC8012360 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22234-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
A widely regarded model for glucocorticoid receptor (GR) action postulates that dimeric binding to DNA regulates unfavorable metabolic pathways while monomeric receptor binding promotes repressive gene responses related to its anti-inflammatory effects. This model has been built upon the characterization of the GRdim mutant, reported to be incapable of DNA binding and dimerization. Although quantitative live-cell imaging data shows GRdim as mostly dimeric, genomic studies based on recovery of enriched half-site response elements suggest monomeric engagement on DNA. Here, we perform genome-wide studies on GRdim and a constitutively monomeric mutant. Our results show that impairing dimerization affects binding even to open chromatin. We also find that GRdim does not exclusively bind half-response elements. Our results do not support a physiological role for monomeric GR and are consistent with a common mode of receptor binding via higher order structures that drives both the activating and repressive actions of glucocorticoids.
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15
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Afek A, Shi H, Rangadurai A, Sahay H, Senitzki A, Xhani S, Fang M, Salinas R, Mielko Z, Pufall MA, Poon GMK, Haran TE, Schumacher MA, Al-Hashimi HM, Gordân R. DNA mismatches reveal conformational penalties in protein-DNA recognition. Nature 2020; 587:291-296. [PMID: 33087930 PMCID: PMC7666076 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2843-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Transcription factors recognize specific genomic sequences to regulate complex gene-expression programs. Although it is well-established that transcription factors bind to specific DNA sequences using a combination of base readout and shape recognition, some fundamental aspects of protein-DNA binding remain poorly understood1,2. Many DNA-binding proteins induce changes in the structure of the DNA outside the intrinsic B-DNA envelope. However, how the energetic cost that is associated with distorting the DNA contributes to recognition has proven difficult to study, because the distorted DNA exists in low abundance in the unbound ensemble3-9. Here we use a high-throughput assay that we term SaMBA (saturation mismatch-binding assay) to investigate the role of DNA conformational penalties in transcription factor-DNA recognition. In SaMBA, mismatched base pairs are introduced to pre-induce structural distortions in the DNA that are much larger than those induced by changes in the Watson-Crick sequence. Notably, approximately 10% of mismatches increased transcription factor binding, and for each of the 22 transcription factors that were examined, at least one mismatch was found that increased the binding affinity. Mismatches also converted non-specific sites into high-affinity sites, and high-affinity sites into 'super sites' that exhibit stronger affinity than any known canonical binding site. Determination of high-resolution X-ray structures, combined with nuclear magnetic resonance measurements and structural analyses, showed that many of the DNA mismatches that increase binding induce distortions that are similar to those induced by protein binding-thus prepaying some of the energetic cost incurred from deforming the DNA. Our work indicates that conformational penalties are a major determinant of protein-DNA recognition, and reveals mechanisms by which mismatches can recruit transcription factors and thus modulate replication and repair activities in the cell10,11.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Afek
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Honglue Shi
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Atul Rangadurai
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Harshit Sahay
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Alon Senitzki
- Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Suela Xhani
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mimi Fang
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Raul Salinas
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Zachery Mielko
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Miles A Pufall
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Gregory M K Poon
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Center for Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Tali E Haran
- Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Maria A Schumacher
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Hashim M Al-Hashimi
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - Raluca Gordân
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
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16
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Zhang L, Rube HT, Vakulskas CA, Behlke MA, Bussemaker HJ, Pufall MA. Systematic in vitro profiling of off-target affinity, cleavage and efficiency for CRISPR enzymes. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:5037-5053. [PMID: 32315032 PMCID: PMC7229833 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR RNA-guided endonucleases (RGEs) cut or direct activities to specific genomic loci, yet each has off-target activities that are often unpredictable. We developed a pair of simple in vitro assays to systematically measure the DNA-binding specificity (Spec-seq), catalytic activity specificity (SEAM-seq) and cleavage efficiency of RGEs. By separately quantifying binding and cleavage specificity, Spec/SEAM-seq provides detailed mechanistic insight into off-target activity. Feature-based models generated from Spec/SEAM-seq data for SpCas9 were consistent with previous reports of its in vitro and in vivo specificity, validating the approach. Spec/SEAM-seq is also useful for profiling less-well characterized RGEs. Application to an engineered SpCas9, HiFi-SpCas9, indicated that its enhanced target discrimination can be attributed to cleavage rather than binding specificity. The ortholog ScCas9, on the other hand, derives specificity from binding to an extended PAM. The decreased off-target activity of AsCas12a (Cpf1) appears to be primarily driven by DNA-binding specificity. Finally, we performed the first characterization of CasX specificity, revealing an all-or-nothing mechanism where mismatches can be bound, but not cleaved. Together, these applications establish Spec/SEAM-seq as an accessible method to rapidly and reliably evaluate the specificity of RGEs, Cas::gRNA pairs, and gain insight into the mechanism and thermodynamics of target discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liyang Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Coralville, IA 52241, USA.,Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc., 1710 Commercial Park, Coralville, IA 52241, USA
| | - H Tomas Rube
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Merced, New York, NY 10027, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.,Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | | | - Mark A Behlke
- Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc., 1710 Commercial Park, Coralville, IA 52241, USA
| | - Harmen J Bussemaker
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.,Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Miles A Pufall
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Coralville, IA 52241, USA
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17
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Sanchez JC, Zhang L, Evoli S, Schnicker NJ, Nunez-Hernandez M, Yu L, Wereszczynski J, Pufall MA, Musselman CA. The molecular basis of selective DNA binding by the BRG1 AT-hook and bromodomain. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2020; 1863:194566. [PMID: 32376391 PMCID: PMC7350285 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2020.194566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The ATP-dependent BAF chromatin remodeling complex plays a critical role in gene regulation by modulating chromatin architecture, and is frequently mutated in cancer. Indeed, subunits of the BAF complex are found to be mutated in >20% of human tumors. The mechanism by which BAF properly navigates chromatin is not fully understood, but is thought to involve a multivalent network of histone and DNA contacts. We previously identified a composite domain in the BRG1 ATPase subunit that is capable of associating with both histones and DNA in a multivalent manner. Mapping the DNA binding pocket revealed that it contains several cancer mutations. Here, we utilize SELEX-seq to investigate the DNA specificity of this composite domain and NMR spectroscopy and molecular modelling to determine the structural basis of DNA binding. Finally, we demonstrate that cancer mutations in this domain alter the mode of DNA association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio C Sanchez
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - Liyang Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States; Integrated DNA Technologies IDT, Coralville, IA 52241, United States
| | - Stefania Evoli
- Department of Physics and The Center for Molecular Study of Condensed Soft Matter, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Nicholas J Schnicker
- Protein & Crystallography Facility, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - Maria Nunez-Hernandez
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - Liping Yu
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine NMR Core Facility, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States; The Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - Jeff Wereszczynski
- Department of Physics and The Center for Molecular Study of Condensed Soft Matter, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, United States.
| | - Miles A Pufall
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States.
| | - Catherine A Musselman
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, United States.
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18
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Pufall MA, Wilson AM. An idea to explore: A collaboration and cross training in an extended classroom-based undergraduate research experience between primarily undergraduate and research-intensive institutions. BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY EDUCATION : A BIMONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 48:269-275. [PMID: 32222096 DOI: 10.1002/bmb.21340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Providing students with training in advanced laboratory skills is an essential part of scientific education. At the same time, engaging students in research is becoming equally important. Classroom-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have emerged to fill this need, and can take many forms. In this article we describe reengineering an advanced organic synthesis laboratory at a primarily undergraduate institution into a CURE. This objective of this CURE is to provide small molecules relevant to an ongoing research program at a research-intensive institution. This new model cross trains students and provides a new structure for a CURE that could be adapted to other partnerships and institutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miles A Pufall
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Anne M Wilson
- Clowes Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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19
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Kroon J, Pereira AM, Meijer OC. Glucocorticoid Sexual Dimorphism in Metabolism: Dissecting the Role of Sex Hormones. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2020; 31:357-367. [PMID: 32037025 DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2020.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones that are of pivotal importance in human physiology. Glucocorticoid signaling is complex in nature and dependent on many interacting factors. As glucocorticoids exhibit sexually dimorphic effects on several key processes including in metabolism, crosstalk with the sex steroid hormones (androgens and estrogens) is relevant. In this review, we highlight the state-of-the-art knowledge on glucocorticoid sexual dimorphism and sex hormone crosstalk. We include current insight in the molecular mechanisms that underlie nuclear steroid receptor crosstalk, and sex hormone effects on glucocorticoid metabolism. Finally, we show how these findings translate to humans exposed to excess glucocorticoid signaling, and we propose future avenues in the emerging field of steroid hormone crosstalk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Kroon
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Alberto M Pereira
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Onno C Meijer
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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20
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Kribelbauer JF, Loker RE, Feng S, Rastogi C, Abe N, Rube HT, Bussemaker HJ, Mann RS. Context-Dependent Gene Regulation by Homeodomain Transcription Factor Complexes Revealed by Shape-Readout Deficient Proteins. Mol Cell 2020; 78:152-167.e11. [PMID: 32053778 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2020.01.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 12/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Eukaryotic transcription factors (TFs) form complexes with various partner proteins to recognize their genomic target sites. Yet, how the DNA sequence determines which TF complex forms at any given site is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that high-throughput in vitro DNA binding assays coupled with unbiased computational analysis provide unprecedented insight into how different DNA sequences select distinct compositions and configurations of homeodomain TF complexes. Using inferred knowledge about minor groove width readout, we design targeted protein mutations that destabilize homeodomain binding both in vitro and in vivo in a complex-specific manner. By performing parallel systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment sequencing (SELEX-seq), chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq), RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), and Hi-C assays, we not only classify the majority of in vivo binding events in terms of complex composition but also infer complex-specific functions by perturbing the gene regulatory network controlled by a single complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith F Kribelbauer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10025, USA; Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Ryan E Loker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Siqian Feng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Chaitanya Rastogi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10025, USA; Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Namiko Abe
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - H Tomas Rube
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10025, USA; Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Harmen J Bussemaker
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10025, USA; Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
| | - Richard S Mann
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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21
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Bagherpoor Helabad M, Volkenandt S, Imhof P. Molecular Dynamics Simulations of a Chimeric Androgen Receptor Protein (SPARKI) Confirm the Importance of the Dimerization Domain on DNA Binding Specificity. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:4. [PMID: 32083093 PMCID: PMC7005049 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.00004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The DNA binding domains of Androgen/Glucocorticoid receptors (AR/GR), members of class I steroid receptors, bind as a homo-dimer to a cis-regulatory element. These response elements are arranged as inverted repeat (IR) of hexamer “AGAACA”, separated with a 3 base pairs spacer. DNA binding domains of the Androgen receptor, AR-DBDs, in addition, selectively recognize a direct-like repeat (DR) arrangement of this hexamer. A chimeric AR protein, termed SPARKI, in which the second zinc-binding motif of AR is swapped with that of GR, however, fails to recognize DR-like elements. By molecular dynamic simulations, we identify how the DNA binding domains of the wild type AR/GR, and also the chimeric SPARKI model, distinctly interact with both IR and DR response elements. AR binds more strongly to DR than GR binds to IR elements. A SPARKI model built from the structure of the AR (SPARKI-AR) shows significantly fewer hydrogen bond interactions in complex with a DR sequence than with an IR sequence. Moreover, a SPARKI model based on the structure of the GR (SPARKI-GR) shows a considerable distortion in its dimerization domain when complexed to a DR-DNA whereas it remains in a stable conformation in a complex with an IR-DNA. The diminished interaction of SPARKI-AR with and the instability of SPARKI-GR on DR response elements agree with SPARKI's lack of affinity for these sequences. The more GR-like binding specificity of the chimeric SPARKI protein is further emphasized by both SPARKI models binding even more strongly to IR elements than observed for the DNA binding domain of the GR.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Senta Volkenandt
- Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Petra Imhof
- Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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22
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Ibarra IL, Hollmann NM, Klaus B, Augsten S, Velten B, Hennig J, Zaugg JB. Mechanistic insights into transcription factor cooperativity and its impact on protein-phenotype interactions. Nat Commun 2020; 11:124. [PMID: 31913281 PMCID: PMC6949242 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13888-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent high-throughput transcription factor (TF) binding assays revealed that TF cooperativity is a widespread phenomenon. However, a global mechanistic and functional understanding of TF cooperativity is still lacking. To address this, here we introduce a statistical learning framework that provides structural insight into TF cooperativity and its functional consequences based on next generation sequencing data. We identify DNA shape as driver for cooperativity, with a particularly strong effect for Forkhead-Ets pairs. Follow-up experiments reveal a local shape preference at the Ets-DNA-Forkhead interface and decreased cooperativity upon loss of the interaction. Additionally, we discover many functional associations for cooperatively bound TFs. Examination of the link between FOXO1:ETV6 and lymphomas reveals that their joint expression levels improve patient clinical outcome stratification. Altogether, our results demonstrate that inter-family cooperative TF binding is driven by position-specific DNA readout mechanisms, which provides an additional regulatory layer for downstream biological functions. Although transcription factor (TF) cooperativity is widespread, a global mechanistic understanding of the role of TF cooperativity is still lacking. Here the authors introduce a statistical learning framework that provides structural insight into TF cooperativity and its functional consequences based on next generation sequencing data and provide mechanistic insights into TF cooperativity and its impact on protein-phenotype interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio L Ibarra
- Structural and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.,Faculty of Biosciences, Collaboration for Joint PhD Degree between EMBL and Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nele M Hollmann
- Structural and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.,Faculty of Biosciences, Collaboration for Joint PhD Degree between EMBL and Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bernd Klaus
- Genome Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sandra Augsten
- Structural and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Britta Velten
- Genome Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Janosch Hennig
- Structural and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Judith B Zaugg
- Structural and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.
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23
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Lai X, Stigliani A, Vachon G, Carles C, Smaczniak C, Zubieta C, Kaufmann K, Parcy F. Building Transcription Factor Binding Site Models to Understand Gene Regulation in Plants. MOLECULAR PLANT 2019; 12:743-763. [PMID: 30447332 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2018.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Revised: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) are key cellular components that control gene expression. They recognize specific DNA sequences, the TF binding sites (TFBSs), and thus are targeted to specific regions of the genome where they can recruit transcriptional co-factors and/or chromatin regulators to fine-tune spatiotemporal gene regulation. Therefore, the identification of TFBSs in genomic sequences and their subsequent quantitative modeling is of crucial importance for understanding and predicting gene expression. Here, we review how TFBSs can be determined experimentally, how the TFBS models can be constructed in silico, and how they can be optimized by taking into account features such as position interdependence within TFBSs, DNA shape, and/or by introducing state-of-the-art computational algorithms such as deep learning methods. In addition, we discuss the integration of context variables into the TFBS modeling, including nucleosome positioning, chromatin states, methylation patterns, 3D genome architectures, and TF cooperative binding, in order to better predict TF binding under cellular contexts. Finally, we explore the possibilities of combining the optimized TFBS model with technological advances, such as targeted TFBS perturbation by CRISPR, to better understand gene regulation, evolution, and plant diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuelei Lai
- CNRS, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, INRA, BIG-LPCV, 38000 Grenoble, France.
| | - Arnaud Stigliani
- CNRS, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, INRA, BIG-LPCV, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Gilles Vachon
- CNRS, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, INRA, BIG-LPCV, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Cristel Carles
- CNRS, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, INRA, BIG-LPCV, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Cezary Smaczniak
- Department for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology, Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Chloe Zubieta
- CNRS, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, INRA, BIG-LPCV, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Kerstin Kaufmann
- Department for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology, Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - François Parcy
- CNRS, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, INRA, BIG-LPCV, 38000 Grenoble, France.
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24
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Veras Ribeiro Filho H, Tambones IL, Mariano Gonçalves Dias M, Bernardi Videira N, Bruder M, Amorim Amato A, Migliorini Figueira AC. Modulation of nuclear receptor function: Targeting the protein-DNA interface. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2019; 484:1-14. [PMID: 30703486 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2019.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Revised: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Nuclear receptors (NRs) are a superfamily of ligand-dependent transcription factors that modulate several biological processes. Traditionally, modulation of NRs has been focused on the development of ligands that recognize and bind to the ligand binding domain (LBD), resulting in activation or repression of transcription through the recruitment of coregulators. However, for more severe diseases, such as breast and prostate cancer, the conventional treatment addressing LBD modulation is not always successful, due to tumor resistance. To overcome these challenges and aiming to modulate NR activity by inhibiting the NR-DNA interaction, new studies focus on the development of molecules targeting alternative sites and domains on NRs. Here, we discuss two different approaches for this alternative NR modulation: one targeting the NR DNA binding domain (DBD); and the other targeting the DNA sites recognized by NRs. Our aim is to present the challenges and perspectives for developing specific inhibitors for each purpose, alongside with already reported examples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helder Veras Ribeiro Filho
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil; Graduate Program in Biosciences and Technology of Bioactive Products, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas, 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Izabella Luisa Tambones
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil; Graduate Program in Biosciences and Technology of Bioactive Products, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas, 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Marieli Mariano Gonçalves Dias
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil; Graduate Program in Molecular and Functional Biology, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Natalia Bernardi Videira
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Marjorie Bruder
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Angélica Amorim Amato
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Science, University of Brasilia (UnB), Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina Migliorini Figueira
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil.
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Schöne S, Bothe M, Einfeldt E, Borschiwer M, Benner P, Vingron M, Thomas-Chollier M, Meijsing SH. Synthetic STARR-seq reveals how DNA shape and sequence modulate transcriptional output and noise. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007793. [PMID: 30427832 PMCID: PMC6261644 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Revised: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The binding of transcription factors to short recognition sequences plays a pivotal role in controlling the expression of genes. The sequence and shape characteristics of binding sites influence DNA binding specificity and have also been implicated in modulating the activity of transcription factors downstream of binding. To quantitatively assess the transcriptional activity of tens of thousands of designed synthetic sites in parallel, we developed a synthetic version of STARR-seq (synSTARR-seq). We used the approach to systematically analyze how variations in the recognition sequence of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) affect transcriptional regulation. Our approach resulted in the identification of a novel highly active functional GR binding sequence and revealed that sequence variation both within and flanking GR’s core binding site can modulate GR activity without apparent changes in DNA binding affinity. Notably, we found that the sequence composition of variants with similar activity profiles was highly diverse. In contrast, groups of variants with similar activity profiles showed specific DNA shape characteristics indicating that DNA shape may be a better predictor of activity than DNA sequence. Finally, using single cell experiments with individual enhancer variants, we obtained clues indicating that the architecture of the response element can independently tune expression mean and cell-to cell variability in gene expression (noise). Together, our studies establish synSTARR as a powerful method to systematically study how DNA sequence and shape modulate transcriptional output and noise. The expression level of genes is controlled by transcription factors, which are proteins that bind to genomic response elements that contain their recognition DNA sequence. Importantly, genes are not simply turned on but need to be expressed at the right level. This is, at least in part, assured by the sequence composition of genomic response elements. Here, we studied how the recognition DNA sequence influences gene regulation by a transcription factor called the glucocorticoid receptor. Specifically, we developed a method to test the activity of variants in a highly parallelized setting where everything is kept identical except for the sequence of the binding site. The systematic analysis of tens of thousands of sequence variants facilitated the identification of a previously unknown sequence variant with high activity. Moreover, we report how sequence variation of the response element influences cell-to-cell variability in expression levels. Finally, we observe similar activity profiles for distinct sequence variants that share similar three-dimensional DNA shape characteristics arguing that the three-dimensional perception of DNA by the glucocorticoid receptor, modulates its activity towards individual target genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Schöne
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Melissa Bothe
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Edda Einfeldt
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Philipp Benner
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Vingron
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Morgane Thomas-Chollier
- Institut de biologie de l’Ecole normale supérieure (IBENS), Ecole normale supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Université Paris, Paris, France
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26
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Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) control gene expression by binding to genomic DNA in a sequence-specific manner. Mutations in TF binding sites are increasingly found to be associated with human disease, yet we currently lack robust methods to predict these sites. Here, we developed a versatile maximum likelihood framework named No Read Left Behind (NRLB) that infers a biophysical model of protein-DNA recognition across the full affinity range from a library of in vitro selected DNA binding sites. NRLB predicts human Max homodimer binding in near-perfect agreement with existing low-throughput measurements. It can capture the specificity of the p53 tetramer and distinguish multiple binding modes within a single sample. Additionally, we confirm that newly identified low-affinity enhancer binding sites are functional in vivo, and that their contribution to gene expression matches their predicted affinity. Our results establish a powerful paradigm for identifying protein binding sites and interpreting gene regulatory sequences in eukaryotic genomes.
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Ruan S, Stormo GD. Comparison of discriminative motif optimization using matrix and DNA shape-based models. BMC Bioinformatics 2018; 19:86. [PMID: 29510689 PMCID: PMC5840810 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-018-2104-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 03/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Transcription factor (TF) binding site specificity is commonly represented by some form of matrix model in which the positions in the binding site are assumed to contribute independently to the site’s activity. The independence assumption is known to be an approximation, often a good one but sometimes poor. Alternative approaches have been developed that use k-mers (DNA “words” of length k) to account for the non-independence, and more recently DNA structural parameters have been incorporated into the models. ChIP-seq data are often used to assess the discriminatory power of motifs and to compare different models. However, to measure the improvement due to using more complex models, one must compare to optimized matrix models. Results We describe a program “Discriminative Additive Model Optimization” (DAMO) that uses positive and negative examples, as in ChIP-seq data, and finds the additive position weight matrix (PWM) that maximizes the Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUROC). We compare to a recent study where structural parameters, serving as features in a gradient boosting classifier algorithm, are shown to improve the AUROC over JASPAR position frequency matrices (PFMs). In agreement with the previous results, we find that adding structural parameters gives the largest improvement, but most of the gain can be obtained by an optimized PWM and nearly all of the gain can be obtained with a di-nucleotide extension to the PWM. Conclusion To appropriately compare different models for TF bind sites, optimized models must be used. PWMs and their extensions are good representations of binding specificity for most TFs, and more complex models, including the incorporation of DNA shape features and gradient boosting classifiers, provide only moderate improvements for a few TFs. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12859-018-2104-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuxiang Ruan
- Department of Genetics and Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
| | - Gary D Stormo
- Department of Genetics and Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA.
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