1
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Benner L, Muron S, Gomez JG, Oliver B. OVO positively regulates essential maternal pathways by binding near the transcriptional start sites in the Drosophila female germline. eLife 2024; 13:RP94631. [PMID: 39291827 PMCID: PMC11410370 DOI: 10.7554/elife.94631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Differentiation of female germline stem cells into a mature oocyte includes the expression of RNAs and proteins that drive early embryonic development in Drosophila. We have little insight into what activates the expression of these maternal factors. One candidate is the zinc-finger protein OVO. OVO is required for female germline viability and has been shown to positively regulate its own expression, as well as a downstream target, ovarian tumor, by binding to the transcriptional start site (TSS). To find additional OVO targets in the female germline and further elucidate OVO's role in oocyte development, we performed ChIP-seq to determine genome-wide OVO occupancy, as well as RNA-seq comparing hypomorphic and wild type rescue ovo alleles. OVO preferentially binds in close proximity to target TSSs genome-wide, is associated with open chromatin, transcriptionally active histone marks, and OVO-dependent expression. Motif enrichment analysis on OVO ChIP peaks identified a 5'-TAACNGT-3' OVO DNA binding motif spatially enriched near TSSs. However, the OVO DNA binding motif does not exhibit precise motif spacing relative to the TSS characteristic of RNA polymerase II complex binding core promoter elements. Integrated genomics analysis showed that 525 genes that are bound and increase in expression downstream of OVO are known to be essential maternally expressed genes. These include genes involved in anterior/posterior/germ plasm specification (bcd, exu, swa, osk, nos, aub, pgc, gcl), egg activation (png, plu, gnu, wisp, C(3)g, mtrm), translational regulation (cup, orb, bru1, me31B), and vitelline membrane formation (fs(1)N, fs(1)M3, clos). This suggests that OVO is a master transcriptional regulator of oocyte development and is responsible for the expression of structural components of the egg as well as maternally provided RNAs that are required for early embryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leif Benner
- Section of Developmental Genomics, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Savannah Muron
- Section of Developmental Genomics, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Jillian G Gomez
- Section of Developmental Genomics, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Brian Oliver
- Section of Developmental Genomics, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
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2
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Sloutskin A, Itzhak D, Vogler G, Pozeilov H, Ideses D, Alter H, Adato O, Shachar H, Doniger T, Shohat-Ophir G, Frasch M, Bodmer R, Duttke SH, Juven-Gershon T. From promoter motif to cardiac function: a single DPE motif affects transcription regulation and organ function in vivo. Development 2024; 151:dev202355. [PMID: 38958007 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202355] [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: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Transcription initiates at the core promoter, which contains distinct core promoter elements. Here, we highlight the complexity of transcriptional regulation by outlining the effect of core promoter-dependent regulation on embryonic development and the proper function of an organism. We demonstrate in vivo the importance of the downstream core promoter element (DPE) in complex heart formation in Drosophila. Pioneering a novel approach using both CRISPR and nascent transcriptomics, we show the effects of mutating a single core promoter element within the natural context. Specifically, we targeted the downstream core promoter element (DPE) of the endogenous tin gene, encoding the Tinman transcription factor, a homologue of human NKX2-5 associated with congenital heart diseases. The 7 bp substitution mutation results in massive perturbation of the Tinman regulatory network that orchestrates dorsal musculature, which is manifested as physiological and anatomical changes in the cardiac system, impaired specific activity features, and significantly compromised viability of adult flies. Thus, a single motif can have a critical impact on embryogenesis and, in the case of DPE, functional heart formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Sloutskin
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Dekel Itzhak
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Georg Vogler
- Development, Aging and Regeneration Program, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Hadar Pozeilov
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Diana Ideses
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Hadar Alter
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Orit Adato
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Hadar Shachar
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Tirza Doniger
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Galit Shohat-Ophir
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Manfred Frasch
- Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen 91058, Germany
| | - Rolf Bodmer
- Development, Aging and Regeneration Program, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Sascha H Duttke
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Tamar Juven-Gershon
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
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3
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Wudarski J, Aliabadi S, Gulia-Nuss M. Arthropod promoters for genetic control of disease vectors. Trends Parasitol 2024; 40:619-632. [PMID: 38824066 PMCID: PMC11223965 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2024.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) impose devastating effects on human health and a heavy financial burden. Malaria, Lyme disease, and dengue fever are just a few examples of VBDs that cause severe illnesses. The current strategies to control VBDs consist mainly of environmental modification and chemical use, and to a small extent, genetic approaches. The genetic approaches, including transgenesis/genome modification and gene-drive technologies, provide the basis for developing new tools for VBD prevention by suppressing vector populations or reducing their capacity to transmit pathogens. The regulatory elements such as promoters are required for a robust sex-, tissue-, and stage-specific transgene expression. As discussed in this review, information on the regulatory elements is available for mosquito vectors but is scant for other vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Wudarski
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Simindokht Aliabadi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Monika Gulia-Nuss
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
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4
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Cochran K, Yin M, Mantripragada A, Schreiber J, Marinov GK, Kundaje A. Dissecting the cis-regulatory syntax of transcription initiation with deep learning. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.28.596138. [PMID: 38853896 PMCID: PMC11160661 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.28.596138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Despite extensive characterization of mammalian Pol II transcription, the DNA sequence determinants of transcription initiation at a third of human promoters and most enhancers remain poorly understood. Hence, we trained and interpreted a neural network called ProCapNet that accurately models base-resolution initiation profiles from PRO-cap experiments using local DNA sequence. ProCapNet learns sequence motifs with distinct effects on initiation rates and TSS positioning and uncovers context-specific cryptic initiator elements intertwined within other TF motifs. ProCapNet annotates predictive motifs in nearly all actively transcribed regulatory elements across multiple cell-lines, revealing a shared cis-regulatory logic across promoters and enhancers mediated by a highly epistatic sequence syntax of cooperative and competitive motif interactions. ProCapNet models of RAMPAGE profiles measuring steady-state RNA abundance at TSSs distill initiation signals on par with models trained directly on PRO-cap profiles. ProCapNet learns a largely cell-type-agnostic cis-regulatory code of initiation complementing sequence drivers of cell-type-specific chromatin state critical for accurate prediction of cell-type-specific transcription initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Cochran
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Jacob Schreiber
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Anshul Kundaje
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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5
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Benner L, Muron S, Gomez JG, Oliver B. OVO Positively Regulates Essential Maternal Pathways by Binding Near the Transcriptional Start Sites in the Drosophila Female Germline. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.11.01.565184. [PMID: 38076814 PMCID: PMC10705541 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.01.565184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2023]
Abstract
Differentiation of female germline stem cells into a mature oocyte includes the expression of RNAs and proteins that drive early embryonic development in Drosophila. We have little insight into what activates the expression of these maternal factors. One candidate is the zinc-finger protein OVO. OVO is required for female germline viability and has been shown to positively regulate its own expression, as well as a downstream target, ovarian tumor, by binding to the transcriptional start site (TSS). To find additional OVO targets in the female germline and further elucidate OVO's role in oocyte development, we performed ChIP-seq to determine genome-wide OVO occupancy, as well as RNA-seq comparing hypomorphic and wild type rescue ovo alleles. OVO preferentially binds in close proximity to target TSSs genome-wide, is associated with open chromatin, transcriptionally active histone marks, and OVO-dependent expression. Motif enrichment analysis on OVO ChIP peaks identified a 5'-TAACNGT-3' OVO DNA binding motif spatially enriched near TSSs. However, the OVO DNA binding motif does not exhibit precise motif spacing relative to the TSS characteristic of RNA Polymerase II complex binding core promoter elements. Integrated genomics analysis showed that 525 genes that are bound and increase in expression downstream of OVO are known to be essential maternally expressed genes. These include genes involved in anterior/posterior/germ plasm specification (bcd, exu, swa, osk, nos, aub, pgc, gcl), egg activation (png, plu, gnu, wisp, C(3)g, mtrm), translational regulation (cup, orb, bru1, me31B), and vitelline membrane formation (fs(1)N, fs(1)M3, clos). This suggests that OVO is a master transcriptional regulator of oocyte development and is responsible for the expression of structural components of the egg as well as maternally provided RNAs that are required for early embryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leif Benner
- Section of Developmental Genomics, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Savannah Muron
- Section of Developmental Genomics, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jillian G Gomez
- Section of Developmental Genomics, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Brian Oliver
- Section of Developmental Genomics, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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6
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Zhimulev I, Vatolina T, Levitsky V, Tsukanov A. Developmental and Housekeeping Genes: Two Types of Genetic Organization in the Drosophila Genome. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4068. [PMID: 38612878 PMCID: PMC11012173 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25074068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
We developed a procedure for locating genes on Drosophila melanogaster polytene chromosomes and described three types of chromosome structures (gray bands, black bands, and interbands), which differed markedly in morphological and genetic properties. This was reached through the use of our original methods of molecular and genetic analysis, electron microscopy, and bioinformatics data processing. Analysis of the genome-wide distribution of these properties led us to a bioinformatics model of the Drosophila genome organization, in which the genome was divided into two groups of genes. One was constituted by 65, in which the genome was divided into two groups, 62 genes that are expressed in most cell types during life cycle and perform basic cellular functions (the so-called "housekeeping genes"). The other one was made up of 3162 genes that are expressed only at particular stages of development ("developmental genes"). These two groups of genes are so different that we may state that the genome has two types of genetic organization. Different are the timings of their expression, chromatin packaging levels, the composition of activating and deactivating proteins, the sizes of these genes, the lengths of their introns, the organization of the promoter regions of the genes, the locations of origin recognition complexes (ORCs), and DNA replication timings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Zhimulev
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia;
| | - Tatyana Vatolina
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia;
| | - Victor Levitsky
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (V.L.); (A.T.)
| | - Anton Tsukanov
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (V.L.); (A.T.)
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7
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Schwartz MB, Prudnikova MM, Andreenkov OV, Volkova EI, Zhimulev IF, Antonenko OV, Demakov SA. Transcription factor DREF regulates expression of the microRNA gene bantam in Drosophila melanogaster. Vavilovskii Zhurnal Genet Selektsii 2024; 28:131-137. [PMID: 38680180 PMCID: PMC11043500 DOI: 10.18699/vjgb-24-20] [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: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The bantam gene encodes a vital microRNA and has a complex expression pattern in various tissues at different stages of Drosophila development. This microRNA is involved in the control of normal development of the ocular and wing imaginal discs, the central nervous system, and also in maintaining the undifferentiated state of stem cells in the ovaries of adult females. At the cellular level, bantam stimulates cell proliferation and prevents apoptosis. The bantam gene is a target of several conserved signaling cascades, in particular, Hippo. At the moment, at least ten proteins are known to directly regulate the expression of this gene in different tissues of Drosophila. In this study, we found that the bantam regulatory region contains motifs characteristic of binding sites for DREF, a transcription factor that regulates the expression of Hippo cascade genes. Using transgenic lines containing a full-length bantam lethality-rescuing deletion fragment and a fragment with a disrupted DREF binding site, we show that these motifs are functionally significant because their disruption at the bantam locus reduces expression levels in the larvae and ovaries of homozygous flies, which correlates with reduced vitality and fertility. The effect of DREF binding to the promoter region of the bantam gene on its expression level suggests an additional level of complexity in the regulation of expression of this microRNA. A decrease in the number of eggs laid and a shortening of the reproductive period in females when the DREF binding site in the regulatory region of the bantam gene is disrupted suggests that, through bantam, DREF is also involved in the regulation of Drosophila oogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- M B Schwartz
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - M M Prudnikova
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - O V Andreenkov
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - E I Volkova
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - I F Zhimulev
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - O V Antonenko
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - S A Demakov
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
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8
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Adato O, Sloutskin A, Komemi H, Brabb I, Duttke S, Bucher P, Unger R, Juven-Gershon T. ElemeNT 2023: an enhanced tool for detection and curation of core promoter elements. Bioinformatics 2024; 40:btae110. [PMID: 38407414 PMCID: PMC10950481 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btae110] [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: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION Prediction and identification of core promoter elements and transcription factor binding sites is essential for understanding the mechanism of transcription initiation and deciphering the biological activity of a specific locus. Thus, there is a need for an up-to-date tool to detect and curate core promoter elements/motifs in any provided nucleotide sequences. RESULTS Here, we introduce ElemeNT 2023-a new and enhanced version of the Elements Navigation Tool, which provides novel capabilities for assessing evolutionary conservation and for readily evaluating the quality of high-throughput transcription start site (TSS) datasets, leveraging preferential motif positioning. ElemeNT 2023 is accessible both as a fast web-based tool and via command line (no coding skills are required to run the tool). While this tool is focused on core promoter elements, it can also be used for searching any user-defined motif, including sequence-specific DNA binding sites. Furthermore, ElemeNT's CORE database, which contains predicted core promoter elements around annotated TSSs, is now expanded to cover 10 species, ranging from worms to human. In this applications note, we describe the new workflow and demonstrate a case study using ElemeNT 2023 for core promoter composition analysis of diverse species, revealing motif prevalence and highlighting evolutionary insights. We discuss how this tool facilitates the exploration of uncharted transcriptomic data, appraises TSS quality, and aids in designing synthetic promoters for gene expression optimization. Taken together, ElemeNT 2023 empowers researchers with comprehensive tools for meticulous analysis of sequence elements and gene expression strategies. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION ElemeNT 2023 is freely available at https://www.juven-gershonlab.org/resources/element-v2023/. The source code and command line version of ElemeNT 2023 are available at https://github.com/OritAdato/ElemeNT. No coding skills are required to run the tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orit Adato
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Anna Sloutskin
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Hodaya Komemi
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Ian Brabb
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, United States
| | - Sascha Duttke
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, United States
| | - Philipp Bucher
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ron Unger
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Tamar Juven-Gershon
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel
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9
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Carter C, Saporito A, Douglass SM. MetageneCluster: a Python package for filtering conflicting signal trends in metagene plots. BMC Bioinformatics 2024; 25:21. [PMID: 38216886 PMCID: PMC10785526 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-024-05647-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Metagene plots provide a visualization of biological signal trends over subsections of the genome and are used to perform high-level analysis of experimental data by aggregating genome-level data to create an average profile. The generation of metagene plots is useful for summarizing the results of many sequencing-based applications. Despite their prevalence and utility, the standard metagene plot is blind to conflicting signals within data. If multiple distinct trends occur, they can interact destructively, creating a plot that does not accurately represent any of the underlying trends. RESULTS We present MetageneCluster, a Python tool to generate a collection of representative metagene plots based on k-means clustering of genomic regions of interest. Clustering the data by similarity allows us to identify patterns within the features of interest. We are then able to summarize each pattern present in the data, rather than averaging across the entire feature space. We show that our method performs well when used to identify conflicting signals in real-world genome-level data. CONCLUSIONS Overall, MetageneCluster is a user-friendly tool for the creation of metagene plots that capture distinct patterns in underlying sequence data.
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10
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Nikumbh S, Lenhard B. Identifying promoter sequence architectures via a chunking-based algorithm using non-negative matrix factorisation. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011491. [PMID: 37983292 PMCID: PMC10695386 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011491] [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: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Core promoters are stretches of DNA at the beginning of genes that contain information that facilitates the binding of transcription initiation complexes. Different functional subsets of genes have core promoters with distinct architectures and characteristic motifs. Some of these motifs inform the selection of transcription start sites (TSS). By discovering motifs with fixed distances from known TSS positions, we could in principle classify promoters into different functional groups. Due to the variability and overlap of architectures, promoter classification is a difficult task that requires new approaches. In this study, we present a new method based on non-negative matrix factorisation (NMF) and the associated software called seqArchR that clusters promoter sequences based on their motifs at near-fixed distances from a reference point, such as TSS. When combined with experimental data from CAGE, seqArchR can efficiently identify TSS-directing motifs, including known ones like TATA, DPE, and nucleosome positioning signal, as well as novel lineage-specific motifs and the function of genes associated with them. By using seqArchR on developmental time courses, we reveal how relative use of promoter architectures changes over time with stage-specific expression. seqArchR is a powerful tool for initial genome-wide classification and functional characterisation of promoters. Its use cases are more general: it can also be used to discover any motifs at near-fixed distances from a reference point, even if they are present in only a small subset of sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarvesh Nikumbh
- Computational Regulatory Genomics, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, United Kingdom
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Boris Lenhard
- Computational Regulatory Genomics, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, United Kingdom
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
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11
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Sloutskin A, Itzhak D, Vogler G, Ideses D, Alter H, Shachar H, Doniger T, Frasch M, Bodmer R, Duttke SH, Juven-Gershon T. A single DPE core promoter motif contributes to in vivo transcriptional regulation and affects cardiac function. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.11.544490. [PMID: 37398300 PMCID: PMC10312617 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.11.544490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Transcription is initiated at the core promoter, which confers specific functions depending on the unique combination of core promoter elements. The downstream core promoter element (DPE) is found in many genes related to heart and mesodermal development. However, the function of these core promoter elements has thus far been studied primarily in isolated, in vitro or reporter gene settings. tinman (tin) encodes a key transcription factor that regulates the formation of the dorsal musculature and heart. Pioneering a novel approach utilizing both CRISPR and nascent transcriptomics, we show that a substitution mutation of the functional tin DPE motif within the natural context of the core promoter results in a massive perturbation of Tinman's regulatory network orchestrating dorsal musculature and heart formation. Mutation of endogenous tin DPE reduced the expression of tin and distinct target genes, resulting in significantly reduced viability and an overall decrease in adult heart function. We demonstrate the feasibility and importance of characterizing DNA sequence elements in vivo in their natural context, and accentuate the critical impact a single DPE motif has during Drosophila embryogenesis and functional heart formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Sloutskin
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Dekel Itzhak
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Georg Vogler
- Development, Aging and Regeneration Program, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Diana Ideses
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Hadar Alter
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Hadar Shachar
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Tirza Doniger
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Manfred Frasch
- Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Rolf Bodmer
- Development, Aging and Regeneration Program, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sascha H Duttke
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Tamar Juven-Gershon
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
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12
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Vo Ngoc L, Rhyne TE, Kadonaga JT. Analysis of the Drosophila and human DPR elements reveals a distinct human variant whose specificity can be enhanced by machine learning. Genes Dev 2023; 37:377-382. [PMID: 37163335 PMCID: PMC10270198 DOI: 10.1101/gad.350572.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The RNA polymerase II core promoter is the site of convergence of the signals that lead to the initiation of transcription. Here, we performed a comparative analysis of the downstream core promoter region (DPR) in Drosophila and humans by using machine learning. These studies revealed a distinct human-specific version of the DPR and led to the use of machine learning models for the identification of synthetic extreme DPR motifs with specificity for human transcription factors relative to Drosophila factors and vice versa. More generally, machine learning models could similarly be used to design synthetic DNA elements with customized functional properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Vo Ngoc
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Torrey E Rhyne
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - James T Kadonaga
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
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13
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Patil AA, Klobasa W, Espinoza-Rivera D, Baars O, Lorenzen MD, Scott MJ. Development of transgenic corn planthopper Peregrinus maidis that express the tetracycline transactivator. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 36825366 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The corn planthopper, Peregrinus maidis, is a vector of several maize viruses and is consequently a significant agricultural pest in many tropical and subtropical regions. As P. maidis has developed resistance to insecticides, the aim of this study was to develop transgenic P. maidis strains that could be used for future genetic biocontrol programs. To facilitate the identification of transgenic P. maidis, we isolated and characterized the promoters for the P. maidis ubiquitin-like and profilin genes. Transient expression assays with P. maidis embryos showed that both promoters were active. Transgenic lines were established using piggyBac vectors and fluorescent protein marker genes. The lines carried an auto-regulated tetracycline transactivator (tTA) gene, which has been widely used to establish conditional lethal strains in other insect species. The transgenic lines showed low levels of tTA expression but were viable on diet with or without doxycycline, which inhibits the binding of tTA to DNA. We discuss possible modifications to the tTA overexpression system that could lead to the successful development of conditional lethal strains. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a transgenic Hemiptera. The approach we have taken could potentially be applied to other Hemiptera and, for P. maidis, the technology will facilitate future functional genomics studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anandrao A Patil
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - William Klobasa
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Dina Espinoza-Rivera
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Oliver Baars
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Marcé D Lorenzen
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Maxwell J Scott
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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14
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Qi Y, Wang SS, Li LL. IE1 of Autographa californica Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus Activates Low Levels of Late Gene Expression in the Absence of Virus RNA Polymerase. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0343222. [PMID: 36511657 PMCID: PMC9927509 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03432-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Early and late gene expressions of baculoviruses have been known to rely on host RNA polymerase II and a virus-encoded RNA polymerase, separately. In this study, we found that Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) recombinant bacmids with the individual RNA polymerase subunit genes deleted could support low levels of expression of a reporter gene under the control of the promoter of a typical late gene, vp39, in transfected Sf9 cells. Through multistep subcloning of a genomic library of the virus and transient expression assay analysis, ie1 was identified to be the only viral gene that was responsible for activation of late gene expression in the absence of the viral RNA polymerase. Furthermore, IE1 was found to be capable of activating reporter gene expression from the promoters of additional late genes polh, p6.9, odv-e18, odv-e25, and gp41, independent of any additional viral factors. Deletion of ie1 from the virus genome eliminated late gene expression. The IE1-activated late gene expression was enhanced by the viral hr4b. It was shown to be insensitive to inhibition of α-amanitin and did not appear to have stable transcription start sites. It is proposed that IE1 may serve to recruit newly synthesized viral RNA polymerase to viral DNA by activating low levels of pretranscription of the late genes to create an appropriate DNA conformation. IMPORTANCE The late gene expression of baculovirus has been known to depend on the virus-encoded RNA polymerase, which consists of four subunits. The immediate-early gene ie1 was found to be required for viral early gene expression, late gene expression, and DNA replication. How it functions in late gene expression remains unclear. In this study, we found that AcMNPV IE1 could activate low levels of gene expression from late gene promoters independently of any additional viral factors, with nonspecific transcription start sites. This new finding will shed light on the role of IE1 in the regulation of late gene expression and the understanding of the mechanism of late gene transcription initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Qi
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shan-Shan Wang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Lu-Lin Li
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, College of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
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15
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Patra P, B R D, Kundu P, Das M, Ghosh A. Recent advances in machine learning applications in metabolic engineering. Biotechnol Adv 2023; 62:108069. [PMID: 36442697 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.108069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic engineering encompasses several widely-used strategies, which currently hold a high seat in the field of biotechnology when its potential is manifesting through a plethora of research and commercial products with a strong societal impact. The genomic revolution that occurred almost three decades ago has initiated the generation of large omics-datasets which has helped in gaining a better understanding of cellular behavior. The itinerary of metabolic engineering that has occurred based on these large datasets has allowed researchers to gain detailed insights and a reasonable understanding of the intricacies of biosystems. However, the existing trail-and-error approaches for metabolic engineering are laborious and time-intensive when it comes to the production of target compounds with high yields through genetic manipulations in host organisms. Machine learning (ML) coupled with the available metabolic engineering test instances and omics data brings a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach that enables scientists to evaluate various parameters for effective strain design. This vast amount of biological data should be standardized through knowledge engineering to train different ML models for providing accurate predictions in gene circuits designing, modification of proteins, optimization of bioprocess parameters for scaling up, and screening of hyper-producing robust cell factories. This review briefs on the premise of ML, followed by mentioning various ML methods and algorithms alongside the numerous omics datasets available to train ML models for predicting metabolic outcomes with high-accuracy. The combinative interplay between the ML algorithms and biological datasets through knowledge engineering have guided the recent advancements in applications such as CRISPR/Cas systems, gene circuits, protein engineering, metabolic pathway reconstruction, and bioprocess engineering. Finally, this review addresses the probable challenges of applying ML in metabolic engineering which will guide the researchers toward novel techniques to overcome the limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradipta Patra
- School School of Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
| | - Disha B R
- B.M.S College of Engineering, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560019, India
| | - Pritam Kundu
- School School of Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
| | - Manali Das
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
| | - Amit Ghosh
- School School of Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India; P.K. Sinha Centre for Bioenergy and Renewables, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India.
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16
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Delos Santos NP, Duttke S, Heinz S, Benner C. MEPP: more transparent motif enrichment by profiling positional correlations. NAR Genom Bioinform 2022; 4:lqac075. [PMID: 36267125 PMCID: PMC9575187 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqac075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Score-based motif enrichment analysis (MEA) is typically applied to regulatory DNA to infer transcription factors (TFs) that may modulate transcription and chromatin state in different conditions. Most MEA methods determine motif enrichment independent of motif position within a sequence, even when those sequences harbor anchor points that motifs and their bound TFs may functionally interact with in a distance-dependent fashion, such as other TF binding motifs, transcription start sites (TSS), sequencing assay cleavage sites, or other biologically meaningful features. We developed motif enrichment positional profiling (MEPP), a novel MEA method that outputs a positional enrichment profile of a given TF's binding motif relative to key anchor points (e.g. transcription start sites, or other motifs) within the analyzed sequences while accounting for lower-order nucleotide bias. Using transcription initiation and TF binding as test cases, we demonstrate MEPP's utility in determining the sequence positions where motif presence correlates with measures of biological activity, inferring positional dependencies of binding site function. We demonstrate how MEPP can be applied to interpretation and hypothesis generation from experiments that quantify transcription initiation, chromatin structure, or TF binding measurements. MEPP is available for download from https://github.com/npdeloss/mepp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel P Delos Santos
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0634, USA
| | - Sascha Duttke
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Sven Heinz
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0634, USA
| | - Christopher Benner
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0634, USA
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17
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Hendy O, Serebreni L, Bergauer K, Muerdter F, Huber L, Nemčko F, Stark A. Developmental and housekeeping transcriptional programs in Drosophila require distinct chromatin remodelers. Mol Cell 2022; 82:3598-3612.e7. [PMID: 36113480 PMCID: PMC7614073 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Gene transcription is a highly regulated process in all animals. In Drosophila, two major transcriptional programs, housekeeping and developmental, have promoters with distinct regulatory compatibilities and nucleosome organization. However, it remains unclear how the differences in chromatin structure relate to the distinct regulatory properties and which chromatin remodelers are required for these programs. Using rapid degradation of core remodeler subunits in Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells, we demonstrate that developmental gene transcription requires SWI/SNF-type complexes, primarily to maintain distal enhancer accessibility. In contrast, wild-type-level housekeeping gene transcription requires the Iswi and Ino80 remodelers to maintain nucleosome positioning and phasing at promoters. These differential remodeler dependencies relate to different DNA-sequence-intrinsic nucleosome affinities, which favor a default ON state for housekeeping but a default OFF state for developmental gene transcription. Overall, our results demonstrate how different transcription-regulatory strategies are implemented by DNA sequence, chromatin structure, and remodeler activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Hendy
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Vienna BioCenter PhD Program, Doctoral School of the University of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Leonid Serebreni
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Vienna BioCenter PhD Program, Doctoral School of the University of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Katharina Bergauer
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Felix Muerdter
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas Huber
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Filip Nemčko
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Vienna BioCenter PhD Program, Doctoral School of the University of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexander Stark
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Medical University of Vienna, Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Vienna 1030, Austria.
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18
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Dix TC, Haussmann IU, Brivio S, Nallasivan MP, HadzHiev Y, Müller F, Müller B, Pettitt J, Soller M. CMTr mediated 2'- O-ribose methylation status of cap-adjacent nucleotides across animals. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2022; 28:1377-1390. [PMID: 35970556 PMCID: PMC9479742 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079317.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Cap methyltransferases (CMTrs) O methylate the 2' position of the ribose (cOMe) of cap-adjacent nucleotides of animal, protist, and viral mRNAs. Animals generally have two CMTrs, whereas trypanosomes have three, and many viruses encode one in their genome. In the splice leader of mRNAs in trypanosomes, the first four nucleotides contain cOMe, but little is known about the status of cOMe in animals. Here, we show that cOMe is prominently present on the first two cap-adjacent nucleotides with species- and tissue-specific variations in Caenorhabditis elegans, honeybees, zebrafish, mouse, and human cell lines. In contrast, Drosophila contains cOMe primarily on the first cap-adjacent nucleotide. De novo RoseTTA modeling of CMTrs reveals close similarities of the overall structure and near identity for the catalytic tetrad, and for cap and cofactor binding for human, Drosophila and C. elegans CMTrs. Although viral CMTrs maintain the overall structure and catalytic tetrad, they have diverged in cap and cofactor binding. Consistent with the structural similarity, both CMTrs from Drosophila and humans methylate the first cap-adjacent nucleotide of an AGU consensus start. Because the second nucleotide is also methylated upon heat stress in Drosophila, these findings argue for regulated cOMe important for gene expression regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C Dix
- School of Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
- Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Irmgard U Haussmann
- Department of Life Science, Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, B15 3TN, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Brivio
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Mohannakarthik P Nallasivan
- School of Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
- Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Yavor HadzHiev
- Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Ferenc Müller
- Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Berndt Müller
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Pettitt
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Matthias Soller
- School of Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
- Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
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19
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CapsProm: a capsule network for promoter prediction. Comput Biol Med 2022; 147:105627. [DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.105627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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20
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Bu L, Cripps RM. Promoter architecture of Drosophila genes regulated by Myocyte enhancer factor-2. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0271554. [PMID: 35862472 PMCID: PMC9302807 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To gain understanding into the mechanisms of transcriptional activation of muscle genes, we sought to determine if genes targeted by the myogenic transcription factor Myocyte enhancer factor-2 (MEF2) were enriched for specific core promoter elements. We identified 330 known MEF2 target promoters in Drosophila, and analyzed them for for the presence and location of 17 known consensus promoter sequences. As a control, we also searched all Drosophila RNA polymerase II-dependent promoters for the same sequences. We found that promoter motifs were readily detected in the MEF2 target dataset, and that many of them were slightly enriched in frequency compared to the control dataset. A prominent sequence over-represented in the MEF2 target genes was NDM2, that appeared in over 50% of MEF2 target genes and was 2.5-fold over-represented in MEF2 targets compared to background. To test the functional significance of NDM2, we identified two promoters containing a single copy of NDM2 plus an upstream MEF2 site, and tested the activity of these promoters in vivo. Both the sticks and stones and Kahuli fragments showed strong skeletal myoblast-specific expression of a lacZ reporter in embryos. However, the timing and level of reporter expression was unaffected when the NDM2 site in either element was mutated. These studies identify variations in promoter architecture for a set of regulated genes compared to all RNA polymerase II-dependent genes, and underline the potential redundancy in the activities of some core promoter elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijing Bu
- Department of Biology and Center for Evolutionary and Theoretical Immunology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States of America
| | - Richard M. Cripps
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States of America
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21
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Kaushal A, Dorier J, Wang B, Mohana G, Taschner M, Cousin P, Waridel P, Iseli C, Semenova A, Restrepo S, Guex N, Aiden EL, Gambetta MC. Essential role of Cp190 in physical and regulatory boundary formation. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabl8834. [PMID: 35559678 PMCID: PMC9106302 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl8834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Boundaries in animal genomes delimit contact domains with enhanced internal contact frequencies and have debated functions in limiting regulatory cross-talk between domains and guiding enhancers to target promoters. Most mammalian boundaries form by stalling of chromosomal loop-extruding cohesin by CTCF, but most Drosophila boundaries form CTCF independently. However, how CTCF-independent boundaries form and function remains largely unexplored. Here, we assess genome folding and developmental gene expression in fly embryos lacking the ubiquitous boundary-associated factor Cp190. We find that sequence-specific DNA binding proteins such as CTCF and Su(Hw) directly interact with and recruit Cp190 to form most promoter-distal boundaries. Cp190 is essential for early development and prevents regulatory cross-talk between specific gene loci that pattern the embryo. Cp190 was, in contrast, dispensable for long-range enhancer-promoter communication at tested loci. Cp190 is thus currently the major player in fly boundary formation and function, revealing that diverse mechanisms evolved to partition genomes into independent regulatory domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Kaushal
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Julien Dorier
- Bioinformatics Competence Center, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Bihan Wang
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Giriram Mohana
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michael Taschner
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Cousin
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Patrice Waridel
- Protein Analysis Facility, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christian Iseli
- Bioinformatics Competence Center, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anastasiia Semenova
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Simon Restrepo
- arcoris bio AG, Lüssirainstrasse 52, 6300 Zug, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Guex
- Bioinformatics Competence Center, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Erez Lieberman Aiden
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- National Institute of Genetics, 1111 Yaya, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
- UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech, Pudong 20120, China
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22
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Loganathan R, Levings DC, Kim JH, Wells MB, Chiu H, Wu Y, Slattery M, Andrew DJ. Ribbon boosts ribosomal protein gene expression to coordinate organ form and function. J Cell Biol 2022; 221:213030. [PMID: 35195669 PMCID: PMC9237840 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202110073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell growth is well defined for late (postembryonic) stages of development, but evidence for early (embryonic) cell growth during postmitotic morphogenesis is limited. Here, we report early cell growth as a key characteristic of tubulogenesis in the Drosophila embryonic salivary gland (SG) and trachea. A BTB/POZ domain nuclear factor, Ribbon (Rib), mediates this early cell growth. Rib binds the transcription start site of nearly every SG-expressed ribosomal protein gene (RPG) and is required for full expression of all RPGs tested. Rib binding to RPG promoters in vitro is weak and not sequence specific, suggesting that specificity is achieved through cofactor interactions. Accordingly, we demonstrate Rib’s ability to physically interact with each of the three known regulators of RPG transcription. Surprisingly, Rib-dependent early cell growth in another tubular organ, the embryonic trachea, is not mediated by direct RPG transcription. These findings support a model of early cell growth customized by transcriptional regulatory networks to coordinate organ form and function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel C Levings
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth, MN
| | - Ji Hoon Kim
- Department of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Michael B Wells
- Department of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Hannah Chiu
- Department of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Yifan Wu
- Department of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Matthew Slattery
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth, MN
| | - Deborah J Andrew
- Department of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
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23
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Aloraini T, Aljouie A, Alniwaider R, Alharbi W, Alsubaie L, AlTuraif W, Qureshi W, Alswaid A, Eyiad W, Al Mutairi F, Ababneh F, Alfadhel M, Alfares A. The variant artificial intelligence easy scoring (VARIES) system. Comput Biol Med 2022; 145:105492. [PMID: 35585733 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.105492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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24
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Martinez-Ara M, Comoglio F, van Arensbergen J, van Steensel B. Systematic analysis of intrinsic enhancer-promoter compatibility in the mouse genome. Mol Cell 2022; 82:2519-2531.e6. [PMID: 35594855 PMCID: PMC9278412 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Martinez-Ara
- Division of Gene Regulation and Oncode Institute, Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Federico Comoglio
- Division of Gene Regulation and Oncode Institute, Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Joris van Arensbergen
- Division of Gene Regulation and Oncode Institute, Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Bas van Steensel
- Division of Gene Regulation and Oncode Institute, Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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25
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Bourbon HMG, Benetah MH, Guillou E, Mojica-Vazquez LH, Baanannou A, Bernat-Fabre S, Loubiere V, Bantignies F, Cavalli G, Boube M. A shared ancient enhancer element differentially regulates the bric-a-brac tandem gene duplicates in the developing Drosophila leg. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010083. [PMID: 35294439 PMCID: PMC8959175 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene duplications and transcriptional enhancer emergence/modifications are thought having greatly contributed to phenotypic innovations during animal evolution. Nevertheless, little is known about how enhancers evolve after gene duplication and how regulatory information is rewired between duplicated genes. The Drosophila melanogaster bric-a-brac (bab) complex, comprising the tandem paralogous genes bab1 and bab2, provides a paradigm to address these issues. We previously characterized an intergenic enhancer (named LAE) regulating bab2 expression in the developing legs. We show here that bab2 regulators binding directly the LAE also govern bab1 expression in tarsal cells. LAE excision by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing reveals that this enhancer appears involved but not strictly required for bab1 and bab2 co-expression in leg tissues. Instead, the LAE enhancer is critical for paralog-specific bab2 expression along the proximo-distal leg axis. Chromatin features and phenotypic rescue experiments indicate that LAE functions partly redundantly with leg-specific regulatory information overlapping the bab1 transcription unit. Phylogenomics analyses indicate that (i) the bab complex originates from duplication of an ancestral singleton gene early on within the Cyclorrhapha dipteran sublineage, and (ii) LAE sequences have been evolutionarily-fixed early on within the Brachycera suborder thus predating the gene duplication event. This work provides new insights on enhancers, particularly about their emergence, maintenance and functional diversification during evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henri-Marc G. Bourbon
- Center for Integrative Biology, Molecular Cellular and Developmental (MCD) Biology Unit, Federal University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Mikhail H. Benetah
- Center for Integrative Biology, Molecular Cellular and Developmental (MCD) Biology Unit, Federal University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Emmanuelle Guillou
- Center for Integrative Biology, Molecular Cellular and Developmental (MCD) Biology Unit, Federal University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Luis Humberto Mojica-Vazquez
- Center for Integrative Biology, Molecular Cellular and Developmental (MCD) Biology Unit, Federal University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Aissette Baanannou
- Center for Integrative Biology, Molecular Cellular and Developmental (MCD) Biology Unit, Federal University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Sandra Bernat-Fabre
- Center for Integrative Biology, Molecular Cellular and Developmental (MCD) Biology Unit, Federal University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Vincent Loubiere
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Montpellier, CNRS Montpellier, France
| | - Frédéric Bantignies
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Montpellier, CNRS Montpellier, France
| | - Giacomo Cavalli
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Montpellier, CNRS Montpellier, France
| | - Muriel Boube
- Center for Integrative Biology, Molecular Cellular and Developmental (MCD) Biology Unit, Federal University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
- * E-mail:
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26
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Vanaja A, Yella VR. Delineation of the DNA Structural Features of Eukaryotic Core Promoter Classes. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:5657-5669. [PMID: 35224327 PMCID: PMC8867553 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c04603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
The eukaryotic transcription is orchestrated from a chunk of the DNA region stated as the core promoter. Multifarious and punctilious core promoter signals, viz., TATA-box, Inr, BREs, and Pause Button, are associated with a subset of genes and regulate their spatiotemporal expression. However, the core promoter architecture linked with these signals has not been investigated exhaustively for several species. In this study, we attempted to envisage the adaptive binding landscape of the transcription initiation machinery as a function of DNA structure. To this end, we deployed a set of k-mer based DNA structural estimates and regular expression models derived from experiments, molecular dynamic simulations, and theoretical frameworks, and high-throughout promoter data sets retrieved from the eukaryotic promoter database. We categorized protein-coding gene core promoters based on characteristic motifs at precise locations and analyzed the B-DNA structural properties and non-B-DNA structural motifs for 15 different eukaryotic genomes. We observed that Inr, BREd, and no-motif classes display common patterns of DNA sequence and structural environment. TATA-containing, BREu, and Pause Button classes show a deviant behavior with the TATA class displaying varied axial and twisting flexibility while BREu and Pause Button leaned toward G-quadruplex motif enrichment. Intriguingly, DNA meltability and shape signals are conserved irrespective of the presence or absence of distinct core promoter motifs in the majority of species. Altogether, here we delineated the conserved DNA structural signals associated with several promoter classes that may contribute to the chromatin configuration, orchestration of transcription machinery, and DNA duplex melting during the transcription process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akkinepally Vanaja
- Department
of Biotechnology, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education
Foundation, Vaddeswaram, Guntur 522502, Andhra
Pradesh, India
- KL
College of Pharmacy, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education
Foundation, Vaddeswaram, Guntur 522502, Andhra
Pradesh, India
| | - Venkata Rajesh Yella
- Department
of Biotechnology, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education
Foundation, Vaddeswaram, Guntur 522502, Andhra
Pradesh, India
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27
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Kiparaki M, Khan C, Folgado-Marco V, Chuen J, Moulos P, Baker NE. The transcription factor Xrp1 orchestrates both reduced translation and cell competition upon defective ribosome assembly or function. eLife 2022; 11:e71705. [PMID: 35179490 PMCID: PMC8933008 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribosomal Protein (Rp) gene haploinsufficiency affects translation rate, can lead to protein aggregation, and causes cell elimination by competition with wild type cells in mosaic tissues. We find that the modest changes in ribosomal subunit levels observed were insufficient for these effects, which all depended on the AT-hook, bZip domain protein Xrp1. Xrp1 reduced global translation through PERK-dependent phosphorylation of eIF2α. eIF2α phosphorylation was itself sufficient to enable cell competition of otherwise wild type cells, but through Xrp1 expression, not as the downstream effector of Xrp1. Unexpectedly, many other defects reducing ribosome biogenesis or function (depletion of TAF1B, eIF2, eIF4G, eIF6, eEF2, eEF1α1, or eIF5A), also increased eIF2α phosphorylation and enabled cell competition. This was also through the Xrp1 expression that was induced in these depletions. In the absence of Xrp1, translation differences between cells were not themselves sufficient to trigger cell competition. Xrp1 is shown here to be a sequence-specific transcription factor that regulates transposable elements as well as single-copy genes. Thus, Xrp1 is the master regulator that triggers multiple consequences of ribosomal stresses and is the key instigator of cell competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianthi Kiparaki
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of MedicineThe BronxUnited States
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming”VariGreece
| | - Chaitali Khan
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of MedicineThe BronxUnited States
| | | | - Jacky Chuen
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of MedicineThe BronxUnited States
| | - Panagiotis Moulos
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming”VariGreece
| | - Nicholas E Baker
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of MedicineThe BronxUnited States
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of MedicineThe BronxUnited States
- Department of Opthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of MedicineThe BronxUnited States
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28
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Qi Z, Jung C, Bandilla P, Ludwig C, Heron M, Sophie Kiesel A, Museridze M, Philippou‐Massier J, Nikolov M, Renna Max Schnepf A, Unnerstall U, Ceolin S, Mühlig B, Gompel N, Soeding J, Gaul U. Large-scale analysis of Drosophila core promoter function using synthetic promoters. Mol Syst Biol 2022; 18:e9816. [PMID: 35156763 PMCID: PMC8842121 DOI: 10.15252/msb.20209816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The core promoter plays a central role in setting metazoan gene expression levels, but how exactly it "computes" expression remains poorly understood. To dissect its function, we carried out a comprehensive structure-function analysis in Drosophila. First, we performed a genome-wide bioinformatic analysis, providing an improved picture of the sequence motifs architecture. We then measured synthetic promoters' activities of ~3,000 mutational variants with and without an external stimulus (hormonal activation), at large scale and with high accuracy using robotics and a dual luciferase reporter assay. We observed a strong impact on activity of the different types of mutations, including knockout of individual sequence motifs and motif combinations, variations of motif strength, nucleosome positioning, and flanking sequences. A linear combination of the individual motif features largely accounts for the combinatorial effects on core promoter activity. These findings shed new light on the quantitative assessment of gene expression in metazoans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhan Qi
- Department of Biochemistry, Gene CenterLudwig‐Maximillians‐Universität MünchenFeodor‐Lynen‐str 25MunichGermany
| | - Christophe Jung
- Department of Biochemistry, Gene CenterLudwig‐Maximillians‐Universität MünchenFeodor‐Lynen‐str 25MunichGermany
| | - Peter Bandilla
- Department of Biochemistry, Gene CenterLudwig‐Maximillians‐Universität MünchenFeodor‐Lynen‐str 25MunichGermany
| | - Claudia Ludwig
- Department of Biochemistry, Gene CenterLudwig‐Maximillians‐Universität MünchenFeodor‐Lynen‐str 25MunichGermany
| | - Mark Heron
- Department of Biochemistry, Gene CenterLudwig‐Maximillians‐Universität MünchenFeodor‐Lynen‐str 25MunichGermany
| | - Anja Sophie Kiesel
- Department of Biochemistry, Gene CenterLudwig‐Maximillians‐Universität MünchenFeodor‐Lynen‐str 25MunichGermany
| | - Mariam Museridze
- Department of Biology II, Evolutionary BiologyLudwig‐Maximilians‐Universität MünchenPlanegg‐MartinsriedGermany
| | - Julia Philippou‐Massier
- Department of Biochemistry, Gene CenterLudwig‐Maximillians‐Universität MünchenFeodor‐Lynen‐str 25MunichGermany
| | - Miroslav Nikolov
- Department of Biochemistry, Gene CenterLudwig‐Maximillians‐Universität MünchenFeodor‐Lynen‐str 25MunichGermany
| | - Alessio Renna Max Schnepf
- Department of Biochemistry, Gene CenterLudwig‐Maximillians‐Universität MünchenFeodor‐Lynen‐str 25MunichGermany
| | - Ulrich Unnerstall
- Department of Biochemistry, Gene CenterLudwig‐Maximillians‐Universität MünchenFeodor‐Lynen‐str 25MunichGermany
| | - Stefano Ceolin
- Department of Biology II, Evolutionary BiologyLudwig‐Maximilians‐Universität MünchenPlanegg‐MartinsriedGermany
| | - Bettina Mühlig
- Department of Biology II, Evolutionary BiologyLudwig‐Maximilians‐Universität MünchenPlanegg‐MartinsriedGermany
| | - Nicolas Gompel
- Department of Biology II, Evolutionary BiologyLudwig‐Maximilians‐Universität MünchenPlanegg‐MartinsriedGermany
| | - Johannes Soeding
- Department of Biochemistry, Gene CenterLudwig‐Maximillians‐Universität MünchenFeodor‐Lynen‐str 25MunichGermany
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical ChemistryGöttingenGermany
| | - Ulrike Gaul
- Department of Biochemistry, Gene CenterLudwig‐Maximillians‐Universität MünchenFeodor‐Lynen‐str 25MunichGermany
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29
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Chekunova AI, Sorokina SY, Sivoplyas EA, Bakhtoyarov GN, Proshakov PA, Fokin AV, Melnikov AI, Kulikov AM. Episodes of Rapid Recovery of the Functional Activity of the ras85D Gene in the Evolutionary History of Phylogenetically Distant Drosophila Species. Front Genet 2022; 12:807234. [PMID: 35096018 PMCID: PMC8790561 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.807234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
As assemblies of genomes of new species with varying degrees of relationship appear, it becomes obvious that structural rearrangements of the genome, such as inversions, translocations, and transposon movements, are an essential and often the main source of evolutionary variation. In this regard, the following questions arise. How conserved are the regulatory regions of genes? Do they have a common evolutionary origin? And how and at what rate is the functional activity of genes restored during structural changes in the promoter region? In this article, we analyze the evolutionary history of the formation of the regulatory region of the ras85D gene in different lineages of the genus Drosophila, as well as the participation of mobile elements in structural rearrangements and in the replacement of specific areas of the promoter region with those of independent evolutionary origin. In the process, we substantiate hypotheses about the selection of promoter elements from a number of frequently repeated motifs with different degrees of degeneracy in the ancestral sequence, as well as about the restoration of the minimum required set of regulatory sequences using a conversion mechanism or similar.
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Affiliation(s)
- A I Chekunova
- Evolutionary Genetics of Development, N.K. Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - S Yu Sorokina
- Evolutionary Genetics of Development, N.K. Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - E A Sivoplyas
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Institute of Biology and Chemistry of Moscow Pedagogical State University (MPGU), Moscow, Russia
| | - G N Bakhtoyarov
- Laboratory of Genetics of DNA Containing Viruses, Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution «I. Mechnikov Research Institute of Vaccines and Sera», Moscow, Russia
| | - P A Proshakov
- Evolutionary Genetics of Development, N.K. Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - A V Fokin
- Evolutionary Genetics of Development, N.K. Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - A I Melnikov
- Evolutionary Genetics of Development, N.K. Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - A M Kulikov
- Evolutionary Genetics of Development, N.K. Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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30
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Park JJ, Chen S. Metaviromic identification of discriminative genomic features in SARS-CoV-2 using machine learning. PATTERNS 2022; 3:100407. [PMID: 34812427 PMCID: PMC8598947 DOI: 10.1016/j.patter.2021.100407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has become a major threat across the globe. Here, we developed machine learning approaches to identify key pathogenic regions in coronavirus genomes. We trained and evaluated 7,562,625 models on 3,665 genomes including SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and other coronaviruses of human and animal origins to return quantitative and biologically interpretable signatures at nucleotide and amino acid resolutions. We identified hotspots across the SARS-CoV-2 genome, including previously unappreciated features in spike, RdRp, and other proteins. Finally, we integrated pathogenicity genomic profiles with B cell and T cell epitope predictions for enrichment of sequence targets to help guide vaccine development. These results provide a systematic map of predicted pathogenicity in SARS-CoV-2 that incorporates sequence, structural, and immunologic features, providing an unbiased collection of genetic elements for functional studies. This metavirome-based framework can also be applied for rapid characterization of new coronavirus strains or emerging pathogenic viruses. Machine learning identifies discriminative signatures in coronavirus genomes Hotspots in key viral proteins have evolutionary and structural significance Integration of hotspots with B cell and T cell epitopes identify joint features Hotspots correlate with emerging variants of concern for mutation prioritization
Identifying which genomic regions of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus are pathogenic remains a major challenge in COVID-19 research. However, there is currently a lack of systematic and unbiased methods for such functional characterization. In this study, we set up a machine learning-based approach to identify which genomic regions distinguish SARS-CoV-2 and other high case fatality rate coronaviruses from other coronaviruses. Discriminative scores were obtained for every nucleotide in the SARS-CoV-2 genome. We then performed a series of evolutionary and structural analyses of candidate hotspots, as well as integrative analyses with predicted B cell and T cell epitopes and emerging variants of concern. Our approach can be extended to other viral genomes or microbial pathogens to gain insights on which sequence features are pathogenic or immunogenic.
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31
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Zhang M, Jia C, Li F, Li C, Zhu Y, Akutsu T, Webb GI, Zou Q, Coin LJM, Song J. Critical assessment of computational tools for prokaryotic and eukaryotic promoter prediction. Brief Bioinform 2022; 23:6502561. [PMID: 35021193 PMCID: PMC8921625 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbab551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Promoters are crucial regulatory DNA regions for gene transcriptional activation. Rapid advances in next-generation sequencing technologies have accelerated the accumulation of genome sequences, providing increased training data to inform computational approaches for both prokaryotic and eukaryotic promoter prediction. However, it remains a significant challenge to accurately identify species-specific promoter sequences using computational approaches. To advance computational support for promoter prediction, in this study, we curated 58 comprehensive, up-to-date, benchmark datasets for 7 different species (i.e. Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, Arabidopsis thaliana, Zea mays and Drosophila melanogaster) to assist the research community to assess the relative functionality of alternative approaches and support future research on both prokaryotic and eukaryotic promoters. We revisited 106 predictors published since 2000 for promoter identification (40 for prokaryotic promoter, 61 for eukaryotic promoter, and 5 for both). We systematically evaluated their training datasets, computational methodologies, calculated features, performance and software usability. On the basis of these benchmark datasets, we benchmarked 19 predictors with functioning webservers/local tools and assessed their prediction performance. We found that deep learning and traditional machine learning-based approaches generally outperformed scoring function-based approaches. Taken together, the curated benchmark dataset repository and the benchmarking analysis in this study serve to inform the design and implementation of computational approaches for promoter prediction and facilitate more rigorous comparison of new techniques in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cangzhi Jia
- Corresponding authors: Jiangning Song, Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia. E-mail: ; Lachlan J.M. Coin, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, 792 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia. E-mail: ; Quan Zou, Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China. E-mail: ; Cangzhi Jia, School of Science, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China. E-mail:
| | | | | | | | | | - Geoffrey I Webb
- Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia,Monash Data Futures Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Quan Zou
- Corresponding authors: Jiangning Song, Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia. E-mail: ; Lachlan J.M. Coin, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, 792 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia. E-mail: ; Quan Zou, Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China. E-mail: ; Cangzhi Jia, School of Science, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China. E-mail:
| | - Lachlan J M Coin
- Corresponding authors: Jiangning Song, Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia. E-mail: ; Lachlan J.M. Coin, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, 792 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia. E-mail: ; Quan Zou, Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China. E-mail: ; Cangzhi Jia, School of Science, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China. E-mail:
| | - Jiangning Song
- Corresponding authors: Jiangning Song, Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia. E-mail: ; Lachlan J.M. Coin, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, 792 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia. E-mail: ; Quan Zou, Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China. E-mail: ; Cangzhi Jia, School of Science, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China. E-mail:
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32
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Udaondo Z. Big data and computational advancements for next generation of Microbial Biotechnology. Microb Biotechnol 2022; 15:107-109. [PMID: 34713973 PMCID: PMC8719813 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Zulema Udaondo
- Department of Biomedical InformaticsUniversity of Arkansas for Medical SciencesLittle RockARUSA
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33
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Yokoshi M, Kawasaki K, Cambón M, Fukaya T. Dynamic modulation of enhancer responsiveness by core promoter elements in living Drosophila embryos. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 50:92-107. [PMID: 34897508 PMCID: PMC8754644 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab1177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulatory interactions between enhancers and core promoters are fundamental for the temporal and spatial specificity of gene expression in development. The central role of core promoters is to initiate productive transcription in response to enhancer's activation cues. However, it has not been systematically assessed how individual core promoter elements affect the induction of transcriptional bursting by enhancers. Here, we provide evidence that each core promoter element differentially modulates functional parameters of transcriptional bursting in developing Drosophila embryos. Quantitative live imaging analysis revealed that the timing and the continuity of burst induction are common regulatory steps on which core promoter elements impact. We further show that the upstream TATA also affects the burst amplitude. On the other hand, Inr, MTE and DPE mainly contribute to the regulation of the burst frequency. Genome editing analysis of the pair-rule gene fushi tarazu revealed that the endogenous TATA and DPE are both essential for its correct expression and function during the establishment of body segments in early embryos. We suggest that core promoter elements serve as a key regulatory module in converting enhancer activity into transcription dynamics during animal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moe Yokoshi
- Laboratory of Transcription Dynamics, Research Center for Biological Visualization, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Koji Kawasaki
- Laboratory of Transcription Dynamics, Research Center for Biological Visualization, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Manuel Cambón
- Applied Mathematics Department, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Takashi Fukaya
- Laboratory of Transcription Dynamics, Research Center for Biological Visualization, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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34
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Larson ED, Komori H, Gibson TJ, Ostgaard CM, Hamm DC, Schnell JM, Lee CY, Harrison MM. Cell-type-specific chromatin occupancy by the pioneer factor Zelda drives key developmental transitions in Drosophila. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7153. [PMID: 34887421 PMCID: PMC8660810 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27506-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
During Drosophila embryogenesis, the essential pioneer factor Zelda defines hundreds of cis-regulatory regions and in doing so reprograms the zygotic transcriptome. While Zelda is essential later in development, it is unclear how the ability of Zelda to define cis-regulatory regions is shaped by cell-type-specific chromatin architecture. Asymmetric division of neural stem cells (neuroblasts) in the fly brain provide an excellent paradigm for investigating the cell-type-specific functions of this pioneer factor. We show that Zelda synergistically functions with Notch to maintain neuroblasts in an undifferentiated state. Zelda misexpression reprograms progenitor cells to neuroblasts, but this capacity is limited by transcriptional repressors critical for progenitor commitment. Zelda genomic occupancy in neuroblasts is reorganized as compared to the embryo, and this reorganization is correlated with differences in chromatin accessibility and cofactor availability. We propose that Zelda regulates essential transitions in the neuroblasts and embryo through a shared gene-regulatory network driven by cell-type-specific enhancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth D Larson
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Hideyuki Komori
- Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Tyler J Gibson
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Cyrina M Ostgaard
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Danielle C Hamm
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jack M Schnell
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Cheng-Yu Lee
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine and Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Melissa M Harrison
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA.
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35
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Zimmer JT, Rosa-Mercado NA, Canzio D, Steitz JA, Simon MD. STL-seq reveals pause-release and termination kinetics for promoter-proximal paused RNA polymerase II transcripts. Mol Cell 2021; 81:4398-4412.e7. [PMID: 34520723 PMCID: PMC9020433 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 06/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Despite the critical regulatory function of promoter-proximal pausing, the influence of pausing kinetics on transcriptional control remains an active area of investigation. Here, we present Start-TimeLapse-seq (STL-seq), a method that captures the genome-wide kinetics of short, capped RNA turnover and reveals principles of regulation at the pause site. By measuring the rates of release into elongation and premature termination through the inhibition of pause release, we determine that pause-release rates are highly variable, and most promoter-proximal paused RNA polymerase II molecules prematurely terminate (∼80%). The preferred regulatory mechanism upon a hormonal stimulus (20-hydroxyecdysone) is to influence pause-release rather than termination rates. Transcriptional shutdown occurs concurrently with the induction of promoter-proximal termination under hyperosmotic stress, but paused transcripts from TATA box-containing promoters remain stable, demonstrating an important role for cis-acting DNA elements in pausing. STL-seq dissects the kinetics of pause release and termination, providing an opportunity to identify mechanisms of transcriptional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua T Zimmer
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Institute for Biomolecular Design and Discovery, Yale University, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
| | - Nicolle A Rosa-Mercado
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Daniele Canzio
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Joan A Steitz
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Matthew D Simon
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Institute for Biomolecular Design and Discovery, Yale University, West Haven, CT 06516, USA.
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Sloutskin A, Shir-Shapira H, Freiman RN, Juven-Gershon T. The Core Promoter Is a Regulatory Hub for Developmental Gene Expression. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:666508. [PMID: 34568311 PMCID: PMC8461331 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.666508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of multicellular organisms and the uniqueness of each cell are achieved by distinct transcriptional programs. Multiple processes that regulate gene expression converge at the core promoter region, an 80 bp region that directs accurate transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II (Pol II). In recent years, it has become apparent that the core promoter region is not a passive DNA component, but rather an active regulatory module of transcriptional programs. Distinct core promoter compositions were demonstrated to result in different transcriptional outputs. In this mini-review, we focus on the role of the core promoter, particularly its downstream region, as the regulatory hub for developmental genes. The downstream core promoter element (DPE) was implicated in the control of evolutionarily conserved developmental gene regulatory networks (GRNs) governing body plan in both the anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral axes. Notably, the composition of the basal transcription machinery is not universal, but rather promoter-dependent, highlighting the importance of specialized transcription complexes and their core promoter target sequences as key hubs that drive embryonic development, differentiation and morphogenesis across metazoan species. The extent of transcriptional activation by a specific enhancer is dependent on its compatibility with the relevant core promoter. The core promoter content also regulates transcription burst size. Overall, while for many years it was thought that the specificity of gene expression is primarily determined by enhancers, it is now clear that the core promoter region comprises an important regulatory module in the intricate networks of developmental gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Sloutskin
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Hila Shir-Shapira
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Richard N. Freiman
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Tamar Juven-Gershon
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
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Dreos R, Sloutskin A, Malachi N, Ideses D, Bucher P, Juven-Gershon T. Computational identification and experimental characterization of preferred downstream positions in human core promoters. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009256. [PMID: 34383743 PMCID: PMC8384218 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Metazoan core promoters, which direct the initiation of transcription by RNA polymerase II (Pol II), may contain short sequence motifs termed core promoter elements/motifs (e.g. the TATA box, initiator (Inr) and downstream core promoter element (DPE)), which recruit Pol II via the general transcription machinery. The DPE was discovered and extensively characterized in Drosophila, where it is strictly dependent on both the presence of an Inr and the precise spacing from it. Since the Drosophila DPE is recognized by the human transcription machinery, it is most likely that some human promoters contain a downstream element that is similar, though not necessarily identical, to the Drosophila DPE. However, only a couple of human promoters were shown to contain a functional DPE, and attempts to computationally detect human DPE-containing promoters have mostly been unsuccessful. Using a newly-designed motif discovery strategy based on Expectation-Maximization probabilistic partitioning algorithms, we discovered preferred downstream positions (PDP) in human promoters that resemble the Drosophila DPE. Available chromatin accessibility footprints revealed that Drosophila and human Inr+DPE promoter classes are not only highly structured, but also similar to each other, particularly in the proximal downstream region. Clustering of the corresponding sequence motifs using a neighbor-joining algorithm strongly suggests that canonical Inr+DPE promoters could be common to metazoan species. Using reporter assays we demonstrate the contribution of the identified downstream positions to the function of multiple human promoters. Furthermore, we show that alteration of the spacing between the Inr and PDP by two nucleotides results in reduced promoter activity, suggesting a spacing dependency of the newly discovered human PDP on the Inr. Taken together, our strategy identified novel functional downstream positions within human core promoters, supporting the existence of DPE-like motifs in human promoters. Transcription of genes by the RNA polymerase II enzyme initiates at a genomic region termed the core promoter. The core promoter is a regulatory region that may contain diverse short DNA sequence motifs/elements that confer specific properties to it. Interestingly, core promoter motifs can be located both upstream and downstream of the transcription start site. Variable compositions of core promoter elements were identified. The initiator (Inr) motif and the downstream core promoter element (DPE) is a combination of elements that has been identified and extensively characterized in fruit flies. Although a few Inr+DPE -containing human promoters were identified, the presence of transcriptionally important downstream core promoter positions within human promoters has been a matter of controversy in the literature. Here, using a newly-designed motif discovery strategy, we discovered preferred downstream positions in human promoters that resemble fruit fly DPE. Clustering of the corresponding sequence motifs in eight additional species indicated that such promoters could be common to multicellular non-plant organisms. Importantly, functional characterization of the newly discovered preferred downstream positions supports the existence of Inr+DPE-containing promoters in human genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- René Dreos
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anna Sloutskin
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Nati Malachi
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Diana Ideses
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Philipp Bucher
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, Switzerland
- School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (PB); (TJG)
| | - Tamar Juven-Gershon
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
- * E-mail: (PB); (TJG)
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Biswas A, Narlikar L. A universal framework for detecting cis-regulatory diversity in DNA regulatory regions. Genome Res 2021; 31:1646-1662. [PMID: 34285090 PMCID: PMC8415372 DOI: 10.1101/gr.274563.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
High-throughput sequencing-based assays measure different biochemical activities pertaining to gene regulation, genome-wide. These activities include transcription factor (TF)–DNA binding, enhancer activity, open chromatin, and more. A major goal is to understand underlying sequence components, or motifs, that can explain the measured activity. It is usually not one motif but a combination of motifs bound by cooperatively acting proteins that confers activity to such regions. Furthermore, regions can be diverse, governed by different combinations of TFs/motifs. Current approaches do not take into account this issue of combinatorial diversity. We present a new statistical framework, cisDIVERSITY, which models regions as diverse modules characterized by combinations of motifs while simultaneously learning the motifs themselves. Because cisDIVERSITY does not rely on knowledge of motifs, modules, cell type, or organism, it is general enough to be applied to regions reported by most high-throughput assays. For example, in enhancer predictions resulting from different assays—GRO-cap, STARR-seq, and those measuring chromatin structure—cisDIVERSITY discovers distinct modules and combinations of TF binding sites, some specific to the assay. From protein–DNA binding data, cisDIVERSITY identifies potential cofactors of the profiled TF, whereas from ATAC-seq data, it identifies tissue-specific regulatory modules. Finally, analysis of single-cell ATAC-seq data suggests that regions open in one cell-state encode information about future states, with certain modules staying open and others closing down in the next time point.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anushua Biswas
- CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research
| | - Leelavati Narlikar
- CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research
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Biswas A, Narlikar L. Resolving diverse protein-DNA footprints from exonuclease-based ChIP experiments. Bioinformatics 2021; 37:i367-i375. [PMID: 34252930 PMCID: PMC8275329 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btab274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION High-throughput chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) sequencing-based assays capture genomic regions associated with the profiled transcription factor (TF). ChIP-exo is a modified protocol, which uses lambda exonuclease to digest DNA close to the TF-DNA complex, in order to improve on the positional resolution of the TF-DNA contact. Because the digestion occurs in the 5'-3' orientation, the protocol produces directional footprints close to the complex, on both sides of the double stranded DNA. Like all ChIP-based methods, ChIP-exo reports a mixture of different regions associated with the TF: those bound directly to the TF as well as via intermediaries. However, the distribution of footprints are likely to be indicative of the complex forming at the DNA. RESULTS We present ExoDiversity, which uses a model-based framework to learn a joint distribution over footprints and motifs, thus resolving the mixture of ChIP-exo footprints into diverse binding modes. It uses no prior motif or TF information and automatically learns the number of different modes from the data. We show its application on a wide range of TFs and organisms/cell-types. Because its goal is to explain the complete set of reported regions, it is able to identify co-factor TF motifs that appear in a small fraction of the dataset. Further, ExoDiversity discovers small nucleotide variations within and outside canonical motifs, which co-occur with variations in footprints, suggesting that the TF-DNA structural configuration at those regions is likely to be different. Finally, we show that detected modes have specific DNA shape features and conservation signals, giving insights into the structure and function of the putative TF-DNA complexes. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION The code for ExoDiversity is available on https://github.com/NarlikarLab/exoDIVERSITY. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anushua Biswas
- Department of Chemical Engineering, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune 411008, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Leelavati Narlikar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune 411008, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad 201002, India
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M1BP cooperates with CP190 to activate transcription at TAD borders and promote chromatin insulator activity. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4170. [PMID: 34234130 PMCID: PMC8263732 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24407-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome organization is driven by forces affecting transcriptional state, but the relationship between transcription and genome architecture remains unclear. Here, we identified the Drosophila transcription factor Motif 1 Binding Protein (M1BP) in physical association with the gypsy chromatin insulator core complex, including the universal insulator protein CP190. M1BP is required for enhancer-blocking and barrier activities of the gypsy insulator as well as its proper nuclear localization. Genome-wide, M1BP specifically colocalizes with CP190 at Motif 1-containing promoters, which are enriched at topologically associating domain (TAD) borders. M1BP facilitates CP190 chromatin binding at many shared sites and vice versa. Both factors promote Motif 1-dependent gene expression and transcription near TAD borders genome-wide. Finally, loss of M1BP reduces chromatin accessibility and increases both inter- and intra-TAD local genome compaction. Our results reveal physical and functional interaction between CP190 and M1BP to activate transcription at TAD borders and mediate chromatin insulator-dependent genome organization. Transcriptional state plays a role in genome organization, however factors that link these processes are not well known. Here, the authors show Drosophila transcription factor Motif 1-binding protein (M1BP) interacts with the insulator protein CP190 to promote insulator function and activate Motif 1-dependent transcription at topologically associating domain (TAD) borders.
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41
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Banerjee S, Bhandary P, Woodhouse M, Sen TZ, Wise RP, Andorf CM. FINDER: an automated software package to annotate eukaryotic genes from RNA-Seq data and associated protein sequences. BMC Bioinformatics 2021; 22:205. [PMID: 33879057 PMCID: PMC8056616 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-021-04120-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gene annotation in eukaryotes is a non-trivial task that requires meticulous analysis of accumulated transcript data. Challenges include transcriptionally active regions of the genome that contain overlapping genes, genes that produce numerous transcripts, transposable elements and numerous diverse sequence repeats. Currently available gene annotation software applications depend on pre-constructed full-length gene sequence assemblies which are not guaranteed to be error-free. The origins of these sequences are often uncertain, making it difficult to identify and rectify errors in them. This hinders the creation of an accurate and holistic representation of the transcriptomic landscape across multiple tissue types and experimental conditions. Therefore, to gauge the extent of diversity in gene structures, a comprehensive analysis of genome-wide expression data is imperative. RESULTS We present FINDER, a fully automated computational tool that optimizes the entire process of annotating genes and transcript structures. Unlike current state-of-the-art pipelines, FINDER automates the RNA-Seq pre-processing step by working directly with raw sequence reads and optimizes gene prediction from BRAKER2 by supplementing these reads with associated proteins. The FINDER pipeline (1) reports transcripts and recognizes genes that are expressed under specific conditions, (2) generates all possible alternatively spliced transcripts from expressed RNA-Seq data, (3) analyzes read coverage patterns to modify existing transcript models and create new ones, and (4) scores genes as high- or low-confidence based on the available evidence across multiple datasets. We demonstrate the ability of FINDER to automatically annotate a diverse pool of genomes from eight species. CONCLUSIONS FINDER takes a completely automated approach to annotate genes directly from raw expression data. It is capable of processing eukaryotic genomes of all sizes and requires no manual supervision-ideal for bench researchers with limited experience in handling computational tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagnik Banerjee
- Program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
- Department of Statistics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Priyanka Bhandary
- Program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
- Department of Genetics, Developmental and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Margaret Woodhouse
- Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Taner Z Sen
- Crop Improvement and Genetics Research Unit, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Albany, CA, 94710, USA
| | - Roger P Wise
- Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Carson M Andorf
- Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
- Department of Computer Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
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Chen X, Qi Y, Wu Z, Wang X, Li J, Zhao D, Hou H, Li Y, Yu Z, Liu W, Wang M, Ren Y, Li Z, Yang H, Xu Y. Structural insights into preinitiation complex assembly on core promoters. Science 2021; 372:science.aba8490. [PMID: 33795473 DOI: 10.1126/science.aba8490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Transcription factor IID (TFIID) recognizes core promoters and supports preinitiation complex (PIC) assembly for RNA polymerase II (Pol II)-mediated eukaryotic transcription. We determined the structures of human TFIID-based PIC in three stepwise assembly states and revealed two-track PIC assembly: stepwise promoter deposition to Pol II and extensive modular reorganization on track I (on TATA-TFIID-binding element promoters) versus direct promoter deposition on track II (on TATA-only and TATA-less promoters). The two tracks converge at an ~50-subunit holo PIC in identical conformation, whereby TFIID stabilizes PIC organization and supports loading of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-activating kinase (CAK) onto Pol II and CAK-mediated phosphorylation of the Pol II carboxyl-terminal domain. Unexpectedly, TBP of TFIID similarly bends TATA box and TATA-less promoters in PIC. Our study provides structural visualization of stepwise PIC assembly on highly diversified promoters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xizi Chen
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yilun Qi
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Zihan Wu
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xinxin Wang
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Jiabei Li
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Dan Zhao
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Haifeng Hou
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yan Li
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Zishuo Yu
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Weida Liu
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Mo Wang
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yulei Ren
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ze Li
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Huirong Yang
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yanhui Xu
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China. .,The International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, China, Department of Systems Biology for Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.,Human Phenome Institute, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
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Yan Y, Jaffri SA, Schwirz J, Stein C, Schetelig MF. Identification and characterization of four Drosophila suzukii cellularization genes and their promoters. BMC Genet 2020; 21:146. [PMID: 33339500 PMCID: PMC7747377 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-020-00939-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The spotted-wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) is a widespread invasive pest that causes severe economic damage to fruit crops. The early development of D. suzukii is similar to that of other Drosophilids, but the roles of individual genes must be confirmed experimentally. Cellularization genes coordinate the onset of cell division as soon as the invagination of membranes starts around the nuclei in the syncytial blastoderm. The promoters of these genes have been used in genetic pest-control systems to express transgenes that confer embryonic lethality. Such systems could be helpful in sterile insect technique applications to ensure that sterility (bi-sex embryonic lethality) or sexing (female-specific embryonic lethality) can be achieved during mass rearing. The activity of cellularization gene promoters during embryogenesis controls the timing and dose of the lethal gene product. Results Here, we report the isolation of the D. suzukii cellularization genes nullo, serendipity-α, bottleneck and slow-as-molasses from a laboratory strain. Conserved motifs were identified by comparing the encoded proteins with orthologs from other Drosophilids. Expression profiling confirmed that all four are zygotic genes that are strongly expressed at the early blastoderm stage. The 5′ flanking regions from these cellularization genes were isolated, incorporated into piggyBac vectors and compared in vitro for the promoter activities. The Dsnullo promoter showed the highest activity in the cell culture assays using D. melanogaster S2 cells. Conclusions The similarities in the gene coding and 5′ flanking sequence as well as in the expression pattern of the four cellularization genes between D. melanogaster and D. suzukii, suggest that conserved functions may be involved in both species. The high expression level at the early blastoderm stage of the four cellularization genes were confirmed, thus their promoters can be considered in embryonic lethality systems. While the Dsnullo promoter could be a suitable candidate, all reported promoters here are subject to further in vivo analyses before constructing potential pest control systems. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12863-020-00939-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Yan
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Department of Insect Biotechnology in Plant Protection, Winchesterstr. 2, 35394, Giessen, Germany. .,Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, 35394, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Syeda A Jaffri
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Department of Insect Biotechnology in Plant Protection, Winchesterstr. 2, 35394, Giessen, Germany
| | - Jonas Schwirz
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, 35394, Giessen, Germany
| | - Carl Stein
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Department of Insect Biotechnology in Plant Protection, Winchesterstr. 2, 35394, Giessen, Germany
| | - Marc F Schetelig
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Department of Insect Biotechnology in Plant Protection, Winchesterstr. 2, 35394, Giessen, Germany. .,Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, 35394, Giessen, Germany.
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Raj A, Chimata AV, Singh A. Motif 1 Binding Protein suppresses wingless to promote eye fate in Drosophila. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17221. [PMID: 33057115 PMCID: PMC7560846 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73891-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The phenomenon of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) pausing at transcription start site (TSS) is one of the key rate-limiting steps in regulating genome-wide gene expression. In Drosophila embryo, Pol II pausing is known to regulate the developmental control genes expression, however, the functional implication of Pol II pausing during later developmental time windows remains largely unknown. A highly conserved zinc finger transcription factor, Motif 1 Binding Protein (M1BP), is known to orchestrate promoter-proximal pausing. We found a new role of M1BP in regulating Drosophila eye development. Downregulation of M1BP function suppresses eye fate resulting in a reduced eye or a "no-eye" phenotype. The eye suppression function of M1BP has no domain constraint in the developing eye. Downregulation of M1BP results in more than two-fold induction of wingless (wg) gene expression along with robust induction of Homothorax (Hth), a negative regulator of eye fate. The loss-of-eye phenotype of M1BP downregulation is dependent on Wg upregulation as downregulation of both M1BP and wg, by using wgRNAi, shows a significant rescue of a reduced eye or a "no-eye" phenotype, which is accompanied by normalizing of wg and hth expression levels in the eye imaginal disc. Ectopic induction of Wg is known to trigger developmental cell death. We found that upregulation of wg as a result of downregulation of M1BP also induces apoptotic cell death, which can be significantly restored by blocking caspase-mediated cell death. Our data strongly imply that transcriptional regulation of wg by Pol II pausing factor M1BP may be one of the important regulatory mechanism(s) during Drosophila eye development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akanksha Raj
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA
| | | | - Amit Singh
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA. .,Premedical Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA. .,Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering (TREND), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA. .,Integrative Science and Engineering (ISE), University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA. .,Center for Genomic Advocacy (TCGA), Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, USA.
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Sigalova OM, Shaeiri A, Forneris M, Furlong EEM, Zaugg JB. Predictive features of gene expression variation reveal mechanistic link with differential expression. Mol Syst Biol 2020; 16:e9539. [PMID: 32767663 PMCID: PMC7411568 DOI: 10.15252/msb.20209539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
For most biological processes, organisms must respond to extrinsic cues, while maintaining essential gene expression programmes. Although studied extensively in single cells, it is still unclear how variation is controlled in multicellular organisms. Here, we used a machine-learning approach to identify genomic features that are predictive of genes with high versus low variation in their expression across individuals, using bulk data to remove stochastic cell-to-cell variation. Using embryonic gene expression across 75 Drosophila isogenic lines, we identify features predictive of expression variation (controlling for expression level), many of which are promoter-related. Genes with low variation fall into two classes reflecting different mechanisms to maintain robust expression, while genes with high variation seem to lack both types of stabilizing mechanisms. Applying this framework to humans revealed similar predictive features, indicating that promoter architecture is an ancient mechanism to control expression variation. Remarkably, expression variation features could also partially predict differential expression after diverse perturbations in both Drosophila and humans. Differential gene expression signatures may therefore be partially explained by genetically encoded gene-specific features, unrelated to the studied treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga M Sigalova
- Genome Biology UnitEuropean Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)HeidelbergGermany
| | - Amirreza Shaeiri
- Structures and Computational Biology UnitEuropean Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)HeidelbergGermany
| | - Mattia Forneris
- Genome Biology UnitEuropean Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)HeidelbergGermany
| | - Eileen EM Furlong
- Genome Biology UnitEuropean Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)HeidelbergGermany
| | - Judith B Zaugg
- Structures and Computational Biology UnitEuropean Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)HeidelbergGermany
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46
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Koromila T, Gao F, Iwasaki Y, He P, Pachter L, Gergen JP, Stathopoulos A. Odd-paired is a pioneer-like factor that coordinates with Zelda to control gene expression in embryos. eLife 2020; 9:e59610. [PMID: 32701060 PMCID: PMC7417190 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Pioneer factors such as Zelda (Zld) help initiate zygotic transcription in Drosophila early embryos, but whether other factors support this dynamic process is unclear. Odd-paired (Opa), a zinc-finger transcription factor expressed at cellularization, controls the transition of genes from pair-rule to segmental patterns along the anterior-posterior axis. Finding that Opa also regulates expression through enhancer sog_Distal along the dorso-ventral axis, we hypothesized Opa's role is more general. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation (ChIP-seq) confirmed its in vivo binding to sog_Distal but also identified widespread binding throughout the genome, comparable to Zld. Furthermore, chromatin assays (ATAC-seq) demonstrate that Opa, like Zld, influences chromatin accessibility genome-wide at cellularization, suggesting both are pioneer factors with common as well as distinct targets. Lastly, embryos lacking opa exhibit widespread, late patterning defects spanning both axes. Collectively, these data suggest Opa is a general timing factor and likely late-acting pioneer factor that drives a secondary wave of zygotic gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodora Koromila
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological EngineeringPasadenaUnited States
| | - Fan Gao
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological EngineeringPasadenaUnited States
| | - Yasuno Iwasaki
- Stony Brook University, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and Center for Developmental GeneticsStony BrookUnited States
| | - Peng He
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological EngineeringPasadenaUnited States
| | - Lior Pachter
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological EngineeringPasadenaUnited States
| | - J Peter Gergen
- Stony Brook University, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and Center for Developmental GeneticsStony BrookUnited States
| | - Angelike Stathopoulos
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological EngineeringPasadenaUnited States
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Barthez M, Poplineau M, Elrefaey M, Caruso N, Graba Y, Saurin AJ. Human ZKSCAN3 and Drosophila M1BP are functionally homologous transcription factors in autophagy regulation. Sci Rep 2020; 10:9653. [PMID: 32541927 PMCID: PMC7296029 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66377-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Autophagy is an essential cellular process that maintains homeostasis by recycling damaged organelles and nutrients during development and cellular stress. ZKSCAN3 is the sole identified master transcriptional repressor of autophagy in human cell lines. How ZKSCAN3 achieves autophagy repression at the mechanistic or organismal level however still remains to be elucidated. Furthermore, Zkscan3 knockout mice display no discernable autophagy-related phenotypes, suggesting that there may be substantial differences in the regulation of autophagy between normal tissues and tumor cell lines. Here, we demonstrate that vertebrate ZKSCAN3 and Drosophila M1BP are functionally homologous transcription factors in autophagy repression. Expression of ZKSCAN3 in Drosophila prevents premature autophagy onset due to loss of M1BP function and conversely, M1BP expression in human cells can prevent starvation-induced autophagy due to loss of nuclear ZKSCAN3 function. In Drosophila ZKSCAN3 binds genome-wide to sequences targeted by M1BP and transcriptionally regulates the majority of M1BP-controlled genes, demonstrating the evolutionary conservation of the transcriptional repression of autophagy. This study thus allows the potential for transitioning the mechanisms, gene targets and plethora metabolic processes controlled by M1BP onto ZKSCAN3 and opens up Drosophila as a tool in studying the function of ZKSCAN3 in autophagy and tumourigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Barthez
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IBDM, UMR 7288, Marseille, 13288, Cedex 09, France
| | - Mathilde Poplineau
- Epigenetic Factors in Normal and Malignant Hematopoiesis, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, INSERM, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, CRCM, Marseille, France
| | - Marwa Elrefaey
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IBDM, UMR 7288, Marseille, 13288, Cedex 09, France
| | - Nathalie Caruso
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IBDM, UMR 7288, Marseille, 13288, Cedex 09, France
| | - Yacine Graba
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IBDM, UMR 7288, Marseille, 13288, Cedex 09, France
| | - Andrew J Saurin
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IBDM, UMR 7288, Marseille, 13288, Cedex 09, France.
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48
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Lu D, Sin HS, Lu C, Fuller MT. Developmental regulation of cell type-specific transcription by novel promoter-proximal sequence elements. Genes Dev 2020; 34:663-677. [PMID: 32217666 PMCID: PMC7197356 DOI: 10.1101/gad.335331.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cell type-specific transcriptional programs that drive differentiation of specialized cell types are key players in development and tissue regeneration. One of the most dramatic changes in the transcription program in Drosophila occurs with the transition from proliferating spermatogonia to differentiating spermatocytes, with >3000 genes either newly expressed or expressed from new alternative promoters in spermatocytes. Here we show that opening of these promoters from their closed state in precursor cells requires function of the spermatocyte-specific tMAC complex, localized at the promoters. The spermatocyte-specific promoters lack the previously identified canonical core promoter elements except for the Inr. Instead, these promoters are enriched for the binding site for the TALE-class homeodomain transcription factors Achi/Vis and for a motif originally identified under tMAC ChIP-seq peaks. The tMAC motif resembles part of the previously identified 14-bp β2UE1 element critical for spermatocyte-specific expression. Analysis of downstream sequences relative to transcription start site usage suggested that ACA and CNAAATT motifs at specific positions can help promote efficient transcription initiation. Our results reveal how promoter-proximal sequence elements that recruit and are acted upon by cell type-specific chromatin binding complexes help establish a robust, cell type-specific transcription program for terminal differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Lu
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Ho-Su Sin
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Chenggang Lu
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Margaret T Fuller
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
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49
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The conserved regulatory basis of mRNA contributions to the early Drosophila embryo differs between the maternal and zygotic genomes. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1008645. [PMID: 32226006 PMCID: PMC7145188 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The gene products that drive early development are critical for setting up developmental trajectories in all animals. The earliest stages of development are fueled by maternally provided mRNAs until the zygote can take over transcription of its own genome. In early development, both maternally deposited and zygotically transcribed gene products have been well characterized in model systems. Previously, we demonstrated that across the genus Drosophila, maternal and zygotic mRNAs are largely conserved but also showed a surprising amount of change across species, with more differences evolving at the zygotic stage than the maternal stage. In this study, we use comparative methods to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms underlying maternal deposition and zygotic transcription across species. Through motif analysis, we discovered considerable conservation of regulatory mechanisms associated with maternal transcription, as compared to zygotic transcription. We also found that the regulatory mechanisms active in the maternal and zygotic genomes are quite different. For maternally deposited genes, we uncovered many signals that are consistent with transcriptional regulation at the level of chromatin state through factors enriched in the ovary, rather than precisely controlled gene-specific factors. For genes expressed only by the zygotic genome, we found evidence for previously identified regulators such as Zelda and GAGA-factor, with multiple analyses pointing toward gene-specific regulation. The observed mechanisms of regulation are consistent with what is known about regulation in these two genomes: during oogenesis, the maternal genome is optimized to quickly produce a large volume of transcripts to provide to the oocyte; after zygotic genome activation, mechanisms are employed to activate transcription of specific genes in a spatiotemporally precise manner. Thus the genetic architecture of the maternal and zygotic genomes, and the specific requirements for the transcripts present at each stage of embryogenesis, determine the regulatory mechanisms responsible for transcripts present at these stages.
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50
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Mouawad R, Prasad J, Thorley D, Himadewi P, Kadiyala D, Wilson N, Kapranov P, Arnosti DN. Diversification of Retinoblastoma Protein Function Associated with Cis and Trans Adaptations. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 36:2790-2804. [PMID: 31418797 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinoblastoma proteins are eukaryotic transcriptional corepressors that play central roles in cell cycle control, among other functions. Although most metazoan genomes encode a single retinoblastoma protein, gene duplications have occurred at least twice: in the vertebrate lineage, leading to Rb, p107, and p130, and in Drosophila, an ancestral Rbf1 gene and a derived Rbf2 gene. Structurally, Rbf1 resembles p107 and p130, and mutation of the gene is lethal. Rbf2 is more divergent and mutation does not lead to lethality. However, the retention of Rbf2 >60 My in Drosophila points to essential functions, which prior cell-based assays have been unable to elucidate. Here, using genomic approaches, we provide new insights on the function of Rbf2. Strikingly, we show that Rbf2 regulates a set of cell growth-related genes and can antagonize Rbf1 on specific genes. These unique properties have important implications for the fly; Rbf2 mutants show reduced egg laying, and lifespan is reduced in females and males. Structural alterations in conserved regions of Rbf2 gene suggest that it was sub- or neofunctionalized to develop specific regulatory specificity and activity. We define cis-regulatory features of Rbf2 target genes that allow preferential repression by this protein, indicating that it is not a weaker version of Rbf1 as previously thought. The specialization of retinoblastoma function in Drosophila may reflect a parallel evolution found in vertebrates, and raises the possibility that cell growth control is equally important to cell cycle function for this conserved family of transcriptional corepressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rima Mouawad
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
| | - Jaideep Prasad
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
| | - Dominic Thorley
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
| | - Pamela Himadewi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
| | - Dhruva Kadiyala
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
| | - Nathan Wilson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
| | - Philipp Kapranov
- Institute of Genomics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, China
| | - David N Arnosti
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
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