1
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Zhao H, Lin Y, Lin E, Liu F, Shu L, Jing D, Wang B, Wang M, Shan F, Zhang L, Lam JC, Midla SC, Giardine BM, Keller CA, Hardison RC, Blobel GA, Zhang H. Genome folding principles uncovered in condensin-depleted mitotic chromosomes. Nat Genet 2024; 56:1213-1224. [PMID: 38802567 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01759-x] [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: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
During mitosis, condensin activity is thought to interfere with interphase chromatin structures. To investigate genome folding principles in the absence of chromatin loop extrusion, we codepleted condensin I and condensin II, which triggered mitotic chromosome compartmentalization in ways similar to that in interphase. However, two distinct euchromatic compartments, indistinguishable in interphase, emerged upon condensin loss with different interaction preferences and dependencies on H3K27ac. Constitutive heterochromatin gradually self-aggregated and cocompartmentalized with facultative heterochromatin, contrasting with their separation during interphase. Notably, some cis-regulatory element contacts became apparent even in the absence of CTCF/cohesin-mediated structures. Heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) proteins, which are thought to partition constitutive heterochromatin, were absent from mitotic chromosomes, suggesting, surprisingly, that constitutive heterochromatin can self-aggregate without HP1. Indeed, in cells traversing from M to G1 phase in the combined absence of HP1α, HP1β and HP1γ, constitutive heterochromatin compartments are normally re-established. In sum, condensin-deficient mitotic chromosomes illuminate forces of genome compartmentalization not identified in interphase cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Zhao
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yinzhi Lin
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - En Lin
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Fuhai Liu
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Lirong Shu
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Dannan Jing
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Shantou University, Shantou, China
| | - Baiyue Wang
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Manzhu Wang
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
- School of Basic Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Fengnian Shan
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
- School of Pharmacology, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lin Zhang
- School of Biological Science, Hongkong University, Hongkong, China
| | - Jessica C Lam
- Division of Hematology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Susannah C Midla
- Division of Hematology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Belinda M Giardine
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Cheryl A Keller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Ross C Hardison
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Gerd A Blobel
- Division of Hematology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Haoyue Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China.
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2
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Capauto D, Wang Y, Wu F, Norton S, Mariani J, Inoue F, Crawford GE, Ahituv N, Abyzov A, Vaccarino FM. Characterization of enhancer activity in early human neurodevelopment using Massively Parallel Reporter Assay (MPRA) and forebrain organoids. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3936. [PMID: 38365907 PMCID: PMC10873509 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54302-7] [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: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Regulation of gene expression through enhancers is one of the major processes shaping the structure and function of the human brain during development. High-throughput assays have predicted thousands of enhancers involved in neurodevelopment, and confirming their activity through orthogonal functional assays is crucial. Here, we utilized Massively Parallel Reporter Assays (MPRAs) in stem cells and forebrain organoids to evaluate the activity of ~ 7000 gene-linked enhancers previously identified in human fetal tissues and brain organoids. We used a Gaussian mixture model to evaluate the contribution of background noise in the measured activity signal to confirm the activity of ~ 35% of the tested enhancers, with most showing temporal-specific activity, suggesting their evolving role in neurodevelopment. The temporal specificity was further supported by the correlation of activity with gene expression. Our findings provide a valuable gene regulatory resource to the scientific community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Capauto
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Yifan Wang
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Feinan Wu
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Scott Norton
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Jessica Mariani
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Fumitaka Inoue
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | | | - Nadav Ahituv
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Alexej Abyzov
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
| | - Flora M Vaccarino
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
- Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
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3
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Zhao H, Lin Y, Lin E, Liu F, Shu L, Jing D, Wang B, Wang M, Shan F, Zhang L, Lam JC, Midla SC, Giardine BM, Keller CA, Hardison RC, Blobel GA, Zhang H. Genome folding principles revealed in condensin-depleted mitotic chromosomes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.09.566494. [PMID: 38014261 PMCID: PMC10680603 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.09.566494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
During mitosis, condensin activity interferes with interphase chromatin structures. Here, we generated condensin-free mitotic chromosomes to investigate genome folding principles. Co-depletion of condensin I and II, but neither alone, triggered mitotic chromosome compartmentalization in ways that differ from interphase. Two distinct euchromatic compartments, indistinguishable in interphase, rapidly emerged upon condensin loss with different interaction preferences and dependence on H3K27ac. Constitutive heterochromatin gradually self-aggregated and co-compartmentalized with the facultative heterochromatin, contrasting with their separation during interphase. While topologically associating domains (TADs) and CTCF/cohesin mediated structural loops remained undetectable, cis-regulatory element contacts became apparent, providing an explanation for their quick re-establishment during mitotic exit. HP1 proteins, which are thought to partition constitutive heterochromatin, were absent from mitotic chromosomes, suggesting, surprisingly, that constitutive heterochromatin can self-aggregate without HP1. Indeed, in cells traversing from M- to G1-phase in the combined absence of HP1α, HP1β and HP1γ, re-established constitutive heterochromatin compartments normally. In sum, "clean-slate" condensing-deficient mitotic chromosomes illuminate mechanisms of genome compartmentalization not revealed in interphase cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Zhao
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yinzhi Lin
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - En Lin
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Fuhai Liu
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Lirong Shu
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Dannan Jing
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Shantou University, Shantou, China
| | - Baiyue Wang
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Manzhu Wang
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- School of Basic medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Fengnian Shan
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- School of Pharmacology, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Lin Zhang
- School of Biological Science, Hongkong University, Hongkong, China
| | - Jessica C. Lam
- Division of Hematology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Susannah C. Midla
- Division of Hematology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Belinda M. Giardine
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Cheryl A. Keller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Ross C. Hardison
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Gerd A. Blobel
- Division of Hematology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Haoyue Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
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Capauto D, Wang Y, Wu F, Norton S, Mariani J, Inoue F, Crawford GE, Ahituv N, Abyzov A, Vaccarino FM. Characterization of enhancer activity in early human neurodevelopment using Massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA) and forebrain organoids. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.14.553170. [PMID: 37645832 PMCID: PMC10461976 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.14.553170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Regulation of gene expression through enhancers is one of the major processes shaping the structure and function of the human brain during development. High-throughput assays have predicted thousands of enhancers involved in neurodevelopment, and confirming their activity through orthogonal functional assays is crucial. Here, we utilized Massively Parallel Reporter Assays (MPRAs) in stem cells and forebrain organoids to evaluate the activity of ~7,000 gene-linked enhancers previously identified in human fetal tissues and brain organoids. We used a Gaussian mixture model to evaluate the contribution of background noise in the measured activity signal to confirm the activity of ~35% of the tested enhancers, with most showing temporal-specific activity, suggesting their evolving role in neurodevelopment. The temporal specificity was further supported by the correlation of activity with gene expression. Our findings provide a valuable gene regulatory resource to the scientific community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Capauto
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - Yifan Wang
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Feinan Wu
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - Scott Norton
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
| | | | - Fumitaka Inoue
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi), Kyoto University; Kyoto, Japan
| | | | | | - Nadav Ahituv
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA, USA
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Alexej Abyzov
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Flora M. Vaccarino
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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5
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Nowling RJ, Njoya K, Peters JG, Riehle MM. Prediction accuracy of regulatory elements from sequence varies by functional sequencing technique. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1182567. [PMID: 37600946 PMCID: PMC10433755 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1182567] [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: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Various sequencing based approaches are used to identify and characterize the activities of cis-regulatory elements in a genome-wide fashion. Some of these techniques rely on indirect markers such as histone modifications (ChIP-seq with histone antibodies) or chromatin accessibility (ATAC-seq, DNase-seq, FAIRE-seq), while other techniques use direct measures such as episomal assays measuring the enhancer properties of DNA sequences (STARR-seq) and direct measurement of the binding of transcription factors (ChIP-seq with transcription factor-specific antibodies). The activities of cis-regulatory elements such as enhancers, promoters, and repressors are determined by their sequence and secondary processes such as chromatin accessibility, DNA methylation, and bound histone markers. Methods Here, machine learning models are employed to evaluate the accuracy with which cis-regulatory elements identified by various commonly used sequencing techniques can be predicted by their underlying sequence alone to distinguish between cis-regulatory activity that is reflective of sequence content versus secondary processes. Results and discussion Models trained and evaluated on D. melanogaster sequences identified through DNase-seq and STARR-seq are significantly more accurate than models trained on sequences identified by H3K4me1, H3K4me3, and H3K27ac ChIP-seq, FAIRE-seq, and ATAC-seq. These results suggest that the activity detected by DNase-seq and STARR-seq can be largely explained by underlying DNA sequence, independent of secondary processes. Experimentally, a subset of DNase-seq and H3K4me1 ChIP-seq sequences were tested for enhancer activity using luciferase assays and compared with previous tests performed on STARR-seq sequences. The experimental data indicated that STARR-seq sequences are substantially enriched for enhancer-specific activity, while the DNase-seq and H3K4me1 ChIP-seq sequences are not. Taken together, these results indicate that the DNase-seq approach identifies a broad class of regulatory elements of which enhancers are a subset and the associated data are appropriate for training models for detecting regulatory activity from sequence alone, STARR-seq data are best for training enhancer-specific sequence models, and H3K4me1 ChIP-seq data are not well suited for training and evaluating sequence-based models for cis-regulatory element prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald J. Nowling
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Kimani Njoya
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - John G. Peters
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Michelle M. Riehle
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
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6
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Zhang Z, Feng F, Qiu Y, Liu J. A generalizable framework to comprehensively predict epigenome, chromatin organization, and transcriptome. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:5931-5947. [PMID: 37224527 PMCID: PMC10325920 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Many deep learning approaches have been proposed to predict epigenetic profiles, chromatin organization, and transcription activity. While these approaches achieve satisfactory performance in predicting one modality from another, the learned representations are not generalizable across predictive tasks or across cell types. In this paper, we propose a deep learning approach named EPCOT which employs a pre-training and fine-tuning framework, and is able to accurately and comprehensively predict multiple modalities including epigenome, chromatin organization, transcriptome, and enhancer activity for new cell types, by only requiring cell-type specific chromatin accessibility profiles. Many of these predicted modalities, such as Micro-C and ChIA-PET, are quite expensive to get in practice, and the in silico prediction from EPCOT should be quite helpful. Furthermore, this pre-training and fine-tuning framework allows EPCOT to identify generic representations generalizable across different predictive tasks. Interpreting EPCOT models also provides biological insights including mapping between different genomic modalities, identifying TF sequence binding patterns, and analyzing cell-type specific TF impacts on enhancer activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenhao Zhang
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, 500 S. State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Fan Feng
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, 500 S. State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Yiyang Qiu
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, 500 S. State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Jie Liu
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, 500 S. State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, 500 S. State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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7
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Catta-Preta R, Lindtner S, Ypsilanti A, Price J, Abnousi A, Su-Feher L, Wang Y, Juric I, Jones IR, Akiyama JA, Hu M, Shen Y, Visel A, Pennacchio LA, Dickel D, Rubenstein JLR, Nord AS. Combinatorial transcription factor binding encodes cis-regulatory wiring of forebrain GABAergic neurogenesis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.28.546894. [PMID: 37425940 PMCID: PMC10327028 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.28.546894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) bind combinatorially to genomic cis-regulatory elements (cREs), orchestrating transcription programs. While studies of chromatin state and chromosomal interactions have revealed dynamic neurodevelopmental cRE landscapes, parallel understanding of the underlying TF binding lags. To elucidate the combinatorial TF-cRE interactions driving mouse basal ganglia development, we integrated ChIP-seq for twelve TFs, H3K4me3-associated enhancer-promoter interactions, chromatin and transcriptional state, and transgenic enhancer assays. We identified TF-cREs modules with distinct chromatin features and enhancer activity that have complementary roles driving GABAergic neurogenesis and suppressing other developmental fates. While the majority of distal cREs were bound by one or two TFs, a small proportion were extensively bound, and these enhancers also exhibited exceptional evolutionary conservation, motif density, and complex chromosomal interactions. Our results provide new insights into how modules of combinatorial TF-cRE interactions activate and repress developmental expression programs and demonstrate the value of TF binding data in modeling gene regulatory wiring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rinaldo Catta-Preta
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA
- Current Address: Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Susan Lindtner
- Nina Ireland Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Athena Ypsilanti
- Nina Ireland Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - James Price
- Nina Ireland Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Armen Abnousi
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Current Address: NovaSignal, Los Angeles, CA 90064, USA
| | - Linda Su-Feher
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA
| | - Yurong Wang
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA
| | - Ivan Juric
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Ian R Jones
- Institute for Human Genetics, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Jennifer A Akiyama
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Ming Hu
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Yin Shen
- Institute for Human Genetics, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Axel Visel
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA 94598, USA
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Len A Pennacchio
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA 94598, USA
- Comparative Biochemistry Program, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Diane Dickel
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - John L R Rubenstein
- Nina Ireland Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Alex S Nord
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA
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8
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Edginton-White B, Maytum A, Kellaway SG, Goode DK, Keane P, Pagnuco I, Assi SA, Ames L, Clarke M, Cockerill PN, Göttgens B, Cazier JB, Bonifer C. A genome-wide relay of signalling-responsive enhancers drives hematopoietic specification. Nat Commun 2023; 14:267. [PMID: 36650172 PMCID: PMC9845378 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35910-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental control of gene expression critically depends on distal cis-regulatory elements including enhancers which interact with promoters to activate gene expression. To date no global experiments have been conducted that identify their cell type and cell stage-specific activity within one developmental pathway and in a chromatin context. Here, we describe a high-throughput method that identifies thousands of differentially active cis-elements able to stimulate a minimal promoter at five stages of hematopoietic progenitor development from embryonic stem (ES) cells, which can be adapted to any ES cell derived cell type. We show that blood cell-specific gene expression is controlled by the concerted action of thousands of differentiation stage-specific sets of cis-elements which respond to cytokine signals terminating at signalling responsive transcription factors. Our work provides an important resource for studies of hematopoietic specification and highlights the mechanisms of how and where extrinsic signals program a cell type-specific chromatin landscape driving hematopoietic differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Edginton-White
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK.
| | - A Maytum
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - S G Kellaway
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - D K Goode
- Department of Haematology, Wellcome and Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - P Keane
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - I Pagnuco
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
- Centre for Computational Biology, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - S A Assi
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - L Ames
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - M Clarke
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - P N Cockerill
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - B Göttgens
- Department of Haematology, Wellcome and Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - J B Cazier
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
- Centre for Computational Biology, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - C Bonifer
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK.
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9
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Lindhorst D, Halfon MS. Reporter gene assays and chromatin-level assays define substantially non-overlapping sets of enhancer sequences. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:17. [PMID: 36639739 PMCID: PMC9837977 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09123-9] [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: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transcriptional enhancers are essential for gene regulation, but how these regulatory elements are best defined remains a significant unresolved question. Traditional definitions rely on activity-based criteria such as reporter gene assays, while more recently, biochemical assays based on chromatin-level phenomena such as chromatin accessibility, histone modifications, and localized RNA transcription have gained prominence. RESULTS We examine here whether these two types of definitions, activity-based and chromatin-based, effectively identify the same sets of sequences. We find that, concerningly, the overlap between the two groups is strikingly limited. Few of the data sets we compared displayed statistically significant overlap, and even for those, the degree of overlap was typically small (below 40% of sequences). Moreover, a substantial batch effect was observed in which experiment set rather than experimental method was a primary driver of whether or not chromatin-defined enhancers showed a strong overlap with reporter gene-defined enhancers. CONCLUSIONS Our results raise important questions as to the appropriateness of both old and new enhancer definitions, and suggest that new approaches are required to reconcile the poor agreement among existing methods for defining enhancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Lindhorst
- grid.273335.30000 0004 1936 9887Department of Biochemistry, University at Buffalo-State University of New York, 955 Main St. #5128, Buffalo, NY 14203 USA ,grid.21729.3f0000000419368729Present Address: Program in Biomedical Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Marc S. Halfon
- grid.273335.30000 0004 1936 9887Department of Biochemistry, University at Buffalo-State University of New York, 955 Main St. #5128, Buffalo, NY 14203 USA ,grid.273335.30000 0004 1936 9887Department of Biomedical Informatics, University at Buffalo-State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14203 USA ,grid.273335.30000 0004 1936 9887Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo-State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260 USA ,NY State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences, Buffalo, NY 14203 USA ,grid.240614.50000 0001 2181 8635Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Program in Cancer Genetics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263 USA
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10
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Ni P, Wilson D, Su Z. A map of cis-regulatory modules and constituent transcription factor binding sites in 80% of the mouse genome. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:714. [PMID: 36261804 PMCID: PMC9583556 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08933-7] [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: 08/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mouse is probably the most important model organism to study mammal biology and human diseases. A better understanding of the mouse genome will help understand the human genome, biology and diseases. However, despite the recent progress, the characterization of the regulatory sequences in the mouse genome is still far from complete, limiting its use to understand the regulatory sequences in the human genome. RESULTS Here, by integrating binding peaks in ~ 9,000 transcription factor (TF) ChIP-seq datasets that cover 79.9% of the mouse mappable genome using an efficient pipeline, we were able to partition these binding peak-covered genome regions into a cis-regulatory module (CRM) candidate (CRMC) set and a non-CRMC set. The CRMCs contain 912,197 putative CRMs and 38,554,729 TF binding sites (TFBSs) islands, covering 55.5% and 24.4% of the mappable genome, respectively. The CRMCs tend to be under strong evolutionary constraints, indicating that they are likely cis-regulatory; while the non-CRMCs are largely selectively neutral, indicating that they are unlikely cis-regulatory. Based on evolutionary profiles of the genome positions, we further estimated that 63.8% and 27.4% of the mouse genome might code for CRMs and TFBSs, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Validation using experimental data suggests that at least most of the CRMCs are authentic. Thus, this unprecedentedly comprehensive map of CRMs and TFBSs can be a good resource to guide experimental studies of regulatory genomes in mice and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengyu Ni
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - David Wilson
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - Zhengchang Su
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA.
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11
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Ni P, Moe J, Su Z. Accurate prediction of functional states of cis-regulatory modules reveals common epigenetic rules in humans and mice. BMC Biol 2022; 20:221. [PMID: 36199141 PMCID: PMC9535988 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01426-9] [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: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Predicting cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) in a genome and their functional states in various cell/tissue types of the organism are two related challenging computational tasks. Most current methods attempt to simultaneously achieve both using data of multiple epigenetic marks in a cell/tissue type. Though conceptually attractive, they suffer high false discovery rates and limited applications. To fill the gaps, we proposed a two-step strategy to first predict a map of CRMs in the genome, and then predict functional states of all the CRMs in various cell/tissue types of the organism. We have recently developed an algorithm for the first step that was able to more accurately and completely predict CRMs in a genome than existing methods by integrating numerous transcription factor ChIP-seq datasets in the organism. Here, we presented machine-learning methods for the second step. RESULTS We showed that functional states in a cell/tissue type of all the CRMs in the genome could be accurately predicted using data of only 1~4 epigenetic marks by a variety of machine-learning classifiers. Our predictions are substantially more accurate than the best achieved so far. Interestingly, a model trained on a cell/tissue type in humans can accurately predict functional states of CRMs in different cell/tissue types of humans as well as of mice, and vice versa. Therefore, epigenetic code that defines functional states of CRMs in various cell/tissue types is universal at least in humans and mice. Moreover, we found that from tens to hundreds of thousands of CRMs were active in a human and mouse cell/tissue type, and up to 99.98% of them were reutilized in different cell/tissue types, while as small as 0.02% of them were unique to a cell/tissue type that might define the cell/tissue type. CONCLUSIONS Our two-step approach can accurately predict functional states in any cell/tissue type of all the CRMs in the genome using data of only 1~4 epigenetic marks. Our approach is also more cost-effective than existing methods that typically use data of more epigenetic marks. Our results suggest common epigenetic rules for defining functional states of CRMs in various cell/tissue types in humans and mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengyu Ni
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - Joshua Moe
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - Zhengchang Su
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA.
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12
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Feng R, Mayuranathan T, Huang P, Doerfler PA, Li Y, Yao Y, Zhang J, Palmer LE, Mayberry K, Christakopoulos GE, Xu P, Li C, Cheng Y, Blobel GA, Simon MC, Weiss MJ. Activation of γ-globin expression by hypoxia-inducible factor 1α. Nature 2022; 610:783-790. [PMID: 36224385 PMCID: PMC9773321 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05312-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Around birth, globin expression in human red blood cells (RBCs) shifts from γ-globin to β-globin, which results in fetal haemoglobin (HbF, α2γ2) being gradually replaced by adult haemoglobin (HbA, α2β2)1. This process has motivated the development of innovative approaches to treat sickle cell disease and β-thalassaemia by increasing HbF levels in postnatal RBCs2. Here we provide therapeutically relevant insights into globin gene switching obtained through a CRISPR-Cas9 screen for ubiquitin-proteasome components that regulate HbF expression. In RBC precursors, depletion of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) E3 ubiquitin ligase stabilized its ubiquitination target, hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α)3,4, to induce γ-globin gene transcription. Mechanistically, HIF1α-HIF1β heterodimers bound cognate DNA elements in BGLT3, a long noncoding RNA gene located 2.7 kb downstream of the tandem γ-globin genes HBG1 and HBG2. This was followed by the recruitment of transcriptional activators, chromatin opening and increased long-range interactions between the γ-globin genes and their upstream enhancer. Similar induction of HbF occurred with hypoxia or with inhibition of prolyl hydroxylase domain enzymes that target HIF1α for ubiquitination by the VHL E3 ubiquitin ligase. Our findings link globin gene regulation with canonical hypoxia adaptation, provide a mechanism for HbF induction during stress erythropoiesis and suggest a new therapeutic approach for β-haemoglobinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruopeng Feng
- Department of Hematology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | | | - Peng Huang
- Division of Hematology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Phillip A Doerfler
- Department of Hematology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Yichao Li
- Department of Hematology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Yu Yao
- Department of Hematology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jingjing Zhang
- Department of Hematology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Lance E Palmer
- Department of Hematology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Kalin Mayberry
- Department of Hematology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | | | - Peng Xu
- Department of Hematology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Chunliang Li
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Yong Cheng
- Department of Hematology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Gerd A Blobel
- Division of Hematology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - M Celeste Simon
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mitchell J Weiss
- Department of Hematology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
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13
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Sherwood ER, Burelbach KR, McBride MA, Stothers CL, Owen AM, Hernandez A, Patil NK, Williams DL, Bohannon JK. Innate Immune Memory and the Host Response to Infection. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2022; 208:785-792. [PMID: 35115374 PMCID: PMC8982914 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2101058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Unlike the adaptive immune system, the innate immune system has classically been characterized as being devoid of memory functions. However, recent research shows that innate myeloid and lymphoid cells have the ability to retain memory of prior pathogen exposure and become primed to elicit a robust, broad-spectrum response to subsequent infection. This phenomenon has been termed innate immune memory or trained immunity. Innate immune memory is induced via activation of pattern recognition receptors and the actions of cytokines on hematopoietic progenitors and stem cells in bone marrow and innate leukocytes in the periphery. The trained phenotype is induced and sustained via epigenetic modifications that reprogram transcriptional patterns and metabolism. These modifications augment antimicrobial functions, such as leukocyte expansion, chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and microbial killing, to facilitate an augmented host response to infection. Alternatively, innate immune memory may contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic diseases, such as atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward R Sherwood
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN;
- Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Department of Surgery, East Tennessee State University, Quillen College of Medicine, Johnson City, TN; and
- Center for Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, East Tennessee State University, Quillen College of Medicine, Johnson City, TN
| | | | - Margaret A McBride
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Cody L Stothers
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Allison M Owen
- Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Antonio Hernandez
- Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Naeem K Patil
- Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - David L Williams
- Department of Surgery, East Tennessee State University, Quillen College of Medicine, Johnson City, TN; and
- Center for Inflammation, Infectious Disease and Immunity, East Tennessee State University, Quillen College of Medicine, Johnson City, TN
| | - Julia K Bohannon
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
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14
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CTCF and transcription influence chromatin structure re-configuration after mitosis. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5157. [PMID: 34453048 PMCID: PMC8397779 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25418-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
During mitosis, transcription is globally attenuated and chromatin architecture is dramatically reconfigured. We exploited the M- to G1-phase progression to interrogate the contributions of the architectural factor CTCF and the process of transcription to genome re-sculpting in newborn nuclei. Depletion of CTCF during the M- to G1-phase transition alters short-range compartmentalization after mitosis. Chromatin domain boundary re-formation is impaired upon CTCF loss, but a subset of boundaries, characterized by transitions in chromatin states, is established normally. Without CTCF, structural loops fail to form, leading to illegitimate contacts between cis-regulatory elements (CREs). Transient CRE contacts that are normally resolved after telophase persist deeply into G1-phase in CTCF-depleted cells. CTCF loss-associated gains in transcription are often linked to increased, normally illegitimate enhancer-promoter contacts. In contrast, at genes whose expression declines upon CTCF loss, CTCF seems to function as a conventional transcription activator, independent of its architectural role. CTCF-anchored structural loops facilitate formation of CRE loops nested within them, especially those involving weak CREs. Transcription inhibition does not significantly affect global architecture or transcription start site-associated boundaries. However, ongoing transcription contributes considerably to the formation of gene domains, regions of enriched contacts along gene bodies. Notably, gene domains emerge in ana/telophase prior to completion of the first round of transcription, suggesting that epigenetic features in gene bodies contribute to genome reconfiguration prior to transcription. The focus on the de novo formation of nuclear architecture during G1 entry yields insights into the contributions of CTCF and transcription to chromatin architecture dynamics during the mitosis to G1-phase progression.
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15
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Ni P, Su Z. Accurate prediction of cis-regulatory modules reveals a prevalent regulatory genome of humans. NAR Genom Bioinform 2021; 3:lqab052. [PMID: 34159315 PMCID: PMC8210889 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqab052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
cis-regulatory modules(CRMs) formed by clusters of transcription factor (TF) binding sites (TFBSs) are as important as coding sequences in specifying phenotypes of humans. It is essential to categorize all CRMs and constituent TFBSs in the genome. In contrast to most existing methods that predict CRMs in specific cell types using epigenetic marks, we predict a largely cell type agonistic but more comprehensive map of CRMs and constituent TFBSs in the gnome by integrating all available TF ChIP-seq datasets. Our method is able to partition 77.47% of genome regions covered by available 6092 datasets into a CRM candidate (CRMC) set (56.84%) and a non-CRMC set (43.16%). Intriguingly, the predicted CRMCs are under strong evolutionary constraints, while the non-CRMCs are largely selectively neutral, strongly suggesting that the CRMCs are likely cis-regulatory, while the non-CRMCs are not. Our predicted CRMs are under stronger evolutionary constraints than three state-of-the-art predictions (GeneHancer, EnhancerAtlas and ENCODE phase 3) and substantially outperform them for recalling VISTA enhancers and non-coding ClinVar variants. We estimated that the human genome might encode about 1.47M CRMs and 68M TFBSs, comprising about 55% and 22% of the genome, respectively; for both of which, we predicted 80%. Therefore, the cis-regulatory genome appears to be more prevalent than originally thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengyu Ni
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Zhengchang Su
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
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16
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Cheng L, Li Y, Qi Q, Xu P, Feng R, Palmer L, Chen J, Wu R, Yee T, Zhang J, Yao Y, Sharma A, Hardison RC, Weiss MJ, Cheng Y. Single-nucleotide-level mapping of DNA regulatory elements that control fetal hemoglobin expression. Nat Genet 2021; 53:869-880. [PMID: 33958780 PMCID: PMC8628368 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-021-00861-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Pinpointing functional noncoding DNA sequences and defining their contributions to health-related traits is a major challenge for modern genetics. We developed a high-throughput framework to map noncoding DNA functions with single-nucleotide resolution in four loci that control erythroid fetal hemoglobin (HbF) expression, a genetically determined trait that modifies sickle cell disease (SCD) phenotypes. Specifically, we used the adenine base editor ABEmax to introduce 10,156 separate A•T to G•C conversions in 307 predicted regulatory elements and quantified the effects on erythroid HbF expression. We identified numerous regulatory elements, defined their epigenomic structures and linked them to low-frequency variants associated with HbF expression in an SCD cohort. Targeting a newly discovered γ-globin gene repressor element in SCD donor CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors raised HbF levels in the erythroid progeny, inhibiting hypoxia-induced sickling. Our findings reveal previously unappreciated genetic complexities of HbF regulation and provide potentially therapeutic insights into SCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Cheng
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Yichao Li
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Qian Qi
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Peng Xu
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Ruopeng Feng
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Lance Palmer
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jingjing Chen
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Ruiqiong Wu
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Tiffany Yee
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jingjing Zhang
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Yu Yao
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Akshay Sharma
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Ross C Hardison
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Mitchell J Weiss
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
| | - Yong Cheng
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
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17
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McEwan AR, Davidson C, Hay E, Turnbull Y, Erickson JC, Marini P, Wilson D, McIntosh AM, Adams MJ, Murgatroyd C, Barrett P, Delibegovic M, Clarke TK, MacKenzie A. CRISPR disruption and UK Biobank analysis of a highly conserved polymorphic enhancer suggests a role in male anxiety and ethanol intake. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:2263-2276. [PMID: 32203157 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-0707-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Excessive alcohol intake is associated with 5.9% of global deaths. However, this figure is especially acute in men such that 7.6% of deaths can be attributed to alcohol intake. Previous studies identified a significant interaction between genotypes of the galanin (GAL) gene with anxiety and alcohol abuse in different male populations but were unable to define a mechanism. To address these issues the current study analysed the human UK Biobank cohort and identified a significant interaction (n = 115,865; p = 0.0007) between allelic variation (GG or CA genotypes) in the highly conserved human GAL5.1 enhancer, alcohol intake (AUDIT questionnaire scores) and anxiety in men. Critically, disruption of GAL5.1 in mice using CRISPR genome editing significantly reduced GAL expression in the amygdala and hypothalamus whilst producing a corresponding reduction in ethanol intake in KO mice. Intriguingly, we also found the evidence of reduced anxiety-like behaviour in male GAL5.1KO animals mirroring that seen in humans from our UK Biobank studies. Using bioinformatic analysis and co-transfection studies we further identified the EGR1 transcription factor, that is co-expressed with GAL in amygdala and hypothalamus, as being important in the protein kinase C (PKC) supported activity of the GG genotype of GAL5.1 but less so in the CA genotype. Our unique study uses a novel combination of human association analysis, CRISPR genome editing in mice, animal behavioural analysis and cell culture studies to identify a highly conserved regulatory mechanism linking anxiety and alcohol intake that might contribute to increased susceptibility to anxiety and alcohol abuse in men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R McEwan
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, Foresterhill, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Connor Davidson
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, Foresterhill, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Elizabeth Hay
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, Foresterhill, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Yvonne Turnbull
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, Foresterhill, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Johanna Celene Erickson
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, Foresterhill, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Pietro Marini
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, Foresterhill, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Dana Wilson
- Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Foresterhill, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Andrew M McIntosh
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH8 9YL, UK.,Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH8 9YL, UK
| | - Mark J Adams
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH8 9YL, UK
| | - Chris Murgatroyd
- School of Healthcare Sciences, John Dalton Building, Manchester Campus, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, M15 6BH, UK
| | - Perry Barrett
- Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Foresterhill, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Mirela Delibegovic
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, Foresterhill, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Toni-Kim Clarke
- School of Healthcare Sciences, John Dalton Building, Manchester Campus, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, M15 6BH, UK
| | - Alasdair MacKenzie
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, Foresterhill, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB25 2ZD, UK.
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18
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Keller CA, Wixom AQ, Heuston EF, Giardine B, Hsiung CCS, Long MR, Miller A, Anderson SM, Cockburn A, Blobel GA, Bodine DM, Hardison RC. Effects of sheared chromatin length on ChIP-seq quality and sensitivity. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2021; 11:6206780. [PMID: 33788948 PMCID: PMC8495733 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by massively parallel, high throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) is the method of choice for genome-wide identification of DNA segments bound by specific transcription factors or in chromatin with particular histone modifications. However, the quality of ChIP-seq datasets varies widely, with a substantial fraction being of intermediate to poor quality. Thus, it is important to discern and control the factors that contribute to variation in ChIP-seq. In this study, we focused on sonication, a user-controlled variable, to produce sheared chromatin. We systematically varied the amount of shearing of fixed chromatin from a mouse erythroid cell line, carefully measuring the distribution of resultant fragment lengths prior to ChIP-seq. This systematic study was complemented with a retrospective analysis of additional experiments. We found that the level of sonication had a pronounced impact on the quality of ChIP-seq signals. Over-sonication consistently reduced quality, while the impact of under-sonication differed among transcription factors, with no impact on sites bound by CTCF but frequently leading to the loss of sites occupied by TAL1 or bound by POL2. The bound sites not observed in low quality datasets were inferred to be a mix of both direct and indirect binding. We leveraged these findings to produce a set of CTCF ChIP-seq datasets in rare, primary hematopoietic progenitor cells. Our observation that the amount of chromatin sonication is a key variable in success of ChIP-seq experiments indicates that monitoring the level of sonication can improve ChIP-seq quality and reproducibility and facilitate ChIP-seq in rare cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl A Keller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Alexander Q Wixom
- Mayo Clinic, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology , Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Elisabeth F Heuston
- NHGRI Hematopoiesis Section, Genetics and Molecular Biology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Belinda Giardine
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Chris C-S Hsiung
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA 94305, USA.,Department of Urology, University of California, CA 94158, USA
| | - Maria R Long
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Amber Miller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Stacie M Anderson
- NHGRI Flow Cytometry Core, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20882, USA
| | - April Cockburn
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Gerd A Blobel
- Division of Hematology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.,Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - David M Bodine
- NHGRI Hematopoiesis Section, Genetics and Molecular Biology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Ross C Hardison
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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19
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Tafessu A, Banaszynski LA. Establishment and function of chromatin modification at enhancers. Open Biol 2020; 10:200255. [PMID: 33050790 PMCID: PMC7653351 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.200255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
How a single genome can give rise to distinct cell types remains a fundamental question in biology. Mammals are able to specify and maintain hundreds of cell fates by selectively activating unique subsets of their genome. This is achieved, in part, by enhancers-genetic elements that can increase transcription of both nearby and distal genes. Enhancers can be identified by their unique chromatin signature, including transcription factor binding and the enrichment of specific histone post-translational modifications, histone variants, and chromatin-associated cofactors. How each of these chromatin features contributes to enhancer function remains an area of intense study. In this review, we provide an overview of enhancer-associated chromatin states, and the proteins and enzymes involved in their establishment. We discuss recent insights into the effects of the enhancer chromatin state on ongoing transcription versus their role in the establishment of new transcription programmes, such as those that occur developmentally. Finally, we highlight the role of enhancer chromatin in new conceptual advances in gene regulation such as condensate formation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura A. Banaszynski
- UT Southwestern Medical Center, Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Children's Research Institute, Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, Dallas, TX 75390-8511, USA
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20
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Tobias IC, Abatti LE, Moorthy SD, Mullany S, Taylor T, Khader N, Filice MA, Mitchell JA. Transcriptional enhancers: from prediction to functional assessment on a genome-wide scale. Genome 2020; 64:426-448. [PMID: 32961076 DOI: 10.1139/gen-2020-0104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Enhancers are cis-regulatory sequences located distally to target genes. These sequences consolidate developmental and environmental cues to coordinate gene expression in a tissue-specific manner. Enhancer function and tissue specificity depend on the expressed set of transcription factors, which recognize binding sites and recruit cofactors that regulate local chromatin organization and gene transcription. Unlike other genomic elements, enhancers are challenging to identify because they function independently of orientation, are often distant from their promoters, have poorly defined boundaries, and display no reading frame. In addition, there are no defined genetic or epigenetic features that are unambiguously associated with enhancer activity. Over recent years there have been developments in both empirical assays and computational methods for enhancer prediction. We review genome-wide tools, CRISPR advancements, and high-throughput screening approaches that have improved our ability to both observe and manipulate enhancers in vitro at the level of primary genetic sequences, chromatin states, and spatial interactions. We also highlight contemporary animal models and their importance to enhancer validation. Together, these experimental systems and techniques complement one another and broaden our understanding of enhancer function in development, evolution, and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian C Tobias
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Luis E Abatti
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Sakthi D Moorthy
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Shanelle Mullany
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Tiegh Taylor
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Nawrah Khader
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Mario A Filice
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Jennifer A Mitchell
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
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21
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Williams LM, McCann FE, Cabrita MA, Layton T, Cribbs A, Knezevic B, Fang H, Knight J, Zhang M, Fischer R, Bonham S, Steenbeek LM, Yang N, Sood M, Bainbridge C, Warwick D, Harry L, Davidson D, Xie W, Sundstrӧm M, Feldmann M, Nanchahal J. Identifying collagen VI as a target of fibrotic diseases regulated by CREBBP/EP300. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:20753-20763. [PMID: 32759223 PMCID: PMC7456151 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2004281117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Fibrotic diseases remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality, yet there are few effective therapies. The underlying pathology of all fibrotic conditions is the activity of myofibroblasts. Using cells from freshly excised disease tissue from patients with Dupuytren's disease (DD), a localized fibrotic disorder of the palm, we sought to identify new therapeutic targets for fibrotic disease. We hypothesized that the persistent activity of myofibroblasts in fibrotic diseases might involve epigenetic modifications. Using a validated genetics-led target prioritization algorithm (Pi) of genome wide association studies (GWAS) data and a broad screen of epigenetic inhibitors, we found that the acetyltransferase CREBBP/EP300 is a major regulator of contractility and extracellular matrix production via control of H3K27 acetylation at the profibrotic genes, ACTA2 and COL1A1 Genomic analysis revealed that EP300 is highly enriched at enhancers associated with genes involved in multiple profibrotic pathways, and broad transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of CREBBP/EP300 inhibition by the chemical probe SGC-CBP30 identified collagen VI (Col VI) as a prominent downstream regulator of myofibroblast activity. Targeted Col VI knockdown results in significant decrease in profibrotic functions, including myofibroblast contractile force, extracellular matrix (ECM) production, chemotaxis, and wound healing. Further evidence for Col VI as a major determinant of fibrosis is its abundant expression within Dupuytren's nodules and also in the fibrotic foci of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Thus, Col VI may represent a tractable therapeutic target across a range of fibrotic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn M Williams
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Science, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona E McCann
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Science, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, United Kingdom
| | - Marisa A Cabrita
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Science, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Layton
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Science, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, United Kingdom
| | - Adam Cribbs
- Botnar Research Centre, National Institute for Health Research Oxford Biomedical Research Unit, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Science, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LD, United Kingdom
| | - Bogdan Knezevic
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - Hai Fang
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - Julian Knight
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - Mingjun Zhang
- Biotherapeutics Department, Celgene Corporation, San Diego, CA 92121
| | - Roman Fischer
- Target Discovery Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Bonham
- Target Discovery Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, United Kingdom
| | - Leenart M Steenbeek
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 10, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Nan Yang
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Science, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, United Kingdom
| | - Manu Sood
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Broomfield Hospital, Mid and South Essex National Health Service Foundation Trust, Chelmsford CM1 4ET, Essex, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Bainbridge
- Pulvertaft Hand Surgery Centre, Royal Derby Hospital, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton National Health Service Foundation Trust, Derby DE22 3NE, United Kingdom
| | - David Warwick
- Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, University Hospital Southampton National Health Service Foundation Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, United Kingdom
| | - Lorraine Harry
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Queen Victoria Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust, East Grinstead RH19 3DZ, United Kingdom
| | - Dominique Davidson
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, St. John's Hospital, Livingston, West Lothian EH54 6PP, United Kingdom
| | - Weilin Xie
- Biotherapeutics Department, Celgene Corporation, San Diego, CA 92121
| | - Michael Sundstrӧm
- Structural Genomics Consortium, Karolinska Centre for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marc Feldmann
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Science, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, United Kingdom;
| | - Jagdeep Nanchahal
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Science, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, United Kingdom;
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22
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Osmala M, Lähdesmäki H. Enhancer prediction in the human genome by probabilistic modelling of the chromatin feature patterns. BMC Bioinformatics 2020; 21:317. [PMID: 32689977 PMCID: PMC7370432 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-020-03621-3] [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] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The binding sites of transcription factors (TFs) and the localisation of histone modifications in the human genome can be quantified by the chromatin immunoprecipitation assay coupled with next-generation sequencing (ChIP-seq). The resulting chromatin feature data has been successfully adopted for genome-wide enhancer identification by several unsupervised and supervised machine learning methods. However, the current methods predict different numbers and different sets of enhancers for the same cell type and do not utilise the pattern of the ChIP-seq coverage profiles efficiently. Results In this work, we propose a PRobabilistic Enhancer PRedictIoN Tool (PREPRINT) that assumes characteristic coverage patterns of chromatin features at enhancers and employs a statistical model to account for their variability. PREPRINT defines probabilistic distance measures to quantify the similarity of the genomic query regions and the characteristic coverage patterns. The probabilistic scores of the enhancer and non-enhancer samples are utilised to train a kernel-based classifier. The performance of the method is demonstrated on ENCODE data for two cell lines. The predicted enhancers are computationally validated based on the transcriptional regulatory protein binding sites and compared to the predictions obtained by state-of-the-art methods. Conclusion PREPRINT performs favorably to the state-of-the-art methods, especially when requiring the methods to predict a larger set of enhancers. PREPRINT generalises successfully to data from cell type not utilised for training, and often the PREPRINT performs better than the previous methods. The PREPRINT enhancers are less sensitive to the choice of prediction threshold. PREPRINT identifies biologically validated enhancers not predicted by the competing methods. The enhancers predicted by PREPRINT can aid the genome interpretation in functional genomics and clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Osmala
- Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Konemiehentie 2, Espoo, 02150, Finland.
| | - Harri Lähdesmäki
- Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Konemiehentie 2, Espoo, 02150, Finland
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23
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Malladi VS, Nagari A, Franco HL, Kraus WL. Total Functional Score of Enhancer Elements Identifies Lineage-Specific Enhancers That Drive Differentiation of Pancreatic Cells. Bioinform Biol Insights 2020; 14:1177932220938063. [PMID: 32655276 PMCID: PMC7331761 DOI: 10.1177/1177932220938063] [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] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The differentiation of embryonic stem cells into various lineages is highly dependent on the chromatin state of the genome and patterns of gene expression. To identify lineage-specific enhancers driving the differentiation of progenitors into pancreatic cells, we used a previously described computational framework called Total Functional Score of Enhancer Elements (TFSEE), which integrates multiple genomic assays that probe both transcriptional and epigenomic states. First, we evaluated and compared TFSEE as an enhancer-calling algorithm with enhancers called using GRO-seq-defined enhancer transcripts (method 1) versus enhancers called using histone modification ChIP-seq data (method 2). Second, we used TFSEE to define the enhancer landscape and identify transcription factors (TFs) that maintain the multipotency of a subpopulation of endodermal stem cells during differentiation into pancreatic lineages. Collectively, our results demonstrate that TFSEE is a robust enhancer-calling algorithm that can be used to perform multilayer genomic data integration to uncover cell type-specific TFs that control lineage-specific enhancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkat S Malladi
- Laboratory of Signaling and Gene Regulation, Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.,Department of Bioinformatics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Anusha Nagari
- Laboratory of Signaling and Gene Regulation, Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Hector L Franco
- Laboratory of Signaling and Gene Regulation, Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.,Department of Genetics and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - W Lee Kraus
- Laboratory of Signaling and Gene Regulation, Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
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24
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Blood disease-causing and -suppressing transcriptional enhancers: general principles and GATA2 mechanisms. Blood Adv 2020; 3:2045-2056. [PMID: 31289032 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2019000378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Intensive scrutiny of human genomes has unveiled considerable genetic variation in coding and noncoding regions. In cancers, including those of the hematopoietic system, genomic instability amplifies the complexity and functional consequences of variation. Although elucidating how variation impacts the protein-coding sequence is highly tractable, deciphering the functional consequences of variation in noncoding regions (genome reading), including potential transcriptional-regulatory sequences, remains challenging. A crux of this problem is the sheer abundance of gene-regulatory sequence motifs (cis elements) mediating protein-DNA interactions that are intermixed in the genome with thousands of look-alike sequences lacking the capacity to mediate functional interactions with proteins in vivo. Furthermore, transcriptional enhancers harbor clustered cis elements, and how altering a single cis element within a cluster impacts enhancer function is unpredictable. Strategies to discover functional enhancers have been innovated, and human genetics can provide vital clues to achieve this goal. Germline or acquired mutations in functionally critical (essential) enhancers, for example at the GATA2 locus encoding a master regulator of hematopoiesis, have been linked to human pathologies. Given the human interindividual genetic variation and complex genetic landscapes of hematologic malignancies, enhancer corruption, creation, and expropriation by new genes may not be exceedingly rare mechanisms underlying disease predisposition and etiology. Paradigms arising from dissecting essential enhancer mechanisms can guide genome-reading strategies to advance fundamental knowledge and precision medicine applications. In this review, we provide our perspective of general principles governing the function of blood disease-linked enhancers and GATA2-centric mechanisms.
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25
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Xiang G, Keller CA, Heuston E, Giardine BM, An L, Wixom AQ, Miller A, Cockburn A, Sauria MEG, Weaver K, Lichtenberg J, Göttgens B, Li Q, Bodine D, Mahony S, Taylor J, Blobel GA, Weiss MJ, Cheng Y, Yue F, Hughes J, Higgs DR, Zhang Y, Hardison RC. An integrative view of the regulatory and transcriptional landscapes in mouse hematopoiesis. Genome Res 2020; 30:472-484. [PMID: 32132109 PMCID: PMC7111515 DOI: 10.1101/gr.255760.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Thousands of epigenomic data sets have been generated in the past decade, but it is difficult for researchers to effectively use all the data relevant to their projects. Systematic integrative analysis can help meet this need, and the VISION project was established for validated systematic integration of epigenomic data in hematopoiesis. Here, we systematically integrated extensive data recording epigenetic features and transcriptomes from many sources, including individual laboratories and consortia, to produce a comprehensive view of the regulatory landscape of differentiating hematopoietic cell types in mouse. By using IDEAS as our integrative and discriminative epigenome annotation system, we identified and assigned epigenetic states simultaneously along chromosomes and across cell types, precisely and comprehensively. Combining nuclease accessibility and epigenetic states produced a set of more than 200,000 candidate cis-regulatory elements (cCREs) that efficiently capture enhancers and promoters. The transitions in epigenetic states of these cCREs across cell types provided insights into mechanisms of regulation, including decreases in numbers of active cCREs during differentiation of most lineages, transitions from poised to active or inactive states, and shifts in nuclease accessibility of CTCF-bound elements. Regression modeling of epigenetic states at cCREs and gene expression produced a versatile resource to improve selection of cCREs potentially regulating target genes. These resources are available from our VISION website to aid research in genomics and hematopoiesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanjue Xiang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Cheryl A Keller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Elisabeth Heuston
- NHGRI Hematopoiesis Section, Genetics and Molecular Biology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Belinda M Giardine
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Lin An
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Alexander Q Wixom
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Amber Miller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - April Cockburn
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Michael E G Sauria
- Departments of Biology and Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 20218, USA
| | - Kathryn Weaver
- Departments of Biology and Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 20218, USA
| | - Jens Lichtenberg
- NHGRI Hematopoiesis Section, Genetics and Molecular Biology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Berthold Göttgens
- Welcome and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, United Kingdom
| | - Qunhua Li
- Department of Statistics, Program in Bioinformatics and Genomics, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - David Bodine
- NHGRI Hematopoiesis Section, Genetics and Molecular Biology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Shaun Mahony
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - James Taylor
- Departments of Biology and Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 20218, USA
| | - Gerd A Blobel
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Mitchell J Weiss
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
| | - Yong Cheng
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
| | - Feng Yue
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA
| | - Jim Hughes
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford University, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom
| | - Douglas R Higgs
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford University, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Statistics, Program in Bioinformatics and Genomics, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Ross C Hardison
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
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26
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Perez-Cervantes C, Smith LA, Nadadur RD, Hughes AEO, Wang S, Corbo JC, Cepko C, Lonfat N, Moskowitz IP. Enhancer transcription identifies cis-regulatory elements for photoreceptor cell types. Development 2020; 147:dev184432. [PMID: 31915147 PMCID: PMC7033740 DOI: 10.1242/dev.184432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Identification of cell type-specific cis-regulatory elements (CREs) is crucial for understanding development and disease, although identification of functional regulatory elements remains challenging. We hypothesized that context-specific CREs could be identified by context-specific non-coding RNA (ncRNA) profiling, based on the observation that active CREs produce ncRNAs. We applied ncRNA profiling to identify rod and cone photoreceptor CREs from wild-type and mutant mouse retinas, defined by presence or absence, respectively, of the rod-specific transcription factor (TF) NrlNrl-dependent ncRNA expression strongly correlated with epigenetic profiles of rod and cone photoreceptors, identified thousands of candidate rod- and cone-specific CREs, and identified motifs for rod- and cone-specific TFs. Colocalization of NRL and the retinal TF CRX correlated with rod-specific ncRNA expression, whereas CRX alone favored cone-specific ncRNA expression, providing quantitative evidence that heterotypic TF interactions distinguish cell type-specific CRE activity. We validated the activity of novel Nrl-dependent ncRNA-defined CREs in developing cones. This work supports differential ncRNA profiling as a platform for the identification of cell type-specific CREs and the discovery of molecular mechanisms underlying TF-dependent CRE activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Perez-Cervantes
- Departments of Pediatrics, Pathology, and Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Linsin A Smith
- Departments of Pediatrics, Pathology, and Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Rangarajan D Nadadur
- Departments of Pediatrics, Pathology, and Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Andrew E O Hughes
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Sui Wang
- Departments of Genetics and Ophthalmology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Joseph C Corbo
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Constance Cepko
- Departments of Genetics and Ophthalmology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Nicolas Lonfat
- Departments of Genetics and Ophthalmology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ivan P Moskowitz
- Departments of Pediatrics, Pathology, and Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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27
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Hardison RC, Zhang Y, Keller CA, Xiang G, Heuston EF, An L, Lichtenberg J, Giardine BM, Bodine D, Mahony S, Li Q, Yue F, Weiss MJ, Blobel GA, Taylor J, Hughes J, Higgs DR, Göttgens B. Systematic integration of GATA transcription factors and epigenomes via IDEAS paints the regulatory landscape of hematopoietic cells. IUBMB Life 2020; 72:27-38. [PMID: 31769130 PMCID: PMC6972633 DOI: 10.1002/iub.2195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Members of the GATA family of transcription factors play key roles in the differentiation of specific cell lineages by regulating the expression of target genes. Three GATA factors play distinct roles in hematopoietic differentiation. In order to better understand how these GATA factors function to regulate genes throughout the genome, we are studying the epigenomic and transcriptional landscapes of hematopoietic cells in a model-driven, integrative fashion. We have formed the collaborative multi-lab VISION project to conduct ValIdated Systematic IntegratiON of epigenomic data in mouse and human hematopoiesis. The epigenomic data included nuclease accessibility in chromatin, CTCF occupancy, and histone H3 modifications for 20 cell types covering hematopoietic stem cells, multilineage progenitor cells, and mature cells across the blood cell lineages of mouse. The analysis used the Integrative and Discriminative Epigenome Annotation System (IDEAS), which learns all common combinations of features (epigenetic states) simultaneously in two dimensions-along chromosomes and across cell types. The result is a segmentation that effectively paints the regulatory landscape in readily interpretable views, revealing constitutively active or silent loci as well as the loci specifically induced or repressed in each stage and lineage. Nuclease accessible DNA segments in active chromatin states were designated candidate cis-regulatory elements in each cell type, providing one of the most comprehensive registries of candidate hematopoietic regulatory elements to date. Applications of VISION resources are illustrated for the regulation of genes encoding GATA1, GATA2, GATA3, and Ikaros. VISION resources are freely available from our website http://usevision.org.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross C. Hardison
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and of StatisticsThe Pennsylvania State University, University ParkPA
| | - Yu Zhang
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and of StatisticsThe Pennsylvania State University, University ParkPA
| | - Cheryl A. Keller
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and of StatisticsThe Pennsylvania State University, University ParkPA
| | - Guanjue Xiang
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and of StatisticsThe Pennsylvania State University, University ParkPA
| | - Elisabeth F. Heuston
- Genetics and Molecular Biology Branch, Hematopoiesis SectionNational Institutes of Health, NHGRIBethesdaMD
| | - Lin An
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and of StatisticsThe Pennsylvania State University, University ParkPA
| | - Jens Lichtenberg
- Genetics and Molecular Biology Branch, Hematopoiesis SectionNational Institutes of Health, NHGRIBethesdaMD
| | - Belinda M. Giardine
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and of StatisticsThe Pennsylvania State University, University ParkPA
| | - David Bodine
- Genetics and Molecular Biology Branch, Hematopoiesis SectionNational Institutes of Health, NHGRIBethesdaMD
| | - Shaun Mahony
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and of StatisticsThe Pennsylvania State University, University ParkPA
| | - Qunhua Li
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and of StatisticsThe Pennsylvania State University, University ParkPA
| | - Feng Yue
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyThe Pennsylvania State University College of MedicineHershey, PA
| | - Mitchell J. Weiss
- Hematology DepartmentSt. Jude Children's Research HospitalMemphis, TN
| | | | - James Taylor
- Departments of Biology and of Computer ScienceJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD
| | - Jim Hughes
- Laboratory of Gene RegulationWeatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford UniversityOxfordUK
| | - Douglas R. Higgs
- Laboratory of Gene RegulationWeatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford UniversityOxfordUK
| | - Berthold Göttgens
- Department of Hematology, Cambridge Institute for Medical ResearchUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
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28
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Zhang H, Emerson DJ, Gilgenast TG, Titus KR, Lan Y, Huang P, Zhang D, Wang H, Keller CA, Giardine B, Hardison RC, Phillips-Cremins JE, Blobel GA. Chromatin structure dynamics during the mitosis-to-G1 phase transition. Nature 2019; 576:158-162. [PMID: 31776509 PMCID: PMC6895436 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1778-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Features of higher-order chromatin organization-such as A/B compartments, topologically associating domains and chromatin loops-are temporarily disrupted during mitosis1,2. Because these structures are thought to influence gene regulation, it is important to understand how they are re-established after mitosis. Here we examine the dynamics of chromosome reorganization by Hi-C after mitosis in highly purified, synchronous mouse erythroid cell populations. We observed rapid establishment of A/B compartments, followed by their gradual intensification and expansion. Contact domains form from the 'bottom up'-smaller subTADs are formed initially, followed by convergence into multi-domain TAD structures. CTCF is partially retained on mitotic chromosomes and immediately resumes full binding in ana/telophase. By contrast, cohesin is completely evicted from mitotic chromosomes and regains focal binding at a slower rate. The formation of CTCF/cohesin co-anchored structural loops follows the kinetics of cohesin positioning. Stripe-shaped contact patterns-anchored by CTCF-grow in length, which is consistent with a loop-extrusion process after mitosis. Interactions between cis-regulatory elements can form rapidly, with rates exceeding those of CTCF/cohesin-anchored contacts. Notably, we identified a group of rapidly emerging transient contacts between cis-regulatory elements in ana/telophase that are dissolved upon G1 entry, co-incident with the establishment of inner boundaries or nearby interfering chromatin loops. We also describe the relationship between transcription reactivation and architectural features. Our findings indicate that distinct but mutually influential forces drive post-mitotic chromatin reconfiguration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoyue Zhang
- Division of Hematology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Daniel J Emerson
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Thomas G Gilgenast
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Katelyn R Titus
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Yemin Lan
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Peng Huang
- Division of Hematology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Di Zhang
- Division of Hematology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Hongxin Wang
- Division of Hematology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Cheryl A Keller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Belinda Giardine
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Ross C Hardison
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | | | - Gerd A Blobel
- Division of Hematology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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29
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Vijayabaskar MS, Goode DK, Obier N, Lichtinger M, Emmett AML, Abidin FNZ, Shar N, Hannah R, Assi SA, Lie-A-Ling M, Gottgens B, Lacaud G, Kouskoff V, Bonifer C, Westhead DR. Identification of gene specific cis-regulatory elements during differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells: An integrative approach using high-throughput datasets. PLoS Comput Biol 2019; 15:e1007337. [PMID: 31682597 PMCID: PMC6855567 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2017] [Revised: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene expression governs cell fate, and is regulated via a complex interplay of transcription factors and molecules that change chromatin structure. Advances in sequencing-based assays have enabled investigation of these processes genome-wide, leading to large datasets that combine information on the dynamics of gene expression, transcription factor binding and chromatin structure as cells differentiate. While numerous studies focus on the effects of these features on broader gene regulation, less work has been done on the mechanisms of gene-specific transcriptional control. In this study, we have focussed on the latter by integrating gene expression data for the in vitro differentiation of murine ES cells to macrophages and cardiomyocytes, with dynamic data on chromatin structure, epigenetics and transcription factor binding. Combining a novel strategy to identify communities of related control elements with a penalized regression approach, we developed individual models to identify the potential control elements predictive of the expression of each gene. Our models were compared to an existing method and evaluated using the existing literature and new experimental data from embryonic stem cell differentiation reporter assays. Our method is able to identify transcriptional control elements in a gene specific manner that reflect known regulatory relationships and to generate useful hypotheses for further testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. S. Vijayabaskar
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Debbie K. Goode
- Wellcome Trust & MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Nadine Obier
- Institute for Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham. Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Monika Lichtinger
- Institute for Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham. Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Amber M. L. Emmett
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Fatin N. Zainul Abidin
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Nisar Shar
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca Hannah
- Wellcome Trust & MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Salam A. Assi
- Institute for Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham. Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Lie-A-Ling
- CRUK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Berthold Gottgens
- Wellcome Trust & MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Georges Lacaud
- CRUK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Valerie Kouskoff
- Division of Developmental Biology and Medicine, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Constanze Bonifer
- Institute for Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham. Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - David R. Westhead
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
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30
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Romano O, Miccio A. GATA factor transcriptional activity: Insights from genome-wide binding profiles. IUBMB Life 2019; 72:10-26. [PMID: 31574210 DOI: 10.1002/iub.2169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The members of the GATA family of transcription factors have homologous zinc fingers and bind to similar sequence motifs. Recent advances in genome-wide technologies and the integration of bioinformatics data have led to a better understanding of how GATA factors regulate gene expression; GATA-factor-induced transcriptional and epigenetic changes have now been analyzed at unprecedented levels of detail. Here, we review the results of genome-wide studies of GATA factor occupancy in human and murine cell lines and primary cells (as determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing), and then discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying the mediation of transcriptional and epigenetic regulation by GATA factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oriana Romano
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Annarita Miccio
- Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, Imagine Institute, INSERM UMR, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
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31
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Fontela MG, Notario L, Alari-Pahissa E, Lorente E, Lauzurica P. The Conserved Non-Coding Sequence 2 (CNS2) Enhances CD69 Transcription through Cooperation between the Transcription Factors Oct1 and RUNX1. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10090651. [PMID: 31466317 PMCID: PMC6770821 DOI: 10.3390/genes10090651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The immune regulatory receptor CD69 is expressed upon activation in all types of leukocytes and is strongly regulated at the transcriptional level. We previously described that, in addition to the CD69 promoter, there are four conserved noncoding regions (CNS1-4) upstream of the CD69 promoter. Furthermore, we proposed that CNS2 is the main enhancer of CD69 transcription. In the present study, we mapped the transcription factor (TF) binding sites (TFBS) from ChIP-seq databases within CNS2. Through luciferase reporter assays, we defined a ~60 bp sequence that acts as the minimum enhancer core of mouse CNS2, which includes the Oct1 TFBS. This enhancer core establishes cooperative interactions with the 3′ and 5′ flanking regions, which contain RUNX1 BS. In agreement with the luciferase reporter data, the inhibition of RUNX1 and Oct1 TF expression by siRNA suggests that they synergistically enhance endogenous CD69 gene transcription. In summary, we describe an enhancer core containing RUNX1 and Oct1 BS that is important for the activity of the most potent CD69 gene transcription enhancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel G. Fontela
- Microbiology National Center, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura Notario
- Microbiology National Center, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain
| | - Elisenda Alari-Pahissa
- Department of Experimental and Health Science, University Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elena Lorente
- Microbiology National Center, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar Lauzurica
- Microbiology National Center, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-918222720
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32
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Perenthaler E, Yousefi S, Niggl E, Barakat TS. Beyond the Exome: The Non-coding Genome and Enhancers in Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Malformations of Cortical Development. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:352. [PMID: 31417368 PMCID: PMC6685065 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of the human cerebral cortex is a complex and dynamic process, in which neural stem cell proliferation, neuronal migration, and post-migratory neuronal organization need to occur in a well-organized fashion. Alterations at any of these crucial stages can result in malformations of cortical development (MCDs), a group of genetically heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorders that present with developmental delay, intellectual disability and epilepsy. Recent progress in genetic technologies, such as next generation sequencing, most often focusing on all protein-coding exons (e.g., whole exome sequencing), allowed the discovery of more than a 100 genes associated with various types of MCDs. Although this has considerably increased the diagnostic yield, most MCD cases remain unexplained. As Whole Exome Sequencing investigates only a minor part of the human genome (1–2%), it is likely that patients, in which no disease-causing mutation has been identified, could harbor mutations in genomic regions beyond the exome. Even though functional annotation of non-coding regions is still lagging behind that of protein-coding genes, tremendous progress has been made in the field of gene regulation. One group of non-coding regulatory regions are enhancers, which can be distantly located upstream or downstream of genes and which can mediate temporal and tissue-specific transcriptional control via long-distance interactions with promoter regions. Although some examples exist in literature that link alterations of enhancers to genetic disorders, a widespread appreciation of the putative roles of these sequences in MCDs is still lacking. Here, we summarize the current state of knowledge on cis-regulatory regions and discuss novel technologies such as massively-parallel reporter assay systems, CRISPR-Cas9-based screens and computational approaches that help to further elucidate the emerging role of the non-coding genome in disease. Moreover, we discuss existing literature on mutations or copy number alterations of regulatory regions involved in brain development. We foresee that the future implementation of the knowledge obtained through ongoing gene regulation studies will benefit patients and will provide an explanation to part of the missing heritability of MCDs and other genetic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Perenthaler
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC - University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Soheil Yousefi
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC - University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Eva Niggl
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC - University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Tahsin Stefan Barakat
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC - University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
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33
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Abstract
Physical access to DNA is a highly dynamic property of chromatin that plays an essential role in establishing and maintaining cellular identity. The organization of accessible chromatin across the genome reflects a network of permissible physical interactions through which enhancers, promoters, insulators and chromatin-binding factors cooperatively regulate gene expression. This landscape of accessibility changes dynamically in response to both external stimuli and developmental cues, and emerging evidence suggests that homeostatic maintenance of accessibility is itself dynamically regulated through a competitive interplay between chromatin-binding factors and nucleosomes. In this Review, we examine how the accessible genome is measured and explore the role of transcription factors in initiating accessibility remodelling; our goal is to illustrate how chromatin accessibility defines regulatory elements within the genome and how these epigenetic features are dynamically established to control gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandy L Klemm
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Zohar Shipony
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - William J Greenleaf
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. .,Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. .,Chan Zuckerberg BioHub, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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34
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Benton ML, Talipineni SC, Kostka D, Capra JA. Genome-wide enhancer annotations differ significantly in genomic distribution, evolution, and function. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:511. [PMID: 31221079 PMCID: PMC6585034 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5779-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Non-coding gene regulatory enhancers are essential to transcription in mammalian cells. As a result, a large variety of experimental and computational strategies have been developed to identify cis-regulatory enhancer sequences. Given the differences in the biological signals assayed, some variation in the enhancers identified by different methods is expected; however, the concordance of enhancers identified by different methods has not been comprehensively evaluated. This is critically needed, since in practice, most studies consider enhancers identified by only a single method. Here, we compare enhancer sets from eleven representative strategies in four biological contexts. Results All sets we evaluated overlap significantly more than expected by chance; however, there is significant dissimilarity in their genomic, evolutionary, and functional characteristics, both at the element and base-pair level, within each context. The disagreement is sufficient to influence interpretation of candidate SNPs from GWAS studies, and to lead to disparate conclusions about enhancer and disease mechanisms. Most regions identified as enhancers are supported by only one method, and we find limited evidence that regions identified by multiple methods are better candidates than those identified by a single method. As a result, we cannot recommend the use of any single enhancer identification strategy in all settings. Conclusions Our results highlight the inherent complexity of enhancer biology and identify an important challenge to mapping the genetic architecture of complex disease. Greater appreciation of how the diverse enhancer identification strategies in use today relate to the dynamic activity of gene regulatory regions is needed to enable robust and reproducible results. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-019-5779-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Lauren Benton
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
| | - Sai Charan Talipineni
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201, USA
| | - Dennis Kostka
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201, USA. .,Department of Computational & Systems Biology, Pittsburgh Center for Evolutionary Biology and Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201, USA.
| | - John A Capra
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA. .,Departments of Biological Sciences and Computer Science, Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA.
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35
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Lu Y, Liao S, Tu W, Yang B, Liu S, Pei X, Tao D, Lu Y, Ma Y, Yang Y, Liu Y. DNA demethylation facilitates the specific transcription of the mouse X-linked Tsga8 gene in round spermatids†. Biol Reprod 2019; 100:994-1007. [PMID: 30541061 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioy255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Revised: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Some X-linked genes necessary for spermiogenesis are specifically activated in the postmeiotic germ cells. However, the regulatory mechanism about this activation is not clearly understood. Here, we examined the potential mechanism controlling the transcriptional activation of the mouse testis specific gene A8 (Tsga8) gene in round spermatids. We observed that the Tsga8 expression was negatively correlated with the methylation level of the CpG sites in its core promoter. During spermatogenesis, the Tsga8 promoter was methylated in spermatogonia, and then demethylated in spermatocytes. The demethylation status of Tsga8 promoter was maintained through the postmeiotic germ cells, providing a potentially active chromatin for Tsga8 transcription. In vitro investigation showed that the E12 and Spz1 transcription factors can enhance the Tsga8 promoter activity by binding to the unmethylated E-box motif within the Tsga8 promoter. Additionally, the core Tsga8 promoter drove green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression in the germ cells of Tsga8-GFP transgenic mice, and the GFP expression pattern was similar to that of endogenous Tsga8. Moreover, the DNA methylation profile of the Tsga8-promoter-driven transgene was consistent with that of the endogenous Tsga8 promoter, indicating the existence of a similar epigenetic modification for the Tsga8 promoter to ensure its spatiotemporal expression in vivo. Taken together, this study reports the details of a regulatory mechanism that includes DNA methylation and transcription factors to mediate the postmeiotic expression of an X-linked gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongjie Lu
- Department of Medical Genetics and Division of Human Morbid Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Shunyao Liao
- Diabetic Center and Institute of Transplantation, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Wenling Tu
- Department of Medical Genetics and Division of Human Morbid Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Bo Yang
- Department of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Shasha Liu
- Diabetic Center and Institute of Transplantation, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Xue Pei
- Department of Medical Genetics and Division of Human Morbid Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Dachang Tao
- Department of Medical Genetics and Division of Human Morbid Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yilu Lu
- Department of Medical Genetics and Division of Human Morbid Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yongxin Ma
- Department of Medical Genetics and Division of Human Morbid Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yuan Yang
- Department of Medical Genetics and Division of Human Morbid Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yunqiang Liu
- Department of Medical Genetics and Division of Human Morbid Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
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36
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Ho EYK, Cao Q, Gu M, Chan RWL, Wu Q, Gerstein M, Yip KY. Shaping the nebulous enhancer in the era of high-throughput assays and genome editing. Brief Bioinform 2019; 21:836-850. [PMID: 30895290 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbz030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Revised: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the 1st discovery of transcriptional enhancers in 1981, their textbook definition has remained largely unchanged in the past 37 years. With the emergence of high-throughput assays and genome editing, which are switching the paradigm from bottom-up discovery and testing of individual enhancers to top-down profiling of enhancer activities genome-wide, it has become increasingly evidenced that this classical definition has left substantial gray areas in different aspects. Here we survey a representative set of recent research articles and report the definitions of enhancers they have adopted. The results reveal that a wide spectrum of definitions is used usually without the definition stated explicitly, which could lead to difficulties in data interpretation and downstream analyses. Based on these findings, we discuss the practical implications and suggestions for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Qin Cao
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Mengting Gu
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Ricky Wai-Lun Chan
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Qiong Wu
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.,School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Mark Gerstein
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics.,Department of Computer Science, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Kevin Y Yip
- Department of Biomedical Engineering.,Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.,Hong Kong Bioinformatics Centre.,CUHK-BGI Innovation Institute of Trans-omics.,Hong Kong Institute of Diabetes and Obesity, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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37
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C/EBPβ regulates Vegf gene expression in granulosa cells undergoing luteinization during ovulation in female rats. Sci Rep 2019; 9:714. [PMID: 30679486 PMCID: PMC6345775 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36566-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The ovulatory LH-surge increases Vegf gene expression in granulosa cells (GCs) undergoing luteinization during ovulation. To understand the factors involved in this increase, we examined the roles of two transcription factors and epigenetic mechanisms in rat GCs. GCs were obtained from rats treated with eCG before, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h and 24 h after hCG injection. Vegf mRNA levels gradually increased after hCG injection and reached a peak at 12 h. To investigate the mechanism by which Vegf is up-regulated after hCG injection, we focused on C/EBPβ and HIF1α. Their protein expression levels were increased at 12 h. The binding activity of C/EBPβ to the Vegf promoter region increased after hCG injection whereas that of HIF1α did not at this time point. The C/EBPβ binding site had transcriptional activities whereas the HIF1α binding sites did not have transcriptional activities under cAMP stimulation. The levels of H3K9me3 and H3K27me3, which are transcriptional repression markers, decreased in the C/EBPβ binding region after hCG injection. The chromatin structure of this region becomes looser after hCG injection. These results show that C/EBPβ regulates Vegf gene expression with changes in histone modifications and chromatin structure of the promoter region in GCs undergoing luteinization during ovulation.
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38
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Exploiting regulatory heterogeneity to systematically identify enhancers with high accuracy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 116:900-908. [PMID: 30598455 PMCID: PMC6338827 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1808833115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying functional enhancer elements in metazoan systems is a major challenge. Large-scale validation of enhancers predicted by ENCODE reveal false-positive rates of at least 70%. We used the pregrastrula-patterning network of Drosophila melanogaster to demonstrate that loss in accuracy in held-out data results from heterogeneity of functional signatures in enhancer elements. We show that at least two classes of enhancers are active during early Drosophila embryogenesis and that by focusing on a single, relatively homogeneous class of elements, greater than 98% prediction accuracy can be achieved in a balanced, completely held-out test set. The class of well-predicted elements is composed predominantly of enhancers driving multistage segmentation patterns, which we designate segmentation driving enhancers (SDE). Prediction is driven by the DNA occupancy of early developmental transcription factors, with almost no additional power derived from histone modifications. We further show that improved accuracy is not a property of a particular prediction method: after conditioning on the SDE set, naïve Bayes and logistic regression perform as well as more sophisticated tools. Applying this method to a genome-wide scan, we predict 1,640 SDEs that cover 1.6% of the genome. An analysis of 32 SDEs using whole-mount embryonic imaging of stably integrated reporter constructs chosen throughout our prediction rank-list showed >90% drove expression patterns. We achieved 86.7% precision on a genome-wide scan, with an estimated recall of at least 98%, indicating high accuracy and completeness in annotating this class of functional elements.
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39
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Carelli FN, Liechti A, Halbert J, Warnefors M, Kaessmann H. Repurposing of promoters and enhancers during mammalian evolution. Nat Commun 2018; 9:4066. [PMID: 30287902 PMCID: PMC6172195 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06544-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Promoters and enhancers-key controllers of gene expression-have long been distinguished from each other based on their function. However, recent work suggested that common architectural and functional features might have facilitated the conversion of one type of element into the other during evolution. Here, based on cross-mammalian analyses of epigenome and transcriptome data, we provide support for this hypothesis by detecting 445 regulatory elements with signatures of activity turnover (termed P/E elements). Most events represent transformations of putative ancestral enhancers into promoters, leading to the emergence of species-specific transcribed loci or 5' exons. Distinct GC sequence compositions and stabilizing 5' splicing (U1) regulatory motif patterns may have predisposed P/E elements to regulatory repurposing, and changes in the U1 and polyadenylation signal densities and distributions likely drove the evolutionary activity switches. Our work suggests that regulatory repurposing facilitated regulatory innovation and the origination of new genes and exons during evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco N Carelli
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, United Kingdom.
| | - Angélica Liechti
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jean Halbert
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Maria Warnefors
- Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Henrik Kaessmann
- Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
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40
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Chen L, Fish AE, Capra JA. Prediction of gene regulatory enhancers across species reveals evolutionarily conserved sequence properties. PLoS Comput Biol 2018; 14:e1006484. [PMID: 30286077 PMCID: PMC6191148 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2018] [Revised: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 09/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Genomic regions with gene regulatory enhancer activity turnover rapidly across mammals. In contrast, gene expression patterns and transcription factor binding preferences are largely conserved between mammalian species. Based on this conservation, we hypothesized that enhancers active in different mammals would exhibit conserved sequence patterns in spite of their different genomic locations. To investigate this hypothesis, we evaluated the extent to which sequence patterns that are predictive of enhancers in one species are predictive of enhancers in other mammalian species by training and testing two types of machine learning models. We trained support vector machine (SVM) and convolutional neural network (CNN) classifiers to distinguish enhancers defined by histone marks from the genomic background based on DNA sequence patterns in human, macaque, mouse, dog, cow, and opossum. The classifiers accurately identified many adult liver, developing limb, and developing brain enhancers, and the CNNs outperformed the SVMs. Furthermore, classifiers trained in one species and tested in another performed nearly as well as classifiers trained and tested on the same species. We observed similar cross-species conservation when applying the models to human and mouse enhancers validated in transgenic assays. This indicates that many short sequence patterns predictive of enhancers are largely conserved. The sequence patterns most predictive of enhancers in each species matched the binding motifs for a common set of TFs enriched for expression in relevant tissues, supporting the biological relevance of the learned features. Thus, despite the rapid change of active enhancer locations between mammals, cross-species enhancer prediction is often possible. Our results suggest that short sequence patterns encoding enhancer activity have been maintained across more than 180 million years of mammalian evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Chen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America
| | - Alexandra E. Fish
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America
| | - John A. Capra
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America
- Departments of Biomedical Informatics and Computer Science, Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America
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41
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Niu M, Tabari E, Ni P, Su Z. Towards a map of cis-regulatory sequences in the human genome. Nucleic Acids Res 2018; 46:5395-5409. [PMID: 29733395 PMCID: PMC6009671 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Revised: 04/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence indicates that transcription factor (TF) binding sites, or cis-regulatory elements (CREs), and their clusters termed cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) play a more important role than do gene-coding sequences in specifying complex traits in humans, including the susceptibility to common complex diseases. To fully characterize their roles in deriving the complex traits/diseases, it is necessary to annotate all CREs and CRMs encoded in the human genome. However, the current annotations of CREs and CRMs in the human genome are still very limited and mostly coarse-grained, as they often lack the detailed information of CREs in CRMs. Here, we integrated 620 TF ChIP-seq datasets produced by the ENCODE project for 168 TFs in 79 different cell/tissue types and predicted an unprecedentedly completely map of CREs in CRMs in the human genome at single nucleotide resolution. The map includes 305 912 CRMs containing a total of 1 178 913 CREs belonging to 736 unique TF binding motifs. The predicted CREs and CRMs tend to be subject to either purifying selection or positive selection, thus are likely to be functional. Based on the results, we also examined the status of available ChIP-seq datasets for predicting the entire regulatory genome of humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Niu
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, College of Computing and Informatics, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Ehsan Tabari
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, College of Computing and Informatics, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Pengyu Ni
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, College of Computing and Informatics, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Zhengchang Su
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, College of Computing and Informatics, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
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42
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Heuston EF, Keller CA, Lichtenberg J, Giardine B, Anderson SM, Hardison RC, Bodine DM. Establishment of regulatory elements during erythro-megakaryopoiesis identifies hematopoietic lineage-commitment points. Epigenetics Chromatin 2018; 11:22. [PMID: 29807547 PMCID: PMC5971425 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-018-0195-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [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: 04/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Enhancers and promoters are cis-acting regulatory elements associated with lineage-specific gene expression. Previous studies showed that different categories of active regulatory elements are in regions of open chromatin, and each category is associated with a specific subset of post-translationally marked histones. These regulatory elements are systematically activated and repressed to promote commitment of hematopoietic stem cells along separate differentiation paths, including the closely related erythrocyte (ERY) and megakaryocyte (MK) lineages. However, the order in which these decisions are made remains unclear. RESULTS To characterize the order of cell fate decisions during hematopoiesis, we collected primary cells from mouse bone marrow and isolated 10 hematopoietic populations to generate transcriptomes and genome-wide maps of chromatin accessibility and histone H3 acetylated at lysine 27 binding (H3K27ac). Principle component analysis of transcriptional and open chromatin profiles demonstrated that cells of the megakaryocyte lineage group closely with multipotent progenitor populations, whereas erythroid cells form a separate group distinct from other populations. Using H3K27ac and open chromatin profiles, we showed that 89% of immature MK (iMK)-specific active regulatory regions are present in the most primitive hematopoietic cells, 46% of which contain active enhancer marks. These candidate active enhancers are enriched for transcription factor binding site motifs for megakaryopoiesis-essential proteins, including ERG and ETS1. In comparison, only 64% of ERY-specific active regulatory regions are present in the most primitive hematopoietic cells, 20% of which containing active enhancer marks. These regions were not enriched for any transcription factor consensus sequences. Incorporation of genome-wide DNA methylation identified significant levels of de novo methylation in iMK, but not ERY. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that megakaryopoietic profiles are established early in hematopoiesis and are present in the majority of the hematopoietic progenitor population. However, megakaryopoiesis does not constitute a "default" differentiation pathway, as extensive de novo DNA methylation accompanies megakaryopoietic commitment. In contrast, erythropoietic profiles are not established until a later stage of hematopoiesis, and require more dramatic changes to the transcriptional and epigenetic programs. These data provide important insights into lineage commitment and can contribute to ongoing studies related to diseases associated with differentiation defects.
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43
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Multiple enhancer regions govern the transcription of CCN2 during embryonic development. J Cell Commun Signal 2017; 12:231-243. [PMID: 29256171 PMCID: PMC5842200 DOI: 10.1007/s12079-017-0440-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
CCN2 is a critical matricellular protein that is expressed in several cells with major implications in physiology and different pathologies. However, the transcriptional regulation of this gene remains obscure. We used the Encyclopaedia of DNA Elements browser (ENCODE) to visualise the region spanning from 300 kb upstream to the CCN2 start site in silico in order to identify enhancer regions that regulate transcription of this gene. Selection was based on three criteria associated with enhancer regions: 1) H3K4me1 and H3K27ac histone modifications, 2) DNase I hypersensitivity of chromatin and 3) inter-species conservation. Reporter constructs were created with sequences spanning each of the regions of interest placed upstream of an Hsp68 silent proximal promoter sequence in order to drive the expression of β-galactosidase transgene. Each of these constructs was subsequently used to create transgenic mice in which reporter gene production was assessed at the E15.5 developmental stage. Four functional enhancers were identified, with each driving distinct, tissue-specific patterns of transgene expression. An enhancer located -100 kb from the CCN2 transcription start site facilitated expression within vascular tissue. An enhancer -135 kb upstream of CCN2 drove expression within the articular chondrocytes of synovial joints. The other two enhancers, located at -198 kb and -229 kb, mediated transgene expression within dermal fibroblasts, however the most prevalent activity was found within hypertrophic chondrocytes and periosteal tissue, respectively. These findings suggest that the global expression of CCN2 during development results from the activity of several tissue-specific enhancer regions in addition to proximal regulatory elements that have previously been demonstrated to drive transcription of the gene during development.
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44
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Ramaker RC, Savic D, Hardigan AA, Newberry K, Cooper GM, Myers RM, Cooper SJ. A genome-wide interactome of DNA-associated proteins in the human liver. Genome Res 2017; 27:1950-1960. [PMID: 29021291 PMCID: PMC5668951 DOI: 10.1101/gr.222083.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Large-scale efforts like the ENCODE Project have made tremendous progress in cataloging the genomic binding patterns of DNA-associated proteins (DAPs), such as transcription factors (TFs). However, most chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-seq) analyses have focused on a few immortalized cell lines whose activities and physiology differ in important ways from endogenous cells and tissues. Consequently, binding data from primary human tissue are essential to improving our understanding of in vivo gene regulation. Here, we identify and analyze more than 440,000 binding sites using ChIP-seq data for 20 DAPs in two human liver tissue samples. We integrated binding data with transcriptome and phased WGS data to investigate allelic DAP interactions and the impact of heterozygous sequence variation on the expression of neighboring genes. Our tissue-based data set exhibits binding patterns more consistent with liver biology than cell lines, and we describe uses of these data to better prioritize impactful noncoding variation. Collectively, our rich data set offers novel insights into genome function in human liver tissue and provides a valuable resource for assessing disease-related disruptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryne C Ramaker
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, Alabama 35806, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA
| | - Daniel Savic
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, Alabama 35806, USA
| | - Andrew A Hardigan
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, Alabama 35806, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA
| | - Kimberly Newberry
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, Alabama 35806, USA
| | - Gregory M Cooper
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, Alabama 35806, USA
| | - Richard M Myers
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, Alabama 35806, USA
| | - Sara J Cooper
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, Alabama 35806, USA
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45
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Antoniani C, Romano O, Miccio A. Concise Review: Epigenetic Regulation of Hematopoiesis: Biological Insights and Therapeutic Applications. Stem Cells Transl Med 2017; 6:2106-2114. [PMID: 29080249 PMCID: PMC5702521 DOI: 10.1002/sctm.17-0192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Hematopoiesis is the process of blood cell formation starting from hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs). The understanding of regulatory networks involved in hematopoiesis and their impact on gene expression is crucial to decipher the molecular mechanisms that control hematopoietic development in physiological and pathological conditions, and to develop novel therapeutic strategies. An increasing number of epigenetic studies aim at defining, on a genome‐wide scale, the cis‐regulatory sequences (e.g., promoters and enhancers) used by human HSPCs and their lineage‐restricted progeny at different stages of development. In parallel, human genetic studies allowed the discovery of genetic variants mapping to cis‐regulatory elements and associated with hematological phenotypes and diseases. Here, we summarize recent epigenetic and genetic studies in hematopoietic cells that give insights into human hematopoiesis and provide a knowledge basis for the development of novel therapeutic approaches. As an example, we discuss the therapeutic approaches targeting cis‐regulatory regions to reactivate fetal hemoglobin for the treatment of β‐hemoglobinopathies. Epigenetic studies allowed the definition of cis‐regulatory sequences used by human hematopoietic cells. Promoters and enhancers are targeted by transcription factors and are characterized by specific histone modifications. Genetic variants mapping to cis‐regulatory elements are often associated with hematological phenotypes and diseases. In some cases, these variants can alter the binding of transcription factors, thus changing the expression of the target genes. Targeting cis‐regulatory sequences represents a promising therapeutic approach for many hematological diseases. Stem Cells Translational Medicine2017;6:2106–2114
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Antoniani
- Laboratory of Chromatin and Gene Regulation During Development, INSERM UMR1163, Imagine Institute, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
| | - Oriana Romano
- Laboratory of Chromatin and Gene Regulation During Development, INSERM UMR1163, Imagine Institute, Paris, France.,Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Annarita Miccio
- Laboratory of Chromatin and Gene Regulation During Development, INSERM UMR1163, Imagine Institute, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
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46
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Wilkinson AC, Nakauchi H, Göttgens B. Mammalian Transcription Factor Networks: Recent Advances in Interrogating Biological Complexity. Cell Syst 2017; 5:319-331. [PMID: 29073372 PMCID: PMC5928788 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2017.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Revised: 06/29/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Transcription factor (TF) networks are a key determinant of cell fate decisions in mammalian development and adult tissue homeostasis and are frequently corrupted in disease. However, our inability to experimentally resolve and interrogate the complexity of mammalian TF networks has hampered the progress in this field. Recent technological advances, in particular large-scale genome-wide approaches, single-cell methodologies, live-cell imaging, and genome editing, are emerging as important technologies in TF network biology. Several recent studies even suggest a need to re-evaluate established models of mammalian TF networks. Here, we provide a brief overview of current and emerging methods to define mammalian TF networks. We also discuss how these emerging technologies facilitate new ways to interrogate complex TF networks, consider the current open questions in the field, and comment on potential future directions and biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam C Wilkinson
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, 265 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Hiromitsu Nakauchi
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, 265 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Division of Stem Cell Therapy, Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | - Berthold Göttgens
- Department of Haematology, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research and Wellcome Trust and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK.
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47
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Sandberg M, Flandin P, Silberberg S, Su-Feher L, Price JD, Hu JS, Kim C, Visel A, Nord AS, Rubenstein JLR. Transcriptional Networks Controlled by NKX2-1 in the Development of Forebrain GABAergic Neurons. Neuron 2017; 91:1260-1275. [PMID: 27657450 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Revised: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The embryonic basal ganglia generates multiple projection neurons and interneuron subtypes from distinct progenitor domains. Combinatorial interactions of transcription factors and chromatin are thought to regulate gene expression. In the medial ganglionic eminence, the NKX2-1 transcription factor controls regional identity and, with LHX6, is necessary to specify pallidal projection neurons and forebrain interneurons. Here, we dissected the molecular functions of NKX2-1 by defining its chromosomal binding, regulation of gene expression, and epigenetic state. NKX2-1 binding at distal regulatory elements led to a repressed epigenetic state and transcriptional repression in the ventricular zone. Conversely, NKX2-1 is required to establish a permissive chromatin state and transcriptional activation in the sub-ventricular and mantle zones. Moreover, combinatorial binding of NKX2-1 and LHX6 promotes transcriptionally permissive chromatin and activates genes expressed in cortical migrating interneurons. Our integrated approach provides a foundation for elucidating transcriptional networks guiding the development of the MGE and its descendants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magnus Sandberg
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Pierre Flandin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Shanni Silberberg
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Linda Su-Feher
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95817, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - James D Price
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Jia Sheng Hu
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Carol Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Axel Visel
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA 94598, USA; School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Alex S Nord
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95817, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - John L R Rubenstein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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48
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Monti R, Barozzi I, Osterwalder M, Lee E, Kato M, Garvin TH, Plajzer-Frick I, Pickle CS, Akiyama JA, Afzal V, Beerenwinkel N, Dickel DE, Visel A, Pennacchio LA. Limb-Enhancer Genie: An accessible resource of accurate enhancer predictions in the developing limb. PLoS Comput Biol 2017; 13:e1005720. [PMID: 28827824 PMCID: PMC5578682 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Revised: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenomic mapping of enhancer-associated chromatin modifications facilitates the genome-wide discovery of tissue-specific enhancers in vivo. However, reliance on single chromatin marks leads to high rates of false-positive predictions. More sophisticated, integrative methods have been described, but commonly suffer from limited accessibility to the resulting predictions and reduced biological interpretability. Here we present the Limb-Enhancer Genie (LEG), a collection of highly accurate, genome-wide predictions of enhancers in the developing limb, available through a user-friendly online interface. We predict limb enhancers using a combination of >50 published limb-specific datasets and clusters of evolutionarily conserved transcription factor binding sites, taking advantage of the patterns observed at previously in vivo validated elements. By combining different statistical models, our approach outperforms current state-of-the-art methods and provides interpretable measures of feature importance. Our results indicate that including a previously unappreciated score that quantifies tissue-specific nuclease accessibility significantly improves prediction performance. We demonstrate the utility of our approach through in vivo validation of newly predicted elements. Moreover, we describe general features that can guide the type of datasets to include when predicting tissue-specific enhancers genome-wide, while providing an accessible resource to the general biological community and facilitating the functional interpretation of genetic studies of limb malformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remo Monti
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Joint Genome Institute, U.S. Department of Energy, Walnut Creek, California, United States of America
| | - Iros Barozzi
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Marco Osterwalder
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Lee
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Momoe Kato
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Tyler H. Garvin
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Ingrid Plajzer-Frick
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Catherine S. Pickle
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Jennifer A. Akiyama
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Veena Afzal
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Niko Beerenwinkel
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Diane E. Dickel
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Axel Visel
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Joint Genome Institute, U.S. Department of Energy, Walnut Creek, California, United States of America
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, California, United States of America
| | - Len A. Pennacchio
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Joint Genome Institute, U.S. Department of Energy, Walnut Creek, California, United States of America
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49
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Santiago-Algarra D, Dao LTM, Pradel L, España A, Spicuglia S. Recent advances in high-throughput approaches to dissect enhancer function. F1000Res 2017; 6:939. [PMID: 28690838 PMCID: PMC5482341 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.11581.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The regulation of gene transcription in higher eukaryotes is accomplished through the involvement of transcription start site (TSS)-proximal (promoters) and -distal (enhancers) regulatory elements. It is now well acknowledged that enhancer elements play an essential role during development and cell differentiation, while genetic alterations in these elements are a major cause of human disease. Many strategies have been developed to identify and characterize enhancers. Here, we discuss recent advances in high-throughput approaches to assess enhancer activity, from the well-established massively parallel reporter assays to the recent clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9-based technologies. We highlight how these approaches contribute toward a better understanding of enhancer function, eventually leading to the discovery of new types of regulatory sequences, and how the alteration of enhancers can affect transcriptional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lan T M Dao
- Aix-Marseille University, TAGC, Marseille, France
| | - Lydie Pradel
- Aix-Marseille University, TAGC, Marseille, France
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50
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Abstract
Wnt/β-catenin signaling is highly conserved throughout metazoans, is required for numerous essential events in development, and serves as a stem cell niche signal in many contexts. Misregulation of the pathway is linked to several human pathologies, most notably cancer. Wnt stimulation results in stabilization and nuclear import of β-catenin, which then acts as a transcriptional co-activator. Transcription factors of the T-cell family (TCF) are the best-characterized nuclear binding partners of β-catenin and mediators of Wnt gene regulation. This review provides an update on what is known about the transcriptional activation of Wnt target genes, highlighting recent work that modifies the conventional model. Wnt/β-catenin signaling regulates genes in a highly context-dependent manner, and the role of other signaling pathways and TCF co-factors in this process will be discussed. Understanding Wnt gene regulation has served to elucidate many biological roles of the pathway, and we will use examples from stem cell biology, metabolism, and evolution to illustrate some of the rich Wnt biology that has been uncovered.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ken M Cadigan
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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