Cell cycle genes are the evolutionarily conserved targets of the E2F4 transcription factor

Evolutionary constraint and innovation across hundreds of placental mammals

Zoonomia is the largest comparative genomics resource for mammals produced to date. By aligning genomes for 240 species, we identify bases that, when mutated, are likely to affect fitness and alter disease risk. At least 332 million bases (~10.7%) in the human genome are unusually conserved across species (evolutionarily constrained) relative to neutrally evolving repeats, and 4552 ultraconserved elements are nearly perfectly conserved. Of 101 million significantly constrained single bases, 80% are outside protein-coding exons and half have no functional annotations in the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) resource. Changes in genes and regulatory elements are associated with exceptional mammalian traits, such as hibernation, that could inform therapeutic development. Earth's vast and imperiled biodiversity offers distinctive power for identifying genetic variants that affect genome function and organismal phenotypes.

Quiescent Cancer Cells-A Potential Therapeutic Target to Overcome Tumor Resistance and Relapse

Quiescent cancer cells (QCCs) are nonproliferating cells arrested in the G0 phase, characterized by ki67^low and p27^high. QCCs avoid most chemotherapies, and some treatments could further lead to a higher proportion of QCCs in tumors. QCCs are also associated with cancer recurrence since they can re-enter a proliferative state when conditions are favorable. As QCCs lead to drug resistance and tumor recurrence, there is a great need to understand the characteristics of QCCs, decipher the mechanisms that regulate the proliferative-quiescent transition in cancer cells, and develop new strategies to eliminate QCCs residing in solid tumors. In this review, we discussed the mechanisms of QCC-induced drug resistance and tumor recurrence. We also discussed therapeutic strategies to overcome resistance and relapse by targeting QCCs, including (i) identifying reactive quiescent cancer cells and removing them via cell-cycle-dependent anticancer reagents; (ii) modulating the quiescence-to-proliferation switch; and (iii) eliminating QCCs by targeting their unique features. It is believed that the simultaneous co-targeting of proliferating and quiescent cancer cells may ultimately lead to the development of more effective therapeutic strategies for the treatment of solid tumors.

ZMIZ2 promotes the development of triple-receptor negative breast cancer

Background

Triple-receptor negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast tumor subtype that generally has a poor prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the role and regulatory mechanisms of Zinc finger MIZ-type containing 2 (ZMIZ2) in relation to TNBC.

Methods

Based on data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), the expression of ZMIZ2 in different subtypes and its correlation with androgen receptor (AR) were analyzed, and a regulatory mechanism network was constructed. The expression and prognostic value of ZMIZ2 in clinical TNBC tissue samples were also investigated. Furthermore, in vitro studies were conducted to investigate the effects of ZMIZ2 knockdown on the malignant behaviors of TNBC cells and target gene expression.

Results

Based on TCGA data, ZMIZ2 was found to be significantly upregulated in TNBC tissues and its expression was negatively correlated with AR expression. Key relationships, such as the ZMIZ2-CCL5, ZMIZ2/AR-MCM3, ZMIZ2/AR-E2F4, and the ZMIZ2/AR-DHX38 were identified, which were enriched in NOD-like receptor signaling pathway/toll-like receptor signaling pathway, DNA replication, cell cycle, and spliceosome, respectively. Moreover, ZMIZ2 was upregulated in clinical breast cancer tissues and its high expression was correlated with the poor prognosis of TNBC patients. Furthermore, ZMIZ2 expression was increased in breast cancer cells, and a knockdown of ZMIZ2 inhibited MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, induced cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase, and promoted cell apoptosis. Furthermore, ZMIZ2 knockdown inhibited the mRNA and protein expression of CCL5, MCM3, E2F4, and DHX38.

Conclusion

Our findings reveal that ZMIZ2 is upregulated in TNBC tissues and is associated with its poor prognosis. ZMIZ2 may promote TNBC progression by promoting the expression of its target genes and affecting the corresponding pathways. Consequently, ZMIZ2 may serve as a promising target for future TNBC treatments.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-02393-x.

The Glyoxalase System in Age-Related Diseases: Nutritional Intervention as Anti-Ageing Strategy

The glyoxalase system is critical for the detoxification of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). AGEs are toxic compounds resulting from the non-enzymatic modification of biomolecules by sugars or their metabolites through a process called glycation. AGEs have adverse effects on many tissues, playing a pathogenic role in the progression of molecular and cellular aging. Due to the age-related decline in different anti-AGE mechanisms, including detoxifying mechanisms and proteolytic capacities, glycated biomolecules are accumulated during normal aging in our body in a tissue-dependent manner. Viewed in this way, anti-AGE detoxifying systems are proposed as therapeutic targets to fight pathological dysfunction associated with AGE accumulation and cytotoxicity. Here, we summarize the current state of knowledge related to the protective mechanisms against glycative stress, with a special emphasis on the glyoxalase system as the primary mechanism for detoxifying the reactive intermediates of glycation. This review focuses on glyoxalase 1 (GLO1), the first enzyme of the glyoxalase system, and the rate-limiting enzyme of this catalytic process. Although GLO1 is ubiquitously expressed, protein levels and activities are regulated in a tissue-dependent manner. We provide a comparative analysis of GLO1 protein in different tissues. Our findings indicate a role for the glyoxalase system in homeostasis in the eye retina, a highly oxygenated tissue with rapid protein turnover. We also describe modulation of the glyoxalase system as a therapeutic target to delay the development of age-related diseases and summarize the literature that describes the current knowledge about nutritional compounds with properties to modulate the glyoxalase system.

Glyoxalase System as a Therapeutic Target against Diabetic Retinopathy

Hyperglycemia, a defining characteristic of diabetes, combined with oxidative stress, results in the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs are toxic compounds that have adverse effects on many tissues including the retina and lens. AGEs promote the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which, in turn, boost the production of AGEs, resulting in positive feedback loops, a vicious cycle that compromises tissue fitness. Oxidative stress and the accumulation of AGEs are etiologically associated with the pathogenesis of multiple diseases including diabetic retinopathy (DR). DR is a devastating microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus and the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults. The onset and development of DR is multifactorial. Lowering AGEs accumulation may represent a potential therapeutic approach to slow this sight-threatening diabetic complication. To set DR in a physiological context, in this review we first describe relations between oxidative stress, formation of AGEs, and aging in several tissues of the eye, each of which is associated with a major age-related eye pathology. We summarize mechanisms of AGEs generation and anti-AGEs detoxifying systems. We specifically feature the potential of the glyoxalase system in the retina in the prevention of AGEs-associated damage linked to DR. We provide a comparative analysis of glyoxalase activity in different tissues from wild-type mice, supporting a major role for the glyoxalase system in the detoxification of AGEs in the retina, and present the manipulation of this system as a therapeutic strategy to prevent the onset of DR.

Weighted Correlation Network Analysis Reveals CDK2 as a Regulator of a Ubiquitous Environmental Toxin-Induced Cell-Cycle Arrest

Environmental food contaminants constitute a threat to human health. For instance, the globally spread mycotoxin Ochratoxin A (OTA) contributes to chronic kidney damage by affecting proximal tubule cells via unknown mechanisms. We applied a top-down approach to identify relevant toxicological mechanisms of OTA using RNA-sequencing followed by in-depth bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation. Differential expression analyses revealed that OTA led to the regulation of gene expression in kidney human cell lines, including for genes enriched in cell cycle-related pathways, and OTA-induced gap 1 and 2 (G1 and G2) cell-cycle arrests were observed. Weighted correlation network analysis highlighted cyclin dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) as a putative key regulator of this effect. CDK2 was downregulated by OTA exposure, and its overexpression partially blocked the OTA-induced G1 but not G2 cell-cycle arrest. We, therefore, propose CDK2 as one of the key regulators of the G1 cell-cycle arrest induced by low nanomolar concentrations of OTA.

Conservation and divergence of the p53 gene regulatory network between mice and humans

Understanding the p53 tumor suppressor pathway remains crucial for the design of anticancer strategies. Studies in human tumors and mouse models help to unravel the molecular mechanisms that underlie the p53 signaling pathway. Yet, the p53 gene regulatory network (GRN) is not the same in mice and humans. The comparison of the regulatory networks of p53 in mice and humans reveals that gene up- and down-regulation by p53 are distinctly affected during evolution. Importantly, gene up-regulation by p53 underwent more rapid evolution and gene down-regulation has been evolutionarily constrained. This difference stems from the two major mechanisms employed by p53 to regulate gene expression: up-regulation through direct p53 target gene binding and indirect down-regulation through the p53-p21-DREAM pathway. More than 1000 genes have been identified to differ in their p53-dependent expression between mice and humans. Analysis of p53 gene expression profiles and p53 binding data reveal that turnover of p53 binding sites is the major mechanism underlying extensive variation in p53-dependent gene up-regulation. Only a core set of high-confidence genes appears to be directly regulated by p53 in both species. In contrast to up-regulation, p53-induced down-regulation is well conserved between mice and humans and controls cell cycle genes. Here a curated data set is provided that extends the previously established web-atlas at www.targetgenereg.org to assess the p53 response of any human gene of interest and its mouse ortholog. Taken together, the analysis reveals a limited translation potential from mouse models to humans for the p53 GRN.

Genome-wide use of high- and low-affinity Tbrain transcription factor binding sites during echinoderm development

Sea stars and sea urchins are model systems for interrogating the types of deep evolutionary changes that have restructured developmental gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Although cis-regulatory DNA evolution is likely the predominant mechanism of change, it was recently shown that Tbrain, a Tbox transcription factor protein, has evolved a changed preference for a low-affinity, secondary binding motif. The primary, high-affinity motif is conserved. To date, however, no genome-wide comparisons have been performed to provide an unbiased assessment of the evolution of GRNs between these taxa, and no study has attempted to determine the interplay between transcription factor binding motif evolution and GRN topology. The study here measures genome-wide binding of Tbrain orthologs by using ChIP-sequencing and associates these orthologs with putative target genes to assess global function. Targets of both factors are enriched for other regulatory genes, although nonoverlapping sets of functional enrichments in the two datasets suggest a much diverged function. The number of low-affinity binding motifs is significantly depressed in sea urchins compared with sea star, but both motif types are associated with genes from a range of functional categories. Only a small fraction (∼10%) of genes are predicted to be orthologous targets. Collectively, these data indicate that Tbr has evolved significantly different developmental roles in these echinoderms and that the targets and the binding motifs in associated cis-regulatory sequences are dispersed throughout the hierarchy of the GRN, rather than being biased toward terminal process or discrete functional blocks, which suggests extensive evolutionary tinkering.

ChIP-ping the branches of the tree: functional genomics and the evolution of eukaryotic gene regulation

Advances in the methods for detecting protein-DNA interactions have played a key role in determining the directions of research into the mechanisms of transcriptional regulation. The most recent major technological transformation happened a decade ago, with the move from using tiling arrays [chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-on-Chip] to high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) as a readout for ChIP assays. In addition to the numerous other ways in which it is superior to arrays, by eliminating the need to design and manufacture them, sequencing also opened the door to carrying out comparative analyses of genome-wide transcription factor occupancy across species and studying chromatin biology in previously less accessible model and nonmodel organisms, thus allowing us to understand the evolution and diversity of regulatory mechanisms in unprecedented detail. Here, we review the biological insights obtained from such studies in recent years and discuss anticipated future developments in the field.

Glyoxalases in Urological Malignancies

Urological cancers include a spectrum of malignancies affecting organs of the reproductive and/or urinary systems, such as prostate, kidney, bladder, and testis. Despite improved primary prevention, detection and treatment, urological cancers are still characterized by an increasing incidence and mortality worldwide. While advances have been made towards understanding the molecular bases of these diseases, a complete understanding of the pathological mechanisms remains an unmet research goal that is essential for defining safer pharmacological therapies and prognostic factors, especially for the metastatic stage of these malignancies for which no effective therapies are currently being used. Glyoxalases, consisting of glyoxalase 1 (Glo1) and glyoxalase 2 (Glo2), are enzymes that catalyze the glutathione-dependent metabolism of cytotoxic methylglyoxal (MG), thus protecting against cellular damage and apoptosis. They are generally overexpressed in numerous cancers as a survival strategy by providing a safeguard through enhancement of MG detoxification. Increasing evidence suggests that glyoxalases, especially Glo1, play an important role in the initiation and progression of urological malignancies. In this review, we highlight the critical role of glyoxalases as regulators of tumorigenesis in the prostate through modulation of various critical signaling pathways, and provide an overview of the current knowledge on glyoxalases in bladder, kidney and testis cancers. We also discuss the promise and challenges for Glo1 inhibitors as future anti-prostate cancer (PCa) therapeutics and the potential of glyoxalases as biomarkers for PCa diagnosis.

Collaborative Completion of Transcription Factor Binding Profiles via Local Sensitive Unified Embedding

Although the newly available ChIP-seq data provides immense opportunities for comparative study of regulatory activities across different biological conditions, due to cost, time or sample material availability, it is not always possible for researchers to obtain binding profiles for every protein in every sample of interest, which considerably limits the power of integrative studies. Recently, by leveraging related information from measured data, Ernst et al. proposed ChromImpute for predicting additional ChIP-seq and other types of datasets, it is demonstrated that the imputed signal tracks accurately approximate the experimentally measured signals, and thereby could potentially enhance the power of integrative analysis. Despite the success of ChromImpute, in this paper, we reexamine its learning process, and show that its performance may degrade substantially and sometimes may even fail to output a prediction when the available data is scarce. This limitation could hurt its applicability to important predictive tasks, such as the imputation of TF binding data. To alleviate this problem, we propose a novel method called Local Sensitive Unified Embedding (LSUE) for imputing new ChIP-seq datasets. In LSUE, the ChIP-seq data compendium are fused together by mapping proteins, samples, and genomic positions simultaneously into the Euclidean space, thereby making their underling associations directly evaluable using simple calculations. In contrast to ChromImpute which mainly makes use of the local correlations between available datasets, LSUE can better estimate the overall data structure by formulating the representation learning of all involved entities as a single unified optimization problem. Meanwhile, a novel form of local sensitive low rank regularization is also proposed to further improve the performance of LSUE. Experimental evaluations on the ENCODE TF ChIP-seq data illustrate the performance of the proposed model. The code of LSUE is available at https://github.com/ekffar/LSUE.

A step-by-step workflow for low-level analysis of single-cell RNA-seq data

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is widely used to profile the transcriptome of individual cells. This provides biological resolution that cannot be matched by bulk RNA sequencing, at the cost of increased technical noise and data complexity. The differences between scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq data mean that the analysis of the former cannot be performed by recycling bioinformatics pipelines for the latter. Rather, dedicated single-cell methods are required at various steps to exploit the cellular resolution while accounting for technical noise. This article describes a computational workflow for low-level analyses of scRNA-seq data, based primarily on software packages from the open-source Bioconductor project. It covers basic steps including quality control, data exploration and normalization, as well as more complex procedures such as cell cycle phase assignment, identification of highly variable and correlated genes, clustering into subpopulations and marker gene detection. Analyses were demonstrated on gene-level count data from several publicly available data sets involving haematopoietic stem cells, brain-derived cells, T-helper cells and mouse embryonic stem cells. This will provide a range of usage scenarios from which readers can construct their own analysis pipelines.

A step-by-step workflow for low-level analysis of single-cell RNA-seq data with Bioconductor

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is widely used to profile the transcriptome of individual cells. This provides biological resolution that cannot be matched by bulk RNA sequencing, at the cost of increased technical noise and data complexity. The differences between scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq data mean that the analysis of the former cannot be performed by recycling bioinformatics pipelines for the latter. Rather, dedicated single-cell methods are required at various steps to exploit the cellular resolution while accounting for technical noise. This article describes a computational workflow for low-level analyses of scRNA-seq data, based primarily on software packages from the open-source Bioconductor project. It covers basic steps including quality control, data exploration and normalization, as well as more complex procedures such as cell cycle phase assignment, identification of highly variable and correlated genes, clustering into subpopulations and marker gene detection. Analyses were demonstrated on gene-level count data from several publicly available datasets involving haematopoietic stem cells, brain-derived cells, T-helper cells and mouse embryonic stem cells. This will provide a range of usage scenarios from which readers can construct their own analysis pipelines.

Repression by RB1 characterizes genes involved in the penultimate stage of erythroid development

Retinoblastoma-1 (RB1), and the RB1-related proteins p107 and p130, are key regulators of the cell cycle. Although RB1 is required for normal erythroid development in vitro, it is largely dispensable for erythropoiesis in vivo. The modest phenotype caused by RB1 deficiency in mice raises questions about redundancy within the RB1 family, and the role of RB1 in erythroid differentiation. Here we show that RB1 is the major pocket protein that regulates terminal erythroid differentiation. Erythroid cells lacking all pocket proteins exhibit the same cell cycle defects as those deficient for RB1 alone. RB1 has broad repressive effects on gene transcription in erythroid cells. As a group, RB1-repressed genes are generally well expressed but downregulated at the final stage of erythroid development. Repression correlates with E2F binding, implicating E2Fs in the recruitment of RB1 to repressed genes. Merging differential and time-dependent changes in expression, we define a group of approximately 800 RB1-repressed genes. Bioinformatics analysis shows that this list is enriched for terms related to the cell cycle, but also for terms related to terminal differentiation. Some of these have not been previously linked to RB1. These results expand the range of processes potentially regulated by RB1, and suggest that a principal role of RB1 in development is coordinating the events required for terminal differentiation.

ChIP-PIT: Enhancing the Analysis of ChIP-Seq Data Using Convex-Relaxed Pair-Wise Interaction Tensor Decomposition

In recent years, thanks to the efforts of individual scientists and research consortiums, a huge amount of chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) experimental data have been accumulated. Instead of investigating them independently, several recent studies have convincingly demonstrated that a wealth of scientific insights can be gained by integrative analysis of these ChIP-seq data. However, when used for the purpose of integrative analysis, a serious drawback of current ChIP-seq technique is that it is still expensive and time-consuming to generate ChIP-seq datasets of high standard. Most researchers are therefore unable to obtain complete ChIP-seq data for several TFs in a wide variety of cell lines, which considerably limits the understanding of transcriptional regulation pattern. In this paper, we propose a novel method called ChIP-PIT to overcome the aforementioned limitation. In ChIP-PIT, ChIP-seq data corresponding to a diverse collection of cell types, TFs and genes are fused together using the three-mode pair-wise interaction tensor (PIT) model, and the prediction of unperformed ChIP-seq experimental results is formulated as a tensor completion problem. Computationally, we propose efficient first-order method based on extensions of coordinate descent method to learn the optimal solution of ChIP-PIT, which makes it particularly suitable for the analysis of massive scale ChIP-seq data. Experimental evaluation the ENCODE data illustrate the usefulness of the proposed model.

Effects of Adenovirus Type 5 E1A Isoforms on Viral Replication in Arrested Human Cells

Human adenovirus has evolved to infect and replicate in terminally differentiated human epithelial cells, predominantly those within the airway, the gut, or the eye. To overcome the block to viral DNA replication present in these cells, the virus expresses the Early 1A proteins (E1A). These immediate early proteins drive cells into S-phase and induce expression of all other viral early genes. During infection, several E1A isoforms are expressed with proteins of 289, 243, 217, 171, and 55 residues being present for human adenovirus type 5. Here we examine the contribution that the two largest E1A isoforms make to the viral life cycle in growth-arrested normal human fibroblasts. Viruses that express E1A289R were found to replicate better than those that do not express this isoform. Importantly, induction of several viral genes was delayed in a virus expressing E1A243R, with several viral structural proteins undetectable by western blot. We also highlight the changes in E1A isoforms detected during the course of viral infection. Furthermore, we show that viral DNA replication occurs more efficiently, leading to higher number of viral genomes in cells infected with viruses that express E1A289R. Finally, induction of S-phase specific genes differs between viruses expressing different E1A isoforms, with those having E1A289R leading to, generally, earlier activation of these genes. Overall, we provide an overview of adenovirus replication using modern molecular biology approaches and further insights into the contribution that E1A isoforms make to the life cycle of human adenovirus in arrested human fibroblasts.

Transcriptional control of stem cell fate by E2Fs and pocket proteins

E2F transcription factors and their regulatory partners, the pocket proteins (PPs), have emerged as essential regulators of stem cell fate control in a number of lineages. In mammals, this role extends from both pluripotent stem cells to those encompassing all embryonic germ layers, as well as extra-embryonic lineages. E2F/PP-mediated regulation of stem cell decisions is highly evolutionarily conserved, and is likely a pivotal biological mechanism underlying stem cell homeostasis. This has immense implications for organismal development, tissue maintenance, and regeneration. In this article, we discuss the roles of E2F factors and PPs in stem cell populations, focusing on mammalian systems. We discuss emerging findings that position the E2F and PP families as widespread and dynamic epigenetic regulators of cell fate decisions. Additionally, we focus on the ever expanding landscape of E2F/PP target genes, and explore the possibility that E2Fs are not simply regulators of general ‘multi-purpose’ cell fate genes but can execute tissue- and cell type-specific gene regulatory programs.

Tissue-specific targeting of cell fate regulatory genes by E2f factors

Cell cycle proteins are important regulators of diverse cell fate decisions, and in this capacity have pivotal roles in neurogenesis and brain development. The mechanisms by which cell cycle regulation is integrated with cell fate control in the brain and other tissues are poorly understood, and an outstanding question is whether the cell cycle machinery regulates fate decisions directly or instead as a secondary consequence of proliferative control. Identification of the genes targeted by E2 promoter binding factor (E2f) transcription factors, effectors of the pRb/E2f cell cycle pathway, will provide essential insights into these mechanisms. We identified the promoter regions bound by three neurogenic E2f factors in neural precursor cells in a genome-wide manner. Through bioinformatic analyses and integration of published genomic data sets we uncovered hundreds of transcriptionally active E2f-bound promoters corresponding to genes that control cell fate processes, including key transcriptional regulators and members of the Notch, fibroblast growth factor, Wnt and Tgf-β signaling pathways. We also demonstrate a striking enrichment of the CCCTC binding factor transcription factor (Ctcf) at E2f3-bound nervous system-related genes, suggesting a potential regulatory co-factor for E2f3 in controlling differentiation. Finally, we provide the first demonstration of extensive tissue specificity among E2f target genes in mammalian cells, whereby E2f3 promoter binding is well conserved between neural and muscle precursors at genes associated with cell cycle processes, but is tissue-specific at differentiation-associated genes. Our findings implicate the cell cycle pathway as a widespread regulator of cell fate genes, and suggest that E2f3 proteins control cell type-specific differentiation programs by regulating unique sets of target genes. This work significantly enhances our understanding of how the cell cycle machinery impacts cell fate and differentiation, and will importantly drive further discovery regarding the mechanisms of cell fate control and transcriptional regulation in the brain, as well as in other tissues.

Identification of highly conserved putative developmental enhancers bound by SOX3 in neural progenitors using ChIP-Seq

The transcription factor SOX3 is expressed within most neural progenitor (NP) cells of the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS) and is essential for normal brain development in mice and humans. However, despite the widespread expression of Sox3, CNS defects in null mice are relatively mild due to functional redundancy with the other SOXB1 sub-group members Sox1 and Sox2. To further understand the molecular function of SOX3, we investigated the genome-wide binding profile of endogenous SOX3 in NP cells using ChIP-seq. SOX3 binding was identified at over 8,000 sites, most of which were intronic or intergeneic and were significantly associated with neurodevelopmental genes. The majority of binding sites were moderately or highly conserved (phastCons scores >0.1 and 0.5, respectively) and included the previously characterised, SOXB1-binding Nestin NP cell enhancer. Comparison of SOX3 and published ChIP-Seq data for the co-activator P300 in embryonic brain identified hundreds of highly conserved putative enhancer elements. In addition, we identified a subset of highly conserved putative enhancers for CNS development genes common to SOXB1 members in NP cells, all of which contained the SOX consensus motif (ACAAWR). Together these data implicate SOX3 in the direct regulation of hundreds of NP genes and provide molecular insight into the overlapping roles of SOXB1 proteins in CNS development.

Conditional inactivation of PDCD2 induces p53 activation and cell cycle arrest

PDCD2 (programmed cell death domain 2) is a highly conserved, zinc finger MYND domain-containing protein essential for normal development in the fly, zebrafish and mouse. The molecular functions and cellular activities of PDCD2 remain unclear. In order to better understand the functions of PDCD2 in mammalian development, we have examined PDCD2 activity in mouse blastocyst embryos, as well as in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). We have studied mice bearing a targeted PDCD2 locus functioning as a null allele through a splicing gene trap, or as a conditional knockout, by deletion of exon2 containing the MYND domain. Tamoxifen-induced knockout of PDCD2 in MEFs, as well as in ESCs, leads to defects in progression from the G1 to the S phase of cell cycle, associated with increased levels of p53 protein and p53 target genes. G1 prolongation in ESCs was not associated with induction of differentiation. Loss of entry into S phase of the cell cycle and marked induction of nuclear p53 were also observed in PDCD2 knockout blastocysts. These results demonstrate a unique role for PDCD2 in regulating the cell cycle and p53 activation during early embryonic development of the mouse.

The CHR site: definition and genome-wide identification of a cell cycle transcriptional element

The cell cycle genes homology region (CHR) has been identified as a DNA element with an important role in transcriptional regulation of late cell cycle genes. It has been shown that such genes are controlled by DREAM, MMB and FOXM1-MuvB and that these protein complexes can contact DNA via CHR sites. However, it has not been elucidated which sequence variations of the canonical CHR are functional and how frequent CHR-based regulation is utilized in mammalian genomes. Here, we define the spectrum of functional CHR elements. As the basis for a computational meta-analysis, we identify new CHR sequences and compile phylogenetic motif conservation as well as genome-wide protein-DNA binding and gene expression data. We identify CHR elements in most late cell cycle genes binding DREAM, MMB, or FOXM1-MuvB. In contrast, Myb- and forkhead-binding sites are underrepresented in both early and late cell cycle genes. Our findings support a general mechanism: sequential binding of DREAM, MMB and FOXM1-MuvB complexes to late cell cycle genes requires CHR elements. Taken together, we define the group of CHR-regulated genes in mammalian genomes and provide evidence that the CHR is the central promoter element in transcriptional regulation of late cell cycle genes by DREAM, MMB and FOXM1-MuvB.

Transcriptome analysis in cardiomyocyte-specific differentiation of murine embryonic stem cells reveals transcriptional regulation network

The differentiation to cardiomyocytes is a prerequisite and an important part of heart development. A good understanding of the complicated cardiomyocyte differentiation process benefits cardiogenesis study. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs), cell lines with infinite ability to proliferate and to be differentiated into all cell types of the adult body, are important research tools for investigation of differentiation and meanwhile good models for developmental research. In the current study, genome-wide gene expression of ESCs is profiled through high throughput platform during cardiomyocyte-specific differentiation and maturation. Gene expression patterns of undifferentiated ESCs and ESC-derived cardiomyocytes provide a global overview of genes involved in cardiomyocyte-specific differentiation, whereas marker gene expression profiles of both ESC-related genes and cardiac-specific genes presented the expression pattern shift during differentiation in a pure ESC-derived cardiomyocyte cell culture system. The differentiation and maturation process was completed at day 19 after initiation of differentiation, according to our gene expression profile results. Functional analysis of regulated genes reveals over-represented biological processes, molecular functions and pathways during the differentiation and maturation process. Finally, transcription factor regulation networks were engineered based on gene expression data. Within these networks, the number of identified important regulators (Trim28, E2f4, Foxm1, Myc, Hdac1, Rara, Mef2c, Nkx2-5, Gata4) and possible key co-regulation modules (Nkx2-5 - Gata4 - Tbx5, Myc - E2F4) could be expanded. We demonstrate that a more comprehensive picture of cardiomyocyte differentiation and its regulation can be achieved solely by studying gene expression patterns. The results from our study contribute to a better and more accurate understanding of the regulation mechanisms during cardiomyocyte differentiation.

Evolution of transcription factor binding in metazoans - mechanisms and functional implications

Differences in transcription factor binding can contribute to organismal evolution by altering downstream gene expression programmes. Genome-wide studies in Drosophila melanogaster and mammals have revealed common quantitative and combinatorial properties of in vivo DNA binding, as well as marked differences in the rate and mechanisms of evolution of transcription factor binding in metazoans. Here, we review the recently discovered rapid 're-wiring' of in vivo transcription factor binding between related metazoan species and summarize general principles underlying the observed patterns of evolution. We then consider what might explain the differences in genome evolution between metazoan phyla and outline the conceptual and technological challenges facing this research field.

Evolution of Vertebrate Transcriptional Regulator Binding

Comparative evolutionary analysis of transcriptional regulator binding across several vertebrate species reveals intricate regulatory genome evolution.

Beyond the ENCODE project: using genomics and epigenomics strategies to study enhancer evolution

The complex expression patterns observed for many genes are often regulated by distal transcription enhancers. Changes in the nucleotide sequences of enhancers may therefore lead to changes in gene expression, representing a central mechanism by which organisms evolve. With the development of the experimental technique of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), in which discrete regions of the genome bound by specific proteins can be identified, it is now possible to identify transcription factor binding events (putative cis-regulatory elements) in entire genomes. Comparing protein-DNA binding maps allows us, for the first time, to attempt to identify regulatory differences and infer global patterns of change in gene expression across species. Here, we review studies that used genome-wide ChIP to study the evolution of enhancers. The trend is one of high divergence of cis-regulatory elements between species, possibly compensated by extensive creation and loss of regulatory elements and rewiring of their target genes. We speculate on the meaning of the differences observed and discuss that although ChIP experiments identify the biochemical event of protein-DNA interaction, it cannot determine whether the event results in a biological function, and therefore more studies are required to establish the effect of divergence of binding events on species-specific gene expression.

Extensive divergence of transcription factor binding in Drosophila embryos with highly conserved gene expression

To better characterize how variation in regulatory sequences drives divergence in gene expression, we undertook a systematic study of transcription factor binding and gene expression in blastoderm embryos of four species, which sample much of the diversity in the 40 million-year old genus Drosophila: D. melanogaster, D. yakuba, D. pseudoobscura and D. virilis. We compared gene expression, measured by mRNA-seq, to the genome-wide binding, measured by ChIP-seq, of four transcription factors involved in early anterior-posterior patterning. We found that mRNA levels are much better conserved than individual transcription factor binding events, and that changes in a gene's expression were poorly explained by changes in adjacent transcription factor binding. However, highly bound sites, sites in regions bound by multiple factors and sites near genes are conserved more frequently than other binding, suggesting that a considerable amount of transcription factor binding is weakly or non-functional and not subject to purifying selection.

Genome-wide analysis of alternative splicing during dendritic cell response to a bacterial challenge

The immune system relies on the plasticity of its components to produce appropriate responses to frequent environmental challenges. Dendritic cells (DCs) are critical initiators of innate immunity and orchestrate the later and more specific adaptive immunity. The generation of diversity in transcriptional programs is central for effective immune responses. Alternative splicing is widely considered a key generator of transcriptional and proteomic complexity, but its role has been rarely addressed systematically in immune cells. Here we used splicing-sensitive arrays to assess genome-wide gene- and exon-level expression profiles in human DCs in response to a bacterial challenge. We find widespread alternative splicing events and splicing factor transcriptional signatures induced by an E. coli challenge to human DCs. Alternative splicing acts in concert with transcriptional modulation, but these two mechanisms of gene regulation affect primarily distinct functional gene groups. Alternative splicing is likely to have an important role in DC immunobiology because it affects genes known to be involved in DC development, endocytosis, antigen presentation and cell cycle arrest.

Neil3, the final frontier for the DNA glycosylases that recognize oxidative damage

DNA glycosylases are the enzymes that initiate the Base Excision Repair (BER) process that protects all organisms from the mutagenic and/or cytotoxic effects of DNA base lesions. Endonuclease VIII like proteins (Neil1, Neil2 and Neil3) are found in vertebrate genomes and are homologous to the well-characterized bacterial DNA glycosylases, Formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (Fpg) and Endonuclease VIII (Nei). Since the initial discovery of the Neil proteins, much progress has been made on characterizing Neil1 and Neil2. It was not until recently, however, that Neil3 was shown to be a functional DNA glycosylase having a different substrate specificity and unusual structural features compared with other Fpg/Nei homologs. Although the biological functions of Neil3 still remain an enigma, this review highlights recent biochemical and structural data that may ultimately shed light on its biological role.

Cohesin regulates tissue-specific expression by stabilizing highly occupied cis-regulatory modules

The cohesin protein complex contributes to transcriptional regulation in a CTCF-independent manner by colocalizing with master regulators at tissue-specific loci. The regulation of transcription involves the concerted action of multiple transcription factors (TFs) and cohesin's role in this context of combinatorial TF binding remains unexplored. To investigate cohesin-non-CTCF (CNC) binding events in vivo we mapped cohesin and CTCF, as well as a collection of tissue-specific and ubiquitous transcriptional regulators using ChIP-seq in primary mouse liver. We observe a positive correlation between the number of distinct TFs bound and the presence of CNC sites. In contrast to regions of the genome where cohesin and CTCF colocalize, CNC sites coincide with the binding of master regulators and enhancer-markers and are significantly associated with liver-specific expressed genes. We also show that cohesin presence partially explains the commonly observed discrepancy between TF motif score and ChIP signal. Evidence from these statistical analyses in wild-type cells, and comparisons to maps of TF binding in Rad21-cohesin haploinsufficient mouse liver, suggests that cohesin helps to stabilize large protein-DNA complexes. Finally, we observe that the presence of mirrored CTCF binding events at promoters and their nearby cohesin-bound enhancers is associated with elevated expression levels.

Cistrome plasticity and mechanisms of cistrome reprogramming

Mammalian genomes contain thousands of cis-regulatory elements for each transcription factor (TF), but TFs only occupy a relatively small subset referred to as cistrome. Recent studies demonstrate that a TF cistrome might differ among different organisms, tissue types and individuals. In a cell, a TF cistrome might differ among different physiological states, pathological stages and between physiological and pathological conditions. It is, therefore, remarkable how highly plastic these binding profiles are, and how massively they can be reprogrammed in rapid response to intra/extracellular variations and during cell identity transitions and evolution. Biologically, cistrome reprogramming events tend to be followed by changes in transcriptional outputs, thus serving as transformative mechanisms to synchronically alter the biology of the cell. In this review, we discuss the molecular basis of cistrome plasticity and attempt to integrate the different mechanisms and biological conditions associated with cistrome reprogramming. Emerging data suggest that, when altered, these reprogramming events might be linked to tumor development and/or progression, which is a radical conceptual change in our mechanistic understanding of cancer and, potentially, other diseases.

Cell-type specificity of ChIP-predicted transcription factor binding sites

BACKGROUND

Context-dependent transcription factor (TF) binding is one reason for differences in gene expression patterns between different cellular states. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) identifies genome-wide TF binding sites for one particular context-the cells used in the experiment. But can such ChIP-seq data predict TF binding in other cellular contexts and is it possible to distinguish context-dependent from ubiquitous TF binding?

RESULTS

We compared ChIP-seq data on TF binding for multiple TFs in two different cell types and found that on average only a third of ChIP-seq peak regions are common to both cell types. Expectedly, common peaks occur more frequently in certain genomic contexts, such as CpG-rich promoters, whereas chromatin differences characterize cell-type specific TF binding. We also find, however, that genotype differences between the cell types can explain differences in binding. Moreover, ChIP-seq signal intensity and peak clustering are the strongest predictors of common peaks. Compared with strong peaks located in regions containing peaks for multiple transcription factors, weak and isolated peaks are less common between the cell types and are less associated with data that indicate regulatory activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Together, the results suggest that experimental noise is prevalent among weak peaks, whereas strong and clustered peaks represent high-confidence binding events that often occur in other cellular contexts. Nevertheless, 30-40% of the strongest and most clustered peaks show context-dependent regulation. We show that by combining signal intensity with additional data-ranging from context independent information such as binding site conservation and position weight matrix scores to context dependent chromatin structure-we can predict whether a ChIP-seq peak is likely to be present in other cellular contexts.

Release from quiescence stimulates the expression of human NEIL3 under the control of the Ras dependent ERK-MAP kinase pathway

Base excision repair (BER) is believed to be the predominant pathway for the repair of oxidative DNA damage. BER is initiated by lesion-specific DNA glycosylases that recognize and remove the damaged base. NEIL1, NEIL2 and NEIL3 are three mammalian members of the Fpg/Nei DNA glycosylase family with similar enzymatic properties. In this study we showed that both the transcription and protein levels of hNEIL3 fluctuated during the cell cycle. Based on predicted promoter elements of cell cycle-regulated genes and microarray data from various reports, we suggest that hNEIL3 repression in quiescent cells might be mediated by the DREAM (DP1, RB p130, E2F4 and MuvB core complex) complex. Release from G0 by mitogenic stimulation showed an induction of hNEIL3 in early S phase under the control of the Ras dependent ERK-MAP kinase pathway. In contrast, the total expression of hNEIL1 was downregulated upon release from quiescence while the expression of hNEIL2 was cell cycle independent. Notably, hNEIL3 showed a similar regulation pattern as the replication protein hFEN1 supporting a function of hNEIL3 in replication associated repair. Thus, it appears that specialized functions of the NEILs are ensured by their expression patterns.

Rapid turnover of functional sequence in human and other genomes

The amount of a genome's sequence that is functional has been surprisingly difficult to estimate accurately. This has severely hindered analyses asking whether the amount of functional genomic sequence correlates with organismal complexity. Most studies estimate these amounts by considering nucleotide substitution rates within aligned sequences. These approaches show reduced power to identify sequence that is aligned, functional, and constrained only within narrowly defined phyla. The neutral indel model exploits insertions or deletions (indels) rather than substitutions in predicting functional sequence. Surprisingly, this method indicates that half of all functional sequence is specific to individual eutherian lineages. This review considers the rates at which coding or noncoding and functional or nonfunctional sequence changes among mammalian genomes. In contrast to the slow rate at which protein-coding sequence changes, functional noncoding sequence appears to change or be turned over at rapid rates in mammals.

Adenovirus E1A directly targets the E2F/DP-1 complex

Deregulation of the cell cycle is of paramount importance during adenovirus infection. Adenovirus normally infects quiescent cells and must initiate the cell cycle in order to propagate itself. The pRb family of proteins controls entry into the cell cycle by interacting with and repressing transcriptional activation by the E2F transcription factors. The viral E1A proteins indirectly activate E2F-dependent transcription and cell cycle entry, in part, by interacting with pRb and family members to free the E2Fs. We report here that an E1A 13S isoform can unexpectedly activate E2F-responsive gene expression independently of binding to the pRb family of proteins. We demonstrate that E1A binds to E2F/DP-1 complexes through a direct interaction with DP-1. E1A appears to utilize this binding to recruit itself to E2F-regulated promoters, and this allows the E1A 13S protein, but not the E1A 12S protein, to activate transcription independently of interaction with pRb. Importantly, expression of E1A 13S, but not E1A 12S, led to significant enhancement of E2F4 occupancy of E2F sites of two E2F-regulated promoters. These observations identify a novel mechanism by which adenovirus deregulates the cell cycle and suggest that E1A 13S may selectively activate a subset of E2F-regulated cellular genes during infection.

Genome-wide profiling of H3K56 acetylation and transcription factor binding sites in human adipocytes

The growing epidemic of obesity and metabolic diseases calls for a better understanding of adipocyte biology. The regulation of transcription in adipocytes is particularly important, as it is a target for several therapeutic approaches. Transcriptional outcomes are influenced by both histone modifications and transcription factor binding. Although the epigenetic states and binding sites of several important transcription factors have been profiled in the mouse 3T3-L1 cell line, such data are lacking in human adipocytes. In this study, we identified H3K56 acetylation sites in human adipocytes derived from mesenchymal stem cells. H3K56 is acetylated by CBP and p300, and deacetylated by SIRT1, all are proteins with important roles in diabetes and insulin signaling. We found that while almost half of the genome shows signs of H3K56 acetylation, the highest level of H3K56 acetylation is associated with transcription factors and proteins in the adipokine signaling and Type II Diabetes pathways. In order to discover the transcription factors that recruit acetyltransferases and deacetylases to sites of H3K56 acetylation, we analyzed DNA sequences near H3K56 acetylated regions and found that the E2F recognition sequence was enriched. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing, we confirmed that genes bound by E2F4, as well as those by HSF-1 and C/EBPα, have higher than expected levels of H3K56 acetylation, and that the transcription factor binding sites and acetylation sites are often adjacent but rarely overlap. We also discovered a significant difference between bound targets of C/EBPα in 3T3-L1 and human adipocytes, highlighting the need to construct species-specific epigenetic and transcription factor binding site maps. This is the first genome-wide profile of H3K56 acetylation, E2F4, C/EBPα and HSF-1 binding in human adipocytes, and will serve as an important resource for better understanding adipocyte transcriptional regulation.

DYRK1A protein kinase promotes quiescence and senescence through DREAM complex assembly

In the absence of growth signals, cells exit the cell cycle and enter into G0 or quiescence. Alternatively, cells enter senescence in response to inappropriate growth signals such as oncogene expression. The molecular mechanisms required for cell cycle exit into quiescence or senescence are poorly understood. The DREAM (DP, RB [retinoblastoma], E2F, and MuvB) complex represses cell cycle-dependent genes during quiescence. DREAM contains p130, E2F4, DP1, and a stable core complex of five MuvB-like proteins: LIN9, LIN37, LIN52, LIN54, and RBBP4. In mammalian cells, the MuvB core dissociates from p130 upon entry into the cell cycle and binds to BMYB during S phase to activate the transcription of genes expressed late in the cell cycle. We used mass spectroscopic analysis to identify phosphorylation sites that regulate the switch of the MuvB core from BMYB to DREAM. Here we report that DYRK1A can specifically phosphorylate LIN52 on serine residue 28, and that this phosphorylation is required for DREAM assembly. Inhibiting DYRK1A activity or point mutation of LIN52 disrupts DREAM assembly and reduces the ability of cells to enter quiescence or undergo Ras-induced senescence. These data reveal an important role for DYRK1A in the regulation of DREAM activity and entry into quiescence.

High conservation of transcription factor binding and evidence for combinatorial regulation across six Drosophila species

The binding of some transcription factors has been shown to diverge substantially between closely related species. Here we show that the binding of the developmental transcription factor Twist is highly conserved across six Drosophila species, revealing strong functional constraints at its enhancers. Conserved binding correlates with sequence motifs for Twist and its partners, permitting the de novo discovery of their combinatorial binding. It also includes over 10,000 low-occupancy sites near the detection limit, which tend to mark enhancers of later developmental stages. These results suggest that developmental enhancers can be highly evolutionarily constrained, presumably because of their complex combinatorial nature.

Transcription factors expressed in olfactory bulb local progenitor cells revealed by genome-wide transcriptome profiling

The local progenitor population in the olfactory bulb (OB) gives rise to mitral and tufted projection neurons during embryonic development. In contrast, OB interneurons are derived from sources outside the bulb where neurogenesis continues throughout life. While many of the genes involved in OB interneuron development have been characterized, the genetic pathways driving local progenitor cell differentiation in this tissue are largely unknown. To better understand this process, we used transcriptional profiling to monitor gene expression of whole OB at daily intervals from embryonic day 11 through birth, generating a compendium of gene expression encompassing the major developmental events of this tissue. Through hierarchical clustering, bioinformatics analysis, and validation by RNA in situ hybridizations, we identified a large number of transcription factors, DNA binding proteins, and cell cycle-related genes expressed by the local neural progenitor cells (NPCs) of the embryonic OB. Further in silico analysis of transcription factor binding sites identified an enrichment of genes regulated by the E2F-Rb pathway among those expressed in the local NPC population. Together these results provide initial insights into the molecular identity of the OB local NPC population and the transcription factor networks that may regulate their function.

Transcription factor binding variation in the evolution of gene regulation

Transcription factor interactions with DNA are one of the primary mechanisms by which expression is modulated, yet their evolution remains poorly understood. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by microarray (ChIP-chip) or sequencing (ChIP-Seq) has revolutionized the study of protein-DNA interactions. However, only recently has attention focused on determining to what extent these regulatory interactions vary between species across entire genomes. A series of recent studies have compared in vivo binding data across a range of evolutionary distances. Binding events diverge rapidly, indicating gene regulation is an evolutionarily flexible process.

pRB and E2F4 play distinct cell-intrinsic roles in fetal erythropoiesis

The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein pRB functions, at least in part, by directly binding to and modulating the activity of the E2F transcription factors. Previous studies have shown that both E2F4 and pRB play important roles in fetal erythropoiesis. Given that these two proteins interact directly we investigated the overlap of E2F4 and pRB function in this process by analyzing E2f4(-/-), conditional Rb knockout (Rb(1lox/1lox)), and compound E2f4(-/-);Rb(1lox/1lox) embryos. At E15.5 E2f4(-/-) and Rb(1lox/1lox) fetal erythroid cells display distinct abnormalities in their differentiation profiles. When cultured in vitro, both E2f4(-/-) and Rb(1lox/1lox) erythroid cells show defects in cell cycle progression. Surprisingly, analysis of cell cycle profiling suggests that E2F4 and pRB control cell cycle exit through different mechanisms. Moreover, only pRB, but not E2F4, promotes cell survival in erythroid cells. We observed an additive rather than a synergistic impact upon the erythroid defects in the compound E2f4(-/-);Rb(1lox/1lox) embryos. We further found that fetal liver macrophage development is largely normal regardless of genotype. Taken together, our results show that E2F4 and pRB play independent cell-intrinsic roles in fetal erythropoiesis.

Conserved expression without conserved regulatory sequence: the more things change, the more they stay the same

Regulatory regions with similar transcriptional output often have little overt sequence similarity, both within and between genomes. Although cis- and trans-regulatory changes can contribute to sequence divergence without dramatically altering gene expression outputs, heterologous DNA often functions similarly in organisms that share little regulatory sequence similarities (e.g. human DNA in fish), indicating that trans-regulatory mechanisms tend to diverge more slowly and can accommodate a variety of cis-regulatory configurations. This capacity to 'tinker' with regulatory DNA probably relates to the complexity, robustness and evolvability of regulatory systems, but cause-and-effect relationships among evolutionary processes and properties of regulatory systems remain a topic of debate. The challenge of understanding the concrete mechanisms underlying cis-regulatory evolution - including the conservation of function without the conservation of sequence - relates to the challenge of understanding the function of regulatory systems in general. Currently, we are largely unable to recognize functionally similar regulatory DNA.

The central role of CDE/CHR promoter elements in the regulation of cell cycle-dependent gene transcription

The cell cycle-dependent element (CDE) and the cell cycle genes homology region (CHR) control the transcription of genes with maximum expression in G(2) phase and in mitosis. Promoters of these genes are repressed by proteins binding to CDE/CHR elements in G(0) and G(1) phases. Relief from repression begins in S phase and continues into G(2) phase and mitosis. Generally, CDE sites are located four nucleotides upstream of CHR elements in TATA-less promoters of genes such as Cdc25C, Cdc2 and cyclin A. However, expression of some other genes, such as human cyclin B1 and cyclin B2, has been shown to be controlled only by a CHR lacking a functional CDE. To date, it is not fully understood which proteins bind to and control CDE/CHR-containing promoters. Recently, components of the DREAM complex were shown to be involved in CDE/CHR-dependent transcriptional regulation. In addition, the expression of genes regulated by CDE/CHR elements is mostly achieved through CCAAT-boxes, which bind heterotrimeric NF-Y proteins as well as the histone acetyltransferase p300. Importantly, many CDE/CHR promoters are downregulated by the tumor suppressor p53. In this review, we define criteria for CDE/CHR-regulated promoters and propose to distinguish two classes of CDE/CHR-regulated genes. The regulation through transcription factors potentially binding to the CDE/CHR is discussed, and recently discovered links to central pathways regulated by E2F, the pRB family and p53 are highlighted.

Evolution of transcriptional control in mammals

Changes in gene expression directed by transcriptional regulators can give rise to new phenotypes. While gene expression profiles can be maintained across large evolutionary distances, transcription factor-DNA interactions diverge rapidly. The application of new genome-wide methodologies has begun refining our global understanding of when and where mammalian transcription factors interact with DNA, thereby providing new insight into the mechanisms of transcriptional evolution. The interplay between cis and trans regulation of gene expression is an increasingly active area of investigation, and recent studies suggest that mutations in cis-regulatory DNA can explain many inter-species differences in gene expression.

Transcription factors LSF and E2Fs: tandem cyclists driving G0 to S?

Cell cycle progression in mammalian cells from G(1) into S phase requires sensing and integration of multiple inputs, in order to determine whether to continue to cellular DNA replication and subsequently, to cell division. Passage to S requires transition through the restriction point, which at a molecular level consists of a bistable switch involving E2Fs and pRb family members. At the G(1)/S boundary, a number of genes essential for DNA replication and cell cycle progression are upregulated, promoting entry into S phase. Although the activating E2Fs are the most extensively characterized transcription factors driving G(1)/S expression, LSF is also a transcription factor essential for stimulating G(1)/S gene expression. A critical LSF target gene at this stage, Tyms, encodes thymidylate synthetase. In investigating how LSF is activated in a cell cycle-dependent manner, we recently identified a novel time delay mechanism for regulating its activity during G(1) progression, which is apparently independent of the E2F/pRb axis. This involves inhibition of LSF in early G(1) by two major proliferative signaling pathways: ERK and cyclin C/CDK, followed by gradual dephosphorylation during mid- to late-G(1). Whether LSF and E2F act independently or in concert to promote G(1)/S progression remains to be determined.

Expression of the leukemia oncogene Lmo2 is controlled by an array of tissue-specific elements dispersed over 100 kb and bound by Tal1/Lmo2, Ets, and Gata factors

The Lmo2 gene encodes a transcriptional cofactor critical for the development of hematopoietic stem cells. Ectopic LMO2 expression causes leukemia in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) patients and severe combined immunodeficiency patients undergoing retroviral gene therapy. Tightly controlled Lmo2 expression is therefore essential, yet no comprehensive analysis of Lmo2 regulation has been published so far. By comparative genomics, we identified 17 highly conserved noncoding elements, 9 of which revealed specific acetylation marks in chromatin-immunoprecipitation and microarray (ChIP-chip) assays performed across 250 kb of the Lmo2 locus in 11 cell types covering different stages of hematopoietic differentiation. All candidate regulatory regions were tested in transgenic mice. An extended LMO2 proximal promoter fragment displayed strong endothelial activity, while the distal promoter showed weak forebrain activity. Eight of the 15 distal candidate elements functioned as enhancers, which together recapitulated the full expression pattern of Lmo2, directing expression to endothelium, hematopoietic cells, tail, and forebrain. Interestingly, distinct combinations of specific distal regulatory elements were required to extend endothelial activity of the LMO2 promoter to yolk sac or fetal liver hematopoietic cells. Finally, Sfpi1/Pu.1, Fli1, Gata2, Tal1/Scl, and Lmo2 were shown to bind to and transactivate Lmo2 hematopoietic enhancers, thus identifying key upstream regulators and positioning Lmo2 within hematopoietic regulatory networks.

Analysis of mammalian gene batteries reveals both stable ancestral cores and highly dynamic regulatory sequences

Analysis of the evolutionary dynamics of target gene batteries controlled by 16 different transcription factors reveals stable ancestral cores and highly dynamic regulatory sequences

Background

Changes in gene regulation are suspected to comprise one of the driving forces for evolution. To address the extent of cis-regulatory changes and how they impact on gene regulatory networks across eukaryotes, we systematically analyzed the evolutionary dynamics of target gene batteries controlled by 16 different transcription factors.

Results

We found that gene batteries show variable conservation within vertebrates, with slow and fast evolving modules. Hence, while a key gene battery associated with the cell cycle is conserved throughout metazoans, the POU5F1 (Oct4) and SOX2 batteries in embryonic stem cells show strong conservation within mammals, with the striking exception of rodents. Within the genes composing a given gene battery, we could identify a conserved core that likely reflects the ancestral function of the corresponding transcription factor. Interestingly, we show that the association between a transcription factor and its target genes is conserved even when we exclude conserved sequence similarities of their promoter regions from our analysis. This supports the idea that turnover, either of the transcription factor binding site or its direct neighboring sequence, is a pervasive feature of proximal regulatory sequences.

Conclusions

Our study reveals the dynamics of evolutionary changes within metazoan gene networks, including both the composition of gene batteries and the architecture of target gene promoters. This variation provides the playground required for evolutionary innovation around conserved ancestral core functions.

Tissue-specific splicing factor gene expression signatures

The alternative splicing code that controls and coordinates the transcriptome in complex multicellular organisms remains poorly understood. It has long been argued that regulation of alternative splicing relies on combinatorial interactions between multiple proteins, and that tissue-specific splicing decisions most likely result from differences in the concentration and/or activity of these proteins. However, large-scale data to systematically address this issue have just recently started to become available. Here we show that splicing factor gene expression signatures can be identified that reflect cell type and tissue-specific patterns of alternative splicing. We used a computational approach to analyze microarray-based gene expression profiles of splicing factors from mouse, chimpanzee and human tissues. Our results show that brain and testis, the two tissues with highest levels of alternative splicing events, have the largest number of splicing factor genes that are most highly differentially expressed. We further identified SR protein kinases and small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle (snRNP) proteins among the splicing factor genes that are most highly differentially expressed in a particular tissue. These results indicate the power of generating signature-based predictions as an initial computational approach into a global view of tissue-specific alternative splicing regulation.