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Evolution of Epigenetic Mechanisms and Signatures. Cells 2022; 12:cells12010109. [PMID: 36611903 PMCID: PMC9818844 DOI: 10.3390/cells12010109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation, histone posttranslational modifications, higher-order chromatin organization and regulation by noncoding RNAs are considered as the basic mechanisms underlying the epigenetic memory [...].
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2
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Liang J, Bondarenko SM, Sharakhov IV, Sharakhova MV. Visualization of the Linear and Spatial Organization of Chromosomes in Mosquitoes. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2022; 2022:585-590. [PMID: 35960626 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.top107732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Mosquitoes are vectors of dangerous human diseases such as malaria, dengue, Zika, West Nile fever, and lymphatic filariasis. Visualization of the linear and spatial organization of mosquito chromosomes is important for understanding genome structure and function. Utilization of chromosomal inversions as markers for population genetics studies yields insights into mosquito adaptation and evolution. Cytogenetic approaches assist with the development of chromosome-scale genome assemblies that are useful tools for studying mosquito biology and for designing novel vector control strategies. Fluorescence in situ hybridization is a powerful technique for localizing specific DNA sequences within the linear chromosome structure and within the spatial organization of the cell nucleus. Here, we introduce protocols used in our laboratories for chromosome visualization and their application in mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangtao Liang
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, USA
| | - Simon M Bondarenko
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, USA.,Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk 634050, Russia
| | - Igor V Sharakhov
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, USA.,Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk 634050, Russia
| | - Maria V Sharakhova
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, USA .,Laboratory of Evolutionary Genomics of Insects, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
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3
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Bondarenko SM, Liang J, Sharakhova MV, Sharakhov IV. Visualization of Polytene Chromatin in Mosquito Cell Nuclei Using Three-Dimensional Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2022; 2022:599-605. [PMID: 35960625 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.prot107873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Chromosomes are intricately folded within the cell nucleus and interact with peripheral nuclear proteins. The chromatin architecture has a profound effect on how the genome is organized. 3D-FISH is a powerful technique that can reveal the structural and functional organization of chromosomes in the nuclear space. Here, we present a protocol for visualizing specific genomic regions in whole-mount paraformaldehyde-fixed cell nuclei of Anopheles mosquitoes. This protocol was tested in our laboratories and has been showed to be effective and reliable for visualizing genomic regions of various lengths-from 1-kb gene-scale fragments to chromosome-scale segments of DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon M Bondarenko
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, USA.,Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk 634050, Russia
| | - Jiangtao Liang
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, USA
| | - Maria V Sharakhova
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, USA.,Laboratory of Evolutionary Genomics of Insects, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Igor V Sharakhov
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, USA .,Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk 634050, Russia
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4
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Anopheles mosquitoes reveal new principles of 3D genome organization in insects. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1960. [PMID: 35413948 PMCID: PMC9005712 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29599-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromosomes are hierarchically folded within cell nuclei into territories, domains and subdomains, but the functional importance and evolutionary dynamics of these hierarchies are poorly defined. Here, we comprehensively profile genome organizations of five Anopheles mosquito species and show how different levels of chromatin architecture influence each other. Patterns observed on Hi-C maps are associated with known cytological structures, epigenetic profiles, and gene expression levels. Evolutionary analysis reveals conservation of chromatin architecture within synteny blocks for tens of millions of years and enrichment of synteny breakpoints in regions with increased genomic insulation. However, in-depth analysis shows a confounding effect of gene density on both insulation and distribution of synteny breakpoints, suggesting limited causal relationship between breakpoints and regions with increased genomic insulation. At the level of individual loci, we identify specific, extremely long-ranged looping interactions, conserved for ~100 million years. We demonstrate that the mechanisms underlying these looping contacts differ from previously described Polycomb-dependent interactions and clustering of active chromatin. Anopheles mosquitoes are vectors of human malaria, and better understanding of them has implications for public health. Here, the authors apply Hi-C, FISH, RNA-seq, and ChIP-seq techniques to comprehensively characterize chromatin architecture and its evolutionary dynamics in five Anopheles species.
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Lorber D, Volk T. Evaluation of chromatin mesoscale organization. APL Bioeng 2022; 6:010902. [PMID: 35071965 PMCID: PMC8758204 DOI: 10.1063/5.0069286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromatin organization in the nucleus represents an important aspect of transcription regulation. Most of the studies so far focused on the chromatin structure in cultured cells or in fixed tissue preparations. Here, we discuss the various approaches for deciphering chromatin 3D organization with an emphasis on the advantages of live imaging approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Lorber
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Talila Volk
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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6
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Erenpreisa J, Krigerts J, Salmina K, Gerashchenko BI, Freivalds T, Kurg R, Winter R, Krufczik M, Zayakin P, Hausmann M, Giuliani A. Heterochromatin Networks: Topology, Dynamics, and Function (a Working Hypothesis). Cells 2021; 10:1582. [PMID: 34201566 PMCID: PMC8304199 DOI: 10.3390/cells10071582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Open systems can only exist by self-organization as pulsing structures exchanging matter and energy with the outer world. This review is an attempt to reveal the organizational principles of the heterochromatin supra-intra-chromosomal network in terms of nonlinear thermodynamics. The accessibility of the linear information of the genetic code is regulated by constitutive heterochromatin (CHR) creating the positional information in a system of coordinates. These features include scale-free splitting-fusing of CHR with the boundary constraints of the nucleolus and nuclear envelope. The analysis of both the literature and our own data suggests a radial-concentric network as the main structural organization principle of CHR regulating transcriptional pulsing. The dynamic CHR network is likely created together with nucleolus-associated chromatin domains, while the alveoli of this network, including springy splicing speckles, are the pulsing transcription hubs. CHR contributes to this regulation due to the silencing position variegation effect, stickiness, and flexible rigidity determined by the positioning of nucleosomes. The whole system acts in concert with the elastic nuclear actomyosin network which also emerges by self-organization during the transcriptional pulsing process. We hypothesize that the the transcriptional pulsing, in turn, adjusts its frequency/amplitudes specified by topologically associating domains to the replication timing code that determines epigenetic differentiation memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jekaterina Erenpreisa
- Latvian Biomedicine Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia; (J.K.); (K.S.); (P.Z.)
| | - Jekabs Krigerts
- Latvian Biomedicine Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia; (J.K.); (K.S.); (P.Z.)
| | - Kristine Salmina
- Latvian Biomedicine Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia; (J.K.); (K.S.); (P.Z.)
| | - Bogdan I. Gerashchenko
- R.E. Kavetsky Institute of Experimental Pathology, Oncology and Radiobiology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 03022 Kyiv, Ukraine;
| | - Talivaldis Freivalds
- Institute of Cardiology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Latvia, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia;
| | - Reet Kurg
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia;
| | - Ruth Winter
- Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (R.W.); (M.K.); (M.H.)
| | - Matthias Krufczik
- Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (R.W.); (M.K.); (M.H.)
| | - Pawel Zayakin
- Latvian Biomedicine Research and Study Centre, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia; (J.K.); (K.S.); (P.Z.)
| | - Michael Hausmann
- Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (R.W.); (M.K.); (M.H.)
| | - Alessandro Giuliani
- Istituto Superiore di Sanita Environment and Health Department, 00161 Roma, Italy
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7
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Bondarenko SM, Sharakhov IV. Reorganization of the nuclear architecture in the Drosophila melanogaster Lamin B mutant lacking the CaaX box. Nucleus 2021; 11:283-298. [PMID: 32960740 PMCID: PMC7529411 DOI: 10.1080/19491034.2020.1819704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Lamins interact with the nuclear membrane and chromatin but the precise players and mechanisms of these interactions are unknown. Here, we tested whether the removal of the CaaX motif from Lamin B disrupts its attachment to the nuclear membrane and affects chromatin distribution. We used Drosophila melanogaster LamA25 homozygous mutants that lack the CaaX box. We found that the mutant Lamin B was not confined to the nuclear periphery but was distributed throughout the nuclear interior, colocalizing with chromosomes in salivary gland and proventriculus. The peripheral position of Lamin C, nuclear pore complex (NPC), heterochromatin protein 1a (HP1a), H3K9me2- and H3K27me3-associated chromatin remained intact. The fluorescence intensity of the DAPI-stained peripheral chromatin significantly decreased and that of the central chromatin significantly increased in the proventriculus nuclei of the mutantflies compared to wild-type. However, the mutation had little effect on chromatin radial distribution inside highly polytenized salivary gland nuclei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Semen M Bondarenko
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.,Department of Cytology and Genetics, Tomsk State University , Tomsk, Russian Federation
| | - Igor V Sharakhov
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
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Chiu M, Trigg B, Taracena M, Wells M. Diverse cellular morphologies during lumen maturation in Anopheles gambiae larval salivary glands. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 30:210-230. [PMID: 33305876 PMCID: PMC8142555 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Mosquitoes are the greatest animal threat to human health, causing hundreds of millions of infections and around 1 million deaths each year. All mosquito-borne pathogens must traverse the salivary glands (SGs) to be transmitted to the next host, making this organ an ideal target for interventions. The adult SG develops from precursor cells located in the larval SG duct bud. Characterization of the larval SG has been limited. We sought to better understand larval SG architecture, secretion and gene expression. We developed an optimized method for larval SG staining and surveyed hundreds of larval stage 4 (L4) SGs using fluorescence confocal microscopy. Remarkable variation in SG cell and chromatin organization differed among individuals and across the L4 stage. Lumen formation occurred during L4 stage through secretion likely involving a coincident cellular apical lipid enrichment and extracellular vesicle-like structures. Meta-analysis of microarray data showed that larval SG gene expression is divergent from adult SGs, more similar to larval gastric cecae, but different from other larval gut compartments. This work highlights the variable cell architecture of larval Anopheles gambiae SGs and provides candidate targets for genetic strategies aiming to disrupt SGs and transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Chiu
- Department of Cell Biology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - B Trigg
- Department of Cell Biology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - M Taracena
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - M Wells
- Department of Cell Biology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM), Meridian, Idaho, USA
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9
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Lezcano ÓM, Sánchez-Polo M, Ruiz JL, Gómez-Díaz E. Chromatin Structure and Function in Mosquitoes. Front Genet 2020; 11:602949. [PMID: 33365050 PMCID: PMC7750206 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.602949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The principles and function of chromatin and nuclear architecture have been extensively studied in model organisms, such as Drosophila melanogaster. However, little is known about the role of these epigenetic processes in transcriptional regulation in other insects including mosquitoes, which are major disease vectors and a worldwide threat for human health. Some of these life-threatening diseases are malaria, which is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium and transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes; dengue fever, which is caused by an arbovirus mainly transmitted by Aedes aegypti; and West Nile fever, which is caused by an arbovirus transmitted by Culex spp. In this contribution, we review what is known about chromatin-associated mechanisms and the 3D genome structure in various mosquito vectors, including Anopheles, Aedes, and Culex spp. We also discuss the similarities between epigenetic mechanisms in mosquitoes and the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, and advocate that the field could benefit from the cross-application of state-of-the-art functional genomic technologies that are well-developed in the fruit fly. Uncovering the mosquito regulatory genome can lead to the discovery of unique regulatory networks associated with the parasitic life-style of these insects. It is also critical to understand the molecular interactions between the vectors and the pathogens that they transmit, which could hold the key to major breakthroughs on the fight against mosquito-borne diseases. Finally, it is clear that epigenetic mechanisms controlling mosquito environmental plasticity and evolvability are also of utmost importance, particularly in the current context of globalization and climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - José L. Ruiz
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra (IPBLN), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Granada, Spain
| | - Elena Gómez-Díaz
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra (IPBLN), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Granada, Spain
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10
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Compton A, Sharakhov IV, Tu Z. Recent advances and future perspectives in vector-omics. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 40:94-103. [PMID: 32650287 PMCID: PMC8041138 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We have reviewed recent progress and the remaining challenges in vector-omics. We have highlighted several technologies and applications that facilitate novel biological insights beyond achieving a reference-quality genome assembly. Among other topics, we have discussed the applications of chromatin conformation capture, chromatin accessibility assays, optical mapping, full-length RNA sequencing, single cell RNA analysis, proteomics, and population genomics. We anticipate that we will witness a great expansion in vector-omics research not only in its application in a broad range of species, but also its ability to uncover novel genetic elements and tackle previously inaccessible regions of the genome. It is our hope that the continued innovation in device portability, cost reduction, and informatics support will in the foreseeable future bring vector-omics to every vector laboratory and field station in the world, which will have an unparalleled impact on basic research and the control of vector-borne infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Compton
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States; Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Igor V Sharakhov
- Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States; Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States; The Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States; Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk 634050, Russia
| | - Zhijian Tu
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States; Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States; The Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States.
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