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Cousu C, Mulot E, De Smet A, Formichetti S, Lecoeuche D, Ren J, Muegge K, Boulard M, Weill JC, Reynaud CA, Storck S. Germinal center output is sustained by HELLS-dependent DNA-methylation-maintenance in B cells. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5695. [PMID: 37709749 PMCID: PMC10502085 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41317-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
HELLS/LSH (Helicase, Lymphoid Specific) is a SNF2-like chromatin remodelling protein involved in DNA methylation. Its loss-of-function in humans causes humoral immunodeficiency, called ICF4 syndrome (Immunodeficiency, Centromeric Instability, Facial anomalies). Here we show by our newly generated B-cell-specific Hells conditional knockout mouse model that HELLS plays a pivotal role in T-dependent B-cell responses. HELLS deficiency induces accelerated decay of germinal center (GC) B cells and impairs the generation of high affinity memory B cells and circulating antibodies. Mutant GC B cells undergo dramatic DNA hypomethylation and massive de-repression of evolutionary recent retrotransposons, which surprisingly does not directly affect their survival. Instead, they prematurely upregulate either memory B cell markers or the transcription factor ATF4, which is driving an mTORC1-dependent metabolic program typical of plasma cells. Treatment of wild type mice with a DNMT1-specific inhibitor phenocopies the accelerated kinetics, thus pointing towards DNA-methylation maintenance by HELLS being a crucial mechanism to fine-tune the GC transcriptional program and enable long-lasting humoral immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Cousu
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8253, INSERM U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Eléonore Mulot
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8253, INSERM U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Annie De Smet
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8253, INSERM U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Sara Formichetti
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), 00015, Monterotondo, Italy
- Joint PhD degree program, European Molecular Biology Laboratory and Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Damiana Lecoeuche
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8253, INSERM U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Jianke Ren
- Epigenetics Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
- NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation,Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Reproductive Health Drug and Devices, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Kathrin Muegge
- Epigenetics Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Matthieu Boulard
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), 00015, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Jean-Claude Weill
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8253, INSERM U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Claude-Agnès Reynaud
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8253, INSERM U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Sébastien Storck
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 8253, INSERM U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, F-75015, Paris, France.
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Fu MP, Merrill SM, Sharma M, Gibson WT, Turvey SE, Kobor MS. Rare diseases of epigenetic origin: Challenges and opportunities. Front Genet 2023; 14:1113086. [PMID: 36814905 PMCID: PMC9939656 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1113086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Rare diseases (RDs), more than 80% of which have a genetic origin, collectively affect approximately 350 million people worldwide. Progress in next-generation sequencing technology has both greatly accelerated the pace of discovery of novel RDs and provided more accurate means for their diagnosis. RDs that are driven by altered epigenetic regulation with an underlying genetic basis are referred to as rare diseases of epigenetic origin (RDEOs). These diseases pose unique challenges in research, as they often show complex genetic and clinical heterogeneity arising from unknown gene-disease mechanisms. Furthermore, multiple other factors, including cell type and developmental time point, can confound attempts to deconvolute the pathophysiology of these disorders. These challenges are further exacerbated by factors that contribute to epigenetic variability and the difficulty of collecting sufficient participant numbers in human studies. However, new molecular and bioinformatics techniques will provide insight into how these disorders manifest over time. This review highlights recent studies addressing these challenges with innovative solutions. Further research will elucidate the mechanisms of action underlying unique RDEOs and facilitate the discovery of treatments and diagnostic biomarkers for screening, thereby improving health trajectories and clinical outcomes of affected patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maggie P. Fu
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Sarah M. Merrill
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Mehul Sharma
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - William T. Gibson
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Stuart E. Turvey
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Michael S. Kobor
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada,*Correspondence: Michael S. Kobor,
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Pierron F, Heroin D, Daffe G, Daramy F, Barré A, Bouchez O, Romero-Ramirez A, Gonzalez P, Nikolski M. Genetic and epigenetic interplay allows rapid transgenerational adaptation to metal pollution in zebrafish. ENVIRONMENTAL EPIGENETICS 2022; 8:dvac022. [PMID: 36474803 PMCID: PMC9716877 DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvac022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Despite still being a matter of debate, there is growing evidence that pollutant-induced epigenetic changes can be propagated across generations. Whereas such modifications could have long-lasting effects on organisms and even on population, environmentally relevant data from long-term exposure combined with follow-up through multiple generations remain scarce for non-mammalian species. We performed a transgenerational experiment comprising four successive generations of zebrafish. Only fish from the first generation were exposed to an environmentally realistic concentration of cadmium (Cd). Using a whole methylome analysis, we first identified the DNA regions that were differentially methylated in response to Cd exposure and common to fish of the first two generations. Among them, we then focused our investigations on the exon 3 (ex3) of the cep19 gene. We indeed recorded transgenerational growth disorders in Cd-exposed fish, and a mutation in this exon is known to cause morbid obesity in mammals. Its methylation level was thus determined in zebrafish from all the four generations by means of a targeted and base resolution method. We observed a transgenerational inheritance of Cd-induced DNA methylation changes up to the fourth generation. However, these changes were closely associated with genetic variations, mainly a single nucleotide polymorphism. This single nucleotide polymorphism was itself at the origin of the creation or deletion of a methylation site and deeply impacted the methylation level of neighboring methylation sites. Cd-induced epigenetic changes were associated with different mRNA transcripts and an improved condition of Cd fish. Our results emphasize a tight relationship between genetic and epigenetic mechanisms and suggest that their interplay and pre-existing diversity can allow rapid adaptation to anthropogenic environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Pierron
- *Correspondence address. UMR 5805 EPOC – OASU, Station Marine d’Arcachon, Université de Bordeaux, Place du Docteur Bertrand Peyneau, Arcachon 33120, France. Tel: +335 56 22 39 33; Fax: +335 40 70 85 04; E-mail:
| | - Débora Heroin
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPOC, UMR 5805, Pessac 33600, France
| | - Guillemine Daffe
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, INRAE, La Rochelle University, UMS 2567 POREA, Pessac 33615, France
| | - Flore Daramy
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPOC, UMR 5805, Pessac 33600, France
| | - Aurélien Barré
- University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux Bioinformatics Center, Bordeaux, 33076, France
| | - Olivier Bouchez
- INRAE, US 1426, GeT-PlaGe, Genotoul, Castanet-Tolosan 31326, France
| | | | - Patrice Gonzalez
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPOC, UMR 5805, Pessac 33600, France
| | - Macha Nikolski
- University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux Bioinformatics Center, Bordeaux, 33076, France
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, IBGC, UMR 5095, Bordeaux 33077, France
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Unoki M. Chromatin remodeling in replication-uncoupled maintenance DNA methylation and chromosome stability: Insights from ICF syndrome studies. Genes Cells 2021; 26:349-359. [PMID: 33960584 PMCID: PMC9292322 DOI: 10.1111/gtc.12850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Immunodeficiency, centromeric instability, and facial anomalies (ICF) syndrome is characterized by frequent appearance of multiradial chromosomes, which are distinctive chromosome fusions that occur at hypomethylated pericentromeric regions comprising repetitive sequences, in activated lymphocytes. The syndrome is caused by mutations in DNMT3B, ZBTB24, CDCA7, or HELLS. De novo DNA methylation is likely defective in patients with ICF syndrome harboring mutations in DNMT3B, whereas accumulating evidence suggests that replication‐uncoupled maintenance DNA methylation of late‐replicating regions is impaired in patients with ICF syndrome harboring mutations in ZBTB24, CDCA7, or HELLS. ZBTB24 is a transcriptional activator of CDCA7, and CDCA7 and HELLS compose a chromatin remodeling complex and are involved in the maintenance DNA methylation through an interaction with UHRF1 in a feed‐forward manner. Furthermore, our recent studies possibly provided the missing link between DNA hypomethylation and the formation of the abnormal chromosomes; it could occur via aberrant transcription from the hypomethylated regions, followed by pathological R‐loop formation. The homologous‐recombination dominant condition caused by a defect in nonhomologous end joining observed in several types of ICF syndrome could facilitate the formation of multiradial chromosomes. Here, the latest knowledge regarding maintenance DNA methylation and chromosome stability provided by those studies is reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motoko Unoki
- Division of Epigenomics and Development, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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