1
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Pratx L, Crawford T, Bäurle I. Mechanisms of heat stress-induced transcriptional memory. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 81:102590. [PMID: 38968911 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2024.102590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
Transcriptional memory allows organisms to store information about transcriptional reprogramming in response to a stimulus. In plants, this often involves the response to an abiotic stress, which in nature may be cyclical or recurring. Such transcriptional memory confers sustained induction or enhanced re-activation in response to a recurrent stimulus, which may increase chances of survival and fitness. Heat stress (HS) has emerged as an excellent model system to study transcriptional memory in plants, and much progress has been made in elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. Here, we review how histone turnover and transcriptional co-regulator complexes contribute to reprogramming of transcriptional responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loris Pratx
- University of Potsdam, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Tim Crawford
- University of Potsdam, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Isabel Bäurle
- University of Potsdam, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany.
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2
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Chevalier C, Chica C, Matheau J, Pain A, Connor MG, Hamon MA. Epithelial cells maintain memory of prior infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae through di-methylation of histone H3. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5545. [PMID: 38956024 PMCID: PMC11219877 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49347-1] [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: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Epithelial cells are the first point of contact for bacteria entering the respiratory tract. Streptococcus pneumoniae is an obligate human pathobiont of the nasal mucosa, carried asymptomatically but also the cause of severe pneumoniae. The role of the epithelium in maintaining homeostatic interactions or mounting an inflammatory response to invasive S. pneumoniae is currently poorly understood. However, studies have shown that chromatin modifications, at the histone level, induced by bacterial pathogens interfere with the host transcriptional program and promote infection. Here, we uncover a histone modification induced by S. pneumoniae infection maintained for at least 9 days upon clearance of bacteria with antibiotics. Di-methylation of histone H3 on lysine 4 (H3K4me2) is induced in an active manner by bacterial attachment to host cells. We show that infection establishes a unique epigenetic program affecting the transcriptional response of epithelial cells, rendering them more permissive upon secondary infection. Our results establish H3K4me2 as a unique modification induced by infection, distinct from H3K4me3 or me1, which localizes to enhancer regions genome-wide. Therefore, this study reveals evidence that bacterial infection leaves a memory in epithelial cells after bacterial clearance, in an epigenomic mark, thereby altering cellular responses to subsequent infections and promoting infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Chevalier
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Chromatin and Infection Laboratory, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Claudia Chica
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Hub, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Justine Matheau
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Chromatin and Infection Laboratory, F-75015, Paris, France
- Bio Sorbonne Paris Cité doctoral school, Department of Infectiology Microbiology, Université Paris Cité, F-75006, Paris, France
| | - Adrien Pain
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Hub, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Michael G Connor
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Chromatin and Infection Laboratory, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Melanie A Hamon
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Chromatin and Infection Laboratory, F-75015, Paris, France.
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3
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Ge T, Brickner DG, Zehr K, VanBelzen DJ, Zhang W, Caffalette C, Ungerleider S, Marcou N, Chait B, Rout MP, Brickner JH. Exportin-1 functions as an adaptor for transcription factor-mediated docking of chromatin at the nuclear pore complex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.09.593355. [PMID: 38798450 PMCID: PMC11118273 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.09.593355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Nuclear pore proteins (Nups) in yeast, flies and mammals physically interact with hundreds or thousands of chromosomal sites, which impacts transcriptional regulation. In budding yeast, transcription factors mediate interaction of Nups with enhancers of highly active genes. To define the molecular basis of this mechanism, we exploited a separation-of-function mutation in the Gcn4 transcription factor that blocks its interaction with the nuclear pore complex (NPC) without altering its DNA binding or activation domains. SILAC mass spectrometry revealed that this mutation reduces the interaction of Gcn4 with the highly conserved nuclear export factor Crm1/Xpo1. Crm1 both interacts with the same sites as Nups genome-wide and is required for Nup2 to interact with the yeast genome. In vivo, Crm1 undergoes extensive and stable interactions with the NPC. In vitro, Crm1 binds to Gcn4 and these proteins form a complex with the nuclear pore protein Nup2. Importantly, the interaction between Crm1 and Gcn4 does not require Ran-GTP, suggesting that it is not through the nuclear export sequence binding site. Finally, Crm1 stimulates DNA binding by Gcn4, supporting a model in which allosteric coupling between Crm1 binding and DNA binding permits docking of transcription factor-bound enhancers at the NPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany Ge
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | | | - Kara Zehr
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - D Jake VanBelzen
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Wenzhu Zhang
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Gaseous Ion Chemistry, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY
| | | | - Sara Ungerleider
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
| | - Nikita Marcou
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Current address: Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Brian Chait
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Gaseous Ion Chemistry, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY
| | - Michael P Rout
- Laboratory of Cellular and Structural Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY
| | - Jason H Brickner
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
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4
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Ahmed IA, Liu M, Gomez D. Nuclear Control of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Plasticity during Vascular Remodeling. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2024; 194:525-538. [PMID: 37820925 PMCID: PMC10988766 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2023.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Control of vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) gene expression is an essential process for establishing and maintaining lineage identity, contractility, and plasticity. Most mechanisms (epigenetic, transcriptional, and post-transcriptional) implicated in gene regulation occur in the nucleus. Still, intranuclear pathways are directly impacted by modifications in the extracellular environment in conditions of adaptive or maladaptive remodeling. Integration of extracellular, cellular, and genomic information into the nucleus through epigenetic and transcriptional control of genome organization plays a major role in regulating SMC functions and phenotypic transitions during vascular remodeling and diseases. This review aims to provide a comprehensive update on nuclear mechanisms, their interactions, and their integration in controlling SMC homeostasis and dysfunction. It summarizes and discusses the main nuclear mechanisms preponderant in SMCs in the context of vascular disease, such as atherosclerosis, with an emphasis on studies employing in vivo cell-specific loss-of-function and single-cell omics approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim A Ahmed
- Pittsburgh Heart, Lung, and Blood Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Mingjun Liu
- Department of Pathology, New York University, New York, New York
| | - Delphine Gomez
- Pittsburgh Heart, Lung, and Blood Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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5
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Goncalves D, Duy DL, Peffer S, Morano KA. Cytoplasmic redox imbalance in the thioredoxin system activates Hsf1 and results in hyperaccumulation of the sequestrase Hsp42 with misfolded proteins. Mol Biol Cell 2024; 35:ar53. [PMID: 38381577 PMCID: PMC11064659 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e23-07-0296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Cells employ multiple systems to maintain homeostasis when experiencing environmental stress. For example, the folding of nascent polypeptides is exquisitely sensitive to proteotoxic stressors including heat, pH, and oxidative stress, and is safeguarded by a network of protein chaperones that concentrate potentially toxic misfolded proteins into transient assemblies to promote folding or degradation. The redox environment itself is buffered by both cytosolic and organellar thioredoxin and glutathione pathways. How these systems are linked is poorly understood. Here, we determine that specific disruption of the cytosolic thioredoxin system resulted in constitutive activation of the heat shock response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and accumulation of the sequestrase Hsp42 into an exaggerated and persistent juxtanuclear quality control (JUNQ) compartment. Terminally misfolded proteins also accumulated in this compartment in thioredoxin reductase (TRR1)-deficient cells, despite apparently normal formation and dissolution of transient cytoplasmic quality control (CytoQ) bodies during heat shock. Notably, cells lacking TRR1 and HSP42 exhibited severe synthetic slow growth exacerbated by oxidative stress, signifying a critical role for Hsp42 under redox-challenged conditions. Finally, we demonstrated that Hsp42 localization patterns in trr1∆ cells mimic those observed in chronically aging and glucose-starved cells, linking nutrient depletion and redox imbalance with management of misfolded proteins via a process of long-term sequestration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davi Goncalves
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Duong Long Duy
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Sara Peffer
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX 77030
- Microbiology and Infectious Disease Program, MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School at UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Kevin A. Morano
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX 77030
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6
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Veres T, Kerestély M, Kovács BM, Keresztes D, Schulc K, Seitz E, Vassy Z, Veres DV, Csermely P. Cellular forgetting, desensitisation, stress and ageing in signalling networks. When do cells refuse to learn more? Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:97. [PMID: 38372750 PMCID: PMC10876757 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-024-05112-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Recent findings show that single, non-neuronal cells are also able to learn signalling responses developing cellular memory. In cellular learning nodes of signalling networks strengthen their interactions e.g. by the conformational memory of intrinsically disordered proteins, protein translocation, miRNAs, lncRNAs, chromatin memory and signalling cascades. This can be described by a generalized, unicellular Hebbian learning process, where those signalling connections, which participate in learning, become stronger. Here we review those scenarios, where cellular signalling is not only repeated in a few times (when learning occurs), but becomes too frequent, too large, or too complex and overloads the cell. This leads to desensitisation of signalling networks by decoupling signalling components, receptor internalization, and consequent downregulation. These molecular processes are examples of anti-Hebbian learning and 'forgetting' of signalling networks. Stress can be perceived as signalling overload inducing the desensitisation of signalling pathways. Ageing occurs by the summative effects of cumulative stress downregulating signalling. We propose that cellular learning desensitisation, stress and ageing may be placed along the same axis of more and more intensive (prolonged or repeated) signalling. We discuss how cells might discriminate between repeated and unexpected signals, and highlight the Hebbian and anti-Hebbian mechanisms behind the fold-change detection in the NF-κB signalling pathway. We list drug design methods using Hebbian learning (such as chemically-induced proximity) and clinical treatment modalities inducing (cancer, drug allergies) desensitisation or avoiding drug-induced desensitisation. A better discrimination between cellular learning, desensitisation and stress may open novel directions in drug design, e.g. helping to overcome drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamás Veres
- Department of Molecular Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Márk Kerestély
- Department of Molecular Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Borbála M Kovács
- Department of Molecular Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dávid Keresztes
- Department of Molecular Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Klára Schulc
- Department of Molecular Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Erik Seitz
- Department of Molecular Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsolt Vassy
- Department of Molecular Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dániel V Veres
- Department of Molecular Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- Turbine Ltd, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Peter Csermely
- Department of Molecular Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
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7
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Owings KG, Chow CY. A Drosophila screen identifies a role for histone methylation in ER stress preconditioning. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2024; 14:jkad265. [PMID: 38098286 PMCID: PMC11021027 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Stress preconditioning occurs when transient, sublethal stress events impact an organism's ability to counter future stresses. Although preconditioning effects are often noted in the literature, very little is known about the underlying mechanisms. To model preconditioning, we exposed a panel of genetically diverse Drosophila melanogaster to a sublethal heat shock and measured how well the flies survived subsequent exposure to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The impact of preconditioning varied with genetic background, ranging from dying half as fast to 4 and a half times faster with preconditioning compared to no preconditioning. Subsequent association and transcriptional analyses revealed that histone methylation, and transcriptional regulation are both candidate preconditioning modifier pathways. Strikingly, almost all subunits (7/8) in the Set1/COMPASS complex were identified as candidate modifiers of preconditioning. Functional analysis of Set1 knockdown flies demonstrated that loss of Set1 led to the transcriptional dysregulation of canonical ER stress genes during preconditioning. Based on these analyses, we propose a preconditioning model in which Set1 helps to establish an interim transcriptional "memory" of previous stress events, resulting in a preconditioned response to subsequent stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie G Owings
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah School of Medicine, EIHG 5200, 15 North 2030 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Clement Y Chow
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah School of Medicine, EIHG 5200, 15 North 2030 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
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8
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Crawford T, Siebler L, Sulkowska A, Nowack B, Jiang L, Pan Y, Lämke J, Kappel C, Bäurle I. The Mediator kinase module enhances polymerase activity to regulate transcriptional memory after heat stress in Arabidopsis. EMBO J 2024; 43:437-461. [PMID: 38228917 PMCID: PMC10897291 DOI: 10.1038/s44318-023-00024-x] [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: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Plants are often exposed to recurring adverse environmental conditions in the wild. Acclimation to high temperatures entails transcriptional responses, which prime plants to better withstand subsequent stress events. Heat stress (HS)-induced transcriptional memory results in more efficient re-induction of transcription upon recurrence of heat stress. Here, we identified CDK8 and MED12, two subunits of the kinase module of the transcription co-regulator complex, Mediator, as promoters of heat stress memory and associated histone modifications in Arabidopsis. CDK8 is recruited to heat-stress memory genes by HEAT SHOCK TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR A2 (HSFA2). Like HSFA2, CDK8 is largely dispensable for the initial gene induction upon HS, and its function in transcriptional memory is thus independent of primary gene activation. In addition to the promoter and transcriptional start region of target genes, CDK8 also binds their 3'-region, where it may promote elongation, termination, or rapid re-initiation of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) complexes during transcriptional memory bursts. Our work presents a complex role for the Mediator kinase module during transcriptional memory in multicellular eukaryotes, through interactions with transcription factors, chromatin modifications, and promotion of Pol II efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Crawford
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Lara Siebler
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | | | - Bryan Nowack
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Li Jiang
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Yufeng Pan
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jörn Lämke
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Christian Kappel
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Isabel Bäurle
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.
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9
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Pratx L, Wendering P, Kappel C, Nikoloski Z, Bäurle I. Histone retention preserves epigenetic marks during heat stress-induced transcriptional memory in plants. EMBO J 2023; 42:e113595. [PMID: 37937667 PMCID: PMC10711655 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2023113595] [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: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants often experience recurrent stressful events, for example, during heat waves. They can be primed by heat stress (HS) to improve the survival of more severe heat stress conditions. At certain genes, sustained expression is induced for several days beyond the initial heat stress. This transcriptional memory is associated with hyper-methylation of histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3), but it is unclear how this is maintained for extended periods. Here, we determined histone turnover by measuring the chromatin association of HS-induced histone H3.3. Genome-wide histone turnover was not homogenous; in particular, H3.3 was retained longer at heat stress memory genes compared to HS-induced non-memory genes during the memory phase. While low nucleosome turnover retained H3K4 methylation, methylation loss did not affect turnover, suggesting that low nucleosome turnover sustains H3K4 methylation, but not vice versa. Together, our results unveil the modulation of histone turnover as a mechanism to retain environmentally mediated epigenetic modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loris Pratx
- Plant Epigenetics, Institute for Biochemistry and BiologyUniversity of PotsdamPotsdamGermany
| | - Philipp Wendering
- Bioinformatics, Institute for Biochemistry and BiologyUniversity of PotsdamPotsdamGermany
- Systems Biology and Mathematical Modeling GroupMax Planck Institute of Molecular Plant PhysiologyPotsdamGermany
| | - Christian Kappel
- Genetics, Institute for Biochemistry and BiologyUniversity of PotsdamPotsdamGermany
| | - Zoran Nikoloski
- Bioinformatics, Institute for Biochemistry and BiologyUniversity of PotsdamPotsdamGermany
- Systems Biology and Mathematical Modeling GroupMax Planck Institute of Molecular Plant PhysiologyPotsdamGermany
| | - Isabel Bäurle
- Plant Epigenetics, Institute for Biochemistry and BiologyUniversity of PotsdamPotsdamGermany
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10
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Tehrani SSH, Kogan A, Mikulski P, Jansen LET. Remembering foods and foes: emerging principles of transcriptional memory. Cell Death Differ 2023:10.1038/s41418-023-01200-6. [PMID: 37563261 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-023-01200-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional memory is characterized by a primed cellular state, induced by an external stimulus that results in an altered expression of primed genes upon re-exposure to the inducing signal. Intriguingly, the primed state is heritably maintained across somatic cell divisions even after the initial stimulus and target gene transcription cease. This phenomenon is widely observed across various organisms and appears to enable cells to retain a memory of external signals, thereby adapting to environmental changes. Signals range from nutrient supplies (food) to a variety of stress signals, including exposure to pathogens (foes), leading to long-term memory such as in the case of trained immunity in plants and mammals. Here, we review these priming phenomena and our current understanding of transcriptional memory. We consider different mechanistic models for how memory can work and discuss existing evidence for potential carriers of memory. Key molecular signatures include: the poising of RNA polymerase II machinery, maintenance of histone marks, as well as alterations in nuclear positioning and long-range chromatin interactions. Finally, we discuss the potential adaptive roles of transcriptional memory in the organismal response to its environment from nutrient sensing to trained immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahar S H Tehrani
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, OX1 3QU, Oxford, UK
| | - Anna Kogan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, OX1 3QU, Oxford, UK
| | - Pawel Mikulski
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, OX1 3QU, Oxford, UK.
| | - Lars E T Jansen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, OX1 3QU, Oxford, UK.
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11
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Brickner JH. Inheritance of epigenetic transcriptional memory through read-write replication of a histone modification. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2023; 1526:50-58. [PMID: 37391188 PMCID: PMC11216120 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic transcriptional regulation frequently requires histone modifications. Some, but not all, of these modifications are able to template their own inheritance. Here, I discuss the molecular mechanisms by which histone modifications can be inherited and relate these ideas to new results about epigenetic transcriptional memory, a phenomenon that poises recently repressed genes for faster reactivation and has been observed in diverse organisms. Recently, we found that the histone H3 lysine 4 dimethylation that is associated with this phenomenon plays a critical role in sustaining memory and, when factors critical for the establishment of memory are inactivated, can be stably maintained through multiple mitoses. This chromatin-mediated inheritance mechanism may involve a physical interaction between an H3K4me2 reader, SET3C, and an H3K4me2 writer, Spp1- COMPASS. This is the first example of a chromatin-mediated inheritance of a mark that promotes transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason H Brickner
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
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12
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Gonçalves D, Peffer S, Morano KA. Cytoplasmic redox imbalance in the thioredoxin system activates Hsf1 and results in hyperaccumulation of the sequestrase Hsp42 with misfolded proteins. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.26.546610. [PMID: 37425817 PMCID: PMC10327208 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.26.546610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Cells employ multiple systems to maintain homeostasis when experiencing environmental stress. For example, the folding of nascent polypeptides is exquisitely sensitive to proteotoxic stressors including heat, pH and oxidative stress, and is safeguarded by a network of protein chaperones that concentrate potentially toxic misfolded proteins into transient assemblies to promote folding or degradation. The redox environment itself is buffered by both cytosolic and organellar thioredoxin and glutathione pathways. How these systems are linked is poorly understood. Here, we determine that specific disruption of the cytosolic thioredoxin system resulted in constitutive activation of the heat shock response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and accumulation of the sequestrase Hsp42 into an exaggerated and persistent juxtanuclear quality control (JUNQ) compartment. Terminally misfolded proteins also accumulated in this compartment in thioredoxin reductase (TRR1)-deficient cells, despite apparently normal formation and dissolution of transient cytoplasmic quality control (CytoQ) bodies during heat shock. Notably, cells lacking TRR1 and HSP42 exhibited severe synthetic slow growth exacerbated by oxidative stress, signifying a critical role for Hsp42 under redox-challenged conditions. Finally, we demonstrated that Hsp42 localization patterns in trr1∆ cells mimic those observed in chronically aging and glucose-starved cells, linking nutrient depletion and redox imbalance with management of misfolded proteins via a mechanism of long-term sequestration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davi Gonçalves
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX USA
- Current address: Cemvita Factory, Houston, TX USA
| | - Sara Peffer
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX USA
- MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School at UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX USA
- Current address: Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX USA
| | - Kevin A. Morano
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Houston, TX USA
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13
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Deshpande N, Bryk M. Diverse and dynamic forms of gene regulation by the S. cerevisiae histone methyltransferase Set1. Curr Genet 2023; 69:91-114. [PMID: 37000206 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-023-01265-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023]
Abstract
Gene transcription is an essential and highly regulated process. In eukaryotic cells, the structural organization of nucleosomes with DNA wrapped around histone proteins impedes transcription. Chromatin remodelers, transcription factors, co-activators, and histone-modifying enzymes work together to make DNA accessible to RNA polymerase. Histone lysine methylation can positively or negatively regulate gene transcription. Methylation of histone 3 lysine 4 by SET-domain-containing proteins is evolutionarily conserved from yeast to humans. In higher eukaryotes, mutations in SET-domain proteins are associated with defects in the development and segmentation of embryos, skeletal and muscle development, and diseases, including several leukemias. Since histone methyltransferases are evolutionarily conserved, the mechanisms of gene regulation mediated by these enzymes are also conserved. Budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an excellent model system to study the impact of histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methylation on eukaryotic gene regulation. Unlike larger eukaryotes, yeast cells have only one enzyme that catalyzes H3K4 methylation, Set1. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about the impact of Set1-catalyzed H3K4 methylation on gene transcription in S. cerevisiae. We describe the COMPASS complex, factors that influence H3K4 methylation, and the roles of Set1 in gene silencing at telomeres and heterochromatin, as well as repression and activation at euchromatic loci. We also discuss proteins that "read" H3K4 methyl marks to regulate transcription and summarize alternate functions for Set1 beyond H3K4 methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Deshpande
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Mary Bryk
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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14
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Kappel C, Friedrich T, Oberkofler V, Jiang L, Crawford T, Lenhard M, Bäurle I. Genomic and epigenomic determinants of heat stress-induced transcriptional memory in Arabidopsis. Genome Biol 2023; 24:129. [PMID: 37254211 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-02970-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transcriptional regulation is a key aspect of environmental stress responses. Heat stress induces transcriptional memory, i.e., sustained induction or enhanced re-induction of transcription, that allows plants to respond more efficiently to a recurrent HS. In light of more frequent temperature extremes due to climate change, improving heat tolerance in crop plants is an important breeding goal. However, not all heat stress-inducible genes show transcriptional memory, and it is unclear what distinguishes memory from non-memory genes. To address this issue and understand the genome and epigenome architecture of transcriptional memory after heat stress, we identify the global target genes of two key memory heat shock transcription factors, HSFA2 and HSFA3, using time course ChIP-seq. RESULTS HSFA2 and HSFA3 show near identical binding patterns. In vitro and in vivo binding strength is highly correlated, indicating the importance of DNA sequence elements. In particular, genes with transcriptional memory are strongly enriched for a tripartite heat shock element, and are hallmarked by several features: low expression levels in the absence of heat stress, accessible chromatin environment, and heat stress-induced enrichment of H3K4 trimethylation. These results are confirmed by an orthogonal transcriptomic data set using both de novo clustering and an established definition of memory genes. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide an integrated view of HSF-dependent transcriptional memory and shed light on its sequence and chromatin determinants, enabling the prediction and engineering of genes with transcriptional memory behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Kappel
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Thomas Friedrich
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Vicky Oberkofler
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Li Jiang
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Tim Crawford
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Michael Lenhard
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Isabel Bäurle
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, 14476, Potsdam, Germany.
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15
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Richter WF, Nayak S, Iwasa J, Taatjes DJ. The Mediator complex as a master regulator of transcription by RNA polymerase II. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2022; 23:732-749. [PMID: 35725906 PMCID: PMC9207880 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-022-00498-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The Mediator complex, which in humans is 1.4 MDa in size and includes 26 subunits, controls many aspects of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) function. Apart from its size, a defining feature of Mediator is its intrinsic disorder and conformational flexibility, which contributes to its ability to undergo phase separation and to interact with a myriad of regulatory factors. In this Review, we discuss Mediator structure and function, with emphasis on recent cryogenic electron microscopy data of the 4.0-MDa transcription preinitiation complex. We further discuss how Mediator and sequence-specific DNA-binding transcription factors enable enhancer-dependent regulation of Pol II function at distal gene promoters, through the formation of molecular condensates (or transcription hubs) and chromatin loops. Mediator regulation of Pol II reinitiation is also discussed, in the context of transcription bursting. We propose a working model for Mediator function that combines experimental results and theoretical considerations related to enhancer-promoter interactions, which reconciles contradictory data regarding whether enhancer-promoter communication is direct or indirect. We conclude with a discussion of Mediator's potential as a therapeutic target and of future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- William F Richter
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Shraddha Nayak
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Janet Iwasa
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Dylan J Taatjes
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
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16
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Vermeersch L, Cool L, Gorkovskiy A, Voordeckers K, Wenseleers T, Verstrepen KJ. Do microbes have a memory? History-dependent behavior in the adaptation to variable environments. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1004488. [PMID: 36299722 PMCID: PMC9589428 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1004488] [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: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbes are constantly confronted with changes and challenges in their environment. A proper response to these environmental cues is needed for optimal cellular functioning and fitness. Interestingly, past exposure to environmental cues can accelerate or boost the response when this condition returns, even in daughter cells that have not directly encountered the initial cue. Moreover, this behavior is mostly epigenetic and often goes hand in hand with strong heterogeneity in the strength and speed of the response between isogenic cells of the same population, which might function as a bet-hedging strategy. In this review, we discuss examples of history-dependent behavior (HDB) or “memory,” with a specific focus on HDB in fluctuating environments. In most examples discussed, the lag time before the response to an environmental change is used as an experimentally measurable proxy for HDB. We highlight different mechanisms already implicated in HDB, and by using HDB in fluctuating carbon conditions as a case study, we showcase how the metabolic state of a cell can be a key determining factor for HDB. Finally, we consider possible evolutionary causes and consequences of such HDB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lieselotte Vermeersch
- VIB – KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, Leuven, Belgium
- CMPG Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lloyd Cool
- VIB – KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, Leuven, Belgium
- CMPG Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Anton Gorkovskiy
- VIB – KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, Leuven, Belgium
- CMPG Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Karin Voordeckers
- VIB – KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, Leuven, Belgium
- CMPG Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tom Wenseleers
- Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kevin J. Verstrepen
- VIB – KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, Leuven, Belgium
- CMPG Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- *Correspondence: Kevin J. Verstrepen,
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17
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Dimitrova E, Feldmann A, van der Weide RH, Flach KD, Lastuvkova A, de Wit E, Klose RJ. Distinct roles for CKM-Mediator in controlling Polycomb-dependent chromosomal interactions and priming genes for induction. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2022; 29:1000-1010. [PMID: 36220895 PMCID: PMC9568430 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-022-00840-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Precise control of gene expression underpins normal development. This relies on mechanisms that enable communication between gene promoters and other regulatory elements. In embryonic stem cells (ESCs), the cyclin-dependent kinase module Mediator complex (CKM-Mediator) has been reported to physically link gene regulatory elements to enable gene expression and also prime genes for induction during differentiation. Here, we show that CKM-Mediator contributes little to three-dimensional genome organization in ESCs, but it has a specific and essential role in controlling interactions between inactive gene regulatory elements bound by Polycomb repressive complexes (PRCs). These interactions are established by the canonical PRC1 (cPRC1) complex but rely on CKM-Mediator, which facilitates binding of cPRC1 to its target sites. Importantly, through separation-of-function experiments, we reveal that this collaboration between CKM-Mediator and cPRC1 in creating long-range interactions does not function to prime genes for induction during differentiation. Instead, we discover that priming relies on an interaction-independent mechanism whereby the CKM supports core Mediator engagement with gene promoters during differentiation to enable gene activation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Angelika Feldmann
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Robin H van der Weide
- Division of Gene Regulation, Oncode Institute and The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Hubrecht Institute KNAW, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Koen D Flach
- Division of Gene Regulation, Oncode Institute and The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Anna Lastuvkova
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Elzo de Wit
- Division of Gene Regulation, Oncode Institute and The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Robert J Klose
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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18
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Tanemoto F, Nangaku M, Mimura I. Epigenetic memory contributing to the pathogenesis of AKI-to-CKD transition. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:1003227. [PMID: 36213117 PMCID: PMC9532834 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.1003227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic memory, which refers to the ability of cells to retain and transmit epigenetic marks to their daughter cells, maintains unique gene expression patterns. Establishing programmed epigenetic memory at each stage of development is required for cell differentiation. Moreover, accumulating evidence shows that epigenetic memory acquired in response to environmental stimuli may be associated with diverse diseases. In the field of kidney diseases, the “memory” of acute kidney injury (AKI) leads to progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD); epidemiological studies show that patients who recover from AKI are at high risk of developing CKD. The underlying pathological processes include nephron loss, maladaptive epithelial repair, inflammation, and endothelial injury with vascular rarefaction. Further, epigenetic alterations may contribute as well to the pathophysiology of this AKI-to-CKD transition. Epigenetic changes induced by AKI, which can be recorded in cells, exert long-term effects as epigenetic memory. Considering the latest findings on the molecular basis of epigenetic memory and the pathophysiology of AKI-to-CKD transition, we propose here that epigenetic memory contributing to AKI-to-CKD transition can be classified according to the presence or absence of persistent changes in the associated regulation of gene expression, which we designate “driving” memory and “priming” memory, respectively. “Driving” memory, which persistently alters the regulation of gene expression, may contribute to disease progression by activating fibrogenic genes or inhibiting renoprotective genes. This process may be involved in generating the proinflammatory and profibrotic phenotypes of maladaptively repaired tubular cells after kidney injury. “Priming” memory is stored in seemingly successfully repaired tubular cells in the absence of detectable persistent phenotypic changes, which may enhance a subsequent transcriptional response to the second stimulus. This type of memory may contribute to AKI-to-CKD transition through the cumulative effects of enhanced expression of profibrotic genes required for wound repair after recurrent AKI. Further understanding of epigenetic memory will identify therapeutic targets of future epigenetic intervention to prevent AKI-to-CKD transition.
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19
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Sump B, Brickner J. Establishment and inheritance of epigenetic transcriptional memory. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:977653. [PMID: 36120540 PMCID: PMC9479176 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.977653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For certain inducible genes, the rate and molecular mechanism of transcriptional activation depends on the prior experiences of the cell. This phenomenon, called epigenetic transcriptional memory, accelerates reactivation and requires both changes in chromatin structure and recruitment of poised RNA Polymerase II (RNAPII) to the promoter. Forms of epigenetic transcriptional memory have been identified in S. cerevisiae, D. melanogaster, C. elegans, and mammals. A well-characterized model of memory is found in budding yeast where memory of inositol starvation involves a positive feedback loop between gene-and condition-specific transcription factors, which mediate an interaction with the nuclear pore complex and a characteristic histone modification: histone H3 lysine 4 dimethylation (H3K4me2). This histone modification permits recruitment of a memory-specific pre-initiation complex, poising RNAPII at the promoter. During memory, H3K4me2 is essential for recruitment of RNAPII and faster reactivation, but RNAPII is not required for H3K4me2. Unlike the RNAPII-dependent H3K4me2 associated with active transcription, RNAPII-independent H3K4me2 requires Nup100, SET3C, the Leo1 subunit of the Paf1 complex and can be inherited through multiple cell cycles upon disrupting the interaction with the Nuclear Pore Complex. The H3K4 methyltransferase (COMPASS) physically interacts with the potential reader (SET3C), suggesting a molecular mechanism for the spreading and re-incorporation of H3K4me2 following DNA replication. Thus, epigenetic transcriptional memory is a conserved adaptation that utilizes a heritable chromatin state, allowing cells and organisms to alter their gene expression programs in response to recent experiences over intermediate time scales.
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20
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Venkatachalam V, Jambhekar A, Lahav G. Reading oscillatory instructions: How cells achieve time-dependent responses to oscillating transcription factors. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2022; 77:102099. [PMID: 35690043 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2022.102099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Veena Venkatachalam
- Department of Systems Biology, Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, 210 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ashwini Jambhekar
- Department of Systems Biology, Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, 210 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Ludwig Center at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Galit Lahav
- Department of Systems Biology, Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, 210 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Ludwig Center at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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21
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Oberkofler V, Bäurle I. Inducible epigenome editing probes for the role of histone H3K4 methylation in Arabidopsis heat stress memory. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 189:703-714. [PMID: 35285498 PMCID: PMC9157090 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Histone modifications play a crucial role in the integration of environmental signals to mediate gene expression outcomes. However, genetic and pharmacological interference often causes pleiotropic effects, creating the urgent need for methods that allow locus-specific manipulation of histone modifications, preferably in an inducible manner. Here, we report an inducible system for epigenome editing in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) using a heat-inducible dCas9 to target a JUMONJI (JMJ) histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) demethylase domain to a locus of interest. As a model locus, we target the ASCORBATE PEROXIDASE2 (APX2) gene that shows transcriptional memory after heat stress (HS), correlating with H3K4 hyper-methylation. We show that dCas9-JMJ is targeted in a HS-dependent manner to APX2 and that the HS-induced overaccumulation of H3K4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) decreases when dCas9-JMJ binds to the locus. This results in reduced HS-mediated transcriptional memory at the APX2 locus. Targeting an enzymatically inactive JMJ protein in an analogous manner affected transcriptional memory less than the active JMJ protein; however, we still observed a decrease in H3K4 methylation levels. Thus, the inducible targeting of dCas9-JMJ to APX2 was effective in reducing H3K4 methylation levels. As the effect was not fully dependent on enzyme activity of the eraser domain, the dCas9-JMJ fusion protein may act in part independently of its demethylase activity. This underlines the need for caution in the design and interpretation of epigenome editing studies. We expect our versatile inducible epigenome editing system to be especially useful for studying temporal dynamics of chromatin modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vicky Oberkofler
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, 14476, Germany
| | - Isabel Bäurle
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, 14476, Germany
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22
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Sump B, Brickner DG, D'Urso A, Kim SH, Brickner JH. Mitotically heritable, RNA polymerase II-independent H3K4 dimethylation stimulates INO1 transcriptional memory. eLife 2022; 11:e77646. [PMID: 35579426 PMCID: PMC9129879 DOI: 10.7554/elife.77646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For some inducible genes, the rate and molecular mechanism of transcriptional activation depend on the prior experiences of the cell. This phenomenon, called epigenetic transcriptional memory, accelerates reactivation, and requires both changes in chromatin structure and recruitment of poised RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) to the promoter. Memory of inositol starvation in budding yeast involves a positive feedback loop between transcription factor-dependent interaction with the nuclear pore complex and histone H3 lysine 4 dimethylation (H3K4me2). While H3K4me2 is essential for recruitment of RNAPII and faster reactivation, RNAPII is not required for H3K4me2. Unlike RNAPII-dependent H3K4me2 associated with transcription, RNAPII-independent H3K4me2 requires Nup100, SET3C, the Leo1 subunit of the Paf1 complex and, upon degradation of an essential transcription factor, is inherited through multiple cell cycles. The writer of this mark (COMPASS) physically interacts with the potential reader (SET3C), suggesting a molecular mechanism for the spreading and re-incorporation of H3K4me2 following DNA replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethany Sump
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern UniversityEvanstonUnited States
| | - Donna G Brickner
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern UniversityEvanstonUnited States
| | - Agustina D'Urso
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern UniversityEvanstonUnited States
| | - Seo Hyun Kim
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern UniversityEvanstonUnited States
| | - Jason H Brickner
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern UniversityEvanstonUnited States
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23
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Perrella G, Bäurle I, van Zanten M. Epigenetic regulation of thermomorphogenesis and heat stress tolerance. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 234:1144-1160. [PMID: 35037247 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Many environmental conditions fluctuate and organisms need to respond effectively. This is especially true for temperature cues that can change in minutes to seasons and often follow a diurnal rhythm. Plants cannot migrate and most cannot regulate their temperature. Therefore, a broad array of responses have evolved to deal with temperature cues from freezing to heat stress. A particular response to mildly elevated temperatures is called thermomorphogenesis, a suite of morphological adaptations that includes thermonasty, formation of thin leaves and elongation growth of petioles and hypocotyl. Thermomorphogenesis allows for optimal performance in suboptimal temperature conditions by enhancing the cooling capacity. When temperatures rise further, heat stress tolerance mechanisms can be induced that enable the plant to survive the stressful temperature, which typically comprises cellular protection mechanisms and memory thereof. Induction of thermomorphogenesis, heat stress tolerance and stress memory depend on gene expression regulation, governed by diverse epigenetic processes. In this Tansley review we update on the current knowledge of epigenetic regulation of heat stress tolerance and elevated temperature signalling and response, with a focus on thermomorphogenesis regulation and heat stress memory. In particular we highlight the emerging role of H3K4 methylation marks in diverse temperature signalling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Perrella
- Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Trisaia Research Centre, S.S. Ionica, km 419.5, 75026, Rotondella (Matera), Italy
| | - Isabel Bäurle
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, D-14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Martijn van Zanten
- Molecular Plant Physiology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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24
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Pascual-Garcia P, Little SC, Capelson M. Nup98-dependent transcriptional memory is established independently of transcription. eLife 2022; 11:e63404. [PMID: 35289742 PMCID: PMC8923668 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular ability to mount an enhanced transcriptional response upon repeated exposure to external cues is termed transcriptional memory, which can be maintained epigenetically through cell divisions and can depend on a nuclear pore component Nup98. The majority of mechanistic knowledge on transcriptional memory has been derived from bulk molecular assays. To gain additional perspective on the mechanism and contribution of Nup98 to memory, we used single-molecule RNA FISH (smFISH) to examine the dynamics of transcription in Drosophila cells upon repeated exposure to the steroid hormone ecdysone. We combined smFISH with mathematical modeling and found that upon hormone exposure, cells rapidly activate a low-level transcriptional response, but simultaneously begin a slow transition into a specialized memory state characterized by a high rate of expression. Strikingly, our modeling predicted that this transition between non-memory and memory states is independent of the transcription stemming from initial activation. We confirmed this prediction experimentally by showing that inhibiting transcription during initial ecdysone exposure did not interfere with memory establishment. Together, our findings reveal that Nup98's role in transcriptional memory is to stabilize the forward rate of conversion from low to high expressing state, and that induced genes engage in two separate behaviors - transcription itself and the establishment of epigenetically propagated transcriptional memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pau Pascual-Garcia
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Shawn C Little
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Maya Capelson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaUnited States
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25
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Balsalobre A, Drouin J. Pioneer factors as master regulators of the epigenome and cell fate. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2022; 23:449-464. [PMID: 35264768 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-022-00464-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Pioneer factors are transcription factors with the unique ability to initiate opening of closed chromatin. The stability of cell identity relies on robust mechanisms that maintain the epigenome and chromatin accessibility to transcription factors. Pioneer factors counter these mechanisms to implement new cell fates through binding of DNA target sites in closed chromatin and introduction of active-chromatin histone modifications, primarily at enhancers. As master regulators of enhancer activation, pioneers are thus crucial for the implementation of correct cell fate decisions in development, and as such, they hold tremendous potential for therapy through cellular reprogramming. The power of pioneer factors to reshape the epigenome also presents an Achilles heel, as their misexpression has major pathological consequences, such as in cancer. In this Review, we discuss the emerging mechanisms of pioneer factor functions and their roles in cell fate specification, cellular reprogramming and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurelio Balsalobre
- Laboratoire de génétique moléculaire, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jacques Drouin
- Laboratoire de génétique moléculaire, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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26
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The Mediator kinase module: an interface between cell signaling and transcription. Trends Biochem Sci 2022; 47:314-327. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2022.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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27
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Abstract
The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is a highly conserved channel in the nuclear envelope that mediates mRNA export to the cytosol and bidirectional protein transport. Many chromosomal loci physically interact with nuclear pore proteins (Nups), and interactions with Nups can promote transcriptional repression, transcriptional activation, and transcriptional poising. Interaction with the NPC also affects the spatial arrangement of genes, interchromosomal clustering, and folding of topologically associated domains. Thus, the NPC is a spatial organizer of the genome and regulator of genome function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Chas Sumner
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Jason Brickner
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
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28
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Tan YS, Wang L, Wang YY, He QE, Liu ZH, Zhu Z, Song K, Li BZ, Yuan YJ. Protein acetylation regulates xylose metabolism during adaptation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2021; 14:241. [PMID: 34920742 PMCID: PMC8684234 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-021-02090-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature, hemicellulose can be degraded to xylose as the feedstock for bioconversion to fuels and chemicals. To enhance xylose conversion, the engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae with xylose metabolic pathway is usually adapted with xylose as the carbon source in the laboratory. However, the mechanism under the adaptation phenomena of the engineered strain is still unclear. RESULTS In this study, xylose-utilizing S. cerevisiae was constructed and used for the adaptation study. It was found that xylose consumption rate increased 1.24-fold in the second incubation of the yYST12 strain in synthetic complete-xylose medium compared with the first incubation. The study figured out that it was observed at the single-cell level that the stagnation time for xylose utilization was reduced after adaptation with xylose medium in the microfluidic device. Such transient memory of xylose metabolism after adaptation with xylose medium, named "xylose consumption memory", was observed in the strains with both xylose isomerase pathway and xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase pathways. In further, the proteomic acetylation of the strains before and after adaptation was investigated, and it was revealed that H4K5 was one of the most differential acetylation sites related to xylose consumption memory of engineered S. cerevisiae. We tested 8 genes encoding acetylase or deacetylase, and it was found that the knockout of the GCN5 and HPA2 encoding acetylases enhanced the xylose consumption memory. CONCLUSIONS The behavior of xylose consumption memory in engineered S. cerevisiae can be successfully induced with xylose in the adaptation. H4K5Ac and two genes of GCN5 and HPA2 are related to xylose consumption memory of engineered S. cerevisiae during adaptation. This study provides valuable insights into the xylose adaptation of engineered S. cerevisiae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Shui Tan
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
- Synthetic Biology Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
| | - Li Wang
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
- Synthetic Biology Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
| | - Ying-Ying Wang
- Key Laboratory of MEMS of Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096 People’s Republic of China
| | - Qi-En He
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhi-Hua Liu
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
- Synthetic Biology Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhen Zhu
- Key Laboratory of MEMS of Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096 People’s Republic of China
| | - Kai Song
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
| | - Bing-Zhi Li
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
- Synthetic Biology Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
| | - Ying-Jin Yuan
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
- Synthetic Biology Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
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Trainor BM, Ciccaglione K, Czymek M, Law MJ. Distinct requirements for the COMPASS core subunits Set1, Swd1, and Swd3 during meiosis in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. G3 GENES|GENOMES|GENETICS 2021; 11:6342418. [PMID: 34849786 PMCID: PMC8527496 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Meiosis-specific chromatin structures, guided by histone modifications, are critical mediators of a meiotic transient transcription program and progression through prophase I. Histone H3K4 can be methylated up to three times by the Set1-containing COMPASS complex and each methylation mark corresponds to a different chromatin conformation. The level of H3K4 modification is directed by the activity of additional COMPASS components. In this study, we characterized the role of the COMPASS subunits during meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In vegetative cells, previous studies revealed a role for subunits Swd2, Sdc1, and Bre2 for H3K4me2 while Spp1 supported trimethylation. However, we found that Bre2 and Sdc1 are required for H3K4me3 as yeast prepare to enter meiosis while Spp1 is not. Interestingly, we identified distinct meiotic functions for the core COMPASS complex members that required for all H3K4me, Set1, Swd1, and Swd3. While Set1 and Swd1 are required for progression through early meiosis, Swd3 is critical for late meiosis and spore morphogenesis. Furthermore, the meiotic requirement for Set1 is independent of H3K4 methylation, suggesting the presence of nonhistone substrates. Finally, checkpoint suppression analyses indicate that Set1 and Swd1 are required for both homologous recombination and chromosome segregation. These data suggest that COMPASS has important new roles for meiosis that are independent of its well-characterized functions during mitotic divisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon M Trainor
- Department of Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rowan University-School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ 08084, USA
| | - Kerri Ciccaglione
- Department of Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rowan University-School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ 08084, USA
| | - Miranda Czymek
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Program, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Stockton University, Galloway, NJ 08205, USA
| | - Michael J Law
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Program, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Stockton University, Galloway, NJ 08205, USA
- Biology Program, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Stockton University, Galloway, NJ 08205, USA
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30
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Bothe M, Buschow R, Meijsing SH. Glucocorticoid signaling induces transcriptional memory and universally reversible chromatin changes. Life Sci Alliance 2021; 4:4/10/e202101080. [PMID: 34446533 PMCID: PMC8403771 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202101080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Glucocorticoids are stress hormones that elicit various cellular responses. These responses are typically reversible; however, in some instances, a previous exposure is “remembered” and influences the response to a subsequent hormone encounter. Glucocorticoids are stress hormones that elicit cellular responses by binding to the glucocorticoid receptor, a ligand-activated transcription factor. The exposure of cells to this hormone induces wide-spread changes in the chromatin landscape and gene expression. Previous studies have suggested that some of these changes are reversible whereas others persist even when the hormone is no longer around. However, when we examined chromatin accessibility in human airway epithelial cells after hormone washout, we found that the hormone-induced changes were universally reversed after 1 d. Moreover, priming of cells by a previous exposure to hormone, in general, did not alter the transcriptional response to a subsequent encounter of the same cue except for one gene, ZBTB16, that displays transcriptional memory manifesting itself as a more robust transcriptional response upon repeated hormone stimulation. Single-cell analysis revealed that the more robust response is driven by a higher probability of primed cells to activate ZBTB16 and by a subset of cells that express the gene at levels that are higher than the induction levels observed for naïve cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Bothe
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - René Buschow
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sebastiaan H Meijsing
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany .,Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Berlin, Germany
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31
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Weinhouse C. The roles of inducible chromatin and transcriptional memory in cellular defense system responses to redox-active pollutants. Free Radic Biol Med 2021; 170:85-108. [PMID: 33789123 PMCID: PMC8382302 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2021.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
People are exposed to wide range of redox-active environmental pollutants. Air pollution, heavy metals, pesticides, and endocrine disrupting chemicals can disrupt cellular redox status. Redox-active pollutants in our environment all trigger their own sets of specific cellular responses, but they also activate a common set of general stress responses that buffer the cell against homeostatic insults. These cellular defense system (CDS) pathways include the heat shock response, the oxidative stress response, the hypoxia response, the unfolded protein response, the DNA damage response, and the general stress response mediated by the stress-activated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. Over the past two decades, the field of environmental epigenetics has investigated epigenetic responses to environmental pollutants, including redox-active pollutants. Studies of these responses highlight the role of chromatin modifications in controlling the transcriptional response to pollutants and the role of transcriptional memory, often referred to as "epigenetic reprogramming", in predisposing previously exposed individuals to more potent transcriptional responses on secondary challenge. My central thesis in this review is that high dose or chronic exposure to redox-active pollutants leads to transcriptional memories at CDS target genes that influence the cell's ability to mount protective responses. To support this thesis, I will: (1) summarize the known chromatin features required for inducible gene activation; (2) review the known forms of transcriptional memory; (3) discuss the roles of inducible chromatin and transcriptional memory in CDS responses that are activated by redox-active environmental pollutants; and (4) propose a conceptual framework for CDS pathway responsiveness as a readout of total cellular exposure to redox-active pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caren Weinhouse
- Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97214, USA.
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32
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Oberkofler V, Pratx L, Bäurle I. Epigenetic regulation of abiotic stress memory: maintaining the good things while they last. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2021; 61:102007. [PMID: 33571730 PMCID: PMC8250047 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2021.102007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
As sessile organisms, plants have evolved sophisticated ways to constantly gauge and adapt to changing environmental conditions including extremes that may be harmful to their growth and development and are thus perceived as stress. In nature, stressful events are often chronic or recurring and thus an initial stress may prime a plant to respond more efficiently to a subsequent stress event. An epigenetic basis of such stress memory was long postulated and in recent years it has been shown that this is indeed the case. High temperature stress has proven an excellent system to unpick the molecular basis of somatic stress memory, which includes histone modifications and nucleosome occupancy. This review discusses recent findings and pinpoints open questions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vicky Oberkofler
- University of Potsdam, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Loris Pratx
- University of Potsdam, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Isabel Bäurle
- University of Potsdam, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany.
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33
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Sumner MC, Torrisi SB, Brickner DG, Brickner JH. Random sub-diffusion and capture of genes by the nuclear pore reduces dynamics and coordinates inter-chromosomal movement. eLife 2021; 10:66238. [PMID: 34002694 PMCID: PMC8195609 DOI: 10.7554/elife.66238] [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] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hundreds of genes interact with the yeast nuclear pore complex (NPC), localizing at the nuclear periphery and clustering with co-regulated genes. Dynamic tracking of peripheral genes shows that they cycle on and off the NPC and that interaction with the NPC slows their sub-diffusive movement. Furthermore, NPC-dependent inter-chromosomal clustering leads to coordinated movement of pairs of loci separated by hundreds of nanometers. We developed fractional Brownian motion simulations for chromosomal loci in the nucleoplasm and interacting with NPCs. These simulations predict the rate and nature of random sub-diffusion during repositioning from nucleoplasm to periphery and match measurements from two different experimental models, arguing that recruitment to the nuclear periphery is due to random sub-diffusion and transient capture by NPCs. Finally, the simulations do not lead to inter-chromosomal clustering or coordinated movement, suggesting that interaction with the NPC is necessary, but not sufficient, to cause clustering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Chas Sumner
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, United States
| | - Steven B Torrisi
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
| | - Donna G Brickner
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, United States
| | - Jason H Brickner
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, United States
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34
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Zhou S, Liu X, Sun W, Zhang M, Yin Y, Pan S, He D, Shen M, Yang J, Zheng Q, Wang W. The COMPASS-like complex modulates fungal development and pathogenesis by regulating H3K4me3-mediated targeted gene expression in Magnaporthe oryzae. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2021; 22:422-439. [PMID: 33559339 PMCID: PMC7938624 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.13035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Histone-3-lysine-4 (H3K4) methylation is catalysed by the multiprotein complex known as the Set1/COMPASS or MLL/COMPASS-like complex, an element that is highly evolutionarily conserved from yeast to humans. However, the components and mechanisms by which the COMPASS-like complex targets the H3K4 methylation of plant-pathogenic genes in fungi remain elusive. Here we present a comprehensive analysis combining biochemical, molecular, and genome-wide approaches to characterize the roles of the COMPASS-like family in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, a model plant pathogen. We purified and identified six conserved subunits of COMPASS from M. oryzae: MoBre2 (Cps60/ASH2L), MoSpp1 (Cps40/Cfp1), MoSwd2 (Cps35), MoSdc1 (Cps25/DPY30), MoSet1 (MLL/ALL), and MoRbBP5 (Cps50), using an affinity tag on MoBre2. We determined the sequence repeat in dual-specificity kinase splA and ryanodine receptors domain of MoBre2 can interact directly with the DPY30 domain of MoSdc1 in vitro. Furthermore, we found that deletion of the genes encoding COMPASS subunits of MoBre2, MoSPP1, and MoSwd2 caused similar defects regarding invasive hyphal development and pathogenicity. Genome-wide profiling of H3K4me3 revealed that it has remarkable co-occupancy at the transcription start site regions of target genes. Significantly, these target genes are often involved in spore germination and pathogenesis. Decreased gene expression caused by the deletion of MoBre2, MoSwd2, or MoSpp1 was highly correlated with a decrease in H3K4me3. These results suggest that MoBre2, MoSpp1, and MoSwd2 function as a whole COMPASS complex, contributing to fungal development and pathogenesis by regulating H3K4me3-targeted genes in M. oryzae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sida Zhou
- Beijing Key Laboratory of New Technology in Agricultural ApplicationNational Demonstration Center for Experimental Plant Production EducationBeijing University of AgricultureBeijingChina
| | - Xiuying Liu
- Center for Research and CooperationNovogene Bioinformatics InstituteBeijingChina
| | - Wanyu Sun
- Beijing Key Laboratory of New Technology in Agricultural ApplicationNational Demonstration Center for Experimental Plant Production EducationBeijing University of AgricultureBeijingChina
| | - Mengyu Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of New Technology in Agricultural ApplicationNational Demonstration Center for Experimental Plant Production EducationBeijing University of AgricultureBeijingChina
| | - Yue Yin
- Beijing Key Laboratory of New Technology in Agricultural ApplicationNational Demonstration Center for Experimental Plant Production EducationBeijing University of AgricultureBeijingChina
| | - Song Pan
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green ManagementCollege of Plant ProtectionChina Agricultural UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Dan He
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green ManagementCollege of Plant ProtectionChina Agricultural UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Mi Shen
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green ManagementCollege of Plant ProtectionChina Agricultural UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Jun Yang
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green ManagementCollege of Plant ProtectionChina Agricultural UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Qi Zheng
- Center for Research and CooperationNovogene Bioinformatics InstituteBeijingChina
| | - Weixiang Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of New Technology in Agricultural ApplicationNational Demonstration Center for Experimental Plant Production EducationBeijing University of AgricultureBeijingChina
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35
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Vihervaara A, Mahat DB, Himanen SV, Blom MAH, Lis JT, Sistonen L. Stress-induced transcriptional memory accelerates promoter-proximal pause release and decelerates termination over mitotic divisions. Mol Cell 2021; 81:1715-1731.e6. [PMID: 33784494 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Heat shock instantly reprograms transcription. Whether gene and enhancer transcription fully recover from stress and whether stress establishes a memory by provoking transcription regulation that persists through mitosis remained unknown. Here, we measured nascent transcription and chromatin accessibility in unconditioned cells and in the daughters of stress-exposed cells. Tracking transcription genome-wide at nucleotide-resolution revealed that cells precisely restored RNA polymerase II (Pol II) distribution at gene bodies and enhancers upon recovery from stress. However, a single heat exposure in embryonic fibroblasts primed a faster gene induction in their daughter cells by increasing promoter-proximal Pol II pausing and by accelerating the pause release. In K562 erythroleukemia cells, repeated stress refined basal and heat-induced transcription over mitotic division and decelerated termination-coupled pre-mRNA processing. The slower termination retained transcripts on the chromatin and reduced recycling of Pol II. These results demonstrate that heat-induced transcriptional memory acts through promoter-proximal pause release and pre-mRNA processing at transcription termination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anniina Vihervaara
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Cell Biology, Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland; Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; Department of Gene Technology, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Dig Bijay Mahat
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Samu V Himanen
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Cell Biology, Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland; Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Malin A H Blom
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Cell Biology, Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland; Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - John T Lis
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
| | - Lea Sistonen
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Cell Biology, Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland; Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland.
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36
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Shaban K, Sauty SM, Yankulov K. Variation, Variegation and Heritable Gene Repression in S. cerevisiae. Front Genet 2021; 12:630506. [PMID: 33747046 PMCID: PMC7970126 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.630506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic heterogeneity provides growth advantages for a population upon changes of the environment. In S. cerevisiae, such heterogeneity has been observed as "on/off" states in the expression of individual genes in individual cells. These variations can persist for a limited or extended number of mitotic divisions. Such traits are known to be mediated by heritable chromatin structures, by the mitotic transmission of transcription factors involved in gene regulatory circuits or by the cytoplasmic partition of prions or other unstructured proteins. The significance of such epigenetic diversity is obvious, however, we have limited insight into the mechanisms that generate it. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of epigenetically maintained heterogeneity of gene expression and point out similarities and converging points between different mechanisms. We discuss how the sharing of limiting repression or activation factors can contribute to cell-to-cell variations in gene expression and to the coordination between short- and long- term epigenetic strategies. Finally, we discuss the implications of such variations and strategies in adaptation and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kholoud Shaban
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Safia Mahabub Sauty
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Krassimir Yankulov
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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37
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The nuclear pore complex and the genome: organizing and regulatory principles. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2021; 67:142-150. [PMID: 33556822 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2021.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is a massive nuclear envelope-embedded protein complex, the canonical function of which is to mediate selective nucleocytoplasmic transport. In addition to its transport function, the NPC has been shown to interact with the underlying chromatin and to influence both activating and repressive gene regulatory processes, contributing to the establishment and the epigenetic maintenance of cell identity. In this review, we discuss diverse gene regulatory functions of NPC components and emerging mechanisms underlying these functions, including roles in genome architecture, transcription complex assembly, chromatin remodeling, and coordination of transcription and mRNA export. These functional roles highlight the importance of the NPC as a nuclear scaffold directing genome organization and function.
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38
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Karoutas A, Akhtar A. Functional mechanisms and abnormalities of the nuclear lamina. Nat Cell Biol 2021; 23:116-126. [PMID: 33558730 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-020-00630-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Alterations in nuclear shape are present in human diseases and ageing. A compromised nuclear lamina is molecularly interlinked to altered chromatin functions and genomic instability. Whether these alterations are a cause or a consequence of the pathological state are important questions in biology. Here, we summarize the roles of nuclear envelope components in chromatin organization, phase separation and transcriptional and epigenetic regulation. Examining these functions in healthy backgrounds will guide us towards a better understanding of pathological alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Karoutas
- Department of Chromatin Regulation, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany.,Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Asifa Akhtar
- Department of Chromatin Regulation, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany.
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39
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Foroozani M, Vandal MP, Smith AP. H3K4 trimethylation dynamics impact diverse developmental and environmental responses in plants. PLANTA 2021; 253:4. [PMID: 33387051 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-020-03520-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The H3K4me3 histone mark in plants functions in the regulation of gene expression and transcriptional memory, and influences numerous developmental processes and stress responses. Plants execute developmental programs and respond to changing environmental conditions via adjustments in gene expression, which are modulated in part by chromatin structure dynamics. Histone modifications alter chromatin in precise ways on a global scale, having the potential to influence the expression of numerous genes. Trimethylation of lysine 4 on histone H3 (H3K4me3) is a prominent histone modification that is dogmatically associated with gene activity, but more recently has also been linked to gene repression. As in other eukaryotes, the distribution of H3K4me3 in plant genomes suggests it plays a central role in gene expression regulation, however the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Transcript levels of many genes related to flowering, root, and shoot development are affected by dynamic H3K4me3 levels, as are those for a number of stress-responsive and stress memory-related genes. This review examines the current understanding of how H3K4me3 functions in modulating plant responses to developmental and environmental cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Foroozani
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Matthew P Vandal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - Aaron P Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA.
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40
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Zhao Z, Zhang Z, Li J, Dong Q, Xiong J, Li Y, Lan M, Li G, Zhu B. Sustained TNF-α stimulation leads to transcriptional memory that greatly enhances signal sensitivity and robustness. eLife 2020; 9:61965. [PMID: 33155547 PMCID: PMC7704108 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional memory allows certain genes to respond to previously experienced signals more robustly. However, whether and how the key proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α mediates transcriptional memory are poorly understood. Using HEK293F cells as a model system, we report that sustained TNF-α stimulation induces transcriptional memory dependent on TET enzymes. The hypomethylated status of transcriptional regulatory regions can be inherited, facilitating NF-κB binding and more robust subsequent activation. A high initial methylation level and CpG density around κB sites are correlated with the functional potential of transcriptional memory modules. Interestingly, the CALCB gene, encoding the proven migraine therapeutic target CGRP, exhibits the best transcriptional memory. A neighboring primate-specific endogenous retrovirus stimulates more rapid, more strong, and at least 100-fold more sensitive CALCB induction in subsequent TNF-α stimulation. Our study reveals that TNF-α-mediated transcriptional memory is governed by active DNA demethylation and greatly sensitizes memory genes to much lower doses of inflammatory cues. Genes are the instruction manuals of life and contain the information needed to build the building blocks that keep cells alive. To read these instructions, cells use specific signals that activate genes. The process, known as gene expression, is tightly controlled and for the most part, fairly stable. But gene expression can be modified in various ways. Epigenetics is a broad term for describing reversible changes made to genes to switch them on and off. Sometimes, certain genes even develop a kind of ‘transcriptional memory’ where over time, their expression is enhanced and speeds up with repeated activation signals. But this may also have harmful effects. For example, the signalling molecule called tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) is an essential part of the immune system. But it is also implicated in chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. In these conditions, cell signalling pathways triggering inflammation are overactive. One possibility is that TNF-α could be inducing the transcriptional memory of certain genes, amplifying their expression. But little is known about which fraction of genes exhibits transcriptional memory, and what differentiates memory genes from genes with stable expression. Here, Zhao et al. treated cells grown in the laboratory with TNF-α to investigate its role in transcriptional memory and find out what epigenetic features might govern the process. The experiments showed that mimicking a sustained inflammation by stimulating TNF-α, triggered a transcriptional memory in some genes, and enabled them to respond to much lower levels of TNF-α on subsequent exposure. Zhao et al. also discovered that genes tagged with methyl groups are more likely to show transcriptional memory when stimulated by TNF-α. However, they also found that these groups must be removed to consolidate any transcriptional memory. This work shows how TNF-α influences can alter the expression of certain genes. It also suggests that transcriptional memory, stimulated by TNF-α, may be a possible mechanism underlying chronic inflammatory conditions. This could help future research in identifying more genes with transcriptional memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuodong Zhao
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhuqiang Zhang
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jingjing Li
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qiang Dong
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jun Xiong
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yingfeng Li
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mengying Lan
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Gang Li
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Bing Zhu
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Siwek W, Tehrani SSH, Mata JF, Jansen LET. Activation of Clustered IFNγ Target Genes Drives Cohesin-Controlled Transcriptional Memory. Mol Cell 2020; 80:396-409.e6. [PMID: 33108759 PMCID: PMC7657446 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2020.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cytokine activation of cells induces gene networks involved in inflammation and immunity. Transient gene activation can have a lasting effect even in the absence of ongoing transcription, known as long-term transcriptional memory. Here we explore the nature of the establishment and maintenance of interferon γ (IFNγ)-induced priming of human cells. We find that, although ongoing transcription and local chromatin signatures are short-lived, the IFNγ-primed state stably propagates through at least 14 cell division cycles. Single-cell analysis reveals that memory is manifested by an increased probability of primed cells to engage in target gene expression, correlating with the strength of initial gene activation. Further, we find that strongly memorized genes tend to reside in genomic clusters and that long-term memory of these genes is locally restricted by cohesin. We define the duration, stochastic nature, and molecular mechanisms of IFNγ-induced transcriptional memory, relevant to understanding enhanced innate immune signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wojciech Siwek
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK; Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal.
| | - Sahar S H Tehrani
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK; Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - João F Mata
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Lars E T Jansen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK.
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42
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Capturing and Understanding the Dynamics and Heterogeneity of Gene Expression in the Living Cell. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21218278. [PMID: 33167354 PMCID: PMC7663833 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21218278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The regulation of gene expression is a fundamental process enabling cells to respond to internal and external stimuli or to execute developmental programs. Changes in gene expression are highly dynamic and depend on many intrinsic and extrinsic factors. In this review, we highlight the dynamic nature of transient gene expression changes to better understand cell physiology and development in general. We will start by comparing recent in vivo procedures to capture gene expression in real time. Intrinsic factors modulating gene expression dynamics will then be discussed, focusing on chromatin modifications. Furthermore, we will dissect how cell physiology or age impacts on dynamic gene regulation and especially discuss molecular insights into acquired transcriptional memory. Finally, this review will give an update on the mechanisms of heterogeneous gene expression among genetically identical individual cells. We will mainly focus on state-of-the-art developments in the yeast model but also cover higher eukaryotic systems.
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43
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Komar D, Juszczynski P. Rebelled epigenome: histone H3S10 phosphorylation and H3S10 kinases in cancer biology and therapy. Clin Epigenetics 2020; 12:147. [PMID: 33054831 PMCID: PMC7556946 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-020-00941-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background With the discovery that more than half of human cancers harbor mutations in chromatin proteins, deregulation of epigenetic mechanisms has been recognized a hallmark of malignant transformation. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histone proteins, as main components of epigenetic regulatory machinery, are also broadly accepted as therapeutic target. Current “epigenetic” therapies target predominantly writers, erasers and readers of histone acetylation and (to a lesser extent) methylation, leaving other types of PTMs largely unexplored. One of them is the phosphorylation of serine 10 on histone H3 (H3S10ph). Main body H3S10ph is emerging as an important player in the initiation and propagation of cancer, as it facilitates cellular malignant transformation and participates in fundamental cellular functions. In normal cells this histone mark dictates the hierarchy of additional histone modifications involved in the formation of protein binding scaffolds, transcriptional regulation, blocking repressive epigenetic information and shielding gene regions from heterochromatin spreading. During cell division, this mark is essential for chromosome condensation and segregation. It is also involved in the function of specific DNA–RNA hybrids, called R-loops, which modulate transcription and facilitate chromosomal instability. Increase in H3S10ph is observed in numerous cancer types and its abundance has been associated with inferior prognosis. Many H3S10-kinases, including MSK1/2, PIM1, CDK8 and AURORA kinases, have been long considered targets in cancer therapy. However, since these proteins also participate in other critical processes, including signal transduction, apoptotic signaling, metabolic fitness and transcription, their chromatin functions are often neglected. Conclusions H3S10ph and enzymes responsible for deposition of this histone modification are important for chromatin activity and oncogenesis. Epigenetic-drugs targeting this axis of modifications, potentially in combination with conventional or targeted therapy, provide a promising angle in search for knowledge-driven therapeutic strategies in oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorota Komar
- Department of Experimental Hematology, Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Gandhi 14 Str, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Przemyslaw Juszczynski
- Department of Experimental Hematology, Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Gandhi 14 Str, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland
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André KM, Sipos EH, Soutourina J. Mediator Roles Going Beyond Transcription. Trends Genet 2020; 37:224-234. [PMID: 32921511 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2020.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Dysfunctions of nuclear processes including transcription and DNA repair lead to severe human diseases. Gaining an understanding of how these processes operate in the crowded context of chromatin can be particularly challenging. Mediator is a large multiprotein complex conserved in eukaryotes with a key coactivator role in the regulation of RNA polymerase (Pol) II transcription. Despite intensive studies, the molecular mechanisms underlying Mediator function remain to be fully understood. Novel findings have provided insights into the relationship between Mediator and chromatin architecture, revealed its role in connecting transcription with DNA repair and proposed an emerging mechanism of phase separation involving Mediator condensates. Recent developments in the field suggest multiple functions of Mediator going beyond transcriptional processes per se that would explain its involvement in various human pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kévin M André
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Eliet H Sipos
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Julie Soutourina
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
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45
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Bäurle I, Trindade I. Chromatin regulation of somatic abiotic stress memory. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:5269-5279. [PMID: 32076719 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraa098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
In nature, plants are often subjected to periods of recurrent environmental stress that can strongly affect their development and productivity. To cope with these conditions, plants can remember a previous stress, which allows them to respond more efficiently to a subsequent stress, a phenomenon known as priming. This ability can be maintained at the somatic level for a few days or weeks after the stress is perceived, suggesting that plants can store information of a past stress during this recovery phase. While the immediate responses to a single stress event have been extensively studied, knowledge on priming effects and how stress memory is stored is still scarce. At the molecular level, memory of a past condition often involves changes in chromatin structure and organization, which may be maintained independently from transcription. In this review, we will summarize the most recent developments in the field and discuss how different levels of chromatin regulation contribute to priming and plant abiotic stress memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Bäurle
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Inês Trindade
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
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46
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Yarrington RM, Yu Y, Yan C, Bai L, Stillman DJ. A Role for Mediator Core in Limiting Coactivator Recruitment in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetics 2020; 215:407-420. [PMID: 32327563 PMCID: PMC7268993 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.120.303254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Mediator is an essential, multisubunit complex that functions as a transcriptional coactivator in yeast and other eukaryotic organisms. Mediator has four conserved modules, Head, Middle, Tail, and Kinase, and has been implicated in nearly all aspects of gene regulation. The Tail module has been shown to recruit the Mediator complex to the enhancer or upstream activating sequence (UAS) regions of genes via interactions with transcription factors, and the Kinase module facilitates the transition of Mediator from the UAS/enhancer to the preinitiation complex via protein phosphorylation. Here, we analyze expression of the Saccharomyces cerevisiaeHO gene using a sin4 Mediator Tail mutation that separates the Tail module from the rest of the complex; the sin4 mutation permits independent recruitment of the Tail module to promoters without the rest of Mediator. Significant increases in recruitment of the SWI/SNF and SAGA coactivators to the HO promoter UAS were observed in a sin4 mutant, along with increased gene activation. These results are consistent with recent studies that have suggested that the Kinase module functions negatively to inhibit activation by the Tail. However, we found that Kinase module mutations did not mimic the effect of a sin4 mutation on HO expression. This suggests that at HO the core Mediator complex (Middle and Head modules) must play a role in limiting Tail binding to the promoter UAS and gene activation. We propose that the core Mediator complex helps modulate Mediator binding to the UAS regions of genes to limit coactivator recruitment and ensure proper regulation of gene transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M Yarrington
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
| | - Yaxin Yu
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
| | - Chao Yan
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
- Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
| | - Lu Bai
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
- Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
| | - David J Stillman
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
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47
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Liu H, Lee S, Zhang Q, Chen Z, Zhang G. The potential underlying mechanism of the leukemia caused by MLL-fusion and potential treatments. Mol Carcinog 2020; 59:839-851. [PMID: 32329934 DOI: 10.1002/mc.23204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A majority of infant and pediatric leukemias are caused by the mixed-lineage leukemia gene (MLL) fused with a variety of candidates. Several underlying mechanisms have been proposed. One currently popular view is that truncated MLL1 fusion and its associated complex constitutively hijacks super elongation complex, including positive transcription elongation factor b, CDK9, and cyclin T1 complex and DOT1L, to enhance the expression of transcription factors that maintain or restore stemness of leukocytes, as well as prevent the differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells. An alternative emerging view proposes that MLL1-fusion promotes the recruitment of TATA binding protein and RNA polymerase II (Pol II) initiation complex, so as to increase the expression levels of target genes. The fundamental mechanism of both theories are gain of function for truncated MLL1 fusions, either through Pol II elongation or initiation. Our recent progress in transcription regulation of paused Pol II through JMJD5, JMJD6, and JMJD7, combined with the repressive role of H3K4me3 revealed by others, prompted us to introduce a contrarian hypothesis: the failure to shut down transcribing units by MLL-fusions triggers the transformation: loss of function of truncated MLL1 fusions coupled with the loss of conversion of H3K4me1 to H3K4me3, leading to the constitutive expression of transcription factors that are in charge of maintenance of hematopoietic progenitor cells, may trigger the transformation of normal cells into cancer cells. Following this track, a potential treatment to eliminate these fusion proteins, which may ultimately cure the disease, is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haolin Liu
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Anschutz Medical Center, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado
| | - Schuyler Lee
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Anschutz Medical Center, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado
| | - Qianqian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, Agriculture University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhongzhou Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, Agriculture University, Beijing, China
| | - Gongyi Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Anschutz Medical Center, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado
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48
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Abstract
Background Organisms can be primed by metabolic exposures to continue expressing response genes even once the metabolite is no longer available, and can affect the speed and magnitude of responsive gene expression during subsequent exposures. This “metabolic transcriptional memory” can have a profound impact on the survivability of organisms in fluctuating environments. Scope of review Here I present several examples of metabolic transcriptional memory in the microbial world and discuss what is known so far regarding the underlying mechanisms, which mainly focus on chromatin modifications, protein inheritance, and broad changes in metabolic network. From these lessons learned in microbes, some insights into the yet understudied human metabolic memory can be gained. I thus discuss the implications of metabolic memory in disease progression in humans – i.e., the memory of high blood sugar exposure and the resulting effects on diabetic complications. Major conclusions Carbon source shifts from glucose to other less preferred sugars such as lactose, galactose, and maltose for energy metabolism as well as starvation of a signal transduction precursor sugar inositol are well-studied examples of metabolic transcriptional memory in Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although the specific factors guiding metabolic transcriptional memory are not necessarily conserved from microbes to humans, the same basic mechanisms are in play, as is observed in hyperglycemic memory. Exploration of new metabolic transcriptional memory systems as well as further detailed mechanistic analyses of known memory contexts in microbes is therefore central to understanding metabolic memory in humans, and may be of relevance for the successful treatment of the ever-growing epidemic of diabetes. Metabolic exposures can prime genes to have memory. Memory of carbon source shifts occurs in all kingdoms of life. Memory is maintained through multiple mechanisms including chromatin modifications, proteins, and metabolic network. Metabolic transcriptional memory in unicellular organisms is a part of “bet-hedging” strategies to ensure survival. Hyperglycemic memory in humans contributes to diabetes and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poonam Bheda
- Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.
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49
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Wang A, Kolhe JA, Gioacchini N, Baade I, Brieher WM, Peterson CL, Freeman BC. Mechanism of Long-Range Chromosome Motion Triggered by Gene Activation. Dev Cell 2020; 52:309-320.e5. [PMID: 31902656 PMCID: PMC7108666 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2019.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2018] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Movement of chromosome sites within interphase cells is critical for numerous pathways including RNA transcription and genome organization. Yet, a mechanism for reorganizing chromatin in response to these events had not been reported. Here, we delineate a molecular chaperone-dependent pathway for relocating activated gene loci in yeast. Our presented data support a model in which a two-authentication system mobilizes a gene promoter through a dynamic network of polymeric nuclear actin. Transcription factor-dependent nucleation of a myosin motor propels the gene locus through the actin matrix, and fidelity of the actin association was ensured by ARP-containing chromatin remodelers. Motor activity of nuclear myosin was dependent on the Hsp90 chaperone. Hsp90 further contributed by biasing the remodeler-actin interaction toward nucleosomes with the non-canonical histone H2A.Z, thereby focusing the pathway on select sites such as transcriptionally active genes. Together, the system provides a rapid and effective means to broadly yet selectively mobilize chromatin sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anqi Wang
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Janhavi A Kolhe
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Nate Gioacchini
- Program of Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Imke Baade
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - William M Brieher
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Craig L Peterson
- Program of Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Brian C Freeman
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
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50
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Fukasawa Y, Savoury M, Boddy L. Ecological memory and relocation decisions in fungal mycelial networks: responses to quantity and location of new resources. THE ISME JOURNAL 2020; 14:380-388. [PMID: 31628441 PMCID: PMC6976561 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-019-0536-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Saprotrophic cord-forming basidiomycetes, with their mycelial networks at the soil/litter interface on the forest floor, play a major role in wood decomposition and nutrient cycling/relocation. Many studies have investigated foraging behaviour of their mycelium, but there is little information on their intelligence. Here, we investigate the effects of relative size of inoculum wood and new wood resource (bait) on the decision of a mycelium to remain in, or migrate from, inoculum to bait using Phanerochaete velutina as a model. Experiments allowed mycelium to grow from an inoculum across the surface of a soil microcosm where it encountered a new wood bait. After colonisation of the bait, the original inoculum was moved to a tray of fresh soil to determine whether the fungus was still able to grow out. This also allowed us to test the mycelium's memory of growth direction. When inocula were transferred to new soil, there was regrowth from 67% of the inocula, and a threshold bait size acted as a cue for the mycelium's decision to migrate for a final time, rather than a threshold of relative size of inoculum: bait. There was greater regrowth from the side that originally faced the new bait, implying memory of growth direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Fukasawa
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK.
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 232-3 Yomogida, Naruko, Osaki, Miyagi, 989-6711, Japan.
| | - Melanie Savoury
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Lynne Boddy
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK
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