1
|
Chen L, Luo S, Dupre A, Vasoya RP, Parthasarathy A, Aita R, Malhotra R, Hur J, Toke NH, Chiles E, Yang M, Cao W, Flores J, Ellison CE, Gao N, Sahota A, Su X, Bonder EM, Verzi MP. The nuclear receptor HNF4 drives a brush border gene program conserved across murine intestine, kidney, and embryonic yolk sac. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2886. [PMID: 34001900 PMCID: PMC8129143 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22761-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The brush border is comprised of microvilli surface protrusions on the apical surface of epithelia. This specialized structure greatly increases absorptive surface area and plays crucial roles in human health. However, transcriptional regulatory networks controlling brush border genes are not fully understood. Here, we identify that hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 (HNF4) transcription factor is a conserved and important regulator of brush border gene program in multiple organs, such as intestine, kidney and yolk sac. Compromised brush border gene signatures and impaired transport were observed in these tissues upon HNF4 loss. By ChIP-seq, we find HNF4 binds and activates brush border genes in the intestine and kidney. H3K4me3 HiChIP-seq identifies that HNF4 loss results in impaired chromatin looping between enhancers and promoters at gene loci of brush border genes, and instead enhanced chromatin looping at gene loci of stress fiber genes in the intestine. This study provides comprehensive transcriptional regulatory mechanisms and a functional demonstration of a critical role for HNF4 in brush border gene regulation across multiple murine epithelial tissues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Chen
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
| | - Shirley Luo
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Abigail Dupre
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Roshan P Vasoya
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Aditya Parthasarathy
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Rohit Aita
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Raj Malhotra
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Joseph Hur
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Natalie H Toke
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Eric Chiles
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Min Yang
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Weihuan Cao
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Juan Flores
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Christopher E Ellison
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Nan Gao
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Amrik Sahota
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Xiaoyang Su
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- Department of Medicine, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Edward M Bonder
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Michael P Verzi
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
- Rutgers Center for Lipid Research, New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition & Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Chen L, Vasoya RP, Toke NH, Parthasarathy A, Luo S, Chiles E, Flores J, Gao N, Bonder EM, Su X, Verzi MP. HNF4 Regulates Fatty Acid Oxidation and Is Required for Renewal of Intestinal Stem Cells in Mice. Gastroenterology 2020; 158:985-999.e9. [PMID: 31759926 PMCID: PMC7062567 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2019.11.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Functions of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) are regulated by diet and metabolic pathways. Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 (HNF4) family are transcription factors that bind fatty acids. We investigated how HNF4 transcription factors regulate metabolism and their functions in ISCs in mice. METHODS We performed studies with Villin-CreERT2;Lgr5-EGFP-IRES-CreERT2;Hnf4αf/f;Hnf4γCrispr/Crispr mice, hereafter referred to Hnf4αγDKO. Mice were given tamoxifen to induce Cre recombinase. Mice transgenic with only Cre alleles (Villin-CreERT2, Lgr5-EGFP-IRES-CreERT2, Hnf4α+/+, and Hnf4γ+/+) or mice given vehicle were used as controls. Crypt and villus cells were isolated, incubated with fluorescently labeled fatty acids or glucose analog, and analyzed by confocal microscopy. Fatty acid oxidation activity and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites were measured in cells collected from the proximal half of the small intestine of Hnf4αγDKO and control mice. We performed chromatin immunoprecipitation and gene expression profiling analyses to identify genes regulated by HNF4 factors. We established organoids from duodenal crypts, incubated them with labeled palmitate or acetate, and measured production of TCA cycle metabolites or fatty acids. Acetate, a precursor of acetyl coenzyme A (CoA) (a product of fatty acid β-oxidation [FAO]), or dichloroacetate, a compound that promotes pyruvate oxidation and generation of mitochondrial acetyl-CoA, were used for metabolic intervention. RESULTS Crypt cells rapidly absorbed labeled fatty acids, and messenger RNA levels of Lgr5+ stem cell markers (Lgr5, Olfm4, Smoc2, Msi1, and Ascl2) were down-regulated in organoids incubated with etomoxir, an inhibitor of FAO, indicating that FAO was required for renewal of ISCs. HNF4A and HNF4G were expressed in ISCs and throughout the intestinal epithelium. Single knockout of either HNF4A or HNF4G did not affect maintenance of ISCs, but double-knockout of HNF4A and HNF4G resulted in ISC loss; stem cells failed to renew. FAO supports ISC renewal, and HNF4 transcription factors directly activate FAO genes, including Acsl5 and Acsf2 (encode regulators of acyl-CoA synthesis), Slc27a2 (encodes a fatty acid transporter), Fabp2 (encodes fatty acid binding protein), and Hadh (encodes hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase). In the intestinal epithelium of Hnf4αγDKO mice, expression levels of FAO genes, FAO activity, and metabolites of TCA cycle were all significantly decreased, but fatty acid synthesis transcripts were increased, compared with control mice. The contribution of labeled palmitate or acetate to the TCA cycle was reduced in organoids derived from Hnf4αγDKO mice, compared with control mice. Incubation of organoids derived from double-knockout mice with acetate or dichloroacetate restored stem cells. CONCLUSIONS In mice, the transcription factors HNF4A and HNF4G regulate the expression of genes required for FAO and are required for renewal of ISCs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Chen
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA,Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA
| | - Roshan P. Vasoya
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Natalie H. Toke
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Aditya Parthasarathy
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Shirley Luo
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Eric Chiles
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA
| | - Juan Flores
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Nan Gao
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Edward M. Bonder
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Xiaoyang Su
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA,Department of Medicine, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Michael P. Verzi
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA,Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA,Rutgers Center for Lipid Research, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA,Correspondence: (M.P.V.)
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Chen L, Toke NH, Luo S, Vasoya RP, Aita R, Parthasarathy A, Tsai YH, Spence JR, Verzi MP. HNF4 factors control chromatin accessibility and are redundantly required for maturation of the fetal intestine. Development 2019; 146:dev.179432. [PMID: 31345929 DOI: 10.1242/dev.179432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
As embryos mature, cells undergo remarkable transitions that are accompanied by shifts in transcription factor regulatory networks. Mechanisms driving developmental transitions are incompletely understood. The embryonic intestine transitions from a rapidly proliferating tube with pseudostratified epithelium prior to murine embryonic day (E) 14.5 to an exquisitely folded columnar epithelium in fetal stages. We sought to identify factors driving mouse fetal intestinal maturation by mining chromatin accessibility data for transcription factor motifs. ATAC-seq accessible regions shift during tissue maturation, with CDX2 transcription factor motifs abundant at chromatin-accessible regions of the embryo. Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 (HNF4) transcription factor motifs are the most abundant in the fetal stages (>E16.5). Genetic inactivation of Hnf4a and its paralog Hnf4g revealed that HNF4 factors are redundantly required for fetal maturation. CDX2 binds to and activates Hnf4 gene loci to elevate HNF4 expression at fetal stages. HNF4 and CDX2 transcription factors then occupy shared genomic regulatory sites to promote chromatin accessibility and gene expression in the maturing intestine. Thus, HNF4 paralogs are key components of an intestinal transcription factor network shift during the embryonic to fetal transition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Chen
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.,Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA
| | - Natalie H Toke
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Shirley Luo
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Roshan P Vasoya
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Rohit Aita
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Aditya Parthasarathy
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Yu-Hwai Tsai
- Department of Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Jason R Spence
- Department of Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan College of Engineering, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Center for Organogenesis, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Michael P Verzi
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA .,Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Chen L, Toke NH, Luo S, Vasoya RP, Fullem RL, Parthasarathy A, Perekatt AO, Verzi MP. A reinforcing HNF4-SMAD4 feed-forward module stabilizes enterocyte identity. Nat Genet 2019; 51:777-785. [PMID: 30988513 PMCID: PMC6650150 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-019-0384-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BMP/SMAD signaling is a crucial regulator of intestinal differentiation1–4. However, the molecular underpinnings of the BMP pathway in this context are unknown. Here, we characterize the mechanism by which BMP/SMAD signaling drives enterocyte differentiation. We establish that the transcription factor HNF4A acts redundantly with an intestine-restricted HNF4 paralog, HNF4G, to activate enhancer chromatin and upregulate the majority of transcripts enriched in the differentiated epithelium; cells fail to differentiate upon double knockout of both HNF4 paralogs. Furthermore, we show that SMAD4 and HNF4 function via a reinforcing feed-forward loop, activating each other’s expression and co-binding to regulatory elements of differentiation genes. This feed-forward regulatory module promotes and stabilizes enterocyte cell identity; disruption of the HNF4-SMAD4 module results in loss of enterocyte fate in favor of progenitor and secretory cell lineages. This intersection of signaling and transcriptional control provides a framework to understand regenerative tissue homeostasis, particularly in tissues with inherent cellular plasticity5.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Chen
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA.,Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Natalie H Toke
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Shirley Luo
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Roshan P Vasoya
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Robert L Fullem
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Aditya Parthasarathy
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Ansu O Perekatt
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, USA
| | - Michael P Verzi
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA. .,Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
| |
Collapse
|