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Peterson SC, Samuelson KB, Hanlon SL. Multi-Scale Organization of the Drosophila melanogaster Genome. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:817. [PMID: 34071789 PMCID: PMC8228293 DOI: 10.3390/genes12060817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Interphase chromatin, despite its appearance, is a highly organized framework of loops and bends. Chromosomes are folded into topologically associating domains, or TADs, and each chromosome and its homolog occupy a distinct territory within the nucleus. In Drosophila, genome organization is exceptional because homologous chromosome pairing is in both germline and somatic tissues, which promote interhomolog interactions such as transvection that can affect gene expression in trans. In this review, we focus on what is known about genome organization in Drosophila and discuss it from TADs to territory. We start by examining intrachromosomal organization at the sub-chromosome level into TADs, followed by a comprehensive analysis of the known proteins that play a key role in TAD formation and boundary establishment. We then zoom out to examine interhomolog interactions such as pairing and transvection that are abundant in Drosophila but rare in other model systems. Finally, we discuss chromosome territories that form within the nucleus, resulting in a complete picture of the multi-scale organization of the Drosophila genome.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Stacey L. Hanlon
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; (S.C.P.); (K.B.S.)
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Piwko P, Vitsaki I, Livadaras I, Delidakis C. The Role of Insulators in Transgene Transvection in Drosophila. Genetics 2019; 212:489-508. [PMID: 30948430 PMCID: PMC6553826 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.302165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Transvection is the phenomenon where a transcriptional enhancer activates a promoter located on the homologous chromosome. It has been amply documented in Drosophila where homologs are closely paired in most, if not all, somatic nuclei, but it has been known to rarely occur in mammals as well. We have taken advantage of site-directed transgenesis to insert reporter constructs into the same genetic locus in Drosophila and have evaluated their ability to engage in transvection by testing many heterozygous combinations. We find that transvection requires the presence of an insulator element on both homologs. Homotypic trans-interactions between four different insulators can support transvection: the gypsy insulator (GI), Wari, Fab-8 and 1A2; GI and Fab-8 are more effective than Wari or 1A2 We show that, in the presence of insulators, transvection displays the characteristics that have been previously described: it requires homolog pairing, but can happen at any of several loci in the genome; a solitary enhancer confronted with an enhancerless reporter is sufficient to drive transcription; it is weaker than the action of the same enhancer-promoter pair in cis, and it is further suppressed by cis-promoter competition. Though necessary, the presence of homotypic insulators is not sufficient for transvection; their position, number and orientation matters. A single GI adjacent to both enhancer and promoter is the optimal configuration. The identity of enhancers and promoters in the vicinity of a trans-interacting insulator pair is also important, indicative of complex insulator-enhancer-promoter interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawel Piwko
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
| | - Ilektra Vitsaki
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
| | - Ioannis Livadaras
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
| | - Christos Delidakis
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
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Schoborg T, Kuruganti S, Rickels R, Labrador M. The Drosophila gypsy insulator supports transvection in the presence of the vestigial enhancer. PLoS One 2013; 8:e81331. [PMID: 24236213 PMCID: PMC3827471 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0081331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2013] [Accepted: 10/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Though operationally defined as cis-regulatory elements, enhancers can also communicate with promoters on a separate homolog in trans, a mechanism that has been suggested to account for the ability of certain alleles of the same gene to complement one another in a process otherwise known as transvection. This homolog-pairing dependent process is facilitated in Drosophila by chromatin-associated pairing proteins, many of which remain unknown and their mechanism of action uncharacterized. Here we have tested the role of the gypsy chromatin insulator in facilitating pairing and communication between enhancers and promoters in trans using a transgenic eGFP reporter system engineered to allow for targeted deletions in the vestigial Boundary Enhancer (vgBE) and the hsp70 minimal promoter, along with one or two flanking gypsy elements. We found a modest 2.5-3x increase in eGFP reporter levels from homozygotes carrying an intact copy of the reporter on each homolog compared to unpaired hemizygotes, although this behavior was independent of gypsy. However, detectable levels of GFP protein along the DV wing boundary in trans-heterozygotes lacking a single enhancer and promoter was only observed in the presence of two flanking gypsy elements. Our results demonstrate that gypsy can stimulate enhancer-promoter communication in trans throughout the genome in a context-dependent manner, likely through modulation of local chromatin dynamics once pairing has been established by other elements and highlights chromatin structure as the master regulator of this phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd Schoborg
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Srilalitha Kuruganti
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Ryan Rickels
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Mariano Labrador
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Lee AM, Wu CT. Enhancer-promoter communication at the yellow gene of Drosophila melanogaster: diverse promoters participate in and regulate trans interactions. Genetics 2006; 174:1867-80. [PMID: 17057235 PMCID: PMC1698615 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.106.064121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The many reports of trans interactions between homologous as well as nonhomologous loci in a wide variety of organisms argue that such interactions play an important role in gene regulation. The yellow locus of Drosophila is especially useful for investigating the mechanisms of trans interactions due to its ability to support transvection and the relative ease with which it can be altered by targeted gene replacement. In this study, we exploit these aspects of yellow to further our understanding of cis as well as trans forms of enhancer-promoter communication. Through the analysis of yellow alleles whose promoters have been replaced with wild-type or altered promoters from other genes, we show that mutation of single core promoter elements of two of the three heterologous promoters tested can influence whether yellow enhancers act in cis or in trans. This finding parallels observations of the yellow promoter, suggesting that the manner in which trans interactions are controlled by core promoter elements describes a general mechanism. We further demonstrate that heterologous promoters themselves can be activated in trans as well as participate in pairing-mediated insulator bypass. These results highlight the potential of diverse promoters to partake in many forms of trans interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne M Lee
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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Kravchenko E, Savitskaya E, Kravchuk O, Parshikov A, Georgiev P, Savitsky M. Pairing between gypsy insulators facilitates the enhancer action in trans throughout the Drosophila genome. Mol Cell Biol 2005; 25:9283-91. [PMID: 16227580 PMCID: PMC1265844 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.25.21.9283-9291.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Suppressor of the Hairy wing [Su(Hw)] binding region within the gypsy retrotransposon is the best known chromatin insulator in Drosophila melanogaster. According to previous data, two copies of the gypsy insulator inserted between an enhancer and a promoter neutralize each other's actions, which is indicative of an interaction between the protein complexes bound to the insulators. We have investigated the role of pairing between the gypsy insulators located on homologous chromosomes in trans interaction between yellow enhancers and a promoter. It has been shown that trans activation of the yellow promoter strongly depends on the site of the transposon insertion, which is evidence for a role of surrounding chromatin in homologous pairing. The presence of the gypsy insulators in both homologous chromosomes even at a distance of 9 kb downstream from the promoter dramatically improves the trans activation of yellow. Moreover, the gypsy insulators have proved to stabilize trans activation between distantly located enhancers and a promoter. These data suggest that gypsy insulator pairing is involved in communication between loci in the Drosophila genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Kravchenko
- Department of the Control of Genetic Processes, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., 119334 Moscow, Russia
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Abstract
An unusual feature of the Diptera is that homologous chromosomes are intimately synapsed in somatic cells. At a number of loci in Drosophila, this pairing can significantly influence gene expression. Such influences were first detected within the bithorax complex (BX-C) by E.B. Lewis, who coined the term transvection to describe them. Most cases of transvection involve the action of enhancers in trans. At several loci deletion of the promoter greatly increases this action in trans, suggesting that enhancers are normally tethered in cis by the promoter region. Transvection can also occur by the action of silencers in trans or by the spreading of position effect variegation from rearrangements having heterochromatic breakpoints to paired unrearranged chromosomes. Although not demonstrated, other cases of transvection may involve the production of joint RNAs by trans-splicing. Several cases of transvection require Zeste, a DNA-binding protein that is thought to facilitate homolog interactions by self-aggregation. Genes showing transvection can differ greatly in their response to pairing disruption. In several cases, transvection appears to require intimate synapsis of homologs. However, in at least one case (transvection of the iab-5,6,7 region of the BX-C), transvection is independent of synapsis within and surrounding the interacting gene. The latter example suggests that transvection could well occur in organisms that lack somatic pairing. In support of this, transvection-like phenomena have been described in a number of different organisms, including plants, fungi, and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian W Duncan
- Department of Biology, Washington University, Campus Box 1229, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA.
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Rosen C, Dorsett D, Jack J. A proline-rich region in the Zeste protein essential for transvection and white repression by Zeste. Genetics 1998; 148:1865-74. [PMID: 9560400 PMCID: PMC1460061 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/148.4.1865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The DNA-binding protein encoded by the zeste gene of Drosophila activates transcription and mediates interchromosomal interactions such as transvection. The mutant protein encoded by the zeste1 (z1) allele retains the ability to support transvection, but represses white. Similar to transvection, repression requires Zeste-Zeste protein interactions and a second copy of white, either on the homologous chromosome or adjacent on the same chromosome. We characterized two pseudorevertants of z1 (z1-35 and z1-42) and another zeste mutation (z78c) that represses white. The z1 lesion alters a lysine residue located between the N-terminal DNA-binding domain and the C-terminal hydrophobic repeats involved in Zeste self-interactions. The z78c mutation alters a histidine near the site of the z1 lesion. Both z1 pseudorevertants retain the z1 lesion and alter different prolines in a proline-rich region located between the z1 lesion and the self-interaction domain. The pseudorevertants retain the ability to self-interact, but fail to repress white or support transvection at Ultrabithorax. To account for these observations and evidence indicating that Zeste affects gene expression through Polycomb group (Pc-G) protein complexes that epigenetically maintain chromatin states, we suggest that the regions affected by the z1, z78c, and pseudorevertant lesions mediate interactions between Zeste and the maintenance complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Rosen
- Program in Molecular Biology, Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10021, USA
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Pal-Bhadra M, Bhadra U, Birchler JA. Cosuppression in Drosophila: gene silencing of Alcohol dehydrogenase by white-Adh transgenes is Polycomb dependent. Cell 1997; 90:479-90. [PMID: 9267028 DOI: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)80508-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 178] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
When two to six copies of a white promoter-Alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) reporter fusion gene are introduced into the genome, the expression is progressively reduced both in larvae and adults rather than the expected gene dosage effect. In addition, multiple transgenes reduce endogenous Adh transcripts, a result that is strongly analogous to "cosuppression" phenomena described in many plant species but which has not been previously observed in animals. Silencing of the Adh gene is not influenced by zeste-dependent transvection but strongly affected by the Polycomb and Polycomblike mutations. Polycomb and polyhomeotic proteins are bound to the chromatin at the sites of the repressed w-Adh transgenes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Pal-Bhadra
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia 65211, USA
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Goldsborough AS, Kornberg TB. Reduction of transcription by homologue asynapsis in Drosophila imaginal discs. Nature 1996; 381:807-10. [PMID: 8657287 DOI: 10.1038/381807a0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The interactions between enhancers and promotor elements that control gene expression are generally considered to act in cis only, but genetic studies suggest that they can also function in trans between non-contiguous DNA molecules. Termed transvection, such trans interactions have been proposed to be responsible for several examples of intragenic complementation in Drosophila. Transvection is thought to depend on the physical proximity of sister chromosomes, because it is inhibited when chromosome rearrangements reduce the pairing of homologues. This led to the suggestion that transvection occurs when enhancer elements on one chromosome regulate expression on the other, with the pairing dependence resulting from a need for proximity between the two copies of the gene. Here we have analysed the levels of transcription from both alleles of the Drosophila Ultrabithorax (Ubx) gene, and report that the predictions of this simple model are not supported. Our findings indicate a more complex level of trans regulation that may have implications for the aetiology of genetic disorders that are influenced by chromosome rearrangements.
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Affiliation(s)
- A S Goldsborough
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, 94143, USA
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Enhancer of bithorax: a mutation ofDrosophila melanogaster. J Genet 1987. [DOI: 10.1007/bf02927712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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