1
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Santarelli P, Rosti V, Vivo M, Lanzuolo C. Chromatin organization of muscle stem cell. Curr Top Dev Biol 2024; 158:375-406. [PMID: 38670713 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2024.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
The proper functioning of skeletal muscles is essential throughout life. A crucial crosstalk between the environment and several cellular mechanisms allows striated muscles to perform successfully. Notably, the skeletal muscle tissue reacts to an injury producing a completely functioning tissue. The muscle's robust regenerative capacity relies on the fine coordination between muscle stem cells (MuSCs or "satellite cells") and their specific microenvironment that dictates stem cells' activation, differentiation, and self-renewal. Critical for the muscle stem cell pool is a fine regulation of chromatin organization and gene expression. Acquiring a lineage-specific 3D genome architecture constitutes a crucial modulator of muscle stem cell function during development, in the adult stage, in physiological and pathological conditions. The context-dependent relationship between genome structure, such as accessibility and chromatin compartmentalization, and their functional effects will be analysed considering the improved 3D epigenome knowledge, underlining the intimate liaison between environmental encounters and epigenetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philina Santarelli
- INGM Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Rosti
- INGM Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, Milan, Italy; CNR Institute of Biomedical Technologies, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Vivo
- Università degli studi di Salerno, Fisciano, Italy.
| | - Chiara Lanzuolo
- INGM Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, Milan, Italy; CNR Institute of Biomedical Technologies, Milan, Italy.
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2
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Gonçalves TM, Stewart CL, Baxley SD, Xu J, Li D, Gabel HW, Wang T, Avraham O, Zhao G. Towards a comprehensive regulatory map of Mammalian Genomes. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3294408. [PMID: 37841836 PMCID: PMC10571623 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3294408/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Genome mapping studies have generated a nearly complete collection of genes for the human genome, but we still lack an equivalently vetted inventory of human regulatory sequences. Cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) play important roles in controlling when, where, and how much a gene is expressed. We developed a training data-free CRM-prediction algorithm, the Mammalian Regulatory MOdule Detector (MrMOD) for accurate CRM prediction in mammalian genomes. MrMOD provides genome position-fixed CRM models similar to the fixed gene models for the mouse and human genomes using only genomic sequences as the inputs with one adjustable parameter - the significance p-value. Importantly, MrMOD predicts a comprehensive set of high-resolution CRMs in the mouse and human genomes including all types of regulatory modules not limited to any tissue, cell type, developmental stage, or condition. We computationally validated MrMOD predictions used a compendium of 21 orthogonal experimental data sets including thousands of experimentally defined CRMs and millions of putative regulatory elements derived from hundreds of different tissues, cell types, and stimulus conditions obtained from multiple databases. In ovo transgenic reporter assay demonstrates the power of our prediction in guiding experimental design. We analyzed CRMs located in the chromosome 17 using unsupervised machine learning and identified groups of CRMs with multiple lines of evidence supporting their functionality, linking CRMs with upstream binding transcription factors and downstream target genes. Our work provides a comprehensive base pair resolution annotation of the functional regulatory elements and non-functional regions in the mammalian genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jason Xu
- Missouri University of Science & Technology
| | - Daofeng Li
- Washington University School of Medicine
| | | | - Ting Wang
- Washington University School of Medicine
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3
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Buffry AD, Kittelmann S, McGregor AP. Characterisation of the role and regulation of Ultrabithorax in sculpting fine-scale leg morphology. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1119221. [PMID: 36861038 PMCID: PMC9968978 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1119221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Hox genes are expressed during embryogenesis and determine the regional identity of animal bodies along the antero-posterior axis. However, they also function post-embryonically to sculpt fine-scale morphology. To better understand how Hox genes are integrated into post-embryonic gene regulatory networks, we further analysed the role and regulation of Ultrabithorax (Ubx) during leg development in Drosophila melanogaster. Ubx regulates several aspects of bristle and trichome patterning on the femurs of the second (T2) and third (T3) leg pairs. We found that repression of trichomes in the proximal posterior region of the T2 femur by Ubx is likely mediated by activation of the expression of microRNA-92a and microRNA-92b by this Hox protein. Furthermore, we identified a novel enhancer of Ubx that recapitulates the temporal and regional activity of this gene in T2 and T3 legs. We then used transcription factor (TF) binding motif analysis in regions of accessible chromatin in T2 leg cells to predict and functionally test TFs that may regulate the Ubx leg enhancer. We also tested the role of the Ubx co-factors Homothorax (Hth) and Extradenticle (Exd) in T2 and T3 femurs. We found several TFs that may act upstream or in concert with Ubx to modulate trichome patterning along the proximo-distal axis of developing femurs and that the repression of trichomes also requires Hth and Exd. Taken together our results provide insights into how Ubx is integrated into a post-embryonic gene regulatory network to determine fine-scale leg morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra D. Buffry
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian Kittelmann
- Centre for Functional Genomics, Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Alistair P. McGregor
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom,*Correspondence: Alistair P. McGregor,
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4
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Bordeira-Carriço R, Teixeira J, Duque M, Galhardo M, Ribeiro D, Acemel RD, Firbas PN, Tena JJ, Eufrásio A, Marques J, Ferreira FJ, Freitas T, Carneiro F, Goméz-Skarmeta JL, Bessa J. Multidimensional chromatin profiling of zebrafish pancreas to uncover and investigate disease-relevant enhancers. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1945. [PMID: 35410466 PMCID: PMC9001708 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29551-7] [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: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The pancreas is a central organ for human diseases. Most alleles uncovered by genome-wide association studies of pancreatic dysfunction traits overlap with non-coding sequences of DNA. Many contain epigenetic marks of cis-regulatory elements active in pancreatic cells, suggesting that alterations in these sequences contribute to pancreatic diseases. Animal models greatly help to understand the role of non-coding alterations in disease. However, interspecies identification of equivalent cis-regulatory elements faces fundamental challenges, including lack of sequence conservation. Here we combine epigenetic assays with reporter assays in zebrafish and human pancreatic cells to identify interspecies functionally equivalent cis-regulatory elements, regardless of sequence conservation. Among other potential disease-relevant enhancers, we identify a zebrafish ptf1a distal-enhancer whose deletion causes pancreatic agenesis, a phenotype previously found to be induced by mutations in a distal-enhancer of PTF1A in humans, further supporting the causality of this condition in vivo. This approach helps to uncover interspecies functionally equivalent cis-regulatory elements and their potential role in human disease. Alterations in cis-regulatory elements (CREs) can contribute to pancreatic diseases. Here the authors combine chromatin profiling and interaction points with in vivo reporter assays in zebrafish to uncover functionally equivalent human CREs, helping to predict disease-relevant enhancers.
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5
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Abstract
The world of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has opened up massive new prospects in understanding the regulation of gene expression. Not only are there seemingly almost infinite numbers of lncRNAs in the mammalian cell, but they have highly diverse mechanisms of action. In the nucleus, some are chromatin-associated, transcribed from transcriptional enhancers (eRNAs) and/or direct changes in the epigenetic landscape with profound effects on gene expression. The pituitary gonadotrope is responsible for activation of reproduction through production and secretion of appropriate levels of the gonadotropic hormones. As such, it exemplifies a cell whose function is defined through changes in developmental and temporal patterns of gene expression, including those that are hormonally induced. Roles for diverse distal regulatory elements and eRNAs in gonadotrope biology have only just begun to emerge. Here, we will present an overview of the different kinds of lncRNAs that alter gene expression, and what is known about their roles in regulating some of the key gonadotrope genes. We will also review various screens that have detected differentially expressed pituitary lncRNAs associated with changes in reproductive state and those whose expression is found to play a role in gonadotrope-derived nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas. We hope to shed light on this exciting new field, emphasize the open questions, and encourage research to illuminate the roles of lncRNAs in various endocrine systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tal Refael
- Faculty of Biology, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Philippa Melamed
- Faculty of Biology, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
- Correspondence: Philippa Melamed, PhD, Faculty of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
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6
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Little DR, Lynch AM, Yan Y, Akiyama H, Kimura S, Chen J. Differential chromatin binding of the lung lineage transcription factor NKX2-1 resolves opposing murine alveolar cell fates in vivo. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2509. [PMID: 33947861 PMCID: PMC8096971 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22817-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Differential transcription of identical DNA sequences leads to distinct tissue lineages and then multiple cell types within a lineage, an epigenetic process central to progenitor and stem cell biology. The associated genome-wide changes, especially in native tissues, remain insufficiently understood, and are hereby addressed in the mouse lung, where the same lineage transcription factor NKX2-1 promotes the diametrically opposed alveolar type 1 (AT1) and AT2 cell fates. Here, we report that the cell-type-specific function of NKX2-1 is attributed to its differential chromatin binding that is acquired or retained during development in coordination with partner transcriptional factors. Loss of YAP/TAZ redirects NKX2-1 from its AT1-specific to AT2-specific binding sites, leading to transcriptionally exaggerated AT2 cells when deleted in progenitors or AT1-to-AT2 conversion when deleted after fate commitment. Nkx2-1 mutant AT1 and AT2 cells gain distinct chromatin accessible sites, including those specific to the opposite fate while adopting a gastrointestinal fate, suggesting an epigenetic plasticity unexpected from transcriptional changes. Our genomic analysis of single or purified cells, coupled with precision genetics, provides an epigenetic basis for alveolar cell fate and potential, and introduces an experimental benchmark for deciphering the in vivo function of lineage transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle R Little
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Anne M Lynch
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Graduate Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yun Yan
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Shioko Kimura
- Laboratory of Metabolism, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jichao Chen
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
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7
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Zhang J, Yue W, Zhou Y, Liao M, Chen X, Hua J. Super enhancers-Functional cores under the 3D genome. Cell Prolif 2021; 54:e12970. [PMID: 33336467 PMCID: PMC7848964 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.12970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex biochemical reactions take place in the nucleus all the time. Transcription machines must follow the rules. The chromatin state, especially the three-dimensional structure of the genome, plays an important role in gene regulation and expression. The super enhancers are important for defining cell identity in mammalian developmental processes and human diseases. It has been shown that the major components of transcriptional activation complexes are recruited by super enhancer to form phase-separated condensates. We summarize the current knowledge about super enhancer in the 3D genome. Furthermore, a new related transcriptional regulation model from super enhancer is outlined to explain its role in the mammalian cell progress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juqing Zhang
- College of Veterinary MedicineShaanxi Centre of Stem Cells Engineering & TechnologyNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingChina
| | - Wei Yue
- College of Veterinary MedicineShaanxi Centre of Stem Cells Engineering & TechnologyNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingChina
| | - Yaqi Zhou
- College of Life ScienceNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingChina
| | - Mingzhi Liao
- College of Life ScienceNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingChina
| | - Xingqi Chen
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and PathologyUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Jinlian Hua
- College of Veterinary MedicineShaanxi Centre of Stem Cells Engineering & TechnologyNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingChina
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8
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Abstract
Determining whether and how a gene is transcribed are two of the central processes of life. The conceptual basis for understanding such gene regulation arose from pioneering biophysical studies in eubacteria. However, eukaryotic genomes exhibit vastly greater complexity, which raises questions not addressed by this bacterial paradigm. First, how is information integrated from many widely separated binding sites to determine how a gene is transcribed? Second, does the presence of multiple energy-expending mechanisms, which are absent from eubacterial genomes, indicate that eukaryotes are capable of improved forms of genetic information processing? An updated biophysical foundation is needed to answer such questions. We describe the linear framework, a graph-based approach to Markov processes, and show that it can accommodate many previous studies in the field. Under the assumption of thermodynamic equilibrium, we introduce a language of higher-order cooperativities and show how it can rigorously quantify gene regulatory properties suggested by experiment. We point out that fundamental limits to information processing arise at thermodynamic equilibrium and can only be bypassed through energy expenditure. Finally, we outline some of the mathematical challenges that must be overcome to construct an improved biophysical understanding of gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Wong
- Institute for Medical Engineering & Science, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.,Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | - Jeremy Gunawardena
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA;
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9
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Coulcher JF, Roure A, Chowdhury R, Robert M, Lescat L, Bouin A, Carvajal Cadavid J, Nishida H, Darras S. Conservation of peripheral nervous system formation mechanisms in divergent ascidian embryos. eLife 2020; 9:e59157. [PMID: 33191918 PMCID: PMC7710358 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Ascidians with very similar embryos but highly divergent genomes are thought to have undergone extensive developmental system drift. We compared, in four species (Ciona and Phallusia for Phlebobranchia, Molgula and Halocynthia for Stolidobranchia), gene expression and gene regulation for a network of six transcription factors regulating peripheral nervous system (PNS) formation in Ciona. All genes, but one in Molgula, were expressed in the PNS with some differences correlating with phylogenetic distance. Cross-species transgenesis indicated strong levels of conservation, except in Molgula, in gene regulation despite lack of sequence conservation of the enhancers. Developmental system drift in ascidians is thus higher for gene regulation than for gene expression and is impacted not only by phylogenetic distance, but also in a clade-specific manner and unevenly within a network. Finally, considering that Molgula is divergent in our analyses, this suggests deep conservation of developmental mechanisms in ascidians after 390 My of separate evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua F Coulcher
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins (BIOM)Banyuls-sur-MerFrance
| | - Agnès Roure
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins (BIOM)Banyuls-sur-MerFrance
| | - Rafath Chowdhury
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins (BIOM)Banyuls-sur-MerFrance
| | - Méryl Robert
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins (BIOM)Banyuls-sur-MerFrance
| | - Laury Lescat
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins (BIOM)Banyuls-sur-MerFrance
| | - Aurélie Bouin
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins (BIOM)Banyuls-sur-MerFrance
| | - Juliana Carvajal Cadavid
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins (BIOM)Banyuls-sur-MerFrance
| | - Hiroki Nishida
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka UniversityToyonakaJapan
| | - Sébastien Darras
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins (BIOM)Banyuls-sur-MerFrance
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10
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Wenck BR, Santangelo TJ. Archaeal transcription. Transcription 2020; 11:199-210. [PMID: 33112729 PMCID: PMC7714419 DOI: 10.1080/21541264.2020.1838865] [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: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasingly sophisticated biochemical and genetic techniques are unraveling the regulatory factors and mechanisms that control gene expression in the Archaea. While some similarities in regulatory strategies are universal, archaeal-specific regulatory strategies are emerging to complement a complex patchwork of shared archaeal-bacterial and archaeal-eukaryotic regulatory mechanisms employed in the archaeal domain. The prokaryotic archaea encode core transcription components with homology to the eukaryotic transcription apparatus and also share a simplified eukaryotic-like initiation mechanism, but also deploy tactics common to bacterial systems to regulate promoter usage and influence elongation-termination decisions. We review the recently established complete archaeal transcription cycle, highlight recent findings of the archaeal transcription community and detail the expanding post-initiation regulation imposed on archaeal transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Breanna R. Wenck
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Thomas J. Santangelo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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11
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Kuroiwa A. Enhancers, development, and evolution. Dev Growth Differ 2020; 62:265-268. [DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 05/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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12
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Coetzee GA. Understanding Non-Mendelian Genetic Risk. Curr Genomics 2020; 20:322-324. [PMID: 32476988 PMCID: PMC7235392 DOI: 10.2174/1389202920666191018085511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
This opinion paper highlights strategies for a better understanding of non-Mendelian genetic risk that was revealed by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of complex diseases. The genetic risk resides predominantly in non-coding regulatory DNA, such as in enhancers. The identification of mechanisms, the causal variants (mainly SNPs), and their target genes are, however, not always apparent but are likely involved in a network of risk determinants; the identification presents a bottle-neck in the full understanding of the genetics of complex phenotypes. Here, we propose strategies to identify functional SNPs and link risk enhancers with their target genes. The strategies are 1) identifying fine-mapped SNPs that break/form response elements within chromatin bio-features in relevant cell types 2) considering the nearest gene on linear DNA, 3) analyzing eQTLs, 4) mapping differential DNA methylation regions and relating them to gene expression, 5) employing genomic editing with CRISPR/cas9 and 6) identifying topological associated chromatin domains using chromatin conformation capture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerhard A Coetzee
- Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
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13
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Tan Y, Li Y, Tang F. Oncogenic seRNA functional activation: a novel mechanism of tumorigenesis. Mol Cancer 2020; 19:74. [PMID: 32278350 PMCID: PMC7149907 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-020-01195-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
seRNA is a noncoding RNA (ncRNA) transcribed from active super-enhancer (SE), through which SE exerts biological functions and participates in various physiological and pathological processes. seRNA recruits cofactor, RNA polymerase II and mediator to constitute and stabilize chromatin loop SE and promoter region, which regulates target genes transcription. In tumorigenesis, DNA insertion, deletion, translocation, focal amplification and carcinogen factor mediate oncogenic SE generation, meanwhile, oncogenic SE transcribes into tumor-related seRNA, termed as oncogenic seRNA. Oncogenic seRNA participates in tumorigenesis through activating various signal-pathways. The recent reports showed that oncogenic seRNA implicates in a widespread range of cytopathological processes in cancer progression including cell proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, extracellular matrix stiffness and angiogenesis. In this article, we comprehensively summarized seRNA’s characteristics and functions, and emphatically introduced inducible formation of oncogenic seRNA and its functional mechanisms. Lastly, some research strategies on oncogenic seRNA were introduced, and the perspectives on cancer therapy that targets oncogenic seRNA were also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Tan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory and Hunan Key Laboratory of Oncotarget gene, Hunan Cancer Hospital & The affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China
| | - Yuejin Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory and Hunan Key Laboratory of Oncotarget gene, Hunan Cancer Hospital & The affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China
| | - Faqing Tang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory and Hunan Key Laboratory of Oncotarget gene, Hunan Cancer Hospital & The affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China.
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14
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Tomoyasu Y, Halfon MS. How to study enhancers in non-traditional insect models. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 223:223/Suppl_1/jeb212241. [PMID: 32034049 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.212241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Transcriptional enhancers are central to the function and evolution of genes and gene regulation. At the organismal level, enhancers play a crucial role in coordinating tissue- and context-dependent gene expression. At the population level, changes in enhancers are thought to be a major driving force that facilitates evolution of diverse traits. An amazing array of diverse traits seen in insect morphology, physiology and behavior has been the subject of research for centuries. Although enhancer studies in insects outside of Drosophila have been limited, recent advances in functional genomic approaches have begun to make such studies possible in an increasing selection of insect species. Here, instead of comprehensively reviewing currently available technologies for enhancer studies in established model organisms such as Drosophila, we focus on a subset of computational and experimental approaches that are likely applicable to non-Drosophila insects, and discuss the pros and cons of each approach. We discuss the importance of validating enhancer function and evaluate several possible validation methods, such as reporter assays and genome editing. Key points and potential pitfalls when establishing a reporter assay system in non-traditional insect models are also discussed. We close with a discussion of how to advance enhancer studies in insects, both by improving computational approaches and by expanding the genetic toolbox in various insects. Through these discussions, this Review provides a conceptual framework for studying the function and evolution of enhancers in non-traditional insect models.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marc S Halfon
- Department of Biochemistry, University at Buffalo-State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
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15
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Abstract
Although the number of sequenced insect genomes numbers in the hundreds, little is known about gene regulatory sequences in any species other than the well-studied Drosophila melanogaster. We provide here a detailed protocol for using SCRMshaw, a computational method for predicting cis-regulatory modules (CRMs, also "enhancers") in sequenced insect genomes. SCRMshaw is effective for CRM discovery throughout the range of holometabolous insects and potentially in even more diverged species, with true-positive prediction rates of 75% or better. Minimal requirements for using SCRMshaw are a genome sequence and training data in the form of known Drosophila CRMs; a comprehensive set of the latter can be obtained from the SCRMshaw download site. For basic applications, a user with only modest computational know-how can run SCRMshaw on a desktop computer. SCRMshaw can be run with a single, narrow set of training data to predict CRMs regulating a specific pattern of gene expression, or with multiple sets of training data covering a broad range of CRM activities to provide an initial rough regulatory annotation of a complete, newly-sequenced genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Majid Kazemian
- Departments of Biochemistry and Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
| | - Marc S Halfon
- Departments of Biochemistry, Biomedical Informatics, and Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo-State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
- NY State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, Buffalo, NY, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Program in Cancer Genetics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA.
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16
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Halfon MS. Studying Transcriptional Enhancers: The Founder Fallacy, Validation Creep, and Other Biases. Trends Genet 2018; 35:93-103. [PMID: 30553552 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2018.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Revised: 11/15/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Transcriptional enhancers play a major role in regulating metazoan gene expression. Recent developments in genomics and next-generation sequencing have accelerated and revitalized the study of this important class of sequence elements. Increased interest and attention, however, has also led to troubling trends in the enhancer literature. In this Opinion, I describe some of these issues and show how they arise from shifting and nonuniform enhancer definitions, and genome-era biases. I discuss how they can lead to interpretative errors and an unduly narrow focus on certain aspects of enhancer biology to the potential exclusion of others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc S Halfon
- Department of Biochemistry, University at Buffalo-State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA; NY State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, Buffalo, NY, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo-State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA; Department of Biomedical Informatics, University at Buffalo-State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Program in Cancer Genetics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA.
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17
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Challenges and guidelines toward 4D nucleome data and model standards. Nat Genet 2018; 50:1352-1358. [PMID: 30262815 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-018-0236-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Due to recent advances in experimental and theoretical approaches, the dynamic three-dimensional organization (3D) of the nucleus has become a very active area of research in life sciences. We now understand that the linear genome is folded in ways that may modulate how genes are expressed during the basic functioning of cells. Importantly, it is now possible to build 3D models of how the genome folds within the nucleus and changes over time (4D). Because genome folding influences its function, this opens exciting new possibilities to broaden our understanding of the mechanisms that determine cell fate. However, the rapid evolution of methods and the increasing complexity of data can result in ambiguity and reproducibility challenges, which may hamper the progress of this field. Here, we describe such challenges ahead and provide guidelines to think about strategies for shared standardized validation of experimental 4D nucleome data sets and models.
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Gene regulatory network architecture in different developmental contexts influences the genetic basis of morphological evolution. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007375. [PMID: 29723190 PMCID: PMC5953500 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2017] [Revised: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Convergent phenotypic evolution is often caused by recurrent changes at particular nodes in the underlying gene regulatory networks (GRNs). The genes at such evolutionary ‘hotspots’ are thought to maximally affect the phenotype with minimal pleiotropic consequences. This has led to the suggestion that if a GRN is understood in sufficient detail, the path of evolution may be predictable. The repeated evolutionary loss of larval trichomes among Drosophila species is caused by the loss of shavenbaby (svb) expression. svb is also required for development of leg trichomes, but the evolutionary gain of trichomes in the ‘naked valley’ on T2 femurs in Drosophila melanogaster is caused by reduced microRNA-92a (miR-92a) expression rather than changes in svb. We compared the expression and function of components between the larval and leg trichome GRNs to investigate why the genetic basis of trichome pattern evolution differs in these developmental contexts. We found key differences between the two networks in both the genes employed, and in the regulation and function of common genes. These differences in the GRNs reveal why mutations in svb are unlikely to contribute to leg trichome evolution and how instead miR-92a represents the key evolutionary switch in this context. Our work shows that variability in GRNs across different developmental contexts, as well as whether a morphological feature is lost versus gained, influence the nodes at which a GRN evolves to cause morphological change. Therefore, our findings have important implications for understanding the pathways and predictability of evolution. A major goal of biology is to identify the genetic causes of organismal diversity. Convergent evolution of traits is often caused by changes in the same genes–evolutionary ‘hotspots’. shavenbaby is a ‘hotspot’ for larval trichome loss in Drosophila, but microRNA-92a underlies the gain of leg trichomes. To understand this difference in the genetics of phenotypic evolution, we compared the expression and function of genes in the underlying regulatory networks. We found that the pathway of evolution is influenced by differences in gene regulatory network architecture in different developmental contexts, as well as by whether a trait is lost or gained. Therefore, hotspots in one context may not readily evolve in a different context. This has important implications for understanding the genetic basis of phenotypic change and the predictability of evolution.
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Abstract
Enhancers are short noncoding segments of DNA (100-1000 bp) that control the temporal and spatial activity of genes in an orientation-independent manner. They can be separated from their target genes by large distances and are thus known as distal regulatory elements. One consequence of the variability in the distance separating enhancers and their target promoters is that it is difficult to determine which elements are involved in the regulation of a particular gene. Moreover, enhancers can be found in clusters in which multiple regulatory elements control expression of the same target gene. However, little is known about how the individual elements contribute to gene expression. Here, we describe how chromatin conformation promotes and constraints enhancer activity. Further, we discuss enhancer clusters and what is known about the contribution of individual elements to the regulation of target genes. Finally, we examine the reliability of different methods used to identify enhancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Snetkova
- Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, MSB 599, New York, NY 10016, USA.,MS 84-171, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Jane A Skok
- Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, MSB 599, New York, NY 10016, USA
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Abstract
Hematopoietic cancers are often initiated by deregulation of the transcriptional machinery. Prominent among such regulators are the sequence-specific DNA-binding transcription factors (TFs), which bind to enhancer and promoter elements in the genome to control gene expression through the recruitment of cofactors. Remarkably, perturbing the function of even a single TF or cofactor can modulate the active enhancer landscape of a cell; conversely, knowledge of the enhancer configuration can be used to discover functionally important TFs in a given cellular process. Our expanding insight into enhancer function can be attributed to the emergence of genome-scale measurements of enhancer activity, which can be applied to virtually any cell type to expose regulatory mechanisms. Such approaches are beginning to reveal the abnormal enhancer configurations present in cancer cells, thereby providing a framework for understanding how transcriptional dysregulation can lead to malignancy. Here, we review the evidence for alterations in enhancer landscapes contributing to the pathogenesis of leukemia, a malignancy in which enhancer-binding proteins and enhancer DNA itself are altered via genetic mutation. We will also highlight examples of small molecules that reprogram the enhancer landscape of leukemia cells in association with therapeutic benefit.
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The evolution of the macrophage-specific enhancer (Fms intronic regulatory element) within the CSF1R locus of vertebrates. Sci Rep 2017; 7:17115. [PMID: 29215000 PMCID: PMC5719456 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15999-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The Csf1r locus encodes the receptor for macrophage colony-stimulating factor, which controls the proliferation, differentiation and survival of macrophages. The 300 bp Fms intronic regulatory element (FIRE), within the second intron of Csf1r, is necessary and sufficient to direct macrophage-specific transcription. We have analysed the conservation and divergence of the FIRE DNA sequence in vertebrates. FIRE is present in the same location in the Csf1r locus in reptile, avian and mammalian genomes. Nearest neighbor analysis based upon this element alone largely recapitulates phylogenies inferred from much larger genomic sequence datasets. One core element, containing binding sites for AP1 family and the macrophage-specific transcription factor, PU.1, is conserved from lizards to humans. Around this element, the FIRE sequence is conserved within clades with the most conserved elements containing motifs for known myeloid-expressed transcription factors. Conversely, there is little alignment between clades outside the AP1/PU.1 element. The analysis favours a hybrid between “enhanceosome” and “smorgasbord” models of enhancer function, in which elements cooperate to bind components of the available transcription factor milieu.
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The rewiring of transcription circuits in evolution. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2017; 47:121-127. [PMID: 29120735 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2017.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Revised: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The binding of transcription regulators to cis-regulatory sequences is a key step through which all cells regulate expression of their genes. Due to gains and losses of cis-regulatory sequences and changes in the transcription regulators themselves, the binding connections between regulators and their target genes rapidly change over evolutionary time and constitute a major source of biological novelty. This review covers recent work, carried out in a wide range of species, that addresses the overall extent of these evolutionary changes, their consequences, and some of the molecular mechanisms that lie behind them.
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Nizovtseva EV, Todolli S, Olson WK, Studitsky VM. Towards quantitative analysis of gene regulation by enhancers. Epigenomics 2017; 9:1219-1231. [PMID: 28799793 DOI: 10.2217/epi-2017-0061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhancers are regulatory DNA sequences that can activate transcription over large distances. Recent studies have revealed the widespread role of distant activation in eukaryotic gene regulation and in the development of various human diseases, including cancer. Here we review recent progress in the field, focusing on new experimental and computational approaches that quantify the role of chromatin structure and dynamics during enhancer-promoter interactions in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina V Nizovtseva
- Cancer Epigenetics Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, 333 Cottman Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19422, USA
| | - Stefjord Todolli
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Center for Quantitative Biology, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 610 Taylor Rd., Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Wilma K Olson
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Center for Quantitative Biology, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 610 Taylor Rd., Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Vasily M Studitsky
- Cancer Epigenetics Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, 333 Cottman Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19422, USA.,Biology Faculty, Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia.,Laboratory of Epigenetics, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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