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Singh S, Anderson N, Chu D, Roy SW. Nematode histone H2A variant evolution reveals diverse histories of retention and loss and evidence for conserved core-like variant histone genes. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300190. [PMID: 38814971 PMCID: PMC11139335 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300190] [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: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Histone variants are paralogs that replace canonical histones in nucleosomes, often imparting novel functions. However, how histone variants arise and evolve is poorly understood. Reconstruction of histone protein evolution is challenging due to large differences in evolutionary rates across gene lineages and sites. Here we used intron position data from 108 nematode genomes in combination with amino acid sequence data to find disparate evolutionary histories of the three H2A variants found in Caenorhabditis elegans: the ancient H2A.ZHTZ-1, the sperm-specific HTAS-1, and HIS-35, which differs from the canonical S-phase H2A by a single glycine-to-alanine C-terminal change. Although the H2A.ZHTZ-1 protein sequence is highly conserved, its gene exhibits recurrent intron gain and loss. This pattern suggests that specific intron sequences or positions may not be important to H2A.Z functionality. For HTAS-1 and HIS-35, we find variant-specific intron positions that are conserved across species. Patterns of intron position conservation indicate that the sperm-specific variant HTAS-1 arose more recently in the ancestor of a subset of Caenorhabditis species, while HIS-35 arose in the ancestor of Caenorhabditis and its sister group, including the genus Diploscapter. HIS-35 exhibits gene retention in some descendent lineages but gene loss in others, suggesting that histone variant use or functionality can be highly flexible. Surprisingly, we find the single amino acid differentiating HIS-35 from core H2A is ancestral and common across canonical Caenorhabditis H2A sequences. Thus, we speculate that the role of HIS-35 lies not in encoding a functionally distinct protein, but instead in enabling H2A expression across the cell cycle or in distinct tissues. This work illustrates how genes encoding such partially-redundant functions may be advantageous yet relatively replaceable over evolutionary timescales, consistent with the patchwork pattern of retention and loss of both genes. Our study shows the utility of intron positions for reconstructing evolutionary histories of gene families, particularly those undergoing idiosyncratic sequence evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swadha Singh
- Quantitative & Systems Biology, University of California, Merced, Merced, California, United States of America
| | - Noelle Anderson
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Diana Chu
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Scott W. Roy
- Quantitative & Systems Biology, University of California, Merced, Merced, California, United States of America
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, United States of America
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Kato-Inui T, Takahashi G, Ono T, Miyaoka Y. Fusion of histone variants to Cas9 suppresses non-homologous end joining. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0288578. [PMID: 38739603 PMCID: PMC11090291 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288578] [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: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
As a versatile genome editing tool, the CRISPR-Cas9 system induces DNA double-strand breaks at targeted sites to activate mainly two DNA repair pathways: HDR which allows precise editing via recombination with a homologous template DNA, and NHEJ which connects two ends of the broken DNA, which is often accompanied by random insertions and deletions. Therefore, how to enhance HDR while suppressing NHEJ is a key to successful applications that require precise genome editing. Histones are small proteins with a lot of basic amino acids that generate electrostatic affinity to DNA. Since H2A.X is involved in DNA repair processes, we fused H2A.X to Cas9 and found that this fusion protein could improve the HDR/NHEJ ratio by suppressing NHEJ. As various post-translational modifications of H2A.X play roles in the regulation of DNA repair, we also fused H2A.X mimicry variants to replicate these post-translational modifications including phosphorylation, methylation, and acetylation. However, none of them were effective to improve the HDR/NHEJ ratio. We further fused other histone variants to Cas9 and found that H2A.1 suppressed NHEJ better than H2A.X. Thus, the fusion of histone variants to Cas9 is a promising option to enhance precise genome editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoko Kato-Inui
- Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Regenerative Medicine Project, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Gou Takahashi
- Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Regenerative Medicine Project, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Terumi Ono
- Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Regenerative Medicine Project, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuichiro Miyaoka
- Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Regenerative Medicine Project, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan
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Espinoza Pereira KN, Shan J, Licht JD, Bennett RL. Histone mutations in cancer. Biochem Soc Trans 2023; 51:1749-1763. [PMID: 37721138 PMCID: PMC10657182 DOI: 10.1042/bst20210567] [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: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Genes encoding histone proteins are recurrently mutated in tumor samples, and these mutations may impact nucleosome stability, histone post-translational modification, or chromatin dynamics. The prevalence of histone mutations across diverse cancer types suggest that normal chromatin structure is a barrier to tumorigenesis. Oncohistone mutations disrupt chromatin structure and gene regulatory mechanisms, resulting in aberrant gene expression and the development of cancer phenotypes. Examples of oncohistones include the histone H3 K27M mutation found in pediatric brain cancers that blocks post-translational modification of the H3 N-terminal tail and the histone H2B E76K mutation found in some solid tumors that disrupts nucleosome stability. Oncohistones may comprise a limited fraction of the total histone pool yet cause global effects on chromatin structure and drive cancer phenotypes. Here, we survey histone mutations in cancer and review their function and role in tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jixiu Shan
- UF Health Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, U.S.A
| | - Jonathan D. Licht
- UF Health Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, U.S.A
| | - Richard L. Bennett
- UF Health Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, U.S.A
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Yang Z, Zhang S, Xia T, Fan Y, Shan Y, Zhang K, Xiong J, Gu M, You B. RNA Modifications Meet Tumors. Cancer Manag Res 2022; 14:3223-3243. [PMID: 36444355 PMCID: PMC9700476 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s391067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA modifications occur through the whole process of gene expression regulation, including transcription, translation, and post-translational processes. They are closely associated with gene expression, RNA stability, and cell cycle. RNA modifications in tumor cells play a vital role in tumor development and metastasis, changes in the tumor microenvironment, drug resistance in tumors, construction of tumor cell-cell "internet", etc. Several types of RNA modifications have been identified to date and have various effects on the biological characteristics of different tumors. In this review, we discussed the function of RNA modifications, including N 6-methyladenine (m6A), 5-methylcytosine (m5C), N 7-methyladenosine (m7G), N 1-methyladenosine (m1A), pseudouridine (Ψ), and adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I), in the microenvironment and therapy of solid and liquid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyuan Yang
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
- Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
| | - Siyu Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
- Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tian Xia
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
- Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yue Fan
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
- Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ying Shan
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
- Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
| | - Kaiwen Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
- Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiayan Xiong
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
- Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
| | - Miao Gu
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
- Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
| | - Bo You
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
- Institute of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, People’s Republic of China
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