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Mahat DB, Tippens ND, Martin-Rufino JD, Waterton SK, Fu J, Blatt SE, Sharp PA. Single-cell nascent RNA sequencing unveils coordinated global transcription. Nature 2024:10.1038/s41586-024-07517-7. [PMID: 38839954 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07517-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Transcription is the primary regulatory step in gene expression. Divergent transcription initiation from promoters and enhancers produces stable RNAs from genes and unstable RNAs from enhancers1,2. Nascent RNA capture and sequencing assays simultaneously measure gene and enhancer activity in cell populations3. However, fundamental questions about the temporal regulation of transcription and enhancer-gene coordination remain unanswered, primarily because of the absence of a single-cell perspective on active transcription. In this study, we present scGRO-seq-a new single-cell nascent RNA sequencing assay that uses click chemistry-and unveil coordinated transcription throughout the genome. We demonstrate the episodic nature of transcription and the co-transcription of functionally related genes. scGRO-seq can estimate burst size and frequency by directly quantifying transcribing RNA polymerases in individual cells and can leverage replication-dependent non-polyadenylated histone gene transcription to elucidate cell cycle dynamics. The single-nucleotide spatial and temporal resolution of scGRO-seq enables the identification of networks of enhancers and genes. Our results suggest that the bursting of transcription at super-enhancers precedes bursting from associated genes. By imparting insights into the dynamic nature of global transcription and the origin and propagation of transcription signals, we demonstrate the ability of scGRO-seq to investigate the mechanisms of transcription regulation and the role of enhancers in gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dig B Mahat
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nathaniel D Tippens
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Sean K Waterton
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jiayu Fu
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Graduate Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Sarah E Blatt
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Exact Sciences, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Phillip A Sharp
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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2
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Struhl K. Non-canonical functions of enhancers: regulation of RNA polymerase III transcription, DNA replication, and V(D)J recombination. Trends Genet 2024; 40:471-479. [PMID: 38643034 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2024.04.001] [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: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024]
Abstract
Enhancers are the key regulators of other DNA-based processes by virtue of their unique ability to generate nucleosome-depleted regions in a highly regulated manner. Enhancers regulate cell-type-specific transcription of tRNA genes by RNA polymerase III (Pol III). They are also responsible for the binding of the origin replication complex (ORC) to DNA replication origins, thereby regulating origin utilization, replication timing, and replication-dependent chromosome breaks. Additionally, enhancers regulate V(D)J recombination by increasing access of the recombination-activating gene (RAG) recombinase to target sites and by generating non-coding enhancer RNAs and localized regions of trimethylated histone H3-K4 recognized by the RAG2 PHD domain. Thus, enhancers represent the first step in decoding the genome, and hence they regulate biological processes that, unlike RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription, do not have dedicated regulatory proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Struhl
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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3
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Dong J, Scott TG, Mukherjee R, Guertin MJ. ZNF143 binds DNA and stimulates transcripstion initiation to activate and repress direct target genes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.13.594008. [PMID: 38798607 PMCID: PMC11118474 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.13.594008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Transcription factors bind to sequence motifs and act as activators or repressors. Transcription factors interface with a constellation of accessory cofactors to regulate distinct mechanistic steps to regulate transcription. We rapidly degraded the essential and ubiquitously expressed transcription factor ZNF143 to determine its function in the transcription cycle. ZNF143 facilitates RNA Polymerase initiation and activates gene expression. ZNF143 binds the promoter of nearly all its activated target genes. ZNF143 also binds near the site of genic transcription initiation to directly repress a subset of genes. Although ZNF143 stimulates initiation at ZNF143-repressed genes (i.e. those that increase expression upon ZNF143 depletion), the molecular context of binding leads to cis repression. ZNF143 competes with other more efficient activators for promoter access, physically occludes transcription initiation sites and promoter-proximal sequence elements, and acts as a molecular roadblock to RNA Polymerases during early elongation. The term context specific is often invoked to describe transcription factors that have both activation and repression functions. We define the context and molecular mechanisms of ZNF143-mediated cis activation and repression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinhong Dong
- Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling, University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Thomas G Scott
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Rudradeep Mukherjee
- Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling, University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Michael J Guertin
- Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling, University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, United States of America
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, United States of America
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4
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McShane A, Narayanan IV, Paulsen MT, Ashaka M, Blinkiewicz H, Yang NT, Magnuson B, Bedi K, Wilson TE, Ljungman M. Characterizing nascent transcription patterns of PROMPTs, eRNAs, and readthrough transcripts in the ENCODE4 deeply profiled cell lines. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.09.588612. [PMID: 38645116 PMCID: PMC11030308 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.09.588612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Arising as co-products of canonical gene expression, transcription-associated lincRNAs, such as promoter upstream transcripts (PROMPTs), enhancer RNAs (eRNAs), and readthrough (RT) transcripts, are often regarded as byproducts of transcription, although they may be important for the expression of nearby genes. We identified regions of nascent expression of these lincRNA in 16 human cell lines using Bru-seq techniques, and found distinctly regulated patterns of PROMPT, eRNA, and RT transcription using the diverse biochemical approaches in the ENCODE4 deeply profiled cell lines collection. Transcription of these lincRNAs was influenced by sequence-specific features and the local or 3D chromatin landscape. However, these sequence and chromatin features do not describe the full spectrum of lincRNA expression variability we identify, highlighting the complexity of their regulation. This may suggest that transcription-associated lincRNAs are not merely byproducts, but rather that the transcript itself, or the act of its transcription, is important for genomic function.
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5
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Paterson AH, Queitsch C. Genome organization and botanical diversity. THE PLANT CELL 2024; 36:1186-1204. [PMID: 38382084 PMCID: PMC11062460 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koae045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
The rich diversity of angiosperms, both the planet's dominant flora and the cornerstone of agriculture, is integrally intertwined with a distinctive evolutionary history. Here, we explore the interplay between angiosperm genome organization and botanical diversity, empowered by genomic approaches ranging from genetic linkage mapping to analysis of gene regulation. Commonality in the genetic hardware of plants has enabled robust comparative genomics that has provided a broad picture of angiosperm evolution and implicated both general processes and specific elements in contributing to botanical diversity. We argue that the hardware of plant genomes-both in content and in dynamics-has been shaped by selection for rather substantial differences in gene regulation between plants and animals such as maize and human, organisms of comparable genome size and gene number. Their distinctive genome content and dynamics may reflect in part the indeterminate development of plants that puts strikingly different demands on gene regulation than in animals. Repeated polyploidization of plant genomes and multiplication of individual genes together with extensive rearrangement and differential retention provide rich raw material for selection of morphological and/or physiological variations conferring fitness in specific niches, whether natural or artificial. These findings exemplify the burgeoning information available to employ in increasing knowledge of plant biology and in modifying selected plants to better meet human needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew H Paterson
- Plant Genome Mapping Laboratory, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Christine Queitsch
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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6
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Dudnyk K, Cai D, Shi C, Xu J, Zhou J. Sequence basis of transcription initiation in the human genome. Science 2024; 384:eadj0116. [PMID: 38662817 DOI: 10.1126/science.adj0116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Transcription initiation is a process that is essential to ensuring the proper function of any gene, yet we still lack a unified understanding of sequence patterns and rules that explain most transcription start sites in the human genome. By predicting transcription initiation at base-pair resolution from sequences with a deep learning-inspired explainable model called Puffin, we show that a small set of simple rules can explain transcription initiation at most human promoters. We identify key sequence patterns that contribute to human promoter activity, each activating transcription with distinct position-specific effects. Furthermore, we explain the sequence basis of bidirectional transcription at promoters, identify the links between promoter sequence and gene expression variation across cell types, and explore the conservation of sequence determinants of transcription initiation across mammalian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kseniia Dudnyk
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Donghong Cai
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Center of Excellence for Leukemia Studies (CELS), Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Chenlai Shi
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Jian Xu
- Center of Excellence for Leukemia Studies (CELS), Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jian Zhou
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
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7
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Peralta-Alvarez CA, Núñez-Martínez HN, Cerecedo-Castillo ÁJ, Poot-Hernández AC, Tapia-Urzúa G, Garza-Manero S, Guerrero G, Recillas-Targa F. A Bidirectional Non-Coding RNA Promoter Mediates Long-Range Gene Expression Regulation. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:549. [PMID: 38790178 PMCID: PMC11120797 DOI: 10.3390/genes15050549] [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: 03/21/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that human gene promoters display gene expression regulatory mechanisms beyond the typical single gene local transcription modulation. In mammalian genomes, genes with an associated bidirectional promoter are abundant; bidirectional promoter architecture serves as a regulatory hub for a gene pair expression. However, it has been suggested that its contribution to transcriptional regulation might exceed local transcription initiation modulation. Despite their abundance, the functional consequences of bidirectional promoter architecture remain largely unexplored. This work studies the long-range gene expression regulatory role of a long non-coding RNA gene promoter using chromosome conformation capture methods. We found that this particular bidirectional promoter contributes to distal gene expression regulation in a target-specific manner by establishing promoter-promoter interactions. In particular, we validated that the promoter-promoter interactions of this regulatory element with the promoter of distal gene BBX contribute to modulating the transcription rate of this gene; removing the bidirectional promoter from its genomic context leads to a rearrangement of BBX promoter-enhancer interactions and to increased gene expression. Moreover, long-range regulatory functionality is not directly dependent on its associated non-coding gene pair expression levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Alberto Peralta-Alvarez
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Departaménto de Genética Molecular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico; (C.A.P.-A.); (H.N.N.-M.)
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Unidad de Bioinformática y Manejo de la Información, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Hober Nelson Núñez-Martínez
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Departaménto de Genética Molecular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico; (C.A.P.-A.); (H.N.N.-M.)
| | - Ángel Josué Cerecedo-Castillo
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Departaménto de Genética Molecular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico; (C.A.P.-A.); (H.N.N.-M.)
| | - Augusto César Poot-Hernández
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Unidad de Bioinformática y Manejo de la Información, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Gustavo Tapia-Urzúa
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Departaménto de Genética Molecular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico; (C.A.P.-A.); (H.N.N.-M.)
| | - Sylvia Garza-Manero
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Departaménto de Genética Molecular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico; (C.A.P.-A.); (H.N.N.-M.)
| | - Georgina Guerrero
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Departaménto de Genética Molecular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico; (C.A.P.-A.); (H.N.N.-M.)
| | - Félix Recillas-Targa
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Departaménto de Genética Molecular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico; (C.A.P.-A.); (H.N.N.-M.)
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8
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Yang J, Li J, Miao L, Gao X, Sun W, Linghu S, Ren G, Peng B, Chen S, Liu Z, Wang B, Dong A, Huang D, Yuan J, Dang Y, Lai F. Transcription directionality is licensed by Integrator at active human promoters. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2024:10.1038/s41594-024-01272-z. [PMID: 38649617 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-024-01272-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
A universal characteristic of eukaryotic transcription is that the promoter recruits RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) to produce both precursor mRNAs (pre-mRNAs) and short unstable promoter upstream transcripts (PROMPTs) toward the opposite direction. However, how the transcription machinery selects the correct direction to produce pre-mRNAs is largely unknown. Here, through multiple acute auxin-inducible degradation systems, we show that rapid depletion of an RNAPII-binding protein complex, Integrator, results in robust PROMPT accumulation throughout the genome. Interestingly, the accumulation of PROMPTs is compensated by the reduction of pre-mRNA transcripts in actively transcribed genes. Consistently, Integrator depletion alters the distribution of polymerase between the sense and antisense directions, which is marked by increased RNAPII-carboxy-terminal domain Tyr1 phosphorylation at PROMPT regions and a reduced Ser2 phosphorylation level at transcription start sites. Mechanistically, the endonuclease activity of Integrator is critical to suppress PROMPT production. Furthermore, our data indicate that the presence of U1 binding sites on nascent transcripts could counteract the cleavage activity of Integrator. In this process, the absence of robust U1 signal at most PROMPTs allows Integrator to suppress the antisense transcription and shift the transcriptional balance in favor of the sense direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Yang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
- Southwest United Graduate School, Kunming, China
| | - Jingyang Li
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Langxi Miao
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Xu Gao
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Wenhao Sun
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Shuo Linghu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Guiping Ren
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Bangya Peng
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Shunkai Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Zhongqi Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Ao Dong
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Duo Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Jinrong Yuan
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Yunkun Dang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
| | - Fan Lai
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Center for Life Science, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Cell Metabolism and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
- Southwest United Graduate School, Kunming, China.
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9
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He AY, Danko CG. Dissection of core promoter syntax through single nucleotide resolution modeling of transcription initiation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.13.583868. [PMID: 38559255 PMCID: PMC10979970 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.13.583868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Our understanding of how the DNA sequences of cis-regulatory elements encode transcription initiation patterns remains limited. Here we introduce CLIPNET, a deep learning model trained on population-scale PRO-cap data that accurately predicts the position and quantity of transcription initiation with single nucleotide resolution from DNA sequence. Interpretation of CLIPNET revealed a complex regulatory syntax consisting of DNA-protein interactions in five major positions between -200 and +50 bp relative to the transcription start site, as well as more subtle positional preferences among different transcriptional activators. Transcriptional activator and core promoter motifs occupy different positions and play distinct roles in regulating initiation, with the former driving initiation quantity and the latter initiation position. We identified core promoter motifs that explain initiation patterns in the majority of promoters and enhancers, including DPR motifs and AT-rich TBP binding sequences in TATA-less promoters. Our results provide insights into the sequence architecture governing transcription initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Y. He
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University
- Graduate Field of Computational Biology, Cornell University
| | - Charles G. Danko
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University
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10
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Jones T, Sigauke RF, Sanford L, Taatjes DJ, Allen MA, Dowell RD. A transcription factor (TF) inference method that broadly measures TF activity and identifies mechanistically distinct TF networks. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.15.585303. [PMID: 38559193 PMCID: PMC10980006 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.15.585303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
TF profiler is a method of inferring transcription factor regulatory activity, i.e. when a TF is present and actively regulating transcription, directly directly from nascent sequencing assays such as PRO-seq and GRO-seq. Transcription factors orchestrate transcription and play a critical role in cellular maintenance, identity and response to external stimuli. While ChIP assays have measured DNA localization, they fall short of identifying when and where transcription factors are actively regulating transcription. Our method, on the other hand, uses RNA polymerase activity to infer TF activity across hundreds of data sets and transcription factors. Based on these classifications we identify three distinct classes of transcription factors: ubiquitous factors that play roles in cellular homeostasis, driving basal gene programs across tissues and cell types, tissue specific factors that act almost exclusively at enhancers and are themselves regulated at transcription, and stimulus responsive TFs which are regulated post-transcriptionally but act predominantly at enhancers. TF profiler is broadly applicable, providing regulatory insights on any PRO-seq sample for any transcription factor with a known binding motif.
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11
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Adato O, Sloutskin A, Komemi H, Brabb I, Duttke S, Bucher P, Unger R, Juven-Gershon T. ElemeNT 2023: an enhanced tool for detection and curation of core promoter elements. Bioinformatics 2024; 40:btae110. [PMID: 38407414 PMCID: PMC10950481 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btae110] [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: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION Prediction and identification of core promoter elements and transcription factor binding sites is essential for understanding the mechanism of transcription initiation and deciphering the biological activity of a specific locus. Thus, there is a need for an up-to-date tool to detect and curate core promoter elements/motifs in any provided nucleotide sequences. RESULTS Here, we introduce ElemeNT 2023-a new and enhanced version of the Elements Navigation Tool, which provides novel capabilities for assessing evolutionary conservation and for readily evaluating the quality of high-throughput transcription start site (TSS) datasets, leveraging preferential motif positioning. ElemeNT 2023 is accessible both as a fast web-based tool and via command line (no coding skills are required to run the tool). While this tool is focused on core promoter elements, it can also be used for searching any user-defined motif, including sequence-specific DNA binding sites. Furthermore, ElemeNT's CORE database, which contains predicted core promoter elements around annotated TSSs, is now expanded to cover 10 species, ranging from worms to human. In this applications note, we describe the new workflow and demonstrate a case study using ElemeNT 2023 for core promoter composition analysis of diverse species, revealing motif prevalence and highlighting evolutionary insights. We discuss how this tool facilitates the exploration of uncharted transcriptomic data, appraises TSS quality, and aids in designing synthetic promoters for gene expression optimization. Taken together, ElemeNT 2023 empowers researchers with comprehensive tools for meticulous analysis of sequence elements and gene expression strategies. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION ElemeNT 2023 is freely available at https://www.juven-gershonlab.org/resources/element-v2023/. The source code and command line version of ElemeNT 2023 are available at https://github.com/OritAdato/ElemeNT. No coding skills are required to run the tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orit Adato
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Anna Sloutskin
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Hodaya Komemi
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Ian Brabb
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, United States
| | - Sascha Duttke
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, United States
| | - Philipp Bucher
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ron Unger
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Tamar Juven-Gershon
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel
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12
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Li X, Zeng S, Chen L, Zhang Y, Li X, Zhang B, Su D, Du Q, Zhang J, Wang H, Zhong Z, Zhang J, Li P, Jiang A, Long K, Li M, Ge L. An intronic enhancer of Cebpa regulates adipocyte differentiation and adipose tissue development via long-range loop formation. Cell Prolif 2024; 57:e13552. [PMID: 37905345 PMCID: PMC10905358 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.13552] [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: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cebpa is a master transcription factor gene for adipogenesis. However, the mechanisms of enhancer-promoter chromatin interactions controlling Cebpa transcriptional regulation during adipogenic differentiation remain largely unknown. To reveal how the three-dimensional structure of Cebpa changes during adipogenesis, we generated high-resolution chromatin interactions of Cebpa in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and 3T3-L1 adipocytes using circularized chromosome conformation capture sequencing (4C-seq). We revealed dramatic changes in chromatin interactions and chromatin status at interaction sites during adipogenic differentiation. Based on this, we identified five active enhancers of Cebpa in 3T3-L1 adipocytes through epigenomic data and luciferase reporter assays. Next, epigenetic repression of Cebpa-L1-AD-En2 or -En3 by the dCas9-KRAB system significantly down-regulated Cebpa expression and inhibited adipocyte differentiation. Furthermore, experimental depletion of cohesin decreased the interaction intensity between Cebpa-L1-AD-En2 and the Cebpa promoter and down-regulated Cebpa expression, indicating that long-range chromatin loop formation was mediated by cohesin. Two transcription factors, RXRA and PPARG, synergistically regulate the activity of Cebpa-L1-AD-En2. To test whether Cebpa-L1-AD-En2 plays a role in adipose tissue development, we injected dCas9-KRAB-En2 lentivirus into the inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT) of mice to suppress the activity of Cebpa-L1-AD-En2. Repression of Cebpa-L1-AD-En2 significantly decreased Cebpa expression and adipocyte size, altered iWAT transcriptome, and affected iWAT development. We identified functional enhancers regulating Cebpa expression and clarified the crucial roles of Cebpa-L1-AD-En2 and Cebpa promoter interaction in adipocyte differentiation and adipose tissue development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaokai Li
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding IndustrySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
- Livestock and Poultry Multi‐omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and TechnologySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
| | - Sha Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding IndustrySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
- Livestock and Poultry Multi‐omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and TechnologySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
| | - Li Chen
- Chongqing Academy of Animal SciencesChongqingChina
- National Center of Technology Innovation for PigsChongqingChina
- Key Laboratory of Pig Industry ScienceMinistry of AgricultureChongqingChina
| | - Yu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding IndustrySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
- Livestock and Poultry Multi‐omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and TechnologySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
| | - Xuemin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding IndustrySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
- Livestock and Poultry Multi‐omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and TechnologySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
| | - Biwei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding IndustrySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
- Livestock and Poultry Multi‐omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and TechnologySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
| | - Duo Su
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding IndustrySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
- Livestock and Poultry Multi‐omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and TechnologySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
| | - Qinjiao Du
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding IndustrySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
- Livestock and Poultry Multi‐omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and TechnologySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
| | - Jiaman Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding IndustrySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
- Livestock and Poultry Multi‐omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and TechnologySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
| | - Haoming Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding IndustrySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
- Livestock and Poultry Multi‐omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and TechnologySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
| | - Zhining Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding IndustrySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
- Livestock and Poultry Multi‐omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and TechnologySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
| | - Jinwei Zhang
- Chongqing Academy of Animal SciencesChongqingChina
- National Center of Technology Innovation for PigsChongqingChina
- Key Laboratory of Pig Industry ScienceMinistry of AgricultureChongqingChina
| | - Penghao Li
- Jinxin Research Institute for Reproductive Medicine and GeneticsSichuan Jinxin Xi'nan Women's and Children's HospitalChengduChina
| | - Anan Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding IndustrySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
- Livestock and Poultry Multi‐omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and TechnologySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
| | - Keren Long
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding IndustrySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
- Livestock and Poultry Multi‐omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and TechnologySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
- Chongqing Academy of Animal SciencesChongqingChina
| | - Mingzhou Li
- State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding IndustrySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
- Livestock and Poultry Multi‐omics Key Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and TechnologySichuan Agricultural UniversityChengduChina
| | - Liangpeng Ge
- Chongqing Academy of Animal SciencesChongqingChina
- National Center of Technology Innovation for PigsChongqingChina
- Key Laboratory of Pig Industry ScienceMinistry of AgricultureChongqingChina
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13
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Dong P, Voloudakis G, Fullard JF, Hoffman GE, Roussos P. Convergence of the dysregulated regulome in schizophrenia with polygenic risk and evolutionarily constrained enhancers. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:782-792. [PMID: 38145985 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02370-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Enhancers play an essential role in the etiology of schizophrenia; however, the dysregulation of enhancer activity and its impact on the regulome in schizophrenia remains understudied. To address this gap in our knowledge, we assessed enhancer and gene expression in 1,382 brain samples comprising cases with schizophrenia and unaffected controls. Dysregulation of enhancer expression was concordant with changes in gene expression, and was more closely associated with schizophrenia polygenic risk, suggesting that enhancer dysregulation is proximal to the genetic etiology of the disease. Modeling the shared variance of cis-coordinated genes and enhancers revealed a gene regulatory program that was highly associated with genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia. By integrating coordinated factors with evolutionary constraints, we found that enhancers acquired during human evolution are more likely to regulate genes that are implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders and, thus, hold potential as therapeutic targets. Our analysis provides a systematic view of regulome dysregulation in schizophrenia and highlights its convergence with schizophrenia polygenic risk and human-gained enhancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Dong
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
| | - Georgios Voloudakis
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA
- Center for Precision Medicine and Translational Therapeutics, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA
| | - John F Fullard
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Gabriel E Hoffman
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Panos Roussos
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA.
- Center for Precision Medicine and Translational Therapeutics, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA.
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14
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Kelly RDW, Stengel KR, Chandru A, Johnson LC, Hiebert SW, Cowley SM. Histone deacetylases maintain expression of the pluripotent gene network via recruitment of RNA polymerase II to coding and noncoding loci. Genome Res 2024; 34:34-46. [PMID: 38290976 PMCID: PMC10903948 DOI: 10.1101/gr.278050.123] [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: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Histone acetylation is a dynamic modification regulated by the opposing actions of histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs). Deacetylation of histone tails results in chromatin tightening, and therefore, HDACs are generally regarded as transcriptional repressors. Counterintuitively, simultaneous deletion of Hdac1 and Hdac2 in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) reduces expression of the pluripotency-associated transcription factors Pou5f1, Sox2, and Nanog (PSN). By shaping global histone acetylation patterns, HDACs indirectly regulate the activity of acetyl-lysine readers, such as the transcriptional activator BRD4. Here, we use inhibitors of HDACs and BRD4 (LBH589 and JQ1, respectively) in combination with precision nuclear run-on and sequencing (PRO-seq) to examine their roles in defining the ESC transcriptome. Both LBH589 and JQ1 cause a marked reduction in the pluripotent gene network. However, although JQ1 treatment induces widespread transcriptional pausing, HDAC inhibition causes a reduction in both paused and elongating polymerase, suggesting an overall reduction in polymerase recruitment. Using enhancer RNA (eRNA) expression to measure enhancer activity, we find that LBH589-sensitive eRNAs are preferentially associated with superenhancers and PSN binding sites. These findings suggest that HDAC activity is required to maintain pluripotency by regulating the PSN enhancer network via the recruitment of RNA polymerase II.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard D W Kelly
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Henry Wellcome Building, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 9HN, United Kingdom
| | - Kristy R Stengel
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus, Bronx, New York 10461, USA
| | - Aditya Chandru
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1BD, United Kingdom
| | - Lyndsey C Johnson
- Locate Bio Limited, MediCity, Beeston, Nottingham NG90 6BH, United Kingdom
| | - Scott W Hiebert
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Shaun M Cowley
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Henry Wellcome Building, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 9HN, United Kingdom;
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15
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Liu X, Gillis N, Jiang C, McCofie A, Shaw TI, Tan AC, Zhao B, Wan L, Duckett DR, Teng M. An Epigenomic fingerprint of human cancers by landscape interrogation of super enhancers at the constituent level. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1011873. [PMID: 38335222 PMCID: PMC10883583 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011873] [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: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Super enhancers (SE), large genomic elements that activate transcription and drive cell identity, have been found with cancer-specific gene regulation in human cancers. Recent studies reported the importance of understanding the cooperation and function of SE internal components, i.e., the constituent enhancers (CE). However, there are no pan-cancer studies to identify cancer-specific SE signatures at the constituent level. Here, by revisiting pan-cancer SE activities with H3K27Ac ChIP-seq datasets, we report fingerprint SE signatures for 28 cancer types in the NCI-60 cell panel. We implement a mixture model to discriminate active CEs from inactive CEs by taking into consideration ChIP-seq variabilities between cancer samples and across CEs. We demonstrate that the model-based estimation of CE states provides improved functional interpretation of SE-associated regulation. We identify cancer-specific CEs by balancing their active prevalence with their capability of encoding cancer type identities. We further demonstrate that cancer-specific CEs have the strongest per-base enhancer activities in independent enhancer sequencing assays, suggesting their importance in understanding critical SE signatures. We summarize fingerprint SEs based on the cancer-specific statuses of their component CEs and build an easy-to-use R package to facilitate the query, exploration, and visualization of fingerprint SEs across cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Liu
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Nancy Gillis
- Department of Cancer Epidemiology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Chang Jiang
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Anthony McCofie
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Timothy I Shaw
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Aik-Choon Tan
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Bo Zhao
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Lixin Wan
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Derek R Duckett
- Department of Drug Discovery, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Mingxiang Teng
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
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16
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Luna-Arias JP, Castro-Muñozledo F. Participation of the TBP-associated factors (TAFs) in cell differentiation. J Cell Physiol 2024; 239:e31167. [PMID: 38126142 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.31167] [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: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
The understanding of the mechanisms that regulate gene expression to establish differentiation programs and determine cell lineages, is one of the major challenges in Developmental Biology. Besides the participation of tissue-specific transcription factors and epigenetic processes, the role of general transcription factors has been ignored. Only in recent years, there have been scarce studies that address this issue. Here, we review the studies on the biological activity of some TATA-box binding protein (TBP)-associated factors (TAFs) during the proliferation of stem/progenitor cells and their involvement in cell differentiation. Particularly, the accumulated evidence suggests that TAF4, TAF4b, TAF7L, TAF8, TAF9, and TAF10, among others, participate in nervous system development, adipogenesis, myogenesis, and epidermal differentiation; while TAF1, TAF7, TAF15 may be involved in the regulation of stem cell proliferative abilities and cell cycle progression. On the other hand, evidence suggests that TBP variants such as TBPL1 and TBPL2 might be regulating some developmental processes such as germ cell maturation and differentiation, myogenesis, or ventral specification during development. Our analysis shows that it is necessary to study in greater depth the biological function of these factors and its participation in the assembly of specific transcription complexes that contribute to the differential gene expression that gives rise to the great diversity of cell types existing in an organism. The understanding of TAFs' regulation might lead to the development of new therapies for patients which suffer from mutations, alterations, and dysregulation of these essential elements of the transcriptional machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Pedro Luna-Arias
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, México City, Mexico
| | - Federico Castro-Muñozledo
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, México City, Mexico
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17
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Gu X, Wang M, Zhang XO. TE-TSS: an integrated data resource of human and mouse transposable element (TE)-derived transcription start site (TSS). Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:D322-D333. [PMID: 37956335 PMCID: PMC10767810 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1048] [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: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are abundant in the genome and serve as crucial regulatory elements. Some TEs function as epigenetically regulated promoters, and these TE-derived transcription start sites (TSSs) play a crucial role in regulating genes associated with specific functions, such as cancer and embryogenesis. However, the lack of an accessible database that systematically gathers TE-derived TSS data is a current research gap. To address this, we established TE-TSS, an integrated data resource of human and mouse TE-derived TSSs (http://xozhanglab.com/TETSS). TE-TSS has compiled 2681 RNA sequencing datasets, spanning various tissues, cell lines and developmental stages. From these, we identified 5768 human TE-derived TSSs and 2797 mouse TE-derived TSSs, with 47% and 38% being experimentally validated, respectively. TE-TSS enables comprehensive exploration of TSS usage in diverse samples, providing insights into tissue-specific gene expression patterns and transcriptional regulatory elements. Furthermore, TE-TSS compares TE-derived TSS regions across 15 mammalian species, enhancing our understanding of their evolutionary and functional aspects. The establishment of TE-TSS facilitates further investigations into the roles of TEs in shaping the transcriptomic landscape and offers valuable resources for comprehending their involvement in diverse biological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobing Gu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Mingdong Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xiao-Ou Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
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18
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Liu L, Zhao Y, Siepel A. DNA-sequence and epigenomic determinants of local rates of transcription elongation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.21.572932. [PMID: 38187771 PMCID: PMC10769381 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.21.572932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Across all branches of life, transcription elongation is a crucial, regulated phase in gene expression. Many recent studies in eukaryotes have focused on the regulation of promoter-proximal pausing of RNA Polymerase II (Pol II), but rates of productive elongation also vary substantially throughout the gene body, both within and across genes. Here, we introduce a probabilistic model for systematically evaluating potential determinants of the local elongation rate based on nascent RNA sequencing (NRS) data. Our model is derived from a unified model for both the kinetics of Pol II movement along the DNA template and the generation of NRS read counts at steady state. It allows for a continuously variable elongation rate along the gene body, with the rate at each nucleotide defined by a generalized linear relationship with nearby genomic and epigenomic features. High-dimensional feature vectors are accommodated through a sparse-regression extension. We show with simulations that the model allows accurate detection of associated features and accurate prediction of local elongation rates. In an analysis of public PRO-seq and epigenomic data, we identify several features that are strongly associated with reductions in the local elongation rate, including DNA methylation, splice sites, RNA stem-loops, CTCF binding sites, and several histone marks, including H3K36me3 and H4K20me1. By contrast, low-complexity sequences and H3K79me2 marks are associated with increases in elongation rate. In an analysis of DNA k -mers, we find that cytosine nucleotides are strongly associated with reductions in local elongation rate, particularly when preceded by guanines and followed by adenines or thymines. Increases in elongation rate are associated with thymines and A+T-rich k -mers. These associations are generally shared across cell types, and by considering them our model is effective at predicting features of held-out PRO-seq data. Overall, our analysis is the first to permit genome-wide predictions of relative nucleotide-specific elongation rates based on complex sets of genomic and epigenomic covariates. We have made predictions available for the K562, CD14+, MCF-7, and HeLa-S3 cell types in a UCSC Genome Browser track.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingjie Liu
- Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY
- Graduate Program in Genetics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
| | - Yixin Zhao
- Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY
| | - Adam Siepel
- Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY
- Graduate Program in Genetics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
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19
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Xu DM, He S, Liang XF, Wu JQ, Wang QL, Jia XD. Regulatory effect of NK homeobox 1 (NKX2.1) on melanocortin 4 receptor (Mc4r) promoter in Mandarin fish. J Cell Physiol 2023; 238:2867-2878. [PMID: 37850660 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.31139] [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: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
The melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) is a G protein-coupled transporter that mediates the regulation of thyroid hormones and leptin on energy balance and food intake. However, the mechanisms of transcriptional regulation of Mc4r by thyroid hormone and leptin in fish have been rarely reported. The messenger RNA expression of Mc4r gene was significantly higher in brain than those in other tissues of mandarin fish. We analyzed the structure and function of a 2029 bp sequence of Mc4r promoter. Meanwhile, overexpression of NKX2.1 and incubation with leptin significantly increased Mc4r promoter activity, but triiodothyronine showed the opposite effect. In addition, mutations in the NKX2.1 binding site abolished not only the activation of Mc4r promoter activity by leptin but also the inhibitory effect of thyroid hormones on Mc4r promoter activity. In summary, these results suggested that thyroid hormones and leptin might regulate the transcriptional expression of Mc4r through NKX2.1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di-Mei Xu
- College of Fisheries, Chinese Perch Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, China
| | - Shan He
- College of Fisheries, Chinese Perch Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, China
| | - Xu-Fang Liang
- College of Fisheries, Chinese Perch Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, China
| | - Jia-Qi Wu
- College of Fisheries, Chinese Perch Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, China
| | - Qiu-Ling Wang
- College of Fisheries, Chinese Perch Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiao-Dan Jia
- College of Fisheries, Chinese Perch Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, China
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20
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Chen Y, Paramo MI, Zhang Y, Yao L, Shah SR, Jin Y, Zhang J, Pan X, Yu H. Finding Needles in the Haystack: Strategies for Uncovering Noncoding Regulatory Variants. Annu Rev Genet 2023; 57:201-222. [PMID: 37562413 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-030723-120717] [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] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Despite accumulating evidence implicating noncoding variants in human diseases, unraveling their functionality remains a significant challenge. Systematic annotations of the regulatory landscape and the growth of sequence variant data sets have fueled the development of tools and methods to identify causal noncoding variants and evaluate their regulatory effects. Here, we review the latest advances in the field and discuss potential future research avenues to gain a more in-depth understanding of noncoding regulatory variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- You Chen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA;
| | - Mauricio I Paramo
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA;
| | - Yingying Zhang
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA;
| | - Li Yao
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA;
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Sagar R Shah
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA;
| | - Yiyang Jin
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA;
| | - Junke Zhang
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA;
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Xiuqi Pan
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA;
| | - Haiyuan Yu
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA;
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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21
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Martin BJE, Ablondi EF, Goglia C, Mimoso CA, Espinel-Cabrera PR, Adelman K. Global identification of SWI/SNF targets reveals compensation by EP400. Cell 2023; 186:5290-5307.e26. [PMID: 37922899 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes move and evict nucleosomes at gene promoters and enhancers to modulate DNA access. Although SWI/SNF subunits are commonly mutated in disease, therapeutic options are limited by our inability to predict SWI/SNF gene targets and conflicting studies on functional significance. Here, we leverage a fast-acting inhibitor of SWI/SNF remodeling to elucidate direct targets and effects of SWI/SNF. Blocking SWI/SNF activity causes a rapid and global loss of chromatin accessibility and transcription. Whereas repression persists at most enhancers, we uncover a compensatory role for the EP400/TIP60 remodeler, which reestablishes accessibility at most promoters during prolonged loss of SWI/SNF. Indeed, we observe synthetic lethality between EP400 and SWI/SNF in cancer cell lines and human cancer patient data. Our data define a set of molecular genomic features that accurately predict gene sensitivity to SWI/SNF inhibition in diverse cancer cell lines, thereby improving the therapeutic potential of SWI/SNF inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J E Martin
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Ludwig Center at Harvard, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Eileen F Ablondi
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Christine Goglia
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Claudia A Mimoso
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Piero R Espinel-Cabrera
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Karen Adelman
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Ludwig Center at Harvard, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
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22
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Lu Y, Lee J, Li J, Allu SR, Wang J, Kim H, Bullaughey KL, Fisher SA, Nordgren CE, Rosario JG, Anderson SA, Ulyanova AV, Brem S, Chen HI, Wolf JA, Grady MS, Vinogradov SA, Kim J, Eberwine J. CHEX-seq detects single-cell genomic single-stranded DNA with catalytical potential. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7346. [PMID: 37963886 PMCID: PMC10645931 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43158-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Genomic DNA (gDNA) undergoes structural interconversion between single- and double-stranded states during transcription, DNA repair and replication, which is critical for cellular homeostasis. We describe "CHEX-seq" which identifies the single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) in situ in individual cells. CHEX-seq uses 3'-terminal blocked, light-activatable probes to prime the copying of ssDNA into complementary DNA that is sequenced, thereby reporting the genome-wide single-stranded chromatin landscape. CHEX-seq is benchmarked in human K562 cells, and its utilities are demonstrated in cultures of mouse and human brain cells as well as immunostained spatially localized neurons in brain sections. The amount of ssDNA is dynamically regulated in response to perturbation. CHEX-seq also identifies single-stranded regions of mitochondrial DNA in single cells. Surprisingly, CHEX-seq identifies single-stranded loci in mouse and human gDNA that catalyze porphyrin metalation in vitro, suggesting a catalytic activity for genomic ssDNA. We posit that endogenous DNA enzymatic activity is a function of genomic ssDNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youtao Lu
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Jaehee Lee
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Jifen Li
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Srinivasa Rao Allu
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Jinhui Wang
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - HyunBum Kim
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Kevin L Bullaughey
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Stephen A Fisher
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - C Erik Nordgren
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Jean G Rosario
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Stewart A Anderson
- Department of Psychiatry, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, ARC 517, 3615 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Alexandra V Ulyanova
- Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Steven Brem
- Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - H Isaac Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - John A Wolf
- Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - M Sean Grady
- Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Sergei A Vinogradov
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Junhyong Kim
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - James Eberwine
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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23
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Stepankiw N, Yang AWH, Hughes TR. The human genome contains over a million autonomous exons. Genome Res 2023; 33:gr.277792.123. [PMID: 37945377 PMCID: PMC10760453 DOI: 10.1101/gr.277792.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian mRNA and lncRNA exons are often small compared to introns. The exon definition model predicts that exons splice autonomously, dependent on proximal exon sequence features, explaining their delineation within large introns. This model has not been examined on a genome-wide scale, however, leaving open the question of how often mRNA and lncRNA exons are autonomous. It is also unknown how frequently such exons can arise by chance. Here, we directly assayed large fragments (500-1000 bp) of the human genome by exon trapping, which detects exons spliced into a heterologous transgene, here designed with a large intron context. We define the trapped exons as "autonomous." We obtained ∼1.25 million trapped exons, including most known mRNA and well-annotated lncRNA internal exons, demonstrating that human exons are predominantly autonomous. mRNA exons are trapped with the highest efficiency. Nearly a million of the trapped exons are unannotated, most located in intergenic regions and antisense to mRNA, with depletion from the forward strand of introns. These exons are not conserved, suggesting they are nonfunctional and arose from random mutations. They are nonetheless highly enriched with known splicing promoting sequence features that delineate known exons. Novel autonomous exons are more numerous than annotated lncRNA exons, and computational models also indicate they will occur with similar frequency in any randomly generated sequence. These results show that most human coding exons splice autonomously, and provide an explanation for the existence of many unconserved lncRNAs, as well as a new annotation and inclusion levels of spliceable loci in the human genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Stepankiw
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3E1
| | - Ally W H Yang
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3E1
| | - Timothy R Hughes
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3E1;
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
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24
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Lee SA, Kristjánsdóttir K, Kwak H. eRNA co-expression network uncovers TF dependency and convergent cooperativity. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19085. [PMID: 37925545 PMCID: PMC10625640 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46415-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) are non-coding RNAs produced by transcriptional enhancers that are highly correlated with their activity. Using a capped nascent RNA sequencing (PRO-cap) dataset in human lymphoblastoid cell lines across 67 individuals, we identified inter-individual variation in the expression of over 80 thousand transcribed transcriptional regulatory elements (tTREs), in both enhancers and promoters. Co-expression analysis of eRNAs from tTREs across individuals revealed how enhancers are associated with each other and with promoters. Mid- to long-range co-expression showed a distance-dependent decay that was modified by TF occupancy. In particular, we found a class of "bivalent" TFs, including Cohesin, that both facilitate and isolate the interaction between enhancers and/or promoters, depending on their topology. At short distances, we observed strand-specific correlations between nearby eRNAs in both convergent and divergent orientations. Our results support a cooperative model of convergent eRNAs, consistent with eRNAs facilitating adjacent enhancers rather than interfering with each other. Therefore, our approach to infer functional interactions from co-expression analyses provided novel insights into the principles of enhancer interactions as a function of distance, orientation, and binding landscapes of TFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seungha Alisa Lee
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Katla Kristjánsdóttir
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Hojoong Kwak
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA.
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25
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Downes N, Niskanen H, Tomas Bosch V, Taipale M, Godiwala M, Väänänen MA, Turunen TA, Aavik E, Laham-Karam N, Ylä-Herttuala S, Kaikkonen MU. Hypoxic regulation of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha via antisense transcription. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105291. [PMID: 37748649 PMCID: PMC10630634 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Impaired oxygen homeostasis is a frequently encountered pathophysiological factor in multiple complex diseases, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. While the canonical hypoxia response pathway is well characterized, less is known about the role of noncoding RNAs in this process. Here, we investigated the nascent and steady-state noncoding transcriptional responses in endothelial cells and their potential roles in regulating the hypoxic response. Notably, we identify a novel antisense long noncoding RNA that convergently overlaps the majority of the hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1A) locus, which is expressed across several cell types and elevated in atherosclerotic lesions. The antisense (HIF1A-AS) is produced as a stable, unspliced, and polyadenylated nuclear retained transcript. HIF1A-AS is highly induced in hypoxia by both HIF1A and HIF2A and exhibits anticorrelation with the coding HIF1A transcript and protein expression. We further characterized this functional relationship by CRISPR-mediated bimodal perturbation of the HIF1A-AS promoter. We provide evidence that HIF1A-AS represses the expression of HIF1a in cis by repressing transcriptional elongation and deposition of H3K4me3, and that this mechanism is dependent on the act of antisense transcription itself. Overall, our results indicate a critical regulatory role of antisense mediated transcription in regulation of HIF1A expression and cellular response to hypoxia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Downes
- A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, North-Savo, Finland
| | - Henri Niskanen
- A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, North-Savo, Finland
| | - Vanesa Tomas Bosch
- A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, North-Savo, Finland
| | - Mari Taipale
- A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, North-Savo, Finland
| | - Mehvash Godiwala
- A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, North-Savo, Finland
| | - Mari-Anna Väänänen
- A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, North-Savo, Finland
| | - Tiia A Turunen
- A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, North-Savo, Finland
| | - Einari Aavik
- A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, North-Savo, Finland
| | - Nihay Laham-Karam
- A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, North-Savo, Finland
| | - Seppo Ylä-Herttuala
- A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, North-Savo, Finland; School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, North-Savo, Finland; Heart Center, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
| | - Minna U Kaikkonen
- A.I. Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, North-Savo, Finland.
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26
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de Langen P, Hammal F, Guéret E, Mouren JC, Spinelli L, Ballester B. Characterizing intergenic transcription at RNA polymerase II binding sites in normal and cancer tissues. CELL GENOMICS 2023; 3:100411. [PMID: 37868033 PMCID: PMC10589727 DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2023.100411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Intergenic transcription in normal and cancerous tissues is pervasive but incompletely understood. To investigate this, we constructed an atlas of over 180,000 consensus RNA polymerase II (RNAPII)-bound intergenic regions from 900 RNAPII chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) experiments in normal and cancer samples. Through unsupervised analysis, we identified 51 RNAPII consensus clusters, many of which mapped to specific biotypes and revealed tissue-specific regulatory signatures. We developed a meta-clustering methodology to integrate our RNAPII atlas with active transcription across 28,797 RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), and Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE). This analysis revealed strong tissue- and disease-specific interconnections between RNAPII occupancy and transcriptional activity. We demonstrate that intergenic transcription at RNAPII-bound regions is a novel per-cancer and pan-cancer biomarker. This biomarker displays genomic and clinically relevant characteristics, distinguishing cancer subtypes and linking to overall survival. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of coherent data integration to uncover intergenic transcriptional activity in normal and cancer tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Elise Guéret
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, TAGC, Marseille, France
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27
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Malfait J, Wan J, Spicuglia S. Epromoters are new players in the regulatory landscape with potential pleiotropic roles. Bioessays 2023; 45:e2300012. [PMID: 37246247 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202300012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Precise spatiotemporal control of gene expression during normal development and cell differentiation is achieved by the combined action of proximal (promoters) and distal (enhancers) cis-regulatory elements. Recent studies have reported that a subset of promoters, termed Epromoters, works also as enhancers to regulate distal genes. This new paradigm opened novel questions regarding the complexity of our genome and raises the possibility that genetic variation within Epromoters has pleiotropic effects on various physiological and pathological traits by differentially impacting multiple proximal and distal genes. Here, we discuss the different observations pointing to an important role of Epromoters in the regulatory landscape and summarize the evidence supporting a pleiotropic impact of these elements in disease. We further hypothesize that Epromoter might represent a major contributor to phenotypic variation and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliette Malfait
- Aix-Marseille University, Inserm, TAGC, UMR1090, Marseille, France
- Equipe Labélisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, LIGUE, Marseille, France
| | - Jing Wan
- Aix-Marseille University, Inserm, TAGC, UMR1090, Marseille, France
- Equipe Labélisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, LIGUE, Marseille, France
| | - Salvatore Spicuglia
- Aix-Marseille University, Inserm, TAGC, UMR1090, Marseille, France
- Equipe Labélisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, LIGUE, Marseille, France
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28
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Mcdonald BR, Picard C, Brabb IM, Savenkova MI, Schmitz RJ, Jacobsen SE, Duttke SH. Enhancers associated with unstable RNAs are rare in plants. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.25.559415. [PMID: 37808859 PMCID: PMC10557634 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.25.559415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Unstable transcripts have emerged as markers of active enhancers in vertebrates and shown to be involved in many cellular processes and medical disorders. However, their prevalence and role in plants is largely unexplored. Here, we comprehensively captured all actively initiating ("nascent") transcripts across diverse crops and other plants using capped small (cs)RNA-seq. We discovered that unstable transcripts are rare, unlike in vertebrates, and often originate from promoters. Additionally, many "distal" elements in plants initiate tissue-specific stable transcripts and are likely bone fide promoters of yet-unannotated genes or non-coding RNAs, cautioning against using genome annotations to infer "enhancers" or transcript stability. To investigate enhancer function, we integrated STARR-seq data. We found that annotated promoters, and other regions that initiate stable transcripts rather than unstable transcripts, function as stronger enhancers in plants. Our findings underscore the blurred line between promoters and enhancers and suggest that cis-regulatory elements encompass diverse structures and mechanisms in eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bayley R. Mcdonald
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Colette Picard
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ian M. Brabb
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Marina I. Savenkova
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | | | - Steven E. Jacobsen
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sascha H. Duttke
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
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29
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Mahat DB, Tippens ND, Martin-Rufino JD, Waterton SK, Fu J, Blatt SE, Sharp PA. Single-cell nascent RNA sequencing using click-chemistry unveils coordinated transcription. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.15.558015. [PMID: 37745427 PMCID: PMC10516050 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.15.558015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Transcription is the primary regulatory step in gene expression. Divergent transcription initiation from promoters and enhancers produces stable RNAs from genes and unstable RNAs from enhancers1-5. Nascent RNA capture and sequencing assays simultaneously measure gene and enhancer activity in cell populations6-9. However, fundamental questions in the temporal regulation of transcription and enhancer-gene synchrony remain unanswered primarily due to the absence of a single-cell perspective on active transcription. In this study, we present scGRO-seq - a novel single-cell nascent RNA sequencing assay using click-chemistry - and unveil the coordinated transcription throughout the genome. scGRO-seq demonstrates the episodic nature of transcription, and estimates burst size and frequency by directly quantifying transcribing RNA polymerases in individual cells. It reveals the co-transcription of functionally related genes and leverages the replication-dependent non-polyadenylated histone genes transcription to elucidate cell-cycle dynamics. The single-nucleotide spatial and temporal resolution of scGRO-seq identifies networks of enhancers and genes and indicates that the bursting of transcription at super-enhancers precedes the burst from associated genes. By imparting insights into the dynamic nature of transcription and the origin and propagation of transcription signals, scGRO-seq demonstrates its unique ability to investigate the mechanisms of transcription regulation and the role of enhancers in gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dig B. Mahat
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Nathaniel D. Tippens
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | | | - Sean K. Waterton
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Current address: Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Jiayu Fu
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Current address: Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Graduate Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208
| | - Sarah E. Blatt
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Current address: Exact Sciences Corporation, Madison, WI 53719
| | - Phillip A. Sharp
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Lead Contact
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30
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Mouti MA, Deng S, Pook M, Malzahn J, Rendek A, Militi S, Nibhani R, Soonawalla Z, Oppermann U, Hwang CI, Pauklin S. KMT2A associates with PHF5A-PHF14-HMG20A-RAI1 subcomplex in pancreatic cancer stem cells and epigenetically regulates their characteristics. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5685. [PMID: 37709746 PMCID: PMC10502114 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41297-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer (PC), one of the most aggressive and life-threatening human malignancies, is known for its resistance to cytotoxic therapies. This is increasingly ascribed to the subpopulation of undifferentiated cells, known as pancreatic cancer stem cells (PCSCs), which display greater evolutionary fitness than other tumor cells to evade the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy. PCSCs are crucial for tumor relapse as they possess 'stem cell-like' features that are characterized by self-renewal and differentiation. However, the molecular mechanisms that maintain the unique characteristics of PCSCs are poorly understood. Here, we identify the histone methyltransferase KMT2A as a physical binding partner of an RNA polymerase-associated PHF5A-PHF14-HMG20A-RAI1 protein subcomplex and an epigenetic regulator of PCSC properties and functions. Targeting the protein subcomplex in PCSCs with a KMT2A-WDR5 inhibitor attenuates their self-renewal capacity, cell viability, and in vivo tumorigenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mai Abdel Mouti
- Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Siwei Deng
- Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Martin Pook
- Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Jessica Malzahn
- Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Aniko Rendek
- Department of Histopathology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Stefania Militi
- Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Reshma Nibhani
- Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Zahir Soonawalla
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Oxford University Hospitals NHS, Oxford, UK
| | - Udo Oppermann
- Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Chang-Il Hwang
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California Davis, Davis, USA
| | - Siim Pauklin
- Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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31
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Zhu W, Huang H, Ming W, Zhang R, Gu Y, Bai Y, Liu X, Liu H, Liu Y, Gu W, Sun X. Delineating highly transcribed noncoding elements landscape in breast cancer. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:4432-4445. [PMID: 37731598 PMCID: PMC10507584 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Highly transcribed noncoding elements (HTNEs) are critical noncoding elements with high levels of transcriptional capacity in particular cohorts involved in multiple cellular biological processes. Investigation of HTNEs with persistent aberrant expression in abnormal tissues could be of benefit in exploring their roles in disease occurrence and progression. Breast cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease for which early screening and prognosis are exceedingly crucial. In this study, we developed a HTNE identification framework to systematically investigate HTNE landscapes in breast cancer patients and identified over ten thousand HTNEs. The robustness and rationality of our framework were demonstrated via public datasets. We revealed that HTNEs had significant chromatin characteristics of enhancers and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and were significantly enriched with RNA-binding proteins as well as targeted by miRNAs. Further, HTNE-associated genes were significantly overexpressed and exhibited strong correlations with breast cancer. Ultimately, we explored the subtype-specific transcriptional processes associated with HTNEs and uncovered the HTNE signatures that could classify breast cancer subtypes based on the properties of hormone receptors. Our results highlight that the identified HTNEs as well as their associated genes play crucial roles in breast cancer progression and correlate with subtype-specific transcriptional processes of breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyong Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hao Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Wenlong Ming
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Rongxin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yu Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yunfei Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaoan Liu
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hongde Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yun Liu
- Department of Information, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Wanjun Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Jiangsu Province of Cancer Prevention and Treatment of Chinese Medicine, School of Artificial Intelligence and Information Technology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
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Guzman C, Duttke S, Zhu Y, De Arruda Saldanha C, Downes N, Benner C, Heinz S. Combining TSS-MPRA and sensitive TSS profile dissimilarity scoring to study the sequence determinants of transcription initiation. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:e80. [PMID: 37403796 PMCID: PMC10450201 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad562] [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: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cis-regulatory elements (CREs) can be classified by the shapes of their transcription start site (TSS) profiles, which are indicative of distinct regulatory mechanisms. Massively parallel reporter assays (MPRAs) are increasingly being used to study CRE regulatory mechanisms, yet the degree to which MPRAs replicate individual endogenous TSS profiles has not been determined. Here, we present a new low-input MPRA protocol (TSS-MPRA) that enables measuring TSS profiles of episomal reporters as well as after lentiviral reporter chromatinization. To sensitively compare MPRA and endogenous TSS profiles, we developed a novel dissimilarity scoring algorithm (WIP score) that outperforms the frequently used earth mover's distance on experimental data. Using TSS-MPRA and WIP scoring on 500 unique reporter inserts, we found that short (153 bp) MPRA promoter inserts replicate the endogenous TSS patterns of ∼60% of promoters. Lentiviral reporter chromatinization did not improve fidelity of TSS-MPRA initiation patterns, and increasing insert size frequently led to activation of extraneous TSS in the MPRA that are not active in vivo. We discuss the implications of our findings, which highlight important caveats when using MPRAs to study transcription mechanisms. Finally, we illustrate how TSS-MPRA and WIP scoring can provide novel insights into the impact of transcription factor motif mutations and genetic variants on TSS patterns and transcription levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Guzman
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, U.C. San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Graduate Program in Bioinformatics & Systems Biology, U.C. San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sascha Duttke
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, U.C. San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Yixin Zhu
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, U.C. San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Camila De Arruda Saldanha
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, U.C. San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Nicholas L Downes
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, U.C. San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Christopher Benner
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, U.C. San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sven Heinz
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, U.C. San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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Bressin A, Jasnovidova O, Arnold M, Altendorfer E, Trajkovski F, Kratz TA, Handzlik JE, Hnisz D, Mayer A. High-sensitive nascent transcript sequencing reveals BRD4-specific control of widespread enhancer and target gene transcription. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4971. [PMID: 37591883 PMCID: PMC10435483 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40633-y] [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: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene transcription by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is under control of promoters and distal regulatory elements known as enhancers. Enhancers are themselves transcribed by Pol II correlating with their activity. How enhancer transcription is regulated and coordinated with transcription at target genes has remained unclear. Here, we developed a high-sensitive native elongating transcript sequencing approach, called HiS-NET-seq, to provide an extended high-resolution view on transcription, especially at lowly transcribed regions such as enhancers. HiS-NET-seq uncovers new transcribed enhancers in human cells. A multi-omics analysis shows that genome-wide enhancer transcription depends on the BET family protein BRD4. Specifically, BRD4 co-localizes to enhancer and promoter-proximal gene regions, and is required for elongation activation at enhancers and their genes. BRD4 keeps a set of enhancers and genes in proximity through long-range contacts. From these studies BRD4 emerges as a general regulator of enhancer transcription that may link transcription at enhancers and genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annkatrin Bressin
- Otto-Warburg-Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Olga Jasnovidova
- Otto-Warburg-Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mirjam Arnold
- Otto-Warburg-Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Altendorfer
- Otto-Warburg-Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Filip Trajkovski
- Otto-Warburg-Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas A Kratz
- Otto-Warburg-Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Joanna E Handzlik
- Otto-Warburg-Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Denes Hnisz
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Mayer
- Otto-Warburg-Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
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34
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Sun Z, Fan J, Dang Y, Zhao Y. Enhancer in cancer pathogenesis and treatment. Genet Mol Biol 2023; 46:e20220313. [PMID: 37548349 PMCID: PMC10405138 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2022-0313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhancers are essential cis-acting regulatory elements that determine cell identity and tumor progression. Enhancer function is dependent on the physical interaction between the enhancer and its target promoter inside its local chromatin environment. Enhancer reprogramming is an important mechanism in cancer pathogenesis and can be driven by both cis and trans factors. Super enhancers are acquired at oncogenes in numerous cancer types and represent potential targets for cancer treatment. BET and CDK inhibitors act through mechanisms of enhancer function and have shown promising results in therapy for various types of cancer. Genome editing is another way to reprogram enhancers in cancer treatment. The relationship between enhancers and cancer has been revised by several authors in the past few years, which mainly focuses on the mechanisms by which enhancers can impact cancer. Here, we emphasize SE's role in cancer pathogenesis and the new therapies involving epigenetic regulators (BETi and CDKi). We suggest that understanding mechanisms of activity would aid clinical success for these anti-cancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuo Sun
- Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microorganism and Tumor Immunity, Weiyang District, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, No.1 XinWang Rd, Weiyang District, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jinbo Fan
- Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microorganism and Tumor Immunity, Weiyang District, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yixiong Dang
- Xi’an Medical University, School of Public Health, Weiyang District, Xi’an, 710021 Shaanxi, China
| | - Yufeng Zhao
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, No.1 XinWang Rd, Weiyang District, Shaanxi, China
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35
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Li Q, Liu X, Wen J, Chen X, Xie B, Zhao Y. Enhancer RNAs: mechanisms in transcriptional regulation and functions in diseases. Cell Commun Signal 2023; 21:191. [PMID: 37537618 PMCID: PMC10398997 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-023-01206-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, increasingly more non-coding RNAs have been detected with the development of high-throughput sequencing technology, including microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), and piwi-interacting RNA (piRNAs). The discovery of enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) in 2010 has further broadened the range of non-coding RNAs revealed. eRNAs are non-coding RNA molecules produced by the transcription of DNA cis-acting elements, enhancer fragments. Recent studies revealed that the transcription of eRNAs may be a biological marker responding to enhancer activity that can participate in the regulation of coding gene transcription. In this review, we discussed the biological characteristics of eRNAs, their functions in transcriptional regulation, the regulation factors of eRNAs production, and the research progress of eRNAs in different diseases. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianhui Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Gynecologic Oncology Research Office, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Targeted Therapy for Gynecologic Oncology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Obstetric Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Road, Liwan District, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, 510150, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Gynecologic Oncology Research Office, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Targeted Therapy for Gynecologic Oncology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Obstetric Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Road, Liwan District, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, 510150, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingtao Wen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Gynecologic Oncology Research Office, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Targeted Therapy for Gynecologic Oncology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Obstetric Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Road, Liwan District, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, 510150, People's Republic of China
| | - Xi Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Gynecologic Oncology Research Office, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Targeted Therapy for Gynecologic Oncology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Obstetric Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Road, Liwan District, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, 510150, People's Republic of China
| | - Bumin Xie
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Gynecologic Oncology Research Office, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Targeted Therapy for Gynecologic Oncology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Obstetric Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Road, Liwan District, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, 510150, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Zhao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Gynecologic Oncology Research Office, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Targeted Therapy for Gynecologic Oncology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Obstetric Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No.63 Duobao Road, Liwan District, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, 510150, People's Republic of China.
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36
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Yildirim A, Hua N, Boninsegna L, Zhan Y, Polles G, Gong K, Hao S, Li W, Zhou XJ, Alber F. Evaluating the role of the nuclear microenvironment in gene function by population-based modeling. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2023; 30:1193-1206. [PMID: 37580627 PMCID: PMC10442234 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-023-01036-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
The nuclear folding of chromosomes relative to nuclear bodies is an integral part of gene function. Here, we demonstrate that population-based modeling-from ensemble Hi-C data-provides a detailed description of the nuclear microenvironment of genes and its role in gene function. We define the microenvironment by the subnuclear positions of genomic regions with respect to nuclear bodies, local chromatin compaction, and preferences in chromatin compartmentalization. These structural descriptors are determined in single-cell models, thereby revealing the structural variability between cells. We demonstrate that the microenvironment of a genomic region is linked to its functional potential in gene transcription, replication, and chromatin compartmentalization. Some chromatin regions feature a strong preference for a single microenvironment, due to association with specific nuclear bodies in most cells. Other chromatin shows high structural variability, which is a strong indicator of functional heterogeneity. Moreover, we identify specialized nuclear microenvironments, which distinguish chromatin in different functional states and reveal a key role of nuclear speckles in chromosome organization. We demonstrate that our method produces highly predictive three-dimensional genome structures, which accurately reproduce data from a variety of orthogonal experiments, thus considerably expanding the range of Hi-C data analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asli Yildirim
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nan Hua
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lorenzo Boninsegna
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yuxiang Zhan
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Guido Polles
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ke Gong
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shengli Hao
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Wenyuan Li
- Department of Pathology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Xianghong Jasmine Zhou
- Department of Pathology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Frank Alber
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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37
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Barshad G, Lewis JJ, Chivu AG, Abuhashem A, Krietenstein N, Rice EJ, Ma Y, Wang Z, Rando OJ, Hadjantonakis AK, Danko CG. RNA polymerase II dynamics shape enhancer-promoter interactions. Nat Genet 2023; 55:1370-1380. [PMID: 37430091 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01442-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
How enhancers control target gene expression over long genomic distances remains an important unsolved problem. Here we investigated enhancer-promoter communication by integrating data from nucleosome-resolution genomic contact maps, nascent transcription and perturbations affecting either RNA polymerase II (Pol II) dynamics or the activity of thousands of candidate enhancers. Integration of new Micro-C experiments with published CRISPRi data demonstrated that enhancers spend more time in close proximity to their target promoters in functional enhancer-promoter pairs compared to nonfunctional pairs, which can be attributed in part to factors unrelated to genomic position. Manipulation of the transcription cycle demonstrated a key role for Pol II in enhancer-promoter interactions. Notably, promoter-proximal paused Pol II itself partially stabilized interactions. We propose an updated model in which elements of transcriptional dynamics shape the duration or frequency of interactions to facilitate enhancer-promoter communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilad Barshad
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - James J Lewis
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Alexandra G Chivu
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Abderhman Abuhashem
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, NY, USA
- Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, New York City, NY, USA
- Biochemistry Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell University, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Nils Krietenstein
- The Novo Nordisk Center for Protein Research (CPR), Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Edward J Rice
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Yitian Ma
- School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China
| | - Zhong Wang
- School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China
| | - Oliver J Rando
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, NY, USA
- Biochemistry Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell University, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Charles G Danko
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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38
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Wu X, Wu X, Xie W. Activation, decommissioning, and dememorization: enhancers in a life cycle. Trends Biochem Sci 2023; 48:673-688. [PMID: 37221124 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2023.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Spatiotemporal regulation of cell type-specific gene expression is essential to convert a zygote into a complex organism that contains hundreds of distinct cell types. A class of cis-regulatory elements called enhancers, which have the potential to enhance target gene transcription, are crucial for precise gene expression programs during development. Following decades of research, many enhancers have been discovered and how enhancers become activated has been extensively studied. However, the mechanisms underlying enhancer silencing are less well understood. We review current understanding of enhancer decommissioning and dememorization, both of which enable enhancer silencing. We highlight recent progress from genome-wide perspectives that have revealed the life cycle of enhancers and how its dynamic regulation underlies cell fate transition, development, cell regeneration, and epigenetic reprogramming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaotong Wu
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xi Wu
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Wei Xie
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
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39
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Fan K, Pfister E, Weng Z. Toward a comprehensive catalog of regulatory elements. Hum Genet 2023; 142:1091-1111. [PMID: 36935423 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-023-02519-3] [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: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/21/2023]
Abstract
Regulatory elements are the genomic regions that interact with transcription factors to control cell-type-specific gene expression in different cellular environments. A precise and complete catalog of functional elements encoded by the human genome is key to understanding mammalian gene regulation. Here, we review the current state of regulatory element annotation. We first provide an overview of assays for characterizing functional elements, including genome, epigenome, transcriptome, three-dimensional chromatin interaction, and functional validation assays. We then discuss computational methods for defining regulatory elements, including peak-calling and other statistical modeling methods. Finally, we introduce several high-quality lists of regulatory element annotations and suggest potential future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaili Fan
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, ASC5-1069, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Edith Pfister
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, ASC5-1069, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Zhiping Weng
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, ASC5-1069, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
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40
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Zhao X, Song L, Yang A, Zhang Z, Zhang J, Yang YT, Zhao XM. Prioritizing genes associated with brain disorders by leveraging enhancer-promoter interactions in diverse neural cells and tissues. Genome Med 2023; 15:56. [PMID: 37488639 PMCID: PMC10364416 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-023-01210-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prioritizing genes that underlie complex brain disorders poses a considerable challenge. Despite previous studies have found that they shared symptoms and heterogeneity, it remained difficult to systematically identify the risk genes associated with them. METHODS By using the CAGE (Cap Analysis of Gene Expression) read alignment files for 439 human cell and tissue types (including primary cells, tissues and cell lines) from FANTOM5 project, we predicted enhancer-promoter interactions (EPIs) of 439 cell and tissue types in human, and examined their reliability. Then we evaluated the genetic heritability of 17 diverse brain disorders and behavioral-cognitive phenotypes in each neural cell type, brain region, and developmental stage. Furthermore, we prioritized genes associated with brain disorders and phenotypes by leveraging the EPIs in each neural cell and tissue type, and analyzed their pleiotropy and functionality for different categories of disorders and phenotypes. Finally, we characterized the spatiotemporal expression dynamics of these associated genes in cells and tissues. RESULTS We found that identified EPIs showed activity specificity and network aggregation in cell and tissue types, and enriched TF binding in neural cells played key roles in synaptic plasticity and nerve cell development, i.e., EGR1 and SOX family. We also discovered that most neurological disorders exhibit heritability enrichment in neural stem cells and astrocytes, while psychiatric disorders and behavioral-cognitive phenotypes exhibit enrichment in neurons. Furthermore, our identified genes recapitulated well-known risk genes, which exhibited widespread pleiotropy between psychiatric disorders and behavioral-cognitive phenotypes (i.e., FOXP2), and indicated expression specificity in neural cell types, brain regions, and developmental stages associated with disorders and phenotypes. Importantly, we showed the potential associations of brain disorders with brain regions and developmental stages that have not been well studied. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our study characterized the gene-enhancer regulatory networks and genetic mechanisms in the human neural cells and tissues, and illustrated the value of reanalysis of publicly available genomic datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingzhong Zhao
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, and Department of Neurology of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai, 200433, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Liting Song
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, and Department of Neurology of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai, 200433, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Anyi Yang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, and Department of Neurology of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai, 200433, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Zichao Zhang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, and Department of Neurology of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai, 200433, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Jinglong Zhang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, and Department of Neurology of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai, 200433, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Yucheng T Yang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, and Department of Neurology of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai, 200433, China.
- MOE Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
| | - Xing-Ming Zhao
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, and Department of Neurology of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai, 200433, China.
- MOE Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
- Internatioal Human Phenome Institutes (Shanghai), Shanghai, 200433, China.
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41
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Jia Q, Tan Y, Li Y, Wu Y, Wang J, Tang F. JUN-induced super-enhancer RNA forms R-loop to promote nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasis. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:459. [PMID: 37479693 PMCID: PMC10361959 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-05985-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
Oncogenic super-enhancers (SEs) generate noncoding enhancer/SE RNAs (eRNAs/seRNAs) that exert a critical function in malignancy through powerful regulation of target gene expression. Herein, we show that a JUN-mediated seRNA can form R-loop to regulate target genes to promote metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). A combination of global run-on sequencing, chromatin-immunoprecipitation sequencing, and RNA sequencing was used to screen seRNAs. A specific seRNA associated with NPC metastasis (seRNA-NPCM) was identified as a transcriptional regulator for N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1). JUN was found to regulate seRNA-NPCM through motif binding. seRNA-NPCM was elevated in NPC cancer tissues and highly metastatic cell lines, and promoted the metastasis of NPC cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, the 3' end of seRNA-NPCM hybridizes with the SE region to form an R-loop, and the middle segment of seRNA-NPCM binds to heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein R (hnRNPR) at the promoter of distal gene NDRG1 and neighboring gene tribbles pseudokinase 1 (TRIB1). These structures promote chromatin looping and long-distance chromatin interactions between SEs and promoters, thus facilitating NDRG1 and TRIB1 transcription. Furthermore, the clinical analyses showed that seRNA-NPCM and NDRG1 were independent prognostic factors for NPC patients. seRNA-NPCM plays a critical role in orchestrating target gene transcription to promote NPC metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qunying Jia
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Oncotarget Gene and Clinical Laboratory, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University/Hunan Cancer Hospital, 410013, Changsha, China
| | - Yuan Tan
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Oncotarget Gene and Clinical Laboratory, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University/Hunan Cancer Hospital, 410013, Changsha, China
| | - Yuejin Li
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Oncotarget Gene and Clinical Laboratory, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University/Hunan Cancer Hospital, 410013, Changsha, China
| | - Yao Wu
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Oncotarget Gene and Clinical Laboratory, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University/Hunan Cancer Hospital, 410013, Changsha, China
- Department of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, 410208, Changsha, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Oncotarget Gene and Clinical Laboratory, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University/Hunan Cancer Hospital, 410013, Changsha, China
| | - Faqin Tang
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Oncotarget Gene and Clinical Laboratory, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University/Hunan Cancer Hospital, 410013, Changsha, China.
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42
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Dudnyk K, Shi C, Zhou J. Sequence basis of transcription initiation in human genome. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.27.546584. [PMID: 37425823 PMCID: PMC10327147 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.27.546584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Transcription initiation is an essential process for ensuring proper function of any gene, however, a unified understanding of sequence patterns and rules that determine transcription initiation sites in human genome remains elusive. By explaining transcription initiation at basepair resolution from sequence with a deep learning-inspired explainable modeling approach, here we show that simple rules can explain the vast majority of human promoters. We identified key sequence patterns that contribute to human promoter function, each activating transcription with a distinct position-specific effect curve that likely reflects its mechanism of promoting transcription initiation. Most of these position-specific effects have not been previously characterized, and we verified them using experimental perturbations of transcription factors and sequences. We revealed the sequence basis of bidirectional transcription at promoters and links between promoter selectivity and gene expression variation across cell types. Additionally, by analyzing 241 mammalian genomes and mouse transcription initiation site data, we showed that the sequence determinants are conserved across mammalian species. Taken together, we provide a unified model of the sequence basis of transcription initiation at the basepair level that is broadly applicable across mammalian species, and shed new light on basic questions related to promoter sequence and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kseniia Dudnyk
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Chenlai Shi
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jian Zhou
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, Texas, United States of America
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43
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FitzPatrick VD, Leemans C, van Arensbergen J, van Steensel B, Bussemaker H. Defining the fine structure of promoter activity on a genome-wide scale with CISSECTOR. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:5499-5511. [PMID: 37013986 PMCID: PMC10287907 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad232] [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: 06/26/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Classic promoter mutagenesis strategies can be used to study how proximal promoter regions regulate the expression of particular genes of interest. This is a laborious process, in which the smallest sub-region of the promoter still capable of recapitulating expression in an ectopic setting is first identified, followed by targeted mutation of putative transcription factor binding sites. Massively parallel reporter assays such as survey of regulatory elements (SuRE) provide an alternative way to study millions of promoter fragments in parallel. Here we show how a generalized linear model (GLM) can be used to transform genome-scale SuRE data into a high-resolution genomic track that quantifies the contribution of local sequence to promoter activity. This coefficient track helps identify regulatory elements and can be used to predict promoter activity of any sub-region in the genome. It thus allows in silico dissection of any promoter in the human genome to be performed. We developed a web application, available at cissector.nki.nl, that lets researchers easily perform this analysis as a starting point for their research into any promoter of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent D FitzPatrick
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Christ Leemans
- Division of Gene Regulation, Oncode Institute, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Joris van Arensbergen
- Division of Gene Regulation, Oncode Institute, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Bas van Steensel
- Division of Gene Regulation, Oncode Institute, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Harmen J Bussemaker
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
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44
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Harris HL, Gu H, Olshansky M, Wang A, Farabella I, Eliaz Y, Kalluchi A, Krishna A, Jacobs M, Cauer G, Pham M, Rao SSP, Dudchenko O, Omer A, Mohajeri K, Kim S, Nichols MH, Davis ES, Gkountaroulis D, Udupa D, Aiden AP, Corces VG, Phanstiel DH, Noble WS, Nir G, Di Pierro M, Seo JS, Talkowski ME, Aiden EL, Rowley MJ. Chromatin alternates between A and B compartments at kilobase scale for subgenic organization. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3303. [PMID: 37280210 PMCID: PMC10244318 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38429-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Nuclear compartments are prominent features of 3D chromatin organization, but sequencing depth limitations have impeded investigation at ultra fine-scale. CTCF loops are generally studied at a finer scale, but the impact of looping on proximal interactions remains enigmatic. Here, we critically examine nuclear compartments and CTCF loop-proximal interactions using a combination of in situ Hi-C at unparalleled depth, algorithm development, and biophysical modeling. Producing a large Hi-C map with 33 billion contacts in conjunction with an algorithm for performing principal component analysis on sparse, super massive matrices (POSSUMM), we resolve compartments to 500 bp. Our results demonstrate that essentially all active promoters and distal enhancers localize in the A compartment, even when flanking sequences do not. Furthermore, we find that the TSS and TTS of paused genes are often segregated into separate compartments. We then identify diffuse interactions that radiate from CTCF loop anchors, which correlate with strong enhancer-promoter interactions and proximal transcription. We also find that these diffuse interactions depend on CTCF's RNA binding domains. In this work, we demonstrate features of fine-scale chromatin organization consistent with a revised model in which compartments are more precise than commonly thought while CTCF loops are more protracted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah L Harris
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Huiya Gu
- Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Moshe Olshansky
- Computational Biology and Clinical Informatics, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ailun Wang
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Irene Farabella
- CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BISB), 17 08028, Barcelona, Spain
- Integrative Nuclear Architecture Laboratory, Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Yossi Eliaz
- Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Achyuth Kalluchi
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Akshay Krishna
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Mozes Jacobs
- Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Gesine Cauer
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Melanie Pham
- Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Suhas S P Rao
- Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Olga Dudchenko
- Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Arina Omer
- Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | | | - Michael H Nichols
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Eric S Davis
- Curriculum in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Dimos Gkountaroulis
- Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Devika Udupa
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Aviva Presser Aiden
- Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Victor G Corces
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Douglas H Phanstiel
- Curriculum in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Thurston Arthritis Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - William Stafford Noble
- Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Guy Nir
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Michele Di Pierro
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jeong-Sun Seo
- Macrogen Inc, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Asian Genome Institute, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Michael E Talkowski
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Medical Population Genetics and Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Erez Lieberman Aiden
- Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - M Jordan Rowley
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
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45
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Gvozdenov Z, Barcutean Z, Struhl K. Functional analysis of a random-sequence chromosome reveals a high level and the molecular nature of transcriptional noise in yeast cells. Mol Cell 2023; 83:1786-1797.e5. [PMID: 37137302 PMCID: PMC10247422 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
We measure transcriptional noise in yeast by analyzing chromatin structure and transcription of an 18-kb region of DNA whose sequence was randomly generated. Nucleosomes fully occupy random-sequence DNA, but nucleosome-depleted regions (NDRs) are much less frequent, and there are fewer well-positioned nucleosomes and shorter nucleosome arrays. Steady-state levels of random-sequence RNAs are comparable to yeast mRNAs, although transcription and decay rates are higher. Transcriptional initiation from random-sequence DNA occurs at numerous sites, indicating very low intrinsic specificity of the RNA Pol II machinery. In contrast, poly(A) profiles of random-sequence RNAs are roughly comparable to those of yeast mRNAs, suggesting limited evolutionary restraints on poly(A) site choice. Random-sequence RNAs show higher cell-to-cell variability than yeast mRNAs, suggesting that functional elements limit variability. These observations indicate that transcriptional noise occurs at high levels in yeast, and they provide insight into how chromatin and transcription patterns arise from the evolved yeast genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zlata Gvozdenov
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Zeno Barcutean
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kevin Struhl
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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46
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Mattick JS, Amaral PP, Carninci P, Carpenter S, Chang HY, Chen LL, Chen R, Dean C, Dinger ME, Fitzgerald KA, Gingeras TR, Guttman M, Hirose T, Huarte M, Johnson R, Kanduri C, Kapranov P, Lawrence JB, Lee JT, Mendell JT, Mercer TR, Moore KJ, Nakagawa S, Rinn JL, Spector DL, Ulitsky I, Wan Y, Wilusz JE, Wu M. Long non-coding RNAs: definitions, functions, challenges and recommendations. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2023; 24:430-447. [PMID: 36596869 PMCID: PMC10213152 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-022-00566-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 323] [Impact Index Per Article: 323.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Genes specifying long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) occupy a large fraction of the genomes of complex organisms. The term 'lncRNAs' encompasses RNA polymerase I (Pol I), Pol II and Pol III transcribed RNAs, and RNAs from processed introns. The various functions of lncRNAs and their many isoforms and interleaved relationships with other genes make lncRNA classification and annotation difficult. Most lncRNAs evolve more rapidly than protein-coding sequences, are cell type specific and regulate many aspects of cell differentiation and development and other physiological processes. Many lncRNAs associate with chromatin-modifying complexes, are transcribed from enhancers and nucleate phase separation of nuclear condensates and domains, indicating an intimate link between lncRNA expression and the spatial control of gene expression during development. lncRNAs also have important roles in the cytoplasm and beyond, including in the regulation of translation, metabolism and signalling. lncRNAs often have a modular structure and are rich in repeats, which are increasingly being shown to be relevant to their function. In this Consensus Statement, we address the definition and nomenclature of lncRNAs and their conservation, expression, phenotypic visibility, structure and functions. We also discuss research challenges and provide recommendations to advance the understanding of the roles of lncRNAs in development, cell biology and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- John S Mattick
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- UNSW RNA Institute, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - Paulo P Amaral
- INSPER Institute of Education and Research, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Piero Carninci
- RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- Human Technopole, Milan, Italy
| | - Susan Carpenter
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Howard Y Chang
- Center for Personal Dynamics Regulomes, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Ling-Ling Chen
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Runsheng Chen
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Caroline Dean
- John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | - Marcel E Dinger
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- UNSW RNA Institute, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Katherine A Fitzgerald
- Division of Innate Immunity, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | | | - Mitchell Guttman
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Tetsuro Hirose
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Maite Huarte
- Department of Gene Therapy and Regulation of Gene Expression, Center for Applied Medical Research, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Institute of Health Research of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Rory Johnson
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Chandrasekhar Kanduri
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Philipp Kapranov
- Institute of Genomics, School of Medicine, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, China
| | - Jeanne B Lawrence
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Jeannie T Lee
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joshua T Mendell
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Timothy R Mercer
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Kathryn J Moore
- Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- RNA Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - John L Rinn
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - David L Spector
- Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbour, NY, USA
| | - Igor Ulitsky
- Department of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yue Wan
- Laboratory of RNA Genomics and Structure, Genome Institute of Singapore, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biochemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jeremy E Wilusz
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Therapeutic Innovation Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mian Wu
- Translational Research Institute, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Academy of Medical Science, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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Smith GD, Ching WH, Cornejo-Páramo P, Wong ES. Decoding enhancer complexity with machine learning and high-throughput discovery. Genome Biol 2023; 24:116. [PMID: 37173718 PMCID: PMC10176946 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-02955-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhancers are genomic DNA elements controlling spatiotemporal gene expression. Their flexible organization and functional redundancies make deciphering their sequence-function relationships challenging. This article provides an overview of the current understanding of enhancer organization and evolution, with an emphasis on factors that influence these relationships. Technological advancements, particularly in machine learning and synthetic biology, are discussed in light of how they provide new ways to understand this complexity. Exciting opportunities lie ahead as we continue to unravel the intricacies of enhancer function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle D Smith
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, 405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Wan Hern Ching
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, 405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - Paola Cornejo-Páramo
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, 405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Emily S Wong
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, 405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia.
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.
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48
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Brison O, Gnan S, Azar D, Koundrioukoff S, Melendez-Garcia R, Kim SJ, Schmidt M, El-Hilali S, Jaszczyszyn Y, Lachages AM, Thermes C, Chen CL, Debatisse M. Mistimed origin licensing and activation stabilize common fragile sites under tight DNA-replication checkpoint activation. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2023; 30:539-550. [PMID: 37024657 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-023-00949-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
Genome integrity requires replication to be completed before chromosome segregation. The DNA-replication checkpoint (DRC) contributes to this coordination by inhibiting CDK1, which delays mitotic onset. Under-replication of common fragile sites (CFSs), however, escapes surveillance, resulting in mitotic chromosome breaks. Here we asked whether loose DRC activation induced by modest stresses commonly used to destabilize CFSs could explain this leakage. We found that tightening DRC activation or CDK1 inhibition stabilizes CFSs in human cells. Repli-Seq and molecular combing analyses showed a burst of replication initiations implemented in mid S-phase across a subset of late-replicating sequences, including CFSs, while the bulk genome was unaffected. CFS rescue and extra-initiations required CDC6 and CDT1 availability in S-phase, implying that CDK1 inhibition permits mistimed origin licensing and firing. In addition to delaying mitotic onset, tight DRC activation therefore supports replication completion of late origin-poor domains at risk of under-replication, two complementary roles preserving genome stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Brison
- CNRS UMR 9019, Gustave Roussy Institute, Villejuif, France
- Paris-Saclay University, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Stefano Gnan
- Curie Institute, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 3244, Paris, France
- Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Dana Azar
- Curie Institute, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 3244, Paris, France
- Sorbonne University, Paris, France
- Laboratoire Biodiversité et Génomique Fonctionnelle, Faculté des Sciences, Université Saint-Joseph, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Stéphane Koundrioukoff
- CNRS UMR 9019, Gustave Roussy Institute, Villejuif, France
- Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Rodrigo Melendez-Garcia
- CNRS UMR 9019, Gustave Roussy Institute, Villejuif, France
- Paris-Saclay University, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Su-Jung Kim
- CNRS UMR 9019, Gustave Roussy Institute, Villejuif, France
- Paris-Saclay University, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Mélanie Schmidt
- CNRS UMR 9019, Gustave Roussy Institute, Villejuif, France
- Paris-Saclay University, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Sami El-Hilali
- Curie Institute, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 3244, Paris, France
- Sorbonne University, Paris, France
- Villefranche sur mer Developmental Biology Laboratory, CNRS UMR7009, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
| | - Yan Jaszczyszyn
- Paris-Saclay University, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), UMR 9198CNRS, CEA, Paris-Sud University, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Anne-Marie Lachages
- Curie Institute, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 3244, Paris, France
- UTCBS, CNRS UMR 8258/ INSERM U 1267, Sorbonne-Paris-Cité University, Paris, France
| | - Claude Thermes
- Paris-Saclay University, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), UMR 9198CNRS, CEA, Paris-Sud University, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Chun-Long Chen
- Curie Institute, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 3244, Paris, France
- Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Michelle Debatisse
- CNRS UMR 9019, Gustave Roussy Institute, Villejuif, France.
- Sorbonne University, Paris, France.
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49
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RDW K, KR S, A C, LC4 J, SW H, SM C. Histone Deacetylases (HDACs) maintain expression of the pluripotent gene network via recruitment of RNA polymerase II to coding and non-coding loci. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.06.535398. [PMID: 37066171 PMCID: PMC10104071 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.06.535398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Histone acetylation is a dynamic modification regulated by the opposing actions of histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs). Deacetylation of histone tails results in chromatin tightening and therefore HDACs are generally regarded as transcriptional repressors. Counterintuitively, simultaneous deletion of Hdac1 and Hdac2 in embryonic stem cells (ESC) reduced expression of pluripotent transcription factors, Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog (OSN). By shaping global histone acetylation patterns, HDACs indirectly regulate the activity of acetyl-lysine readers, such as the transcriptional activator, BRD4. We used inhibitors of HDACs and BRD4 (LBH589 and JQ1 respectively) in combination with precision nuclear run-on and sequencing (PRO-seq) to examine their roles in defining the ESC transcriptome. Both LBH589 and JQ1 caused a marked reduction in the pluripotent network. However, while JQ1 treatment induced widespread transcriptional pausing, HDAC inhibition caused a reduction in both paused and elongating polymerase, suggesting an overall reduction in polymerase recruitment. Using enhancer RNA (eRNA) expression to measure enhancer activity we found that LBH589-sensitive eRNAs were preferentially associated with super-enhancers and OSN binding sites. These findings suggest that HDAC activity is required to maintain pluripotency by regulating the OSN enhancer network via the recruitment of RNA polymerase II.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly RDW
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Henry Wellcome Building, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 9HN, UK
| | - Stengel KR
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus, 1300 Morris Park Avenue Chanin Building, Bronx, NY 10461
| | - Chandru A
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Switchback Road, Bearsden, Glasgow, G61 1BD
| | - Johnson LC4
- Locate Bio Limited, MediCity, Thane Road, Beeston, Nottingham, NG90 6BH
| | - Hiebert SW
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232
- Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Cowley SM
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Henry Wellcome Building, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 9HN, UK
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Kalluchi A, Harris HL, Reznicek TE, Rowley MJ. Considerations and caveats for analyzing chromatin compartments. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1168562. [PMID: 37091873 PMCID: PMC10113542 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1168562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Genomes are organized into nuclear compartments, separating active from inactive chromatin. Chromatin compartments are readily visible in a large number of species by experiments that map chromatin conformation genome-wide. When analyzing these maps, a common step is the identification of genomic intervals that interact within A (active) and B (inactive) compartments. It has also become increasingly common to identify and analyze subcompartments. We review different strategies to identify A/B and subcompartment intervals, including a discussion of various machine-learning approaches to predict these features. We then discuss the strengths and limitations of current strategies and examine how these aspects of analysis may have impacted our understanding of chromatin compartments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - M. Jordan Rowley
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
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