1
|
Polimeni B, Marasca F, Ranzani V, Bodega B. IRescue: uncertainty-aware quantification of transposable elements expression at single cell level. Nucleic Acids Res 2024:gkae793. [PMID: 39271103 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2024] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile DNA repeats known to shape the evolution of eukaryotic genomes. In complex organisms, they exhibit tissue-specific transcription. However, understanding their role in cellular diversity across most tissues remains a challenge, when employing single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), due to their widespread presence and genetic similarity. To address this, we present IRescue (Interspersed Repeats single-cell quantifier), a software capable of estimating the expression of TE subfamilies at the single-cell level. IRescue incorporates a unique UMI deduplication algorithm to rectify sequencing errors and employs an Expectation-Maximization procedure to effectively redistribute the counts of multi-mapping reads. Our study showcases the precision of IRescue through analysis of both simulated and real single cell and nuclei RNA-seq data from human colorectal cancer, brain, skin aging, and PBMCs during SARS-CoV-2 infection and recovery. By linking the expression patterns of TE signatures to specific conditions and biological contexts, we unveil insights into their potential roles in cellular heterogeneity and disease progression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benedetto Polimeni
- INGM, Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare 'Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi', Milan, Italy
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Marasca
- INGM, Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare 'Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi', Milan, Italy
| | - Valeria Ranzani
- INGM, Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare 'Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi', Milan, Italy
| | - Beatrice Bodega
- INGM, Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare 'Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi', Milan, Italy
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Huang G, Bao Z, Feng L, Zhai J, Wendel JF, Cao X, Zhu Y. A telomere-to-telomere cotton genome assembly reveals centromere evolution and a Mutator transposon-linked module regulating embryo development. Nat Genet 2024; 56:1953-1963. [PMID: 39147922 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01877-6] [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: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Assembly of complete genomes can reveal functional genetic elements missing from draft sequences. Here we present the near-complete telomere-to-telomere and contiguous genome of the cotton species Gossypium raimondii. Our assembly identified gaps and misoriented or misassembled regions in previous assemblies and produced 13 centromeres, with 25 chromosomal ends having telomeres. In contrast to satellite-rich Arabidopsis and rice centromeres, cotton centromeres lack phased CENH3 nucleosome positioning patterns and probably evolved by invasion from long terminal repeat retrotransposons. In-depth expression profiling of transposable elements revealed a previously unannotated DNA transposon (MuTC01) that interacts with miR2947 to produce trans-acting small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), one of which targets the newly evolved LEC2 (LEC2b) to produce phased siRNAs. Systematic genome editing experiments revealed that this tripartite module, miR2947-MuTC01-LEC2b, controls the morphogenesis of complex folded embryos characteristic of Gossypium and its close relatives in the cotton tribe. Our study reveals a trans-acting siRNA-based tripartite regulatory pathway for embryo development in higher plants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gai Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
- Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
- Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Zhigui Bao
- Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Li Feng
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jixian Zhai
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jonathan F Wendel
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Xiaofeng Cao
- Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yuxian Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
- Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, China.
- Taikang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wang S, Zhang C, Li Y, Li R, Du K, Sun C, Shen X, Guo B. ScRNA-seq reveals the spatiotemporal distribution of camptothecin pathway and transposon activity in Camptotheca acuminata shoot apexes and leaves. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2024; 176:e14508. [PMID: 39295090 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.14508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2024] [Revised: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 09/21/2024]
Abstract
Camptotheca acuminata Decne., a significant natural source of the anticancer drug camptothecin (CPT), synthesizes CPT through the monoterpene indole alkaloid (MIA) pathway. In this study, we used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to generate datasets encompassing over 60,000 cells from C. acuminata shoot apexes and leaves. After cell clustering and annotation, we identified five major cell types in shoot apexes and four in leaves. Analysis of MIA pathway gene expression revealed that most of them exhibited heightened expression in proliferating cells (PCs) and vascular cells (VCs). In contrast to MIA biosynthesis in Catharanthus roseus, CPT biosynthesis in C. acuminata did not exhibit multicellular compartmentalization. Some putative genes encoding enzymes and transcription factors (TFs) related to the biosynthesis of CPT and its derivatives were identified through co-expression analysis. These include 19 cytochrome P450 genes, 8 O-methyltransferase (OMT) genes, and 62 TFs. Additionally, these pathway genes exhibited dynamic expression patterns during VC and EC development. Furthermore, by integrating gene and transposable element (TE) expression data, we constructed novel single-cell transcriptome atlases for C. acuminata. This approach significantly facilitated the identification of rare cell types, including peripheral zone cells (PZs). Some TE families displayed cell type specific, tissue specific, or developmental stage-specific expression patterns, suggesting crucial roles for these TEs in cell differentiation and development. Overall, this study not only provides novel insights into CPT biosynthesis and spatial-temporal TE expression characteristics in C. acuminata, but also serves as a valuable resource for further comprehensive investigations into the development and physiology of this species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shu Wang
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Chuyi Zhang
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Li
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Rucan Li
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ke Du
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Sun
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaofeng Shen
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Baolin Guo
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wang ZY, Ge LP, Ouyang Y, Jin X, Jiang YZ. Targeting transposable elements in cancer: developments and opportunities. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2024; 1879:189143. [PMID: 38936517 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2024.189143] [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: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs), comprising nearly 50% of the human genome, have transitioned from being perceived as "genomic junk" to key players in cancer progression. Contemporary research links TE regulatory disruptions with cancer development, underscoring their therapeutic potential. Advances in long-read sequencing, computational analytics, single-cell sequencing, proteomics, and CRISPR-Cas9 technologies have enriched our understanding of TEs' clinical implications, notably their impact on genome architecture, gene regulation, and evolutionary processes. In cancer, TEs, including long interspersed element-1 (LINE-1), Alus, and long terminal repeat (LTR) elements, demonstrate altered patterns, influencing both tumorigenic and tumor-suppressive mechanisms. TE-derived nucleic acids and tumor antigens play critical roles in tumor immunity, bridging innate and adaptive responses. Given their central role in oncology, TE-targeted therapies, particularly through reverse transcriptase inhibitors and epigenetic modulators, represent a novel avenue in cancer treatment. Combining these TE-focused strategies with existing chemotherapy or immunotherapy regimens could enhance efficacy and offer a new dimension in cancer treatment. This review delves into recent TE detection advancements, explores their multifaceted roles in tumorigenesis and immune regulation, discusses emerging diagnostic and therapeutic approaches centered on TEs, and anticipates future directions in cancer research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Yu Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Li-Ping Ge
- Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yang Ouyang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xi Jin
- Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yi-Zhou Jiang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Cutts Z, Patterson S, Maliskova L, Taylor KE, Ye CJ, Dall'Era M, Yazdany J, Criswell LA, Fragiadakis GK, Langelier C, Capra JA, Sirota M, Lanata CM. Cell-Specific Transposable Element and Gene Expression Analysis Across Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Phenotypes. ACR Open Rheumatol 2024. [PMID: 39143499 DOI: 10.1002/acr2.11713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE There is an established yet unexplained link between interferon (IFN) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The expression of sequences derived from transposable elements (TEs) may contribute to SLE phenotypes, specifically production of type I IFNs and generation of autoantibodies. METHODS We profiled cell-sorted RNA-sequencing data (CD4+ T cells, CD14+ monocytes, CD19+ B cells, and natural killer cells) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 120 patients with SLE and quantified TE expression identifying 27,135 TEs. We tested for differential TE expression across 10 SLE phenotypes, including autoantibody production and disease activity. RESULTS We found 731 differentially expressed (DE) TEs across all SLE phenotypes that were mostly cell specific and phenotype specific. DE TEs were enriched for specific families and open reading frames of viral genes encoded in TE sequences. Increased expression of DE TEs was associated with genes involved in antiviral activity, such as LY6E, ISG15, and TRIM22, and pathways such as IFN signaling. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that expression of TEs contributes to activation of SLE-related mechanisms in a cell-specific manner, which can impact disease diagnostics and therapeutics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Cutts
- University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - John A Capra
- University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
| | - Marina Sirota
- University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
| | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Betancourt AJ, Wei KHC, Huang Y, Lee YCG. Causes and Consequences of Varying Transposable Element Activity: An Evolutionary Perspective. Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet 2024; 25:1-25. [PMID: 38603565 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genom-120822-105708] [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] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are genomic parasites found in nearly all eukaryotes, including humans. This evolutionary success of TEs is due to their replicative activity, involving insertion into new genomic locations. TE activity varies at multiple levels, from between taxa to within individuals. The rapidly accumulating evidence of the influence of TE activity on human health, as well as the rapid growth of new tools to study it, motivated an evaluation of what we know about TE activity thus far. Here, we discuss why TE activity varies, and the consequences of this variation, from an evolutionary perspective. By studying TE activity in nonhuman organisms in the context of evolutionary theories, we can shed light on the factors that affect TE activity. While the consequences of TE activity are usually deleterious, some have lasting evolutionary impacts by conferring benefits on the host or affecting other evolutionary processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea J Betancourt
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary, and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Kevin H-C Wei
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Yuheng Huang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Yuh Chwen G Lee
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, California, USA;
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Yu G, Ye Z, Yuan Y, Wang X, Li T, Wang Y, Wang Y, Yan J. Recent Advancements in Biomaterials for Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Immunotherapy. Biomater Res 2024; 28:0045. [PMID: 39011521 PMCID: PMC11246982 DOI: 10.34133/bmr.0045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Cellular immunotherapy is an innovative cancer treatment method that utilizes the patient's own immune system to combat tumor cells effectively. Currently, the mainstream therapeutic approaches include chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy, T cell receptor gene-modified T cell therapy and chimeric antigen receptor natural killer-cell therapy with CAR-T therapy mostly advanced. Nonetheless, the conventional manufacturing process of this therapy has shortcomings in each step that call for improvement. Marked efforts have been invested for its enhancement while notable progresses achieved in the realm of biomaterials application. With CAR-T therapy as a prime example, the aim of this review is to comprehensively discuss the various biomaterials used in cell immunotherapy, their roles in regulating immune cells, and their potential for breakthroughs in cancer treatment from gene transduction to efficacy enhancement. This article additionally addressed widely adopted animal models for efficacy evaluating.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gaoyu Yu
- School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310028, China
| | - Zhichao Ye
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital Affiliated to School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310016, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Innovation and Application of Minimally Invasive Instruments, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310028, China
| | - Yuyang Yuan
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital Affiliated to School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310016, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Innovation and Application of Minimally Invasive Instruments, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310028, China
- Department of Translational Medicine & Clinical Research, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310028, China
| | - Xiaofeng Wang
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital,
Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310016, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Tianyu Li
- National Engineering Research Center of Innovation and Application of Minimally Invasive Instruments, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310028, China
- Department of Translational Medicine & Clinical Research, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310028, China
| | - Yi Wang
- National Engineering Research Center of Innovation and Application of Minimally Invasive Instruments, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310028, China
| | - Yifan Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital Affiliated to School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310016, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Innovation and Application of Minimally Invasive Instruments, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310028, China
- Department of Translational Medicine & Clinical Research, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310028, China
| | - Jianing Yan
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital Affiliated to School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310016, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Innovation and Application of Minimally Invasive Instruments, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310028, China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Cho HM, Choe SH, Lee JR, Park HR, Ko MG, Lee YJ, Lee HY, Park SH, Park SJ, Kim YH, Huh JW. Transcriptome analysis of cynomolgus macaques throughout their lifespan reveals age-related immune patterns. NPJ AGING 2024; 10:30. [PMID: 38902280 PMCID: PMC11189941 DOI: 10.1038/s41514-024-00158-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
Despite the different perspectives by diverse research sectors spanning several decades, aging research remains uncharted territory for human beings. Therefore, we investigated the transcriptomic characteristics of eight male healthy cynomolgus macaques, and the annual sampling was designed with two individuals in four age groups. As a laboratory animal, the macaques were meticulously shielded from all environmental factors except aging. The results showed recent findings of certain immune response and the age-associated network of primate immunity. Three important aging patterns were identified and each gene clusters represented a different immune response. The increased expression pattern was predominantly associated with innate immune cells, such as Neutrophils and NK cells, causing chronic inflammation with aging whereas the other two decreased patterns were associated with adaptive immunity, especially "B cell activation" affecting antibody diversity of aging. Furthermore, the hub gene network of the patterns reflected transcriptomic age and correlated with human illness status, aiding in future human disease prediction. Our macaque transcriptome profiling results offer systematic insights into the age-related immunological features of primates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyeon-Mu Cho
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Republic of Korea
- Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, University of Science & Technology (UST), Cheongju, 28116, Republic of Korea
| | - Se-Hee Choe
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Republic of Korea
| | - Ja-Rang Lee
- Primate Resources Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Jeongeup, 56216, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye-Ri Park
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Republic of Korea
- Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, University of Science & Technology (UST), Cheongju, 28116, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Gyeong Ko
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Republic of Korea
- Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, University of Science & Technology (UST), Cheongju, 28116, Republic of Korea
| | - Yun-Jung Lee
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Republic of Korea
- Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, University of Science & Technology (UST), Cheongju, 28116, Republic of Korea
| | - Hwal-Yong Lee
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Hyun Park
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Je Park
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Republic of Korea.
| | - Young-Hyun Kim
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jae-Won Huh
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, University of Science & Technology (UST), Cheongju, 28116, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Dittrich C, Hoelzl F, Smith S, Fouilloux CA, Parker DJ, O’Connell LA, Knowles LS, Hughes M, Fewings A, Morgan R, Rojas B, Comeault AA. Genome Assembly of the Dyeing Poison Frog Provides Insights into the Dynamics of Transposable Element and Genome-Size Evolution. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae109. [PMID: 38753031 PMCID: PMC11152451 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae109] [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] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Genome size varies greatly across the tree of life and transposable elements are an important contributor to this variation. Among vertebrates, amphibians display the greatest variation in genome size, making them ideal models to explore the causes and consequences of genome size variation. However, high-quality genome assemblies for amphibians have, until recently, been rare. Here, we generate a high-quality genome assembly for the dyeing poison frog, Dendrobates tinctorius. We compare this assembly to publicly available frog genomes and find evidence for both large-scale conserved synteny and widespread rearrangements between frog lineages. Comparing conserved orthologs annotated in these genomes revealed a strong correlation between genome size and gene size. To explore the cause of gene-size variation, we quantified the location of transposable elements relative to gene features and find that the accumulation of transposable elements in introns has played an important role in the evolution of gene size in D. tinctorius, while estimates of insertion times suggest that many insertion events are recent and species-specific. Finally, we carry out population-scale mobile-element sequencing and show that the diversity and abundance of transposable elements in poison frog genomes can complicate genotyping from repetitive element sequence anchors. Our results show that transposable elements have clearly played an important role in the evolution of large genome size in D. tinctorius. Future studies are needed to fully understand the dynamics of transposable element evolution and to optimize primer or bait design for cost-effective population-level genotyping in species with large, repetitive genomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Dittrich
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Franz Hoelzl
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Steve Smith
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Chloe A Fouilloux
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Darren J Parker
- School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Molecular Ecology & Evolution Group, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | | | - Lucy S Knowles
- NERC Environmental Omics Facility, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Margaret Hughes
- Centre for Genomic Research, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Ade Fewings
- Supercomputing Wales, Digital Services, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Rhys Morgan
- School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Molecular Ecology & Evolution Group, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Bibiana Rojas
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Aaron A Comeault
- School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Molecular Ecology & Evolution Group, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Horváth V, Garza R, Jönsson ME, Johansson PA, Adami A, Christoforidou G, Karlsson O, Castilla Vallmanya L, Koutounidou S, Gerdes P, Pandiloski N, Douse CH, Jakobsson J. Mini-heterochromatin domains constrain the cis-regulatory impact of SVA transposons in human brain development and disease. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2024:10.1038/s41594-024-01320-8. [PMID: 38834915 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-024-01320-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
SVA (SINE (short interspersed nuclear element)-VNTR (variable number of tandem repeats)-Alu) retrotransposons remain active in humans and contribute to individual genetic variation. Polymorphic SVA alleles harbor gene regulatory potential and can cause genetic disease. However, how SVA insertions are controlled and functionally impact human disease is unknown. Here we dissect the epigenetic regulation and influence of SVAs in cellular models of X-linked dystonia parkinsonism (XDP), a neurodegenerative disorder caused by an SVA insertion at the TAF1 locus. We demonstrate that the KRAB zinc finger protein ZNF91 establishes H3K9me3 and DNA methylation over SVAs, including polymorphic alleles, in human neural progenitor cells. The resulting mini-heterochromatin domains attenuate the cis-regulatory impact of SVAs. This is critical for XDP pathology; removal of local heterochromatin severely aggravates the XDP molecular phenotype, resulting in increased TAF1 intron retention and reduced expression. Our results provide unique mechanistic insights into how human polymorphic transposon insertions are recognized and how their regulatory impact is constrained by an innate epigenetic defense system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vivien Horváth
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Raquel Garza
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Marie E Jönsson
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Pia A Johansson
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Anita Adami
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Georgia Christoforidou
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Laboratory of Epigenetics and Chromatin Dynamics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Ofelia Karlsson
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Laura Castilla Vallmanya
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Symela Koutounidou
- Laboratory of Epigenetics and Chromatin Dynamics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Patricia Gerdes
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Ninoslav Pandiloski
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Laboratory of Epigenetics and Chromatin Dynamics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Christopher H Douse
- Laboratory of Epigenetics and Chromatin Dynamics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Johan Jakobsson
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Li R, Du K, Zhang C, Shen X, Yun L, Wang S, Li Z, Sun Z, Wei J, Li Y, Guo B, Sun C. Single-cell transcriptome profiling reveals the spatiotemporal distribution of triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis and transposable element activity in Gynostemma pentaphyllum shoot apexes and leaves. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1394587. [PMID: 38779067 PMCID: PMC11109411 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1394587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino is an important producer of dammarene-type triterpenoid saponins. These saponins (gypenosides) exhibit diverse pharmacological benefits such as anticancer, antidiabetic, and immunomodulatory effects, and have major potential in the pharmaceutical and health care industries. Here, we employed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to profile the transcriptomes of more than 50,000 cells derived from G. pentaphyllum shoot apexes and leaves. Following cell clustering and annotation, we identified five major cell types in shoot apexes and four in leaves. Each cell type displayed substantial transcriptomic heterogeneity both within and between tissues. Examining gene expression patterns across various cell types revealed that gypenoside biosynthesis predominantly occurred in mesophyll cells, with heightened activity observed in shoot apexes compared to leaves. Furthermore, we explored the impact of transposable elements (TEs) on G. pentaphyllum transcriptomic landscapes. Our findings the highlighted the unbalanced expression of certain TE families across different cell types in shoot apexes and leaves, marking the first investigation of TE expression at the single-cell level in plants. Additionally, we observed dynamic expression of genes involved in gypenoside biosynthesis and specific TE families during epidermal and vascular cell development. The involvement of TE expression in regulating cell differentiation and gypenoside biosynthesis warrant further exploration. Overall, this study not only provides new insights into the spatiotemporal organization of gypenoside biosynthesis and TE activity in G. pentaphyllum shoot apexes and leaves but also offers valuable cellular and genetic resources for a deeper understanding of developmental and physiological processes at single-cell resolution in this species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rucan Li
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ke Du
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Chuyi Zhang
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaofeng Shen
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Lingling Yun
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Shu Wang
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ziqin Li
- College of Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Zhiying Sun
- College of Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Jianhe Wei
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Li
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Baolin Guo
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Sun
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Almeida da Paz M, Warger S, Taher L. Disregarding multimappers leads to biases in the functional assessment of NGS data. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:455. [PMID: 38720252 PMCID: PMC11078754 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10344-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Standard ChIP-seq and RNA-seq processing pipelines typically disregard sequencing reads whose origin is ambiguous ("multimappers"). This usual practice has potentially important consequences for the functional interpretation of the data: genomic elements belonging to clusters composed of highly similar members are left unexplored. RESULTS In particular, disregarding multimappers leads to the underrepresentation in epigenetic studies of recently active transposable elements, such as AluYa5, L1HS and SVAs. Furthermore, this common strategy also has implications for transcriptomic analysis: members of repetitive gene families, such the ones including major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II genes, are under-quantified. CONCLUSION Revealing inherent biases that permeate routine tasks such as functional enrichment analysis, our results underscore the urgency of broadly adopting multimapper-aware bioinformatic pipelines -currently restricted to specific contexts or communities- to ensure the reliability of genomic and transcriptomic studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah Warger
- Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
| | - Leila Taher
- Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Wong DCJ, Wang Z, Perkins J, Jin X, Marsh GE, John EG, Peakall R. The road less taken: Dihydroflavonol 4-reductase inactivation and delphinidin anthocyanin loss underpins a natural intraspecific flower colour variation. Mol Ecol 2024:e17334. [PMID: 38651763 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17334] [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: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Visual cues are of critical importance for the attraction of animal pollinators, however, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underpinning intraspecific floral colour variation. Here, we combined comparative spectral analysis, targeted metabolite profiling, multi-tissue transcriptomics, differential gene expression, sequence analysis and functional analysis to investigate a bee-pollinated orchid species, Glossodia major with common purple- and infrequent white-flowered morphs. We found uncommon and previously unreported delphinidin-based anthocyanins responsible for the conspicuous and pollinator-perceivable colour of the purple morph and three genetic changes underpinning the loss of colour in the white morph - (1) a loss-of-function (LOF; frameshift) mutation affecting dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR1) coding sequence due to a unique 4-bp insertion, (2) specific downregulation of functional DFR1 expression and (3) the unexpected discovery of chimeric Gypsy transposable element (TE)-gene (DFR) transcripts with potential consequences to the genomic stability and post-transcriptional or epigenetic regulation of DFR. This is one of few known cases where regulatory changes and LOF mutation in an anthocyanin structural gene, rather than transcription factors, are important. Furthermore, if TEs prove to be a frequent source of mutation, the interplay between environmental stress-induced TE evolution and pollinator-mediated selection for adaptive colour variation may be an overlooked mechanism maintaining floral colour polymorphism in nature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Darren C J Wong
- Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Zemin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - James Perkins
- Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Xin Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Grace Emma Marsh
- Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Emma Grace John
- Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Rod Peakall
- Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Zhao C, Bian C, Mu X, Zhang X, Shi Q. Gonadal transcriptome sequencing reveals sexual dimorphism in expression profiling of sex-related genes in Asian arowana ( Scleropages formosus). Front Genet 2024; 15:1381832. [PMID: 38666292 PMCID: PMC11043485 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1381832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Asia arowana (Scleropages formosus) is an ornamental fish with high economic value, while its sex determination mechanism is still poorly understood. By far, no morphological evidence or molecular marker has been developed for effective distinguishment of genders, which poses a critical challenge to our captive breeding efforts. In this study, we sequenced gonadal transcriptomes of adult Asian arowanas and revealed differential expression profiling of sex-related genes. Based on the comparative transcriptomics analysis of testes (n = 3) and ovaries (n = 3), we identified a total of 8,872 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 18,490 differentially expressed transposable elements (TEs) between male and female individuals. Interestingly, the expression of TEs usually has been more significantly testis-biased than related coding genes. As expected, several genes related to females (such as foxl2 and cyp19a1a) are significantly transcribed in the ovary, and some genes related to male gonad development (such as dmrt1, gsdf and amh) are highly expressed in the testis. This sexual dimorphism is valuable for ascertaining the differential expression patterns of sex-related genes and enriching the genetic resources of this economically important species. These valuable genetic materials thereby provide instructive references for gender identification and one-to-one breeding practices so as to expand fish numbers for a rapid elevation of economic value.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chenxi Zhao
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chao Bian
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, Shenzhen, China
- Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xidong Mu
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control for Aquatic Invasive Alien Species, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Modern Recreational Fisheries Engineering Technology Center, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinhui Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, Shenzhen, China
| | - Qiong Shi
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, Shenzhen, China
- Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Zhu Y, Wang Z, Zhou Z, Liu Y, Gao X, Guo W, Shi J. HEMU: An integrated comparative genomics database and analysis platform for Andropogoneae grasses. PLANT COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 5:100786. [PMID: 38155575 PMCID: PMC11009152 DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2023.100786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
This study reports an online database and analysis platform HEMU, which integrates 75 genome assemblies from 20 unique species, large amounts of multi-omics data, and six sophisticated analysis toolkits. HEMU will facilitate comparative genomics analysis within the tribe Andropogoneae.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuzhi Zhu
- School of Agriculture, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Zijie Wang
- School of Agriculture, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Zanchen Zhou
- School of Agriculture, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Yuting Liu
- School of Agriculture, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Xiang Gao
- School of Agriculture, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Weilong Guo
- Frontiers Science Center for Molecular Design Breeding, Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization (MOE), and Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Junpeng Shi
- School of Agriculture, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Oomen ME, Torres-Padilla ME. Jump-starting life: balancing transposable element co-option and genome integrity in the developing mammalian embryo. EMBO Rep 2024; 25:1721-1733. [PMID: 38528171 PMCID: PMC11015026 DOI: 10.1038/s44319-024-00118-5] [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: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Remnants of transposable elements (TEs) are widely expressed throughout mammalian embryo development. Originally infesting our genomes as selfish elements and acting as a source of genome instability, several of these elements have been co-opted as part of a complex system of genome regulation. Many TEs have lost transposition ability and their transcriptional potential has been tampered as a result of interactions with the host throughout evolutionary time. It has been proposed that TEs have been ultimately repurposed to function as gene regulatory hubs scattered throughout our genomes. In the early embryo in particular, TEs find a perfect environment of naïve chromatin to escape transcriptional repression by the host. As a consequence, it is thought that hosts found ways to co-opt TE sequences to regulate large-scale changes in chromatin and transcription state of their genomes. In this review, we discuss several examples of TEs expressed during embryo development, their potential for co-option in genome regulation and the evolutionary pressures on TEs and on our genomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marlies E Oomen
- Institute of Epigenetics and Stem Cells, Helmholtz Zentrum München, München, Germany
| | - Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla
- Institute of Epigenetics and Stem Cells, Helmholtz Zentrum München, München, Germany.
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, München, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Lee M, Ahmad SF, Xu J. Regulation and function of transposable elements in cancer genomes. Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:157. [PMID: 38556602 PMCID: PMC10982106 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-024-05195-2] [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: 12/03/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Over half of human genomic DNA is composed of repetitive sequences generated throughout evolution by prolific mobile genetic parasites called transposable elements (TEs). Long disregarded as "junk" or "selfish" DNA, TEs are increasingly recognized as formative elements in genome evolution, wired intimately into the structure and function of the human genome. Advances in sequencing technologies and computational methods have ushered in an era of unprecedented insight into how TE activity impacts human biology in health and disease. Here we discuss the current views on how TEs have shaped the regulatory landscape of the human genome, how TE activity is implicated in human cancers, and how recent findings motivate novel strategies to leverage TE activity for improved cancer therapy. Given the crucial role of methodological advances in TE biology, we pair our conceptual discussions with an in-depth review of the inherent technical challenges in studying repeats, specifically related to structural variation, expression analyses, and chromatin regulation. Lastly, we provide a catalog of existing and emerging assays and bioinformatic software that altogether are enabling the most sophisticated and comprehensive investigations yet into the regulation and function of interspersed repeats in cancer genomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX, 75390, USA.
| | - Syed Farhan Ahmad
- Department of Pathology, Center of Excellence for Leukemia Studies, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place - MS 345, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Jian Xu
- Department of Pathology, Center of Excellence for Leukemia Studies, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place - MS 345, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Bradamante G, Nguyen VH, Incarbone M, Meir Z, Bente H, Donà M, Lettner N, Scheid OM, Gutzat R. Two ARGONAUTE proteins loaded with transposon-derived small RNAs are associated with the reproductive cell lineage in Arabidopsis. THE PLANT CELL 2024; 36:863-880. [PMID: 38060984 PMCID: PMC10980394 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koad295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
In sexually propagating organisms, genetic, and epigenetic mutations are evolutionarily relevant only if they occur in the germline and are hence transmitted to the next generation. In contrast to most animals, plants are considered to lack an early segregating germline, implying that somatic cells can contribute genetic information to progeny. Here we demonstrate that 2 ARGONAUTE proteins, AGO5 and AGO9, mark cells associated with sexual reproduction in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) throughout development. Both AGOs are loaded with dynamically changing small RNA populations derived from highly methylated, pericentromeric, long transposons. Sequencing of single stem cell nuclei revealed that many of these transposons are co-expressed within an AGO5/9 expression domain in the shoot apical meristem (SAM). Co-occurrence of transposon expression and specific ARGONAUTE (AGO) expression in the SAM is reminiscent of germline features in animals and supports the existence of an early segregating germline in plants. Our results open the path to investigating transposon biology and epigenome dynamics at cellular resolution in the SAM stem cell niche.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Bradamante
- Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Vu Hoang Nguyen
- Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Marco Incarbone
- Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Zohar Meir
- Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science & Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel
| | - Heinrich Bente
- Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Mattia Donà
- Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Nicole Lettner
- Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ortrun Mittelsten Scheid
- Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ruben Gutzat
- Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Jiang J, Xu YC, Zhang ZQ, Chen JF, Niu XM, Hou XH, Li XT, Wang L, Zhang YE, Ge S, Guo YL. Forces driving transposable element load variation during Arabidopsis range expansion. THE PLANT CELL 2024; 36:840-862. [PMID: 38036296 PMCID: PMC10980350 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koad296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Genetic load refers to the accumulated and potentially life-threatening deleterious mutations in populations. Understanding the mechanisms underlying genetic load variation of transposable element (TE) insertion, a major large-effect mutation, during range expansion is an intriguing question in biology. Here, we used 1,115 global natural accessions of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) to study the driving forces of TE load variation during its range expansion. TE load increased with range expansion, especially in the recently established Yangtze River basin population. Effective population size, which explains 62.0% of the variance in TE load, high transposition rate, and selective sweeps contributed to TE accumulation in the expanded populations. We genetically mapped and identified multiple candidate causal genes and TEs, and revealed the genetic architecture of TE load variation. Overall, this study reveals the variation in TE genetic load during Arabidopsis expansion and highlights the causes of TE load variation from the perspectives of both population genetics and quantitative genetics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yong-Chao Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Zhi-Qin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jia-Fu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiao-Min Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Xing-Hui Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Xin-Tong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Li Wang
- Agricultural Synthetic Biology Center, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Yong E Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents & Key Laboratory of the Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Song Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ya-Long Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Dopkins N, Nixon DF. Activation of human endogenous retroviruses and its physiological consequences. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2024; 25:212-222. [PMID: 37872387 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-023-00674-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are abundant sequences that persist within the human genome as remnants of ancient retroviral infections. These sequences became fixed and accumulate mutations or deletions over time. HERVs have affected human evolution and physiology by providing a unique repertoire of coding and non-coding sequences to the genome. In healthy individuals, HERVs participate in immune responses, formation of syncytiotrophoblasts and cell-fate specification. In this Review, we discuss how endogenized retroviral motifs and regulatory sequences have been co-opted into human physiology and how they are tightly regulated. Infections and mutations can derail this regulation, leading to differential HERV expression, which may contribute to pathologies including neurodegeneration, pathological inflammation and oncogenesis. Emerging evidence demonstrates that HERVs are crucial to human health and represent an understudied facet of many diseases, and we therefore argue that investigating their fundamental properties could improve existing therapies and help develop novel therapeutic strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Dopkins
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Douglas F Nixon
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Thieme M, Minadakis N, Himber C, Keller B, Xu W, Rutowicz K, Matteoli C, Böhrer M, Rymen B, Laudencia-Chingcuanco D, Vogel JP, Sibout R, Stritt C, Blevins T, Roulin AC. Transposition of HOPPLA in siRNA-deficient plants suggests a limited effect of the environment on retrotransposon mobility in Brachypodium distachyon. PLoS Genet 2024; 20:e1011200. [PMID: 38470914 PMCID: PMC10959353 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011200] [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: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) are powerful mutagens regarded as a major source of genetic novelty and important drivers of evolution. Yet, the uncontrolled and potentially selfish proliferation of LTR-RTs can lead to deleterious mutations and genome instability, with large fitness costs for their host. While population genomics data suggest that an ongoing LTR-RT mobility is common in many species, the understanding of their dual role in evolution is limited. Here, we harness the genetic diversity of 320 sequenced natural accessions of the Mediterranean grass Brachypodium distachyon to characterize how genetic and environmental factors influence plant LTR-RT dynamics in the wild. When combining a coverage-based approach to estimate global LTR-RT copy number variations with mobilome-sequencing of nine accessions exposed to eight different stresses, we find little evidence for a major role of environmental factors in LTR-RT accumulations in B. distachyon natural accessions. Instead, we show that loss of RNA polymerase IV (Pol IV), which mediates RNA-directed DNA methylation in plants, results in high transcriptional and transpositional activities of RLC_BdisC024 (HOPPLA) LTR-RT family elements, and that these effects are not stress-specific. This work supports findings indicating an ongoing mobility in B. distachyon and reveals that host RNA-directed DNA methylation rather than environmental factors controls their mobility in this wild grass model.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Thieme
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nikolaos Minadakis
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christophe Himber
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Bettina Keller
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Wenbo Xu
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kinga Rutowicz
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Calvin Matteoli
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Marcel Böhrer
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Bart Rymen
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Debbie Laudencia-Chingcuanco
- United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Western Regional Research Center, Albany, California, United States of America
| | - John P. Vogel
- United States Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Richard Sibout
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique Unité BIA- 1268 Biopolymères Interactions Assemblages Equipe Paroi Végétale et Polymères Pariétaux (PVPP), Nantes, France
| | - Christoph Stritt
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), Allschwil, Switzerland
| | - Todd Blevins
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Anne C. Roulin
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Le Breton A, Bettencourt MP, Gendrel AV. Navigating the brain and aging: exploring the impact of transposable elements from health to disease. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1357576. [PMID: 38476259 PMCID: PMC10927736 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1357576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile genetic elements that constitute on average 45% of mammalian genomes. Their presence and activity in genomes represent a major source of genetic variability. While this is an important driver of genome evolution, TEs can also have deleterious effects on their hosts. A growing number of studies have focused on the role of TEs in the brain, both in physiological and pathological contexts. In the brain, their activity is believed to be important for neuronal plasticity. In neurological and age-related disorders, aberrant activity of TEs may contribute to disease etiology, although this remains unclear. After providing a comprehensive overview of transposable elements and their interactions with the host, this review summarizes the current understanding of TE activity within the brain, during the aging process, and in the context of neurological and age-related conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Anne-Valerie Gendrel
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Perkiö A, Pradhan B, Genc F, Pirttikoski A, Pikkusaari S, Erkan EP, Falco MM, Huhtinen K, Narva S, Hynninen J, Kauppi L, Vähärautio A. Locus-specific LINE-1 expression in clinical ovarian cancer specimens at the single-cell level. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4322. [PMID: 38383551 PMCID: PMC10881972 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54113-w] [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: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE-1s/L1s) are a group of retrotransposons that can copy themselves within a genome. In humans, it is the most successful transposon in nucleotide content. L1 expression is generally mild in normal human tissues, but the activity has been shown to increase significantly in many cancers. Few studies have examined L1 expression at single-cell resolution, thus it is undetermined whether L1 reactivation occurs solely in malignant cells within tumors. One of the cancer types with frequent L1 activity is high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC). Here, we identified locus-specific L1 expression with 3' single-cell RNA sequencing in pre- and post-chemotherapy HGSOC sample pairs from 11 patients, and in fallopian tube samples from five healthy women. Although L1 expression quantification with the chosen technique was challenging due to the repetitive nature of the element, we found evidence of L1 expression primarily in cancer cells, but also in other cell types, e.g. cancer-associated fibroblasts. The expression levels were similar in samples taken before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, indicating that L1 transcriptional activity was unaffected by clinical platinum-taxane treatment. Furthermore, L1 activity was negatively associated with the expression of MYC target genes, a finding that supports earlier literature of MYC being an L1 suppressor.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Perkiö
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Barun Pradhan
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290, Helsinki, Finland
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Fatih Genc
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anna Pirttikoski
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sanna Pikkusaari
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Erdogan Pekcan Erkan
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290, Helsinki, Finland
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Matias Marin Falco
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kaisa Huhtinen
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290, Helsinki, Finland
- Institute of Biomedicine and FICAN West Cancer Centre, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, 20521, Turku, Finland
| | - Sara Narva
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, 20521, Turku, Finland
| | - Johanna Hynninen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, 20521, Turku, Finland
| | - Liisa Kauppi
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Anna Vähärautio
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290, Helsinki, Finland.
- Foundation for the Finnish Cancer Institute (FCI), Helsinki, Finland.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Lanciano S, Philippe C, Sarkar A, Pratella D, Domrane C, Doucet AJ, van Essen D, Saccani S, Ferry L, Defossez PA, Cristofari G. Locus-level L1 DNA methylation profiling reveals the epigenetic and transcriptional interplay between L1s and their integration sites. CELL GENOMICS 2024; 4:100498. [PMID: 38309261 PMCID: PMC10879037 DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Long interspersed element 1 (L1) retrotransposons are implicated in human disease and evolution. Their global activity is repressed by DNA methylation, but deciphering the regulation of individual copies has been challenging. Here, we combine short- and long-read sequencing to unveil L1 methylation heterogeneity across cell types, families, and individual loci and elucidate key principles involved. We find that the youngest primate L1 families are specifically hypomethylated in pluripotent stem cells and the placenta but not in most tumors. Locally, intronic L1 methylation is intimately associated with gene transcription. Conversely, the L1 methylation state can propagate to the proximal region up to 300 bp. This phenomenon is accompanied by the binding of specific transcription factors, which drive the expression of L1 and chimeric transcripts. Finally, L1 hypomethylation alone is typically insufficient to trigger L1 expression due to redundant silencing pathways. Our results illuminate the epigenetic and transcriptional interplay between retrotransposons and their host genome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Lanciano
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Claude Philippe
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Arpita Sarkar
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - David Pratella
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Cécilia Domrane
- University Paris Cité, CNRS, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, Paris, France
| | - Aurélien J Doucet
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Dominic van Essen
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Simona Saccani
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Laure Ferry
- University Paris Cité, CNRS, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, Paris, France
| | | | - Gael Cristofari
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Ramirez P, Sun W, Kazempour Dehkordi S, Zare H, Fongang B, Bieniek KF, Frost B. Nanopore-based DNA long-read sequencing analysis of the aged human brain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.01.578450. [PMID: 38370753 PMCID: PMC10871260 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.01.578450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Aging disrupts cellular processes such as DNA repair and epigenetic control, leading to a gradual buildup of genomic alterations that can have detrimental effects in post-mitotic cells. Genomic alterations in regions of the genome that are rich in repetitive sequences, often termed "dark loci," are difficult to resolve using traditional sequencing approaches. New long-read technologies offer promising avenues for exploration of previously inaccessible regions of the genome. Using nanopore-based long-read whole-genome sequencing of DNA extracted from aged 18 human brains, we identify previously unreported structural variants and methylation patterns within repetitive DNA, focusing on transposable elements ("jumping genes") as crucial sources of variation, particularly in dark loci. Our analyses reveal potential somatic insertion variants and provides DNA methylation frequencies for many retrotransposon families. We further demonstrate the utility of this technology for the study of these challenging genomic regions in brains affected by Alzheimer's disease and identify significant differences in DNA methylation in pathologically normal brains versus those affected by Alzheimer's disease. Highlighting the power of this approach, we discover specific polymorphic retrotransposons with altered DNA methylation patterns. These retrotransposon loci have the potential to contribute to pathology, warranting further investigation in Alzheimer's disease research. Taken together, our study provides the first long-read DNA sequencing-based analysis of retrotransposon sequences, structural variants, and DNA methylation in the aging brain affected with Alzheimer's disease neuropathology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paulino Ramirez
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Wenyan Sun
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- School of Pharmacy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Shiva Kazempour Dehkordi
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Habil Zare
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Bernard Fongang
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Kevin F. Bieniek
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Bess Frost
- Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Liang Y, Qu X, Shah NM, Wang T. Towards targeting transposable elements for cancer therapy. Nat Rev Cancer 2024; 24:123-140. [PMID: 38228901 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-023-00653-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) represent almost half of the human genome. Historically deemed 'junk DNA', recent technological advancements have stimulated a wave of research into the functional impact of TEs on gene-regulatory networks in evolution and development, as well as in diseases including cancer. The genetic and epigenetic evolution of cancer involves the exploitation of TEs, whereby TEs contribute directly to cancer-specific gene activities. This Review provides a perspective on the role of TEs in cancer as being a 'double-edged sword', both promoting cancer evolution and representing a vulnerability that could be exploited in cancer therapy. We discuss how TEs affect transcriptome regulation and other cellular processes in cancer. We highlight the potential of TEs as therapeutic targets for cancer. We also summarize technical hurdles in the characterization of TEs with genomic assays. Last, we outline open questions and exciting future research avenues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yonghao Liang
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Xuan Qu
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Nakul M Shah
- Division of Cancer Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ting Wang
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
- Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Wang C, Shi Z, Huang Q, Liu R, Su D, Chang L, Xiao C, Fan X. Single-cell analysis of isoform switching and transposable element expression during preimplantation embryonic development. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002505. [PMID: 38363809 PMCID: PMC10903961 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002505] [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: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing is an essential regulatory mechanism for development and pathogenesis. Through alternative splicing one gene can encode multiple isoforms and be translated into proteins with different functions. Therefore, this diversity is an important dimension to understand the molecular mechanism governing embryo development. Isoform expression in preimplantation embryos has been extensively investigated, leading to the discovery of new isoforms. However, the dynamics of isoform switching of different types of transcripts throughout the development remains unexplored. Here, using single-cell direct isoform sequencing in over 100 single blastomeres from the mouse oocyte to blastocyst stage, we quantified isoform expression and found that 3-prime partial transcripts lacking stop codons are highly accumulated in oocytes and zygotes. These transcripts are not transcription by-products and might play a role in maternal to zygote transition (MZT) process. Long-read sequencing also enabled us to determine the expression of transposable elements (TEs) at specific loci. In this way, we identified 3,894 TE loci that exhibited dynamic changes along the preimplantation development, likely regulating the expression of adjacent genes. Our work provides novel insights into the transcriptional regulation of early embryo development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chaoyang Wang
- GMU-GIBH Joint School of Life Sciences, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- The Bioland Laboratory (GuangZhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhuoxing Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qingpei Huang
- GMU-GIBH Joint School of Life Sciences, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- The Bioland Laboratory (GuangZhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
| | - Rong Liu
- GMU-GIBH Joint School of Life Sciences, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- The Bioland Laboratory (GuangZhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
| | - Dan Su
- GMU-GIBH Joint School of Life Sciences, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- The Bioland Laboratory (GuangZhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
| | - Lei Chang
- GMU-GIBH Joint School of Life Sciences, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- The Bioland Laboratory (GuangZhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
| | - Chuanle Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoying Fan
- GMU-GIBH Joint School of Life Sciences, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- The Bioland Laboratory (GuangZhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
- The Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Guo Y, Xue Z, Gong M, Jin S, Wu X, Liu W. CRISPR-TE: a web-based tool to generate single guide RNAs targeting transposable elements. Mob DNA 2024; 15:3. [PMID: 38303094 PMCID: PMC10832116 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-024-00313-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The CRISPR/Cas systems have emerged as powerful tools in genome engineering. Recent studies highlighting the crucial role of transposable elements (TEs) have stimulated research interest in manipulating these elements to understand their functions. However, designing single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) that are specific and efficient for TE manipulation is a significant challenge, given their sequence repetitiveness and high copy numbers. While various sgRNA design tools have been developed for gene editing, an optimized sgRNA designer for TE manipulation has yet to be established. RESULTS We present CRISPR-TE, a web-based application featuring an accessible graphical user interface, available at https://www.crisprte.cn/ , and currently tailored to the human and mouse genomes. CRISPR-TE identifies all potential sgRNAs for TEs and provides a comprehensive solution for efficient TE targeting at both the single copy and subfamily levels. Our analysis shows that sgRNAs targeting TEs can more effectively target evolutionarily young TEs with conserved sequences at the subfamily level. CONCLUSIONS CRISPR-TE offers a versatile framework for designing sgRNAs for TE targeting. CRISPR-TE is publicly accessible at https://www.crisprte.cn/ as an online web service and the source code of CRISPR-TE is available at https://github.com/WanluLiuLab/CRISPRTE/ .
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Guo
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital, and Centre of Biomedical Systems and Informatics of Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJU-UoE Institute), Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Ziwei Xue
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital, and Centre of Biomedical Systems and Informatics of Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJU-UoE Institute), Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, 310003, China
- Future Health Laboratory, Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta, Zhejiang University, Jiaxing, 314100, China
| | - Meiting Gong
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital, and Centre of Biomedical Systems and Informatics of Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJU-UoE Institute), Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Siqian Jin
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital, and Centre of Biomedical Systems and Informatics of Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJU-UoE Institute), Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Xindi Wu
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital, and Centre of Biomedical Systems and Informatics of Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJU-UoE Institute), Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Wanlu Liu
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital, and Centre of Biomedical Systems and Informatics of Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJU-UoE Institute), Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
- Future Health Laboratory, Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta, Zhejiang University, Jiaxing, 314100, China.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Farahmandnejad M, Mosaddeghi P, Dorvash M, Sakhteman A, Negahdaripour M, Faridi P. Correlation of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cell Expansion with Upregulated Transposable Elements in Severe COVID-19 Unveiled in Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Reanalysis. Biomedicines 2024; 12:315. [PMID: 38397917 PMCID: PMC10887269 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12020315] [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: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Some studies have investigated the potential role of transposable elements (TEs) in COVID-19 pathogenesis and complications. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no study to examine the possible association of TE expression in cell functions and its potential role in COVID-19 immune response at the single-cell level. In this study, we reanalyzed single-cell RNA seq data of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples obtained from six severe COVID-19 patients and three healthy donors to assess the probable correlation of TE expression with the immune responses induced by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in COVID-19 patients. Our findings indicate that the expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) may be a characteristic feature of COVID-19. Additionally, a significant increase in TE expression in MDSCs was observed. This upregulation of TEs in COVID-19 may be linked to the adaptability of these cells in response to their microenvironments. Furthermore, it appears that the identification of overexpressed TEs by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) in MDSCs may enhance the suppressive capacity of these cells. Thus, this study emphasizes the crucial role of TEs in the functionality of MDSCs during COVID-19.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mitra Farahmandnejad
- Quality Control of Drug Products Department, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71348-14336, Iran;
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71348-14336, Iran
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71348-14336, Iran
| | - Pouria Mosaddeghi
- Medicinal Plants Processing Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz 71348-14336, Iran;
- Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71348-14336, Iran
| | - Mohammadreza Dorvash
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia;
| | - Amirhossein Sakhteman
- Proteomics and Bioanalytics, Department of Molecular Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 80333 Munich, Germany;
| | - Manica Negahdaripour
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71348-14336, Iran
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71348-14336, Iran
| | - Pouya Faridi
- Monash Proteomics and Metabolomics Platform, Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
- Centre for Cancer Research, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia
- Department of Molecular and Translational Science, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Lykoskoufis NMR, Planet E, Ongen H, Trono D, Dermitzakis ET. Transposable elements mediate genetic effects altering the expression of nearby genes in colorectal cancer. Nat Commun 2024; 15:749. [PMID: 38272908 PMCID: PMC10811328 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42405-0] [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: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are prevalent repeats in the human genome, play a significant role in the regulome, and their disruption can contribute to tumorigenesis. However, TE influence on gene expression in cancer remains unclear. Here, we analyze 275 normal colon and 276 colorectal cancer samples from the SYSCOL cohort, discovering 10,231 and 5,199 TE-expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) in normal and tumor tissues, respectively, of which 376 are colorectal cancer specific eQTLs, likely due to methylation changes. Tumor-specific TE-eQTLs show greater enrichment of transcription factors, compared to shared TE-eQTLs suggesting specific regulation of their expression in tumor. Bayesian networks reveal 1,766 TEs as mediators of genetic effects, altering the expression of 1,558 genes, including 55 known cancer driver genes and show that tumor-specific TE-eQTLs trigger the driver capability of TEs. These insights expand our knowledge of cancer drivers, deepening our understanding of tumorigenesis and presenting potential avenues for therapeutic interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos M R Lykoskoufis
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Institute for Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (iGE3), University of Geneva, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland.
- NGS-AI JSR Life Sciences, Route de la Corniche 3, 1066, Epalinges, Switzerland.
| | - Evarist Planet
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Halit Ongen
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
- Institute for Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (iGE3), University of Geneva, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Didier Trono
- School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Emmanouil T Dermitzakis
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Institute for Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (iGE3), University of Geneva, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Hou Y, Li Y, Xiang JF, Tilahun K, Jiang J, Corces VG, Yao B. TDP-43 chronic deficiency leads to dysregulation of transposable elements and gene expression by affecting R-loop and 5hmC crosstalk. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113662. [PMID: 38184854 PMCID: PMC10857847 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113662] [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] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
TDP-43 is an RNA/DNA-binding protein that forms aggregates in various brain disorders. TDP-43 engages in many aspects of RNA metabolism, but its molecular roles in regulating genes and transposable elements (TEs) have not been extensively explored. Chronic TDP-43 knockdown impairs cell proliferation and cellular responses to DNA damage. At the molecular level, TDP-43 chronic deficiency affects gene expression either locally or distally by concomitantly altering the crosstalk between R-loops and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in gene bodies and long-range enhancer/promoter interactions. Furthermore, TDP-43 knockdown induces substantial disease-relevant TE activation by influencing their R-loop and 5hmC homeostasis in a locus-specific manner. Together, our findings highlight the genomic roles of TDP-43 in modulating R-loop-5hmC coordination in coding genes, distal regulatory elements, and TEs, presenting a general and broad molecular mechanism underlying the contributions of proteinopathies to the etiology of neurodegenerative disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yingzi Hou
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Yangping Li
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Jian-Feng Xiang
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Kedamawit Tilahun
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Jie Jiang
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Victor G Corces
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Bing Yao
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Mandal AK. Recent insights into crosstalk between genetic parasites and their host genome. Brief Funct Genomics 2024; 23:15-23. [PMID: 36307128 PMCID: PMC10799329 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/elac032] [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: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The bulk of higher order organismal genomes is comprised of transposable element (TE) copies, i.e. genetic parasites. The host-parasite relation is multi-faceted, varying across genomic region (genic versus intergenic), life-cycle stages, tissue-type and of course in health versus pathological state. The reach of functional genomics though, in investigating genotype-to-phenotype relations, has been limited when TEs are involved. The aim of this review is to highlight recent progress made in understanding how TE origin biochemical activity interacts with the central dogma stages of the host genome. Such interaction can also bring about modulation of the immune context and this could have important repercussions in disease state where immunity has a role to play. Thus, the review is to instigate ideas and action points around identifying evolutionary adaptations that the host genome and the genetic parasite have evolved and why they could be relevant.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amit K Mandal
- Corresponding author: A.K. Mandal, Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences (NDS), University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research building (ORCRB), Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1865 617123; Fax: +44 (0)1865 768876; E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Stévant I, Gonen N, Poulat F. Transposable elements acquire time- and sex-specific transcriptional and epigenetic signatures along mouse fetal gonad development. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 11:1327410. [PMID: 38283992 PMCID: PMC10811072 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1327410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Gonadal sex determination in mice is a complex and dynamic process, which is crucial for the development of functional reproductive organs. The expression of genes involved in this process is regulated by a variety of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. Recently, there has been increasing evidence that transposable elements (TEs), which are a class of mobile genetic elements, play a significant role in regulating gene expression during embryogenesis and organ development. In this study, we aimed to investigate the involvement of TEs in the regulation of gene expression during mouse embryonic gonadal development. Through bioinformatics analysis, we aimed to identify and characterize specific TEs that operate as regulatory elements for sex-specific genes, as well as their potential mechanisms of regulation. We identified TE loci expressed in a time- and sex-specific manner along fetal gonad development that correlate positively and negatively with nearby gene expression, suggesting that their expression is integrated to the gonadal regulatory network. Moreover, chromatin accessibility and histone post-transcriptional modification analyses in differentiating supporting cells revealed that TEs are acquiring a sex-specific signature for promoter-, enhancer-, and silencer-like elements, with some of them being proximal to critical sex-determining genes. Altogether, our study introduces TEs as the new potential players in the gene regulatory network that controls gonadal development in mammals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Stévant
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Institute of Human Genetics, CNRS UMR9002 University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Nitzan Gonen
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Francis Poulat
- Institute of Human Genetics, CNRS UMR9002 University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Lanciano S, Cristofari G. Cancer Immunotherapy: How to Exploit Transposable Elements? Clin Chem 2024; 70:17-20. [PMID: 37572000 DOI: 10.1093/clinchem/hvad091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Lanciano
- University Cote d'Azur, Inserm, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Faculty of Medicine, Nice, France
| | - Gael Cristofari
- University Cote d'Azur, Inserm, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Faculty of Medicine, Nice, France
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Lismer A, Shao X, Dumargne MC, Lafleur C, Lambrot R, Chan D, Toft G, Bonde JP, MacFarlane AJ, Bornman R, Aneck-Hahn N, Patrick S, Bailey JM, de Jager C, Dumeaux V, Trasler JM, Kimmins S. The Association between Long-Term DDT or DDE Exposures and an Altered Sperm Epigenome-a Cross-Sectional Study of Greenlandic Inuit and South African VhaVenda Men. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2024; 132:17008. [PMID: 38294233 PMCID: PMC10829569 DOI: 10.1289/ehp12013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The organochlorine dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is banned worldwide owing to its negative health effects. It is exceptionally used as an insecticide for malaria control. Exposure occurs in regions where DDT is applied, as well as in the Arctic, where its endocrine disrupting metabolite, p , p ' -dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p , p ' -DDE) accumulates in marine mammals and fish. DDT and p , p ' -DDE exposures are linked to birth defects, infertility, cancer, and neurodevelopmental delays. Of particular concern is the potential of DDT use to impact the health of generations to come via the heritable sperm epigenome. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to assess the sperm epigenome in relation to p , p ' -DDE serum levels between geographically diverse populations. METHODS In the Limpopo Province of South Africa, we recruited 247 VhaVenda South African men and selected 50 paired blood serum and semen samples, and 47 Greenlandic Inuit blood and semen paired samples were selected from a total of 193 samples from the biobank of the INUENDO cohort, an EU Fifth Framework Programme Research and Development project. Sample selection was based on obtaining a range of p , p ' -DDE serum levels (mean = 870.734 ± 134.030 ng / mL ). We assessed the sperm epigenome in relation to serum p , p ' -DDE levels using MethylC-Capture-sequencing (MCC-seq) and chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq). We identified genomic regions with altered DNA methylation (DNAme) and differential enrichment of histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) in sperm. RESULTS Differences in DNAme and H3K4me3 enrichment were identified at transposable elements and regulatory regions involved in fertility, disease, development, and neurofunction. A subset of regions with sperm DNAme and H3K4me3 that differed between exposure groups was predicted to persist in the preimplantation embryo and to be associated with embryonic gene expression. DISCUSSION These findings suggest that DDT and p , p ' -DDE exposure impacts the sperm epigenome in a dose-response-like manner and may negatively impact the health of future generations through epigenetic mechanisms. Confounding factors, such as other environmental exposures, genetic diversity, and selection bias, cannot be ruled out. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12013.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ariane Lismer
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Xiaojian Shao
- Digital Technologies Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marie-Charlotte Dumargne
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Christine Lafleur
- University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Romain Lambrot
- University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Donovan Chan
- Child Health and Human Development Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Gunnar Toft
- Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jens Peter Bonde
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Bispebjerg University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Amanda J. MacFarlane
- Agriculture Food and Nutrition Evidence Center, Texas A&M University, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Riana Bornman
- Environmental Chemical Pollution and Health Research Unit, School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Natalie Aneck-Hahn
- University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Sean Patrick
- University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Janice M. Bailey
- Research Centre on Reproduction and Intergenerational Health, Department of Animal Sciences, Université Laval, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
| | - Christiaan de Jager
- Environmental Chemical Pollution and Health Research Unit, School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Vanessa Dumeaux
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Oncology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jacquetta M. Trasler
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Child Health and Human Development Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sarah Kimmins
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Bravo JI, Mizrahi CR, Kim S, Zhang L, Suh Y, Benayoun BA. An eQTL-based Approach Reveals Candidate Regulators of LINE-1 RNA Levels in Lymphoblastoid Cells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.15.553416. [PMID: 37645920 PMCID: PMC10461994 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.15.553416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Long interspersed element 1 (L1) are a family of autonomous, actively mobile transposons that occupy ~17% of the human genome. A number of pleiotropic effects induced by L1 (promoting genome instability, inflammation, or cellular senescence) have been observed, and L1's contributions to aging and aging diseases is an area of active research. However, because of the cell type-specific nature of transposon control, the catalogue of L1 regulators remains incomplete. Here, we employ an eQTL approach leveraging transcriptomic and genomic data from the GEUVADIS and 1000Genomes projects to computationally identify new candidate regulators of L1 RNA levels in lymphoblastoid cell lines. To cement the role of candidate genes in L1 regulation, we experimentally modulate the levels of top candidates in vitro, including IL16, STARD5, HSDB17B12, and RNF5, and assess changes in TE family expression by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Remarkably, we observe subtle but widespread upregulation of TE family expression following IL16 and STARD5 overexpression. Moreover, a short-term 24-hour exposure to recombinant human IL16 was sufficient to transiently induce subtle, but widespread, upregulation of L1 subfamilies. Finally, we find that many L1 expression-associated genetic variants are co-associated with aging traits across genome-wide association study databases. Our results expand the catalogue of genes implicated in L1 RNA control and further suggest that L1-derived RNA contributes to aging processes. Given the ever-increasing availability of paired genomic and transcriptomic data, we anticipate this new approach to be a starting point for more comprehensive computational scans for transposon transcriptional regulators.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan I. Bravo
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Graduate program in the Biology of Aging, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Chanelle R. Mizrahi
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- USC Gerontology Enriching MSTEM to Enhance Diversity in Aging Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Seungsoo Kim
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Lucia Zhang
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Quantitative and Computational Biology Department, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Yousin Suh
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Bérénice A. Benayoun
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Molecular and Computational Biology Department, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Department, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- USC Stem Cell Initiative, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Wang C, Lei B, Liu Y. An Analysis of a Transposable Element Expression Atlas during 27 Developmental Stages in Porcine Skeletal Muscle: Unveiling Molecular Insights into Pork Production Traits. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:3581. [PMID: 38003198 PMCID: PMC10668843 DOI: 10.3390/ani13223581] [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: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The development and growth of porcine skeletal muscle determine pork quality and yield. While genetic regulation of porcine skeletal muscle development has been extensively studied using various omics data, the role of transposable elements (TEs) in this context has been less explored. To bridge this gap, we constructed a comprehensive atlas of TE expression throughout the developmental stages of porcine skeletal muscle. This was achieved by integrating porcine TE genomic coordinates with whole-transcriptome RNA-Seq data from 27 developmental stages. We discovered that in pig skeletal muscle, active Tes are closely associated with active epigenomic marks, including low levels of DNA methylation, high levels of chromatin accessibility, and active histone modifications. Moreover, these TEs include 6074 self-expressed TEs that are significantly enriched in terms of muscle cell development and myofibril assembly. Using the TE expression data, we conducted a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and identified a module that is significantly associated with muscle tissue development as well as genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of the signals of pig meat and carcass traits. Within this module, we constructed a TE-mediated gene regulatory network by adopting a unique multi-omics integration approach. This network highlighted several established candidate genes associated with muscle-relevant traits, including HES6, CHRNG, ACTC1, CHRND, MAMSTR, and PER2, as well as novel genes like ENSSSCG00000005518, ENSSSCG00000033601, and PIEZO2. These novel genes hold promise for regulating muscle-related traits in pigs. In summary, our research not only enhances the TE-centered dissection of the genetic basis underlying pork production traits, but also offers a general approach for constructing TE-mediated regulatory networks to study complex traits or diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chao Wang
- Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Swine Genetics and Breeding of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (C.W.); (B.L.)
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-Omics of MARA, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China
- Innovation Group of Pig Genome Design and Breeding, Research Centre for Animal Genome, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China
| | - Bowen Lei
- Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Swine Genetics and Breeding of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (C.W.); (B.L.)
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-Omics of MARA, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China
- Innovation Group of Pig Genome Design and Breeding, Research Centre for Animal Genome, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China
| | - Yuwen Liu
- Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Swine Genetics and Breeding of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (C.W.); (B.L.)
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-Omics of MARA, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China
- Innovation Group of Pig Genome Design and Breeding, Research Centre for Animal Genome, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China
- Kunpeng Institute of Modern Agriculture at Foshan, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Foshan 528226, China
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Qian J, Ibrahim HMM, Erz M, Kümmel F, Panstruga R, Kusch S. Long noncoding RNAs emerge from transposon-derived antisense sequences and may contribute to infection stage-specific transposon regulation in a fungal phytopathogen. Mob DNA 2023; 14:17. [PMID: 37964319 PMCID: PMC10648671 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-023-00305-6] [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: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The genome of the obligate biotrophic phytopathogenic barley powdery mildew fungus Blumeria hordei is inflated due to highly abundant and possibly active transposable elements (TEs). In the absence of the otherwise common repeat-induced point mutation transposon defense mechanism, noncoding RNAs could be key for regulating the activity of TEs and coding genes during the pathogenic life cycle. RESULTS We performed time-course whole-transcriptome shotgun sequencing (RNA-seq) of total RNA derived from infected barley leaf epidermis at various stages of fungal pathogenesis and observed significant transcript accumulation and time point-dependent regulation of TEs in B. hordei. Using a manually curated consensus database of 344 TEs, we discovered phased small RNAs mapping to 104 consensus transposons, suggesting that RNA interference contributes significantly to their regulation. Further, we identified 5,127 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) genome-wide in B. hordei, of which 823 originated from the antisense strand of a TE. Co-expression network analysis of lncRNAs, TEs, and coding genes throughout the asexual life cycle of B. hordei points at extensive positive and negative co-regulation of lncRNAs, subsets of TEs and coding genes. CONCLUSIONS Our work suggests that similar to mammals and plants, fungal lncRNAs support the dynamic modulation of transcript levels, including TEs, during pivotal stages of host infection. The lncRNAs may support transcriptional diversity and plasticity amid loss of coding genes in powdery mildew fungi and may give rise to novel regulatory elements and virulence peptides, thus representing key drivers of rapid evolutionary adaptation to promote pathogenicity and overcome host defense.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiangzhao Qian
- Unit of Plant Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Biology I, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| | - Heba M M Ibrahim
- Department of Biosystems, Division of Plant Biotechnics, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
- Present address: Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-2, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Myriam Erz
- Unit of Plant Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Biology I, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| | - Florian Kümmel
- Unit of Plant Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Biology I, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52056, Aachen, Germany
- Present address: Department of Plant-Microbe Interactions, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-Von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ralph Panstruga
- Unit of Plant Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Biology I, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| | - Stefan Kusch
- Unit of Plant Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Biology I, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52056, Aachen, Germany.
- Present address: Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-4, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Garza R, Atacho DA, Adami A, Gerdes P, Vinod M, Hsieh P, Karlsson O, Horvath V, Johansson PA, Pandiloski N, Matas-Fuentes J, Quaegebeur A, Kouli A, Sharma Y, Jönsson ME, Monni E, Englund E, Eichler EE, Gale Hammell M, Barker RA, Kokaia Z, Douse CH, Jakobsson J. LINE-1 retrotransposons drive human neuronal transcriptome complexity and functional diversification. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadh9543. [PMID: 37910626 PMCID: PMC10619931 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh9543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
The genetic mechanisms underlying the expansion in size and complexity of the human brain remain poorly understood. Long interspersed nuclear element-1 (L1) retrotransposons are a source of divergent genetic information in hominoid genomes, but their importance in physiological functions and their contribution to human brain evolution are largely unknown. Using multiomics profiling, we here demonstrate that L1 promoters are dynamically active in the developing and the adult human brain. L1s generate hundreds of developmentally regulated and cell type-specific transcripts, many that are co-opted as chimeric transcripts or regulatory RNAs. One L1-derived long noncoding RNA, LINC01876, is a human-specific transcript expressed exclusively during brain development. CRISPR interference silencing of LINC01876 results in reduced size of cerebral organoids and premature differentiation of neural progenitors, implicating L1s in human-specific developmental processes. In summary, our results demonstrate that L1-derived transcripts provide a previously undescribed layer of primate- and human-specific transcriptome complexity that contributes to the functional diversification of the human brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Garza
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Diahann A. M. Atacho
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Anita Adami
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Patricia Gerdes
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Meghna Vinod
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - PingHsun Hsieh
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Ofelia Karlsson
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Vivien Horvath
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Pia A. Johansson
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Ninoslav Pandiloski
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
- Epigenetics and Chromatin Dynamics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC B11, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Jon Matas-Fuentes
- Epigenetics and Chromatin Dynamics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC B11, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Annelies Quaegebeur
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge and Department of Pathology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Antonina Kouli
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Cambridge CB2 0PY, UK
| | - Yogita Sharma
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Marie E. Jönsson
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Emanuela Monni
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Restorative Neurology, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, SE-22184 Lund, Sweden
| | - Elisabet Englund
- Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Division of Pathology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Evan E. Eichler
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Molly Gale Hammell
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
- Institute for Systems Genetics, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Roger A. Barker
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Cambridge CB2 0PY, UK
| | - Zaal Kokaia
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Restorative Neurology, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, SE-22184 Lund, Sweden
| | - Christopher H. Douse
- Epigenetics and Chromatin Dynamics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC B11, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Johan Jakobsson
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Teefy BB, Lemus AJJ, Adler A, Xu A, Bhala R, Hsu K, Benayoun BA. Widespread sex dimorphism across single-cell transcriptomes of adult African turquoise killifish tissues. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113237. [PMID: 37837621 PMCID: PMC10842523 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113237] [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: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The African turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri), the shortest-lived vertebrate that can be bred in captivity, is an emerging model organism for aging research. Here, we describe a multitissue, single-cell gene expression atlas of female and male blood, kidney, liver, and spleen. We annotate 22 cell types, define marker genes, and infer differentiation trajectories. We find pervasive sex-dimorphic gene expression across cell types. Sex-dimorphic genes tend to be linked to lipid metabolism, consistent with clear differences in lipid storage in female vs. male turquoise killifish livers. We use machine learning to predict sex using single-cell gene expression and identify potential markers for molecular sex identity. As a proof of principle, we show that our atlas can be used to deconvolute existing bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data to obtain accurate estimates of cell type proportions. This atlas can be a resource to the community that could be leveraged to develop cell-type-specific expression in transgenic animals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bryan B Teefy
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Aaron J J Lemus
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Molecular and Computational Biology Department, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Ari Adler
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Alan Xu
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Quantitative & Computational Biology Department, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Rajyk Bhala
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Katelyn Hsu
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Molecular and Computational Biology Department, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Bérénice A Benayoun
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Molecular and Computational Biology Department, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Department, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; USC Stem Cell Initiative, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Luqman-Fatah A, Miyoshi T. Human LINE-1 retrotransposons: impacts on the genome and regulation by host factors. Genes Genet Syst 2023; 98:121-154. [PMID: 36436935 DOI: 10.1266/ggs.22-00038] [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] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome sequencing revealed that nearly half of the human genome is comprised of transposable elements. Although most of these elements have been rendered inactive due to mutations, full-length intact long interspersed element-1 (LINE-1 or L1) copies retain the ability to mobilize through RNA intermediates by a so-called "copy-and-paste" mechanism, termed retrotransposition. L1 is the only known autonomous mobile genetic element in the genome, and its retrotransposition contributes to inter- or intra-individual genetic variation within the human population. However, L1 retrotransposition also poses a threat to genome integrity due to gene disruption and chromosomal instability. Moreover, recent studies suggest that aberrant L1 expression can impact human health by causing diseases such as cancer and chronic inflammation that might lead to autoimmune disorders. To counteract these adverse effects, the host cells have evolved multiple layers of defense mechanisms at the epigenetic, RNA and protein levels. Intriguingly, several host factors have also been reported to facilitate L1 retrotransposition, suggesting that there is competition between negative and positive regulation of L1 by host factors. Here, we summarize the known host proteins that regulate L1 activity at different stages of the replication cycle and discuss how these factors modulate disease-associated phenotypes caused by L1.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Luqman-Fatah
- Department of Gene Mechanisms, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University
- Department of Stress Response, Radiation Biology Center, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University
| | - Tomoichiro Miyoshi
- Department of Gene Mechanisms, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University
- Department of Stress Response, Radiation Biology Center, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Rybacki K, Xia M, Ahsan MU, Xing J, Wang K. Assessing the Expression of Long INterspersed Elements (LINEs) via Long-Read Sequencing in Diverse Human Tissues and Cell Lines. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1893. [PMID: 37895242 PMCID: PMC10606529 DOI: 10.3390/genes14101893] [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: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements, such as Long INterspersed Elements (LINEs), are DNA sequences that can replicate within genomes. LINEs replicate using an RNA intermediate followed by reverse transcription and are typically a few kilobases in length. LINE activity creates genomic structural variants in human populations and leads to somatic alterations in cancer genomes. Long-read RNA sequencing technologies, including Oxford Nanopore and PacBio, can directly sequence relatively long transcripts, thus providing the opportunity to examine full-length LINE transcripts. This study focuses on the development of a new bioinformatics pipeline for the identification and quantification of active, full-length LINE transcripts in diverse human tissues and cell lines. In our pipeline, we utilized RepeatMasker to identify LINE-1 (L1) transcripts from long-read transcriptome data and incorporated several criteria, such as transcript start position, divergence, and length, to remove likely false positives. Comparisons between cancerous and normal cell lines, as well as human tissue samples, revealed elevated expression levels of young LINEs in cancer, particularly at intact L1 loci. By employing bioinformatics methodologies on long-read transcriptome data, this study demonstrates the landscape of L1 expression in tissues and cell lines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karleena Rybacki
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (K.R.); (M.X.)
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA;
| | - Mingyi Xia
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (K.R.); (M.X.)
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA;
| | - Mian Umair Ahsan
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA;
| | - Jinchuan Xing
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
- Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Kai Wang
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (K.R.); (M.X.)
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Li X, Lu K, Chen X, Tu K, Xie D. capTEs enables locus-specific dissection of transcriptional outputs from reference and nonreference transposable elements. Commun Biol 2023; 6:974. [PMID: 37741908 PMCID: PMC10517987 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05349-1] [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: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) serve as both insertional mutagens and regulatory elements in cells, and their aberrant activity is increasingly being revealed to contribute to diseases and cancers. However, measuring the transcriptional consequences of nonreference and young TEs at individual loci remains challenging with current methods, primarily due to technical limitations, including short read lengths generated and insufficient coverage in target regions. Here, we introduce a long-read targeted RNA sequencing method, Cas9-assisted profiling TE expression sequencing (capTEs), for quantitative analysis of transcriptional outputs for individual TEs, including transcribed nonreference insertions, noncanonical transcripts from various transcription patterns and their correlations with expression changes in related genes. This method selectively identified TE-containing transcripts and outputted data with up to 90% TE reads, maintaining a comparable data yield to whole-transcriptome sequencing. We applied capTEs to human cancer cells and found that internal and inserted Alu elements may employ distinct regulatory mechanisms to upregulate gene expression. We expect that capTEs will be a critical tool for advancing our understanding of the biological functions of individual TEs at the locus level, revealing their roles as both mutagens and regulators in biological and pathogenic processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuemei Li
- Laboratory of Omics Technology and Bioinformatics, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Keying Lu
- Laboratory of Omics Technology and Bioinformatics, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Xiao Chen
- Laboratory of Omics Technology and Bioinformatics, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Kailing Tu
- Laboratory of Omics Technology and Bioinformatics, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Dan Xie
- Laboratory of Omics Technology and Bioinformatics, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China.
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Wang R, Helbig I, Edmondson AC, Lin L, Xing Y. Splicing defects in rare diseases: transcriptomics and machine learning strategies towards genetic diagnosis. Brief Bioinform 2023; 24:bbad284. [PMID: 37580177 PMCID: PMC10516351 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbad284] [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: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Genomic variants affecting pre-messenger RNA splicing and its regulation are known to underlie many rare genetic diseases. However, common workflows for genetic diagnosis and clinical variant interpretation frequently overlook splice-altering variants. To better serve patient populations and advance biomedical knowledge, it has become increasingly important to develop and refine approaches for detecting and interpreting pathogenic splicing variants. In this review, we will summarize a few recent developments and challenges in using RNA sequencing technologies for rare disease investigation. Moreover, we will discuss how recent computational splicing prediction tools have emerged as complementary approaches for revealing disease-causing variants underlying splicing defects. We speculate that continuous improvements to sequencing technologies and predictive modeling will not only expand our understanding of splicing regulation but also bring us closer to filling the diagnostic gap for rare disease patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Wang
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Genomics and Computational Biology Graduate Program, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ingo Helbig
- The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Division of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Andrew C Edmondson
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Human Genetics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Lan Lin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Yi Xing
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Gerdes P, Chan D, Lundberg M, Sanchez-Luque FJ, Bodea GO, Ewing AD, Faulkner GJ, Richardson SR. Locus-resolution analysis of L1 regulation and retrotransposition potential in mouse embryonic development. Genome Res 2023; 33:1465-1481. [PMID: 37798118 PMCID: PMC10620060 DOI: 10.1101/gr.278003.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Mice harbor ∼2800 intact copies of the retrotransposon Long Interspersed Element 1 (L1). The in vivo retrotransposition capacity of an L1 copy is defined by both its sequence integrity and epigenetic status, including DNA methylation of the monomeric units constituting young mouse L1 promoters. Locus-specific L1 methylation dynamics during development may therefore elucidate and explain spatiotemporal niches of endogenous retrotransposition but remain unresolved. Here, we interrogate the retrotransposition efficiency and epigenetic fate of source (donor) L1s, identified as mobile in vivo. We show that promoter monomer loss consistently attenuates the relative retrotransposition potential of their offspring (daughter) L1 insertions. We also observe that most donor/daughter L1 pairs are efficiently methylated upon differentiation in vivo and in vitro. We use Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) long-read sequencing to resolve L1 methylation genome-wide and at individual L1 loci, revealing a distinctive "smile" pattern in methylation levels across the L1 promoter region. Using Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) SMRT sequencing of L1 5' RACE products, we then examine DNA methylation dynamics at the mouse L1 promoter in parallel with transcription start site (TSS) distribution at locus-specific resolution. Together, our results offer a novel perspective on the interplay between epigenetic repression, L1 evolution, and genome stability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Gerdes
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Dorothy Chan
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Mischa Lundberg
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
- Translational Bioinformatics, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Sydney, New South Wales 2113, Australia
| | - Francisco J Sanchez-Luque
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
- GENYO. Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (Pfizer-University of Granada-Andalusian Regional Government), PTS Granada, 18016, Spain
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer (IGC), University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, United Kingdom
| | - Gabriela O Bodea
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Adam D Ewing
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Geoffrey J Faulkner
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia;
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Sandra R Richardson
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia;
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Coronado-Zamora M, González J. Transposons contribute to the functional diversification of the head, gut, and ovary transcriptomes across Drosophila natural strains. Genome Res 2023; 33:1541-1553. [PMID: 37793782 PMCID: PMC10620055 DOI: 10.1101/gr.277565.122] [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: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptomes are dynamic, with cells, tissues, and body parts expressing particular sets of transcripts. Transposable elements (TEs) are a known source of transcriptome diversity; however, studies often focus on a particular type of chimeric transcript, analyze single body parts or cell types, or are based on incomplete TE annotations from a single reference genome. In this work, we have implemented a method based on de novo transcriptome assembly that minimizes the potential sources of errors while identifying a comprehensive set of gene-TE chimeras. We applied this method to the head, gut, and ovary dissected from five Drosophila melanogaster natural strains, with individual reference genomes available. We found that ∼19% of body part-specific transcripts are gene-TE chimeras. Overall, chimeric transcripts contribute a mean of 43% to the total gene expression, and they provide protein domains for DNA binding, catalytic activity, and DNA polymerase activity. Our comprehensive data set is a rich resource for follow-up analysis. Moreover, because TEs are present in virtually all species sequenced to date, their role in spatially restricted transcript expression is likely not exclusive to the species analyzed in this work.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Josefa González
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC, UPF, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Du G, Xing Z, Zhou J, Cui C, Liu C, Liu Y, Li Z. Retinoic acid-inducible gene-I like receptor pathway in cancer: modification and treatment. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1227041. [PMID: 37662910 PMCID: PMC10468571 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1227041] [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: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Retinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I) like receptor (RLR) pathway is one of the most significant pathways supervising aberrant RNA in cells. In predominant conditions, the RLR pathway initiates anti-infection function via activating inflammatory effects, while recently it is discovered to be involved in cancer development as well, acting as a virus-mimicry responder. On one hand, the product IFNs induces tumor elimination. On the other hand, the NF-κB pathway is activated which may lead to tumor progression. Emerging evidence demonstrates that a wide range of modifications are involved in regulating RLR pathways in cancer, which either boost tumor suppression effect or prompt tumor development. This review summarized current epigenetic modulations including DNA methylation, histone modification, and ncRNA interference, as well as post-transcriptional modification like m6A and A-to-I editing of the upstream ligand dsRNA in cancer cells. The post-translational modulations like phosphorylation and ubiquitylation of the pathway's key components were also discussed. Ultimately, we provided an overview of the current therapeutic strategies targeting the RLR pathway in cancers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guangyuan Du
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, Chinese Ministry of Health, Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Xingya School of Medicine of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Zherui Xing
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, Chinese Ministry of Health, Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Xingya School of Medicine of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jue Zhou
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, Chinese Ministry of Health, Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Xingya School of Medicine of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Can Cui
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, Chinese Ministry of Health, Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Xingya School of Medicine of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Chenyuan Liu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, Chinese Ministry of Health, Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Xingya School of Medicine of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yiping Liu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, Chinese Ministry of Health, Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Xingya School of Medicine of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Zheng Li
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, Chinese Ministry of Health, Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Lin X, Tirichine L, Zhang X. The dynamic duo: how DNA methylation and gene transcription help diatoms thrive in modern oceans. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2023; 74:3879-3882. [PMID: 37536061 PMCID: PMC10400112 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
This article comments on:
Wan J, Zhou Y, Beardall J, Raven JA, Lin J, Huang J, Lu Y, Liang S, Ye M, Xiao M, Zhao J, Dai X, Xia J, Jin P. 2023. DNA methylation and gene transcription act cooperatively in driving the adaptation of a marine diatom to global change. Journal of Experimental Botany74, 4259–4276.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, PR China
| | - Leila Tirichine
- Nantes Université, CNRS, US2B, UMR 6286, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Xu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, PR China
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Zhao P, Peng C, Fang L, Wang Z, Liu GE. Taming transposable elements in livestock and poultry: a review of their roles and applications. Genet Sel Evol 2023; 55:50. [PMID: 37479995 PMCID: PMC10362595 DOI: 10.1186/s12711-023-00821-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Livestock and poultry play a significant role in human nutrition by converting agricultural by-products into high-quality proteins. To meet the growing demand for safe animal protein, genetic improvement of livestock must be done sustainably while minimizing negative environmental impacts. Transposable elements (TE) are important components of livestock and poultry genomes, contributing to their genetic diversity, chromatin states, gene regulatory networks, and complex traits of economic value. However, compared to other species, research on TE in livestock and poultry is still in its early stages. In this review, we analyze 72 studies published in the past 20 years, summarize the TE composition in livestock and poultry genomes, and focus on their potential roles in functional genomics. We also discuss bioinformatic tools and strategies for integrating multi-omics data with TE, and explore future directions, feasibility, and challenges of TE research in livestock and poultry. In addition, we suggest strategies to apply TE in basic biological research and animal breeding. Our goal is to provide a new perspective on the importance of TE in livestock and poultry genomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pengju Zhao
- Hainan Institute of Zhejiang University, Hainan Sanya, 572000, China
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Chen Peng
- Hainan Institute of Zhejiang University, Hainan Sanya, 572000, China
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Lingzhao Fang
- Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Zhengguang Wang
- Hainan Institute of Zhejiang University, Hainan Sanya, 572000, China.
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
| | - George E Liu
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA.
| |
Collapse
|