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Stoeber S, Godin H, Xu C, Bai L. Pioneer factors: nature or nurture? Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2024:1-15. [PMID: 38778580 DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2024.2355885] [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: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Chromatin is densely packed with nucleosomes, which limits the accessibility of many chromatin-associated proteins. Pioneer factors (PFs) are usually viewed as a special group of sequence-specific transcription factors (TFs) that can recognize nucleosome-embedded motifs, invade compact chromatin, and generate open chromatin regions. Through this process, PFs initiate a cascade of events that play key roles in gene regulation and cell differentiation. A current debate in the field is if PFs belong to a unique subset of TFs with intrinsic "pioneering activity", or if all TFs have the potential to function as PFs within certain cellular contexts. There are also different views regarding the key feature(s) that define pioneering activity. In this review, we present evidence from the literature related to these alternative views and discuss how to potentially reconcile them. It is possible that both intrinsic properties, like tight nucleosome binding and structural compatibility, and cellular conditions, like concentration and co-factor availability, are important for PF function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane Stoeber
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Holly Godin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Cheng Xu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Lu Bai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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2
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Wu K, Dhillon N, Bajor A, Abrahamsson S, Kamakaka RT. Yeast heterochromatin stably silences only weak regulatory elements by altering burst duration. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113983. [PMID: 38517895 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113983] [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: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional silencing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae involves the generation of a chromatin state that stably represses transcription. Using multiple reporter assays, a diverse set of upstream activating sequence enhancers and core promoters were investigated for their susceptibility to silencing. We show that heterochromatin stably silences only weak and stress-induced regulatory elements but is unable to stably repress housekeeping gene regulatory elements, and the partial repression of these elements did not result in bistable expression states. Permutation analysis of enhancers and promoters indicates that both elements are targets of repression. Chromatin remodelers help specific regulatory elements to resist repression, most probably by altering nucleosome mobility and changing transcription burst duration. The strong enhancers/promoters can be repressed if silencer-bound Sir1 is increased. Together, our data suggest that the heterochromatic locus has been optimized to stably silence the weak mating-type gene regulatory elements but not strong housekeeping gene regulatory sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Wu
- Department of MCD Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Namrita Dhillon
- Department of MCD Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Antone Bajor
- Electrical Engineering Department, Baskin School of Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Sara Abrahamsson
- Electrical Engineering Department, Baskin School of Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Rohinton T Kamakaka
- Department of MCD Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
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3
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Moreno-Yruela C, Fierz B. Revealing chromatin-specific functions of histone deacylases. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:353-365. [PMID: 38189424 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230693] [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: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Histone deacylases are erasers of Nε-acyl-lysine post-translational modifications and have been targeted for decades for the treatment of cancer, neurodegeneration and other disorders. Due to their relatively promiscuous activity on peptide substrates in vitro, it has been challenging to determine the individual targets and substrate identification mechanisms of each isozyme, and they have been considered redundant regulators. In recent years, biochemical and biophysical studies have incorporated the use of reconstituted nucleosomes, which has revealed a diverse and complex arsenal of recognition mechanisms by which histone deacylases may differentiate themselves in vivo. In this review, we first present the peptide-based tools that have helped characterize histone deacylases in vitro to date, and we discuss the new insights that nucleosome tools are providing into their recognition of histone substrates within chromatin. Then, we summarize the powerful semi-synthetic approaches that are moving forward the study of chromatin-associated factors, both in vitro by detailed single-molecule mechanistic studies, and in cells by live chromatin modification. We finally offer our perspective on how these new techniques would advance the study of histone deacylases. We envision that such studies will help elucidate the role of individual isozymes in disease and provide a platform for the development of the next generation of therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Moreno-Yruela
- Laboratory of Biophysical Chemistry of Macromolecules (LCBM), Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering (ISIC), School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology (ILF), Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Beat Fierz
- Laboratory of Biophysical Chemistry of Macromolecules (LCBM), Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering (ISIC), School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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4
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Meeussen JVW, Lenstra TL. Time will tell: comparing timescales to gain insight into transcriptional bursting. Trends Genet 2024; 40:160-174. [PMID: 38216391 PMCID: PMC10860890 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2023.11.003] [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: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Recent imaging studies have captured the dynamics of regulatory events of transcription inside living cells. These events include transcription factor (TF) DNA binding, chromatin remodeling and modification, enhancer-promoter (E-P) proximity, cluster formation, and preinitiation complex (PIC) assembly. Together, these molecular events culminate in stochastic bursts of RNA synthesis, but their kinetic relationship remains largely unclear. In this review, we compare the timescales of upstream regulatory steps (input) with the kinetics of transcriptional bursting (output) to generate mechanistic models of transcription dynamics in single cells. We highlight open questions and potential technical advances to guide future endeavors toward a quantitative and kinetic understanding of transcription regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph V W Meeussen
- Division of Gene Regulation, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Oncode Institute, Amsterdam 1066CX, The Netherlands
| | - Tineke L Lenstra
- Division of Gene Regulation, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Oncode Institute, Amsterdam 1066CX, The Netherlands.
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5
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Mondal A, Kolomeisky AB. Why Are Nucleosome Breathing Dynamics Asymmetric? J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:422-431. [PMID: 38180351 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c03339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
In eukaryotic cells, DNA is bound to nucleosomes, but DNA segments occasionally unbind in the process known as nucleosome breathing. Although DNA can unwrap simultaneously from both ends of the nucleosome (symmetric breathing), experiments indicate that DNA prefers to dissociate from only one end (asymmetric breathing). However, the molecular origin of the asymmetry is not understood. We developed a new theoretical approach that gives microscopic explanations of asymmetric breathing. It is based on a stochastic description that leads to a comprehensive evaluation of dynamics by using effective free-energy landscapes. It is shown that asymmetric breathing follows the kinetically preferred pathways. In addition, it is also found that asymmetric breathing leads to a faster target search by transcription factors. Theoretical predictions, supported by computer simulations, agree with experiments. It is proposed that nature utilizes the symmetry of nucleosome breathing to achieve a better dynamic accessibility of chromatin for more efficient genetic regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anupam Mondal
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Anatoly B Kolomeisky
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
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6
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Gentry RC, Ide NA, Comunale VM, Hartwick EW, Kinz-Thompson CD, Gonzalez RL. The mechanism of mRNA activation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.15.567265. [PMID: 38014128 PMCID: PMC10680758 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.15.567265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
During translation initiation, messenger RNA molecules must be identified and activated for loading into a ribosome. In this rate-limiting step, the heterotrimeric protein eukaryotic initiation factor eIF4F must recognize and productively interact with the 7-methylguanosine cap at the 5' end of the messenger RNA and subsequently activate the message. Despite its fundamental, regulatory role in gene expression, the molecular events underlying cap recognition and messenger RNA activation remain mysterious. Here, we generate a unique, single-molecule fluorescence imaging system to interrogate the dynamics with which eIF4F discriminates productive and non-productive locations on full-length, native messenger RNA molecules. At the single-molecule level, we observe stochastic sampling of eIF4F along the length of the messenger RNA and identify allosteric communication between the eIF4F subunits which ultimately drive cap-recognition and subsequent activation of the message. Our experiments uncover novel functions for each subunit of eIF4F and we conclude by presenting a model for messenger RNA activation which precisely defines the composition of the activated message. This model provides a general framework for understanding how messenger RNA molecules may be discriminated from one another, and how other RNA-binding proteins may control the efficiency of translation initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riley C Gentry
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nicholas A Ide
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Erik W Hartwick
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Current Address: BioChemistry Krios Electron Microscopy Facility, Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Colin D Kinz-Thompson
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Current Address: Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, NJ 07102
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Xu C, Kleinschmidt H, Yang J, Leith E, Johnson J, Tan S, Mahony S, Bai L. Systematic Dissection of Sequence Features Affecting the Binding Specificity of a Pioneer Factor Reveals Binding Synergy Between FOXA1 and AP-1. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.08.566246. [PMID: 37986839 PMCID: PMC10659273 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.08.566246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Despite the unique ability of pioneer transcription factors (PFs) to target nucleosomal sites in closed chromatin, they only bind a small fraction of their genomic motifs. The underlying mechanism of this selectivity is not well understood. Here, we design a high-throughput assay called ChIP-ISO to systematically dissect sequence features affecting the binding specificity of a classic PF, FOXA1. Combining ChIP-ISO with in vitro and neural network analyses, we find that 1) FOXA1 binding is strongly affected by co-binding TFs AP-1 and CEBPB, 2) FOXA1 and AP-1 show binding cooperativity in vitro, 3) FOXA1's binding is determined more by local sequences than chromatin context, including eu-/heterochromatin, and 4) AP-1 is partially responsible for differential binding of FOXA1 in different cell types. Our study presents a framework for elucidating genetic rules underlying PF binding specificity and reveals a mechanism for context-specific regulation of its binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Xu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Holly Kleinschmidt
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Jianyu Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Erik Leith
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Jenna Johnson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Song Tan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Shaun Mahony
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Lu Bai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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8
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Wu K, Dhillon N, Bajor A, Abrahamson S, Kamakaka RT. Yeast Heterochromatin Only Stably Silences Weak Regulatory Elements by Altering Burst Duration. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.05.561072. [PMID: 37873261 PMCID: PMC10592971 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.05.561072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
The interplay between nucleosomes and transcription factors leads to programs of gene expression. Transcriptional silencing involves the generation of a chromatin state that represses transcription and is faithfully propagated through DNA replication and cell division. Using multiple reporter assays, including directly visualizing transcription in single cells, we investigated a diverse set of UAS enhancers and core promoters for their susceptibility to heterochromatic gene silencing. These results show that heterochromatin only stably silences weak and stress induced regulatory elements but is unable to stably repress housekeeping gene regulatory elements and the partial repression did not result in bistable expression states. Permutation analysis of different UAS enhancers and core promoters indicate that both elements function together to determine the susceptibility of regulatory sequences to repression. Specific histone modifiers and chromatin remodellers function in an enhancer specific manner to aid these elements to resist repression suggesting that Sir proteins likely function in part by reducing nucleosome mobility. We also show that the strong housekeeping regulatory elements can be repressed if silencer bound Sir1 is increased, suggesting that Sir1 is a limiting component in silencing. Together, our data suggest that the heterochromatic locus has been optimized to stably silence the weak mating type gene regulatory elements but not strong housekeeping gene regulatory sequences which could help explain why these genes are often found at the boundaries of silenced domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Wu
- Department of MCD Biology, 1156 High Street, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 USA
| | - Namrita Dhillon
- Department of MCD Biology, 1156 High Street, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 USA
| | - Antone Bajor
- Electrical Engineering Department, Baskin School of Engineering, 1156 High Street, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 USA
| | - Sara Abrahamson
- Electrical Engineering Department, Baskin School of Engineering, 1156 High Street, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 USA
| | - Rohinton T. Kamakaka
- Department of MCD Biology, 1156 High Street, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 USA
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9
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Bondra ER, Rine J. Context-dependent function of the transcriptional regulator Rap1 in gene silencing and activation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2304343120. [PMID: 37769255 PMCID: PMC10556627 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2304343120] [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: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, heterochromatin is formed through interactions between site-specific DNA-binding factors, including the transcriptional activator Repressor Activator Protein (Rap1), and Sir proteins. Despite an understanding of the establishment and maintenance of Sir-silenced chromatin, the mechanism of gene silencing by Sir proteins has remained a mystery. Utilizing high-resolution chromatin immunoprecipitation, we found that Rap1, the native activator of the bidirectional HMLα promoter, bound its recognition sequence in silenced chromatin, and its binding was enhanced by the presence of Sir proteins. In contrast to prior results, various components of transcription machinery were not able to access HMLα in the silenced state. These findings disproved the long-standing model of indiscriminate steric occlusion by Sir proteins and led to investigation of the role of the transcriptional activator Rap1 in Sir-silenced chromatin. Using a highly sensitive assay that monitors loss-of-silencing events, we identified a role for promoter-bound Rap1 in the maintenance of silent chromatin through interactions with the Sir complex. We also found that promoter-bound Rap1 activated HMLα when in an expressed state, and aided in the transition from transcription initiation to elongation. Highlighting the importance of epigenetic context in transcription factor function, these results point toward a model in which the duality of Rap1 function was mediated by local chromatin environment rather than binding-site availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliana R. Bondra
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA94720
| | - Jasper Rine
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA94720
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10
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Mondal A, Kolomeisky AB. Role of Nucleosome Sliding in the Protein Target Search for Covered DNA Sites. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:7073-7082. [PMID: 37527481 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c01704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
Associations of transcription factors (TFs) with specific sites on DNA initiate major cellular processes. But DNA in eukaryotic cells is covered by nucleosomes which prevent TFs from binding. However, nucleosome structures on DNA are not static and exhibit breathing and sliding. We develop a theoretical framework to investigate the effect of nucleosome sliding on a protein target search. By analysis of a discrete-state stochastic model of nucleosome sliding, search dynamics are explicitly evaluated. It is found that for long sliding lengths the target search dynamics are faster for normal TFs that cannot enter the nucleosomal DNA. But for more realistic short sliding lengths, the so-called pioneer TFs, which can invade nucleosomal DNA, locate specific sites faster. It is also suggested that nucleosome breathing, which is a faster process, has a stronger effect on protein search dynamics than that of nucleosome sliding. Theoretical arguments to explain these observations are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anupam Mondal
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Anatoly B Kolomeisky
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
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11
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Jeon J, Friedman LJ, Seo HD, Adeleke A, Graham B, Patteson E, Gelles J, Buratowski S. Single-molecule analysis of transcription activation: dynamics of SAGA co-activator recruitment. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.07.552353. [PMID: 37609355 PMCID: PMC10441308 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.07.552353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Transcription activators are said to stimulate gene expression by "recruiting" coactivators to promoters, yet this term fits several different kinetic models. To directly analyze dynamics of activator-coactivator interactions, single-molecule microscopy was used to image promoter DNA, a transcription activator, and the Spt-Ada-Gcn5 Acetyltransferase (SAGA) complex within nuclear extract. SAGA readily, but transiently, binds nucleosome-free DNA without activator, while chromatin template association occurs nearly exclusively when activator is present. On both templates, activator increases SAGA association rates by up to an order of magnitude, and dramatically extends its dwell times. These effects reflect direct interactions with the transactivation domain, as VP16 or Rap1 activation domains produce different SAGA dynamics. Despite multiple bromodomains, acetyl-CoA or histone H3/H4 tail acetylation only modestly improves SAGA binding. Unexpectedly, histone acetylation more strongly affects activator residence. Our studies thus reveal two modes of SAGA interaction with the genome: a short-lived activator-independent interaction with nucleosome-free DNA, and a state tethered to promoter-bound transcription activators that can last up to several minutes.
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12
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Feng XA, Ness KM, Liu C, Ahmed I, Bowman GD, Ha T, Wu C. GAGA Factor Overcomes 1D Diffusion Barrier by 3D Diffusion in Search of Nucleosomal Targets. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.14.549009. [PMID: 37502885 PMCID: PMC10369947 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.14.549009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
The eukaryotic chromatin landscape plays important roles in DNA metabolism and is characterized by positioned nucleosomes near regulatory DNA, nucleosome-depleted regions and supranucleosomal organization. Nucleosome core histones limit DNA accessibility by structurally blocking half of the DNA surface and altering its topology, but how nucleosomes affect target search by sequence-specific transcription factors (TFs) remains enigmatic. Here, we used multi-color smFRET to investigate how Drosophila GAGA Factor (GAF) locates its targets. On free DNA, GAF rapidly diffuses in 1D to a single cognate motif but escapes after subsecond transient association. Nucleosomes effectively block 1D diffusion into its core, but GAF can bind, with surprisingly prolonged residence, at internal cognate sites by direct association from 3D. Our findings demonstrate the occlusive power of nucleosomes to 1D sliding and reveal that a combination of 1D and 3D diffusion by a zinc finger TF enables efficient target search on chromatin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu A. Feng
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kaitlin M. Ness
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Celina Liu
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ishtiyaq Ahmed
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Gregory D. Bowman
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Taekjip Ha
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Carl Wu
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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13
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Abstract
Nearly three-fourths of all eukaryotic DNA is occupied by nucleosomes, protein-DNA complexes comprising octameric histone core proteins and ∼150 base pairs of DNA. In addition to acting as a DNA compaction vehicle, the dynamics of nucleosomes regulate the DNA site accessibility for the nonhistone proteins, thereby controlling regulatory processes involved in determining the cell identity and cell fate. Here, we propose an analytical framework to analyze the role of nucleosome dynamics on the target search process of transcription factors through a simple discrete-state stochastic description of the search process. By considering the experimentally determined kinetic rates associated with protein and nucleosome dynamics as the only inputs, we estimate the target search time of a protein via first-passage probability calculations separately during nucleosome breathing and sliding dynamics. Although both the nucleosome dynamics permit transient access to the DNA sites that are otherwise occluded by the histone proteins, our result suggests substantial differences between the protein search mechanism on a nucleosome performing breathing and sliding dynamics. Furthermore, we identify the molecular factors that influence the search efficiency and demonstrate how these factors together portray a highly dynamic landscape of gene regulation. Our analytical results are validated using extensive Monte Carlo simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujeet Kumar Mishra
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Arnab Bhattacherjee
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
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14
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Bondra ER, Rine J. Context dependent function of the transcriptional regulator Rap1 in gene silencing and activation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.08.539937. [PMID: 37214837 PMCID: PMC10197613 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.08.539937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, heterochromatin is formed through interactions between site-specific DNA-binding factors, including the transcriptional activator Rap1, and Sir proteins. Despite a vast understanding of the establishment and maintenance of Sir-silenced chromatin, the mechanism of gene silencing by Sir proteins has remained a mystery. Utilizing high resolution chromatin immunoprecipitation, we found that Rap1, the native activator of the bi-directional HML α promoter, bound its recognition sequence in silenced chromatin and its binding was enhanced by the presence of Sir proteins. In contrast to prior results, various components of transcription machinery were not able to access HML α in the silenced state. These findings disproved the long-standing model of indiscriminate steric occlusion by Sir proteins and led to investigation of the transcriptional activator Rap1 in Sir-silenced chromatin. Using a highly sensitive assay that monitors loss-of-silencing events, we identified a novel role for promoter-bound Rap1 in the maintenance of silent chromatin through interactions with the Sir complex. We also found that promoter-bound Rap1 activated HML α when in an expressed state, and aided in the transition from transcription initiation to elongation. Highlighting the importance of epigenetic context in transcription factor function, these results point toward a model in which the duality of Rap1 function was mediated by local chromatin environment rather than binding-site availability. Significance Statement The coarse partitioning of the genome into regions of active euchromatin and repressed heterochromatin is an important, and conserved, level gene expression regulation in eukaryotes. Repressor Activator Protein (Rap1) is a transcription factor that promotes the activation of genes when recruited to promoters, and aids in the establishment of heterochromatin through interactions with silencer elements. Here, we investigate the role of Rap1 when bound to a promoter in silent chromatin and dissect the context-specific epigenetic cues that regulate the dual properties of this transcription factor. Together, our data highlight the importance of protein-protein interactions and local chromatin state on transcription factor function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliana R Bondra
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - Jasper Rine
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
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15
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Mondal A, Felipe C, Kolomeisky AB. Nucleosome Breathing Facilitates the Search for Hidden DNA Sites by Pioneer Transcription Factors. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:4096-4103. [PMID: 37125729 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c00529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Transfer of genetic information starts with transcription factors (TFs) binding to specific sites on DNA. But in living cells, DNA is mostly covered by nucleosomes. There are proteins, known as pioneer TFs, that can efficiently reach the DNA sites hidden by nucleosomes, although the underlying mechanisms are not understood. Using the recently proposed idea of interaction-compensation mechanism, we develop a stochastic model for the target search on DNA with nucleosome breathing. It is found that nucleosome breathing can significantly accelerate the search by pioneer TFs in comparison to situations without breathing. We argue that this is the result of the interaction-compensation mechanism that allows proteins to enter the inner nucleosome region through the outer DNA segment. It is suggested that nature optimized pioneer TFs to take advantage of nucleosome breathing. The presented theoretical picture provides a possible microscopic explanation for the successful invasion of nucleosome-buried genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anupam Mondal
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Cayke Felipe
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Anatoly B Kolomeisky
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
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16
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Brouwer I, Kerklingh E, van Leeuwen F, Lenstra TL. Dynamic epistasis analysis reveals how chromatin remodeling regulates transcriptional bursting. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2023; 30:692-702. [PMID: 37127821 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-023-00981-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional bursting has been linked to the stochastic positioning of nucleosomes. However, how bursting is regulated by the remodeling of promoter nucleosomes is unknown. Here, we use single-molecule live-cell imaging of GAL10 transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to measure how bursting changes upon combined perturbations of chromatin remodelers, the transcription factor Gal4 and preinitiation complex components. Using dynamic epistasis analysis, we reveal how the remodeling of different nucleosomes regulates transcriptional bursting parameters. At the nucleosome covering the Gal4 binding sites, RSC and Gal4 binding synergistically facilitate each burst. Conversely, nucleosome remodeling at the TATA box controls only the first burst upon galactose induction. At canonical TATA boxes, the nucleosomes are displaced by TBP binding to allow for transcription activation even in the absence of remodelers. Overall, our results reveal how promoter nucleosome remodeling together with Gal4 and preinitiation complex binding regulates transcriptional bursting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ineke Brouwer
- Division of Gene Regulation, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Oncode Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Emma Kerklingh
- Division of Gene Regulation, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Oncode Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Fred van Leeuwen
- Division of Gene Regulation, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Medical Biology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Tineke L Lenstra
- Division of Gene Regulation, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Oncode Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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17
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Donovan BT, Chen H, Eek P, Meng Z, Jipa C, Tan S, Bai L, Poirier MG. Basic helix-loop-helix pioneer factors interact with the histone octamer to invade nucleosomes and generate nucleosome-depleted regions. Mol Cell 2023; 83:1251-1263.e6. [PMID: 36996811 PMCID: PMC10182836 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Nucleosomes drastically limit transcription factor (TF) occupancy, while pioneer transcription factors (PFs) somehow circumvent this nucleosome barrier. In this study, we compare nucleosome binding of two conserved S. cerevisiae basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) TFs, Cbf1 and Pho4. A cryo-EM structure of Cbf1 in complex with the nucleosome reveals that the Cbf1 HLH region can electrostatically interact with exposed histone residues within a partially unwrapped nucleosome. Single-molecule fluorescence studies show that the Cbf1 HLH region facilitates efficient nucleosome invasion by slowing its dissociation rate relative to DNA through interactions with histones, whereas the Pho4 HLH region does not. In vivo studies show that this enhanced binding provided by the Cbf1 HLH region enables nucleosome invasion and ensuing repositioning. These structural, single-molecule, and in vivo studies reveal the mechanistic basis of dissociation rate compensation by PFs and how this translates to facilitating chromatin opening inside cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T Donovan
- Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Hengye Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Priit Eek
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Zhiyuan Meng
- Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Caroline Jipa
- Department of Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Song Tan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Lu Bai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Michael G Poirier
- Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Department of Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
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18
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Donovan BT, Luo Y, Meng Z, Poirier MG. The nucleosome unwrapping free energy landscape defines distinct regions of transcription factor accessibility and kinetics. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:1139-1153. [PMID: 36688297 PMCID: PMC9943653 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors (TF) require access to target sites within nucleosomes to initiate transcription. The target site position within the nucleosome significantly influences TF occupancy, but how is not quantitatively understood. Using ensemble and single-molecule fluorescence measurements, we investigated the targeting and occupancy of the transcription factor, Gal4, at different positions within the nucleosome. We observe a dramatic decrease in TF occupancy to sites extending past 30 base pairs (bp) into the nucleosome which cannot be explained by changes in the TF dissociation rate or binding site orientation. Instead, the nucleosome unwrapping free energy landscape is the primary determinant of Gal4 occupancy by reducing the Gal4 binding rate. The unwrapping free energy landscape defines two distinct regions of accessibility and kinetics with a boundary at 30 bp into the nucleosome where the inner region is over 100-fold less accessible. The Gal4 binding rate in the inner region no longer depends on its concentration because it is limited by the nucleosome unwrapping rate, while the frequency of nucleosome rewrapping decreases because Gal4 exchanges multiple times before the nucleosome rewraps. Our findings highlight the importance of the nucleosome unwrapping free energy landscape on TF occupancy and dynamics that ultimately influences transcription initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T Donovan
- Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Yi Luo
- Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Zhiyuan Meng
- Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Michael G Poirier
- Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Department of Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43214, USA
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19
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Contribution of smFRET to Chromatin Research. BIOPHYSICA 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/biophysica3010007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Chromatins are structural components of chromosomes and consist of DNA and histone proteins. The structure, dynamics, and function of chromatins are important in regulating genetic processes. Several different experimental and theoretical tools have been employed to understand chromatins better. In this review, we will focus on the literatures engrossed in understanding of chromatins using single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET). smFRET is a single-molecule fluorescence microscopic technique that can furnish information regarding the distance between two points in space. This has been utilized to efficiently unveil the structural details of chromatins.
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20
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Kumar Mishra S, Bhattacherjee A. Understanding the Target Search by Multiple Transcription Factors on Nucleosomal DNA. Chemphyschem 2023; 24:e202200644. [PMID: 36602094 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202200644] [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: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The association of multiple Transcription Factors (TFs) in the cis-regulatory region is imperative for developmental changes in eukaryotes. The underlying process is exceedingly complex, and it is not at all clear what orchestrates the overall search process by multiple TFs. In this study, by developing a theoretical model based on a discrete-state stochastic approach, we investigated the target search mechanism of multiple TFs on nucleosomal DNA. Experimental kinetic rate constants of different TFs are taken as input to estimate the Mean-First-Passage time to recognize the binding motifs by two TFs on a dynamic nucleosome model. The theory systematically analyzes when the TFs search their binding motifs hierarchically and when simultaneously by proceeding via the formation of a protein-protein complex. Our results, validated by extensive Monte Carlo simulations, elucidate the molecular basis of the complex target search phenomenon of multiple TFs on nucleosomal DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujeet Kumar Mishra
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Arnab Bhattacherjee
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
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21
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Felipe C, Shin J, Kolomeisky AB. How Pioneer Transcription Factors Search for Target Sites on Nucleosomal DNA. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:4061-4068. [PMID: 35622093 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c01931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
All major biological processes start after protein molecules known as transcription factors detect specific regulatory sequences on DNA and initiate genetic expression by associating to them. But in eukaryotic cells, much of the DNA is covered by nucleosomes and other chromatin structures, preventing transcription factors from binding to their targets. At the same time, experimental studies show that there are several classes of proteins, called "pioneer transcription factors", that are able to reach the targets on nucleosomal DNA; however, the underlying microscopic mechanisms remain not well understood. We propose a new theoretical approach that might explain how pioneer transcription factors can find their targets. It is argued that pioneer transcription factors might weaken the interactions between the DNA and nucleosome by substituting them with similar interactions between transcription factors and DNA. Using this idea, we develop a discrete-state stochastic model that allows for exact calculations of target search dynamics on nucleosomal DNA using first-passage probabilities approach. It is found that the target search on nuclesomal DNA for pioneer transcription factors might be significantly accelerated while the search is slower on naked DNA in comparison with normal transcription factors. Our theoretical predictions are supported by Monte Carlo computer simulations, and they also agree with available experimental observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cayke Felipe
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.,Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Jaeoh Shin
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.,Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Anatoly B Kolomeisky
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.,Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.,Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
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22
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de Jonge WJ, Patel HP, Meeussen JVW, Lenstra TL. Following the tracks: how transcription factor binding dynamics control transcription. Biophys J 2022; 121:1583-1592. [PMID: 35337845 PMCID: PMC9117886 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.03.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription, the process of copying genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA, is regulated by sequence-specific DNA binding proteins known as transcription factors (TFs). Recent advances in single-molecule tracking (SMT) technologies have enabled visualization of individual TF molecules as they diffuse and interact with the DNA in the context of living cells. These SMT studies have uncovered multiple populations of DNA binding events characterized by their distinctive DNA residence times. In this perspective, we review recent insights into how these residence times relate to specific and non-specific DNA binding, as well as the contribution of TF domains on the DNA binding dynamics. We discuss different models that aim to link transient DNA binding by TFs to bursts of transcription and present an outlook for how future advances in microscopy development may broaden our understanding of the dynamics of the molecular steps that underlie transcription activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wim J de Jonge
- Division of Gene Regulation, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Oncode Institute, 1066CX Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Heta P Patel
- Division of Gene Regulation, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Oncode Institute, 1066CX Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Joseph V W Meeussen
- Division of Gene Regulation, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Oncode Institute, 1066CX Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Tineke L Lenstra
- Division of Gene Regulation, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Oncode Institute, 1066CX Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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23
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Facilitated Dissociation of Nucleoid Associated Proteins from DNA in the Bacterial Confinement. Biophys J 2022; 121:1119-1133. [PMID: 35257784 PMCID: PMC9034294 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription machinery depends on the temporal formation of protein-DNA complexes. Recent experiments demonstrated that not only the formation but also the lifetime of such complexes can affect the transcriptional machinery. In parallel, in vitro single-molecule studies showed that nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) leave the DNA rapidly as the bulk concentration of the protein increases via facilitated dissociation (FD). Nevertheless, whether such a concentration-dependent mechanism is functional in a bacterial cell, in which NAP levels and the 3d chromosomal structure are often coupled, is not clear a priori. Here, by using extensive coarse-grained molecular simulations, we model the unbinding of specific and nonspecific dimeric NAPs from a high-molecular-weight circular DNA molecule in a cylindrical structure mimicking the cellular confinement of a bacterial chromosome. Our simulations confirm that physiologically relevant peak protein levels (tens of micromolar) lead to highly compact chromosomal structures. This compaction results in rapid off rates (shorter DNA residence times) for specifically DNA-binding NAPs, such as the factor for inversion stimulation, which mostly dissociate via a segmental jump mechanism. Contrarily, for nonspecific NAPs, which are more prone to leave their binding sites via 1d sliding, the off rates decrease as the protein levels increase. The simulations with restrained chromosome models reveal that chromosome compaction is in favor of faster dissociation but only for specific proteins, and nonspecific proteins are not affected by the chromosome compaction. Overall, our results suggest that the cellular concentration level of a structural DNA-binding protein can be highly intermingled with its DNA residence time.
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24
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Mondal A, Mishra SK, Bhattacherjee A. Kinetic origin of nucleosome invasion by pioneer transcription factors. Biophys J 2021; 120:5219-5230. [PMID: 34757077 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.10.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Recently, a cryo-electron microscopy study has captured different stages of nucleosome breathing dynamics that show partial unwrapping of DNA from histone core to permit transient access to the DNA sites by transcription factors. In practice, however, only a subset of transcription factors named pioneer factors can invade nucleosomes and bind to specific DNA sites to trigger essential DNA metabolic processes. We propose a discrete-state stochastic model that considers the interplay of nucleosome breathing and protein dynamics explicitly and estimate the mean time to search the target DNA sites. It is found that the molecular principle governing the search process on nucleosome is very different compared to that on naked DNA. The pioneer factors minimize their search times on nucleosomal DNA by compensating their nucleosome association rates by dissociation rates. A fine balance between the two presents a tradeoff between their nuclear mobility and error associated with the search process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anupam Mondal
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Sujeet Kumar Mishra
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India; Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Arnab Bhattacherjee
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
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25
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Khamis H, Rudnizky S, Melamed P, Kaplan A. Single molecule characterization of the binding kinetics of a transcription factor and its modulation by DNA sequence and methylation. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:10975-10987. [PMID: 34606618 PMCID: PMC8565314 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The interaction of transcription factors with their response elements in DNA is emerging as a highly complex process, whose characterization requires measuring the full distribution of binding and dissociation times in a well-controlled assay. Here, we present a single-molecule assay that exploits the thermal fluctuations of a DNA hairpin to detect the association and dissociation of individual, unlabeled transcription factors. We demonstrate this new approach by following the binding of Egr1 to its consensus motif and the three binding sites found in the promoter of the Lhb gene, and find that both association and dissociation are modulated by the 9 bp core motif and the sequences around it. In addition, CpG methylation modulates the dissociation kinetics in a sequence and position-dependent manner, which can both stabilize or destabilize the complex. Together, our findings show how variations in sequence and methylation patterns synergistically extend the spectrum of a protein's binding properties, and demonstrate how the proposed approach can provide new insights on the function of transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadeel Khamis
- Faculty of Biology, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
- Faculty of Physics, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Sergei Rudnizky
- Faculty of Biology, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Philippa Melamed
- Faculty of Biology, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Ariel Kaplan
- Faculty of Biology, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
- Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
- Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
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26
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Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) are essential mediators of epigenetic regulation and modifiers of penetrance. Studies from the past decades have revealed a sub-class of TF that is capable of remodeling closed chromatin states through targeting nucleosomal motifs. This pioneer factor (PF) class of chromatin remodeler is ATP independent in its roles in epigenetic initiation, with nucleosome-motif recognition and association with repressive chromatin regions. Increasing evidence suggests that the fundamental properties of PFs can be coopted in human cancers. We explore the role of PFs in the larger context of tissue-specific epigenetic regulation. Moreover, we highlight an emerging class of chimeric PF derived from translocation partners in human disease and PFs associated with rare tumors. In the age of site-directed genome editing and targeted protein degradation, increasing our understanding of PFs will provide access to next-generation therapy for human disease driven from altered transcriptional circuitry.
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27
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Probing DNA-protein interactions using single-molecule diffusivity contrast. BIOPHYSICAL REPORTS 2021; 1:100009. [PMID: 36425309 PMCID: PMC9680706 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpr.2021.100009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Single-molecule fluorescence investigations of protein-nucleic acid interactions require robust means to identify the binding state of individual substrate molecules in real time. Here, we show that diffusivity contrast, widely used in fluorescence correlation spectroscopy at the ensemble level and in single-particle tracking on individual (but slowly diffusing) species, can be used as a general readout to determine the binding state of single DNA molecules with unlabeled proteins in solution. We first describe the technical basis of drift-free single-molecule diffusivity measurements in an anti-Brownian electrokinetic trap. We then cross-validate our method with protein-induced fluorescence enhancement, a popular technique to detect protein binding on nucleic acid substrates with single-molecule sensitivity. We extend an existing hydrodynamic modeling framework to link measured diffusivity to particular DNA-protein structures and obtain good agreement between the measured and predicted diffusivity values. Finally, we show that combining diffusivity contrast with protein-induced fluorescence enhancement allows simultaneous mapping of binding stoichiometry and location on individual DNA-protein complexes, potentially enhancing single-molecule views of relevant biophysical processes.
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28
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Nodelman IM, Patel A, Levendosky RF, Bowman GD. Reconstitution and Purification of Nucleosomes with Recombinant Histones and Purified DNA. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 133:e130. [PMID: 33305911 DOI: 10.1002/cpmb.130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Nucleosomes are substrates for a broad range of factors, including those involved in transcription or chromosome maintenance/reorganization and enzymes that covalently modify histones. Given the heterogeneous nature of nucleosomes in vivo (i.e., varying histone composition, post-translational modifications, DNA sequence register), understanding the specificity and activities of chromatin-interacting factors has required in vitro studies using well-defined nucleosome substrates. Here, we provide detailed methods for large-scale PCR preparation of DNA, assembly of nucleosomes from purified DNA and histones, and purification of DNA and mononucleosomes. Such production of well-defined nucleosomes for biochemical and biophysical studies is key for studying numerous proteins and protein complexes that bind and/or alter nucleosomes and for revealing inherent characteristics of nucleosomes. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Large-scale PCR amplification of DNA Basic Protocol 2: DNA and nucleosome purification using a Bio-Rad Mini Prep Cell/Prep Cell Basic Protocol 3: Nucleosome reconstitution via linear gradient salt dialysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilana M Nodelman
- T.C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ashok Patel
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India
| | - Robert F Levendosky
- T.C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.,Present address: Catalent Cell and Gene Therapy, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Gregory D Bowman
- T.C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
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29
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McCormack LS, Efremov AK, Yan J. Effects of size, cooperativity, and competitive binding on protein positioning on DNA. Biophys J 2021; 120:2040-2053. [PMID: 33771470 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate positioning of proteins on chromosomal DNA is crucial for its proper organization as well as gene transcription regulation. Recent experiments revealed existence of periodic patterns of nucleoprotein complexes on DNA, which frequently cannot be explained by sequence-dependent binding of proteins. Previous theoretical studies suggest that such patterns typically emerge as a result of the proteins' volume-exclusion effect. However, the role of other physical factors in patterns' formation, such as the length of DNA, its sequence heterogeneity, and protein binding cooperativity/binding competition to DNA, remains unclear. To address these less understood yet important aspects, we investigated potential effects of these factors on protein positioning on finite-size DNA by using transfer-matrix calculations. It has been found that upon binding to DNA, proteins form oscillatory patterns that span over the length of up to ∼10 times the size of the protein binding site, with the shape of the patterns being strongly dependent on the length of DNA and the proteins' binding cooperativity to DNA. Furthermore, calculations showed that small variations in the proteins' affinity to DNA due to its sequence heterogeneity do not much change the main geometric characteristics of the observed protein patterns. Finally, competition between two different types of proteins for binding to DNA has been found to lead to formation of highly diverse and complex alternating positioning of the two proteins. Altogether, these results provide new insights into the roles of physicochemical properties of proteins, the DNA length, and DNA-binding competition between proteins in formation of protein positioning patterns on DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leo S McCormack
- Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Mechanobiology InstituteNational University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Artem K Efremov
- Mechanobiology InstituteNational University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Jie Yan
- Mechanobiology InstituteNational University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
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30
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Nagpal H, Fierz B. The Elusive Structure of Centro-Chromatin: Molecular Order or Dynamic Heterogenetity? J Mol Biol 2021; 433:166676. [PMID: 33065112 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2020.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The centromere is an essential chromatin domain required for kinetochore recruitment and chromosome segregation in eukaryotes. To perform this role, centro-chromatin adopts a unique structure that provides access to kinetochore proteins and maintains stability under tension during mitosis. This is achieved by the presence of nucleosomes containing the H3 variant CENP-A, which also acts as the epigenetic mark defining the centromere. In this review, we discuss the role of CENP-A on the structure and dynamics of centromeric chromatin. We further discuss the impact of the CENP-A binding proteins CENP-C, CENP-N, and CENP-B on modulating centro-chromatin structure. Based on these findings we provide an overview of the higher order structure of the centromere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harsh Nagpal
- Laboratory of Biophysical Chemistry of Macromolecules, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Beat Fierz
- Laboratory of Biophysical Chemistry of Macromolecules, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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31
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Konrad SF, Vanderlinden W, Frederickx W, Brouns T, Menze BH, De Feyter S, Lipfert J. High-throughput AFM analysis reveals unwrapping pathways of H3 and CENP-A nucleosomes. NANOSCALE 2021; 13:5435-5447. [PMID: 33683227 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr08564b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Nucleosomes, the fundamental units of chromatin, regulate readout and expression of eukaryotic genomes. Single-molecule experiments have revealed force-induced nucleosome accessibility, but a high-resolution unwrapping landscape in the absence of external forces is currently lacking. Here, we introduce a high-throughput pipeline for the analysis of nucleosome conformations based on atomic force microscopy and automated, multi-parameter image analysis. Our data set of ∼10 000 nucleosomes reveals multiple unwrapping states corresponding to steps of 5 bp DNA. For canonical H3 nucleosomes, we observe that dissociation from one side impedes unwrapping from the other side, but in contrast to force-induced unwrapping, we find only a weak sequence-dependent asymmetry. Notably, centromeric CENP-A nucleosomes do not unwrap anti-cooperatively, in stark contrast to H3 nucleosomes. Finally, our results reconcile previous conflicting findings about the differences in height between H3 and CENP-A nucleosomes. We expect our approach to enable critical insights into epigenetic regulation of nucleosome structure and stability and to facilitate future high-throughput AFM studies that involve heterogeneous nucleoprotein complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian F Konrad
- Department of Physics and Center for Nanoscience, LMU Munich, Amalienstr. 54, 80799 Munich, Germany.
| | - Willem Vanderlinden
- Department of Physics and Center for Nanoscience, LMU Munich, Amalienstr. 54, 80799 Munich, Germany.
| | - Wout Frederickx
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Tine Brouns
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Björn H Menze
- Department of Informatics, Technical University of Munich, Boltzmannstr. 3, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Steven De Feyter
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Jan Lipfert
- Department of Physics and Center for Nanoscience, LMU Munich, Amalienstr. 54, 80799 Munich, Germany.
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32
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Strohkendl I, Saifuddin FA, Gibson BA, Rosen MK, Russell R, Finkelstein IJ. Inhibition of CRISPR-Cas12a DNA targeting by nucleosomes and chromatin. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/11/eabd6030. [PMID: 33692102 PMCID: PMC7946368 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd6030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Genome engineering nucleases must access chromatinized DNA. Here, we investigate how AsCas12a cleaves DNA within human nucleosomes and phase-condensed nucleosome arrays. Using quantitative kinetics approaches, we show that dynamic nucleosome unwrapping regulates target accessibility to Cas12a and determines the extent to which both steps of binding-PAM recognition and R-loop formation-are inhibited by the nucleosome. Relaxing DNA wrapping within the nucleosome by reducing DNA bendability, adding histone modifications, or introducing target-proximal dCas9 enhances DNA cleavage rates over 10-fold. Unexpectedly, Cas12a readily cleaves internucleosomal linker DNA within chromatin-like, phase-separated nucleosome arrays. DNA targeting is reduced only ~5-fold due to neighboring nucleosomes and chromatin compaction. This work explains the observation that on-target cleavage within nucleosomes occurs less often than off-target cleavage within nucleosome-depleted genomic regions in cells. We conclude that nucleosome unwrapping regulates accessibility to CRISPR-Cas nucleases and propose that increasing nucleosome breathing dynamics will improve DNA targeting in eukaryotic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Strohkendl
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
| | - Fatema A Saifuddin
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Bryan A Gibson
- Department of Biophysics and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Michael K Rosen
- Department of Biophysics and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Rick Russell
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
| | - Ilya J Finkelstein
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
- Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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33
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Dynamics of RNA polymerase II and elongation factor Spt4/5 recruitment during activator-dependent transcription. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:32348-32357. [PMID: 33293419 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2011224117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In eukaryotes, RNA polymerase II (RNApII) transcribes messenger RNA from template DNA. Decades of experiments have identified the proteins needed for transcription activation, initiation complex assembly, and productive elongation. However, the dynamics of recruitment of these proteins to transcription complexes, and of the transitions between these steps, are poorly understood. We used multiwavelength single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to directly image and quantitate these dynamics in a budding yeast nuclear extract that reconstitutes activator-dependent transcription in vitro. A strong activator (Gal4-VP16) greatly stimulated reversible binding of individual RNApII molecules to template DNA. Binding of labeled elongation factor Spt4/5 to DNA typically followed RNApII binding, was NTP dependent, and was correlated with association of mRNA binding protein Hek2, demonstrating specificity of Spt4/5 binding to elongation complexes. Quantitative kinetic modeling shows that only a fraction of RNApII binding events are productive and implies a rate-limiting step, probably associated with recruitment of general transcription factors, needed to assemble a transcription-competent preinitiation complex at the promoter. Spt4/5 association with transcription complexes was slowly reversible, with DNA-bound RNApII molecules sometimes binding and releasing Spt4/5 multiple times. The average Spt4/5 residence time was of similar magnitude to the time required to transcribe an average length yeast gene. These dynamics suggest that a single Spt4/5 molecule remains associated during a typical transcription event, yet can dissociate from RNApII to allow disassembly of abnormally long-lived (i.e., stalled) elongation complexes.
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34
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Mivelaz M, Fierz B. Observing protein interaction dynamics to chemically defined chromatin fibers by colocalization single-molecule fluorescence microscopy. Methods 2020; 184:112-124. [PMID: 32004546 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2020.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In eukaryotic cells, the genome is packaged into chromatin and exists in different states, ranging from open euchromatic regions to highly condensed heterochromatic regions. Chromatin states are highly dynamic and are organized by an interplay of histone post-translational modifications and effector proteins, both of which are central in the regulation of gene expression. For this, chromatin effector proteins must first search the nucleus for their targets, before binding and performing their role. A key question is how chromatin effector proteins search, interact with and alter the different chromatin environments. Here we present a modular fluorescence based in vitro workflow to directly observe dynamic interactions of effector proteins with defined chromatin fibres, replicating different chromatin states. We discuss the design and creation of chromatin assemblies, the synthesis of modified histones, the fabrication of microchannels and the approach to data acquisition and analysis. All of this with the aim to better understand the complex in vivo relationship between chromatin structure and gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Mivelaz
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, SB ISIC LCBM, Station 6, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Beat Fierz
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, SB ISIC LCBM, Station 6, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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35
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Tencer AH, Cox KL, Wright GM, Zhang Y, Petell CJ, Klein BJ, Strahl BD, Black JC, Poirier MG, Kutateladze TG. Molecular mechanism of the MORC4 ATPase activation. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5466. [PMID: 33122719 PMCID: PMC7596504 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19278-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Human Microrchidia 4 (MORC4) is associated with acute and chronic pancreatitis, inflammatory disorders and cancer but it remains largely uncharacterized. Here, we describe the structure-function relationship of MORC4 and define the molecular mechanism for MORC4 activation. Enzymatic and binding assays reveal that MORC4 has ATPase activity, which is dependent on DNA-binding functions of both the ATPase domain and CW domain of MORC4. The crystal structure of the ATPaseCW cassette of MORC4 and mutagenesis studies show that the DNA-binding site and the histone/ATPase binding site of CW are located on the opposite sides of the domain. The ATPase and CW domains cooperate in binding of MORC4 to the nucleosome core particle (NCP), enhancing the DNA wrapping around the histone core and impeding binding of DNA-associated proteins, such as transcription factors, to the NCP. In cells, MORC4 mediates formation of nuclear bodies in the nucleus and has a role in the progression of S-phase of the cell cycle, and both these functions require CW and catalytic activity of MORC4. Our findings highlight the mechanism for MORC4 activation, which is distinctly different from the mechanisms of action observed in other MORC family members.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam H Tencer
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Khan L Cox
- Department of Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Gregory M Wright
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Yi Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Christopher J Petell
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Brianna J Klein
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Brian D Strahl
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Joshua C Black
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Michael G Poirier
- Department of Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Tatiana G Kutateladze
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
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36
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de Jonge WJ, Brok M, Lijnzaad P, Kemmeren P, Holstege FCP. Genome-wide off-rates reveal how DNA binding dynamics shape transcription factor function. Mol Syst Biol 2020; 16:e9885. [PMID: 33280256 PMCID: PMC7586999 DOI: 10.15252/msb.20209885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 09/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein-DNA interactions are dynamic, and these dynamics are an important aspect of chromatin-associated processes such as transcription or replication. Due to a lack of methods to study on- and off-rates across entire genomes, protein-DNA interaction dynamics have not been studied extensively. Here, we determine in vivo off-rates for the Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromatin organizing factor Abf1, at 191 sites simultaneously across the yeast genome. Average Abf1 residence times span a wide range, varying between 4.2 and 33 min. Sites with different off-rates are associated with different functional characteristics. This includes their transcriptional dependency on Abf1, nucleosome positioning and the size of the nucleosome-free region, as well as the ability to roadblock RNA polymerase II for termination. The results show how off-rates contribute to transcription factor function and that DIVORSEQ (Determining In Vivo Off-Rates by SEQuencing) is a meaningful way of investigating protein-DNA binding dynamics genome-wide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wim J de Jonge
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Mariël Brok
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Philip Lijnzaad
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Patrick Kemmeren
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric OncologyUtrechtThe Netherlands
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37
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Nonreciprocal and Conditional Cooperativity Directs the Pioneer Activity of Pluripotency Transcription Factors. Cell Rep 2020; 28:2689-2703.e4. [PMID: 31484078 PMCID: PMC6750763 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.07.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cooperative binding of transcription factors (TFs) to chromatin orchestrates gene expression programming and cell fate specification. However, the biophysical principles of TF cooperativity remain incompletely understood. Here we use single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to study the partnership between Sox2 and Oct4, two core members of the pluripotency gene regulatory network. We find that the ability of Sox2 to target DNA inside nucleosomes is strongly affected by the translational and rotational positioning of its binding motif. In contrast, Oct4 can access nucleosomal sites with equal capacities. Furthermore, the Sox2-Oct4 pair displays nonreciprocal cooperativity, with Oct4 modulating interaction of Sox2 with the nucleosome but not vice versa. Such cooperativity is conditional upon the composite motif’s residing at specific nucleosomal locations. These results reveal that pioneer factors possess distinct chromatin-binding properties and suggest that the same set of TFs can differentially regulate gene activities on the basis of their motif positions in the nucleosomal context. Using single-molecule fluorescence imaging, Li et al. investigate the pioneer activities of pluripotency factors Sox2 and Oct4 and find that they exhibit distinct nucleosome binding preferences as well as context-dependent cooperativity, which potentially allows gene-specific transcriptional regulation.
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38
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Sanchez JC, Zhang L, Evoli S, Schnicker NJ, Nunez-Hernandez M, Yu L, Wereszczynski J, Pufall MA, Musselman CA. The molecular basis of selective DNA binding by the BRG1 AT-hook and bromodomain. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2020; 1863:194566. [PMID: 32376391 PMCID: PMC7350285 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2020.194566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The ATP-dependent BAF chromatin remodeling complex plays a critical role in gene regulation by modulating chromatin architecture, and is frequently mutated in cancer. Indeed, subunits of the BAF complex are found to be mutated in >20% of human tumors. The mechanism by which BAF properly navigates chromatin is not fully understood, but is thought to involve a multivalent network of histone and DNA contacts. We previously identified a composite domain in the BRG1 ATPase subunit that is capable of associating with both histones and DNA in a multivalent manner. Mapping the DNA binding pocket revealed that it contains several cancer mutations. Here, we utilize SELEX-seq to investigate the DNA specificity of this composite domain and NMR spectroscopy and molecular modelling to determine the structural basis of DNA binding. Finally, we demonstrate that cancer mutations in this domain alter the mode of DNA association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio C Sanchez
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - Liyang Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States; Integrated DNA Technologies IDT, Coralville, IA 52241, United States
| | - Stefania Evoli
- Department of Physics and The Center for Molecular Study of Condensed Soft Matter, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Nicholas J Schnicker
- Protein & Crystallography Facility, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - Maria Nunez-Hernandez
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - Liping Yu
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine NMR Core Facility, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States; The Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - Jeff Wereszczynski
- Department of Physics and The Center for Molecular Study of Condensed Soft Matter, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, United States.
| | - Miles A Pufall
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States.
| | - Catherine A Musselman
- Department of Biochemistry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, United States.
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39
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Lerner J, Gomez-Garcia PA, McCarthy RL, Liu Z, Lakadamyali M, Zaret KS. Two-Parameter Mobility Assessments Discriminate Diverse Regulatory Factor Behaviors in Chromatin. Mol Cell 2020; 79:677-688.e6. [PMID: 32574554 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2020.05.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Enzymatic probes of chromatin structure reveal accessible versus inaccessible chromatin states, while super-resolution microscopy reveals a continuum of chromatin compaction states. Characterizing histone H2B movements by single-molecule tracking (SMT), we resolved chromatin domains ranging from low to high mobility and displaying different subnuclear localizations patterns. Heterochromatin constituents correlated with the lowest mobility chromatin, whereas transcription factors varied widely with regard to their respective mobility with low- or high-mobility chromatin. Pioneer transcription factors, which bind nucleosomes, can access the low-mobility chromatin domains, whereas weak or non-nucleosome binding factors are excluded from the domains and enriched in higher mobility domains. Nonspecific DNA and nucleosome binding accounted for most of the low mobility of strong nucleosome interactor FOXA1. Our analysis shows how the parameters of the mobility of chromatin-bound factors, but not their diffusion behaviors or SMT-residence times within chromatin, distinguish functional characteristics of different chromatin-interacting proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Lerner
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6058, USA
| | - Pablo Aurelio Gomez-Garcia
- Center for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; ICFO-Institute of Photonics Sciences, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ryan L McCarthy
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6058, USA
| | - Zhe Liu
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Melike Lakadamyali
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6058, USA; University of Pennsylvania, Department of Physiology, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6058, USA
| | - Kenneth S Zaret
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6058, USA.
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40
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Abstract
Transcription in several organisms from certain bacteria to humans has been observed to be stochastic in nature: toggling between active and inactive states. Periods of active nascent RNA synthesis known as bursts represent individual gene activation events in which multiple polymerases are initiated. Therefore, bursting is the single locus illustration of both gene activation and repression. Although transcriptional bursting was originally observed decades ago, only recently have technological advances enabled the field to begin elucidating gene regulation at the single-locus level. In this review, we focus on how biochemical, genomic, and single-cell data describe the regulatory steps of transcriptional bursts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Rodriguez
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, North Carolina 27709, USA
| | - Daniel R. Larson
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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41
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Kamagata K, Itoh Y, Subekti DRG. How p53 Molecules Solve the Target DNA Search Problem: A Review. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E1031. [PMID: 32033163 PMCID: PMC7037437 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21031031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Interactions between DNA and DNA-binding proteins play an important role in many essential cellular processes. A key function of the DNA-binding protein p53 is to search for and bind to target sites incorporated in genomic DNA, which triggers transcriptional regulation. How do p53 molecules achieve "rapid" and "accurate" target search in living cells? The search dynamics of p53 were expected to include 3D diffusion in solution, 1D diffusion along DNA, and intersegmental transfer between two different DNA strands. Single-molecule fluorescence microscopy enabled the tracking of p53 molecules on DNA and the characterization of these dynamics quantitatively. Recent intensive single-molecule studies of p53 succeeded in revealing each of these search dynamics. Here, we review these studies and discuss the target search mechanisms of p53.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiyoto Kamagata
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan; (Y.I.); (D.R.G.S.)
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
| | - Yuji Itoh
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan; (Y.I.); (D.R.G.S.)
- Genome Dynamics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
| | - Dwiky Rendra Graha Subekti
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan; (Y.I.); (D.R.G.S.)
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
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42
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Takada S, Brandani GB, Tan C. Nucleosomes as allosteric scaffolds for genetic regulation. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2020; 62:93-101. [PMID: 31901887 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2019.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Nucleosomes are stable yet highly dynamic complexes exhibiting diverse types of motions, such as sliding, DNA unwrapping, and disassembly, encoding a landscape with a large number of metastable states. In this review, describing recent studies on these nucleosome structure changes, we propose that the nucleosome can be viewed as an ideal allosteric scaffold: regulated by effector molecules such as transcription factors and chromatin remodelers, the nucleosome controls the downstream gene activity. Binding of transcription factors to the nucleosome can enhance DNA unwrapping or slide the DNA, altering either the binding or the unbinding of other transcription factors to nearby sites. ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers induce a series of DNA deformations, which allosterically propagate throughout the nucleosome to induce DNA sliding or histone exchange.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoji Takada
- Department of Biophysics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake, Sakyo Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan.
| | - Giovanni B Brandani
- Department of Biophysics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake, Sakyo Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Cheng Tan
- RIKEN Center for Computational Science, 7-1-26 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo, Kobe, 650-0047 Japan
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43
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Epigenome Regulation by Dynamic Nucleosome Unwrapping. Trends Biochem Sci 2020; 45:13-26. [PMID: 31630896 PMCID: PMC10168609 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2019.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Gene regulation in eukaryotes requires the controlled access of sequence-specific transcription factors (TFs) to their sites in a chromatin landscape dominated by nucleosomes. Nucleosomes are refractory to TF binding, and often must be removed from regulatory regions. Recent genomic studies together with in vitro measurements suggest that the nucleosome barrier to TF binding is modulated by dynamic nucleosome unwrapping governed by ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers. Genome-wide occupancy and the regulation of subnucleosomal intermediates have gained recent attention with the application of high-resolution approaches for precision mapping of protein-DNA interactions. We summarize here recent findings on nucleosome substructures and TF binding dynamics, and highlight how unwrapped nucleosomal intermediates provide a novel signature of active chromatin.
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44
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Krajewski WA. "Direct" and "Indirect" Effects of Histone Modifications: Modulation of Sterical Bulk as a Novel Source of Functionality. Bioessays 2019; 42:e1900136. [PMID: 31805213 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201900136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The chromatin-regulatory principles of histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) are discussed with a focus on the potential alterations in chromatin functional state due to steric and mechanical constraints imposed by bulky histone modifications such as ubiquitin and SUMO. In the classical view, PTMs operate as recruitment platforms for histone "readers," and as determinants of chromatin array compaction. Alterations of histone charges by "small" chemical modifications (e.g., acetylation, phosphorylation) could regulate nucleosome spontaneous dynamics without globally affecting nucleosome structure. These fluctuations in nucleosome wrapping can be exploited by chromatin-processing machinery. In contrast, ubiquitin and SUMO are comparable in size to histones, and it seems logical that these PTMs could conflict with canonical nucleosome organization. An experimentally testable hypothesis that by adding sterical bulk these PTMs can robustly alter nucleosome primary structure is proposed. The model presented here stresses the diversity of mechanisms by which histone PTMs regulate chromatin dynamics, primary structure and, hence, functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wladyslaw A Krajewski
- N. K. Koltsov Institute of Developmental Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilova str. 26, Moscow, 119334, Russia
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45
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Du M, Kodner S, Bai L. Enhancement of LacI binding in vivo. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:9609-9618. [PMID: 31396617 PMCID: PMC6765135 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) bind to specific sequences in DNA to regulate transcription. Despite extensive measurements of TFs’ dissociation constant (Kd) in vitro, their apparent Kdin vivo are usually unknown. LacI, a bacterial TF, is often used to artificially recruit proteins onto eukaryotic genomes. As LacI binds tightly to its recognition site (LacO) in vitro with a Kd about 10 picomolar (pM), it is often assumed that LacI also has high affinity to LacO in vivo. In this work, we measured LacI binding in living yeast cells using a fluorescent repressor operator system and found an apparent Kd of ∼0.6 μM, four orders of magnitude higher than that in vitro. By genetically altering (i) GFP-LacI structure, (ii) GFP-LacI stability, (iii) chromosome accessibility and (iv) LacO sequence, we reduced the apparent Kd to <10 nM. It turns out that the GFP tagging location and the fusion protein stability have a large effect on LacI binding, but surprisingly, chromosome accessibility only plays a mild role. These findings contribute to our quantitative understanding of the features that affect the apparent Kd of TF in cells. They also provide guidance for future design of more specific chromosomal recruitment through high-affinity TFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manyu Du
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.,Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Seth Kodner
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Lu Bai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.,Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.,Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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46
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Erbaş A, Marko JF. How do DNA-bound proteins leave their binding sites? The role of facilitated dissociation. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2019; 53:118-124. [PMID: 31586479 PMCID: PMC6926143 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2019.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/24/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Dissociation of a protein from DNA is often assumed to be described by an off rate that is independent of other molecules in solution. Recent experiments and computational analyses have challenged this view by showing that unbinding rates (residence times) of DNA-bound proteins can depend on concentrations of nearby molecules that are competing for binding. This 'facilitated dissociation' (FD) process can occur at the single-binding site level via formation of a ternary complex, and can dominate over 'spontaneous dissociation' at low (submicromolar) concentrations. In the crowded intracellular environment FD introduces new regulatory possibilities at the level of individual biomolecule interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aykut Erbaş
- UNAM-National Nanotechnology Research Center and Institute of Materials Science & Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, Ankara 06800, Turkey
| | - John F Marko
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Physics & Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
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47
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Brehove M, Shatoff E, Donovan BT, Jipa CM, Bundschuh R, Poirier MG. DNA sequence influences hexasome orientation to regulate DNA accessibility. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:5617-5633. [PMID: 31216039 PMCID: PMC6582347 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2019] [Revised: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Nucleosomes, the fundamental organizing units of eukaryotic genomes, contain ∼146 base pairs of DNA wrapped around a histone H3–H4 tetramer and two histone H2A–H2B dimers. Converting nucleosomes into hexasomes by removal of a H2A–H2B dimer is an important regulatory event, but its regulation and functional consequences are not well-understood. To investigate the influence of hexasomes on DNA accessibility, we used the property of the Widom-601 Nucleosome Positioning Sequence (NPS) to form homogeneously oriented hexasomes in vitro. We find that DNA accessibility to transcription factors (TF) on the hexasome H2A–H2B distal side is identical to naked DNA, while the accessibility on the H2A–H2B proximal side is reduced by 2-fold, which is due to a 2-fold reduction in hexasome unwrapping probability. We then determined that a 23 bp region of the Widom-601 NPS is responsible for forming homogeneously oriented hexasomes. Analysis of published ChIP-exo data of hexasome containing genes identified two DNA sequence motifs that correlate with hexasome orientation in vivo, while ExoIII mapping studies of these sequences revealed they generate homogeneously oriented hexasomes in vitro. These results indicate that hexasome orientation, which is influenced by the underlying DNA sequence in vivo, is important for modulating DNA accessibility to regulate transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Brehove
- Department of Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Elan Shatoff
- Department of Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Benjamin T Donovan
- Biophysics Graduate Program, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Caroline M Jipa
- Department of Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Ralf Bundschuh
- Department of Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Biophysics Graduate Program, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Division of Hematology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Center for RNA Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Michael G Poirier
- Department of Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Biophysics Graduate Program, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Ohio State Biochemistry Program, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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48
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Mivelaz M, Cao AM, Kubik S, Zencir S, Hovius R, Boichenko I, Stachowicz AM, Kurat CF, Shore D, Fierz B. Chromatin Fiber Invasion and Nucleosome Displacement by the Rap1 Transcription Factor. Mol Cell 2019; 77:488-500.e9. [PMID: 31761495 PMCID: PMC7005674 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2019.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Pioneer transcription factors (pTFs) bind to target sites within compact chromatin, initiating chromatin remodeling and controlling the recruitment of downstream factors. The mechanisms by which pTFs overcome the chromatin barrier are not well understood. Here, we reveal, using single-molecule fluorescence, how the yeast transcription factor Rap1 invades and remodels chromatin. Using a reconstituted chromatin system replicating yeast promoter architecture, we demonstrate that Rap1 can bind nucleosomal DNA within a chromatin fiber but with shortened dwell times compared to naked DNA. Moreover, we show that Rap1 binding opens chromatin fiber structure by inhibiting inter-nucleosome contacts. Finally, we reveal that Rap1 collaborates with the chromatin remodeler RSC to displace promoter nucleosomes, paving the way for long-lived bound states on newly exposed DNA. Together, our results provide a mechanistic view of how Rap1 gains access and opens chromatin, thereby establishing an active promoter architecture and controlling gene expression. The yeast transcription factor Rap1 can invade compact chromatin Rap1 directly opens chromatin structure by preventing nucleosome stacking Stable Rap1 binding requires collaboration with RSC to shift promoter nucleosomes
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Mivelaz
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), SB ISIC LCBM, Station 6, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anne-Marinette Cao
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), SB ISIC LCBM, Station 6, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Slawomir Kubik
- Department of Molecular Biology and Institute of Genetics and Genomics of Geneva (iGE3), 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Sevil Zencir
- Department of Molecular Biology and Institute of Genetics and Genomics of Geneva (iGE3), 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Ruud Hovius
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), SB ISIC LCBM, Station 6, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Iuliia Boichenko
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), SB ISIC LCBM, Station 6, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anna Maria Stachowicz
- Department of Molecular Biology and Institute of Genetics and Genomics of Geneva (iGE3), 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Christoph F Kurat
- Molecular Biology Division, Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - David Shore
- Department of Molecular Biology and Institute of Genetics and Genomics of Geneva (iGE3), 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Beat Fierz
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), SB ISIC LCBM, Station 6, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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49
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Mohapatra S, Lin CT, Feng XA, Basu A, Ha T. Single-Molecule Analysis and Engineering of DNA Motors. Chem Rev 2019; 120:36-78. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Taekjip Ha
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
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50
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Dahlke K, Zhao J, Sing CE, Banigan EJ. Force-Dependent Facilitated Dissociation Can Generate Protein-DNA Catch Bonds. Biophys J 2019; 117:1085-1100. [PMID: 31427067 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.07.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular structures are continually subjected to forces, which may serve as mechanical signals for cells through their effects on biomolecule interaction kinetics. Typically, molecular complexes interact via "slip bonds," so applied forces accelerate off rates by reducing transition energy barriers. However, biomolecules with multiple dissociation pathways may have considerably more complicated force dependencies. This is the case for DNA-binding proteins that undergo "facilitated dissociation," in which competitor biomolecules from solution enhance molecular dissociation in a concentration-dependent manner. Using simulations and theory, we develop a generic model that shows that proteins undergoing facilitated dissociation can form an alternative type of molecular bond, known as a "catch bond," for which applied forces suppress protein dissociation. This occurs because the binding by protein competitors responsible for the facilitated dissociation pathway can be inhibited by applied forces. Within the model, we explore how the force dependence of dissociation is regulated by intrinsic factors, including molecular sensitivity to force and binding geometry and the extrinsic factor of competitor protein concentration. We find that catch bonds generically emerge when the force dependence of the facilitated unbinding pathway is stronger than that of the spontaneous unbinding pathway. The sharpness of the transition between slip- and catch-bond kinetics depends on the degree to which the protein bends its DNA substrate. This force-dependent kinetics is broadly regulated by the concentration of competitor biomolecules in solution. Thus, the observed catch bond is mechanistically distinct from other known physiological catch bonds because it requires an extrinsic factor-competitor proteins-rather than a specific intrinsic molecular structure. We hypothesize that this mechanism for regulating force-dependent protein dissociation may be used by cells to modulate protein exchange, regulate transcription, and facilitate diffusive search processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelyn Dahlke
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Jing Zhao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Charles E Sing
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois.
| | - Edward J Banigan
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science and Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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