The Mediator co-activator complex regulates Ty1 retromobility by controlling the balance between Ty1i and Ty1 promoters

Transcriptional coupling of telomeric retrotransposons with the cell cycle

Unlike most species that use telomerase for telomere maintenance, many dipterans, including Drosophila, rely on three telomere-specific retrotransposons (TRs)-HeT-A, TART, and TAHRE-to form tandem repeats at chromosome ends. Although TR transcription is crucial in their life cycle, its regulation remains poorly understood. This study identifies the Mediator complex, E2F1-Dp, and Scalloped/dTEAD as key regulators of TR transcription. Reducing the activity of the Mediator or Sd/dTEAD increases TR expression and telomere length, while overexpressing E2F1-Dp or depleting Rbf1 stimulates TR transcription. The Mediator and Sd/dTEAD regulate this process through E2F1-Dp. CUT&RUN (Cleavage under targets and release using nuclease) analysis shows direct binding of CDK8, Dp, and Sd/dTEAD to telomeric repeats, with motif enrichment revealing E2F- and TEAD-binding sites. These findings uncover the Mediator complex's role in controlling TR transcription and telomere length through E2F1-Dp and Sd, coupling the transcriptional regulation of the TR life cycle with host cell-cycle machinery to protect chromosome ends in Drosophila.

The Ty1 retrotransposon harbors a DNA region that performs dual functions as both a gene silencing and chromatin insulator

In various eukaryotic kingdoms, long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons repress transcription by infiltrating heterochromatin generated within their elements. In contrast, the budding yeast LTR retrotransposon Ty1 does not itself undergo transcriptional repression, although it is capable of repressing the transcription of the inserted genes within it. In this study, we identified a DNA region within Ty1 that exerts its silencing effect via sequence orientation. We identified a DNA region within the Ty1 group-specific antigen (GAG) gene that causes gene silencing, termed GAG silencing (GAGsi), in which the silent chromatin in the GAGsi region is created by euchromatin-specific histone modifications. A characteristic inverted repeat (IR) sequence is present at the 5' end of this region, forming a chromatin boundary between promoter-specific chromatin upstream of the IR sequence and silent chromatin downstream of the IR sequence. In addition, Esc2 and Rad57, which are involved in DNA repair, were required for GAGsi silencing. Finally, the chromatin boundary was required for the transcription of Ty1 itself. Thus, the GAGsi sequence contributes to the creation of a chromatin environment that promotes Ty1 transcription.

Evolution of a Restriction Factor by Domestication of a Yeast Retrotransposon

Transposable elements drive genome evolution in all branches of life. Transposable element insertions are often deleterious to their hosts and necessitate evolution of control mechanisms to limit their spread. The long terminal repeat retrotransposon Ty1 prime (Ty1'), a subfamily of the Ty1 family, is present in many Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, but little is known about what controls its copy number. Here, we provide evidence that a novel gene from an exapted Ty1' sequence, domesticated restriction of Ty1' relic 2 (DRT2), encodes a restriction factor that inhibits Ty1' movement. DRT2 arose through domestication of a Ty1' GAG gene and contains the C-terminal domain of capsid, which in the related Ty1 canonical subfamily functions as a self-encoded restriction factor. Bioinformatic analysis reveals the widespread nature of DRT2, its evolutionary history, and pronounced structural variation at the Ty1' relic 2 locus. Ty1' retromobility analyses demonstrate DRT2 restriction factor functionality, and northern blot and RNA-seq analysis indicate that DRT2 is transcribed in multiple strains. Velocity cosedimentation profiles indicate an association between Drt2 and Ty1' virus-like particles or assembly complexes. Chimeric Ty1' elements containing DRT2 retain retromobility, suggesting an ancestral role of productive Gag C-terminal domain of capsid functionality is present in the sequence. Unlike Ty1 canonical, Ty1' retromobility increases with copy number, suggesting that C-terminal domain of capsid-based restriction is not limited to the Ty1 canonical subfamily self-encoded restriction factor and drove the endogenization of DRT2. The discovery of an exapted Ty1' restriction factor provides insight into the evolution of the Ty1 family, evolutionary hot-spots, and host-transposable element interactions.

The genomic landscape of transposable elements in yeast hybrids is shaped by structural variation and genotype-specific modulation of transposition rate

Transposable elements (TEs) are major contributors to structural genomic variation by creating interspersed duplications of themselves. In return, structural variants (SVs) can affect the genomic distribution of TE copies and shape their load. One long-standing hypothesis states that hybridization could trigger TE mobilization and thus increase TE load in hybrids. We previously tested this hypothesis (Hénault et al., 2020) by performing a large-scale evolution experiment by mutation accumulation (MA) on multiple hybrid genotypes within and between wild populations of the yeasts Saccharomyces paradoxus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using aggregate measures of TE load with short-read sequencing, we found no evidence for TE load increase in hybrid MA lines. Here, we resolve the genomes of the hybrid MA lines with long-read phasing and assembly to precisely characterize the role of SVs in shaping the TE landscape. Highly contiguous phased assemblies of 127 MA lines revealed that SV types like polyploidy, aneuploidy, and loss of heterozygosity have large impacts on the TE load. We characterized 18 de novo TE insertions, indicating that transposition only has a minor role in shaping the TE landscape in MA lines. Because the scarcity of TE mobilization in MA lines provided insufficient resolution to confidently dissect transposition rate variation in hybrids, we adapted an in vivo assay to measure transposition rates in various S. paradoxus hybrid backgrounds. We found that transposition rates are not increased by hybridization, but are modulated by many genotype-specific factors including initial TE load, TE sequence variants, and mitochondrial DNA inheritance. Our results show the multiple scales at which TE load is shaped in hybrid genomes, being highly impacted by SV dynamics and finely modulated by genotype-specific variation in transposition rates.

Transcriptional coupling of telomeric retrotransposons with the cell cycle

Instead of employing telomerases to safeguard chromosome ends, dipteran species maintain their telomeres by transposition of telomeric-specific retrotransposons (TRs): in Drosophila , these are HeT-A , TART , and TAHRE . Previous studies have shown how these TRs create tandem repeats at chromosome ends, but the exact mechanism controlling TR transcription has remained unclear. Here we report the identification of multiple subunits of the transcription cofactor Mediator complex and transcriptional factors Scalloped (Sd, the TEAD homolog in flies) and E2F1-Dp as novel regulators of TR transcription and telomere length in Drosophila . Depletion of multiple Mediator subunits, Dp, or Sd increased TR expression and telomere length, while over-expressing E2F1-Dp or knocking down the E2F1 regulator Rbf1 (Retinoblastoma-family protein 1) stimulated TR transcription, with Mediator and Sd affecting TR expression through E2F1-Dp. The CUT&RUN analysis revealed direct binding of CDK8, Dp, and Sd to telomeric repeats. These findings highlight the essential role of the Mediator complex in maintaining telomere homeostasis by regulating TR transcription through E2F1-Dp and Sd, revealing the intricate coupling of TR transcription with the host cell-cycle machinery, thereby ensuring chromosome end protection and genomic stability during cell division.

Reliance of Host-Encoded Regulators of Retromobility on Ty1 Promoter Activity or Architecture

The Ty1 retrotransposon family is maintained in a functional but dormant state by its host, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Several hundred RHF and RTT genes encoding co-factors and restrictors of Ty1 retromobility, respectively, have been identified. Well-characterized examples include MED3 and MED15, encoding subunits of the Mediator transcriptional co-activator complex; control of retromobility by Med3 and Med15 requires the Ty1 promoter in the U3 region of the long terminal repeat. To characterize the U3-dependence of other Ty1 regulators, we screened a library of 188 known rhf and rtt mutants for altered retromobility of Ty1his3AI expressed from the strong, TATA-less TEF1 promoter or the weak, TATA-containing U3 promoter. Two classes of genes, each including both RHFs and RTTs, were identified. The first class comprising 82 genes that regulated Ty1his3AI retromobility independently of U3 is enriched for RHF genes that restrict the G1 phase of the cell cycle and those involved in transcriptional elongation and mRNA catabolism. The second class of 51 genes regulated retromobility of Ty1his3AI driven only from the U3 promoter. Nineteen U3-dependent regulators (U3DRs) also controlled retromobility of Ty1his3AI driven by the weak, TATA-less PSP2 promoter, suggesting reliance on the low activity of U3. Thirty-one U3DRs failed to modulate P_PSP2-Ty1his3AI retromobility, suggesting dependence on the architecture of U3. To further investigate the U3-dependency of Ty1 regulators, we developed a novel fluorescence-based assay to monitor expression of p22-Gag, a restriction factor expressed from the internal Ty1i promoter. Many U3DRs had minimal effects on levels of Ty1 RNA, Ty1i RNA or p22-Gag. These findings uncover a role for the Ty1 promoter in integrating signals from diverse host factors to modulate Ty1 RNA biogenesis or fate.

Function and dynamics of the Mediator complex: novel insights and new frontiers

The Mediator complex was discovered in the early 1990s as a biochemically fractionated factor from yeast extracts that was necessary for activator-stimulated transcriptional activation to be observed in in vitro transcription assays. The structure of this large, multi-protein complex is now understood in great detail, and novel genetic approaches have provided rich insights into its dynamics during transcriptional activation and the mechanism by which it facilitates activated transcription. Here I review recent findings and unanswered questions regarding Mediator dynamics, the roles of individual subunits, and differences between its function in yeast and metazoan cells.

Movements of Ancient Human Endogenous Retroviruses Detected in SOX2-Expressing Cells

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) occupy approximately 8% of the human genome. HERVs, transcribed in early embryos, are epigenetically silenced in somatic cells, except under pathological conditions. HERV-K is thought to protect embryos from exogenous viral infection. However, uncontrolled HERV-K expression in somatic cells has been implicated in several diseases. Here, we show that SOX2, which plays a key role in maintaining the pluripotency of stem cells, is critical for HERV-K LTR5Hs. HERV-K undergoes retrotransposition within producer cells in the absence of Env expression. Furthermore, we identified new HERV-K integration sites in long-term culture of induced pluripotent stem cells that express SOX2. These results suggest that the strict dependence of HERV-K on SOX2 has allowed HERV-K to protect early embryos during evolution while limiting the potentially harmful effects of HERV-K retrotransposition on host genome integrity in these early embryos. IMPORTANCE Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) account for approximately 8% of the human genome; however, the physiological role of HERV-K remains unknown. This study found that HERV-K LTR5Hs and LTR5B were transactivated by SOX2, which is essential for maintaining and reestablishing pluripotency. HERV-K can undergo retrotransposition within producer cells without env expression, and new integration sites may affect cell proliferation. In induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), genomic impairment due to HERV-K retrotransposition has been identified, but it is a rare event. Considering the retention of SOX2-responsive elements in the HERV-K long terminal repeat (LTR) for over 20 million years, we conclude that HERV-K may play important physiological roles in SOX2-expressing cells.

A nuclear pore sub-complex restricts the propagation of Ty retrotransposons by limiting their transcription

Beyond their canonical function in nucleocytoplasmic exchanges, nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) regulate the expression of protein-coding genes. Here, we have implemented transcriptomic and molecular methods to specifically address the impact of the NPC on retroelements, which are present in multiple copies in genomes. We report a novel function for the Nup84 complex, a core NPC building block, in specifically restricting the transcription of LTR-retrotransposons in yeast. Nup84 complex-dependent repression impacts both Copia and Gypsy Ty LTR-retrotransposons, all over the S. cerevisiae genome. Mechanistically, the Nup84 complex restricts the transcription of Ty1, the most active yeast retrotransposon, through the tethering of the SUMO-deconjugating enzyme Ulp1 to NPCs. Strikingly, the modest accumulation of Ty1 RNAs caused by Nup84 complex loss-of-function is sufficient to trigger an important increase of Ty1 cDNA levels, resulting in massive Ty1 retrotransposition. Altogether, our study expands our understanding of the complex interactions between retrotransposons and the NPC, and highlights the importance for the cells to keep retrotransposons under tight transcriptional control.

Diverse transposable element landscapes in pathogenic and nonpathogenic yeast models: the value of a comparative perspective

Genomics and other large-scale analyses have drawn increasing attention to the potential impacts of transposable elements (TEs) on their host genomes. However, it remains challenging to transition from identifying potential roles to clearly demonstrating the level of impact TEs have on genome evolution and possible functions that they contribute to their host organisms. I summarize TE content and distribution in four well-characterized yeast model systems in this review: the pathogens Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans, and the nonpathogenic species Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. I compare and contrast their TE landscapes to their lifecycles, genomic features, as well as the presence and nature of RNA interference pathways in each species to highlight the valuable diversity represented by these models for functional studies of TEs. I then review the regulation and impacts of the Ty1 and Ty3 retrotransposons from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Tf1 and Tf2 retrotransposons from Schizosaccharomyces pombe to emphasize parallels and distinctions between these well-studied elements. I propose that further characterization of TEs in the pathogenic yeasts would enable this set of four yeast species to become an excellent set of models for comparative functional studies to address outstanding questions about TE-host relationships.

Border collies of the genome: domestication of an autonomous retrovirus-like transposon

Retrotransposons often spread rapidly through eukaryotic genomes until they are neutralized by host-mediated silencing mechanisms, reduced by recombination and mutation, and lost or transformed into benevolent entities. But the Ty1 retrotransposon appears to have been domesticated to guard the genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.