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López JO, Quiñones JL, Martínez ED. Improved LINE-1 Detection through Pattern Matching by Increasing Probe Length. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:236. [PMID: 38666848 PMCID: PMC11047891 DOI: 10.3390/biology13040236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2024] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Long Interspersed Element-1 (LINE-1 or L1) is an autonomous transposable element that accounts for 17% of the human genome. Strong correlations between abnormal L1 expression and diseases, particularly cancer, have been documented by numerous studies. L1PD (LINE-1 Pattern Detection) had been previously created to detect L1s by using a fixed pre-determined set of 50-mer probes and a pattern-matching algorithm. L1PD uses a novel seed-and-pattern-match strategy as opposed to the well-known seed-and-extend strategy employed by other tools. This study discusses an improved version of L1PD that shows how increasing the size of the k-mer probes from 50 to 75 or to 100 yields better results, as evidenced by experiments showing higher precision and recall when compared to the 50-mers. The probe-generation process was updated and the corresponding software is now shared so that users may generate probes for other reference genomes (with certain limitations). Additionally, L1PD was applied to other non-human genomes, such as dogs, horses, and cows, to further validate the pattern-matching strategy. The improved version of L1PD proves to be an efficient and promising approach for L1 detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan O. López
- Department of Computer Science, University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo, Arecibo 00612, Puerto Rico; (J.L.Q.); (E.D.M.)
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2
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Lee M, Ahmad SF, Xu J. Regulation and function of transposable elements in cancer genomes. Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:157. [PMID: 38556602 PMCID: PMC10982106 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-024-05195-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Over half of human genomic DNA is composed of repetitive sequences generated throughout evolution by prolific mobile genetic parasites called transposable elements (TEs). Long disregarded as "junk" or "selfish" DNA, TEs are increasingly recognized as formative elements in genome evolution, wired intimately into the structure and function of the human genome. Advances in sequencing technologies and computational methods have ushered in an era of unprecedented insight into how TE activity impacts human biology in health and disease. Here we discuss the current views on how TEs have shaped the regulatory landscape of the human genome, how TE activity is implicated in human cancers, and how recent findings motivate novel strategies to leverage TE activity for improved cancer therapy. Given the crucial role of methodological advances in TE biology, we pair our conceptual discussions with an in-depth review of the inherent technical challenges in studying repeats, specifically related to structural variation, expression analyses, and chromatin regulation. Lastly, we provide a catalog of existing and emerging assays and bioinformatic software that altogether are enabling the most sophisticated and comprehensive investigations yet into the regulation and function of interspersed repeats in cancer genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX, 75390, USA.
| | - Syed Farhan Ahmad
- Department of Pathology, Center of Excellence for Leukemia Studies, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place - MS 345, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Jian Xu
- Department of Pathology, Center of Excellence for Leukemia Studies, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place - MS 345, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA.
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3
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Lu YW, Ding ZL, Mao R, Zhao GG, He YQ, Li XL, Liu J. Early results of the integrative epigenomic-transcriptomic landscape of colorectal adenoma and cancer. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2024; 16:414-435. [PMID: 38425399 PMCID: PMC10900154 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v16.i2.414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aberrant methylation is common during the initiation and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC), and detecting these changes that occur during early adenoma (ADE) formation and CRC progression has clinical value. AIM To identify potential DNA methylation markers specific to ADE and CRC. METHODS Here, we performed SeqCap targeted bisulfite sequencing and RNA-seq analysis of colorectal ADE and CRC samples to profile the epigenomic-transcriptomic landscape. RESULTS Comparing 22 CRC and 25 ADE samples, global methylation was higher in the former, but both showed similar methylation patterns regarding differentially methylated gene positions, chromatin signatures, and repeated elements. High-grade CRC tended to exhibit elevated methylation levels in gene promoter regions compared to those in low-grade CRC. Combined with RNA-seq gene expression data, we identified 14 methylation-regulated differentially expressed genes, of which only AGTR1 and NECAB1 methylation had prognostic significance. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that genome-wide alterations in DNA methylation occur during the early stages of CRC and demonstrate the methylation signatures associated with colorectal ADEs and CRC, suggesting prognostic biomarkers for CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- You-Wang Lu
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Zhao-Li Ding
- Kunming Biological Diversity Regional Center of Large Apparatus and Equipments, Public Technical Service Center, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming 650223, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Rui Mao
- School of Stomatology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Gui-Gang Zhao
- Genome Center of Biodiversity, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming 650223, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Yu-Qi He
- Genome Center of Biodiversity, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming 650223, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Xiao-Lu Li
- Genome Center of Biodiversity, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming 650223, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Jiang Liu
- Department of Reproduction and Genetics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunnan Province, China
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4
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Lanciano S, Philippe C, Sarkar A, Pratella D, Domrane C, Doucet AJ, van Essen D, Saccani S, Ferry L, Defossez PA, Cristofari G. Locus-level L1 DNA methylation profiling reveals the epigenetic and transcriptional interplay between L1s and their integration sites. CELL GENOMICS 2024; 4:100498. [PMID: 38309261 PMCID: PMC10879037 DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Long interspersed element 1 (L1) retrotransposons are implicated in human disease and evolution. Their global activity is repressed by DNA methylation, but deciphering the regulation of individual copies has been challenging. Here, we combine short- and long-read sequencing to unveil L1 methylation heterogeneity across cell types, families, and individual loci and elucidate key principles involved. We find that the youngest primate L1 families are specifically hypomethylated in pluripotent stem cells and the placenta but not in most tumors. Locally, intronic L1 methylation is intimately associated with gene transcription. Conversely, the L1 methylation state can propagate to the proximal region up to 300 bp. This phenomenon is accompanied by the binding of specific transcription factors, which drive the expression of L1 and chimeric transcripts. Finally, L1 hypomethylation alone is typically insufficient to trigger L1 expression due to redundant silencing pathways. Our results illuminate the epigenetic and transcriptional interplay between retrotransposons and their host genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Lanciano
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Claude Philippe
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Arpita Sarkar
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - David Pratella
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Cécilia Domrane
- University Paris Cité, CNRS, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, Paris, France
| | - Aurélien J Doucet
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Dominic van Essen
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Simona Saccani
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France
| | - Laure Ferry
- University Paris Cité, CNRS, Epigenetics and Cell Fate, Paris, France
| | | | - Gael Cristofari
- University Cote d'Azur, INSERM, CNRS, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), Nice, France.
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5
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Mathavarajah S, Dellaire G. LINE-1: an emerging initiator of cGAS-STING signalling and inflammation that is dysregulated in disease. Biochem Cell Biol 2024; 102:38-46. [PMID: 37643478 DOI: 10.1139/bcb-2023-0134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The cGAS-STING (cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING)) axis integrates DNA damage and cellular stress with type I interferon (IFN) signalling to facilitate transcriptional changes underlying inflammatory stress responses. The cGAS-STING pathway responds to cytosolic DNA in the form of double-stranded DNA, micronuclei, and long interspersed nuclear element 1 (L1) retroelements. L1 retroelements are a class of self-propagating non-long terminal repeat transposons that have remained highly active in mammalian genomes. L1 retroelements are emerging as important inducers of cGAS-STING and IFN signalling, which are often dysregulated in several diseases, including cancer. A key repressor of cGAS-STING and L1 activity is the exonuclease three prime repair exonuclease 1 (TREX1), and loss of TREX1 promotes the accumulation of L1. In addition, L1 dysregulation is a common theme among diseases with chronic induction of type I IFN signalling through cGAS-STING, such as Aicardi-Goutières syndrome, Fanconi anemia, and dermatomyositis. Although TREX1 is highly conserved in tetrapod species, other suppressor proteins exist that inhibit L1 retrotransposition. These suppressor genes when mutated are often associated with diseases characterized by unchecked inflammation that is associated with high cGAS-STING activity and elevated levels of L1 expression. In this review, we discuss these interconnected pathways of L1 suppression and their role in the regulation of cGAS-STING and inflammation in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Graham Dellaire
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
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6
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Pugacheva EM, Bhatt DN, Rivero-Hinojosa S, Tajmul M, Fedida L, Price E, Ji Y, Loukinov D, Strunnikov AV, Ren B, Lobanenkov VV. BORIS/CTCFL epigenetically reprograms clustered CTCF binding sites into alternative transcriptional start sites. Genome Biol 2024; 25:40. [PMID: 38297316 PMCID: PMC10832218 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03175-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pervasive usage of alternative promoters leads to the deregulation of gene expression in carcinogenesis and may drive the emergence of new genes in spermatogenesis. However, little is known regarding the mechanisms underpinning the activation of alternative promoters. RESULTS Here we describe how alternative cancer-testis-specific transcription is activated. We show that intergenic and intronic CTCF binding sites, which are transcriptionally inert in normal somatic cells, could be epigenetically reprogrammed into active de novo promoters in germ and cancer cells. BORIS/CTCFL, the testis-specific paralog of the ubiquitously expressed CTCF, triggers the epigenetic reprogramming of CTCF sites into units of active transcription. BORIS binding initiates the recruitment of the chromatin remodeling factor, SRCAP, followed by the replacement of H2A histone with H2A.Z, resulting in a more relaxed chromatin state in the nucleosomes flanking the CTCF binding sites. The relaxation of chromatin around CTCF binding sites facilitates the recruitment of multiple additional transcription factors, thereby activating transcription from a given binding site. We demonstrate that the epigenetically reprogrammed CTCF binding sites can drive the expression of cancer-testis genes, long noncoding RNAs, retro-pseudogenes, and dormant transposable elements. CONCLUSIONS Thus, BORIS functions as a transcription factor that epigenetically reprograms clustered CTCF binding sites into transcriptional start sites, promoting transcription from alternative promoters in both germ cells and cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena M Pugacheva
- Molecular Pathology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Dharmendra Nath Bhatt
- Molecular Pathology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Samuel Rivero-Hinojosa
- Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Children's National Research Institute, Washington, DC, 20010, USA
| | - Md Tajmul
- Molecular Pathology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Liron Fedida
- Molecular Pathology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Emma Price
- Molecular Pathology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Yon Ji
- Molecular Pathology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Dmitri Loukinov
- Molecular Pathology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Alexander V Strunnikov
- Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Molecular Epigenetics Laboratory, 190 Kai Yuan Avenue, Science Park, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Bing Ren
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Center for Epigenomics, Moores Cancer Center and Institute of Genomic Medicine, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0653, USA
| | - Victor V Lobanenkov
- Molecular Pathology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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7
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Kines KJ, Sokolowski M, DeFreece C, Shareef A, deHaro DL, Belancio VP. Large Deletions, Cleavage of the Telomeric Repeat Sequence, and Reverse Transcriptase-Mediated DNA Damage Response Associated with Long Interspersed Element-1 ORF2p Enzymatic Activities. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:143. [PMID: 38397133 PMCID: PMC10887698 DOI: 10.3390/genes15020143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
L1 elements can cause DNA damage and genomic variation via retrotransposition and the generation of endonuclease-dependent DNA breaks. These processes require L1 ORF2p protein that contains an endonuclease domain, which cuts genomic DNA, and a reverse transcriptase domain, which synthesizes cDNA. The complete impact of L1 enzymatic activities on genome stability and cellular function remains understudied, and the spectrum of L1-induced mutations, other than L1 insertions, is mostly unknown. Using an inducible system, we demonstrate that an ORF2p containing functional reverse transcriptase is sufficient to elicit DNA damage response even in the absence of the functional endonuclease. Using a TK/Neo reporter system that captures misrepaired DNA breaks, we demonstrate that L1 expression results in large genomic deletions that lack any signatures of L1 involvement. Using an in vitro cleavage assay, we demonstrate that L1 endonuclease efficiently cuts telomeric repeat sequences. These findings support that L1 could be an unrecognized source of disease-promoting genomic deletions, telomere dysfunction, and an underappreciated source of chronic RT-mediated DNA damage response in mammalian cells. Our findings expand the spectrum of biological processes that can be triggered by functional and nonfunctional L1s, which have impactful evolutionary- and health-relevant consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine J. Kines
- Department of Structural and Cellular Biology, Tulane School of Medicine, Tulane Cancer Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Mark Sokolowski
- Department of Structural and Cellular Biology, Tulane School of Medicine, Tulane Cancer Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Cecily DeFreece
- Department of Biology, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA 70125, USA
| | - Afzaal Shareef
- Department of Structural and Cellular Biology, Tulane School of Medicine, Tulane Cancer Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Dawn L. deHaro
- Department of Structural and Cellular Biology, Tulane School of Medicine, Tulane Cancer Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Victoria P. Belancio
- Department of Structural and Cellular Biology, Tulane School of Medicine, Tulane Cancer Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
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8
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Jiang T, Zhou ZM, Ling ZQ, Zhang Q, Wu ZZ, Yang JW, Yang SY, Yang B, Huang LS. Pig H3K4me3, H3K27ac, and gene expression profiles reveal reproductive tissue-specific activity of transposable elements. Zool Res 2024; 45:138-151. [PMID: 38155423 PMCID: PMC10839656 DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2023.060] [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: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulatory sequences and transposable elements (TEs) account for a large proportion of the genomic sequences of species; however, their roles in gene transcription, especially tissue-specific expression, remain largely unknown. Pigs serve as an excellent animal model for studying genomic sequence biology due to the extensive diversity among their wild and domesticated populations. Here, we conducted an integrated analysis using H3K27ac ChIP-seq, H3K4me3 ChIP-seq, and RNA-seq data from 10 different tissues of seven fetuses and eight closely related adult pigs. We aimed to annotate the regulatory elements and TEs to elucidate their associations with histone modifications and mRNA expression across different tissues and developmental stages. Based on correlation analysis between mRNA expression and H3K27ac and H3K4me3 peak activity, results indicated that H3K27ac exhibited stronger associations with gene expression than H3K4me3. Furthermore, 1.45% of TEs overlapped with either the H3K27ac or H3K4me3 peaks, with the majority displaying tissue-specific activity. Notably, a TE subfamily (LTR4C_SS), containing binding motifs for SIX1 and SIX4, showed specific enrichment in the H3K27ac peaks of the adult and fetal ovaries. RNA-seq analysis also revealed widespread expression of TEs in the exons or promoters of genes, including 4 688 TE-containing transcripts with distinct development stage-specific and tissue-specific expression. Of note, 1 967 TE-containing transcripts were enriched in the testes. We identified a long terminal repeat (LTR), MLT1F1, acting as a testis-specific alternative promoter in SRPK2 (a cell cycle-related protein kinase) in our pig dataset. This element was also conserved in humans and mice, suggesting either an ancient integration of TEs in genes specifically expressed in the testes or parallel evolutionary patterns. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that TEs are deeply embedded in the genome and exhibit important tissue-specific biological functions, particularly in the reproductive organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Jiang
- National Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Germplasm Innovation, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330045, China
| | - Zhi-Min Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Germplasm Innovation, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330045, China
| | - Zi-Qi Ling
- National Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Germplasm Innovation, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330045, China
| | - Qing Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Germplasm Innovation, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330045, China
| | - Zhong-Zi Wu
- National Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Germplasm Innovation, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330045, China
| | - Jia-Wen Yang
- National Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Germplasm Innovation, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330045, China
| | - Si-Yu Yang
- National Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Germplasm Innovation, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330045, China
| | - Bin Yang
- National Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Germplasm Innovation, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330045, China. E-mail:
| | - Lu-Sheng Huang
- National Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Germplasm Innovation, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330045, China. E-mail:
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9
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Mendez-Dorantes C, Burns KH. LINE-1 retrotransposition and its deregulation in cancers: implications for therapeutic opportunities. Genes Dev 2023; 37:948-967. [PMID: 38092519 PMCID: PMC10760644 DOI: 10.1101/gad.351051.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Long interspersed element 1 (LINE-1) is the only protein-coding transposon that is active in humans. LINE-1 propagates in the genome using RNA intermediates via retrotransposition. This activity has resulted in LINE-1 sequences occupying approximately one-fifth of our genome. Although most copies of LINE-1 are immobile, ∼100 copies are retrotransposition-competent. Retrotransposition is normally limited via epigenetic silencing, DNA repair, and other host defense mechanisms. In contrast, LINE-1 overexpression and retrotransposition are hallmarks of cancers. Here, we review mechanisms of LINE-1 regulation and how LINE-1 may promote genetic heterogeneity in tumors. Finally, we discuss therapeutic strategies to exploit LINE-1 biology in cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Mendez-Dorantes
- Department of Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA;
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | - Kathleen H Burns
- Department of Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA;
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
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10
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Switzer CH. Non-canonical nitric oxide signalling and DNA methylation: Inflammation induced epigenetic alterations and potential drug targets. Br J Pharmacol 2023. [PMID: 38116806 DOI: 10.1111/bph.16302] [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: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation controls DNA accessibility to transcription factors and other regulatory proteins, thereby affecting gene expression and hence cellular identity and function. As epigenetic modifications control the transcriptome, epigenetic dysfunction is strongly associated with pathological conditions and ageing. The development of pharmacological agents that modulate the activity of major epigenetic proteins are in pre-clinical development and clinical use. However, recent publications have identified novel redox-based signalling pathways, and therefore novel drug targets, that may exert epigenetic effects. This review will discuss the recent developments in nitric oxide (NO) signalling on DNA methylation as well as potential epigenetic drug targets that have emerged from the intersection of inflammation/redox biology and epigenetic regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H Switzer
- William Harvey Research Institute, Barts & The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
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11
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Han M, Perkins MH, Novaes LS, Xu T, Chang H. Advances in transposable elements: from mechanisms to applications in mammalian genomics. Front Genet 2023; 14:1290146. [PMID: 38098473 PMCID: PMC10719622 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1290146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been 70 years since Barbara McClintock discovered transposable elements (TE), and the mechanistic studies and functional applications of transposable elements have been at the forefront of life science research. As an essential part of the genome, TEs have been discovered in most species of prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and the relative proportion of the total genetic sequence they comprise gradually increases with the expansion of the genome. In humans, TEs account for about 40% of the genome and are deeply involved in gene regulation, chromosome structure maintenance, inflammatory response, and the etiology of genetic and non-genetic diseases. In-depth functional studies of TEs in mammalian cells and the human body have led to a greater understanding of these fundamental biological processes. At the same time, as a potent mutagen and efficient genome editing tool, TEs have been transformed into biological tools critical for developing new techniques. By controlling the random insertion of TEs into the genome to change the phenotype in cells and model organisms, critical proteins of many diseases have been systematically identified. Exploiting the TE's highly efficient in vitro insertion activity has driven the development of cutting-edge sequencing technologies. Recently, a new technology combining CRISPR with TEs was reported, which provides a novel targeted insertion system to both academia and industry. We suggest that interrogating biological processes that generally depend on the actions of TEs with TEs-derived genetic tools is a very efficient strategy. For example, excessive activation of TEs is an essential factor in the occurrence of cancer in humans. As potent mutagens, TEs have also been used to unravel the key regulatory elements and mechanisms of carcinogenesis. Through this review, we aim to effectively combine the traditional views of TEs with recent research progress, systematically link the mechanistic discoveries of TEs with the technological developments of TE-based tools, and provide a comprehensive approach and understanding for researchers in different fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Han
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
| | - Matthew H. Perkins
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Leonardo Santana Novaes
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Tao Xu
- Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hao Chang
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
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12
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Boeke JD, Burns KH, Chiappinelli KB, Classon M, Coffin JM, DeCarvalho DD, Dukes JD, Greenbaum B, Kassiotis G, Knutson SK, Levine AJ, Nath A, Papa S, Rios D, Sedivy J, Ting DT. Proceedings of the inaugural Dark Genome Symposium: November 2022. Mob DNA 2023; 14:18. [PMID: 37990347 PMCID: PMC10664479 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-023-00306-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
In November 2022 the first Dark Genome Symposium was held in Boston, USA. The meeting was hosted by Rome Therapeutics and Enara Bio, two biotechnology companies working on translating our growing understanding of this vast genetic landscape into therapies for human disease. The spirit and ambition of the meeting was one of shared knowledge, looking to strengthen the network of researchers engaged in the field. The meeting opened with a welcome from Rosana Kapeller and Kevin Pojasek followed by a first session of field defining talks from key academics in the space. A series of panels, bringing together academia and industry views, were then convened covering a wide range of pertinent topics. Finally, Richard Young and David Ting gave their views on the future direction and promise for patient impact inherent in the growing understanding of the Dark Genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jef D Boeke
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, 10016, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Kathleen H Burns
- Department of Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Katherine B Chiappinelli
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Marie Classon
- Pfizer Centre for Therapeutic Innovation, San Diego, USA
| | - John M Coffin
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University, Boston, MA, 02111, USA
| | - Daniel D DeCarvalho
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Joseph D Dukes
- Enara Bio Limited, Magdalen Centre, 1 Robert Robinson Avenue, The Oxford Science Park, Oxford, OX4 4GA, UK
| | - Benjamin Greenbaum
- Computational Oncology, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - George Kassiotis
- Retroviral Immunology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Infectious Disease, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Sarah K Knutson
- Rome Therapeutics, 201 Brookline Avenue, Suite 1001, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Arnold J Levine
- Simons Center for Systems Biology, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Avindra Nath
- Section for Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sophie Papa
- Enara Bio Limited, Magdalen Centre, 1 Robert Robinson Avenue, The Oxford Science Park, Oxford, OX4 4GA, UK.
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Daniel Rios
- Rome Therapeutics, 201 Brookline Avenue, Suite 1001, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John Sedivy
- Center on the Biology of Aging, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - David T Ting
- Department of Medical Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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13
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Cuenca-Guardiola J, Morena-Barrio BDL, Navarro-Manzano E, Stevens J, Ouwehand WH, Gleadall NS, Corral J, Fernández-Breis JT. Detection and annotation of transposable element insertions and deletions on the human genome using nanopore sequencing. iScience 2023; 26:108214. [PMID: 37953943 PMCID: PMC10638045 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Repetitive sequences represent about 45% of the human genome. Some are transposable elements (TEs) with the ability to change their position in the genome, creating genetic variability both as insertions or deletions, with potential pathogenic consequences. We used long-read nanopore sequencing to identify TE variants in the genomes of 24 patients with antithrombin deficiency. We identified 7 344 TE insertions and 3 056 TE deletions, 2 926 were not previously described in publicly available databases. The insertions affected 3 955 genes, with 6 insertions located in exons, 3 929 in introns, and 147 in promoters. Potential functional impact was evaluated with gene annotation and enrichment analysis, which suggested a strong relationship with neuron-related functions and autism. We conclude that this study encourages the generation of a complete map of TEs in the human genome, which will be useful for identifying new TEs involved in genetic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Cuenca-Guardiola
- Departamento de Informática y Sistemas, Universidad de Murcia, CEIR Campus Mare Nostrum, IMIB-Pascual Parrilla, Facultad de Informática, Campus de Espinardo, Murcia 30100, Spain
| | - Belén de la Morena-Barrio
- Servicio de Hematología, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, Centro Regional de Hemodonación, Universidad de Murcia, IMIB-Pascual Parrilla, CIBERER-III, Ronda de Garay S/N, Murcia 30003, Spain
| | - Esther Navarro-Manzano
- Servicio de Hematología, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, Centro Regional de Hemodonación, Universidad de Murcia, IMIB-Pascual Parrilla, CIBERER-III, Ronda de Garay S/N, Murcia 30003, Spain
| | - Jonathan Stevens
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, CB2 0PT, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, Cambridge, England, UK
- Blood and Transplant, National Health Service (NHS), CB2 0QQ, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, England, UK
| | - Willem H Ouwehand
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, CB2 0PT, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, Cambridge, England, UK
- Blood and Transplant, National Health Service (NHS), CB2 0QQ, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, England, UK
- British Heart Foundation Cambridge Centre of Excellence, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Cambridge Heart and Lung Research Institute, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, England CB2 0AY, UK
- University College London Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust, London, England, UK
| | - Nicholas S Gleadall
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, CB2 0PT, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, Cambridge, England, UK
- Blood and Transplant, National Health Service (NHS), CB2 0QQ, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, England, UK
| | - Javier Corral
- Servicio de Hematología, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, Centro Regional de Hemodonación, Universidad de Murcia, IMIB-Pascual Parrilla, CIBERER-III, Ronda de Garay S/N, Murcia 30003, Spain
| | - Jesualdo Tomás Fernández-Breis
- Departamento de Informática y Sistemas, Universidad de Murcia, CEIR Campus Mare Nostrum, IMIB-Pascual Parrilla, Facultad de Informática, Campus de Espinardo, Murcia 30100, Spain
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14
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Vylegzhanina AV, Bespalov IA, Novototskaya-Vlasova KA, Hall BM, Gleiberman AS, Yu H, Leontieva OV, Leonova KI, Kurnasov OV, Osterman AL, Dy GK, Komissarov AA, Vasilieva E, Gehlhausen J, Iwasaki A, Ambrosone CB, Tsuji T, Matsuzaki J, Odunsi K, Andrianova EL, Gudkov AV. Cancer Relevance of Circulating Antibodies Against LINE-1 Antigens in Humans. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:2256-2267. [PMID: 37870410 PMCID: PMC10631453 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-23-0289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1 or L1), the most abundant family of autonomous retrotransposons occupying over 17% of human DNA, is epigenetically silenced in normal tissues by the mechanisms involving p53 but is frequently derepressed in cancer, suggesting that L1-encoded proteins may act as tumor-associated antigens recognized by the immune system. In this study, we established an immunoassay to detect circulating autoantibodies against L1 proteins in human blood. Using this assay in >2,800 individuals with or without cancer, we observed significantly higher IgG titers against L1-encoded ORF1p and ORF2p in patients with lung, pancreatic, ovarian, esophageal, and liver cancers than in healthy individuals. Remarkably, elevated levels of anti-ORF1p-reactive IgG were observed in patients with cancer with disease stages 1 and 2, indicating that the immune response to L1 antigens can occur in the early phases of carcinogenesis. We concluded that the antibody response against L1 antigens could contribute to the diagnosis and determination of immunoreactivity of tumors among cancer types that frequently escape early detection. SIGNIFICANCE The discovery of autoantibodies against antigens encoded by L1 retrotransposons in patients with five poorly curable cancer types has potential implications for the detection of an ongoing carcinogenic process and tumor immunoreactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Han Yu
- Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York
| | | | | | - Oleg V Kurnasov
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California
| | - Andrei L Osterman
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California
| | - Grace K Dy
- Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York
| | - Alexey A Komissarov
- I.V. Davydovsky Clinical City Hospital, Moscow, Russia
- A.I. Yevdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena Vasilieva
- I.V. Davydovsky Clinical City Hospital, Moscow, Russia
- A.I. Yevdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Akiko Iwasaki
- Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland
| | | | - Takemasa Tsuji
- University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Junko Matsuzaki
- University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Kunle Odunsi
- University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois
| | | | - Andrei V Gudkov
- Genome Protection, Inc., Buffalo, New York
- Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York
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15
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Liao X, Zhu W, Zhou J, Li H, Xu X, Zhang B, Gao X. Repetitive DNA sequence detection and its role in the human genome. Commun Biol 2023; 6:954. [PMID: 37726397 PMCID: PMC10509279 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05322-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Repetitive DNA sequences playing critical roles in driving evolution, inducing variation, and regulating gene expression. In this review, we summarized the definition, arrangement, and structural characteristics of repeats. Besides, we introduced diverse biological functions of repeats and reviewed existing methods for automatic repeat detection, classification, and masking. Finally, we analyzed the type, structure, and regulation of repeats in the human genome and their role in the induction of complex diseases. We believe that this review will facilitate a comprehensive understanding of repeats and provide guidance for repeat annotation and in-depth exploration of its association with human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingyu Liao
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Wufei Zhu
- Department of Endocrinology, Yichang Central People's Hospital, The First College of Clinical Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, 443000, Yichang, P.R. China
| | - Juexiao Zhou
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Haoyang Li
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Xiaopeng Xu
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Bin Zhang
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Xin Gao
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia.
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16
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Kanholm T, Rentia U, Hadley M, Karlow JA, Cox OL, Diab N, Bendall ML, Dawson T, McDonald JI, Xie W, Crandall KA, Burns KH, Baylin SB, Easwaran H, Chiappinelli KB. Oncogenic Transformation Drives DNA Methylation Loss and Transcriptional Activation at Transposable Element Loci. Cancer Res 2023; 83:2584-2599. [PMID: 37249603 PMCID: PMC10527578 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-22-3485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TE) are typically silenced by DNA methylation and repressive histone modifications in differentiated healthy human tissues. However, TE expression increases in a wide range of cancers and is correlated with global hypomethylation of cancer genomes. We assessed expression and DNA methylation of TEs in fibroblast cells that were serially transduced with hTERT, SV40, and HRASR24C to immortalize and then transform them, modeling the different steps of the tumorigenesis process. RNA sequencing and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing were performed at each stage of transformation. TE expression significantly increased as cells progressed through transformation, with the largest increase in expression after the final stage of transformation, consistent with data from human tumors. The upregulated TEs were dominated by endogenous retroviruses [long terminal repeats (LTR)]. Most differentially methylated regions (DMR) in all stages were hypomethylated, with the greatest hypomethylation in the final stage of transformation. A majority of the DMRs overlapped TEs from the RepeatMasker database, indicating that TEs are preferentially demethylated. Many hypomethylated TEs displayed a concordant increase in expression. Demethylation began during immortalization and continued into transformation, while upregulation of TE transcription occurred in transformation. Numerous LTR elements upregulated in the model were also identified in The Cancer Genome Atlas datasets of breast, colon, and prostate cancer. Overall, these findings indicate that TEs, specifically endogenous retroviruses, are demethylated and transcribed during transformation. SIGNIFICANCE Analysis of epigenetic and transcriptional changes in a transformation model reveals that transposable element expression and methylation are dysregulated during oncogenic transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Kanholm
- The George Washington University Cancer Center (GWCC), Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Tropical Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
- The Institute for Biomedical Sciences at the George Washington University
| | - Uzma Rentia
- The George Washington University Cancer Center (GWCC), Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Tropical Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Melissa Hadley
- The George Washington University Cancer Center (GWCC), Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Tropical Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jennifer A. Karlow
- Department of Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute / Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Olivia L. Cox
- The George Washington University Cancer Center (GWCC), Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Tropical Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Noor Diab
- The George Washington University Cancer Center (GWCC), Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Tropical Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
- George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
| | - Matthew L. Bendall
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tyson Dawson
- The Institute for Biomedical Sciences at the George Washington University
- Computational Biology Institute, Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - James I. McDonald
- The George Washington University Cancer Center (GWCC), Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Tropical Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Wenbing Xie
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Keith A. Crandall
- Computational Biology Institute, Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Kathleen H. Burns
- Department of Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute / Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stephen B. Baylin
- Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hari Easwaran
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Katherine B. Chiappinelli
- The George Washington University Cancer Center (GWCC), Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Tropical Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
- The Institute for Biomedical Sciences at the George Washington University
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17
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Malayaperumal S, Marotta F, Kumar MM, Somasundaram I, Ayala A, Pinto MM, Banerjee A, Pathak S. The Emerging Role of Senotherapy in Cancer: A Comprehensive Review. Clin Pract 2023; 13:838-852. [PMID: 37489425 PMCID: PMC10366900 DOI: 10.3390/clinpract13040076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Senotherapy, a promising therapeutic strategy, has drawn a lot attention recently due to its potential for combating cancer. Senotherapy refers to the targeting of senescent cells to restore tissue homeostasis and mitigate the deleterious effects associated with senescence. Senolytic drugs represent a promising avenue in cancer treatment, with the potential to target and modulate senescent cells to improve patient outcomes. The review highlights the intricate interplay between the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) and the tumor microenvironment, emphasizing the role of senescent cells in promoting chronic inflammation, immune evasion, and tumor-cell proliferation. It then explores the potential of senotherapy as a novel strategy for cancer therapy. This review addresses the emerging evidence on the combination of senotherapy with conventional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarubala Malayaperumal
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education (CARE), Kelambakkam, Chennai 603103, India
| | - Francesco Marotta
- ReGenera R&D International for Aging Intervention, 20154 Milan, Italy
| | - Makalakshmi Murali Kumar
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education (CARE), Kelambakkam, Chennai 603103, India
| | | | - Antonio Ayala
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Seville, 41012 Seville, Spain
| | - Mario Munoz Pinto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Seville, 41012 Seville, Spain
| | - Antara Banerjee
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education (CARE), Kelambakkam, Chennai 603103, India
| | - Surajit Pathak
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education (CARE), Kelambakkam, Chennai 603103, India
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18
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Shankarappa B, Mahadevan J, Murthy P, Purushottam M, Viswanath B, Jain S, Devarbhavi H, Mysore Visweswariah A. Hypomethylation of Long Interspersed Nucleotide Elements and Aldehyde Dehydrogenase in Patients of Alcohol Use Disorder with Cirrhosis. DNA Cell Biol 2023. [PMID: 37367217 DOI: 10.1089/dna.2022.0669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and cirrhosis are key outcomes of excessive alcohol use, and a genetic influence in these outcomes is increasingly recognized. While 80-90% of heavy alcohol users show evidence of fatty liver, only 10-20% progress to cirrhosis. There is currently no clear understanding of the causes of this difference in progression. The aim of this study is to evaluate genetics and epigenetics at the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) locus in patients with AUD and liver complications. Study participants were inpatients from the clinical services of Gastroenterology and Psychiatry at St. John's Medical College Hospital (SJMCH) and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India. Men diagnosed as having AUD with cirrhosis (AUDC+ve, N = 136) and AUD without cirrhosis (AUDC-ve, N = 107) were assessed. FibroScan/sonographic evidence was used to rule out fibrosis in the AUDC-ve group. Genomic DNA was used for genotyping at the ALDH2 (rs2238151) locus. A subset of 89 samples was used for DNA methylation (AUDC+ve, N = 44; and AUDC-ve, N = 45) analysis at long interspersed nucleotide element 1 (LINE-1) and ALDH2 cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) loci by pyrosequencing. ALDH2 DNA methylation was significantly lower in the AUDC+ve group compared with the AUDC-ve group (p < 0.001). Lower methylation was associated with a risk allele (T) of the ALDH2 locus (rs2238151) (p = 0.01). Global (LINE-1) DNA methylation levels were also significantly lower in the AUDC+ve group compared with the AUDC-ve group (p = 0.01). Compromised global methylation (LINE-1) and hypomethylation at the ALDH2 gene was observed in patients with cirrhosis compared with those without cirrhosis. DNA methylation could be explored as a biomarker for cirrhosis and liver complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhagyalakshmi Shankarappa
- Department of Psychiatry, St. John's Medical College Hospital, Bangalore, India
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Neurobiology Research Centre, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - Jayant Mahadevan
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - Pratima Murthy
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - Meera Purushottam
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Neurobiology Research Centre, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - Biju Viswanath
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Neurobiology Research Centre, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - Sanjeev Jain
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Neurobiology Research Centre, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - Harshad Devarbhavi
- Department of Gastroenterology, St. John's Medical College Hospital, Bangalore, India
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19
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Wylie D, Wang X, Yao J, Xu H, Ferrick-Kiddie EA, Iwase T, Krishnamurthy S, Ueno NT, Lambowitz AM. Inflammatory breast cancer biomarker identification by simultaneous TGIRT-seq profiling of coding and non-coding RNAs in tumors and blood. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.05.26.23290469. [PMID: 37398275 PMCID: PMC10312853 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.26.23290469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most aggressive and lethal breast cancer subtype, but lags in biomarker identification. Here, we used an improved Thermostable Group II Intron Reverse Transcriptase RNA sequencing (TGIRT-seq) method to simultaneously profile coding and non-coding RNAs from tumors, PBMCs, and plasma of IBC and non-IBC patients and healthy donors. Besides RNAs from known IBC-relevant genes, we identified hundreds of other overexpressed coding and non-coding RNAs (p≤0.001) in IBC tumors and PBMCs, including higher proportions with elevated intron-exon depth ratios (IDRs), likely reflecting enhanced transcription resulting in accumulation of intronic RNAs. As a consequence, differentially represented protein-coding gene RNAs in IBC plasma were largely intron RNA fragments, whereas those in healthy donor and non-IBC plasma were largely fragmented mRNAs. Potential IBC biomarkers in plasma included T-cell receptor pre-mRNA fragments traced to IBC tumors and PBMCs; intron RNA fragments correlated with high IDR genes; and LINE-1 and other retroelement RNAs that we found globally up-regulated in IBC and preferentially enriched in plasma. Our findings provide new insights into IBC and demonstrate advantages of broadly analyzing transcriptomes for biomarker identification. The RNA-seq and data analysis methods developed for this study may be broadly applicable to other diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Wylie
- Departments of Molecular Biosciences and Oncology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712
| | - Xiaoping Wang
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
- Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Jun Yao
- Departments of Molecular Biosciences and Oncology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712
| | - Hengyi Xu
- Departments of Molecular Biosciences and Oncology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712
| | | | - Toshiaki Iwase
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
- Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
- University of Hawai'i Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI 96813
| | - Savitri Krishnamurthy
- Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Naoto T Ueno
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
- Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030
- University of Hawai'i Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI 96813
| | - Alan M Lambowitz
- Departments of Molecular Biosciences and Oncology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712
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20
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Spadafora C. The epigenetic basis of evolution. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 178:57-69. [PMID: 36720315 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2023.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
An increasing body of data are revealing key roles of epigenetics in evolutionary processes. The scope of this manuscript is to assemble in a coherent frame experimental evidence supporting a role of epigenetic factors and networks, active during embryogenesis, in orchestrating variation-inducing phenomena underlying evolution, seen as a global process. This process unfolds over two crucial levels: i) a flow of RNA-based information - predominantly small regulatory RNAs released from somatic cells exposed to environmental stimuli - taken up by spermatozoa and delivered to oocytes at fertilization and ii) the highly permissive and variation-prone environments offered by zygotes and totipotent early embryos. Totipotent embryos provide a variety of biological tools favouring the emergence of evolutionarily significant phenotypic novelties driven by RNA information. Under this light, neither random genomic mutations, nor the sieving role of natural selection are required, as the sperm-delivered RNA cargo conveys specific information and acts as "phenotypic-inducer" of defined environmentally acquired traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corrado Spadafora
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology, National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy.
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21
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Aljahdali AA, Goodrich JM, Dolinoy DC, Kim HM, Ruiz-Narváez EA, Baylin A, Cantoral A, Torres-Olascoaga LA, Téllez-Rojo MM, Peterson KE. DNA Methylation Is a Potential Biomarker for Cardiometabolic Health in Mexican Children and Adolescents. EPIGENOMES 2023; 7:4. [PMID: 36810558 PMCID: PMC9944859 DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes7010004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation (DNAm) is a plausible mechanism underlying cardiometabolic abnormalities, but evidence is limited among youth. This analysis included 410 offspring of the Early Life Exposure in Mexico to Environmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) birth cohort followed up to two time points in late childhood/adolescence. At Time 1, DNAm was quantified in blood leukocytes at long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE-1), H19, and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11β-HSD-2), and at Time 2 in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α). At each time point, cardiometabolic risk factors were assessed including lipid profiles, glucose, blood pressure, and anthropometry. Linear mixed effects models were used for LINE-1, H19, and 11β-HSD-2 to account for the repeated-measure outcomes. Linear regression models were conducted for the cross-sectional association between PPAR-α with the outcomes. DNAm at LINE-1 was associated with log glucose at site 1 [β = -0.029, p = 0.0006] and with log high-density lipoprotein cholesterol at site 3 [β = 0.063, p = 0.0072]. 11β-HSD-2 DNAm at site 4 was associated with log glucose (β = -0.018, p = 0.0018). DNAm at LINE-1 and 11β-HSD-2 was associated with few cardiometabolic risk factors among youth in a locus-specific manner. These findings underscore the potential for epigenetic biomarkers to increase our understanding of cardiometabolic risk earlier in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abeer A. Aljahdali
- Department of Clinical Nutrition, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Jaclyn M. Goodrich
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Dana C. Dolinoy
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Hyungjin M. Kim
- Center for Computing, Analytics and Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | | | - Ana Baylin
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Alejandra Cantoral
- Department of Health, Iberoamericana University, Mexico City 01219, Mexico
| | - Libni A. Torres-Olascoaga
- Center for Nutrition and Health Research, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca 62100, Mexico
| | - Martha M. Téllez-Rojo
- Center for Nutrition and Health Research, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca 62100, Mexico
| | - Karen E. Peterson
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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22
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Sato S, Gillette M, de Santiago PR, Kuhn E, Burgess M, Doucette K, Feng Y, Mendez-Dorantes C, Ippoliti PJ, Hobday S, Mitchell MA, Doberstein K, Gysler SM, Hirsch MS, Schwartz L, Birrer MJ, Skates SJ, Burns KH, Carr SA, Drapkin R. LINE-1 ORF1p as a candidate biomarker in high grade serous ovarian carcinoma. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1537. [PMID: 36707610 PMCID: PMC9883229 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28840-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Long interspersed element 1 (LINE-1) open reading frame 1 protein (ORF1p) expression is a common feature of many cancer types, including high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC). Here, we report that ORF1p is not only expressed but also released by ovarian cancer and primary tumor cells. Immuno-multiple reaction monitoring-mass spectrometry assays showed that released ORF1p is confidently detectable in conditioned media, ascites, and patients' plasma, implicating ORF1p as a potential biomarker. Interestingly, ORF1p expression is detectable in fallopian tube (FT) epithelial precursors of HGSOC but not in benign FT, suggesting that ORF1p expression in an early event in HGSOC development. Finally, treatment of FT cells with DNA methyltransferase inhibitors led to robust expression and release of ORF1p, validating the regulatory role of DNA methylation in LINE-1 repression in non-tumorigenic tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sho Sato
- Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Michael Gillette
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.,Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Pamela R de Santiago
- Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Eric Kuhn
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Michael Burgess
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Kristen Doucette
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Yi Feng
- Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | | | - Paul J Ippoliti
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Sara Hobday
- Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Marilyn A Mitchell
- Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Kai Doberstein
- Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Stefan M Gysler
- Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Michelle S Hirsch
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Lauren Schwartz
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Michael J Birrer
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA
| | - Steven J Skates
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kathleen H Burns
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Department of Oncologic Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Steven A Carr
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Ronny Drapkin
- Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. .,Basser Center for BRCA, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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23
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Abstract
By silencing L1 retrotransposons, DNA methylation protects mammalian genomes from potent endogenous mutagens. However, some loci can escape this repressive mechanism and become active, particularly in carcinomas. Alterations of L1 DNA methylation can also locally influence gene expression. Comprehensive measurement of L1 DNA methylation at the locus level remains challenging. Here, we present bs-ATLAS-seq, a genome-wide approach to locate full-length L1 elements in the human genome, and assess their methylation levels at single-base and single-locus resolutions. This strategy targets the youngest, and only retrotransposition-competent family, L1HS, but also detects a significant fraction of older elements (L1PA2 to L1PA8). Bs-ATLAS-seq evaluates methylation at the first 15 CpGs of L1 5' UTR, which corresponds to the first half of the sense promoter. It relies on random fragmentation of the genomic DNA, adapter ligation, bisulfite treatment and suppression PCR, and ends by asymmetrical paired-end sequencing. A dedicated pipeline provides the location of L1 elements and their methylation status, including for non-reference loci, as well as their single-molecule DNA profiles.
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24
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McKerrow W. Quantification of LINE-1 RNA Expression from Bulk RNA-seq Using L1EM. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2607:115-126. [PMID: 36449161 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2883-6_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
LINE-1 retrotransposons have the potential to cause DNA damage, contribute to genome instability, and induce an interferon response. Thus, accurate measurements of their expression, especially in disease contexts where genome instability and the interferon response are relevant, are of particular importance. Illumina-based bulk RNA sequencing remains the most abundant datatype for measuring gene expression. However, "active" expression from its own internal promoter is only one source of LINE-1 aligning reads in an RNA-seq experiment. With about half a million LINE-1 sequences scattered throughout the genome, many are incorporated into other transcripts that have nothing to do with LINE-1 activity. We call this "passive" co-transcription. Here we will describe how to use L1EM, a computational method that separates active from passive LINE-1 expression at the locus-specific level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilson McKerrow
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
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25
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Di Stefano LH, Saba LJ, Oghbaie M, Jiang H, McKerrow W, Benitez-Guijarro M, Taylor MS, LaCava J. Affinity-Based Interactome Analysis of Endogenous LINE-1 Macromolecules. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2607:215-256. [PMID: 36449166 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2883-6_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
During their proliferation and the host's concomitant attempts to suppress it, LINE-1 (L1) retrotransposons give rise to a collection of heterogeneous ribonucleoproteins (RNPs); their protein and RNA compositions remain poorly defined. The constituents of L1-associated macromolecules can differ depending on numerous factors, including, for example, position within the L1 life cycle, whether the macromolecule is productive or under suppression, and the cell type within which the proliferation is occurring. This chapter describes techniques that aid the capture and characterization of protein and RNA components of L1 macromolecules from tissues that natively express them. The protocols described have been applied to embryonal carcinoma cell lines that are popular model systems for L1 molecular biology (e.g., N2102Ep, NTERA-2, and PA-1 cells), as well as colorectal cancer tissues. N2102Ep cells are given as the use case for this chapter; the protocols should be applicable to essentially any tissue exhibiting endogenous L1 expression with minor modifications.
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26
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D’Cruz SC, Hao C, Labussiere M, Mustieles V, Freire C, Legoff L, Magnaghi-Jaulin L, Olivas-Martinez A, Rodriguez-Carrillo A, Jaulin C, David A, Fernandez MF, Smagulova F. Genome-wide distribution of histone trimethylation reveals a global impact of bisphenol A on telomeric binding proteins and histone acetyltransferase factors: a pilot study with human and in vitro data. Clin Epigenetics 2022; 14:186. [PMID: 36572933 PMCID: PMC9793539 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-022-01408-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess the genetic and epigenetic effects promoted by Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure in adolescent males from the Spanish INMA-Granada birth cohort, and in human cells. METHODS DNA methylation was analysed using MEDIP. Repeat number variation in genomic DNA was evaluated, along with the analysis of H3K4me3 by using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq). Analyses were performed with material extracted from whole blood of the adolescents, complemented by in vitro assessments of human (HeLa) cells exposed to 10 nM BPA, specifically, immunofluorescence evaluation of protein levels, gene expression analysis and ChIP‒qPCR analysis. RESULTS Adolescents in the high urinary BPA levels group presented a higher level of Satellite A (SATA) repetitive region copy numbers compared to those in the low BPA group and a tendency towards increase in telomere length. We also observed decreased DNA methylation at the promoters of the imprinted genes H19, KCNQ1, and IGF2; at LINE1 retroelements; and at the ARID2, EGFR and ESRRA and TERT genes. Genome-wide sequencing revealed increased H3K4me3 occupancy at the promoters of genes encoding histone acetyltransferases, telomeric DNA binding factors and DNA repair genes. Results were supported in HeLa cells exposed to 10 nM BPA in vitro. In accordance with the data obtained in blood samples, we observed higher H3K4me3 occupancy and lower DNA methylation at some specific targets in HeLa cells. In exposed cells, changes in the expression of genes encoding DNA repair factors (ATM, ARID2, TRP53) were observed, and increased expression of several genes encoding telomeric DNA binding factors (SMG7, TERT, TEN1, UPF1, ZBTB48) were also found. Furthermore, an increase in ESR1/ERa was observed in the nuclei of HeLa cells along with increased binding of ESR1 to KAT5, KMT2E and TERF2IP promoters and decreased ESR1 binding at the RARA promoter. The DNA damage marker p53/TP53 was also increased. CONCLUSION In this pilot study, genome-wide analysis of histone trimethylation in adolescent males exposed to BPA revealed a global impact on the expression of genes encoding telomeric binding proteins and histone acetyltransferase factors with similar results in HeLa cells. Nevertheless, larger studies should confirm our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shereen Cynthia D’Cruz
- grid.410368.80000 0001 2191 9284EHESP, Inserm, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail) - UMR_S 1085, University Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Chunxiang Hao
- grid.410747.10000 0004 1763 3680School of Medicine, Linyi University, Linyi, 276000 China
| | - Martin Labussiere
- grid.410368.80000 0001 2191 9284EHESP, Inserm, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail) - UMR_S 1085, University Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Vicente Mustieles
- grid.4489.10000000121678994Center for Biomedical Research (CIBM), Department of Radiology and Physical Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain ,grid.507088.2Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (Ibs.GRANADA), 18012 Granada, Spain ,grid.466571.70000 0004 1756 6246Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Freire
- grid.4489.10000000121678994Center for Biomedical Research (CIBM), Department of Radiology and Physical Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain ,grid.507088.2Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (Ibs.GRANADA), 18012 Granada, Spain ,grid.466571.70000 0004 1756 6246Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Louis Legoff
- grid.410368.80000 0001 2191 9284EHESP, Inserm, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail) - UMR_S 1085, University Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Laura Magnaghi-Jaulin
- grid.410368.80000 0001 2191 9284EHESP, Inserm, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail) - UMR_S 1085, University Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Alicia Olivas-Martinez
- grid.4489.10000000121678994Center for Biomedical Research (CIBM), Department of Radiology and Physical Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain ,grid.507088.2Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (Ibs.GRANADA), 18012 Granada, Spain
| | - Andrea Rodriguez-Carrillo
- grid.4489.10000000121678994Center for Biomedical Research (CIBM), Department of Radiology and Physical Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain ,grid.507088.2Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (Ibs.GRANADA), 18012 Granada, Spain
| | - Christian Jaulin
- grid.410368.80000 0001 2191 9284EHESP, Inserm, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail) - UMR_S 1085, University Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Arthur David
- grid.410368.80000 0001 2191 9284EHESP, Inserm, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail) - UMR_S 1085, University Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Mariana F. Fernandez
- grid.4489.10000000121678994Center for Biomedical Research (CIBM), Department of Radiology and Physical Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain ,grid.507088.2Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (Ibs.GRANADA), 18012 Granada, Spain ,grid.466571.70000 0004 1756 6246Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Fatima Smagulova
- grid.410368.80000 0001 2191 9284EHESP, Inserm, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail) - UMR_S 1085, University Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France
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27
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Inflammatory response to retrotransposons drives tumor drug resistance that can be prevented by reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2213146119. [PMID: 36449545 PMCID: PMC9894111 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2213146119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Activation of endogenous retrotransposons frequently occurs in cancer cells and contributes to tumor genomic instability. To test whether inhibition of retrotranspositions has an anticancer effect, we used treatment with the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) stavudine (STV) in mouse cancer models, MMTV-HER2/Neu and Th-MYCN, that spontaneously develop breast cancer and neuroblastoma, respectively. In both cases, STV in drinking water did not affect tumor incidence nor demonstrate direct antitumor effects. However, STV dramatically extended progression-free survival in both models following an initial complete response to chemotherapy. To approach the mechanism underlying this phenomenon, we analyzed the effect of NRTI on the selection of treatment-resistant variants in tumor cells in culture. Cultivation of mouse breast carcinoma 4T1 in the presence of STV dramatically reduced the frequency of cells capable of surviving treatment with anticancer drugs. Global transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the acquisition of drug resistance by 4T1 cells was accompanied by an increase in the constitutive activity of interferon type I and NF-κB pathways and an elevated expression of LINE-1 elements, which are known to induce inflammatory responses via their products of reverse transcription. Treatment with NRTI reduced NF-κB activity and reverted drug resistance. Furthermore, the inducible expression of LINE-1 stimulated inflammatory response and increased the frequency of drug-resistant variants in a tumor cell population. These results indicate a mechanism by which retrotransposon desilencing can stimulate tumor cell survival during treatment and suggest reverse transcriptase inhibition as a potential therapeutic approach for targeting the development of drug-resistant cancers.
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28
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Ramini D, Latini S, Giuliani A, Matacchione G, Sabbatinelli J, Mensà E, Bacalini MG, Garagnani P, Rippo MR, Bronte G, Bonafè M, Cardelli M, Olivieri F. Replicative Senescence-Associated LINE1 Methylation and LINE1-Alu Expression Levels in Human Endothelial Cells. Cells 2022; 11:cells11233799. [PMID: 36497059 PMCID: PMC9739197 DOI: 10.3390/cells11233799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the main challenges of current research on aging is to identify the complex epigenetic mechanisms involved in the acquisition of the cellular senescent phenotype. Despite some evidence suggested that epigenetic changes of DNA repetitive elements, including transposable elements (TE) sequences, are associated with replicative senescence of fibroblasts, data on different types of cells are scarce. We previously analysed genome-wide DNA methylation of young and replicative senescent human endothelial cells (HUVECs), highlighting increased levels of demethylated sequences in senescent cells. Here, we aligned the most significantly demethylated single CpG sites to the reference genome and annotated their localization inside TE sequences and found a significant hypomethylation of sequences belonging to the Long-Interspersed Element-1 (LINE-1 or L1) subfamilies L1M, L1P, and L1HS. To verify the hypothesis that L1 demethylation could be associated with increased transcription/activation of L1s and/or Alu elements (non-autonomous retroelements that usually depend on L1 sequences for reverse transcription and retrotransposition), we quantified the RNA expression levels of both L1 (generic L1 elements or site-specific L1PA2 on chromosome 14) and Alu elements in young and senescent HUVECs and human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs). The RNA expression of Alu and L1 sequences was significantly increased in both senescent HUVECs and NHDFs, whereas the RNA transcript of L1PA2 on chromosome 14 was not significantly modulated in senescent cells. Moreover, we found an increased amount of TE DNA copies in the cytoplasm of senescent HUVECs and NHDFs. Our results support the hypothesis that TE, which are significantly increased in senescent cells, could be retrotranscribed to DNA sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Ramini
- Clinic of Laboratory and Precision Medicine, IRCCS INRCA, 60121 Ancona, Italy
| | - Silvia Latini
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy
| | - Angelica Giuliani
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-071-220-6243
| | - Giulia Matacchione
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy
| | - Jacopo Sabbatinelli
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy
- Laboratory Medicine Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy
| | - Emanuela Mensà
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy
| | | | - Paolo Garagnani
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
- Applied Biomedical Research Center (CRBA), S. Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic, 40126 Bologna, Italy
- CNR Institute of Molecular Genetics “Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza”-Unit of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, 141 86 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Maria Rita Rippo
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Bronte
- Clinic of Laboratory and Precision Medicine, IRCCS INRCA, 60121 Ancona, Italy
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Bonafè
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Maurizio Cardelli
- Advanced Technology Center for Aging Research, IRCCS INRCA, 60121 Ancona, Italy
| | - Fabiola Olivieri
- Clinic of Laboratory and Precision Medicine, IRCCS INRCA, 60121 Ancona, Italy
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy
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29
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Lavia P, Sciamanna I, Spadafora C. An Epigenetic LINE-1-Based Mechanism in Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232314610. [PMID: 36498938 PMCID: PMC9738484 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232314610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last fifty years, large efforts have been deployed in basic research, clinical oncology, and clinical trials, yielding an enormous amount of information regarding the molecular mechanisms of cancer and the design of effective therapies. The knowledge that has accumulated underpins the complexity, multifactoriality, and heterogeneity of cancer, disclosing novel landscapes in cancer biology with a key role of genome plasticity. Here, we propose that cancer onset and progression are determined by a stress-responsive epigenetic mechanism, resulting from the convergence of upregulation of LINE-1 (long interspersed nuclear element 1), the largest family of human retrotransposons, genome damage, nuclear lamina fragmentation, chromatin remodeling, genome reprogramming, and autophagy activation. The upregulated expression of LINE-1 retrotransposons and their protein products plays a key role in these processes, yielding an increased plasticity of the nuclear architecture with the ensuing reprogramming of global gene expression, including the reactivation of embryonic transcription profiles. Cancer phenotypes would thus emerge as a consequence of the unscheduled reactivation of embryonic gene expression patterns in an inappropriate context, triggering de-differentiation and aberrant proliferation in differentiated cells. Depending on the intensity of the stressing stimuli and the level of LINE-1 response, diverse degrees of malignity would be generated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Lavia
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology (IBPM), CNR Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, c/o Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: or
| | - Ilaria Sciamanna
- Center for Animal Research and Welfare (BENA), ISS Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Corrado Spadafora
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology (IFT), CNR Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 00133 Rome, Italy
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30
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Loh D, Reiter RJ. Melatonin: Regulation of Viral Phase Separation and Epitranscriptomics in Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:8122. [PMID: 35897696 PMCID: PMC9368024 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The relentless, protracted evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus imposes tremendous pressure on herd immunity and demands versatile adaptations by the human host genome to counter transcriptomic and epitranscriptomic alterations associated with a wide range of short- and long-term manifestations during acute infection and post-acute recovery, respectively. To promote viral replication during active infection and viral persistence, the SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein regulates host cell microenvironment including pH and ion concentrations to maintain a high oxidative environment that supports template switching, causing extensive mitochondrial damage and activation of pro-inflammatory cytokine signaling cascades. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial distress induce dynamic changes to both the host and viral RNA m6A methylome, and can trigger the derepression of long interspersed nuclear element 1 (LINE1), resulting in global hypomethylation, epigenetic changes, and genomic instability. The timely application of melatonin during early infection enhances host innate antiviral immune responses by preventing the formation of "viral factories" by nucleocapsid liquid-liquid phase separation that effectively blockades viral genome transcription and packaging, the disassembly of stress granules, and the sequestration of DEAD-box RNA helicases, including DDX3X, vital to immune signaling. Melatonin prevents membrane depolarization and protects cristae morphology to suppress glycolysis via antioxidant-dependent and -independent mechanisms. By restraining the derepression of LINE1 via multifaceted strategies, and maintaining the balance in m6A RNA modifications, melatonin could be the quintessential ancient molecule that significantly influences the outcome of the constant struggle between virus and host to gain transcriptomic and epitranscriptomic dominance over the host genome during acute infection and PASC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doris Loh
- Independent Researcher, Marble Falls, TX 78654, USA;
| | - Russel J. Reiter
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
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Bhat A, Ghatage T, Bhan S, Lahane GP, Dhar A, Kumar R, Pandita RK, Bhat KM, Ramos KS, Pandita TK. Role of Transposable Elements in Genome Stability: Implications for Health and Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23147802. [PMID: 35887150 PMCID: PMC9319628 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23147802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Most living organisms have in their genome a sizable proportion of DNA sequences capable of mobilization; these sequences are commonly referred to as transposons, transposable elements (TEs), or jumping genes. Although long thought to have no biological significance, advances in DNA sequencing and analytical technologies have enabled precise characterization of TEs and confirmed their ubiquitous presence across all forms of life. These findings have ignited intense debates over their biological significance. The available evidence now supports the notion that TEs exert major influence over many biological aspects of organismal life. Transposable elements contribute significantly to the evolution of the genome by giving rise to genetic variations in both active and passive modes. Due to their intrinsic nature of mobility within the genome, TEs primarily cause gene disruption and large-scale genomic alterations including inversions, deletions, and duplications. Besides genomic instability, growing evidence also points to many physiologically important functions of TEs, such as gene regulation through cis-acting control elements and modulation of the transcriptome through epigenetic control. In this review, we discuss the latest evidence demonstrating the impact of TEs on genome stability and the underling mechanisms, including those developed to mitigate the deleterious impact of TEs on genomic stability and human health. We have also highlighted the potential therapeutic application of TEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audesh Bhat
- Centre for Molecular Biology, Central University of Jammu, Jammu 181143, India;
- Correspondence: (A.B.); (T.K.P.)
| | - Trupti Ghatage
- Department of Pharmacy, BITS-Pilani Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad 500078, India; (T.G.); (G.P.L.); (A.D.)
| | - Sonali Bhan
- Centre for Molecular Biology, Central University of Jammu, Jammu 181143, India;
| | - Ganesh P. Lahane
- Department of Pharmacy, BITS-Pilani Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad 500078, India; (T.G.); (G.P.L.); (A.D.)
| | - Arti Dhar
- Department of Pharmacy, BITS-Pilani Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad 500078, India; (T.G.); (G.P.L.); (A.D.)
| | - Rakesh Kumar
- Department of Biotechnology, Shri Mata Vaishnav Devi University, Katra 182320, India;
| | - Raj K. Pandita
- Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
| | - Krishna M. Bhat
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA;
| | - Kenneth S. Ramos
- Center for Genomics and Precision Medicine, Texas A&M College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
| | - Tej K. Pandita
- Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
- Center for Genomics and Precision Medicine, Texas A&M College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
- Correspondence: (A.B.); (T.K.P.)
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Fueyo R, Judd J, Feschotte C, Wysocka J. Roles of transposable elements in the regulation of mammalian transcription. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2022; 23:481-497. [PMID: 35228718 PMCID: PMC10470143 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-022-00457-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 52.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) comprise about half of the mammalian genome. TEs often contain sequences capable of recruiting the host transcription machinery, which they use to express their own products and promote transposition. However, the regulatory sequences carried by TEs may affect host transcription long after the TEs have lost the ability to transpose. Recent advances in genome analysis and engineering have facilitated systematic interrogation of the regulatory activities of TEs. In this Review, we discuss diverse mechanisms by which TEs contribute to transcription regulation. Notably, TEs can donate enhancer and promoter sequences that influence the expression of host genes, modify 3D chromatin architecture and give rise to novel regulatory genes, including non-coding RNAs and transcription factors. We discuss how TEs spur regulatory evolution and facilitate the emergence of genetic novelties in mammalian physiology and development. By virtue of their repetitive and interspersed nature, TEs offer unique opportunities to dissect the effects of mutation and genomic context on the function and evolution of cis-regulatory elements. We argue that TE-centric studies hold the key to unlocking general principles of transcription regulation and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Fueyo
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Julius Judd
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Cedric Feschotte
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Joanna Wysocka
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Tao J, Wang Q, Mendez-Dorantes C, Burns KH, Chiarle R. Frequency and mechanisms of LINE-1 retrotransposon insertions at CRISPR/Cas9 sites. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3685. [PMID: 35760782 PMCID: PMC9237045 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31322-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing has revolutionized experimental molecular biology and entered the clinical world for targeted gene therapy. Identifying DNA modifications occurring at CRISPR/Cas9 target sites is critical to determine efficiency and safety of editing tools. Here we show that insertions of LINE-1 (L1) retrotransposons can occur frequently at CRISPR/Cas9 editing sites. Together with PolyA-seq and an improved amplicon sequencing, we characterize more than 2500 de novo L1 insertions at multiple CRISPR/Cas9 editing sites in HEK293T, HeLa and U2OS cells. These L1 retrotransposition events exploit CRISPR/Cas9-induced DSB formation and require L1 RT activity. Importantly, de novo L1 insertions are rare during genome editing by prime editors (PE), cytidine or adenine base editors (CBE or ABE), consistent with their reduced DSB formation. These data demonstrate that insertions of retrotransposons might be a potential outcome of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing and provide further evidence on the safety of different CRISPR-based editing tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianli Tao
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | | | - Kathleen H Burns
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Roberto Chiarle
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, 10126, Italy.
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Berrino E, Miglio U, Bellomo SE, Debernardi C, Bragoni A, Petrelli A, Cascardi E, Giordano S, Montemurro F, Marchiò C, Venesio T, Sapino A. The Tumor-Specific Expression of L1 Retrotransposons Independently Correlates with Time to Relapse in Hormone-Negative Breast Cancer Patients. Cells 2022; 11:cells11121944. [PMID: 35741073 PMCID: PMC9221920 DOI: 10.3390/cells11121944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Long-Interspersed Nuclear Element (L1) retrotransposons are silenced in healthy tissues but unrepressed in cancer. Even if L1 reactivation has been associated with reduced overall survival in breast cancer (BC) patients, a comprehensive correlation with clinicopathological features is still missing. METHODS Using quantitative, reverse-transcription PCR, we assessed L1 mRNA expression in 12 BC cells, 210 BC patients and in 47 normal mammary tissues. L1 expression was then correlated with molecular and clinicopathological data. RESULTS We identified a tumor-exclusive expression of L1s, absent in normal mammary cells and tissues. A positive correlation between L1 expression and tumor dedifferentiation, lymph-node involvement and increased immune infiltration was detected. Molecular subtyping highlighted an enrichment of L1s in basal-like cells and cancers. By exploring disease-free survival, we identified L1 overexpression as an independent biomarker for patients with a high risk of recurrence in hormone-receptor-negative BCs. CONCLUSIONS Overall, L1 reactivation identified BCs with aggressive features and patients with a worse clinical fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Berrino
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (E.B.); (U.M.); (S.E.B.); (A.B.); (A.P.); (E.C.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.M.); (A.S.)
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy;
| | - Umberto Miglio
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (E.B.); (U.M.); (S.E.B.); (A.B.); (A.P.); (E.C.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.M.); (A.S.)
| | - Sara Erika Bellomo
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (E.B.); (U.M.); (S.E.B.); (A.B.); (A.P.); (E.C.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.M.); (A.S.)
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy
| | - Carla Debernardi
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy;
| | - Alberto Bragoni
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (E.B.); (U.M.); (S.E.B.); (A.B.); (A.P.); (E.C.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.M.); (A.S.)
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy;
| | - Annalisa Petrelli
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (E.B.); (U.M.); (S.E.B.); (A.B.); (A.P.); (E.C.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.M.); (A.S.)
| | - Eliano Cascardi
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (E.B.); (U.M.); (S.E.B.); (A.B.); (A.P.); (E.C.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.M.); (A.S.)
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy;
| | - Silvia Giordano
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (E.B.); (U.M.); (S.E.B.); (A.B.); (A.P.); (E.C.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.M.); (A.S.)
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy
| | - Filippo Montemurro
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (E.B.); (U.M.); (S.E.B.); (A.B.); (A.P.); (E.C.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.M.); (A.S.)
| | - Caterina Marchiò
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (E.B.); (U.M.); (S.E.B.); (A.B.); (A.P.); (E.C.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.M.); (A.S.)
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy;
| | - Tiziana Venesio
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (E.B.); (U.M.); (S.E.B.); (A.B.); (A.P.); (E.C.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.M.); (A.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-011-9933547; Fax: +39-011-9933480
| | - Anna Sapino
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (E.B.); (U.M.); (S.E.B.); (A.B.); (A.P.); (E.C.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.M.); (A.S.)
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy;
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Ma G, Babarinde IA, Zhou X, Hutchins AP. Transposable Elements in Pluripotent Stem Cells and Human Disease. Front Genet 2022; 13:902541. [PMID: 35719395 PMCID: PMC9201960 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.902541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile genetic elements that can randomly integrate into other genomic sites. They have successfully replicated and now occupy around 40% of the total DNA sequence in humans. TEs in the genome have a complex relationship with the host cell, being both potentially deleterious and advantageous at the same time. Only a tiny minority of TEs are still capable of transposition, yet their fossilized sequence fragments are thought to be involved in various molecular processes, such as gene transcriptional activity, RNA stability and subcellular localization, and chromosomal architecture. TEs have also been implicated in biological processes, although it is often hard to reveal cause from correlation due to formidable technical issues in analyzing TEs. In this review, we compare and contrast two views of TE activity: one in the pluripotent state, where TEs are broadly beneficial, or at least mechanistically useful, and a second state in human disease, where TEs are uniformly considered harmful.
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Kou Y, Wang S, Ma Y, Zhang N, Zhang Z, Liu Q, Mao Y, Zhou R, Yi D, Ma L, Zhang Y, Li Q, Wang J, Wang J, Zhou X, He C, Ding J, Cen S, Li X. A High Throughput Cell-Based Screen Assay for LINE-1 ORF1p Expression Inhibitors Using the In-Cell Western Technique. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:881938. [PMID: 35685648 PMCID: PMC9171067 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.881938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Long interspersed nuclear element 1 (LINE-1) is a dominant autonomous retrotransposon in human genomes which plays a role in affecting the structure and function of somatic genomes, resulting in human disorders including genetic disease and cancer. LINE-1 encoded ORF1p protein which possesses RNA-binding and nucleic acid chaperone activity, and interacts with LINE-1 RNA to form a ribonucleoprotein particle (RNP). ORF1p can be detected in many kinds of tumors and its overexpression has been regarded as a hallmark of histologically aggressive cancers. In this study, we developed an In-Cell Western (ICW) assay in T47D cells to screen the compounds which can decrease the expression of ORF1p. Using this assay, we screened 1,947 compounds from the natural products library of Target Mol and Selleckchem, among which three compounds, Hydroxyprogesterone, 2,2':5′,2″-Terthiophene and Ethynyl estradiol displayed potency in diminishing LINE-1 ORF1p expression level. Further mechanistic studies indicated the compounds act by affecting LINE-1 RNA transcription. Notably, we demonstrated that the compounds have an inhibitory effect on the proliferation of several lung and breast cancer cell lines. Taken together, we established a high throughput screening system for ORF1p expression inhibitors and the identified compounds provide some clues to the development of a novel anti-tumor therapeutic strategy by targeting ORF1p.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanni Kou
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Shujie Wang
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yanjie Ma
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ning Zhang
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Zixiong Zhang
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yang Mao
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Rui Zhou
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Dongrong Yi
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ling Ma
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yongxin Zhang
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Quanjie Li
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jinhui Wang
- Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xile Zhou
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chunnian He
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China
| | - Jiwei Ding
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaoyu Li, ; Shan Cen, ; Jiwei Ding,
| | - Shan Cen
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaoyu Li, ; Shan Cen, ; Jiwei Ding,
| | - Xiaoyu Li
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaoyu Li, ; Shan Cen, ; Jiwei Ding,
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Ji L, Wang Z, Ji Y, Wang H, Guo M, Zhang L, Wang P, Xiao H. Proteomics and phosphoproteomics analysis of tissues for the reoccurrence prediction of colorectal cancer. Expert Rev Proteomics 2022; 19:263-277. [PMID: 36308708 DOI: 10.1080/14789450.2022.2142566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many stage II/III colorectal cancer (CRC) patients may relapse after routine treatments. Aberrant phosphorylation can regulate pathophysiological processes of tumors, and finding characteristic protein phosphorylation is an efficient approach for the prediction of CRC relapse. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We compared the tissue proteome and phosphoproteome of stage II/III CRC patients between the relapsed group (n = 5) and the non-relapsed group (n = 5). Phosphopeptides were enriched with Ti4+-IMAC material. We utilized label-free quantification-based proteomics to screen differentially expressed proteins and phosphopeptides between the two groups. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) were used for bioinformatics analysis. RESULTS The immune response of the relapsed group (Z-score -2.229) was relatively poorer than that of the non-relapsed group (Z-score 1.982), while viability of tumor was more activated (Z-score 2.895) in the relapsed group, which might cause increased relapse risk. The phosphorylation degrees of three phosphosites (phosphosite 1362 of TP53BP1, phosphosite 809 of VCL and phosphosite 438 of STK10) might be reliable prognostic biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS Some promising proteins and phosphopeptides were discovered to predict the relapse risk in postoperative follow-ups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liyun Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University 200240, Shanghai, China
| | - Zeyuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University 200240, Shanghai, China
| | - Yin Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine and Innovative Drug Development, Jiangsu Simcere Pharmaceutical Co Ltd 210042, Nanjing, China
| | - Huiyu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University 200240, Shanghai, China
| | - Miao Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University 200240, Shanghai, China
| | - Lu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University 200240, Shanghai, China
| | - Peng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine and Innovative Drug Development, Jiangsu Simcere Pharmaceutical Co Ltd 210042, Nanjing, China
| | - Hua Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University 200240, Shanghai, China
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LINE-1 expression in cancer correlates with p53 mutation, copy number alteration, and S phase checkpoint. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2115999119. [PMID: 35169076 PMCID: PMC8872788 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2115999119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Retrotransposons are genomic DNA sequences that copy themselves to new genomic locations via RNA intermediates; LINE-1 is the only active and autonomous retrotransposon in the human genome. The mobility of LINE-1 is largely repressed in somatic tissues but is derepressed in many cancers, where LINE-1 retrotransposition is correlated with p53 mutation and copy number alteration (CNA). In cell lines, inducing LINE-1 expression can cause double-strand breaks (DSBs) and replication stress. Reanalyzing multiomic data from breast, ovarian, endometrial, and colon cancers, we confirmed correlations between LINE-1 expression, p53 mutation status, and CNA. We observed a consistent correlation between LINE-1 expression and the abundance of DNA replication complex components, indicating that LINE-1 may also induce replication stress in human tumors. In endometrial cancer, high-quality phosphoproteomic data allowed us to identify the DSB-induced ATM-MRN-SMC S phase checkpoint pathway as the primary DNA damage response (DDR) pathway associated with LINE-1 expression. Induction of LINE-1 expression in an in vitro model led to increased phosphorylation of MRN complex member RAD50, suggesting that LINE-1 directly activates this pathway.
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Olive Oil Improves While Trans Fatty Acids Further Aggravate the Hypomethylation of LINE-1 Retrotransposon DNA in an Environmental Carcinogen Model. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14040908. [PMID: 35215560 PMCID: PMC8878525 DOI: 10.3390/nu14040908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism that is crucial for mammalian development and genomic stability. Aberrant DNA methylation changes have been detected not only in malignant tumor tissues; the decrease of global DNA methylation levels is also characteristic for aging. The consumption of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) as part of a balanced diet shows preventive effects against age-related diseases and cancer. On the other hand, consuming trans fatty acids (TFA) increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases as well as cancer. The aim of the study was to investigate the LINE-1 retrotransposon (L1-RTP) DNA methylation pattern in liver, kidney, and spleen of mice as a marker of genetic instability. For that, mice were fed with EVOO or TFA and were pretreated with environmental carcinogen 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-a harmful substance known to cause L1-RTP DNA hypomethylation. Our results show that DMBA and its combination with TFA caused significant L1-RTP DNA hypomethylation compared to the control group via inhibition of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) enzymes. EVOO had the opposite effect by significantly decreasing DMBA and DMBA + TFA-induced hypomethylation, thereby counteracting their effects.
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Pradhan RK, Ramakrishna W. Transposons: Unexpected players in cancer. Gene 2022; 808:145975. [PMID: 34592349 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2021.145975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Transposons are repetitive DNA sequences encompassing about half of the human genome. They play a vital role in genome stability maintenance and contribute to genomic diversity and evolution. Their activity is regulated by various mechanisms considering the deleterious effects of these mobile elements. Various genetic risk factors and environmental stress conditions affect the regulatory pathways causing alteration of transposon expression. Our knowledge of the biological role of transposons is limited especially in various types of cancers. Retrotransposons of different types (LTR-retrotransposons, LINEs and SINEs) regulate a plethora of genes that have a role in cell reprogramming, tumor suppression, cell cycle, apoptosis, cell adhesion and migration, and DNA repair. The regulatory mechanisms of transposons, their deregulation and different mechanisms underlying transposon-mediated carcinogenesis in humans focusing on the three most prevalent types, lung, breast and colorectal cancers, were reviewed. The modes of regulation employed include alternative splicing, deletion, insertion, duplication in genes and promoters resulting in upregulation, downregulation or silencing of genes.
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Van der Mude A. A proposed Information-Based modality for the treatment of cancer. Biosystems 2021; 211:104587. [PMID: 34915101 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2021.104587] [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: 06/13/2021] [Revised: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Treatment modalities for cancer involve physical manipulations such as surgery, immunology, radiation, chemotherapy or gene editing. This is a proposal for an information-based modality. This modality does not change the internal state of the cancer cell directly - instead, the cancer cell is manipulated by giving it information to instruct the cell to perform an action. This modality is based on a theory of Structure Encoding in DNA, where information about body part structure controls the epigenetic state of cells in the process of development from pluripotent cells to fully differentiated cells. It has been noted that cancer is often due to errors in morphogenetic differentiation accompanied by associated epigenetic processes. This implies a model of cancer called the Epigenetic Differentiation Model. A major feature of the Structure Encoding Theory is that the characteristics of the differentiated cell are affected by inter-cellular information passed in the tissue microenvironment, which specifies the exact location of a cell in a body part structure. This is done by exosomes that carry fragments of long non-coding RNA and transposons, which convey structure information. In the normal process of epigenetic differentiation, the information passed may lead to apoptosis due to the constraints of a particular body part structure. The proposed treatment involves determining what structure information is being passed in a particular tumor, then adding artificial exosomes that overwhelm the current information with commands for the cells to go into apoptosis.
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Modzelewski AJ, Shao W, Chen J, Lee A, Qi X, Noon M, Tjokro K, Sales G, Biton A, Anand A, Speed TP, Xuan Z, Wang T, Risso D, He L. A mouse-specific retrotransposon drives a conserved Cdk2ap1 isoform essential for development. Cell 2021; 184:5541-5558.e22. [PMID: 34644528 PMCID: PMC8787082 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Retrotransposons mediate gene regulation in important developmental and pathological processes. Here, we characterized the transient retrotransposon induction during preimplantation development of eight mammals. Induced retrotransposons exhibit similar preimplantation profiles across species, conferring gene regulatory activities, particularly through long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposon promoters. A mouse-specific MT2B2 retrotransposon promoter generates an N-terminally truncated Cdk2ap1ΔN that peaks in preimplantation embryos and promotes proliferation. In contrast, the canonical Cdk2ap1 peaks in mid-gestation and represses cell proliferation. This MT2B2 promoter, whose deletion abolishes Cdk2ap1ΔN production, reduces cell proliferation and impairs embryo implantation, is developmentally essential. Intriguingly, Cdk2ap1ΔN is evolutionarily conserved in sequence and function yet is driven by different promoters across mammals. The distinct preimplantation Cdk2ap1ΔN expression in each mammalian species correlates with the duration of its preimplantation development. Hence, species-specific transposon promoters can yield evolutionarily conserved, alternative protein isoforms, bestowing them with new functions and species-specific expression to govern essential biological divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Modzelewski
- Division of Cellular and Developmental Biology, MCB Department, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Wanqing Shao
- Department of Genetics, Edison Family Center for Genome Science and System Biology, McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jingqi Chen
- Division of Cellular and Developmental Biology, MCB Department, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Angus Lee
- Division of Cellular and Developmental Biology, MCB Department, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Xin Qi
- Division of Cellular and Developmental Biology, MCB Department, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Mackenzie Noon
- Division of Cellular and Developmental Biology, MCB Department, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Kristy Tjokro
- Division of Cellular and Developmental Biology, MCB Department, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Gabriele Sales
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova 35122, Italy
| | - Anne Biton
- Department of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, Department of Computational Biology, USR 3756 CNRS, Institut Pasteur, Paris 75015, France
| | - Aparna Anand
- Department of Genetics, Edison Family Center for Genome Science and System Biology, McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Terence P Speed
- Bioinformatics Division, WEHI, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Zhenyu Xuan
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA
| | - Ting Wang
- Department of Genetics, Edison Family Center for Genome Science and System Biology, McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
| | - Davide Risso
- Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova 35122, Italy.
| | - Lin He
- Division of Cellular and Developmental Biology, MCB Department, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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Hepatitis C virus infection restricts human LINE-1 retrotransposition in hepatoma cells. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009496. [PMID: 33872335 PMCID: PMC8084336 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
LINE-1 (L1) retrotransposons are autonomous transposable elements that can affect gene expression and genome integrity. Potential consequences of exogenous viral infections for L1 activity have not been studied to date. Here, we report that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes a significant increase of endogenous L1-encoded ORF1 protein (L1ORF1p) levels and translocation of L1ORF1p to HCV assembly sites at lipid droplets. HCV replication interferes with retrotransposition of engineered L1 reporter elements, which correlates with HCV RNA-induced formation of stress granules and can be partially rescued by knockdown of the stress granule protein G3BP1. Upon HCV infection, L1ORF1p localizes to stress granules, associates with HCV core in an RNA-dependent manner and translocates to lipid droplets. While HCV infection has a negative effect on L1 mobilization, L1ORF1p neither restricts nor promotes HCV infection. In summary, our data demonstrate that HCV infection causes an increase of endogenous L1 protein levels and that the observed restriction of retrotransposition of engineered L1 reporter elements is caused by sequestration of L1ORF1p in HCV-induced stress granules. Members of the Long Interspersed Nuclear Element 1 (LINE-1, L1) class of retrotransposons account for ~17% of the human genome and include ~100–150 intact L1 loci that are still functional. L1 mobilization is known to affect genomic integrity, thereby leading to disease-causing mutations, but little is known about the impact of exogenous viral infections on L1 and vice versa. While L1 retrotransposition is controlled by various mechanisms including CpG methylation, hypomethylation of L1 has been observed in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. Here, we demonstrate molecular interactions between HCV and L1 elements. HCV infection stably increases cellular levels of the L1-encoded ORF1 protein (L1ORF1p). HCV core and L1ORF1p interact in ribonucleoprotein complexes that traffic to lipid droplets. Despite its redistribution to HCV assembly sites, L1ORF1p is dispensable for HCV infection. In contrast, retrotransposition of engineered L1 reporter elements is restricted by HCV, correlating with an increased formation of L1ORF1p-containing cytoplasmic stress granules. Thus, our data provide first insights into the molecular interplay of endogenous transposable elements and exogenous viruses that might contribute to disease progression in vivo.
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Soundararajan S, Agrawal A, Purushottam M, Anand SD, Shankarappa B, Sharma P, Jain S, Murthy P. Changes in DNA methylation persist over time in males with severe alcohol use disorder-A longitudinal follow-up study. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2021; 186:183-192. [PMID: 33491855 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Treatment strategies for alcohol use disorder (AUD) aim for abstinence or harm reduction. While deranged biochemical parameters reverse with alcohol abstinence, whether molecular changes at the epigenetic level reverse is not clearly understood. We investigated whether the reduction from high alcohol use reflects DNA methylation at the gene-specific and global level. In subjects seeking treatment for severe AUD, we assessed gene-specific (aldehyde dehydrogenase [ALDH2]/methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase [MTHFR]) and global (long interspersed elements [LINE-1]) methylation across three-time points (baseline, after detoxification and at an early remission period of 3 months), in peripheral blood leukocytes. We observed that both gene-specific and global DNA methylation did not change over time, irrespective of the drinking status at 3 months (52% abstained from alcohol). Further, we also compared DNA methylation in AUD subjects with healthy controls. At baseline, there was a significantly higher gene-specific DNA methylation (ALDH2: p < .001 and MTHFR: p = .001) and a significant lower global methylation (LINE-1: p = .014) in AUD as compared to controls. Our results suggest that epigenetic changes at the DNA methylation level associated with severe AUD persist for at least 3 months of treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soundarya Soundararajan
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India.,Centre for Addiction Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India.,Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India
| | - Arpana Agrawal
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Meera Purushottam
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India.,Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India
| | - Shravanthi Daphne Anand
- Centre for Addiction Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India
| | - Bhagyalakshmi Shankarappa
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India
| | - Priyamvada Sharma
- Centre for Addiction Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India.,Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Neurotoxicology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India
| | - Sanjeev Jain
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India.,Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India
| | - Pratima Murthy
- Centre for Addiction Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India.,Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India
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Kelsey MMG. Reconsidering LINE-1's role in cancer: does LINE-1 function as a reporter detecting early cancer-associated epigenetic signatures? EVOLUTION MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 9:78-82. [PMID: 33717489 PMCID: PMC7937435 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoab004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1 or L1) is the only autonomously active retrotransposon in humans. While L1 has been implicated in several pathologies and the aging process, I present a model which challenges an understanding of L1 as predominantly antagonistic to human health. I hypothesize that L1 serves as a reporter in an early cancer alert system: a tripwire strung throughout the genome poised to trigger p53 and a type I interferon (IFN-1) response when the epigenetic landscape portends cancer. Cell proliferation and a shift to aerobic glycolysis cause dramatic changes in the epigenome which are permissive to L1’s escape from suppression. L1 has several properties which make it particularly apt to fulfill this hypothesized sentinel function. Being present in many copies spread throughout the genome allows it to monitor many regions for epigenetic instability and renders it robust to deactivation by mutation. This proposed cancer alert system would alter the cancer cell fitness landscape discouraging the use of growth-favoring aerobic glycolysis by threatening the activation of tumor-suppressive mechanisms. It also imposes costs on a strategy of non-specific global transcriptional derepression aimed at activating oncogenes. Erroneous activations of this system are predicted to increase the rate of aging, suggesting this represents a case of antagonistic pleiotropy trading prolonged youth for cancer prevention. More research is needed to assess this model. Lay summary: During carcinogenesis the epigenome is remodeled by the Warburg effect and cellular proliferation. These processes globally relax chromatin. This epigenetic environment is permissive to the retrotransposon long interspersed nuclear element-1’s (LINE-1 or L1) escape from suppression. I hypothesize and present evidence for the notion that L1 has been co-opted to serve as a reporter in an early cancer alert system, poised to trigger tumor suppressive mechanisms when the epigenetic landscape portends cancer. This hypothesis describes a potentially major means by which transformation is thwarted early on.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxfield M G Kelsey
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Corresponding author. Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA. Tel: 1-818-397-5181; E-mail:
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Ukadike KC, Mustelin T. Implications of Endogenous Retroelements in the Etiopathogenesis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. J Clin Med 2021; 10:856. [PMID: 33669709 PMCID: PMC7922054 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10040856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease. While its etiology remains elusive, current understanding suggests a multifactorial process with contributions by genetic, immunologic, hormonal, and environmental factors. A hypothesis that combines several of these factors proposes that genomic elements, the L1 retrotransposons, are instrumental in SLE pathogenesis. L1 retroelements are transcriptionally activated in SLE and produce two proteins, ORF1p and ORF2p, which are immunogenic and can drive type I interferon (IFN) production by producing DNA species that activate cytosolic DNA sensors. In addition, these two proteins reside in RNA-rich macromolecular assemblies that also contain well-known SLE autoantigens like Ro60. We surmise that cells expressing L1 will exhibit all the hallmarks of cells infected by a virus, resulting in a cellular and humoral immune response similar to those in chronic viral infections. However, unlike exogenous viruses, L1 retroelements cannot be eliminated from the host genome. Hence, dysregulated L1 will cause a chronic, but perhaps episodic, challenge for the immune system. The clinical and immunological features of SLE can be at least partly explained by this model. Here we review the support for, and the gaps in, this hypothesis of SLE and its potential for new diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic options in SLE.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tomas Mustelin
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, 750 Republican Street, Seattle, WA 98109, USA;
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Rusetska N, Kober P, Król SK, Boresowicz J, Maksymowicz M, Kunicki J, Bonicki W, Bujko M. Invasive and Noninvasive Nonfunctioning Gonadotroph Pituitary Tumors Differ in DNA Methylation Level of LINE-1 Repetitive Elements. J Clin Med 2021; 10:560. [PMID: 33546126 PMCID: PMC7913198 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10040560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Epigenetic dysregulation plays a role in pituitary tumor pathogenesis. Some differences in DNA methylation were observed between invasive and noninvasive nonfunctioning gonadotroph tumors. This study sought to determine the role of DNA methylation changes in repetitive LINE-1 elements in nonfunctioning gonadotroph pituitary tumors. METHODS We investigated LINE-1 methylation levels in 80 tumors and normal pituitary glands with bisulfite-pyrosequencing. Expression of two LINE-1 open reading frames (L1-ORF1 and L1-ORF2) was analyzed with qRT-PCR in tumor samples and mouse gonadotroph pituitary cells treated with DNA methyltransferase inhibitor. Immunohistochemical staining against L1-ORF1p was also performed in normal pituitary glands and tumors. RESULTS Hypomethylation of LINE-1 was observed in pituitary tumors. Tumors characterized by invasive growth revealed lower LINE-1 methylation level than noninvasive ones. LINE-1 methylation correlated with overall DNA methylation assessed with HM450K arrays and negatively correlated with L1-ORF1 and L1-ORF2 expression. Treatment of αT3-1 gonadotroph cells with 5-Azacytidine clearly increased the level of L1-ORF1 and L1-ORF2 mRNA; however, its effect on LβT2 cells was less pronounced. Immunoreactivity against L1-ORF1p was higher in tumors than normal tissue. No difference in L1-ORF1p expression was observed in invasive and noninvasive tumors. CONCLUSION Hypomethylation of LINE-1 is related to invasive growth and influences transcriptional activity of transposable elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Rusetska
- Department of Molecular and Translational Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, 02-781 Warsaw, Poland; (N.R.); (P.K.); (S.K.K.); (J.B.)
| | - Paulina Kober
- Department of Molecular and Translational Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, 02-781 Warsaw, Poland; (N.R.); (P.K.); (S.K.K.); (J.B.)
| | - Sylwia Katarzyna Król
- Department of Molecular and Translational Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, 02-781 Warsaw, Poland; (N.R.); (P.K.); (S.K.K.); (J.B.)
| | - Joanna Boresowicz
- Department of Molecular and Translational Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, 02-781 Warsaw, Poland; (N.R.); (P.K.); (S.K.K.); (J.B.)
| | - Maria Maksymowicz
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Diagnostics, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, 02-781 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Jacek Kunicki
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, 02-781 Warsaw, Poland; (J.K.); (W.B.)
| | - Wiesław Bonicki
- Department of Neurosurgery, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, 02-781 Warsaw, Poland; (J.K.); (W.B.)
| | - Mateusz Bujko
- Department of Molecular and Translational Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, 02-781 Warsaw, Poland; (N.R.); (P.K.); (S.K.K.); (J.B.)
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Bergin CJ, Zouggar A, Haebe JR, Masibag AN, Desrochers FM, Reilley SY, Agrawal G, Benoit YD. G9a controls pluripotent-like identity and tumor-initiating function in human colorectal cancer. Oncogene 2020; 40:1191-1202. [PMID: 33323965 PMCID: PMC7878189 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-020-01591-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Colorectal tumors are hierarchically organized and governed by populations of self-renewing cancer stem cells, representing one of the deadliest types of cancers worldwide. Emergence of cancer stemness phenotype depends on epigenetic reprogramming, associated with profound transcriptional changes. As described for pluripotent reprogramming, epigenetic modifiers play a key role in cancer stem cells by establishing embryonic stem-like transcriptional programs, thus impacting the balance between self-renewal and differentiation. We identified overexpression of histone methyltransferase G9a as a risk factor for colorectal cancer, associated with shorter relapse-free survival. Moreover, using human transformed pluripotent cells as a surrogate model for cancer stem cells, we observed that G9a activity is essential for the maintenance of embryonic-like transcriptional signature promoting self-renewal, tumorigenicity, and undifferentiated state. Such a role was also applicable to colorectal cancer, where inhibitors of G9a histone methyltransferase function induced intestinal differentiation while restricting tumor-initiating activity in patient-derived colorectal tumor samples. Finally, by integrating transcriptome profiling with G9a/H3K9me2 loci co-occupancy, we identified the canonical Wnt pathway, epithelial-to-mesenchyme transition, and extracellular matrix organization as potential targets of such a chromatin regulation mechanism in colorectal cancer stem cells. Overall, our findings provide novel insights on the role of G9a as a driver of cancer stem cell phenotype, promoting self-renewal, tumorigenicity, and undifferentiated state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Bergin
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Aïcha Zouggar
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Joshua R Haebe
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Angelique N Masibag
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - François M Desrochers
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Simon Y Reilley
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Gautam Agrawal
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Yannick D Benoit
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.
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49
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Many Different LINE-1 Retroelements Are Activated in Bladder Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21249433. [PMID: 33322422 PMCID: PMC7763009 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Human genomes contain about 100,000 LINE-1 (L1) retroelements, of which more than 100 are intact. L1s are normally tightly controlled by epigenetic mechanisms, which often fail in cancer. In bladder urothelial carcinoma (UC), particularly, L1s become DNA-hypomethylated, expressed and contribute to genomic instability and tumor growth. It is, however, unknown which individual L1s are activated. Following RNA-immunoprecipitation with a L1-specific antibody, third generation nanopore sequencing detected transcripts of 90 individual elements in the VM-Cub-1 UC line with high overall L1 expression. In total, 10 L1s accounted for >60% of the reads. Analysis of five specific L1s by RT-qPCR revealed generally increased expression in UC tissues and cell lines over normal controls, but variable expression among tumor cell lines from bladder, prostate and testicular cancer. Chromatin immunoprecipitation demonstrated active histone marks at L1 sequences with increased expression in VM-Cub-1, but not in a different UC cell line with low L1 expression. We conclude that many L1 elements are epigenetically activated in bladder cancer in a varied pattern. Our findings indicate that expression of individual L1s is highly heterogeneous between and among cancer types.
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50
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Linker SB, Randolph-Moore L, Kottilil K, Qiu F, Jaeger BN, Barron J, Gage FH. Identification of bona fide B2 SINE retrotransposon transcription through single-nucleus RNA-seq of the mouse hippocampus. Genome Res 2020; 30:1643-1654. [PMID: 33122305 PMCID: PMC7605253 DOI: 10.1101/gr.262196.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Currently, researchers rely on generalized methods to quantify transposable element (TE) RNA expression, such as RT-qPCR and RNA-seq, that do not distinguish between TEs expressed from their own promoter (bona fide) and TEs that are transcribed from a neighboring gene promoter such as within an intron or exon. This distinction is important owing to the differing functional roles of TEs depending on whether they are independently transcribed. Here we report a simple strategy to examine bona fide TE expression, termed BonaFide-TEseq. This approach can be used with any template-switch based library such as Smart-seq2 or the single-cell 5′ gene expression kit from 10x, extending its utility to single-cell RNA-sequencing. This approach does not require TE-specific enrichment, enabling the simultaneous examination of TEs and protein-coding genes. We show that TEs identified through BonaFide-TEseq are expressed from their own promoter, rather than captured as internal products of genes. We reveal the utility of BonaFide-TEseq in the analysis of single-cell data and show that short-interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) show cell type–specific expression profiles in the mouse hippocampus. We further show that, in response to a brief exposure of home-cage mice to a novel stimulus, SINEs are activated in dentate granule neurons in a time course that is similar to that of protein-coding immediate early genes. This work provides a simple alternative approach to assess bona fide TE transcription at single-cell resolution and provides a proof-of-concept using this method to identify SINE activation in a context that is relevant for normal learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara B Linker
- Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Lynne Randolph-Moore
- Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Kalyani Kottilil
- Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Fan Qiu
- Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Baptiste N Jaeger
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Faculty of Medicine and Science, Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jerika Barron
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
| | - Fred H Gage
- Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
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