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Liu Y, Huang Z, Liu H, Ji Z, Arora A, Cai D, Wang H, Liu M, Simko EAJ, Zhang Y, Periz G, Liu Z, Wang J. DNA-initiated epigenetic cascades driven by C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat. Neuron 2023; 111:1205-1221.e9. [PMID: 36822200 PMCID: PMC10121948 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
The C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion (HRE) is the most frequent genetic cause of the neurodegenerative diseases amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Here, we describe the pathogenic cascades that are initiated by the C9orf72 HRE DNA. The HRE DNA binds to its protein partner DAXX and promotes its liquid-liquid phase separation, which is capable of reorganizing genomic structures. An HRE-dependent nuclear accumulation of DAXX drives chromatin remodeling and epigenetic changes such as histone hypermethylation and hypoacetylation in patient cells. While regulating global gene expression, DAXX plays a key role in the suppression of basal and stress-inducible expression of C9orf72 via chromatin remodeling and epigenetic modifications of the promoter of the major C9orf72 transcript. Downregulation of DAXX or rebalancing the epigenetic modifications mitigates the stress-induced sensitivity of C9orf72-patient-derived motor neurons. These studies reveal a C9orf72 HRE DNA-dependent regulatory mechanism for both local and genomic architectural changes in the relevant diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Zhiyuan Huang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Honghe Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Zhicheng Ji
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Amit Arora
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Danfeng Cai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Oncology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Hongjin Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Mingming Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Eric A J Simko
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Yanjun Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Goran Periz
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Zhe Liu
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Jiou Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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Simko EAJ, Liu H, Zhang T, Velasquez A, Teli S, Haeusler AR, Wang J. G-quadruplexes offer a conserved structural motif for NONO recruitment to NEAT1 architectural lncRNA. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:7421-7438. [PMID: 32496517 PMCID: PMC7367201 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The long non-coding RNA NEAT1 serves as a scaffold for the assembly of paraspeckles, membraneless nuclear organelles involved in gene regulation. Paraspeckle assembly requires NEAT1 recruitment of the RNA-binding protein NONO, however the NEAT1 elements responsible for recruitment are unknown. Herein we present evidence that previously unrecognized structural features of NEAT1 serve an important role in these interactions. Led by the initial observation that NONO preferentially binds the G-quadruplex conformation of G-rich C9orf72 repeat RNA, we find that G-quadruplex motifs are abundant and conserved features of NEAT1. Furthermore, we determine that NONO binds NEAT1 G-quadruplexes with structural specificity and provide evidence that G-quadruplex motifs mediate NONO-NEAT1 association, with NONO binding sites on NEAT1 corresponding largely to G-quadruplex motifs, and treatment with a G-quadruplex-disrupting small molecule causing dissociation of native NONO-NEAT1 complexes. Together, these findings position G-quadruplexes as a primary candidate for the NONO-recruiting elements of NEAT1 and provide a framework for further investigation into the role of G-quadruplexes in paraspeckle formation and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric A J Simko
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Honghe Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Tao Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Adan Velasquez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Shraddha Teli
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Aaron R Haeusler
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Jiou Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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Abstract
RNA plays an active role in structural polymorphism of the genome through the formation of stable RNA•DNA hybrids (R-loops). R-loops can modulate normal physiological processes and are also associated with pathological conditions, such as those related to nucleotide repeat expansions. A guanine-rich hexanucleotide repeat expansion in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) has been linked to a spectrum of neurological conditions including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Here we discuss the possible roles, both locally and genome-wide, of R-loops that may arise from the C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat. R-loops have the potential to influence the pathological processes identified in many repeat expansion diseases, such as repeat instability, transcriptional dysregulation, epigenetic modification, and antisense-mediated gene regulation. We propose that, given the wide-ranging consequences of R-loops in the cell, these structures could underlie multiple pathological processes in C9orf72-linked neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiou Wang
- a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Bloomberg School of Public Health ; Johns Hopkins University ; Baltimore , MD USA
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