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Abstract
COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has presented a serious risk to global public health. The viral main protease Mpro (also called 3Clpro) encoded by NSP5 is an enzyme essential for viral replication. However, very few host proteins have been experimentally validated as targets of 3Clpro. Here, through bioinformatics analysis of 300 interferon stimulatory genes (ISGs) based on the prediction method NetCorona, we identify RNF20 (Ring Finger Protein 20) as a novel target of 3Clpro. We have also provided evidence that 3Clpro, but not the mutant 3ClproC145A without catalytic activity, cleaves RNF20 at a conserved Gln521 across species, which subsequently prevents SREBP1 from RNF20-mediated degradation and promotes SARS-CoV-2 replication. We show that RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated depletion of either RNF20 or RNF40 significantly enhances viral replication, indicating the antiviral role of RNF20/RNF40 complex against SARS-CoV-2. The involvement of SREBP1 in SARS-CoV-2 infection is evidenced by a decrease of viral replication in the cells with SREBP1 knockdown and inhibitor AM580. Taken together, our findings reveal RNF20 as a novel host target for SARS-CoV-2 main protease and indicate that 3Clpro inhibitors may treat COVID-19 through not only blocking viral polyprotein cleavage but also enhancing host antiviral response.
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Wu C, Cui Y, Liu X, Zhang F, Lu LY, Yu X. The RNF20/40 complex regulates p53-dependent gene transcription and mRNA splicing. J Mol Cell Biol 2021; 12:113-124. [PMID: 31152661 PMCID: PMC7109600 DOI: 10.1093/jmcb/mjz045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2018] [Revised: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
p53 is a key transcription factor to regulate gene transcription. However, the molecular mechanism of chromatin-associated p53 on gene transcription remains elusive. Here, using unbiased protein affinity purification, we found that the RNF20/40 complex associated with p53 on the chromatin. Further analyses indicated that p53 mediated the recruitment of the RNF20/40 complex to p53 target gene loci including p21 and PUMA loci and regulated the transcription of p21 and PUMA via the RNF20/40 complex-dependent histone H2B ubiquitination (ubH2B). Lacking the RNF20/40 complex suppressed not only ubH2B but also the generation of the mature mRNA of p21 and PUMA. Moreover, ubH2B was recognized by the ubiquitin-binding motif of pre-mRNA processing splicing factor 8 (PRPF8), a subunit in the spliceosome, and PRPF8 was required for the maturation of the mRNA of p21 and PUMA. Our study unveils a novel p53-dependent pathway that regulates mRNA splicing for tumor suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Wu
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071000, China.,Department of Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Yaqi Cui
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071000, China.,Department of Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Xiuhua Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071000, China
| | - Feng Zhang
- College of Life and Environment Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lin-Yu Lu
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics, Ministry of Education and Women's Reproductive Health Laboratory of Zhejiang Province, Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaochun Yu
- Department of Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
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Schneider D, Chua RL, Molitor N, Hamdan FH, Rettenmeier EM, Prokakis E, Mishra VK, Kari V, Wegwitz F, Johnsen SA, Kosinsky RL. The E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF40 suppresses apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells. Clin Epigenetics 2019; 11:98. [PMID: 31266541 PMCID: PMC6604314 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-019-0698-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and deciphering underlying molecular mechanism is essential. The loss of monoubiquitinated histone H2B (H2Bub1) was correlated with poor prognosis of CRC patients and, accordingly, H2Bub1 was suggested as a tumor-suppressive mark. Surprisingly, our previous work revealed that the H2B ubiquitin ligase RING finger protein 40 (RNF40) might exert tumor-promoting functions. Here, we investigated the effect of RNF40 loss on tumorigenic features of CRC cells and their survival in vitro. Methods We evaluated the effects of RNF40 depletion in several human CRC cell lines in vitro. To evaluate cell cycle progression, cells were stained with propidium iodide and analyzed by flow cytometry. In addition, to assess apoptosis rates, caspase 3/7 activity was assessed in a Celigo® S-based measurement and, additionally, an Annexin V assay was performed. Genomic occupancy of H2Bub1, H3K79me3, and H3K27ac was determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation. Transcriptome-wide effects of RNF40 loss were evaluated based on mRNA-seq results, qRT-PCR, and Western blot. To rescue apoptosis-related effects, cells were treated with Z-VAD-FMK. Results Human CRC cell lines displayed decreased cell numbers in vitro after RNF40 depletion. While the differences in confluence were not mediated by changes in cell cycle progression, we discovered highly increased apoptosis rates after RNF40 knockdown due to elevated caspase 3/7 activity. This effect can be explained by reduced mRNA levels of anti-apoptotic and upregulation of pro-apoptotic BCL2 family members. Moreover, the direct occupancy of the RNF40-mediated H2B monoubiquitination was observed in the transcribed region of anti-apoptotic genes. Caspase inhibition by Z-VAD-FMK treatment rescued apoptosis in RNF40-depleted cells. However, knockdown cells still displayed decreased tumorigenic features despite the absence of apoptosis. Conclusions Our findings reveal that RNF40 is essential for maintaining tumorigenic features of CRC cells in vitro by controlling the expression of genes encoding central apoptotic regulators. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13148-019-0698-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Schneider
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Robert Lorenz Chua
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Nicole Molitor
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Feda H Hamdan
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Gene Regulatory Mechanisms and Molecular Epigenetics Lab, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Eva Maria Rettenmeier
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Evangelos Prokakis
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Vivek Kumar Mishra
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Dermatology and the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Vijayalakshmi Kari
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Florian Wegwitz
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Steven A Johnsen
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany. .,Gene Regulatory Mechanisms and Molecular Epigenetics Lab, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN, USA.
| | - Robyn Laura Kosinsky
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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So CC, Ramachandran S, Martin A. E3 Ubiquitin Ligases RNF20 and RNF40 Are Required for Double-Stranded Break (DSB) Repair: Evidence for Monoubiquitination of Histone H2B Lysine 120 as a Novel Axis of DSB Signaling and Repair. Mol Cell Biol 2019; 39:e00488-18. [PMID: 30692271 DOI: 10.1128/MCB.00488-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Histone posttranslational modifications play fundamental roles in the regulation of double-stranded DNA break (DSB) repair. RNF20/RNF40-mediated monoubiquitination of histone H2B on lysine 120 (H2Bub) has been suggested as a potential mediator of DSB repair, although the nature and function of this posttranslational modification remain enigmatic. In this report, we demonstrate that RNF20 and RNF40 are required for DSB repair leading to homologous recombination (HR) and class switch recombination, a process driven by nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ), in mouse B cells. These findings suggest a role for RNF20 and RNF40 in DSB repair proximal to NHEJ/HR pathway choice and likely in the signaling of DSBs. We found that DSBs led to a global increase in H2Bub but not the transcription-associated posttranslational modifications H3K4me3 and H3K79me2. We also found that H2AX phosphorylation was dispensable for H2Bub and that ATM and ATR jointly regulate ionizing radiation (IR)-induced H2Bub. Together, our results suggest that RNF20, RNF40, and H2Bub may represent a novel pathway for DSB sensing and repair.
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Kosinsky RL, Chua RL, Qui M, Saul D, Mehlich D, Ströbel P, Schildhaus HU, Wegwitz F, Faubion WA, Johnsen SA. Loss of RNF40 Decreases NF-κB Activity in Colorectal Cancer Cells and Reduces Colitis Burden in Mice. J Crohns Colitis 2019; 13:362-373. [PMID: 30321325 PMCID: PMC6599279 DOI: 10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjy165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Inflammatory bowel diseases are linked to an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer [CRC]. Previous studies suggested that the H2B ubiquitin ligase RING finger protein-20 [RNF20] inhibited inflammatory signaling mediated by the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells [NF-κB]. However, the role of RNF40, the obligate heterodimeric partner of RNF20, in the context of inflammation and CRC has not been addressed. Here, we examined the effect of RNF40 loss on CRC cells in vitro and on inflammation and inflammatory signaling in vitro and in vivo. METHODS We evaluated H2Bub1 levels in human and murine colorectal tumors by immunohistochemistry. Moreover, we correlated H2Bub1 and RNF40 levels in vivo and assessed the consequences of RNF40 depletion on cellular phenotype and gene expression in CRC cells in vitro. Finally, we examined the effect of a colon-specific loss of Rnf40 in a murine model of colitis, and assessed both local and systemic inflammation-associated consequences. RESULTS In vitro studies revealed that the tumorigenic phenotype of CRC cells decreased after RNF40 depletion and displayed gene expression changes related to chromosome segregation and DNA replication, as well as decreased induction of several NF-κB-associated cytokines. This effect was associated with decreased nuclear localization of NF-κB following tumor necrosis factor alpha treatment. Consistently, the colon-specific loss of Rnf40 exerted a protective local, as well as systemic, effect following acute colitis. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that RNF40 plays a central role in the maintenance of tumorigenic features and inflammatory signaling by promoting nuclear NF-κB activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn Laura Kosinsky
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Robert Lorenz Chua
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Martin Qui
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dominik Saul
- Department of Trauma, Orthopedics and Reconstructive Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dawid Mehlich
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Philipp Ströbel
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Florian Wegwitz
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - William A Faubion
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Steven A Johnsen
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany,Corresponding author: Prof. Steven A. Johnsen, PhD, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Clinic for General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Section of Tumor Epigenetics, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. Tel.: +49 551 39-13711; fax: +49 551 39-13713; email
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Marsh DJ, Dickson KA. Writing Histone Monoubiquitination in Human Malignancy-The Role of RING Finger E3 Ubiquitin Ligases. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10010067. [PMID: 30669413 PMCID: PMC6356280 DOI: 10.3390/genes10010067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
There is growing evidence highlighting the importance of monoubiquitination as part of the histone code. Monoubiquitination, the covalent attachment of a single ubiquitin molecule at specific lysines of histone tails, has been associated with transcriptional elongation and the DNA damage response. Sites function as scaffolds or docking platforms for proteins involved in transcription or DNA repair; however, not all sites are equal, with some sites resulting in actively transcribed chromatin and others associated with gene silencing. All events are written by E3 ubiquitin ligases, predominantly of the RING (really interesting new gene) finger type. One of the most well-studied events is monoubiquitination of histone H2B at lysine 120 (H2Bub1), written predominantly by the RING finger complex RNF20-RNF40 and generally associated with active transcription. Monoubiquitination of histone H2A at lysine 119 (H2AK119ub1) is also well-studied, its E3 ubiquitin ligase constituting part of the Polycomb Repressor Complex 1 (PRC1), RING1B-BMI1, associated with transcriptional silencing. Both modifications are activated as part of the DNA damage response. Histone monoubiquitination is a key epigenomic event shaping the chromatin landscape of malignancy and influencing how cells respond to DNA damage. This review discusses a number of these sites and the E3 RING finger ubiquitin ligases that write them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah J Marsh
- University of Technology Sydney, Translational Oncology Group, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
| | - Kristie-Ann Dickson
- University of Technology Sydney, Translational Oncology Group, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
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Zheng X, Chen K, Liu X, Pan Y, Liu H. High RNF40 expression indicates poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Int J Clin Exp Pathol 2018; 11:2901-2906. [PMID: 31938414 PMCID: PMC6958262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Human RING-finger protein 40 (RNF40) is reported as an E3 ligase of H2B ubiquitination. RNF40 needs to couple with its homolog RNF20 to format a complex to regulate DNA double strand break (DSB) response and chromatin stability. Deficient expression of RNF40 might cause incorrect DNA repair and contribute to genomic instability, leading to an abnormal transcriptional program. Incorrect DSB repair and aberrant gene transcription play important roles in tumorigenesis. The role in primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, remains unclear. In this study, we selected 103 cases of HCC for immunohistochemistry to explore the role of RNF40 in HCC. The relationship between RNF40 expression and clinicopathological features of HCC was evaluated. RNF40 was mainly localized in the nucleus, where the percentage of low and high staining of RNF40 in tumor tissues was 50.4% (53/103) and 49.6% (50/103), respectively. By contrast, in para-normal tissues the percentage was 92.2% (95/103) and 7.8% (8/103) respectively. Expression of RNF40 in tumor tissues was significantly higher than that in para-normal tissues (P>0.01). Expression of RNF40 had significant association with AFP and TNM tumor stage (both P>0.01). However, age, gender, Hepatitis B Virus infection, liver cirrhosis, tumor size, tumor number, differential stage, and tumor thrombosis were not associated with RNF40 expression. Meanwhile, HCC patients with high expression of RNF40 had lower 5 year overall survival rates and disease-free survival rates (P>0.05). RNF40 is, potentially, an independent prognostic factor for survival in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueyong Zheng
- Department of General Surgery, Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhou, China
| | - Ke Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhou, China
| | - Xiaolong Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhou, China
| | - Yu Pan
- Department of General Surgery, Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhou, China
| | - Hui Liu
- Biomedical Research Center and Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Shah VJ, Maddika S. CRL7 SMU1 E3 ligase complex-driven H2B ubiquitylation functions in sister chromatid cohesion by regulating SMC1 expression. J Cell Sci 2018; 131:jcs.213868. [PMID: 29507117 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.213868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Cullin-RING-type E3 ligases (CRLs) control a broad range of biological processes by ubiquitylating numerous cellular substrates. However, the role of CRL E3 ligases in chromatid cohesion is unknown. In this study, we identified a new CRL-type E3 ligase (designated as CRL7SMU1 complex) that has an essential role in the maintenance of chromatid cohesion. We demonstrate that SMU1, DDB1, CUL7 and RNF40 are integral components of this complex. SMU1, by acting as a substrate recognition module, binds to H2B and mediates monoubiquitylation at the lysine (K) residue K120 through CRL7SMU1 E3 ligase complex. Depletion of CRL7SMU1 leads to loss of H2B ubiquitylation at the SMC1a locus and, thus, subsequently compromised SMC1a expression in cells. Knockdown of CRL7SMU1 components or loss of H2B ubiquitylation leads to defective sister chromatid cohesion, which is rescued by restoration of SMC1a expression. Together, our results unveil an important role of CRL7SMU1 E3 ligase in promoting H2B ubiquitylation for maintenance of sister chromatid cohesion during mitosis.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varun Jayeshkumar Shah
- Laboratory of Cell Death & Cell Survival, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad, India-500 039.,Graduate studies, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India-576 104
| | - Subbareddy Maddika
- Laboratory of Cell Death & Cell Survival, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad, India-500 039
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Xie W, Nagarajan S, Baumgart SJ, Kosinsky RL, Najafova Z, Kari V, Hennion M, Indenbirken D, Bonn S, Grundhoff A, Wegwitz F, Mansouri A, Johnsen SA. RNF40 regulates gene expression in an epigenetic context-dependent manner. Genome Biol 2017; 18:32. [PMID: 28209164 PMCID: PMC5314486 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-017-1159-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Monoubiquitination of H2B (H2Bub1) is a largely enigmatic histone modification that has been linked to transcriptional elongation. Because of this association, it has been commonly assumed that H2Bub1 is an exclusively positively acting histone modification and that increased H2Bub1 occupancy correlates with increased gene expression. In contrast, depletion of the H2B ubiquitin ligases RNF20 or RNF40 alters the expression of only a subset of genes. Results Using conditional Rnf40 knockout mouse embryo fibroblasts, we show that genes occupied by low to moderate amounts of H2Bub1 are selectively regulated in response to Rnf40 deletion, whereas genes marked by high levels of H2Bub1 are mostly unaffected by Rnf40 loss. Furthermore, we find that decreased expression of RNF40-dependent genes is highly associated with widespread narrowing of H3K4me3 peaks. H2Bub1 promotes the broadening of H3K4me3 to increase transcriptional elongation, which together lead to increased tissue-specific gene transcription. Notably, genes upregulated following Rnf40 deletion, including Foxl2, are enriched for H3K27me3, which is decreased following Rnf40 deletion due to decreased expression of the Ezh2 gene. As a consequence, increased expression of some RNF40-“suppressed” genes is associated with enhancer activation via FOXL2. Conclusion Together these findings reveal the complexity and context-dependency whereby one histone modification can have divergent effects on gene transcription. Furthermore, we show that these effects are dependent upon the activity of other epigenetic regulatory proteins and histone modifications. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13059-017-1159-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanhua Xie
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sankari Nagarajan
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Simon J Baumgart
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Robyn Laura Kosinsky
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Zeynab Najafova
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Vijayalakshmi Kari
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Magali Hennion
- Research Group for Computational Systems Biology, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Griesebachstraße 5, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Daniela Indenbirken
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, 20251, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Bonn
- Research Group for Computational Systems Biology, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Griesebachstraße 5, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Adam Grundhoff
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, 20251, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Florian Wegwitz
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ahmed Mansouri
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Max-Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Strasse 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Steven A Johnsen
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, University Medical Center Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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