1
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Beagrie RA, Thieme CJ, Annunziatella C, Baugher C, Zhang Y, Schueler M, Kukalev A, Kempfer R, Chiariello AM, Bianco S, Li Y, Davis T, Scialdone A, Welch LR, Nicodemi M, Pombo A. Multiplex-GAM: genome-wide identification of chromatin contacts yields insights overlooked by Hi-C. Nat Methods 2023:10.1038/s41592-023-01903-1. [PMID: 37336949 PMCID: PMC10333126 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-023-01903-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Technology for measuring 3D genome topology is increasingly important for studying gene regulation, for genome assembly and for mapping of genome rearrangements. Hi-C and other ligation-based methods have become routine but have specific biases. Here, we develop multiplex-GAM, a faster and more affordable version of genome architecture mapping (GAM), a ligation-free technique that maps chromatin contacts genome-wide. We perform a detailed comparison of multiplex-GAM and Hi-C using mouse embryonic stem cells. When examining the strongest contacts detected by either method, we find that only one-third of these are shared. The strongest contacts specifically found in GAM often involve 'active' regions, including many transcribed genes and super-enhancers, whereas in Hi-C they more often contain 'inactive' regions. Our work shows that active genomic regions are involved in extensive complex contacts that are currently underestimated in ligation-based approaches, and highlights the need for orthogonal advances in genome-wide contact mapping technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Beagrie
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB), Epigenetic Regulation and Chromatin Architecture Group, Berlin, Germany
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford, UK
- Chromatin and Disease Group, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford, UK
| | - Christoph J Thieme
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB), Epigenetic Regulation and Chromatin Architecture Group, Berlin, Germany
| | - Carlo Annunziatella
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, CNR-SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, Naples, Italy
| | - Catherine Baugher
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Yingnan Zhang
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Markus Schueler
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB), Epigenetic Regulation and Chromatin Architecture Group, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexander Kukalev
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB), Epigenetic Regulation and Chromatin Architecture Group, Berlin, Germany
| | - Rieke Kempfer
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB), Epigenetic Regulation and Chromatin Architecture Group, Berlin, Germany
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrea M Chiariello
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, CNR-SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, Naples, Italy
| | - Simona Bianco
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB), Epigenetic Regulation and Chromatin Architecture Group, Berlin, Germany
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, CNR-SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, Naples, Italy
| | - Yichao Li
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Trenton Davis
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Antonio Scialdone
- Institute of Epigenetics and Stem Cells, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Lonnie R Welch
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA.
| | - Mario Nicodemi
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB), Epigenetic Regulation and Chromatin Architecture Group, Berlin, Germany.
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, CNR-SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, Naples, Italy.
- Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), MDC-Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Ana Pombo
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB), Epigenetic Regulation and Chromatin Architecture Group, Berlin, Germany.
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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2
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Conte M, Fiorillo L, Annunziatella C, Esposito A, Musella F, Abraham A, Bianco S, Chiariello AM. Dynamic and equilibrium properties of finite-size polymer models of chromosome folding. Phys Rev E 2021; 104:054402. [PMID: 34942797 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.104.054402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Novel technologies are revealing that chromosomes have a complex three-dimensional organization within the cell nucleus that serves functional purposes. Models from polymer physics have been developed to quantitively understand the molecular principles controlling their structure and folding mechanisms. Here, by using massive molecular-dynamics simulations we show that classical scaling laws combined with finite-size effects of a simple polymer model can effectively explain the scaling behavior that chromatin exhibits at the topologically associating domains level, as revealed by experimental observations. Model results are then validated against recently published high-resolution in situ Hi-C data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Conte
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Luca Fiorillo
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Carlo Annunziatella
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea Esposito
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Musella
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Alex Abraham
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Simona Bianco
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück Center (MDC) for Molecular Medicine, Hannoversche Str. 28, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrea M Chiariello
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
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3
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Chiariello AM, Bianco S, Oudelaar AM, Esposito A, Annunziatella C, Fiorillo L, Conte M, Corrado A, Prisco A, Larke MS, Telenius JM, Sciarretta R, Musella F, Buckle VJ, Higgs DR, Hughes JR, Nicodemi M. A Dynamic Folded Hairpin Conformation Is Associated with α-Globin Activation in Erythroid Cells. Cell Rep 2020; 30:2125-2135.e5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.01.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
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4
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Fiorillo L, Bianco S, Chiariello AM, Barbieri M, Esposito A, Annunziatella C, Conte M, Corrado A, Prisco A, Pombo A, Nicodemi M. Inference of chromosome 3D structures from GAM data by a physics computational approach. Methods 2019; 181-182:70-79. [PMID: 31604121 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2019.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The combination of modelling and experimental advances can provide deep insights for understanding chromatin 3D organization and ultimately its underlying mechanisms. In particular, models of polymer physics can help comprehend the complexity of genomic contact maps, as those emerging from technologies such as Hi-C, GAM or SPRITE. Here we discuss a method to reconstruct 3D structures from Genome Architecture Mapping (GAM) data, based on PRISMR, a computational approach introduced to find the minimal polymer model best describing Hi-C input data from only polymer physics. After recapitulating the PRISMR procedure, we describe how we extended it for treating GAM data. We successfully test the method on a 6 Mb region around the Sox9 gene and, at a lower resolution, on the whole chromosome 7 in mouse embryonic stem cells. The PRISMR derived 3D structures from GAM co-segregation data are finally validated against independent Hi-C contact maps. The method results to be versatile and robust, hinting that it can be similarly applied to different experimental data, such as SPRITE or microscopy distance data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Fiorillo
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Simona Bianco
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy.
| | - Andrea M Chiariello
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Mariano Barbieri
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Strasse, Berlin-Buch 13092, Germany
| | - Andrea Esposito
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy; Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Strasse, Berlin-Buch 13092, Germany
| | - Carlo Annunziatella
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Mattia Conte
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Alfonso Corrado
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Antonella Prisco
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (CNR), Italy
| | - Ana Pombo
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Strasse, Berlin-Buch 13092, Germany
| | - Mario Nicodemi
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy; Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), MDC-Berlin, Germany.
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5
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Bianco S, Annunziatella C, Andrey G, Chiariello AM, Esposito A, Fiorillo L, Prisco A, Conte M, Campanile R, Nicodemi M. Modeling Single-Molecule Conformations of the HoxD Region in Mouse Embryonic Stem and Cortical Neuronal Cells. Cell Rep 2019; 28:1574-1583.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
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6
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Esposito A, Annunziatella C, Bianco S, Chiariello AM, Fiorillo L, Nicodemi M. Models of polymer physics for the architecture of the cell nucleus. Wiley Interdiscip Rev Syst Biol Med 2019; 11:e1444. [PMID: 30566285 PMCID: PMC6565494 DOI: 10.1002/wsbm.1444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Revised: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The depth and complexity of data now available on chromosome 3D architecture, derived by new technologies such as Hi-C, have triggered the development of models based on polymer physics to explain the observed patterns and the underlying molecular folding mechanisms. Here, we give an overview of some of the ideas and models from physics introduced to date, along with their progresses and limitations in the description of experimental data. In particular, we focus on the Strings&Binders and the Loop Extrusion model of chromatin architecture. This article is categorized under: Analytical and Computational Methods > Computational Methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Esposito
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant’Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück Centre (MDC) for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Straße, Berlin-Buch 13125, Germany
| | - Carlo Annunziatella
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant’Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Simona Bianco
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant’Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea M. Chiariello
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant’Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Luca Fiorillo
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant’Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Mario Nicodemi
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant’Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück Centre (MDC) for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Straße, Berlin-Buch 13125, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), MDC-Berlin, Germany
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7
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Paliou C, Guckelberger P, Schöpflin R, Heinrich V, Esposito A, Chiariello AM, Bianco S, Annunziatella C, Helmuth J, Haas S, Jerković I, Brieske N, Wittler L, Timmermann B, Nicodemi M, Vingron M, Mundlos S, Andrey G. Preformed chromatin topology assists transcriptional robustness of Shh during limb development. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:12390-12399. [PMID: 31147463 PMCID: PMC6589666 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1900672116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [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] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Long-range gene regulation involves physical proximity between enhancers and promoters to generate precise patterns of gene expression in space and time. However, in some cases, proximity coincides with gene activation, whereas, in others, preformed topologies already exist before activation. In this study, we investigate the preformed configuration underlying the regulation of the Shh gene by its unique limb enhancer, the ZRS, in vivo during mouse development. Abrogating the constitutive transcription covering the ZRS region led to a shift within the Shh-ZRS contacts and a moderate reduction in Shh transcription. Deletion of the CTCF binding sites around the ZRS resulted in the loss of the Shh-ZRS preformed interaction and a 50% decrease in Shh expression but no phenotype, suggesting an additional, CTCF-independent mechanism of promoter-enhancer communication. This residual activity, however, was diminished by combining the loss of CTCF binding with a hypomorphic ZRS allele, resulting in severe Shh loss of function and digit agenesis. Our results indicate that the preformed chromatin structure of the Shh locus is sustained by multiple components and acts to reinforce enhancer-promoter communication for robust transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Paliou
- Research Group Development & Disease, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Philine Guckelberger
- Research Group Development & Disease, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert Schöpflin
- Research Group Development & Disease, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Institute for Medical and Human Genetics, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Verena Heinrich
- Department of Computational Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrea Esposito
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
- Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Max Delbrück Center-Berlin, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrea M Chiariello
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Simona Bianco
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Carlo Annunziatella
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Johannes Helmuth
- Otto-Warburg-Laboratory: Epigenomics, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Haas
- Department of Computational Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ivana Jerković
- Research Group Development & Disease, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Norbert Brieske
- Research Group Development & Disease, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Wittler
- Department of Developmental Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Bernd Timmermann
- Sequencing Core Facility, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Mario Nicodemi
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
- Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Max Delbrück Center-Berlin, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Vingron
- Department of Computational Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Mundlos
- Research Group Development & Disease, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany;
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
- Institute for Medical and Human Genetics, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Guillaume Andrey
- Research Group Development & Disease, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany;
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
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8
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Bianco S, Lupiáñez DG, Chiariello AM, Annunziatella C, Kraft K, Schöpflin R, Wittler L, Andrey G, Vingron M, Pombo A, Mundlos S, Nicodemi M. Polymer physics predicts the effects of structural variants on chromatin architecture. Nat Genet 2018; 50:662-667. [DOI: 10.1038/s41588-018-0098-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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9
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Chiariello AM, Esposito A, Annunziatella C, Bianco S, Fiorillo L, Prisco A, Nicodemi M. A Polymer Physics Investigation of the Architecture of the Murine Orthologue of the 7q11.23 Human Locus. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:559. [PMID: 29066944 PMCID: PMC5641313 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last decade, the developments of novel technologies, such as Hi-C or GAM methods, allowed to discover that chromosomes in the nucleus of mammalian cells have a complex spatial organization, encompassing the functional contacts between genes and regulators. In this work, we review recent progresses in chromosome modeling based on polymer physics to understand chromatin structure and folding mechanisms. As an example, we derive in mouse embryonic stem cells the full 3D structure of the Bmp7 locus, a genomic region that plays a key role in osteoblastic differentiation. Next, as an application to Neuroscience, we present the first 3D model for the mouse orthologoue of the Williams-Beuren syndrome 7q11.23 human locus. Deletions and duplications of the 7q11.23 region generate neurodevelopmental disorders with multi-system involvement and variable expressivity, and with autism. Understanding the impact of such mutations on the rewiring of the interactions of genes and regulators could be a new key to make sense of their related diseases, with potential applications in biomedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea M. Chiariello
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare Napoli (INFN), Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea Esposito
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare Napoli (INFN), Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, Naples, Italy
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany
| | - Carlo Annunziatella
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare Napoli (INFN), Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, Naples, Italy
| | - Simona Bianco
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare Napoli (INFN), Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, Naples, Italy
| | - Luca Fiorillo
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare Napoli (INFN), Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonella Prisco
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Mario Nicodemi
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare Napoli (INFN), Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, Naples, Italy
- Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
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10
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Bianco S, Chiariello AM, Annunziatella C, Esposito A, Nicodemi M. Predicting chromatin architecture from models of polymer physics. Chromosome Res 2017; 25:25-34. [PMID: 28070687 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-016-9545-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [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: 10/20/2016] [Revised: 12/11/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
We review the picture of chromatin large-scale 3D organization emerging from the analysis of Hi-C data and polymer modeling. In higher mammals, Hi-C contact maps reveal a complex higher-order organization, extending from the sub-Mb to chromosomal scales, hierarchically folded in a structure of domains-within-domains (metaTADs). The domain folding hierarchy is partially conserved throughout differentiation, and deeply correlated to epigenomic features. Rearrangements in the metaTAD topology relate to gene expression modifications: in particular, in neuronal differentiation models, topologically associated domains (TADs) tend to have coherent expression changes within architecturally conserved metaTAD niches. To identify the nature of architectural domains and their molecular determinants within a principled approach, we discuss models based on polymer physics. We show that basic concepts of interacting polymer physics explain chromatin spatial organization across chromosomal scales and cell types. The 3D structure of genomic loci can be derived with high accuracy and its molecular determinants identified by crossing information with epigenomic databases. In particular, we illustrate the case of the Sox9 locus, linked to human congenital disorders. The model in-silico predictions on the effects of genomic rearrangements are confirmed by available 5C data. That can help establishing new diagnostic tools for diseases linked to chromatin mis-folding, such as congenital disorders and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Bianco
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, CNR-SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea M Chiariello
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, CNR-SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Carlo Annunziatella
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, CNR-SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea Esposito
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, CNR-SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Mario Nicodemi
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, CNR-SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126, Naples, Italy.
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11
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Abstract
As revealed by novel technologies, chromosomes in the nucleus of mammalian cells have a complex spatial organization that serves vital functional purposes. Here we use models from polymer physics to identify the mechanisms that control their three-dimensional spatial organization. In particular, we investigate a model of the Hox-B locus, an important genomic region involved in embryo development, to expose the principles regulating chromatin folding and its complex behaviors in mouse embryonic stem cells. We reconstruct with high accuracy the pairwise contact matrix of the Hox-B locus as derived by Hi-C experiments and investigate its hierarchical folding dynamics. We trace back the observed behaviors to general scaling properties of polymer physics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Annunziatella
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Napoli Federico II, INFN Napoli, CNR, SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea M Chiariello
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Napoli Federico II, INFN Napoli, CNR, SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Simona Bianco
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Napoli Federico II, INFN Napoli, CNR, SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Mario Nicodemi
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Napoli Federico II, INFN Napoli, CNR, SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
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Chiariello AM, Annunziatella C, Bianco S, Esposito A, Nicodemi M. Polymer physics of chromosome large-scale 3D organisation. Sci Rep 2016; 6:29775. [PMID: 27405443 PMCID: PMC4942835 DOI: 10.1038/srep29775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Chromosomes have a complex architecture in the cell nucleus, which serves vital functional purposes, yet its structure and folding mechanisms remain still incompletely understood. Here we show that genome-wide chromatin architecture data, as mapped by Hi-C methods across mammalian cell types and chromosomes, are well described by classical scaling concepts of polymer physics, from the sub-Mb to chromosomal scales. Chromatin is a complex mixture of different regions, folded in the conformational classes predicted by polymer thermodynamics. The contact matrix of the Sox9 locus, a region linked to severe human congenital diseases, is derived with high accuracy in mESCs and its molecular determinants identified by the theory; Sox9 self-assembles hierarchically in higher-order domains, involving abundant many-body contacts. Our approach is also applied to the Bmp7 locus. Finally, the model predictions on the effects of mutations on folding are tested against available data on a deletion in the Xist locus. Our results can help progressing new diagnostic tools for diseases linked to chromatin misfolding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea M Chiariello
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, CNR-SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Carlo Annunziatella
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, CNR-SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Simona Bianco
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, CNR-SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea Esposito
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, CNR-SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Mario Nicodemi
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, and INFN Napoli, CNR-SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
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Abstract
We summarize the picture emerging from recently proposed models of polymer physics describing the general features of chromatin large scale spatial architecture, as revealed by microscopy and Hi-C experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Bianco
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, INFN, SPIN-CNR, Complesso Universitario di Monte S.Angelo, via Cintia, Naples, 80126, Italy
| | - Andrea Maria Chiariello
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, INFN, SPIN-CNR, Complesso Universitario di Monte S.Angelo, via Cintia, Naples, 80126, Italy
| | - Carlo Annunziatella
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, INFN, SPIN-CNR, Complesso Universitario di Monte S.Angelo, via Cintia, Naples, 80126, Italy
| | - Andrea Esposito
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, INFN, SPIN-CNR, Complesso Universitario di Monte S.Angelo, via Cintia, Naples, 80126, Italy
| | - Mario Nicodemi
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, INFN, SPIN-CNR, Complesso Universitario di Monte S.Angelo, via Cintia, Naples, 80126, Italy.
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