1
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Patalano S, Alsina A, Gregorio-Rodríguez C, Bachman M, Dreier S, Hernando-Herraez I, Nana P, Balasubramanian S, Sumner S, Reik W, Rulands S. Self-organization of plasticity and specialization in a primitively social insect. Cell Syst 2022; 13:768-779.e4. [PMID: 36044898 PMCID: PMC9512265 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2022.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Biological systems have the capacity to not only build and robustly maintain complex structures but also to rapidly break up and rebuild such structures. Here, using primitive societies of Polistes wasps, we show that both robust specialization and rapid plasticity are emergent properties of multi-scale dynamics. We combine theory with experiments that, after perturbing the social structure by removing the queen, correlate time-resolved multi-omics with video recordings. We show that the queen-worker dimorphism relies on the balance between the development of a molecular queen phenotype in all insects and colony-scale inhibition of this phenotype via asymmetric interactions. This allows Polistes to be stable against intrinsic perturbations of molecular states while reacting plastically to extrinsic cues affecting the whole society. Long-term stability of the social structure is reinforced by dynamic DNA methylation. Our study provides a general principle of how both specialization and plasticity can be achieved in biological systems. A record of this paper's transparent peer review process is included in the supplemental information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solenn Patalano
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK.
| | - Adolfo Alsina
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Noethnitzer Str. 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany
| | - Carlos Gregorio-Rodríguez
- Departamento de Sistemas Informáticos y Computación, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Plaza de Ciencias, 3, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Martin Bachman
- Discovery Science and Technology, Medicines Discovery Catapult, Alderley Park, Cheshire SK10 4GT, UK; Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge CB2 ORE, UK; Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Stephanie Dreier
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | | | - Paulin Nana
- Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences, School of Wood, Water and Natural Resources, University of Dschang, Ebolowa Campus, P.O. Box 786, Ebolowa, Cameroon
| | - Shankar Balasubramanian
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge CB2 ORE, UK; Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK; School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, CB2 0SP, Cambridge, UK
| | - Seirian Sumner
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics Evolution and Environment, Division of Biosciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Wolf Reik
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK; Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton CB10 1SA, UK; Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK.
| | - Steffen Rulands
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Noethnitzer Str. 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany; Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Pfotenhauer Str. 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
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2
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Gill D, Parry A, Santos F, Okkenhaug H, Todd CD, Hernando-Herraez I, Stubbs TM, Milagre I, Reik W. Multi-omic rejuvenation of human cells by maturation phase transient reprogramming. eLife 2022; 11:e71624. [PMID: 35390271 PMCID: PMC9023058 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ageing is the gradual decline in organismal fitness that occurs over time leading to tissue dysfunction and disease. At the cellular level, ageing is associated with reduced function, altered gene expression and a perturbed epigenome. Recent work has demonstrated that the epigenome is already rejuvenated by the maturation phase of somatic cell reprogramming, which suggests full reprogramming is not required to reverse ageing of somatic cells. Here we have developed the first "maturation phase transient reprogramming" (MPTR) method, where reprogramming factors are selectively expressed until this rejuvenation point then withdrawn. Applying MPTR to dermal fibroblasts from middle-aged donors, we found that cells temporarily lose and then reacquire their fibroblast identity, possibly as a result of epigenetic memory at enhancers and/or persistent expression of some fibroblast genes. Excitingly, our method substantially rejuvenated multiple cellular attributes including the transcriptome, which was rejuvenated by around 30 years as measured by a novel transcriptome clock. The epigenome was rejuvenated to a similar extent, including H3K9me3 levels and the DNA methylation ageing clock. The magnitude of rejuvenation instigated by MPTR appears substantially greater than that achieved in previous transient reprogramming protocols. In addition, MPTR fibroblasts produced youthful levels of collagen proteins, and showed partial functional rejuvenation of their migration speed. Finally, our work suggests that optimal time windows exist for rejuvenating the transcriptome and the epigenome. Overall, we demonstrate that it is possible to separate rejuvenation from complete pluripotency reprogramming, which should facilitate the discovery of novel anti-ageing genes and therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diljeet Gill
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham InstituteCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Aled Parry
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham InstituteCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Fátima Santos
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham InstituteCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | - Inês Milagre
- Laboratory for Epigenetic Mechanisms/Chromosome Dynamics Lab, Instituto Gulbenkian de CiênciaOeirasPortugal
| | - Wolf Reik
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham InstituteCambridgeUnited Kingdom
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, HinxtonCambridgeUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
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3
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Evano B, Gill D, Hernando-Herraez I, Comai G, Stubbs TM, Commere PH, Reik W, Tajbakhsh S. Transcriptome and epigenome diversity and plasticity of muscle stem cells following transplantation. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1009022. [PMID: 33125370 PMCID: PMC7657492 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [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: 05/17/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Adult skeletal muscles are maintained during homeostasis and regenerated upon injury by muscle stem cells (MuSCs). A heterogeneity in self-renewal, differentiation and regeneration properties has been reported for MuSCs based on their anatomical location. Although MuSCs derived from extraocular muscles (EOM) have a higher regenerative capacity than those derived from limb muscles, the molecular determinants that govern these differences remain undefined. Here we show that EOM and limb MuSCs have distinct DNA methylation signatures associated with enhancers of location-specific genes, and that the EOM transcriptome is reprogrammed following transplantation into a limb muscle environment. Notably, EOM MuSCs expressed host-site specific positional Hox codes after engraftment and self-renewal within the host muscle. However, about 10% of EOM-specific genes showed engraftment-resistant expression, pointing to cell-intrinsic molecular determinants of the higher engraftment potential of EOM MuSCs. Our results underscore the molecular diversity of distinct MuSC populations and molecularly define their plasticity in response to microenvironmental cues. These findings provide insights into strategies designed to improve the functional capacity of MuSCs in the context of regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan Evano
- Stem Cells & Development, Department of Developmental & Stem Cell Biology, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Dr. Roux, Paris, France
- CNRS UMR 3738, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Diljeet Gill
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Glenda Comai
- Stem Cells & Development, Department of Developmental & Stem Cell Biology, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Dr. Roux, Paris, France
- CNRS UMR 3738, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Thomas M. Stubbs
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Pierre-Henri Commere
- Cytometry and Biomarkers, Center for Technological Resources and Research, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Dr. Roux, Paris, France
| | - Wolf Reik
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Shahragim Tajbakhsh
- Stem Cells & Development, Department of Developmental & Stem Cell Biology, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Dr. Roux, Paris, France
- CNRS UMR 3738, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
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4
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Alda-Catalinas C, Bredikhin D, Hernando-Herraez I, Santos F, Kubinyecz O, Eckersley-Maslin MA, Stegle O, Reik W. A Single-Cell Transcriptomics CRISPR-Activation Screen Identifies Epigenetic Regulators of the Zygotic Genome Activation Program. Cell Syst 2020; 11:25-41.e9. [PMID: 32634384 PMCID: PMC7383230 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2020.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) is an essential transcriptional event in embryonic development that coincides with extensive epigenetic reprogramming. Complex manipulation techniques and maternal stores of proteins preclude large-scale functional screens for ZGA regulators within early embryos. Here, we combined pooled CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) with single-cell transcriptomics to identify regulators of ZGA-like transcription in mouse embryonic stem cells, which serve as a tractable, in vitro proxy of early mouse embryos. Using multi-omics factor analysis (MOFA+) applied to ∼200,000 single-cell transcriptomes comprising 230 CRISPRa perturbations, we characterized molecular signatures of ZGA and uncovered 24 factors that promote a ZGA-like response. Follow-up assays validated top screen hits, including the DNA-binding protein Dppa2, the chromatin remodeler Smarca5, and the transcription factor Patz1, and functional experiments revealed that Smarca5’s regulation of ZGA-like transcription is dependent on Dppa2. Together, our single-cell transcriptomic profiling of CRISPRa-perturbed cells provides both system-level and molecular insights into the mechanisms that orchestrate ZGA. Large-scale pooled CRISPR-activation screen with single-cell RNA-seq for 230 genes MOFA+ identified 24 screen hits that induced a ZGA-like signature Nine genes were independently validated as regulators of ZGA-like transcription Smarca5 regulates ZGA-like transcription in a Dppa2-dependent manner
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Affiliation(s)
- Celia Alda-Catalinas
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK; Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Danila Bredikhin
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Genome Biology Unit, Heidelberg 69117, Germany
| | | | - Fátima Santos
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Oana Kubinyecz
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | | | - Oliver Stegle
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Genome Biology Unit, Heidelberg 69117, Germany; Division of Computational Genomics and Systems Genetics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg 69120, Germany; European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK; Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
| | - Wolf Reik
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK; Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK; Centre for Trophoblast Research University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK.
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5
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Blake LE, Roux J, Hernando-Herraez I, Banovich NE, Perez RG, Hsiao CJ, Eres I, Cuevas C, Marques-Bonet T, Gilad Y. A comparison of gene expression and DNA methylation patterns across tissues and species. Genome Res 2020; 30:250-262. [PMID: 31953346 PMCID: PMC7050529 DOI: 10.1101/gr.254904.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [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: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Previously published comparative functional genomic data sets from primates using frozen tissue samples, including many data sets from our own group, were often collected and analyzed using nonoptimal study designs and analysis approaches. In addition, when samples from multiple tissues were studied in a comparative framework, individuals and tissues were confounded. We designed a multitissue comparative study of gene expression and DNA methylation in primates that minimizes confounding effects by using a balanced design with respect to species, tissues, and individuals. We also developed a comparative analysis pipeline that minimizes biases attributable to sequence divergence. Thus, we present the most comprehensive catalog of similarities and differences in gene expression and DNA methylation levels between livers, kidneys, hearts, and lungs, in humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaques. We estimate that overall, interspecies and inter-tissue differences in gene expression levels can only modestly be accounted for by corresponding differences in promoter DNA methylation. However, the expression pattern of genes with conserved inter-tissue expression differences can be explained by corresponding interspecies methylation changes more often. Finally, we show that genes whose tissue-specific regulatory patterns are consistent with the action of natural selection are highly connected in both gene regulatory and protein–protein interaction networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Blake
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Julien Roux
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.,Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Nicholas E Banovich
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Raquel Garcia Perez
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, 88 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Chiaowen Joyce Hsiao
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Ittai Eres
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Claudia Cuevas
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, 88 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,Passeig de Lluís Companys, Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies, 23 08010 Barcelona, Spain.,Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Centre for Genomic Regulation, 88 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Yoav Gilad
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
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6
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Boroviak T, Stirparo GG, Dietmann S, Hernando-Herraez I, Mohammed H, Reik W, Smith A, Sasaki E, Nichols J, Bertone P. Single cell transcriptome analysis of human, marmoset and mouse embryos reveals common and divergent features of preimplantation development. Development 2018; 145:145/21/dev167833. [PMID: 30413530 PMCID: PMC6240320 DOI: 10.1242/dev.167833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The mouse embryo is the canonical model for mammalian preimplantation development. Recent advances in single cell profiling allow detailed analysis of embryogenesis in other eutherian species, including human, to distinguish conserved from divergent regulatory programs and signalling pathways in the rodent paradigm. Here, we identify and compare transcriptional features of human, marmoset and mouse embryos by single cell RNA-seq. Zygotic genome activation correlates with the presence of polycomb repressive complexes in all three species, while ribosome biogenesis emerges as a predominant attribute in primate embryos, supporting prolonged translation of maternally deposited RNAs. We find that transposable element expression signatures are species, stage and lineage specific. The pluripotency network in the primate epiblast lacks certain regulators that are operative in mouse, but encompasses WNT components and genes associated with trophoblast specification. Sequential activation of GATA6, SOX17 and GATA4 markers of primitive endoderm identity is conserved in primates. Unexpectedly, OTX2 is also associated with primitive endoderm specification in human and non-human primate blastocysts. Our cross-species analysis demarcates both conserved and primate-specific features of preimplantation development, and underscores the molecular adaptability of early mammalian embryogenesis. Highlighted Article: Analysis of stage-matched, single-cell gene expression data from three mammalian species reveals conserved and primate-specific regulation of early embryogenesis and lineage specification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorsten Boroviak
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK.,Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
| | - Giuliano G Stirparo
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK
| | - Sabine Dietmann
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK
| | | | - Hisham Mohammed
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Wolf Reik
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Austin Smith
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1GA, UK
| | - Erika Sasaki
- Central Institute for Experimental Animals, Department of Applied Developmental Biology, 3-25-12 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki 210-0821, Japan
| | - Jennifer Nichols
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK.,Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
| | - Paul Bertone
- Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK
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7
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Mohammed H, Hernando-Herraez I, Savino A, Scialdone A, Macaulay I, Mulas C, Chandra T, Voet T, Dean W, Nichols J, Marioni JC, Reik W. Single-Cell Landscape of Transcriptional Heterogeneity and Cell Fate Decisions during Mouse Early Gastrulation. Cell Rep 2017; 20:1215-1228. [PMID: 28768204 PMCID: PMC5554778 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 193] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Revised: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The mouse inner cell mass (ICM) segregates into the epiblast and primitive endoderm (PrE) lineages coincident with implantation of the embryo. The epiblast subsequently undergoes considerable expansion of cell numbers prior to gastrulation. To investigate underlying regulatory principles, we performed systematic single-cell RNA sequencing (seq) of conceptuses from E3.5 to E6.5. The epiblast shows reactivation and subsequent inactivation of the X chromosome, with Zfp57 expression associated with reactivation and inactivation together with other candidate regulators. At E6.5, the transition from epiblast to primitive streak is linked with decreased expression of polycomb subunits, suggesting a key regulatory role. Notably, our analyses suggest elevated transcriptional noise at E3.5 and within the non-committed epiblast at E6.5, coinciding with exit from pluripotency. By contrast, E6.5 primitive streak cells became highly synchronized and exhibit a shortened G1 cell-cycle phase, consistent with accelerated proliferation. Our study systematically charts transcriptional noise and uncovers molecular processes associated with early lineage decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisham Mohammed
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | | | - Aurora Savino
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Antonio Scialdone
- EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge CB10 1SD, UK; Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Single-Cell Genomics Centre, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Iain Macaulay
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Single-Cell Genomics Centre, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Carla Mulas
- Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK; Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
| | - Tamir Chandra
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Thierry Voet
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Single-Cell Genomics Centre, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK; Department of Human Genetics, Human Genome Laboratory, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wendy Dean
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Jennifer Nichols
- Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK; Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK.
| | - John C Marioni
- EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge CB10 1SD, UK; Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Single-Cell Genomics Centre, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK; Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 ORE, UK.
| | - Wolf Reik
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK; Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Single-Cell Genomics Centre, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK; Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK.
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8
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Hernando-Herraez I, Heyn H, Fernandez-Callejo M, Vidal E, Fernandez-Bellon H, Prado-Martinez J, Sharp AJ, Esteller M, Marques-Bonet T. The interplay between DNA methylation and sequence divergence in recent human evolution. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:8204-14. [PMID: 26170231 PMCID: PMC4787803 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [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: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 06/25/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the increasing knowledge about DNA methylation, the understanding of human epigenome evolution is in its infancy. Using whole genome bisulfite sequencing we identified hundreds of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in humans compared to non-human primates and estimated that ∼25% of these regions were detectable throughout several human tissues. Human DMRs were enriched for specific histone modifications and the majority were located distal to transcription start sites, highlighting the importance of regions outside the direct regulatory context. We also found a significant excess of endogenous retrovirus elements in human-specific hypomethylated. We reported for the first time a close interplay between inter-species genetic and epigenetic variation in regions of incomplete lineage sorting, transcription factor binding sites and human differentially hypermethylated regions. Specifically, we observed an excess of human-specific substitutions in transcription factor binding sites located within human DMRs, suggesting that alteration of regulatory motifs underlies some human-specific methylation patterns. We also found that the acquisition of DNA hypermethylation in the human lineage is frequently coupled with a rapid evolution at nucleotide level in the neighborhood of these CpG sites. Taken together, our results reveal new insights into the mechanistic basis of human-specific DNA methylation patterns and the interpretation of inter-species non-coding variation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Holger Heyn
- Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program (PEBC), Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), 08908 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marcos Fernandez-Callejo
- Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Enrique Vidal
- Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program (PEBC), Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), 08908 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | - Andrew J Sharp
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai School, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Manel Esteller
- Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program (PEBC), Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), 08908 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, 08003 Barcelona, Spain Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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9
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Gallego Romero I, Pavlovic BJ, Hernando-Herraez I, Zhou X, Ward MC, Banovich NE, Kagan CL, Burnett JE, Huang CH, Mitrano A, Chavarria CI, Friedrich Ben-Nun I, Li Y, Sabatini K, Leonardo TR, Parast M, Marques-Bonet T, Laurent LC, Loring JF, Gilad Y. A panel of induced pluripotent stem cells from chimpanzees: a resource for comparative functional genomics. eLife 2015; 4:e07103. [PMID: 26102527 PMCID: PMC4502404 DOI: 10.7554/elife.07103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [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: 02/19/2015] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Comparative genomics studies in primates are restricted due to our limited access to samples. In order to gain better insight into the genetic processes that underlie variation in complex phenotypes in primates, we must have access to faithful model systems for a wide range of cell types. To facilitate this, we generated a panel of 7 fully characterized chimpanzee induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines derived from healthy donors. To demonstrate the utility of comparative iPSC panels, we collected RNA-sequencing and DNA methylation data from the chimpanzee iPSCs and the corresponding fibroblast lines, as well as from 7 human iPSCs and their source lines, which encompass multiple populations and cell types. We observe much less within-species variation in iPSCs than in somatic cells, indicating the reprogramming process erases many inter-individual differences. The low within-species regulatory variation in iPSCs allowed us to identify many novel inter-species regulatory differences of small magnitude. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.07103.001 Comparing the genomes of different species can reveal how they are related to one another. Such comparative studies can also reveal how genomes are modified in species-specific ways to regulate gene activity. The genomes of humans and chimpanzees are very similar in sequence. It is therefore likely that differing patterns of gene regulation underlie many of the differences observed between the two species. However, only a few kinds of chimpanzee cell that can be grown in the laboratory are available for research; this lack of samples has limited the ability of researchers to perform such comparative studies. One way around this problem is to use induced pluripotent stem cells (or iPSCs). IPSCs are created by exposing mature cells—for example, skin cells—to conditions and molecules that convert them into an embryonic-like state. This state—called ‘induced pluripotency’—allows the cells to be coaxed into becoming many different cell types that can be grown in the laboratory. But it is more difficult to establish high quality iPSCs from chimpanzees than it is from humans or mice. Gallego Romero, Pavlovic et al. have now addressed this problem by creating iPSCs from skin cells taken from seven healthy chimpanzees. These cell lines were then analysed and compared to each other and to seven iPSC lines created from human cells. The chimpanzee iPSC lines were found to be much more similar to each other than the mature cells that were used to make them. Similar results were also observed for the human iSPCs, which likely reflects the conserved changes that take place when the genomes of mature cells are reprogrammed to pluripotency. This high level of similarity between iPSCs from different individuals of the same species allowed Gallego Romero, Pavlovic et al. to discover many subtle differences in gene regulation between chimpanzees and humans. For example, over 4500 genes were found to be expressed differently in human and chimpanzee iPSCs, and over 3500 genomic regions had different patterns of certain DNA modifications that can help to regulate gene expression. These newly created chimpanzee iPSC lines represent a valuable resource for comparative studies of gene regulation. In the future, this resource could help researchers to identify further differences in gene regulation between closely related primate species. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.07103.002
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bryan J Pavlovic
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | | | - Xiang Zhou
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Michelle C Ward
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | | | - Courtney L Kagan
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Jonathan E Burnett
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Constance H Huang
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Amy Mitrano
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | | | - Inbar Friedrich Ben-Nun
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Chemical Physiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, United States
| | - Yingchun Li
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, United States
| | - Karen Sabatini
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Chemical Physiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, United States
| | - Trevor R Leonardo
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Chemical Physiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, United States
| | - Mana Parast
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, United States
| | | | - Louise C Laurent
- Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, La Jolla, United States
| | - Jeanne F Loring
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Chemical Physiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, United States
| | - Yoav Gilad
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
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Hernando-Herraez I, Prado-Martinez J, Garg P, Fernandez-Callejo M, Heyn H, Hvilsom C, Navarro A, Esteller M, Sharp AJ, Marques-Bonet T. Dynamics of DNA methylation in recent human and great ape evolution. PLoS Genet 2013; 9:e1003763. [PMID: 24039605 PMCID: PMC3764194 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [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: 03/20/2013] [Accepted: 07/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification involved in regulatory processes such as cell differentiation during development, X-chromosome inactivation, genomic imprinting and susceptibility to complex disease. However, the dynamics of DNA methylation changes between humans and their closest relatives are still poorly understood. We performed a comparative analysis of CpG methylation patterns between 9 humans and 23 primate samples including all species of great apes (chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla and orangutan) using Illumina Methylation450 bead arrays. Our analysis identified ∼800 genes with significantly altered methylation patterns among the great apes, including ∼170 genes with a methylation pattern unique to human. Some of these are known to be involved in developmental and neurological features, suggesting that epigenetic changes have been frequent during recent human and primate evolution. We identified a significant positive relationship between the rate of coding variation and alterations of methylation at the promoter level, indicative of co-occurrence between evolution of protein sequence and gene regulation. In contrast, and supporting the idea that many phenotypic differences between humans and great apes are not due to amino acid differences, our analysis also identified 184 genes that are perfectly conserved at protein level between human and chimpanzee, yet show significant epigenetic differences between these two species. We conclude that epigenetic alterations are an important force during primate evolution and have been under-explored in evolutionary comparative genomics. Differences in protein coding sequences between humans and their closest relatives are too small to account for their phenotypic differences. It has been hypothesized that these differences may be explained by alterations of gene regulation rather than primary genome sequence. DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification that is involved in many biological processes, but from an evolutionary point of view this modification is still poorly understood. To this end, we performed a comparative analysis of CpG methylation patterns between humans and great apes. Using this approach, we were able to study the dynamics of DNA methylation in recent primate evolution and to identify regions showing species-specific methylation pattern among humans and great apes. We find that genes with alterations of promoter methylation tend to show increased rates of divergence in their protein sequence, and in contrast we also identify many genes with regulatory changes between human and chimpanzee that have perfectly conserved protein sequence. Our study provides the first global view of evolutionary epigenetic changes that have occurred in the genomes of all species of great apes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Paras Garg
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai School, New York, New York, United States of America
| | | | - Holger Heyn
- Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program (PEBC), Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | | | - Arcadi Navarro
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manel Esteller
- Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program (PEBC), Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Physiological Sciences II, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Andrew J. Sharp
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai School, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail: (AJS); (TMB)
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail: (AJS); (TMB)
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Prado-Martinez J, Hernando-Herraez I, Lorente-Galdos B, Dabad M, Ramirez O, Baeza-Delgado C, Morcillo-Suarez C, Alkan C, Hormozdiari F, Raineri E, Estellé J, Fernandez-Callejo M, Valles M, Ritscher L, Schöneberg T, de la Calle-Mustienes E, Casillas S, Rubio-Acero R, Melé M, Engelken J, Caceres M, Gomez-Skarmeta JL, Gut M, Bertranpetit J, Gut IG, Abello T, Eichler EE, Mingarro I, Lalueza-Fox C, Navarro A, Marques-Bonet T. The genome sequencing of an albino Western lowland gorilla reveals inbreeding in the wild. BMC Genomics 2013; 14:363. [PMID: 23721540 PMCID: PMC3673836 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [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: 01/14/2013] [Accepted: 05/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The only known albino gorilla, named Snowflake, was a male wild born individual from Equatorial Guinea who lived at the Barcelona Zoo for almost 40 years. He was diagnosed with non-syndromic oculocutaneous albinism, i.e. white hair, light eyes, pink skin, photophobia and reduced visual acuity. Despite previous efforts to explain the genetic cause, this is still unknown. Here, we study the genetic cause of his albinism and making use of whole genome sequencing data we find a higher inbreeding coefficient compared to other gorillas. Results We successfully identified the causal genetic variant for Snowflake’s albinism, a non-synonymous single nucleotide variant located in a transmembrane region of SLC45A2. This transporter is known to be involved in oculocutaneous albinism type 4 (OCA4) in humans. We provide experimental evidence that shows that this amino acid replacement alters the membrane spanning capability of this transmembrane region. Finally, we provide a comprehensive study of genome-wide patterns of autozygogosity revealing that Snowflake’s parents were related, being this the first report of inbreeding in a wild born Western lowland gorilla. Conclusions In this study we demonstrate how the use of whole genome sequencing can be extended to link genotype and phenotype in non-model organisms and it can be a powerful tool in conservation genetics (e.g., inbreeding and genetic diversity) with the expected decrease in sequencing cost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Prado-Martinez
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), PRBB, Barcelona 08003, Spain
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