bims-crepig Biomed News
on Chromatin regulation and epigenetics in cell fate and cancer
Issue of 2023‒01‒08
seventeen papers selected by
Connor Rogerson
University of Cambridge
  1. ZFP462 safeguards neural lineage specification by targeting G9A/GLP-mediated heterochromatin to silence enhancers.
  2. Multimodal epigenetic changes and altered NEUROD1 chromatin binding in the mouse hippocampus underlie FOXG1 syndrome.
  3. A spatial genome aligner for resolving chromatin architectures from multiplexed DNA FISH.
  4. Chromatin remodeler CHD7 targets active enhancer region to regulate cell type-specific gene expression in human neural crest cells.
  5. HAND2 assists MYCN enhancer invasion to regulate a noradrenergic neuroblastoma phenotype.
  6. Human ERG oncoprotein represses a Drosophila LIM domain binding protein-coding gene Chip.
  7. YAP-activated SATB2 is a coactivator of NRF2 that amplifies anti-oxidative capacity and promotes tumor progression in renal cell carcinoma.
  8. The scaffolding function of LSD1/KDM1A reinforces a negative feedback loop to repress stem cell gene expression during primitive hematopoiesis.
  9. MLL3 loss drives metastasis by promoting a hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal transition state.
  10. YAP antagonizes TEAD-mediated AR signaling and prostate cancer growth.
  11. A DNA methylation atlas of normal human cell types.
  12. scChIX-seq infers dynamic relationships between histone modifications in single cells.
  13. MYB sustains hypoxic survival of pancreatic cancer cells by facilitating metabolic reprogramming.
  14. MYB and ELF3 differentially modulate labor-inducing gene expression in myometrial cells.
  15. Single-cell DNA methylation sequencing by combinatorial indexing and enzymatic DNA methylation conversion.
  16. Functional partitioning of transcriptional regulators by patterned charge blocks.
  17. HERC3 promotes YAP/TAZ stability and tumorigenesis independently of its ubiquitin ligase activity.
  1. Nat Cell Biol. 2023 Jan 05.
    ZFP462 safeguards neural lineage specification by targeting G9A/GLP-mediated heterochromatin to silence enhancers.
    Ramesh Yelagandula, Karin Stecher, Maria Novatchkova, Luca Michetti, Georg Michlits, Jingkui Wang, Pablo Hofbauer, Gintautas Vainorius, Carina Pribitzer, Luke Isbel, Sasha Mendjan, Dirk Schübeler, Ulrich Elling, Julius Brennecke, Oliver Bell.
      ZNF462 haploinsufficiency is linked to Weiss-Kruszka syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by neurodevelopmental defects, including autism. Though conserved in vertebrates and essential for embryonic development, the molecular functions of ZNF462 remain unclear. We identified its murine homologue ZFP462 in a screen for mediators of epigenetic gene silencing. Here we show that ZFP462 safeguards neural lineage specification of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) by targeting the H3K9-specific histone methyltransferase complex G9A/GLP to silence meso-endodermal genes. ZFP462 binds to transposable elements that are potential enhancers harbouring pluripotency and meso-endoderm transcription factor binding sites. Recruiting G9A/GLP, ZFP462 seeds heterochromatin, restricting transcription factor binding. Loss of ZFP462 in ESCs results in increased chromatin accessibility at target sites and ectopic expression of meso-endodermal genes. Taken together, ZFP462 confers lineage and locus specificity to the broadly expressed epigenetic regulator G9A/GLP. Our results suggest that aberrant activation of lineage non-specific genes in the neuronal lineage underlies ZNF462-associated neurodevelopmental pathology.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-022-01051-2
  2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Jan 10. 120(2): e2122467120
    Multimodal epigenetic changes and altered NEUROD1 chromatin binding in the mouse hippocampus underlie FOXG1 syndrome.
    Ipek Akol, Annalisa Izzo, Fabian Gather, Stefanie Strack, Stefanie Heidrich, Darren Ó hAilín, Alejandro Villarreal, Christine Hacker, Tudor Rauleac, Chiara Bella, Andre Fischer, Thomas Manke, Tanja Vogel.
      Forkhead box G1 (FOXG1) has important functions in neuronal differentiation and balances excitatory/inhibitory network activity. Thus far, molecular processes underlying FOXG1 function are largely unexplored. Here, we present a multiomics data set exploring how FOXG1 impacts neuronal maturation at the chromatin level in the mouse hippocampus. At a genome-wide level, FOXG1 i) both represses and activates transcription, ii) binds mainly to enhancer regions, iii) reconfigures the epigenetic landscape through bidirectional alteration of H3K27ac, H3K4me3, and chromatin accessibility, and iv) operates synergistically with NEUROD1. Interestingly, we could not detect a clear hierarchy of FOXG1 and NEUROD1, but instead, provide the evidence that they act in a highly cooperative manner to control neuronal maturation. Genes affected by the chromatin alterations impact synaptogenesis and axonogenesis. Inhibition of histone deacetylases partially rescues transcriptional alterations upon FOXG1 reduction. This integrated multiomics view of changes upon FOXG1 reduction reveals an unprecedented multimodality of FOXG1 functions converging on neuronal maturation. It fuels therapeutic options based on epigenetic drugs to alleviate, at least in part, neuronal dysfunction.
    Keywords:  ATAC; Rett-syndrome; axonogenesis; histone modification; neuronal differentiation
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2122467120
  3. Nat Biotechnol. 2023 Jan 02.
    A spatial genome aligner for resolving chromatin architectures from multiplexed DNA FISH.
    Bojing Blair Jia, Adam Jussila, Colin Kern, Quan Zhu, Bing Ren.
      Multiplexed fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a widely used approach for analyzing three-dimensional genome organization, but it is challenging to derive chromosomal conformations from noisy fluorescence signals, and tracing chromatin is not straightforward. Here we report a spatial genome aligner that parses true chromatin signal from noise by aligning signals to a DNA polymer model. Using genomic distances separating imaged loci, our aligner estimates spatial distances expected to separate loci on a polymer in three-dimensional space. Our aligner then evaluates the physical probability observed signals belonging to these loci are connected, thereby tracing chromatin structures. We demonstrate that this spatial genome aligner can efficiently model chromosome architectures from DNA FISH data across multiple scales and be used to predict chromosome ploidies de novo in interphase cells. Reprocessing of previous whole-genome chromosome tracing data with this method indicates the spatial aggregation of sister chromatids in S/G2 phase cells in asynchronous mouse embryonic stem cells and provides evidence for extranumerary chromosomes that remain tightly paired in postmitotic neurons of the adult mouse cortex.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01568-9
  4. Sci Rep. 2022 Dec 31. 12(1): 22648
    Chromatin remodeler CHD7 targets active enhancer region to regulate cell type-specific gene expression in human neural crest cells.
    Tsukasa Sanosaka, Hironobu Okuno, Noriko Mizota, Tomoko Andoh-Noda, Miki Sato, Ryo Tomooka, Satoe Banno, Jun Kohyama, Hideyuki Okano.
      A mutation in the chromatin remodeler chromodomain helicase DNA-binding 7 (CHD7) gene causes the multiple congenital anomaly CHARGE syndrome. The craniofacial anomalies observed in CHARGE syndrome are caused by dysfunctions of neural crest cells (NCCs), which originate from the neural tube. However, the mechanism by which CHD7 regulates the function of human NCCs (hNCCs) remains unclear. We aimed to characterize the cis-regulatory elements governed by CHD7 in hNCCs by analyzing genome-wide ChIP-Seq data and identifying hNCC-specific CHD7-binding profiles. We compared CHD7-binding regions among cell types, including human induced pluripotent stem cells and human neuroepithelial cells, to determine the comprehensive properties of CHD7-binding in hNCCs. Importantly, analysis of the hNCC-specific CHD7-bound region revealed transcription factor AP-2α as a potential co-factor facilitating the cell type-specific transcriptional program in hNCCs. CHD7 was strongly associated with active enhancer regions, permitting the expression of hNCC-specific genes to sustain the function of hNCCs. Our findings reveal the regulatory mechanisms of CHD7 in hNCCs, thus providing additional information regarding the transcriptional programs in hNCCs.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-27293-6
  5. Cancer Res. 2023 Jan 04. pii: CAN-22-2042. [Epub ahead of print]
    HAND2 assists MYCN enhancer invasion to regulate a noradrenergic neuroblastoma phenotype.
    Man Xu, Ming Sun, Xiyuan Zhang, Rosa Nguyen, Haiyan Lei, Jack F Shern, Carol J Thiele, Zhihui Liu.
      Noradrenergic neuroblastoma (NB) is characterized by a core transcriptional regulatory circuitry (CRC) comprised of transcription factors (TFs) such as PHOX2B, HAND2 and GATA3, which form a network with MYCN. At normal physiologic levels, MYCN mainly binds to promoters but when aberrantly upregulated as in NB, MYCN also binds to enhancers. Here, we investigated how MYCN invades enhancers and whether CRC TFs play a role in this process. HAND2 was found to regulate chromatin accessibility and assist MYCN binding to enhancers. Moreover, HAND2 cooperated with MYCN to compete with nucleosomes to regulate global gene transcription. The cooperative interaction between MYCN and HAND2 could be targeted with an Aurora A kinase inhibitor plus a histone deacetylase inhibitor, resulting in potent downregulation of both MYCN and the CRC TFs and suppression of MYCN-amplified NB tumor growth. This study identifies cooperation between MYCN and HAND2 in NB and demonstrates that simultaneously targeting MYCN and CRC TFs is an effective way to treat this aggressive pediatric tumor.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-22-2042
  6. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Jan 10. 120(2): e2211189119
    Human ERG oncoprotein represses a Drosophila LIM domain binding protein-coding gene Chip.
    Mahima Bharti, Anjali Bajpai, Umanshi Rautela, Nishat Manzar, Bushra Ateeq, Pradip Sinha.
      Human ETS Related Gene, ERG, a master transcription factor, turns oncogenic upon its out-of-context activation in diverse developmental lineages. However, the mechanism underlying its lineage-specific activation of Notch (N), Wnt, or EZH2-three well-characterized oncogenic targets of ERG-remains elusive. We reasoned that deep homology in genetic tool kits might help uncover such elusive cancer mechanisms in Drosophila. By heterologous gain of human ERG in Drosophila, here we reveal Chip, which codes for a transcriptional coactivator, LIM-domain-binding (LDB) protein, as its novel target. ERG represses Drosophila Chip via its direct binding and, indirectly, via E(z)-mediated silencing of its promoter. Downregulation of Chip disrupts LIM-HD complex formed between Chip and Tailup (Tup)-a LIM-HD transcription factor-in the developing notum. A consequent activation of N-driven Wg signaling leads to notum-to-wing transdetermination. These fallouts of ERG gain are arrested upon a simultaneous gain of Chip, sequestration of Wg ligand, and, alternatively, loss of N signaling or E(z) activity. Finally, we show that the human LDB1, a homolog of Drosophila Chip, is repressed in ERG-positive prostate cancer cells. Besides identifying an elusive target of human ERG, our study unravels an underpinning of its lineage-specific carcinogenesis.
    Keywords:  Cancer; Chip; ERG; LDB1; Wnt
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2211189119
  7. Cancer Res. 2023 Jan 04. pii: CAN-22-1693. [Epub ahead of print]
    YAP-activated SATB2 is a coactivator of NRF2 that amplifies anti-oxidative capacity and promotes tumor progression in renal cell carcinoma.
    Juan Jin, Fen Chen, Wenfang He, Li Zhao, Bo Lin, Danna Zheng, Li Chen, Hongchao He, Qiang He.
      Aberrant epigenetic reprogramming contributes to the progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Elucidation of key regulators of epigenetic reprogramming in RCC could help identify therapeutic vulnerabilities to improve treatment. Here, we report upregulation of the nuclear matrix-associated protein SATB2 in RCC samples, which correlated with poor prognosis. SATB2 inhibition suppressed RCC growth and self-renewal capacities. YAP/TEAD4 activated SATB2 expression and depended on SATB2 to enhance cell proliferation. Transcriptome analysis implicated that SATB2 regulates NRF2 downstream targets to suppress oxidative stress without altering NRF2 levels. Integrated ChIP-seq and ATAC-seq analyses demonstrated that SATB2 coordinated with NRF2 to drive enhancer-promoter interactions, amplifying transcriptional activity. SATB2 recruited SWI/SNF complex subunits, including BRD7 or BRG1, to sustain DNA accessibility. Increased SATB2 triggered chromatin remodeling into configurations that rendered RCC more sensitive to SATB2 deficiency. Moreover, SATB2 ablation promoted the sensitivity of RCC to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. Lastly, targeting SATB2 or BRD7 effectively restricted the proliferation of YAP-high tumors in patient-derived xenografts and patient-derived organoids. Together, SATB2 is an oncogenic chromatin organizer in RCC, and targeting SATB2 is an effective strategy to suppress the YAP-high RCC.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-22-1693
  8. iScience. 2023 Jan 20. 26(1): 105737
    The scaffolding function of LSD1/KDM1A reinforces a negative feedback loop to repress stem cell gene expression during primitive hematopoiesis.
    Mattie J Casey, Alexandra M Call, Annika V Thorpe, Cicely A Jette, Michael E Engel, Rodney A Stewart.
      Lsd1/Kdm1a functions both as a histone demethylase enzyme and as a scaffold for assembling chromatin modifier and transcription factor complexes to regulate gene expression. The relative contributions of Lsd1's demethylase and scaffolding functions during embryogenesis are not known. Here, we analyze two independent zebrafish lsd1/kdm1a mutant lines and show Lsd1 is required to repress primitive hematopoietic stem cell gene expression. Lsd1 rescue constructs containing point mutations that selectively abrogate its demethylase or scaffolding capacity demonstrate the scaffolding function of Lsd1, not its demethylase activity, is required for repression of gene expression in vivo. Lsd1's SNAG-binding domain mediates its scaffolding function and reinforces a negative feedback loop to repress the expression of SNAG-domain-containing genes during embryogenesis, including gfi1 and snai1/2. Our findings reveal a model in which the SNAG-binding and scaffolding function of Lsd1, and its associated negative feedback loop, provide transient and reversible regulation of gene expression during hematopoietic development.
    Keywords:  Cell biology; Molecular biology; Molecular interaction; Stem cells research
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.105737
  9. Nat Cell Biol. 2023 Jan 05.
    MLL3 loss drives metastasis by promoting a hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal transition state.
    Jihong Cui, Chi Zhang, Ji-Eun Lee, Boris A Bartholdy, Dapeng Yang, Yu Liu, Piril Erler, Phillip M Galbo, Dayle Q Hodge, Danwei Huangfu, Deyou Zheng, Kai Ge, Wenjun Guo.
      Phenotypic plasticity associated with the hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is crucial to metastatic seeding and outgrowth. However, the mechanisms governing the hybrid EMT state remain poorly defined. Here we showed that deletion of the epigenetic regulator MLL3, a tumour suppressor frequently altered in human cancer, promoted the acquisition of hybrid EMT in breast cancer cells. Distinct from other EMT regulators that mediate only unidirectional changes, MLL3 loss enhanced responses to stimuli inducing EMT and mesenchymal-epithelial transition in epithelial and mesenchymal cells, respectively. Consequently, MLL3 loss greatly increased metastasis by enhancing metastatic colonization. Mechanistically, MLL3 loss led to increased IFNγ signalling, which contributed to the induction of hybrid EMT cells and enhanced metastatic capacity. Furthermore, BET inhibition effectively suppressed the growth of MLL3-mutant primary tumours and metastases. These results uncovered MLL3 mutation as a key driver of hybrid EMT and metastasis in breast cancer that could be targeted therapeutically.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-022-01045-0
  10. EMBO J. 2023 Jan 02. e112184
    YAP antagonizes TEAD-mediated AR signaling and prostate cancer growth.
    Xu Li, Shu Zhuo, Yong Suk Cho, Yuchen Liu, Yingzi Yang, Jian Zhu, Jin Jiang.
      Hippo signaling restricts tumor growth by inhibiting the oncogenic potential of YAP/TAZ-TEAD transcriptional complex. Here, we uncover a context-dependent tumor suppressor function of YAP in androgen receptor (AR) positive prostate cancer (PCa) and show that YAP impedes AR+ PCa growth by antagonizing TEAD-mediated AR signaling. TEAD forms a complex with AR to enhance its promoter/enhancer occupancy and transcriptional activity. YAP and AR compete for TEAD binding and consequently, elevated YAP in the nucleus disrupts AR-TEAD interaction and prevents TEAD from promoting AR signaling. Pharmacological inhibition of MST1/2 or LATS1/2, or transgenic activation of YAP suppressed the growth of PCa expressing therapy resistant AR splicing variants. Our study uncovers an unanticipated crosstalk between Hippo and AR signaling pathways, reveals an antagonistic relationship between YAP and TEAD in AR+ PCa, and suggests that targeting the Hippo signaling pathway may provide a therapeutical opportunity to treat PCa driven by therapy resistant AR variants.
    Keywords:  Hippo; TEAD; YAP; androgen receptor; prostate cancer
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.15252/embj.2022112184
  11. Nature. 2023 Jan 04.
    A DNA methylation atlas of normal human cell types.
    Netanel Loyfer, Judith Magenheim, Ayelet Peretz, Gordon Cann, Joerg Bredno, Agnes Klochendler, Ilana Fox-Fisher, Sapir Shabi-Porat, Merav Hecht, Tsuria Pelet, Joshua Moss, Zeina Drawshy, Hamed Amini, Patriss Moradi, Sudharani Nagaraju, Dvora Bauman, David Shveiky, Shay Porat, Uri Dior, Gurion Rivkin, Omer Or, Nir Hirshoren, Einat Carmon, Alon Pikarsky, Abed Khalaileh, Gideon Zamir, Ronit Grinbaum, Machmud Abu Gazala, Ido Mizrahi, Noam Shussman, Amit Korach, Ori Wald, Uzi Izhar, Eldad Erez, Vladimir Yutkin, Yaacov Samet, Devorah Rotnemer Golinkin, Kirsty L Spalding, Henrik Druid, Peter Arner, A M James Shapiro, Markus Grompe, Alex Aravanis, Oliver Venn, Arash Jamshidi, Ruth Shemer, Yuval Dor, Benjamin Glaser, Tommy Kaplan.
      DNA methylation is a fundamental epigenetic mark that governs gene expression and chromatin organization, thus providing a window into cellular identity and developmental processes1. Current datasets typically include only a fraction of methylation sites and are often based either on cell lines that underwent massive changes in culture or on tissues containing unspecified mixtures of cells2-5. Here we describe a human methylome atlas, based on deep whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, allowing fragment-level analysis across thousands of unique markers for 39 cell types sorted from 205 healthy tissue samples. Replicates of the same cell type are more than 99.5% identical, demonstrating the robustness of cell identity programmes to environmental perturbation. Unsupervised clustering of the atlas recapitulates key elements of tissue ontogeny and identifies methylation patterns retained since embryonic development. Loci uniquely unmethylated in an individual cell type often reside in transcriptional enhancers and contain DNA binding sites for tissue-specific transcriptional regulators. Uniquely hypermethylated loci are rare and are enriched for CpG islands, Polycomb targets and CTCF binding sites, suggesting a new role in shaping cell-type-specific chromatin looping. The atlas provides an essential resource for study of gene regulation and disease-associated genetic variants, and a wealth of potential tissue-specific biomarkers for use in liquid biopsies.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05580-6
  12. Nat Biotechnol. 2023 Jan 02.
    scChIX-seq infers dynamic relationships between histone modifications in single cells.
    Jake Yeung, Maria Florescu, Peter Zeller, Buys Anton de Barbanson, Max D Wellenstein, Alexander van Oudenaarden.
      Regulation of chromatin states involves the dynamic interplay between different histone modifications to control gene expression. Recent advances have enabled mapping of histone marks in single cells, but most methods are constrained to profile only one histone mark per cell. Here, we present an integrated experimental and computational framework, scChIX-seq (single-cell chromatin immunocleavage and unmixing sequencing), to map several histone marks in single cells. scChIX-seq multiplexes two histone marks together in single cells, then computationally deconvolves the signal using training data from respective histone mark profiles. This framework learns the cell-type-specific correlation structure between histone marks, and therefore does not require a priori assumptions of their genomic distributions. Using scChIX-seq, we demonstrate multimodal analysis of histone marks in single cells across a range of mark combinations. Modeling dynamics of in vitro macrophage differentiation enables integrated analysis of chromatin velocity. Overall, scChIX-seq unlocks systematic interrogation of the interplay between histone modifications in single cells.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01560-3
  13. EMBO Rep. 2023 Jan 02. e55643
    MYB sustains hypoxic survival of pancreatic cancer cells by facilitating metabolic reprogramming.
    Shashi Anand, Mohammad Aslam Khan, Haseeb Zubair, Sarabjeet Kour Sudan, Kunwar Somesh Vikramdeo, Sachin Kumar Deshmukh, Shafquat Azim, Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava, Seema Singh, Ajay Pratap Singh.
      Extensive desmoplasia and poor vasculature renders pancreatic tumors severely hypoxic, contributing to their aggressiveness and therapy resistance. Here, we identify the HuR/MYB/HIF1α axis as a critical regulator of the metabolic plasticity and hypoxic survival of pancreatic cancer cells. HuR undergoes nuclear-to-cytoplasmic translocation under hypoxia and stabilizes MYB transcripts, while MYB transcriptionally upregulates HIF1α. Upon MYB silencing, pancreatic cancer cells fail to survive and adapt metabolically under hypoxia, despite forced overexpression of HIF1α. MYB induces the transcription of several HIF1α-regulated glycolytic genes by directly binding to their promoters, thus enhancing the recruitment of HIF1α to hypoxia-responsive elements through its interaction with p300-dependent histone acetylation. MYB-depleted pancreatic cancer cells exhibit a dramatic reduction in tumorigenic ability, glucose-uptake and metabolism in orthotopic mouse model, even after HIF1α restoration. Together, our findings reveal an essential role of MYB in metabolic reprogramming that supports pancreatic cancer cell survival under hypoxia.
    Keywords:  HIF1α; MYB; hypoxia; metabolic reprogramming; pancreatic cancer
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.202255643
  14. PLoS One. 2023 ;18(1): e0271081
    MYB and ELF3 differentially modulate labor-inducing gene expression in myometrial cells.
    Virlana M Shchuka, Nawrah Khader, Anna Dorogin, Oksana Shynlova, Jennifer A Mitchell.
      Spontaneous uterine contractions are initiated when smooth muscle cells (SMCs) within the uterine muscle, or myometrium, transition from a functionally dormant to an actively contractile phenotype at the end of the pregnancy period. We know that this process is accompanied by gestational time point-specific differences in the SMC transcriptome, which can be modulated by the activator protein 1 (AP-1), nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-κβ), estrogen receptor (ER), and progesterone receptor (PR) transcription factors. Less is known, however, about the additional proteins that might assist these factors in conferring the transcriptional changes observed at labor onset. Here, we present functional evidence for the roles of two proteins previously understudied in the SMC context-MYB and ELF3-which can contribute to the regulation of labor-driving gene transcription. We show that the MYB and ELF3 genes exhibit elevated transcript expression levels in mouse and human myometrial tissues during spontaneous term labor. The expression of both genes was also significantly increased in mouse myometrium during preterm labor induced by the progesterone antagonist mifepristone (RU486), but not during infection-simulating preterm labor induced by intrauterine infusion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Furthermore, both MYB and ELF3 proteins affect labor-driving gene promoter activity, although in surprisingly opposing ways: Gja1 and Fos promoter activation increases in the presence of MYB and decreases in the presence of ELF3. Collectively, our study adds to the current understanding of the transcription factor network that defines the transcriptomes of SMCs during late gestation and implicates two new players in the control of labor timing.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271081
  15. Cell Biosci. 2023 Jan 04. 13(1): 2
    Single-cell DNA methylation sequencing by combinatorial indexing and enzymatic DNA methylation conversion.
    Zac Chatterton, Praves Lamichhane, Diba Ahmadi Rastegar, Lauren Fitzpatrick, Hélène Lebhar, Christopher Marquis, Glenda Halliday, John B Kwok.
      BACKGROUND: DNA methylation is a critical molecular mark involved in cellular differentiation and cell-specific processes. Single-cell whole genome DNA methylation profiling methods hold great potential to resolve the DNA methylation profiles of individual cell-types. Here we present a method that couples single-cell combinatorial indexing (sci) with enzymatic conversion (sciEM) of unmethylated cytosines.RESULTS: The sciEM method facilitates DNA methylation profiling of single-cells that is highly correlated with single-cell bisulfite-based workflows (r2 > 0.99) whilst improving sequencing alignment rates, reducing adapter contamination and over-estimation of DNA methylation levels (CpG and non-CpG). As proof-of-concept we perform sciEM analysis of the temporal lobe, motor cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum of the human brain to resolve single-cell DNA methylation of all major cell-types.
    CONCLUSION: To our knowledge sciEM represents the first non-bisulfite single-cell DNA methylation sequencing approach with single-base resolution.
    Keywords:  APOBEC; Brain; DNA methylation; Epigenetics; Single-cell
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13578-022-00938-9
  16. Cell. 2022 Dec 30. pii: S0092-8674(22)01526-4. [Epub ahead of print]
    Functional partitioning of transcriptional regulators by patterned charge blocks.
    Heankel Lyons, Reshma T Veettil, Prashant Pradhan, Christy Fornero, Nancy De La Cruz, Keiichi Ito, Mikayla Eppert, Robert G Roeder, Benjamin R Sabari.
      Components of transcriptional machinery are selectively partitioned into specific condensates, often mediated by protein disorder, yet we know little about how this specificity is achieved. Here, we show that condensates composed of the intrinsically disordered region (IDR) of MED1 selectively partition RNA polymerase II together with its positive allosteric regulators while excluding negative regulators. This selective compartmentalization is sufficient to activate transcription and is required for gene activation during a cell-state transition. The IDRs of partitioned proteins are necessary and sufficient for selective compartmentalization and require alternating blocks of charged amino acids. Disrupting this charge pattern prevents partitioning, whereas adding the pattern to proteins promotes partitioning with functional consequences for gene activation. IDRs with similar patterned charge blocks show similar partitioning and function. These findings demonstrate that disorder-mediated interactions can selectively compartmentalize specific functionally related proteins from a complex mixture of biomolecules, leading to regulation of a biochemical pathway.
    Keywords:  biomolecular condensates; functional compartmentalization; gene activation; nuclear organization; phase separation; protein disorder; selective partitioning; transcription
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.12.013
  17. EMBO J. 2023 Jan 04. e111549
    HERC3 promotes YAP/TAZ stability and tumorigenesis independently of its ubiquitin ligase activity.
    Bo Yuan, Jinquan Liu, Aiping Shi, Jin Cao, Yi Yu, Yezhang Zhu, Chengbin Zhang, Yifei Qiu, Hongjie Luo, Jiaxian Shi, Xiaolei Cao, Pinglong Xu, Li Shen, Tingbo Liang, Bin Zhao, Xin-Hua Feng.
      YAP/TAZ transcriptional co-activators play pivotal roles in tumorigenesis. In the Hippo pathway, diverse signals activate the MST-LATS kinase cascade that leads to YAP/TAZ phosphorylation, and subsequent ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation by SCFβ-TrCP . When the MST-LATS kinase cascade is inactive, unphosphorylated or dephosphorylated YAP/TAZ translocate into the nucleus to mediate TEAD-dependent gene transcription. Hippo signaling-independent YAP/TAZ activation in human malignancies has also been observed, yet the mechanism remains largely elusive. Here, we report that the ubiquitin E3 ligase HERC3 can promote YAP/TAZ activation independently of its enzymatic activity. HERC3 directly binds to β-TrCP, blocks its interaction with YAP/TAZ, and thus prevents YAP/TAZ ubiquitination and degradation. Expression levels of HERC3 correlate with YAP/TAZ protein levels and expression of YAP/TAZ target genes in breast tumor cells and tissues. Accordingly, knockdown of HERC3 expression ameliorates tumorigenesis of breast cancer cells. Our results establish HERC3 as a critical regulator of the YAP/TAZ stability and a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer.
    Keywords:  HECT domain; Hippo signaling; Tumor progression; β-TrCP/FBW1A
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.15252/embj.2022111549
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