Imprinted X-chromosome inactivation: enlightenment from embryos in vivo

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 319-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuo Takagi
1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 6190-6199 ◽  
Author(s):  
M D Litt ◽  
I K Hornstra ◽  
T P Yang

To investigate potential mechanisms regulating the hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) gene by X-chromosome inactivation, we performed in vivo footprinting and high-resolution DNA methylation analysis on the 5' region of the active and inactive mouse HPRT alleles and compared these results with those from the human HPRT gene. We found multiple footprinted sites on the active mouse HPRT allele and no footprints on the inactive allele. Comparison of the footprint patterns of the mouse and human HPRT genes demonstrated that the in vivo binding of regulatory proteins between these species is generally conserved but not identical. Detailed nucleotide sequence comparison of footprinted regions in the mouse and human genes revealed a novel 9-bp sequence associated with transcription factor binding near the transcription sites of both genes, suggesting the identification of a new conserved initiator element. Ligation-mediated PCR genomic sequencing showed that all CpG dinucleotides examined on the active allele are unmethylated, while the majority of CpGs on the inactive allele are methylated and interspersed with a few hypomethylated sites. This pattern of methylation on the inactive mouse allele is notably different from the unusual methylation pattern of the inactive human gene, which exhibited strong hypomethylation specifically at GC boxes. These studies, in conjunction with other genomic sequencing studies of X-linked genes, demonstrate that (i) the active alleles are essentially unmethylated, (ii) the inactive alleles are hypermethylated, and (iii) the high-resolution methylation patterns of the hypermethylated inactive alleles are not strictly conserved. There is no obvious correlation between the pattern of methylated sites on the inactive alleles and the pattern of binding sites for transcription factors on the active alleles. These results are discussed in relationship to potential mechanisms of transcriptional regulation by X-chromosome inactivation.


1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 5345-5354
Author(s):  
I K Hornstra ◽  
T P Yang

Dosage compensation of X-linked genes in male and female mammals is accomplished by random inactivation of one X chromosome in each female somatic cell. As a result, a transcriptionally active allele and a transcriptionally inactive allele of most X-linked genes reside within each female nucleus. To examine the mechanism responsible for maintaining this unique system of differential gene expression, we have analyzed the differential binding of regulatory proteins to the 5' region of the human hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) gene on the active and inactive X chromosomes. Studies of DNA-protein interactions associated with the transcriptionally active and inactive HPRT alleles were carried out in intact cultured cells by in vivo footprinting by using ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction and dimethyl sulfate. Analysis of the active allele demonstrates at least six footprinted regions, whereas no footprints were detected on the inactive allele. Of the footprints on the active allele, at least four occur over canonical GC boxes or Sp1 consensus binding sites, one is associated with a potential AP-2 binding site, and another is associated with a DNA sequence not previously reported to interact with a sequence-specific DNA-binding factor. While no footprints were observed for the HPRT gene on the inactive X chromosome, reactivation of the inactive allele with 5-azacytidine treatment restored the in vivo footprint pattern found on the active allele. Results of these experiments, in conjunction with recent studies on the X-linked human PGK-1 gene, bear implications for models of X chromosome inactivation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 372 (1733) ◽  
pp. 20160358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Cantone ◽  
Amanda G. Fisher

X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) is an exemplar of epigenetic regulation that is set up as pluripotent cells differentiate. Once established, XCI is stably propagated, but can be reversed in vivo or by pluripotent reprogramming in vitro . Although reprogramming provides a useful model for inactive X (Xi) reactivation in mouse, the relative instability and heterogeneity of human embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem cells hampers comparable progress in human. Here we review studies aimed at reactivating the human Xi using different reprogramming strategies. We outline our recent results using mouse ES cells to reprogramme female human fibroblasts by cell–cell fusion. We show that pluripotent reprogramming induces widespread and rapid chromatin remodelling in which the human Xi loses XIST and H3K27m3 enrichment and selected Xi genes become reactivated, ahead of mitotic division. Using RNA sequencing to map the extent of human Xi reactivation, and chromatin-modifying drugs to potentiate reactivation, we outline how this approach could be used to better design strategies to re-express human X-linked loci. As cell fusion induces the expression of human pluripotency genes that represent both the ‘primed’ and ‘naive’ states, this approach may also offer a fresh opportunity to segregate human pluripotent states with distinct Xi expression profiles, using single-cell-based approaches. This article is part of the themed issue ‘X-chromosome inactivation: a tribute to Mary Lyon’.


1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 5345-5354 ◽  
Author(s):  
I K Hornstra ◽  
T P Yang

Dosage compensation of X-linked genes in male and female mammals is accomplished by random inactivation of one X chromosome in each female somatic cell. As a result, a transcriptionally active allele and a transcriptionally inactive allele of most X-linked genes reside within each female nucleus. To examine the mechanism responsible for maintaining this unique system of differential gene expression, we have analyzed the differential binding of regulatory proteins to the 5' region of the human hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) gene on the active and inactive X chromosomes. Studies of DNA-protein interactions associated with the transcriptionally active and inactive HPRT alleles were carried out in intact cultured cells by in vivo footprinting by using ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction and dimethyl sulfate. Analysis of the active allele demonstrates at least six footprinted regions, whereas no footprints were detected on the inactive allele. Of the footprints on the active allele, at least four occur over canonical GC boxes or Sp1 consensus binding sites, one is associated with a potential AP-2 binding site, and another is associated with a DNA sequence not previously reported to interact with a sequence-specific DNA-binding factor. While no footprints were observed for the HPRT gene on the inactive X chromosome, reactivation of the inactive allele with 5-azacytidine treatment restored the in vivo footprint pattern found on the active allele. Results of these experiments, in conjunction with recent studies on the X-linked human PGK-1 gene, bear implications for models of X chromosome inactivation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Neil Young ◽  
Emerald Perlas ◽  
Nerea Ruiz-Blanes ◽  
Andreas Hierholzer ◽  
Nicola Pomella ◽  
...  

AbstractMutations in the gene encoding Lamin B receptor (LBR), a nuclear-membrane protein with sterol reductase activity, have been linked to rare human disorders. Phenotypes range from a benign blood disorder, such as Pelger-Huet anomaly (PHA), affecting the morphology and chromatin organization of white blood cells, to embryonic lethality as for Greenberg dysplasia (GRBGD). Existing PHA mouse models do not fully recapitulate the human phenotypes, hindering efforts to understand the molecular etiology of this disorder. Here we show, using CRISPR/Cas-9 gene editing technology, that a 236bp N-terminal deletion in the mouse Lbr gene, generating a protein missing the N-terminal domains of LBR, presents a superior model of human PHA. Further, we address recent reports of a link between Lbr and defects in X chromosome inactivation (XCI) and show that our mouse mutant displays minor X chromosome inactivation defects that do not lead to any overt phenotypes in vivo. We suggest that our N-terminal deletion model provides a valuable pre-clinical tool to the research community and will aid in further understanding the etiology of PHA and the diverse functions of LBR.


Cell Reports ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 905-918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alissa Minkovsky ◽  
Tahsin Stefan Barakat ◽  
Nadia Sellami ◽  
Mark Henry Chin ◽  
Nilhan Gunhanlar ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Е.А. Фонова ◽  
Е.Н. Толмачева ◽  
А.А. Кашеварова ◽  
М.Е. Лопаткина ◽  
К.А. Павлова ◽  
...  

Смещение инактивации Х-хромосомы может быть следствием и маркером нарушения клеточной пролиферации при вариациях числа копий ДНК на Х-хромосоме. Х-сцепленные CNV выявляются как у женщин с невынашиванием беременности и смещением инактивации Х-хромосомы (с частотой 33,3%), так и у пациентов с умственной отсталостью и смещением инактивацией у их матерей (с частотой 40%). A skewed X-chromosome inactivation can be a consequence and a marker of impaired cell proliferation in the presence of copy number variations (CNV) on the X chromosome. X-linked CNVs are detected in women with miscarriages and a skewed X-chromosome inactivation (with a frequency of 33.3%), as well as in patients with intellectual disability and skewed X-chromosome inactivation in their mothers (with a frequency of 40%).


Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viggiano ◽  
Madej-Pilarczyk ◽  
Carboni ◽  
Picillo ◽  
Ergoli ◽  
...  

X-linked Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD1) affects approximately 1:100,000 male births. Female carriers are usually asymptomatic but, in some cases, they may present clinical symptoms after age 50 at cardiac level, especially in the form of conduction tissue anomalies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between heart involvement in symptomatic EDMD1 carriers and the X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) pattern. The XCI pattern was determined on the lymphocytes of 30 symptomatic and asymptomatic EDMD1 female carriers—25 familial and 5 sporadic cases—seeking genetic advice using the androgen receptor (AR) methylation-based assay. Carriers were subdivided according to whether they were above or below 50 years of age. A variance analysis was performed to compare the XCI pattern between symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers. The results show that 20% of EDMD1 carriers had cardiac symptoms, and that 50% of these were ≥50 years of age. The XCI pattern was similar in both symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers. Conclusions: Arrhythmias in EDMD1 carriers poorly correlate on lymphocytes to a skewed XCI, probably due to (a) the different embryological origin of cardiac conduction tissue compared to lymphocytes or (b) the preferential loss of atrial cells replaced by fibrous tissue.


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