scholarly journals Transcriptional Activation of a Constitutive Heterochromatic Domain of the Human Genome in Response to Heat Shock

2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 543-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicoletta Rizzi ◽  
Marco Denegri ◽  
Ilaria Chiodi ◽  
Margherita Corioni ◽  
Rut Valgardsdottir ◽  
...  

Heat shock triggers the assembly of nuclear stress bodies that contain heat shock factor 1 and a subset of RNA processing factors. These structures are formed on the pericentromeric heterochromatic regions of specific human chromosomes, among which chromosome 9. In this article we show that these heterochromatic domains are characterized by an epigenetic status typical of euchromatic regions. Similarly to transcriptionally competent portions of the genome, stress bodies are, in fact, enriched in acetylated histone H4. Acetylation peaks at 6 h of recovery from heat shock. Moreover, heterochromatin markers, such as HP1 and histone H3 methylated on lysine 9, are excluded from these nuclear districts. In addition, heat shock triggers the transient accumulation of RNA molecules, heterogeneous in size, containing the subclass of satellite III sequences found in the pericentromeric heterochromatin of chromosome 9. This is the first report of a transcriptional activation of a constitutive heterochromatic portion of the genome in response to stress stimuli.

2016 ◽  
Vol 120 (6) ◽  
pp. 702-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Horowitz

Studying “phenotypic plasticity” involves comparison of traits expressed in response to environmental fluctuations and aims to understand tolerance and survival in new settings. Reversible phenotypic changes that enable individuals to match their phenotype to environmental demands throughout life can be artificially induced, i.e., acclimation or occur naturally, i.e., acclimatization. The onset and achievement of acclimatory homeostasis are determined by molecular programs that induce the acclimated transcriptome. In heat acclimation, much evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms are powerful players in these processes. Epigenetic mechanisms affect the accessibility of the DNA to transcription factors, thereby regulating gene expression and controlling the phenotype. The heat-acclimated phenotype confers cytoprotection against novel stressors via cross-tolerance mechanisms, by attenuation of the initial damage and/or by accelerating spontaneous recovery through the release of help signals. This indispensable acclimatory feature has a memory and can be rapidly reestablished after the loss of acclimation and the return to the physiological preacclimated phenotype. The transcriptional landscape of the deacclimated phenotype includes constitutive transcriptional activation of epigenetic bookmarks. Heat shock protein (HSP) 70/HSP90/heat shock factor 1 memory protocol demonstrated constitutive histone H4 acetylation on hsp70 and hsp90 promotors. Novel players in the heat acclimation setup are poly(ADP-ribose)ribose polymerase 1 affecting chromatin condensation, DNA linker histones from the histone H1 cluster, and transcription factors associated with the P38 pathway. We suggest that these orchestrated responses maintain euchromatin and proteostasis during deacclimation and predispose to rapid reacclimation and cytoprotection. These mechanisms represent within-life epigenetic adaptations and cytoprotective memory.


Chromosoma ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 130 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-60
Author(s):  
Jessica Penin ◽  
Solenne Dufour ◽  
Virginie Faure ◽  
Sabrina Fritah ◽  
Daphné Seigneurin-Berny ◽  
...  

AbstractThe heat shock factor 1 (HSF1)-dependent transcriptional activation of human pericentric heterochromatin in heat-shocked cells is the most striking example of transcriptional activation of heterochromatin. Until now, pericentric heterochromatin of chromosome 9 has been identified as the primary target of HSF1, in both normal and tumor heat-shocked cells. Transcriptional awakening of this large genomic region results in the nuclear accumulation of satellite III (SATIII) noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) and the formation in cis of specific structures known as nuclear stress bodies (nSBs). Here, we show that, in four different male cell lines, including primary human fibroblasts and amniocytes, pericentric heterochromatin of chromosome Y can also serve as a unique primary site of HSF1-dependent heterochromatin transcriptional activation, production of SATIII ncRNA, and nucleation of nuclear stress bodies (nSBs) upon heat shock. Our observation suggests that the chromosomal origin of SATIII transcripts in cells submitted to heat shock is not a determinant factor as such, but that transcription of SATIII repetitive units or the SATIII ncRNA molecules is the critical element of HSF1-dependent transcription activation of constitutive heterochromatin.


2010 ◽  
Vol 109 (5) ◽  
pp. 1552-1561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Tetievsky ◽  
Michal Horowitz

We have demonstrated that heat acclimation (AC) causes selective, long-lasting, transcriptional changes in cytoprotective and chromatin remodeling-associated genes, which maintain their AC transcriptome profile, despite the loss of the AC phenotype (Tetievsky et al. Physiol Genomics 34: 78–87, 2008). We postulated that AC memory involves upstream epigenetic information, which predisposes to rapid reacclimation (ReAC) and cytoprotective memory. Here we tested the hypothesis that posttranslational histone modifications are linked to this process. Rats subjected to AC (34°C for 2 or 30 days), deacclimation (DeAC; 24°C, 30 days), and ReAC (34°C, 2 days), and untreated controls were used. Histone H4 lysine acetylation and histone H3 acetylation and phosphorylation in the heat shock element (HSE) of the promoters of heat shock protein-70 ( hsp70) and -90 ( hsp90) genes were examined. Histone acetyltransferase recruitment of TIP60 (60-kDa histone acetyltransferase-interactive protein), the catalytic subunit of NuH4, was used to validate acetylation. Heat shock factor-1 (HSF-1)-HSE binding to the hsp70 and hsp90 genes was measured to confirm HSF-1 binding to euchromatin. Our results indicate that, while histone H3Ser10 phosphorylation occurred during the AC 2-day phase, AC constitutively elevated histone H4 acetylation in the HSE of hsp70 and hsp90 promoters. HSF-1-HSE binding was detected in the hsp70 gen e throughout AC-DeAC-ReAC. The hsp90 gene lacked HSF-1 binding during DeAC, but resumed a high binding level upon ReAC. HSP-90 is a critical cytoprotective protein, and the HSF-1- hsp90 binding profile matched levels of this protein. We conclude that, while early histone H3 phosphorylation is probably required for subsequent histone H4 acetylation, the constitutively acetylated histone H4 and the preserved euchromatin state throughout AC-DeAC-ReAC predispose to rapid cytoprotective acclimatory memory.


2007 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 713-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludmila V. Roze ◽  
Anna E. Arthur ◽  
Sung-Yong Hong ◽  
Anindya Chanda ◽  
John E. Linz

2019 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 362-373
Author(s):  
Denis Ciato ◽  
Ran Li ◽  
Jose Luis Monteserin Garcia ◽  
Lilia Papst ◽  
Sarah D’Annunzio ◽  
...  

Background: Cushing’s disease (CD) is caused by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary tumours. They express high levels of heat shock protein 90 and heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) in comparison to the normal tissue counterpart, indicating activated cellular stress. Aims: Our objectives were: (1) to correlate HSF1 expression with clinical features and hormonal/radiological findings of CD, and (2) to investigate the effects of HSF1 inhibition as a target for CD treatment. Patients/Methods: We examined the expression of total and pSer326HSF1 (marker for its transcriptional activation) by Western blot on eight human CD tumours and compared to the HSF1 status of normal pituitary. We screened a cohort of 45 patients with CD for HSF1 by immunohistochemistry and correlated the HSF1 immunoreactivity score with the available clinical data. We evaluated the effects of HSF1 silencing with RNA interference and the HSF1 inhibitor KRIBB11 in AtT-20 cells and four primary cultures of human corticotroph tumours. Results: We show that HSF1 protein is highly expressed and transcriptionally active in CD tumours in comparison to normal pituitary. The immunoreactivity score for HSF1 did not correlate with the typical clinical features of the disease. HSF1 inhibition reduced proopiomelanocortin (Pomc) transcription in AtT-20 cells. The HSF1 inhibitor KRIBB11 suppressed ACTH synthesis from 75% of human CD tumours in primary cell culture. This inhibitory action on Pomc transcription was mediated by increased glucocorticoid receptor and suppressed Nurr77/Nurr1 and AP-1 transcriptional activities. Conclusions: These data show that HSF1 regulates POMC transcription. Pharmacological targeting of HSF1 may be a promising treatment option for the control of excess ACTH secretion in CD.


2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 2069-2079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Denegri ◽  
Daniela Moralli ◽  
Mariano Rocchi ◽  
Marco Biggiogera ◽  
Elena Raimondi ◽  
...  

We previously reported the identification of a novel nuclear compartment detectable in heat-shocked HeLa cells that we termed stress-induced Src-activated during mitosis nuclear body (SNB). This structure is the recruitment center for heat shock factor 1 and for a number of RNA processing factors, among a subset of Serine-Arginine splicing factors. In this article, we show that stress-induced SNBs are detectable in human but not in hamster cells. By means of hamster>human cell hybrids, we have identified three human chromosomes (9, 12, and 15) that are individually able to direct the formation of stress bodies in hamster cells. Similarly to stress-induced SNB, these bodies are sites of accumulation of hnRNP A1-interacting protein and heat shock factor 1, are usually associated to nucleoli, and consist of clusters of perichromatin granules. We show that the p13-q13 region of human chromosome 9 is sufficient to direct the formation of stress bodies in hamster>human cell hybrids. Fluorescence in situ hybridization experiments demonstrate that the pericentromeric heterochromatic q12 band of chromosome 9 and the centromeric regions of chromosomes 12 and 15 colocalize with stress-induced SNBs in human cells. Our data indicate that human chromosomes 9, 12, and 15 contain the nucleation sites of stress bodies in heat-shocked HeLa cells.


1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 906-918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Farkas ◽  
Yulia A. Kutskova ◽  
Vincenzo Zimarino

ABSTRACT The pathway leading to transcriptional activation of heat shock genes involves a step of heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) trimerization required for high-affinity binding of this activator protein to heat shock elements (HSEs) in the promoters. Previous studies have shown that in vivo the trimerization is negatively regulated at physiological temperatures by a mechanism that requires multiple hydrophobic heptad repeats (HRs) which may form a coiled coil in the monomer. To investigate the minimal requirements for negative regulation, in this work we have examined mouse HSF1 translated in rabbit reticulocyte lysate or extracted from Escherichia coli after limited expression. We show that under these conditions HSF1 behaves as a monomer which can be induced by increases in temperature to form active HSE-binding trimers and that mutations of either HR region cause activation in both systems. Furthermore, temperature elevations and acidic buffers activate purified HSF1, and mild proteolysis excises fragments which form HSE-binding oligomers. These results suggest that oligomerization can be repressed in the monomer, as previously proposed, and that repression can be relieved in the apparent absence of regulatory proteins. An intramolecular mechanism may be central for the regulation of this transcription factor in mammalian cells, although not necessarily sufficient.


2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (23) ◽  
pp. 8364-8373 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Veis ◽  
H. Klug ◽  
M. Koranda ◽  
G. Ammerer

ABSTRACT In budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), the periodic expression of the G2/M-specific gene CLB2 depends on a DNA binding complex that mediates its repression during G1 and activation from the S phase to the exit of mitosis. The switch from low to high expression levels depends on the transcriptional activator Ndd1. We show that the inactivation of the Sin3 histone deacetylase complex bypasses the essential role of Ndd1 in cell cycle progression. Sin3 and its catalytic subunit Rpd3 associate with the CLB2 promoter during the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Both proteins dissociate from the promoter at the onset of the S phase and reassociate during G2 phase. Sin3 removal coincides with a transient increase in histone H4 acetylation followed by the expulsion of at least one nucleosome from the promoter region. Whereas the first step depends on Cdc28/Cln1 activity, Ndd1 function is required for the second step. Since the removal of Sin3 is independent of Ndd1 recruitment and Cdc28/Clb activity it represents a unique regulatory step which is distinct from transcriptional activation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (2) ◽  
pp. F496-F502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiyuan Yu ◽  
Bruce C. Kone

The inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene plays an important role in the response to and propagation of injury in glomerular mesangial cells. Although several cis and trans regulatory factors have been characterized, epigenetic regulation of the iNOS gene has not been considered extensively. In this report, we explored the role of histone acetylation in interleukin (IL)-1β-mediated iNOS induction in cultured murine mesangial cells. Treatment of cells with the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA, 200 nM) resulted in a time-dependent, selective increase in histone H4 acetylation. TSA treatment of cells stably transfected with an iNOS promoter-luciferase construct inhibited IL-1β induction of endogenous nitric oxide and iNOS protein production and iNOS promoter-luciferase activity. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that, under basal conditions, acetylated histone H4 associated with the region −978 to −710 of the iNOS promoter, a region rich in gene control elements and that IL-1β significantly increased this binding, which was further accentuated by cotreatment with TSA. Blockade of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway with LY-294002 or the p70s6-kinase pathway with rapamycin in the presence of TSA and IL-1β inhibited 389Thr phosphorylation of p70s6 kinase, promoted binding of acetylated histone H4 to the iNOS promoter, and further suppressed iNOS protein expression and iNOS promoter activity. Thus TSA diminishes IL-1β-induced iNOS transcription through phosphoinositide 3-kinase- and p70s6 kinase-dependent pathways that increase site-specific histone H4 acetylation at the −978 to −710 region of the iNOS promoter. This novel epigenetic control mechanism extends the network of regulatory controls governing NO production in mesangial cells.


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