Multiple epistatic DNA variants in a single gene affect gene expression in trans

Genetics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila Lutz ◽  
Krisna Van Dyke ◽  
Matthew A Feraru ◽  
Frank W Albert
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Genome Engineering ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Ras Signaling ◽  
Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Epistatic Interactions ◽  
Dna Variants ◽  
Causal Variants ◽  
In Trans ◽  
Molecular Architectures

Abstract DNA variants that alter gene expression in trans are important sources of phenotypic variation. Nevertheless, the identity of trans-acting variants remains poorly understood. Single causal variants in several genes have been reported to affect the expression of numerous distant genes in trans. Whether these simple molecular architectures are representative of trans-acting variation is unknown. Here, we studied the large RAS signaling regulator gene IRA2, which contains variants with extensive trans-acting effects on gene expression in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We used systematic CRISPR-based genome engineering and a sensitive phenotyping strategy to dissect causal variants to the nucleotide level. In contrast to the simple molecular architectures known so far, IRA2 contained at least seven causal nonsynonymous variants. The effects of these variants were modulated by non-additive, epistatic interactions. Two variants at the 5′-end affected gene expression and growth only when combined with a third variant that also had no effect in isolation. Our findings indicate that the molecular basis of trans-acting genetic variation may be considerably more complex than previously appreciated.

scholarly journals Massively parallel identification of causal variants underlying gene expression differences in a yeast cross

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaushik Renganaath ◽  
Rocky Cheung ◽  
Laura Day ◽  
Sriram Kosuri ◽  
Leonid Kruglyak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Complex Traits ◽  
Massively Parallel ◽  
Epistatic Interactions ◽  
Regulatory Variants ◽  
Causal Variants ◽  
Massively Parallel Reporter Assay ◽  
Regulatory Dna ◽  
Affect Gene Expression

AbstractSequence variation in regulatory DNA alters gene expression and shapes genetically complex traits. However, the identification of individual, causal regulatory variants is challenging. Here, we used a massively parallel reporter assay to measure the cis-regulatory consequences of 5,832 natural DNA variants in the promoters of 2,503 genes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We identified 451 causal variants, which underlie genetic loci known to affect gene expression. Several promoters harbored multiple causal variants. In five promoters, pairs of variants showed non-additive, epistatic interactions. Causal variants were enriched at conserved nucleotides, tended to have low derived allele frequency, and were depleted from promoters of essential genes, which is consistent with the action of negative selection. Causal variants were also enriched for alterations in transcription factor binding sites. Models integrating these features provided modest, but statistically significant, ability to predict causal variants. This work revealed a complex molecular basis for cis-acting regulatory variation.

scholarly journals Systematic identification of cis-regulatory variants that cause gene expression differences in a yeast cross

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaushik Renganaath ◽  
Rocky Cheung ◽  
Laura Day ◽  
Sriram Kosuri ◽  
Leonid Kruglyak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Complex Traits ◽  
Epistatic Interactions ◽  
Regulatory Variants ◽  
Causal Variants ◽  
Massively Parallel Reporter Assay ◽  
Regulatory Dna ◽  
Systematic Identification ◽  
Affect Gene Expression

Sequence variation in regulatory DNA alters gene expression and shapes genetically complex traits. However, the identification of individual, causal regulatory variants is challenging. Here, we used a massively parallel reporter assay to measure the cis-regulatory consequences of 5832 natural DNA variants in the promoters of 2503 genes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We identified 451 causal variants, which underlie genetic loci known to affect gene expression. Several promoters harbored multiple causal variants. In five promoters, pairs of variants showed non-additive, epistatic interactions. Causal variants were enriched at conserved nucleotides, tended to have low derived allele frequency, and were depleted from promoters of essential genes, which is consistent with the action of negative selection. Causal variants were also enriched for alterations in transcription factor binding sites. Models integrating these features provided modest, but statistically significant, ability to predict causal variants. This work revealed a complex molecular basis for cis-acting regulatory variation.

Linking transcription, RNA polymerase II elongation and alternative splicing

2020 ◽  
Vol 477 (16) ◽  
pp. 3091-3104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana E. Giono ◽  
Alberto R. Kornblihtt
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Alternative Splicing ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Transcription Elongation ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Regulation Of Transcription ◽  
Stepping Stones ◽  
Eukaryotic Transcription

Gene expression is an intricately regulated process that is at the basis of cell differentiation, the maintenance of cell identity and the cellular responses to environmental changes. Alternative splicing, the process by which multiple functionally distinct transcripts are generated from a single gene, is one of the main mechanisms that contribute to expand the coding capacity of genomes and help explain the level of complexity achieved by higher organisms. Eukaryotic transcription is subject to multiple layers of regulation both intrinsic — such as promoter structure — and dynamic, allowing the cell to respond to internal and external signals. Similarly, alternative splicing choices are affected by all of these aspects, mainly through the regulation of transcription elongation, making it a regulatory knob on a par with the regulation of gene expression levels. This review aims to recapitulate some of the history and stepping-stones that led to the paradigms held today about transcription and splicing regulation, with major focus on transcription elongation and its effect on alternative splicing.

Stop the new gene, the alien: Predicted breakdown of MYB overexpression by ncRNA mediated gene regulations

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
NEHA SINGH ◽  
INDERJEET BHOGAL ◽  
ABHISHEK KUMAR ◽  
PUNIT TYAGI ◽  
GIRIJA SIKARWAR ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Neutral Theory ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Warning Sign ◽  
Cellular Mechanisms ◽  
Constitutive Overexpression ◽  
New Gene ◽  
Altered Gene ◽  
Growing Conditions

Acclimatization is a process that occurs in individual cells to a drastic change in micro and macro environments. When an organism is subjected to a new environment or a change in its normal growing conditions, the cellular mechanisms initiate a warning sign and over a period of time or over generations the acquired, modified traits are being communicated and fixed as a new trait. If there is lack of equilibrium within the cell due to over expression of a single gene or network of associated genes either manmade or due to mutations, the organism or plant tries to fix it by initiating gene regulatory mechanisms. According to our neutral theory of gene expression, always a cell tries to maintain its pH by modifying its cytosol through altered gene expression. In the present investigation, 198 AtMYB genes were analyzed and found to play an intrinsic photosystem linked network of 38 nodes where MYB being regulated by a set of 48 miRNAs. Members of the network have evidence-based link to energy related mechanisms. Altering gene expression to an extent where, the cell may not be able to fix it or a trait, which requires excessive energy loss escorts the organism’s gene regulation by breakdown of the introduced sequence over few generations. Events with constitutive overexpression may suffer poor performance over the years based on gene network prevailing in the crop of interest. Hence, network rewiring with minimal energy expenses is concerned.

scholarly journals Alternative splicing landscapes in Arabidopsis thaliana across tissues and stress conditions highlight major functional differences with animals

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guiomar Martín ◽  
Yamile Márquez ◽  
Federica Mantica ◽  
Paula Duque ◽  
Manuel Irimia
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Alternative Splicing ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Intron Retention ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Exon Skipping ◽  
Environmental Response ◽  
Biotic Stresses

Abstract Background Alternative splicing (AS) is a widespread regulatory mechanism in multicellular organisms. Numerous transcriptomic and single-gene studies in plants have investigated AS in response to specific conditions, especially environmental stress, unveiling substantial amounts of intron retention that modulate gene expression. However, a comprehensive study contrasting stress-response and tissue-specific AS patterns and directly comparing them with those of animal models is still missing. Results We generate a massive resource for Arabidopsis thaliana, PastDB, comprising AS and gene expression quantifications across tissues, development and environmental conditions, including abiotic and biotic stresses. Harmonized analysis of these datasets reveals that A. thaliana shows high levels of AS, similar to fruitflies, and that, compared to animals, disproportionately uses AS for stress responses. We identify core sets of genes regulated specifically by either AS or transcription upon stresses or among tissues, a regulatory specialization that is tightly mirrored by the genomic features of these genes. Unexpectedly, non-intron retention events, including exon skipping, are overrepresented across regulated AS sets in A. thaliana, being also largely involved in modulating gene expression through NMD and uORF inclusion. Conclusions Non-intron retention events have likely been functionally underrated in plants. AS constitutes a distinct regulatory layer controlling gene expression upon internal and external stimuli whose target genes and master regulators are hardwired at the genomic level to specifically undergo post-transcriptional regulation. Given the higher relevance of AS in the response to different stresses when compared to animals, this molecular hardwiring is likely required for a proper environmental response in A. thaliana.

scholarly journals Identification of the functional components of the Ras signaling pathway regulating pituitary cell-specific gene expression.

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 1553-1565 ◽  
Author(s):  
K E Conrad ◽  
J M Oberwetter ◽  
R Vaillancourt ◽  
G L Johnson ◽  
A Gutierrez-Hartmann
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Pituitary Cell ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Ras Signaling ◽  
Raf Kinase ◽  
Prolactin Gene ◽  
Ras Signaling Pathway ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein ◽  
Prolactin Promoter

Ras, a small GTP-binding protein, is required for functional receptor tyrosine kinase signaling. Ultimately, Ras alters the activity of specific nuclear transcription factors and regulates novel patterns of gene expression. Using a rat prolactin promoter construct in transient transfection experiments, we show that both oncogenic Ras and activated forms of Raf-1 kinase selectively stimulated the cellular rat prolactin promoter in GH4 rat pituitary cells. We also show that the Ras signal is completely blocked by an expression vector encoding a dominant-negative Raf kinase. Additionally, using a molecular genetic approach, we determined that inhibitory forms of p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase and an Ets-2 transcription factor interfere with both the Ras and the Raf activation of the rat prolactin promoter. These findings define a functional requirement for these signaling constituents in the activation of the prolactin gene, a cell-specific gene which marks the lactotroph pituitary cell type. Further, this analysis allowed us to order the components in the Ras signaling pathway as it impinges on regulation of prolactin gene transcription as Ras-->Raf kinase-->mitogen-activated protein kinase-->Ets. In contrast, we show that intact c-Jun expression inhibited the Ras-induced activation of the prolactin promoter, defining it as a negative regulator of this pathway, whereas c-Jun was able to enhance the Ras activation of an AP-1-driven promoter in GH4 cells. These data show that c-Jun is not the nuclear mediator of the Ras signal for the highly specialized, pituitary cell-specific prolactin cellular promoter. Thus, we have defined a model system which provides an ideal paradigm for studying Ras/Raf signaling pathways and their effects on neuroendocrine cell-specific gene regulation.

scholarly journals A First Step towards Learning which uORFs Regulate Gene Expression

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Christopher H. Bryant ◽  
Graham J.L. Kemp ◽  
Marija Cvijovic
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Inductive Logic ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Open Reading Frames ◽  
Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Regulate Gene Expression ◽  
Integrative System ◽  
Upstream Open Reading Frames ◽  
Reading Frames ◽  
Regulate Gene

Summary We have taken a first step towards learning which upstream Open Reading Frames (uORFs) regulate gene expression (i.e., which uORFs are functional) in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We do this by integrating data from several resources and combining a bioinformatics tool, ORF Finder, with a machine learning technique, inductive logic programming (ILP). Here, we report the challenge of using ILP as part of this integrative system, in order to automatically generate a model that identifies functional uORFs. Our method makes searching for novel functional uORFs more efficient than random sampling. An attempt has been made to predict novel functional uORFs using our method. Some preliminary evidence that our model may be biologically meaningful is presented.

scholarly journals High-performance chemical- and light-inducible recombinases in mammalian cells and mice

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin H. Weinberg ◽  
Jang Hwan Cho ◽  
Yash Agarwal ◽  
N. T. Hang Pham ◽  
Leidy D. Caraballo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Genome Engineering ◽  
Genetic Circuits ◽  
Control Of Gene Expression ◽  
Expression Control ◽  
Gene Expression Control ◽  
High Performance Systems ◽  
Spatiotemporal Control

Abstract Site-specific DNA recombinases are important genome engineering tools. Chemical- and light-inducible recombinases, in particular, enable spatiotemporal control of gene expression. However, inducible recombinases are scarce due to the challenge of engineering high performance systems, thus constraining the sophistication of genetic circuits and animal models that can be created. Here we present a library of >20 orthogonal inducible split recombinases that can be activated by small molecules, light and temperature in mammalian cells and mice. Furthermore, we engineer inducible split Cre systems with better performance than existing systems. Using our orthogonal inducible recombinases, we create a genetic switchboard that can independently regulate the expression of 3 different cytokines in the same cell, a tripartite inducible Flp, and a 4-input AND gate. We quantitatively characterize the inducible recombinases for benchmarking their performances, including computation of distinguishability of outputs. This library expands capabilities for multiplexed mammalian gene expression control.

The Cloning and Mapping of ADR6, a Gene Required for Sporulation and for Expression of the Alcohol Dehydrogenase II Isozyme From Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Genetics ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 116 (4) ◽  
pp. 531-540
Author(s):  
Aileen K W Taguchi ◽  
Elton T Young
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Alcohol Dehydrogenase ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Transcription Unit ◽  
Yeast Cells ◽  
Recessive Mutation ◽  
Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Upstream Activating Sequence ◽  
A Site

ABSTRACT The alcohol dehydrogenase II (ADH2) gene of the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is not transcribed during growth on fermentable carbon sources such as glucose. Growth of yeast cells in a medium containing only nonfermentable carbon sources leads to a marked increase or derepression of ADH2 expression. The recessive mutation, adr6-1, leads to an inability to fully derepress ADH2 expression and to an inability to sporulate. The ADR6 gene product appears to act directly or indirectly on ADH2 sequences 3' to or including the presumptive TATAA box. The upstream activating sequence (UAS) located 5' to the TATAA box is not required for the Adr6- phenotype. Here, we describe the isolation of a recombinant plasmid containing the wild-type ADR6 gene. ADR6 codes for a 4.4-kb RNA which is present during growth both on glucose and on nonfermentable carbon sources. Disruption of the ADR6 transcription unit led to viable cells with decreased ADHII activity and an inability to sporulate. This indicates that both phenotypes result from mutations within a single gene and that the adr6-1 allele was representative of mutations at this locus. The ADR6 gene mapped to the left arm of chromosome XVI at a site 18 centimorgans from the centromere.

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