scholarly journals A tissue-specific self-interacting chromatin domain forms independently of enhancer-promoter interactions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill M Brown ◽  
Nigel A Roberts ◽  
Bryony Graham ◽  
Dominic Waithe ◽  
Christoffer Lagerholm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Erythroid Differentiation ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Ctcf Binding ◽  
Chromatin Domain ◽  
Globin Genes ◽  
Chromosome Conformation ◽  
Specific Element ◽  
Tissue Specific ◽  
Interacting Domain

A variety of self-interacting domains, defined at different levels of resolution, have been described in mammalian genomes. These include Chromatin Compartments (A and B)1, Topologically Associated Domains (TADs)2,3, contact domains4,5, sub-TADs6, insulated neighbourhoods7 and frequently interacting regions (FIREs)8. Whereas many studies have found the organisation of self-interacting domains to be conserved across cell types389, some do form in a lineage-specific manner6710. However, it is not clear to what degree such tissue-specific structures result from processes related to gene activity such as enhancer-promoter interactions or whether they form earlier during lineage commitment and are therefore likely to be prerequisite for promoting gene expression. To examine these models of genome organisation in detail, we used a combination of high-resolution chromosome conformation capture, a newly-developed form of quantitative fluorescence in-situ hybridisation and super-resolution imaging to study a 70 kb self-interacting domain containing the mouse α-globin locus. To understand how this self-interacting domain is established, we studied the region when the genes are inactive and during erythroid differentiation when the genes are progressively switched on. In contrast to many current models of long-range gene regulation, we show that an erythroid-specific, decompacted self-interacting domain, delimited by convergent CTCF/cohesin binding sites, forms prior to the onset of robust gene expression. Using previously established mouse models we show that formation of the self-interacting domain does not rely on interactions between the α-globin genes and their enhancers. As there are also no tissue-specific changes in CTCF binding, then formation of the domain may simply depend on the presence of activated lineage-specific cis-elements driving a transcription-independent mechanism for opening chromatin throughout the 70 kb region to create a permissive environment for gene expression. These findings are consistent with a model of loop-extrusion in which all segments of chromatin, within a region delimited by CTCF boundary elements, can contact each other. Our findings suggest that activation of tissue-specific element(s)within such a self-interacting region is sufficient to influence all chromatin within the domain.

scholarly journals Formation of a Tissue-Specific Histone Acetylation Pattern by the Hematopoietic Transcription Factor GATA-1

2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 1334-1340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle L. Letting ◽  
Carrie Rakowski ◽  
Mitchell J. Weiss ◽  
Gerd A. Blobel
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Histone Acetylation ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Globin Gene ◽  
Erythroid Cell ◽  
Chromatin Domain ◽  
Globin Genes ◽  
Tissue Specific ◽  
Acetylation Pattern

ABSTRACT One function of lineage-restricted transcription factors may be to control the formation of tissue-specific chromatin domains. In erythroid cells, the β-globin gene cluster undergoes developmentally regulated hyperacetylation of histones at the active globin genes and the locus control region (LCR). However, it is unknown which transcription factor(s) governs the establishment of this erythroid-specific chromatin domain. We measured histone acetylation at the β-globin locus in the erythroid cell line G1E, which is deficient for the essential hematopoietic transcription factor GATA-1. Restoration of GATA-1 activity in G1E cells led to a substantial increase in acetylation of histones H3 and H4 at the β-globin promoter and the LCR. Time course experiments showed that histone acetylation occurred rapidly after GATA-1 activation and coincided with globin gene expression, indicating that the effects of GATA-1 are direct. Moreover, increases in histone acetylation correlated with occupancy of GATA-1 and the acetyltransferase CBP at the locus in vivo. Together, these results suggest that GATA-1 and its cofactor CBP are essential for the formation of an erythroid-specific acetylation pattern that is permissive for high levels of gene expression.

scholarly journals A Novel Intron Element Operates Posttranscriptionally To Regulate Human N-mycExpression

1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise E. Sivak ◽  
Geneviève Pont-Kingdon ◽  
Kim Le ◽  
Gabriele Mayr ◽  
Kuei-Fang Tai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Specific Pattern ◽  
Genomic Amplification ◽  
Specific Element ◽  
Tissue Specific ◽  
First Intron ◽  
Intron 1 ◽  
Exon 1 ◽  
A Cell

ABSTRACT Precisely regulated expression of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes is essential for normal development, and deregulated expression can lead to cancer. The human N-myc gene normally is expressed in only a subset of fetal epithelial tissues, and its expression is extinguished in all adult tissues except transiently in pre-B lymphocytes. The N-myc gene is overexpressed due to genomic amplification in the childhood tumor neuroblastoma. In previous work to investigate mechanisms of regulation of human N-mycgene expression, we observed that N-mycpromoter–chloramphemicol acelyltransferase reporter constructs containing sequences 5′ to exon 1 were active in all cell types examined, regardless of whether endogenous N-myc RNA was detected. In contrast, inclusion of the first exon and a portion of the first intron allowed expression only in those cell types with detectable endogenous N-myc transcripts. We investigated further the mechanisms by which this tissue-specific control of N-myc expression is achieved. Using nuclear run-on analyses, we determined that the N-myc gene is actively transcribed in all cell types examined, indicating a posttranscriptional mode of regulation. Using a series of N-myc intron 1 deletion constructs, we localized a 116-bp element (tissue-specific element [TSE]) within the first intron that directs tissue-specific N-myc expression. The TSE can function independently to regulate expression of a heterologous promoter-reporter minigene in a cell-specific pattern that mirrors the expression pattern of the endogenous N-myc gene. Surprisingly, the TSE can function in both sense and antisense orientations to regulate gene expression. Our data indicate that the human N-myc TSE functions through a posttranscriptional mechanism to regulate N-myc expression.

Human globin gene promoter sequences are sufficient for specific expression of a hybrid gene transfected into tissue culture cells

1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 398-402
Author(s):  
T Rutherford ◽  
A W Nienhuis
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Globin Gene ◽  
Gene Promoter ◽  
Gene Promoters ◽  
Globin Genes ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Tissue Specific ◽  
Promoter Sequences ◽  
Erythroleukemia Cells ◽  
Murine Erythroleukemia

The contribution of the human globin gene promoters to tissue-specific transcription was studied by using globin promoters to transcribe the neo (G418 resistance) gene. After transfection into different cell types, neo gene expression was assayed by scoring colony formation in the presence of G418. In K562 human erythroleukemia cells, which express fetal and embryonic globin genes but not the adult beta-globin gene, the neo gene was expressed strongly from a fetal gamma- or embryonic zeta-globin gene promoter but only weakly from the beta promoter. In murine erythroleukemia cells which express the endogenous mouse beta genes, the neo gene was strongly expressed from both beta and gamma promoters. In two nonerythroid cell lines, human HeLa cells and mouse 3T3 fibroblasts, the globin gene promoters did not allow neo gene expression. Globin-neo genes were integrated in the erythroleukemia cell genomes mostly as a single copy per cell and were transcribed from the appropriate globin gene cap site. We conclude that globin gene promoter sequences extending from -373 to +48 base pairs (bp) (relative to the cap site) for the beta gene, -385 to +34 bp for the gamma gene, and -555 to +38 bp for the zeta gene are sufficient for tissue-specific and perhaps developmentally specific transcription.

scholarly journals Classification of topological domains based on gene expression and regulation

Genome ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 415-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingjing Zhao ◽  
Hongbo Shi ◽  
Nadav Ahituv
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Gene Ontology ◽  
Tissue Type ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Gene Expression And Regulation ◽  
Genome Chromosome ◽  
Chromosome Conformation ◽  
Topological Domains ◽  
Tissue Specific ◽  
Mouse Tissues

Tissue-specific gene expression is thought to be one of the major forces shaping mammalian gene order. A recent study that used whole-genome chromosome conformation assays has shown that the mammalian genome is divided into specific topological domains that are shared between different tissues and organisms. Here, we wanted to assess whether gene expression and regulation are involved in shaping these domains and can be used to classify them. We analyzed gene expression and regulation levels in these domains by using RNA-seq and enhancer-associated ChIP-seq datasets for 17 different mouse tissues. We found 162 domains that are active (high gene expression and regulation) in all 17 tissues. These domains are significantly shorter, contain less repeats, and have more housekeeping genes. In contrast, we found 29 domains that are inactive (low gene expression and regulation) in all analyzed tissues and are significantly longer, have more repeats, and gene deserts. Tissue-specific active domains showed some correlation with tissue-type and gene ontology. Domain temporal gene regulation and expression differences also displayed some gene ontology terms fitting their temporal function. Combined, our results provide a catalog of shared and tissue-specific topological domains and suggest that gene expression and regulation could have a role in shaping them.

scholarly journals A pitfall for machine learning methods aiming to predict across cell types

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Schreiber ◽  
Ritambhara Singh ◽  
Jeffrey Bilmes ◽  
William Stafford Noble
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Chromatin Domain ◽  
Learning Models ◽  
Machine Learning Methods ◽  
Domain Boundaries ◽  
Average Activity ◽  
Test Sets ◽  
Machine Learning Models

AbstractMachine learning models that predict genomic activity are most useful when they make accurate predictions across cell types. Here, we show that when the training and test sets contain the same genomic loci, the resulting model may falsely appear to perform well by effectively memorizing the average activity associated with each locus across the training cell types. We demonstrate this phenomenon in the context of predicting gene expression and chromatin domain boundaries, and we suggest methods to diagnose and avoid the pitfall. We anticipate that, as more data becomes available, future projects will increasingly risk suffering from this issue.

scholarly journals Functional Interactions between NURF and Ctcf Regulate Gene Expression

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 224-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhijun Qiu ◽  
Carolyn Song ◽  
Navid Malakouti ◽  
Daniel Murray ◽  
Aymen Hariz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Nucleosome Occupancy ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Ctcf Binding ◽  
Nucleosome Remodeling ◽  
Functional Interactions ◽  
Chromatin Remodeling Complexes ◽  
Reporter Assays

Gene expression frequently requires chromatin-remodeling complexes, and it is assumed that these complexes have common gene targets across cell types. Contrary to this belief, we show by genome-wide expression profiling that Bptf, an essential and unique subunit of the nucleosome-remodeling factor (NURF), predominantly regulates the expression of a unique set of genes between diverse cell types. Coincident with its functions in gene expression, we observed that Bptf is also important for regulating nucleosome occupancy at nucleosome-free regions (NFRs), many of which are located at sites occupied by the multivalent factors Ctcf and cohesin. NURF function at Ctcf binding sites could be direct, because Bptf occupies Ctcf binding sitesin vivoand has physical interactions with CTCF and the cohesin subunit SA2. Assays of several Ctcf binding sites using reporter assays showed that their regulatory activity requires Bptf in two different cell types. Focused studies atH2-K1showed that Bptf regulates the ability of Klf4 to bind near an upstream Ctcf site, possibly influencing gene expression. In combination, these studies demonstrate that gene expression as regulated by NURF occurs partly through physical and functional interactions with the ubiquitous and multivalent factors Ctcf and cohesin.

scholarly journals ETO-2 Associates with SCL in Erythroid Cells and Megakaryocytes and Provides Repressor Functions in Erythropoiesis

2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (23) ◽  
pp. 10235-10250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna H. Schuh ◽  
Alex J. Tipping ◽  
Allison J. Clark ◽  
Isla Hamlett ◽  
Boris Guyot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Fetal Liver ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Erythroid Differentiation ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Erythroid Cells ◽  
Proteomic Approach ◽  
Endogenous Proteins

ABSTRACT Lineage specification and cellular maturation require coordinated regulation of gene expression programs. In large part, this is dependent on the activator and repressor functions of protein complexes associated with tissue-specific transcriptional regulators. In this study, we have used a proteomic approach to characterize multiprotein complexes containing the key hematopoietic regulator SCL in erythroid and megakaryocytic cell lines. One of the novel SCL-interacting proteins identified in both cell types is the transcriptional corepressor ETO-2. Interaction between endogenous proteins was confirmed in primary cells. We then showed that SCL complexes are shared but also significantly differ in the two cell types. Importantly, SCL/ETO-2 interacts with another corepressor, Gfi-1b, in red cells but not megakaryocytes. The SCL/ETO-2/Gfi-1b association is lost during erythroid differentiation of primary fetal liver cells. Genetic studies of erythroid cells show that ETO-2 exerts a repressor effect on SCL target genes. We suggest that, through its association with SCL, ETO-2 represses gene expression in the early stages of erythroid differentiation and that alleviation/modulation of the repressive state is then required for expression of genes necessary for terminal erythroid maturation to proceed.

scholarly journals Cohesin disrupts polycomb-dependent chromosome interactions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
JDP Rhodes ◽  
A Feldmann ◽  
B Hernández-Rodríguez ◽  
N Díaz ◽  
JM Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Stem Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Gene Repression ◽  
Chromosome Conformation ◽  
Regulate Gene Expression ◽  
Topologically Associating Domains ◽  
Chromosome Organisation ◽  
Regulate Gene

AbstractHow chromosome organisation is related to genome function remains poorly understood. Cohesin, loop-extrusion, and CTCF have been proposed to create structures called topologically associating domains (TADs) to regulate gene expression. Here, we examine chromosome conformation in embryonic stem cells lacking cohesin and find as in other cell types that cohesin is required to create TADs and regulate A/B compartmentalisation. However, in the absence of cohesin we identify a series of long-range chromosomal interactions that persist. These correspond to regions of the genome occupied by the polycomb repressive system, depend on PRC1, and we discover that cohesin counteracts these interactions. This disruptive activity is independent of CTCF and TADs, and regulates gene repression by the polycomb system. Therefore, in contrast to the proposal that cohesin creates structure in chromosomes, we discover a new role for cohesin in disrupting polycomb-dependent chromosome interactions to regulate gene expression.

scholarly journals A pitfall for machine learning methods aiming to predict across cell types

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Schreiber ◽  
Ritambhara Singh ◽  
Jeffrey Bilmes ◽  
William Stafford Noble
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Chromatin Domain ◽  
Genomic Locus ◽  
Enhancer Activity ◽  
Domain Boundaries ◽  
Multiple Cell ◽  
Average Activity ◽  
Predict Gene Expression

AbstractMachine learning models used to predict phenomena such as gene expression, enhancer activity, transcription factor binding, or chromatin conformation are most useful when they can generalize to make accurate predictions across cell types. In this situation, a natural strategy is to train the model on experimental data from some cell types and evaluate performance on one or more held-out cell types. In this work, we show that when the training set contains examples derived from the same genomic loci across multiple cell types, the resulting model can be susceptible to a particular form of bias related to memorizing the average activity associated with each genomic locus. Consequently, the trained model may appear to perform well when evaluated on the genomic loci that it was trained on but tends to perform poorly on loci that it was not trained on. We demonstrate this phenomenon by using epigenomic measurements and nucleotide sequence to predict gene expression and chromatin domain boundaries, and we suggest methods to diagnose and avoid the pitfall. We anticipate that, as more data and computing resources become available, future projects will increasingly risk suffering from this issue.

scholarly journals Comprehensive characterization of tissue-specific chromatin accessibility in L2 Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Durham ◽  
Riza M. Daza ◽  
Louis Gevirtzman ◽  
Darren A. Cusanovich ◽  
William Stafford Noble ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Chromatin Accessibility ◽  
Gene Expression Patterns ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Tissue Specific ◽  
C Elegans

AbstractRecently developed single cell technologies allow researchers to characterize cell states at ever greater resolution and scale. C. elegans is a particularly tractable system for studying development, and recent single cell RNA-seq studies characterized the gene expression patterns for nearly every cell type in the embryo and at the second larval stage (L2). Gene expression patterns are useful for learning about gene function and give insight into the biochemical state of different cell types; however, in order to understand these cell types, we must also determine how these gene expression levels are regulated. We present the first single cell ATAC-seq study in C. elegans. We collected data in L2 larvae to match the available single cell RNA-seq data set, and we identify tissue-specific chromatin accessibility patterns that align well with existing data, including the L2 single cell RNA-seq results. Using a novel implementation of the latent Dirichlet allocation algorithm, we leverage the single-cell resolution of the sci-ATAC-seq data to identify accessible loci at the level of individual cell types, providing new maps of putative cell type-specific gene regulatory sites, with promise for better understanding of cellular differentiation and gene regulation in the worm.

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