Two Pax-binding sites are required for early embryonic brain expression of an Engrailed-2 transgene

The temporally and spatially restricted expression of the mouse Engrailed (En) genes is essential for development of the midbrain and cerebellum. The regulation of En-2 expression was studied using in vitro protein-DNA binding assays and in vivo expression analysis in transgenic mice to gain insight into the genetic events that lead to regionalization of the developing brain. A minimum En-2 1.0 kb enhancer fragment was defined and found to contain multiple positive and negative regulatory elements that function in concert to establish the early embryonic mid-hindbrain expression. Furthermore, the mid-hindbrain regulatory sequences were shown to be structurally and functionally conserved in humans. The mouse paired-box-containing genes Pax-2, Pax-5 and Pax-8 show overlapping expression with the En genes in the developing brain. Significantly, two DNA-binding sites for Pax-2, Pax-5 and Pax-8 proteins were identified in the 1.0 kb En-2 regulatory sequences, and mutation of the binding sites disrupted initiation and maintenance of expression in transgenic mice. These results present strong molecular evidence that the Pax genes are direct upstream regulators of En-2 in the genetic cascade controlling mid-hindbrain development. These mouse studies, taken together with others in Drosophila and zebrafish on the role of Pax genes in controlling expression of En family members, indicate that a Pax-En genetic pathway has been conserved during evolution.

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Accurate and sensitive quantification of protein-DNA binding affinity

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1714376115 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 115 (16) ◽

pp. E3692-E3701 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Chaitanya Rastogi ◽

H. Tomas Rube ◽

Judith F. Kribelbauer ◽

Justin Crocker ◽

Ryan E. Loker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Dna Binding ◽

Binding Sites ◽

Biophysical Model ◽

Regulatory Sequences ◽

Binding Modes ◽

Perfect Agreement ◽

Dna Binding Sites

Transcription factors (TFs) control gene expression by binding to genomic DNA in a sequence-specific manner. Mutations in TF binding sites are increasingly found to be associated with human disease, yet we currently lack robust methods to predict these sites. Here, we developed a versatile maximum likelihood framework named No Read Left Behind (NRLB) that infers a biophysical model of protein-DNA recognition across the full affinity range from a library of in vitro selected DNA binding sites. NRLB predicts human Max homodimer binding in near-perfect agreement with existing low-throughput measurements. It can capture the specificity of the p53 tetramer and distinguish multiple binding modes within a single sample. Additionally, we confirm that newly identified low-affinity enhancer binding sites are functional in vivo, and that their contribution to gene expression matches their predicted affinity. Our results establish a powerful paradigm for identifying protein binding sites and interpreting gene regulatory sequences in eukaryotic genomes.

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Delimiting regulatory sequences of the Drosophila melanogaster Ddc gene

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.6.12.4548-4557.1986 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 6 (12) ◽

pp. 4548-4557

Author(s):

J Hirsh ◽

B A Morgan ◽

S B Scholnick

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Germ Line ◽

Regulatory Elements ◽

P Element ◽

Developmental Expression ◽

Upstream Region ◽

Regulatory Sequences ◽

Flanking Sequences

We delimited sequences necessary for in vivo expression of the Drosophila melanogaster dopa decarboxylase gene Ddc. The expression of in vitro-altered genes was assayed following germ line integration via P-element vectors. Sequences between -209 and -24 were necessary for normally regulated expression, although genes lacking these sequences could be expressed at 10 to 50% of wild-type levels at specific developmental times. These genes showed components of normal developmental expression, which suggests that they retain some regulatory elements. All Ddc genes lacking the normal immediate 5'-flanking sequences were grossly deficient in larval central nervous system expression. Thus, this upstream region must contain at least one element necessary for this expression. A mutated Ddc gene without a normal TATA boxlike sequence used the normal RNA start points, indicating that this sequences is not required for start point specificity.

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The closely related Drosophila sry beta and sry delta zinc finger proteins show differential embryonic expression and distinct patterns of binding sites on polytene chromosomes

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.110.1.141 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 110 (1) ◽

pp. 141-149 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

F. Payre ◽

S. Noselli ◽

V. Lefrere ◽

A. Vincent

Keyword(s):

Dna Binding ◽

Binding Sites ◽

Polytene Chromosomes ◽

Duplication Event ◽

Amino Acid Sequences ◽

Evolutionary Divergence ◽

Coding Region ◽

Protein Coding

Serendipity (sry) beta (beta) and delta (delta) are two finger protein genes resulting from a duplication event. Comparison of their respective protein products shows interspersed blocks of conserved and divergent amino-acid sequences. The most extensively conserved region corresponds to the predicted DNA-binding domain which includes 6 contiguous fingers; no significant sequence conservation is found upstream and downstream of the protein-coding region. We have analysed the evolutionary divergence of the sry beta and delta proteins on two separate levels, their embryonic pattern of expression and their DNA-binding properties in vitro and in vivo. By using specific antibodies and transformant lines containing beta-galactosidase fusion genes, we show that the sry beta and sry delta proteins are maternally inherited and present in embryonic nuclei at the onset of zygotic transcription, suggesting that they are transcription factors involved in this process. Zygotic synthesis of the sry beta protein starts during nuclear division cycles 12–13, prior to cellularisation of the blastoderm, while the zygotic sry delta protein is not detectable before germ band extension (stage 10 embryos). Contrary to sry delta, the zygotic sry beta protein constitutes only a minor fraction of the total embryonic protein. The sry beta and delta proteins made in E. coli bind to DNA, with partly overlapping specificities. Their in vivo patterns of binding to DNA, visualised by immunostaining polytene chromosomes, differ both in the number and position of their binding sites. Thus changes in expression pattern and DNA-binding specificity have contributed to the evolution of the sry beta and delta genes.

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The chromatin, topological and regulatory properties of pluripotency-associated poised enhancers are conserved in vivo

10.1101/2021.01.18.427085 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Giuliano Crispatzu ◽

Rizwan Rehimi ◽

Tomas Pachano ◽

Tore Bleckwehl ◽

Sara de la Cruz Molina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Embryonic Stem ◽

Regulatory Elements ◽

Small Subset ◽

Regulatory Sequences ◽

Pluripotent Cells ◽

Developmental Genes ◽

Topological Features ◽

Regulatory Properties

AbstractPoised enhancers (PEs) represent a limited and genetically distinct set of distal regulatory elements that control the induction of developmental genes in a hierarchical and non-redundant manner. Before becoming activated in differentiating cells, PEs are already bookmarked in pluripotent cells with unique chromatin and topological features that could contribute to their privileged regulatory properties. However, since PEs were originally identified and subsequently characterized using embryonic stem cells (ESC) as an in vitro differentiation system, it is currently unknown whether PEs are functionally conserved in vivo. Here, we generate and mine various types of genomic data to show that the chromatin and 3D structural features of PEs are conserved among mouse pluripotent cells both in vitro and in vivo. We also uncovered that, in mouse pluripotent cells, the interactions between PEs and their bivalent target genes are globally controlled by the combined action of Polycomb, Trithorax and architectural proteins. Moreover, distal regulatory sequences located close to developmental genes and displaying the typical genetic (i.e. proximity to CpG islands) and chromatin (i.e. high accessibility and H3K27me3 levels) features of PEs are commonly found across vertebrates. These putative PEs show high sequence conservation, preferentially within specific vertebrate clades, with only a small subset being evolutionary conserved across all vertebrates. Lastly, by genetically disrupting evolutionary conserved PEs in mouse and chicken embryos, we demonstrate that these regulatory elements play essential and non-redundant roles during the induction of major developmental genes in vivo.

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Transducing positional information to the Hox genes: critical interaction of cdx gene products with position-sensitive regulatory elements

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.125.22.4349 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 125 (22) ◽

pp. 4349-4358 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

J. Charite ◽

W. de Graaff ◽

D. Consten ◽

M.J. Reijnen ◽

J. Korving ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Binding Sites ◽

Hox Genes ◽

Regulatory Element ◽

Ectopic Expression ◽

Positional Information ◽

Regulatory Elements ◽

Gene Products ◽

Anteroposterior Patterning

Studies of pattern formation in the vertebrate central nervous system indicate that anteroposterior positional information is generated in the embryo by signalling gradients of an as yet unknown nature. We searched for transcription factors that transduce this information to the Hox genes. Based on the assumption that the activity levels of such factors might vary with position along the anteroposterior axis, we devised an in vivo assay to detect responsiveness of cis-acting sequences to such differentially active factors. We used this assay to analyze a Hoxb8 regulatory element, and detected the most pronounced response in a short stretch of DNA containing a cluster of potential CDX binding sites. We show that differentially expressed DNA binding proteins are present in gastrulating embryos that bind to these sites in vitro, that cdx gene products are among these, and that binding site mutations that abolish binding of these proteins completely destroy the ability of the regulatory element to drive regionally restricted expression in the embryo. Finally, we show that ectopic expression of cdx gene products anteriorizes expression of reporter transgenes driven by this regulatory element, as well as that of the endogenous Hoxb8 gene, in a manner that is consistent with them being essential transducers of positional information. These data suggest that, in contrast to Drosophila Caudal, vertebrate cdx gene products transduce positional information directly to the Hox genes, acting through CDX binding sites in their enhancers. This may represent the ancestral mode of action of caudal homologues, which are involved in anteroposterior patterning in organisms with widely divergent body plans and modes of development.

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Binding of disparate transcriptional activators to nucleosomal DNA is inherently cooperative.

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.15.3.1405 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 1405-1421 ◽

Cited By ~ 197

Author(s):

C C Adams ◽

J L Workman

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factors ◽

Dna Binding ◽

Binding Sites ◽

Specific Binding ◽

General Mechanism ◽

Nf Kappa B ◽

Nucleosomal Dna ◽

Nucleosome Binding

To investigate mechanisms by which multiple transcription factors access complex promoters and enhancers within cellular chromatin, we have analyzed the binding of disparate factors to nucleosome cores. We used a purified in vitro system to analyze binding of four activator proteins, two GAL4 derivatives, USF, and NF-kappa B (KBF1), to reconstituted nucleosome cores containing different combinations of binding sites. Here we show that binding of any two or all three of these factors to nucleosomal DNA is inherently cooperative. Thus, the binuclear Zn clusters of GAL4, the helix-loop-helix/basic domains of USF, and the rel domain of NF-kappa B all participated in cooperative nucleosome binding, illustrating that this effect is not restricted to a particular DNA-binding domain. Simultaneous binding by two factors increased the affinity of individual factors for nucleosomal DNA by up to 2 orders of magnitude. Importantly, cooperative binding resulted in efficient nucleosome binding by factors (USF and NF-kappa B) which independently possess little nucleosome-binding ability. The participation of GAL4 derivatives in cooperative nucleosome binding required only DNA-binding and dimerization domains, indicating that disruption of histone-DNA contacts by factor binding was responsible for the increased affinity of additional factors. Cooperative nucleosome binding required sequence-specific binding of all transcription factors, appeared to have spatial constraints, and was independent of the orientation of the binding sites on the nucleosome. These results indicate that cooperative nucleosome binding is a general mechanism that may play a significant role in loading complex enhancer and promoter elements with multiple diverse factors in chromatin and contribute to the generation of threshold responses and transcriptional synergy by multiple activator sites in vivo.

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The homeodomain region controls the phenotype of HOX-induced murine leukemia

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2011-10-384685 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 120 (19) ◽

pp. 4018-4027 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Constanze Breitinger ◽

Emanuel Maethner ◽

Maria-Paz Garcia-Cuellar ◽

Robert K. Slany

Keyword(s):

Dna Binding ◽

Binding Sites ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Hox Proteins ◽

Hematopoietic Development ◽

N Terminus ◽

Fast Acting ◽

Murine Leukemia

Abstract HOX proteins are widely involved in hematopoietic development. These transcription factors combine a conserved DNA-binding homeobox with a divergent N-terminus that mediates interaction with variable cofactors. The resulting combinatorial diversity is thought to be responsible for mammalian HOX specificity. Contrasting this proposed mechanism for normal HOX function, here we demonstrate that, in the context of hematopoietic immortalization and leukemogenesis, individual HOX properties are governed almost exclusively by the homeodomain. Swap experiments between HOXA1 and HOXA9, 2 members of nonrelated paralog groups, revealed that gene expression patterns of HOX transformed cells in vitro are determined by the nature of the homeodomain. Similar results were seen in vivo during HOX-mediated leukemogenesis. An exchange of the homeodomains was sufficient to convert the slow, low-penetrance phenotype of HOXA1-induced leukemia to the aggressive fast-acting disease elicited by HOXA9 and vice versa. Mutation and deletion studies identified several subregions within the DNA binding domain responsible for paralog specificity. Previously defined binding sites for PBX cofactors within the exchangeable, nonhomeobox segment were dispensable for in vitro oncogenic HOX activity but affected in vivo disease development. The transcriptional activator domain shared by HOXA1 and HOXA9 at the very N-terminus proved essential for all transformation.

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Subunit composition determines E2F DNA-binding site specificity.

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.17.12.6994 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 17 (12) ◽

pp. 6994-7007 ◽

Cited By ~ 84

Author(s):

Y Tao ◽

R F Kassatly ◽

W D Cress ◽

J M Horowitz

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Dna Binding ◽

Binding Sites ◽

Dna Bending ◽

Susceptibility Gene ◽

Specific Sequence ◽

Cellular Genes ◽

Cycle Dependent

The product of the retinoblastoma (Rb) susceptibility gene, Rb-1, regulates the activity of a wide variety of transcription factors, such as E2F, in a cell cycle-dependent fashion. E2F is a heterodimeric transcription factor composed of two subunits each encoded by one of two related gene families, denoted E2F and DP. Five E2F genes, E2F-1 through E2F-5, and two DP genes, DP-1 and DP-2, have been isolated from mammals, and heterodimeric complexes of these proteins are expressed in most, if not all, vertebrate cells. It is not yet clear whether E2F/DP complexes regulate overlapping and/or specific cellular genes. Moreover, little is known about whether Rb regulates all or a subset of E2F-dependent genes. Using recombinant E2F, DP, and Rb proteins prepared in baculovirus-infected cells and a repetitive immunoprecipitation-PCR procedure (CASTing), we have identified consensus DNA-binding sites for E2F-1/DP-1, E2F-1/DP-2, E2F-4/DP-1, and E2F-4/DP-2 complexes as well as an Rb/E2F-1/DP-1 trimeric complex. Our data indicate that (i) E2F, DP, and Rb proteins each influence the selection of E2F-binding sites; (ii) E2F sites differ with respect to their intrinsic DNA-bending properties; (iii) E2F/DP complexes induce distinct degrees of DNA bending; and (iv) complex-specific E2F sites selected in vitro function distinctly as regulators of cell cycle-dependent transcription in vivo. These data indicate that the specific sequence of an E2F site may determine its role in transcriptional regulation and suggest that Rb/E2F complexes may regulate subsets of E2F-dependent cellular genes.

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Paired CRISPR/Cas9 guide-RNAs enable high-throughput deletion scanning (ScanDel) of a Mendelian disease locus for functionally critical non-coding elements

10.1101/092445 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Molly Gasperini ◽

Gregory M. Findlay ◽

Aaron McKenna ◽

Jennifer H. Milbank ◽

Choli Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Transcriptional Start Site ◽

Regulatory Elements ◽

Mendelian Disease ◽

Regulatory Sequences ◽

Coding Region ◽

Endogenous Gene ◽

Distal Regulatory Elements

AbstractThe extent to which distal non-coding mutations contribute to Mendelian disease remains a major unknown in human genetics. Given that a gene’s in vivo function can be appropriately modeled in vitro, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing enables the large-scale perturbation of distal non-coding regions to identify functional elements in their native context. However, early attempts at such screens have relied on one individual guide RNA (gRNA) per cell, resulting in sparse mutagenesis with minimal redundancy across regions of interest. To address this, we developed a system that uses pairs of gRNAs to program thousands of kilobase-scale deletions that scan across a targeted region in a tiling fashion (“ScanDel”). As a proof-of-concept, we applied ScanDel to program 4,342 overlapping 1- and 2- kilobase (Kb) deletions that tile a 206 Kb region centered on HPRT1, the gene underlying Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, with median 27-fold redundancy per base. Programmed deletions were functionally assayed by selecting for loss of HPRT1 function with 6-thioguanine. HPRT1 exons served as positive controls, and all were successfully identified as functionally critical by the screen. Remarkably, HPRT1 function appeared robust to deletion of any intergenic or deeply intronic non-coding region across the 206 Kb locus, indicating that proximal regulatory sequences are sufficient for its expression. A sparser mutagenesis screen of the same 206 Kb with individual gRNAs also failed to identify critical distal regulatory elements. Although our screen did find programmed deletions and individual gRNAs with putative functional consequences that targeted exon-proximal non-coding sequences (e.g. the promoter), long-read sequencing revealed that this signal was driven almost entirely by rare, unexpected deletions that extended into exonic sequence. These targeted validation experiments defined a small region surrounding the transcriptional start site as the only non-coding sequence essential to HPRT1 function. Overall, our results suggest that distal regulatory elements are not critical for HPRT1 expression, and underscore the necessity of comprehensive edited-locus genotyping for validating the results of CRISPR screens. The application of ScanDel to additional loci will enable more insight into the extent to which the disruption of distal non-coding elements contributes to Mendelian diseases. In addition, dense, redundant, large-scale deletion scanning with gRNA pairs will facilitate a deeper understanding of endogenous gene regulation in the human genome.

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The MCP silencer of theDrosophila Abd-Bgene requires both Pleiohomeotic and GAGA factor for the maintenance of repression

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.128.11.2163 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 128 (11) ◽

pp. 2163-2173 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Ana Busturia ◽

Alan Lloyd ◽

Fernando Bejarano ◽

Michael Zavortink ◽

Hua Xin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reporter Gene ◽

Binding Sites ◽

Mutational Analysis ◽

Regulatory Elements ◽

Homeotic Gene ◽

Gaga Factor ◽

Polycomb Response Elements ◽

Silencer Element

Silencing of homeotic gene expression requires the function of cis-regulatory elements known as Polycomb Response Elements (PREs). The MCP silencer element of the Drosophila homeotic gene Abdominal-B has been shown to behave as a PRE and to be required for silencing throughout development. Using deletion analysis and reporter gene assays, we defined a 138 bp sequence within the MCP silencer that is sufficient for silencing of a reporter gene in the imaginal discs. Within the MCP138 fragment, there are four binding sites for the Pleiohomeotic protein (PHO) and two binding sites for the GAGA factor (GAF), encoded by the Trithorax-like gene. PHO and the GAF proteins bind to these sites in vitro. Mutational analysis of PHO and GAF binding sequences indicate that these sites are necessary for silencing in vivo. Moreover, silencing by MCP138 depends on the function of the Trithorax-like gene, and on the function of the PcG genes, including pleiohomeotic. Deletion and mutational analyses show that, individually, either PHO or GAF binding sites retain only weak silencing activity. However, when both PHO and GAF binding sites are present, they achieve strong silencing. We present a model in which robust silencing is achieved by sequential and facilitated binding of PHO and GAF.

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