scholarly journals Quantitative spatial and temporal assessment of regulatory element activity in zebrafish

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shipra Bhatia ◽  
Dirk Jan Kleinjan ◽  
Kirsty Uttley ◽  
Anita Mann ◽  
Nefeli Dellepiane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Risk ◽  
Regulatory Element ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Enhancer Activity ◽  
Fluorescent Reporter ◽  
Dual Reporter ◽  
Transgenic Lines ◽  
Element Activity ◽  
The Impact

Mutations or genetic variation in noncoding regions of the genome harbouring cis-regulatory elements (CREs), or enhancers, have been widely implicated in human disease and disease risk. However, our ability to assay the impact of these DNA sequence changes on enhancer activity is currently very limited because of the need to assay these elements in an appropriate biological context. Here, we describe a method for simultaneous quantitative assessment of the spatial and temporal activity of wild-type and disease-associated mutant human CRE alleles using live imaging in zebrafish embryonic development. We generated transgenic lines harbouring a dual-CRE dual-reporter cassette in a pre-defined neutral docking site in the zebrafish genome. The activity of each CRE allele is reported via expression of a specific fluorescent reporter, allowing simultaneous visualisation of where and when in development the wild-type allele is active and how this activity is altered by mutation.

scholarly journals Q-STARZ: Quantitative Spatial and Temporal Assessment of Regulatory element activity in Zebrafish

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shipra Bhatia ◽  
Wendy Bickmore ◽  
Dirk Jan Kleinjan ◽  
Kirsty Uttley ◽  
Anita Mann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Regulatory Element ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Fluorescent Reporter ◽  
Temporal Gene Expression ◽  
Dual Reporter ◽  
Transgenic Lines ◽  
Element Activity

Noncoding regions of the genome harbouring cis-regulatory elements (CREs) or enhancers drive spatial and temporal gene expression. Mutations or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in enhancers have been widely implicated in human diseases and disease-predispositions. However, our ability to assay the regulatory potential of genetic variants in enhancers is currently very limited, in part because of the need to assay these elements in an appropriate biological context. Here, we describe a method for simultaneous quantitative assessment of the spatial and temporal activity of wild-type (Wt) and disease-associated, mutant (Mut) human CRE alleles using live imaging in zebrafish embryonic development. We generated transgenic lines harbouring a dual-CRE dual-reporter cassette in a pre-defined neutral docking site in the zebrafish genome. Using this single transgenic cassette, the functional activity of each CRE allele is reported via expression of a specific fluorescent reporter, allowing the simultaneous visualisation of the activity of both alleles. This can reveal where and when in embryonic development the wild-type allele is active and how this activity is altered by the disease-associated mutation.

scholarly journals Brain and muscle creatine kinase genes contain common TA-rich recognition protein-binding regulatory elements.

1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 4826-4836 ◽  
Author(s):  
R A Horlick ◽  
G M Hobson ◽  
J H Patterson ◽  
M T Mitchell ◽  
P A Benfield
Keyword(s):  
Creatine Kinase ◽  
Binding Site ◽  
Regulatory Element ◽  
Gene Promoter ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Muscle Creatine Kinase ◽  
Enhancer Activity ◽  
L6 Myotubes ◽  
Recognition Protein ◽  
Muscle Creatine

We have previously reported that the rat brain creatine kinase (ckb) gene promoter contains an AT-rich sequence that is a binding site for a protein called TARP (TA-rich recognition protein). This AT-rich segment is a positively acting regulatory element for the ckb promoter. A similar AT-rich DNA segment is found at the 3' end of the 5' muscle-specific enhancer of the rat muscle creatine kinase (ckm) gene and has been shown to be necessary for full muscle-specific enhancer activity. In this report, we show that TARP binds not only to the ckb promoter but also to the AT-rich segment at the 3' end of the muscle-specific ckm enhancer. A second, weaker TARP-binding site was identified in the ckm enhancer and lies at the 5' end of the minimal enhancer segment. TARP was found in both muscle cells (C2 and L6 myotubes) and nonmuscle (HeLa) cells and appeared to be indistinguishable from both sources, as judged by gel retardation and footprinting assays. The TARP-binding sites in the ckm enhancer and the ckb promoter were found to be functionally interchangeable. We propose that TARP is active in both muscle and nonmuscle cells and that it is one of many potential activators that may interact with muscle-specific regulators to determine the myogenic phenotype.

scholarly journals Locally acting transcription factors are required for p53-dependent cis-regulatory element activity

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison N. Catizone ◽  
Gizem Karsli Uzunbas ◽  
Petra Celadova ◽  
Sylvia Kuang ◽  
Daniel Bose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Regulatory Element ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Sequence Context ◽  
Endogenous Expression ◽  
Damage Repair ◽  
Local Sequence ◽  
Element Activity ◽  
Massively Parallel Reporter Assay

AbstractThe master tumor suppressor p53 controls transcription of a wide-ranging gene network involved in apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, DNA damage repair, and senescence. Recent studies revealed pervasive binding of p53 to cis-regulatory elements (CRE), which are non-coding segments of DNA that spatially and temporally control transcription through the combinatorial binding of local transcription factors (TFs). Although the role of p53 as a strong trans-activator of gene expression is well known, the co-regulatory factors and local sequences acting at p53-bound CREs are comparatively understudied. We designed and executed a massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA) to investigate the effect of transcription factor binding motifs and local sequence context on p53-bound CRE activity. Our data indicate that p53-bound CREs are both positively and negatively affected by alterations in local sequence context and changes to co-regulatory TF motifs. We identified a SP1/KLF family motif located in an intronic p53 CRE that is required for the endogenous expression of the p53-dependent gene CCNG1. We also identified ATF3 as a factor that co-regulates the expression of the p53-dependent gene GDF15 through binding with p53 in an upstream CRE. Loss of either p53 or ATF3 severely reduces CRE activity and alters endogenous GDF15 mRNA levels in the cell. Our data suggests that p53 has the flexibility to cooperate with a variety of transcription factors in order to regulate CRE activity. By utilizing different sets of co-factors across CREs, we hypothesize that p53 activity is guarded against loss of any one regulatory partner allowing for dynamic and redundant control of p53-mediated transcription.

scholarly journals Locally acting transcription factors regulate p53-dependent cis-regulatory element activity

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 4195-4213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison N Catizone ◽  
Gizem Karsli Uzunbas ◽  
Petra Celadova ◽  
Sylvia Kuang ◽  
Daniel Bose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Regulatory Element ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Sequence Context ◽  
Binding Motifs ◽  
Cycle Arrest ◽  
Damage Repair ◽  
Local Sequence ◽  
Element Activity ◽  
Massively Parallel Reporter Assay

Abstract The master tumor suppressor p53 controls transcription of a wide-ranging gene network involved in apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, DNA damage repair, and senescence. Recent studies revealed pervasive binding of p53 to cis-regulatory elements (CREs), which are non-coding segments of DNA that spatially and temporally control transcription through the combinatorial binding of local transcription factors. Although the role of p53 as a strong trans-activator of gene expression is well known, the co-regulatory factors and local sequences acting at p53-bound CREs are comparatively understudied. We designed and executed a massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA) to investigate the effect of transcription factor binding motifs and local sequence context on p53-bound CRE activity. Our data indicate that p53-bound CREs are both positively and negatively affected by alterations in local sequence context and changes to co-regulatory TF motifs. Our data suggest p53 has the flexibility to cooperate with a variety of transcription factors in order to regulate CRE activity. By utilizing different sets of co-factors across CREs, we hypothesize that global p53 activity is guarded against loss of any one regulatory partner, allowing for dynamic and redundant control of p53-mediated transcription.

scholarly journals Faster Removal of 2-Phosphoglycolate through Photorespiration Improves Abiotic Stress Tolerance of Arabidopsis

Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Timm ◽  
Franziska Woitschach ◽  
Carolin Heise ◽  
Martin Hagemann ◽  
Hermann Bauwe
Keyword(s):  
Abiotic Stress ◽  
Elevated Temperature ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Soluble Sugar ◽  
Carbon Assimilation ◽  
High Light ◽  
Starch Accumulation ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Transgenic Lines ◽  
The Impact

Photorespiration metabolizes 2-phosphoglyolate (2-PG) to avoid inhibition of carbon assimilation and allocation. In addition to 2-PG removal, photorespiration has been shown to play a role in stress protection. Here, we studied the impact of faster 2-PG degradation through overexpression of 2-PG phosphatase (PGLP) on the abiotic stress-response of Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis). Two transgenic lines and the wild type were subjected to short-time high light and elevated temperature stress during gas exchange measurements. Furthermore, the same lines were exposed to long-term water shortage and elevated temperature stresses. Faster 2-PG degradation allowed maintenance of photosynthesis at combined light and temperatures stress and under water-limiting conditions. The PGLP-overexpressing lines also showed higher photosynthesis compared to the wild type if grown in high temperatures, which also led to increased starch accumulation and shifts in soluble sugar contents. However, only minor effects were detected on amino and organic acid levels. The wild type responded to elevated temperatures with elevated mRNA and protein levels of photorespiratory enzymes, while the transgenic lines displayed only minor changes. Collectively, these results strengthen our previous hypothesis that a faster photorespiratory metabolism improves tolerance against unfavorable environmental conditions, such as high light intensity and temperature as well as drought. In case of PGLP, the likely mechanism is alleviation of inhibitory feedback of 2-PG onto the Calvin–Benson cycle, facilitating carbon assimilation and accumulation of transitory starch.

scholarly journals Reporter lines based on the gexp02 promoter enable early quantification of sexual conversion rates in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harvie P. Portugaliza ◽  
Oriol Llorà-Batlle ◽  
Anna Rosanas-Urgell ◽  
Alfred Cortés
Keyword(s):  
Plasmodium Falciparum ◽  
Accurate Determination ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Fluorescent Reporter ◽  
Conversion Rates ◽  
Parasite Plasmodium ◽  
Parasite Plasmodium Falciparum ◽  
Transgenic Lines ◽  
Parasite Replication ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Transmission of malaria parasites from humans to mosquito vectors requires that some asexual parasites differentiate into sexual forms termed gametocytes. The balance between proliferation in the same host and conversion into transmission forms can be altered by the conditions of the environment. The ability to accurately measure the rate of sexual conversion under different conditions is essential for research addressing the mechanisms underlying sexual conversion, and to assess the impact of environmental factors. Here we describe new Plasmodium falciparum transgenic lines with genome-integrated constructs in which a fluorescent reporter is expressed under the control of the promoter of the gexp02 gene. Using these parasite lines, we developed a sexual conversion assay that shortens considerably the time needed for an accurate determination of sexual conversion rates, and dispenses the need to add chemicals to inhibit parasite replication. Furthermore, we demonstrate that gexp02 is expressed specifically in sexual parasites, with expression starting as early as the sexual ring stage, which makes it a candidate marker for circulating sexual rings in epidemiological studies.

scholarly journals SLE non-coding genetic risk variant determines the epigenetic dysfunction of an immune cell specific enhancer that controls disease-critical microRNA expression

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guojun Hou ◽  
Isaac T. W. Harley ◽  
Xiaoming Lu ◽  
Tian Zhou ◽  
Ning Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lupus Erythematosus ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Regulatory Element ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Type I ◽  
Distal Enhancer ◽  
Disease Etiology ◽  
Risk Variant ◽  
Protective Allele

AbstractSince most variants that impact polygenic disease phenotypes localize to non-coding genomic regions, understanding the consequences of regulatory element variants will advance understanding of human disease mechanisms. Here, we report that the systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) risk variant rs2431697 as likely causal for SLE through disruption of a regulatory element, modulating miR-146a expression. Using epigenomic analysis, genome-editing and 3D chromatin structure analysis, we show that rs2431697 tags a cell-type dependent distal enhancer specific for miR-146a that physically interacts with the miR-146a promoter. NF-kB binds the disease protective allele in a sequence-specific manner, increasing expression of this immunoregulatory microRNA. Finally, CRISPR activation-based modulation of this enhancer in the PBMCs of SLE patients attenuates type I interferon pathway activation by increasing miR-146a expression. Our work provides a strategy to define non-coding RNA functional regulatory elements using disease-associated variants and provides mechanistic links between autoimmune disease risk genetic variation and disease etiology.

scholarly journals Genome-wide analysis of cis-regulatory changes in the metabolic adaptation of cavefish

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaya Krishnan ◽  
Chris W. Seidel ◽  
Ning Zhang ◽  
Jake VanCampen ◽  
Robert Peuß ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Regulatory Element ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Metabolic Adaptation ◽  
Enhancer Activity ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Cave Environment

AbstractChanges in cis-regulatory elements play important roles in adaptation and phenotypic evolution. However, their contribution to metabolic adaptation of organisms is less understood. Here we have utilized a unique vertebrate model, Astyanax mexicanus, different morphotypes of which survive in nutrient-rich surface and nutrient-deprived cave water to uncover gene regulatory networks in metabolic adaptation. We performed genome-wide epigenetic profiling in the liver tissue of one surface and two independently derived cave populations. We find that many cis-regulatory elements differ in their epigenetic status/chromatin accessibility between surface fish and cavefish, while the two independently derived cave populations have evolved remarkably similar regulatory signatures. These differentially accessible regions are associated with genes of key pathways related to lipid metabolism, circadian rhythm and immune system that are known to be altered in cavefish. Using in vitro and in vivo functional testing of the candidate cis-regulatory elements, we find that genetic changes within them cause quantitative expression differences. We characterized one cis-regulatory element in the hpdb gene and found a genomic deletion in cavefish that abolishes binding of the transcriptional repressor IRF2 in vitro and derepresses enhancer activity in reporter assays. Genetic experiments further validated a cis-mediated role of the enhancer and suggest a role of this deletion in the upregulation of hpdb in wild cavefish populations. Selection of this mutation in multiple independent cave populations supports its importance in the adaptation to the cave environment, providing novel molecular insights into the evolutionary trade-off between loss of pigmentation and adaptation to a food-deprived cave environment.

scholarly journals Parallel functional testing identifies enhancers active in early postnatal mouse brain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason T. Lambert ◽  
Linda Su-Feher ◽  
Karol Cichewicz ◽  
Tracy L. Warren ◽  
Iva Zdilar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Mouse Brain ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Regulatory Element ◽  
Linkage Disequilibrium Block ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Functional Screening ◽  
Functional Testing ◽  
Enhancer Activity

ABSTRACTCis-regulatory elements such as enhancers play critical regulatory roles in modulating developmental transcription programs and driving cell-type specific and context-dependent gene expression in the brain. The development of massively parallel reporter assays has enabled high-throughput functional screening of candidate DNA sequences for enhancer activity. Tissue-specific screening of in vivo enhancer function at scale has the potential to greatly expand our understanding of the role of non-coding sequences in development, evolution, and disease. Here, we adapted the self-transcribing regulatory element MPRA strategy for delivery to early postnatal mouse brain via recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV). We identify putative enhancers capable of driving reporter gene expression in mouse forebrain, including regulatory elements within an intronic CACNA1C linkage disequilibrium block associated with risk in neuropsychiatric disorder genetic studies. Paired screening and single enhancer in vivo functional testing, as we show here, represents a powerful approach towards characterizing regulatory activity of enhancers and understanding how enhancer sequences organize gene expression in normal and pathogenic brain development.

scholarly journals Multiplexed dissection of a model human transcription factor binding site architecture

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica E. Davis ◽  
Kimberly D. Insigne ◽  
Eric M. Jones ◽  
Quinn B Hastings ◽  
Sriram Kosuri
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Regulatory Element ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Regulation Of Transcription ◽  
Genomic Context ◽  
Transcriptional Responses ◽  
Transcription Start Sites ◽  
Regulatory Architecture ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIn eukaryotes, transcription factors orchestrate gene expression by binding to TF-Binding Sites (TFBSs) and localizing transcriptional co-regulators and RNA Polymerase II to cis-regulatory elements. The strength and regulation of transcription can be modulated by a variety of factors including TFBS composition, TFBS affinity and number, distance between TFBSs, distance of TFBSs to transcription start sites, and epigenetic modifications. We still lack a basic comprehension of how such variables shaping cis-regulatory architecture culminate in quantitative transcriptional responses. Here we explored how such factors determine the transcriptional activity of a model transcription factor, the c-AMP Response Element (CRE) binding protein. We measured expression driven by 4,602 synthetic regulatory elements in a massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA) exploring the impact of CRE number, affinity, distance to the promoter, and spacing between multiple CREs. We found the number and affinity of CREs within regulatory elements largely determines overall expression, and this relationship is shaped by the proximity of each CRE to the downstream promoter. In addition, while we observed expression periodicity as the CRE distance to the promoter varied, the spacing between multiple CREs altered this periodicity. Finally, we compare library expression between an episomal MPRA and a new, genomically-integrated MPRA in which a single synthetic regulatory element is present per cell at a defined locus. We observe that these largely recapitulate each other although weaker, non-canonical CREs exhibited greater activity in the genomic context.

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