Whole genome sequencing identifies common and rare structural variants contributing to hematologic traits in the NHLBI TOPMed program

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of single nucleotide variants and small indels that contribute to the genetic architecture of hematologic traits. While structural variants (SVs) are known to cause rare blood or hematopoietic disorders, the genome-wide contribution of SVs to quantitative blood cell trait variation is unknown. Here we utilized SVs detected from whole genome sequencing (WGS) in ancestrally diverse participants of the NHLBI TOPMed program (N=50,675). Using single variant tests, we assessed the association of common and rare SVs with red cell-, white cell-, and platelet-related quantitative traits. The results show 33 independent SVs (23 common and 10 rare) reaching genome-wide significance. The majority of significant association signals (N=27) replicated in independent datasets from deCODE genetics and the UK BioBank. Moreover, most trait-associated SVs (N=24) are within 1Mb of previously-reported GWAS loci. SV analyses additionally discovered an association between a complex structural variant on 17p11.2 and white blood cell-related phenotypes. Based on functional annotation, the majority of significant SVs are located in non-coding regions (N=26) and predicted to impact regulatory elements and/or local chromatin domain boundaries in blood cells. We predict that several trait-associated SVs represent the causal variant. This is supported by genome-editing experiments which provide evidence that a deletion associated with lower monocyte counts leads to disruption of an S1PR3 monocyte enhancer and decreased S1PR3 expression.

Neuron-specific chromosomal megadomain organization is adaptive to recent retrotransposon expansions

Regulatory mechanisms associated with repeat-rich sequences and chromosomal conformations in mature neurons remain unexplored. Here, we map cell-type specific chromatin domain organization in adult mouse cerebral cortex and report strong enrichment of Endogenous Retrovirus 2 (ERV2) repeat sequences in the neuron-specific heterochromatic B2NeuN+ megabase-scaling subcompartment. Single molecule long-read sequencing and comparative Hi-C chromosomal contact mapping in wild-derived SPRET/EiJ (Mus spretus) and laboratory inbred C57BL/6J (Mus musculus) reveal neuronal reconfigurations tracking recent ERV2 expansions in the murine germline, with significantly higher B2NeuN+ contact frequencies at sites with ongoing insertions in Mus musculus. Neuronal ablation of the retrotransposon silencer Kmt1e/Setdb1 triggers B2NeuN+ disintegration and rewiring with open chromatin domains enriched for cellular stress response genes, along with severe neuroinflammation and proviral assembly with infiltration of dendrites . We conclude that neuronal megabase-scale chromosomal architectures include an evolutionarily adaptive heterochromatic organization which, upon perturbation, results in transcriptional dysregulation and unleashes ERV2 proviruses with strong neuronal tropism.

Local chromatin fiber folding represses transcription and loop extrusion in quiescent cells

A longstanding hypothesis is that chromatin fiber folding mediated by interactions between nearby nucleosomes represses transcription. However, it has been difficult to determine the relationship between local chromatin fiber compaction and transcription in cells. Further, global changes in fiber diameters have not been observed, even between interphase and mitotic chromosomes. We show that an increase in the range of local inter-nucleosomal contacts in quiescent yeast drives the compaction of chromatin fibers genome-wide. Unlike actively dividing cells, inter-nucleosomal interactions in quiescent cells require a basic patch in the histone H4 tail. This quiescence-specific fiber folding globally represses transcription and inhibits chromatin loop extrusion by condensin. These results reveal that global changes in chromatin fiber compaction can occur during cell state transitions, and establish physiological roles for local chromatin fiber folding in regulating transcription and chromatin domain formation.

Genomic organization of the autonomous regulatory domain of eyeless locus in Drosophila melanogaster

In Drosophila, expression of eyeless (ey) gene is restricted to the developing eyes and central nervous system. However, the flanking genes, myoglianin (myo), and bent (bt) have different temporal and spatial expression patterns as compared to the ey. How distinct regulation of ey is maintained is mostly unknown. Earlier, we have identified a boundary element intervening myo and ey genes (ME boundary) that prevents the crosstalk between the cis-regulatory elements of myo and ey genes. In the present study, we further searched for the cis-elements that define the domain of ey and maintain its expression pattern. We identify another boundary element between ey and bt, the EB boundary. The EB boundary separates the regulatory landscapes of ey and bt genes. The two boundaries, ME and EB, show a long-range interaction as well as interact with the nuclear architecture. This suggests functional autonomy of the ey locus and its insulation from differentially regulated flanking regions. We also identify a new Polycomb Response Element, the ey-PRE, within the ey domain. The expression state of the ey gene, once established during early development is likely to be maintained with the help of ey-PRE. Our study proposes a general regulatory mechanism by which a gene can be maintained in a functionally independent chromatin domain in gene-rich euchromatin.

Machine Learning-based Approaches for Identifying Human Cells Harboring Fetal Chromatin Domain Ablations

Two common hemoglobinopathies, sickle cell disease (SCD) and β-thalassemia, arise from genetic mutations within the β-globin gene. A 500-bp motif termed Fetal Chromatin Domain (FCD), upstream of human ϒ-globin locus, may function as a transcriptional regulatory element driving inhibition of the ϒ-globin gene. Here, we hypothesize that the removal of this motif using CRISPR technology may reactivate the expression of ϒ-globin and subsequently restore fetal hemoglobin functionality. In this work we present two different cell morphology-based machine learning approaches that can be used identify cells that harbor FCD genetic modifications. Three candidate models from the first, which uses multilayer perceptron algorithm (MLP 20–26, MLP26-18, and MLP 30 − 26) and flow cytometry-derived cellular data, yielded 0.83 precision, 0.80 recall, 0.82 accuracy, and 0.90 area under the ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve when predicting the edited cells. In comparison, the candidate model from the second approach, which uses deep learning (T2D5) and DIC microscopy-derived imaging data, performed with less accuracy (0.80) and ROC AUC (0.87). We envision both assays could be valuable and complementary to currently available genotyping protocols for specific genetic modifications which result in morphological changes in human cells.

Molecular Organization of the Early Stages of Nucleosome Phase Separation Visualized by Cryo-Electron Tomography

It has been proposed that the intrinsic property of nucleosome arrays to undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) in vitro is responsible for chromatin domain organization in vivo. However, understanding nucleosomal LLPS has been hindered by the challenge to characterize the structure of resulting heterogeneous condensates. We used cryo-electron tomography and deep learning-based 3D reconstruction/segmentation to determine the molecular organization of condensates at various stages of LLPS. We show that nucleosomal LLPS involves a two-step process: a spinodal decomposition process yielding irregular condensates, followed by their unfavorable conversion into more compact, spherical nuclei that grow into larger spherical aggregates through accretion of spinodal material or by fusion with other spherical condensates. Histone H1 catalyzes more than 10-fold the spinodal-to-spherical conversion. We propose that this transition involves exposure of nucleosome hydrophobic surfaces resulting in modified inter-nucleosome interactions. These results suggest a physical mechanism by which chromatin may transition from interphase to metaphase structures.

NEURON-SPECIFIC CHROMOSOMAL MEGADOMAIN ORGANIZATION IS ADAPTIVE TO RECENT RETROTRANSPOSON EXPANSIONS

ABSTRACTHere, we mapped cell-type specific chromatin domain organization in adult mouse cerebral cortex and report strong enrichment of Endogenous Retrovirus 2 (ERV2) repeat sequences in the neuron-specific heterochromatic ‘B2NeuN+’ megabase-scaling subcompartment. Comparative chromosomal conformation mapping in Mus spretus and Mus musculus revealed neuron-specific reconfigurations tracking recent ERV2 retrotransposon expansions in the murine germline, with significantly higher B2 megadomain contact frequencies at sites with ongoing ERV2 insertions in Mus musculus. Ablation of the retrotransposon silencer Kmt1e/Setdb1 triggered B2 megadomain disintegration and rewiring with open chromatin domains enriched for cellular stress response genes, along with severe neuroinflammation and proviral assembly of ERV2/Intracisternal-A-Particles (IAPs) infiltrating dendrites and spines. We conclude that neuronal megadomain architectures include evolutionarily adaptive heterochromatic organization which, upon perturbation, unleashes ERV proviruses with strong tropism within mature neurons.

CTCF and transcription influence chromatin structure re-configuration after mitosis

During mitosis, transcription is globally attenuated and chromatin architecture is dramatically reconfigured. We exploited the M- to G1-phase progression to interrogate the contributions of the architectural factor CTCF and the process of transcription to genome re-sculpting in newborn nuclei. Depletion of CTCF during the M- to G1-phase transition alters short-range compartmentalization after mitosis. Chromatin domain boundary re-formation is impaired upon CTCF loss, but a subset of boundaries, characterized by transitions in chromatin states, is established normally. Without CTCF, structural loops fail to form, leading to illegitimate contacts between cis-regulatory elements (CREs). Transient CRE contacts that are normally resolved after telophase persist deeply into G1-phase in CTCF-depleted cells. CTCF loss-associated gains in transcription are often linked to increased, normally illegitimate enhancer-promoter contacts. In contrast, at genes whose expression declines upon CTCF loss, CTCF seems to function as a conventional transcription activator, independent of its architectural role. CTCF-anchored structural loops facilitate formation of CRE loops nested within them, especially those involving weak CREs. Transcription inhibition does not significantly affect global architecture or transcription start site-associated boundaries. However, ongoing transcription contributes considerably to the formation of gene domains, regions of enriched contacts along gene bodies. Notably, gene domains emerge in ana/telophase prior to completion of the first round of transcription, suggesting that epigenetic features in gene bodies contribute to genome reconfiguration prior to transcription. The focus on the de novo formation of nuclear architecture during G1 entry yields insights into the contributions of CTCF and transcription to chromatin architecture dynamics during the mitosis to G1-phase progression.

Centromere formation remodels chromatin fibre structure

Human centromeric chromatin is assembled from CENP-A nucleosomes and repetitive α-satellite DNA sequences and provides a foundation for kinetochore assembly in mitosis. Biophysical experiments led to a hypothesis that the repetitive DNA sequences form a highly folded chromatin scaffold necessary for function, but this idea was revised when fully functional evolutionary new centromeres (ENCs) or neocentromeres were found to form on non-repetitive DNA. To understand if centromeres have a special chromatin structure we have genetically isolated a single human chromosome harbouring a neocentromere and investigated its organisation. The centromere core is enriched in RNA pol II, active epigenetic marks and remodelled by transcription to form a negatively supercoiled open chromatin domain. In contrast, centromerisation causes a spreading of repressive epigenetic marks to flanking regions, delimited by H3K27me3 polycomb boundaries and divergent genes. The flanking domain is partially remodelled to form compact chromatin, with characteristics similar to satellite-containing pericentromeric chromatin, but exhibits low level genomic instability. We provide a model for centromere chromatin structure and suggest that open chromatin provides a foundation for a stable kinetochore whilst pericentromeric heterochromatin generates surrounding mechanical rigidity.