Deeply hidden genome organization directly mediated by SATB1

Mammalian genomes are organized by multi-layered chromatin folding. Whether and how three-dimensional genome organization contributes to cell-type specific transcription remains unclear. Here we uncover genome architecture formed by specialized sequences, base-unpairing regions (BURs), bound to a nuclear architectural protein, SATB1. SATB1 regulates cell-type specific transcription that underlies changes in cellular phenotypes. We developed a modified ChIP-seq protocol that stringently purifies genomic DNA only with its directly-associated proteins and unmasked previously-hidden BURs as direct SATB1 targets genome-wide. These SATB1-bound BURs are mutually exclusive from CTCF binding sites, and SATB1 is dispensable for CTCF/cohesion-mediated topologically associated domains (TADs). Instead, BURs largely overlap with lamina associated domains (LADs), and the fraction of BURs tethered to the SATB1 protein network in the nuclear interior is cell type-dependent. Our results reveal TAD-independent chromatin folding mediated by BUR sequences, which serve as genome architecture landmarks targeted by SATB1, to regulate cell-type specific gene expression.

Systematic analysis of intrinsic enhancer-promoter compatibility in the mouse genome.

Gene expression is in part controlled by cis-regulatory elements (CREs) such as enhancers and repressive elements. Anecdotal evidence has indicated that a CRE and a promoter need to be biochemically compatible for promoter regulation to occur, but this compatibility has remained poorly characterised in mammalian cells. We used high-throughput combinatorial reporter assays to test thousands of CRE - promoter pairs from three Mb-sized genomic regions in mouse cells. This revealed that CREs vary substantially in their promoter compatibility, ranging from striking specificity for a single promoter to quantitative differences in activation across a broad set of promoters. More than half of the tested CREs exhibit significant promoter selectivity. Housekeeping promoters tend to have similar CRE preferences, but other promoters exhibit a wide diversity of compatibilities. Higher-order TF motif combinations may account for compatibility. CRE-promoter selectivity does not correlate with looping interactions in the native genomic context, suggesting that chromatin folding and compatibility are two orthogonal mechanisms that confer specificity to gene regulation.

CRABTREE POZİTİF VE CRABTREE NEGATİF MAYA TÜRLERİNDE GCR1 GENİNİN IN SILICO ANALİZİ

The use of fermentation in the presence of oxygen and at high glucose concentrations is referred to as the Crabtree effect. Yeast species that have the Crabtree effect are called Crabtree positive, and yeast species that do not have the Crabtree effect are called Crabtree negative. While Crabtree negative yeast strains are mostly used for heterologous protein production in the industrial field, Crabtree positive yeast strains are used to understand metabolic events in cancer cells. The genes encoding the enzymes involved in the glycolytic pathway in S. cerevisiae yeast cells are controlled by Gcr1p. Gcr1p binds to CT elements located in the promoter regions of glycolytic genes and activates their transcription. In our study, Crabtree positive and negative yeast strains containing Sc-Gcr1p similar proteins were determined, and protein similarity analyzes and promoter analyzes of genes encoding the relevant proteins in these yeast strains were compared in silico using different databases and analysis programs. For this purpose, SGD, UNIPROT, NCBI-Genome and Yeastract databases and BLASTp-NCBI, MEGA-X and Chromatin Folding V2 programs were used. Using the SGD database, 32 different yeast strains were identified that matched with Sc-Gcr1p. Five different Crabtree positive and 5 different Crabtree negative yeast strains were selected from these yeast strains and in silico analyzes were performed using these yeast strains. After protein analysis and promoter analysis, it was determined that the similarities and differences between yeast species were not specific for Crabtree positive and Crabtree negative yeast species, but varied between species.

Histone H4 lysine 20 mono-methylation directly facilitates chromatin openness and promotes transcription of housekeeping genes

Histone lysine methylations have primarily been linked to selective recruitment of reader or effector proteins that subsequently modify chromatin regions and mediate genome functions. Here, we describe a divergent role for histone H4 lysine 20 mono-methylation (H4K20me1) and demonstrate that it directly facilitates chromatin openness and accessibility by disrupting chromatin folding. Thus, accumulation of H4K20me1 demarcates highly accessible chromatin at genes, and this is maintained throughout the cell cycle. In vitro, H4K20me1-containing nucleosomal arrays with nucleosome repeat lengths (NRL) of 187 and 197 are less compact than unmethylated (H4K20me0) or trimethylated (H4K20me3) arrays. Concordantly, and in contrast to trimethylated and unmethylated tails, solid-state NMR data shows that H4K20 mono-methylation changes the H4 conformational state and leads to more dynamic histone H4-tails. Notably, the increased chromatin accessibility mediated by H4K20me1 facilitates gene expression, particularly of housekeeping genes. Altogether, we show how the methylation state of a single histone H4 residue operates as a focal point in chromatin structure control. While H4K20me1 directly promotes chromatin openness at highly transcribed genes, it also serves as a stepping-stone for H4K20me3-dependent chromatin compaction.

Minimalistic 3D Chromatin Models: Sparse Interactions in Single Cells Drive the Chromatin Fold and Form Many-Body Units

Computational modeling of 3D chromatin plays an important role in understanding the principles of genome organization. We discuss methods for modeling 3D chromatin structures, with focus on a minimalistic polymer model which inverts population Hi-C into high-resolution, high-coverage single-cell chromatin conformations. Utilizing only basic physical properties such as nuclear volume and no adjustable parameters, this model uncovers a few specific Hi-C interactions (15-35 for enhancer-rich loci in human cells) that can fold chromatin into individual conformations consistent with single-cell imaging, Dip-C, and FISH-measured genomic distance distributions. Aggregating an ensemble of conformations also reproduces population Hi-C interaction frequencies. Furthermore, this single-cell modeling approach allows quantification of structural heterogeneity and discovery of specific many-body units of chromatin interactions. This minimalistic 3D chromatin polymer model has revealed a number of insights: 1) chromatin scaling rules are a result of volume-confined polymers; 2) TADs form as a byproduct of 3D chromatin folding driven by specific interactions; 3) chromatin folding at many loci is driven by a small number of specific interactions; 4) cell subpopulations equipped with different chromatin structural scaffolds are developmental stage-dependent; and 5) characterization of the functional landscape and epigenetic marks of many-body units which are simultaneously spatially co-interacting within enhancer-rich, euchromatic regions. The implications of these findings in understanding the genome structure-function relationship are also discussed.

Sensitivity of cohesin–chromatin association to high-salt treatment corroborates non-topological mode of loop extrusion

Cohesin is a key organizer of chromatin folding in eukaryotic cells. The two main activities of this ring-shaped protein complex are the maintenance of sister chromatid cohesion and the establishment of long-range DNA–DNA interactions through the process of loop extrusion. Although the basic principles of both cohesion and loop extrusion have been described, we still do not understand several crucial mechanistic details. One of such unresolved issues is the question of whether a cohesin ring topologically embraces DNA string(s) during loop extrusion. Here, we show that cohesin complexes residing on CTCF-occupied genomic sites in mammalian cells do not interact with DNA topologically. We assessed the stability of cohesin-dependent loops and cohesin association with chromatin in high-ionic-strength conditions in G1-synchronized HeLa cells. We found that increased salt concentration completely displaces cohesin from those genomic regions that correspond to CTCF-defined loop anchors. Unsurprisingly, CTCF-anchored cohesin loops also dissipate in these conditions. Because topologically engaged cohesin is considered to be salt resistant, our data corroborate a non-topological model of loop extrusion. We also propose a model of cohesin activity throughout the interphase, which essentially equates the termination of non-topological loop extrusion with topological loading of cohesin. This theoretical framework enables a parsimonious explanation of various seemingly contradictory experimental findings.

Interactions Between Nucleosomes: From Atomistic Simulation to Polymer Model

The organization of genomes in space and time dimension plays an important role in gene expression and regulation. Chromatin folding occurs in a dynamic, structured way that is subject to biophysical rules and biological processes. Nucleosomes are the basic unit of chromatin in living cells, and here we report on the effective interactions between two nucleosomes in physiological conditions using explicit-solvent all-atom simulations. Free energy landscapes derived from umbrella sampling simulations agree well with recent experimental and simulation results. Our simulations reveal the atomistic details of the interactions between nucleosomes in solution and can be used for constructing the coarse-grained model for chromatin in a bottom-up manner.