Project description:Transcription factors, which regulate the spatiotemporal patterns of gene expression during organogenesis, often regulate multiple aspects of tissue morphogenesis, including cell-type specification, cell proliferation, cell death, cell polarity, cell shape, cell arrangement and cell migration. In this work, we describe a distinct role for Ribbon (Rib) in controlling cell shape changes during elongation of the Drosophila salivary gland (SG). Notably, the morphogenetic changes in rib mutants occurred without effects on general SG cell attributes such as specification, proliferation and apoptosis. Moreover, the abnormal cell/organ shape in rib mutants occurred without compromising epithelial-specific morphological attributes such as apicobasal polarity and junctional integrity. To identify the genes regulated by Rib that control cell and organ shape, we performed ChIP-seq analysis in embryos driving rib expression specifically in the SGs. To learn if the Rib binding sites identified in the ChIP-seq analysis were linked to changes in gene expression through transcriptional activation, repression, or both, we performed microarray analysis comparing RNA samples from age-matched wild-type and rib null embryos. From the superposed ChIP-seq and microarray gene expression data, we identified 60 genomic sites of bound Rib most likely to regulate SG-specific gene expression. We confirmed several of the identified Rib targets by qRT-pCR and/or in situ hybridization. Our results indicate that Rib regulates cell shape change in the Drosophila salivary gland via a diverse array of targets through both transcriptional activation and repression. Furthermore, our results suggest that a critical component of the SG morphogenetic gene network involving Rib is its autoregulation. Three independent collections of stage 11 â 16 rib1/ribP7 embryos and three of wild-type embryos were used for hybridization to Drosophila Genome 2.0 Chips. Scanned intensity values were normalized using RMA (Partek software) and statistical analysis analyses were performed using the Spotfire software package (TIBCO). Target genes were identified as those that were upregulated/downregulated (1.5-fold change cutoff, P < 0.05) in rib1/ribP7 embryos when compared with Oregon R controls.
Project description:Polycomb-mediated chromatin repression modulates gene expression during development in metazoans. Binding of multiple sequence-specific factors at discrete Polycomb Response Elements (PREs) is thought to recruit repressive complexes that spread across an extended chromatin domain. To dissect the structure of PREs, we applied high-resolution mapping of non-histone chromatin proteins in native chromatin of Drosophila cells. Analysis of occupied sites reveal cooperative interactions between transcription factors that stabilize Polycomb anchoring to DNA, and implicate the general transcription factor Adf1 as a novel PRE component. By comparing two Drosophila cell lines with differential chromatin states, we provide evidence that repression is accomplished at multiple steps in transcription, including inactivation of distant enhancers, enhanced Polycomb recruitment to PREs and target promoters, and elevated stalling of RNAPII in repressed genes. These results suggest that the stability of complexes bridging promoters, enhancers, and PREs is a crucial aspect of developmentally regulated gene expression. Native chromatin immunoprecipitation of histones, transcription factors and Polycomb protein in Drosophila cell lines.
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of laser wounded syncytial Drosophila embryos compared with control unwounded embryos. Early Drosophila embryos (Nuclear cycle 4-6) were either laser wounded or not wounded, and then collected and processed after 30 minutes. Wounded and unwounded embryos express sGMCA (actin reporter).
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of laser wounded syncytial Drosophila embryos compared with control unwounded embryos. Early Drosophila embryos (Nuclear cycle 4-6) were collected, either laser wounded or not wounded, and then collected and processed immediately. Wounded and unwounded embryos express sGMCA (actin reporter)
Project description:The Polycomb repression machinery in Drosophila comprises PRC1 that monoubiquitinates histone H2A at lysine 118 (H2Aub1) and PR-DUB, a major H2Aub1 deubiquitinase, but how H2Aub1 levels must be balanced for Polycomb repression remains enigmatic. We show that H2Aub1 is enriched at Polycomb target genes in early embryos but depleted from these genes during developmental stages when PRC1 represses their transcription. Accordingly, Polycomb targets remain repressed in H2Aub1-deficient animals. In PR-DUB catalytic mutants, high-level H2Aub1 accumulation at Polycomb targets increases chromatin accessibility, consistent with disruption of chromatin fiber folding by H2Aub1 in vitro. Consequently, PR-DUB mutants show defective Polycomb repression, while general transcription is largely unperturbed by the genome-wide, low-level H2Aub1 increase. Changes in H2Aub1 levels alter H3K27 methylation-kinetics but PRC2 nevertheless generates canonical H3K27me3 domains in PRC1 or PR-DUB catalytic mutants. PR-DUB therefore acts as a rheostat that removes excessive H2Aub1 that, though deposited by PRC1, antagonizes PRC1-mediated chromatin compaction.
Project description:The Polycomb repression machinery in Drosophila comprises PRC1 that monoubiquitinates histone H2A at lysine 118 (H2Aub1) and PR-DUB, a major H2Aub1 deubiquitinase, but how H2Aub1 levels must be balanced for Polycomb repression remains enigmatic. We show that H2Aub1 is enriched at Polycomb target genes in early embryos but depleted from these genes during developmental stages when PRC1 represses their transcription. Accordingly, Polycomb targets remain repressed in H2Aub1-deficient animals. In PR-DUB catalytic mutants, high-level H2Aub1 accumulation at Polycomb targets increases chromatin accessibility, consistent with disruption of chromatin fiber folding by H2Aub1 in vitro. Consequently, PR-DUB mutants show defective Polycomb repression, while general transcription is largely unperturbed by the genome-wide, low-level H2Aub1 increase. Changes in H2Aub1 levels alter H3K27 methylation-kinetics but PRC2 nevertheless generates canonical H3K27me3 domains in PRC1 or PR-DUB catalytic mutants. PR-DUB therefore acts as a rheostat that removes excessive H2Aub1 that, though deposited by PRC1, antagonizes PRC1-mediated chromatin compaction.
Project description:The Polycomb repression machinery in Drosophila comprises PRC1 that monoubiquitinates histone H2A at lysine 118 (H2Aub1) and PR-DUB, a major H2Aub1 deubiquitinase, but how H2Aub1 levels must be balanced for Polycomb repression remains enigmatic. We show that H2Aub1 is enriched at Polycomb target genes in early embryos but depleted from these genes during developmental stages when PRC1 represses their transcription. Accordingly, Polycomb targets remain repressed in H2Aub1-deficient animals. In PR-DUB catalytic mutants, high-level H2Aub1 accumulation at Polycomb targets increases chromatin accessibility, consistent with disruption of chromatin fiber folding by H2Aub1 in vitro. Consequently, PR-DUB mutants show defective Polycomb repression, while general transcription is largely unperturbed by the genome-wide, low-level H2Aub1 increase. Changes in H2Aub1 levels alter H3K27 methylation-kinetics but PRC2 nevertheless generates canonical H3K27me3 domains in PRC1 or PR-DUB catalytic mutants. PR-DUB therefore acts as a rheostat that removes excessive H2Aub1 that, though deposited by PRC1, antagonizes PRC1-mediated chromatin compaction.
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of drosophila embryos (0-14h collection) comparing control wild type embryos with embryos double heterozygous for Engrailed and GooseberryNeuro Two conditions experiment, Wild Type vs. Double heterezygous Engrailed GooseberryNeuro. Biological replicates: 3 control, 3 mutant conditions, independently selected. Triplicate per array