Cohesin and Polycomb proteins functionally interact to control transcription at silenced, restrained, and active genes [expression array data]
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ABSTRACT: Cohesin is crucial for proper chromosome segregation, but also regulates gene transcription and organism development by poorly understood mechanisms. We find that in Drosophila, cohesin functionally interacts with Polycomb group (PcG) silencing proteins at both silenced and active genes. Cohesin unexpectedly facilitates binding of Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) to many active genes. In contrast, cohesin and PRC1 binding are mutually antagonistic at silenced genes. PRC1 depletion decreases phosphorylated RNA polymerase and mRNA at many active genes, but increases them at silenced genes. Cohesin also facilitates long-range interactions between Polycomb Response Elements in the invected-engrailed gene complex where it represses transcription. These multiple distinct cohesin-PcG interactions reveal a previously unrecognized role for PRC1 in facilitating productive gene transcription, and provide new insights into how cohesin and PRC1 control development. We extracted RNA from control and Ph RNAi-treated BG3 cells and measured changes in gene expression following Ph dose depletion by hybridization to Affymetrix arrays. We also extracted RNA from wild-type wing imaginal disc and measured control wing disc expression levels by hybridization to Affymetrix arrays.
Project description:Cohesin is crucial for proper chromosome segregation, but also regulates gene transcription and organism development by poorly understood mechanisms. We find that in Drosophila, cohesin functionally interacts with Polycomb group (PcG) silencing proteins at both silenced and active genes. Cohesin unexpectedly facilitates binding of Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) to many active genes. In contrast, cohesin and PRC1 binding are mutually antagonistic at silenced genes. PRC1 depletion decreases phosphorylated RNA polymerase and mRNA at many active genes, but increases them at silenced genes. Cohesin also facilitates long-range interactions between Polycomb Response Elements in the invected-engrailed gene complex where it represses transcription. These multiple distinct cohesin-PcG interactions reveal a previously unrecognized role for PRC1 in facilitating productive gene transcription, and provide new insights into how cohesin and PRC1 control development. ChIP-chip of cohesin, Polycomb group proteins, and RNA Polymerase II was performed in whole wing imaginal discs in developing wing imaginal disc, revealing that cohesin and Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) components co-bind with cohesin proteins at active genes. We then measured cohesin, Pc, and H3K27me3 separately in anterior and posterior wing imaginal discs and compared their binding at the invected-engrailed complex, which is silenced in the anterior disc, and expressed in its posterior. This confirmed that cohesin and PRC1 (Pc) co-bind at inv-en in its active state, and H3K27me3 and PRC1 (Pc) co-target inv-en in its silenced state. Comparison of binding between Pc-RJ and Pc-VP was performed, and revealed that Pc-VP is subject to epitope masking specifically at active genes. Finally, we measured cohesin and Pc binding in Drosophila ML-DmBG3-c2 cells, and found that they co-bind active genes in this cell line in as well as in wing imaginal discs. ChIP-chip of cohesin subunit Rad21 after PRC1 component Ph depletion, and ChIP-chip of PRC1 subunit Pc after Rad21 RNAi depletion, revealed that these two complexes affect one another's binding. Finally, ChIP-chip of Rpb3 (representing total Pol II) and Ser2P-Pol II (representing elongating Pol II) after PRC1 component Ph depletion revealed that PRC1 restrains entry of non-phosphorylated Pol II into gene bodies.
Project description:Cohesin is a well-known mediator of sister chromatid cohesion, but it also influences gene expression and development. These non-canonical roles of cohesin are not well understood, but are vital: gene expression and development are altered by modest changes in cohesin function that do not disrupt chromatid cohesion. To clarify cohesin’s roles in transcription, we measured how cohesin controls RNA polymerase II (Pol II) activity by genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation and precision global run-on sequencing. On average, cohesin-binding genes have more transcriptionally active Pol II and promoter-proximal Pol II pausing than non-binding genes, and are more efficient, producing higher steady state levels of mRNA per transcribing Pol II complex. Cohesin depletion frequently increases pausing at cohesin-binding genes, indicating that cohesin often facilitates transition of paused Pol II to elongation. In many cases this likely reflects a role for cohesin in transcriptional enhancer function. Strikingly, more than 95% of predicted extragenic enhancers bind cohesin, and cohesin depletion can reduce their association with Pol II, indicating that cohesin facilitates enhancer-promoter contact. Cohesin directly promotes transcription of the myc gene, and cohesin depletion reduces Pol II activity at most Myc target genes. The multiple transcriptional roles of cohesin revealed by these studies likely underlie the growth and developmental deficits caused by minor changes in cohesin activity. The PRO-seq method was used to measure transcriptionally engaged Pol II genome-wide in two replicates each of mock RNAi-treated, Nipped-B RNAi-treated, and Rad21 RNAi-treated ML-DmBG3-c2 cells.
Project description:Cohesin is a well-known mediator of sister chromatid cohesion, but it also influences gene expression and development. These non-canonical roles of cohesin are not well understood, but are vital: gene expression and development are altered by modest changes in cohesin function that do not disrupt chromatid cohesion. To clarify cohesinM-bM-^@M-^Ys roles in transcription, we measured how cohesin controls RNA polymerase II (Pol II) activity by genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation and precision global run-on sequencing. On average, cohesin-binding genes have more transcriptionally active Pol II and promoter-proximal Pol II pausing than non-binding genes, and are more efficient, producing higher steady state levels of mRNA per transcribing Pol II complex. Cohesin depletion frequently increases pausing at cohesin-binding genes, indicating that cohesin often facilitates transition of paused Pol II to elongation. In many cases this likely reflects a role for cohesin in transcriptional enhancer function. Strikingly, more than 95% of predicted extragenic enhancers bind cohesin, and cohesin depletion can reduce their association with Pol II, indicating that cohesin facilitates enhancer-promoter contact. Cohesin directly promotes transcription of the myc gene, and cohesin depletion reduces Pol II activity at most Myc target genes. The multiple transcriptional roles of cohesin revealed by these studies likely underlie the growth and developmental deficits caused by minor changes in cohesin activity. We performed ChIP-chip of Rpb3 (representing total Pol II), Ser2P-Pol II (representing elongating Pol II), and Cdk12 and CycT Pol II kinase components in Mock RNAi-treated and cohesin subunit Rad21 RNAi-treated ML-DmBG3-c2 cells, which revealed that cohesin depletion has a variety of effects on Pol II occupancy and modification, as well as on occupancy of Pol II kinases.
Project description:Effects of Nipped-B and Rad21 sister chromatid cohesin proteins on gene expression data in ML-DmBG3 cells derived from Drosophila melanogaster larval central nervous system; We examined the effects of Nipped-B and Rad21 knockdown on gene expression in BG3 cells using microarrays that measure over 18,700 transcripts to (a) determine if the effects of cohesion on E(spl)-C and invected-engrailed expression are unique, (b) look for effects of cohesin on regulators of E(spl)-C and engrailed, and (c) obtain a comprehensive view of the effects of cohesin on gene expression. Experiment Overall Design: Effects of cohesin knockdown on E(spl)-C and invected-engrailed transcription vary over time, so we used two independent samples for three days after RNAi treatment, one four day and one six day sample for both Nipped-B and Rad21 knockdown, and mock RNAi controls for each time point. Experiment Overall Design: For RNAi treatment, cells were plated at 5x106 cells per 3 cm well. Media was replaced with 1 ml of Express Five SFM (Invitrogen) with 1% FCS, and 10 micrograms per ml insulin. The indicated amount of dsRNA was added per well. Media was adjusted to 3 ml and 10% FCS with Schneiderâs media after 2 hrs. Cells were replated as needed. Templates for dsRNA synthesis were made by PCR from cDNA templates using primers with T7 promoters (see supplementary file linked below). Equal amounts of two dsRNAs against each target were used.
Project description:Cohesin is crucial for proper chromosome segregation, but also regulates gene transcription and organism development by poorly understood mechanisms. We find that in Drosophila, cohesin functionally interacts with Polycomb group (PcG) silencing proteins at both silenced and active genes. Cohesin unexpectedly facilitates binding of Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) to many active genes. In contrast, cohesin and PRC1 binding are mutually antagonistic at silenced genes. PRC1 depletion decreases phosphorylated RNA polymerase and mRNA at many active genes, but increases them at silenced genes. Cohesin also facilitates long-range interactions between Polycomb Response Elements in the invected-engrailed gene complex where it represses transcription. These multiple distinct cohesin-PcG interactions reveal a previously unrecognized role for PRC1 in facilitating productive gene transcription, and provide new insights into how cohesin and PRC1 control development.
Project description:Cohesin is crucial for proper chromosome segregation, but also regulates gene transcription and organism development by poorly understood mechanisms. We find that in Drosophila, cohesin functionally interacts with Polycomb group (PcG) silencing proteins at both silenced and active genes. Cohesin unexpectedly facilitates binding of Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) to many active genes. In contrast, cohesin and PRC1 binding are mutually antagonistic at silenced genes. PRC1 depletion decreases phosphorylated RNA polymerase and mRNA at many active genes, but increases them at silenced genes. Cohesin also facilitates long-range interactions between Polycomb Response Elements in the invected-engrailed gene complex where it represses transcription. These multiple distinct cohesin-PcG interactions reveal a previously unrecognized role for PRC1 in facilitating productive gene transcription, and provide new insights into how cohesin and PRC1 control development.
Project description:Polycomb Repressive Complexes 1 and 2 (PRC1, PRC2) are conserved epigenetic regulators that promote transcriptional silencing. PRC1 and PRC2 converge on shared targets, catalyzing repressive histone modifications. In addition, a subset of PRC1/PRC2 targets engage in long-range interactions whose functions in gene silencing are poorly understood. Using a CRISPR screen in mouse embryonic stem cells, we discovered that the cohesin regulator PDS5A links transcriptional silencing by Polycomb and 3D genome organization. PDS5A deletion impairs cohesin unloading and results in derepression of subset of endogenous PRC1/PRC2 target genes. Importantly, derepression is not associated with loss of repressive Polycomb chromatin modifications. Instead, loss of PDS5A leads to aberrant cohesin activity, ectopic insulation sites and specific reduction of ultra-long Polycomb loops. We infer that these loops are important for robust silencing at a subset of Polycomb target genes and that maintenance of cohesin-dependent genome architecture is critical for Polycomb regulation.
Project description:The essential histone variant H2A.Z localises to both active and silent chromatin sites. In embryonic stem cells (ESCs), H2A.Z is also reported to co-localise with polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) at developmentally silenced genes. The mechanism of H2A.Z targeting is not clear, but a role for the PRC2 component Suz12 has been suggested. Given this association, we wished to determine if polycomb functionally directs H2A.Z incorporation in ESCs. We demonstrate that the PRC1 component Ring1B interacts with multiple complexes in ESCs. Moreover, we show that although the genomic distribution of H2A.Z co-localises with PRC2, Ring1B and with the presence of CpG islands, H2A.Z still blankets polycomb target loci in the absence of Suz12, Eed (PRC2) or Ring1B (PRC1). Therefore we conclude that H2A.Z accumulates at developmentally silenced genes in ESCs in a polycomb independent manner. Array design includes 2 biological replicates for all samples and technical replication (dye swaps for H3K27me3_WT_ES, EZH2_WT_ES, EZH2_RING1b_KO_ES, H2AZ_WT_ES(2), H2AZ_Eed_KO_ES and H2AZ_Suz12_KO_ES). Ring1B_WT_ES is represented by a single replicate.