ABSTRACT: We present a strategy to investigate regulatory elements that leverages programmable reagents to selectively inactivate their endogenous chromatin state. The reagents, which comprise fusions between transcription activator- like effector (TALE) repeat domains and the LSD1 histone demethylase, efficiently remove enhancer-associated chromatin modifications from target loci, without affecting control regions. We find that inactivation of enhancer chromatin by these fusions frequently causes down- regulation of proximal genes. Our study demonstrates the potential of 'epigenome editing' tools to characterize a critical class of functional genomic elements. ChIP-seq analysis of TALE-Fusion Proteins
Project description:We present a strategy to investigate regulatory elements that leverages programmable reagents to selectively inactivate their endogenous chromatin state. The reagents, which comprise fusions between transcription activator- like effector (TALE) repeat domains and the LSD1 histone demethylase, efficiently remove enhancer-associated chromatin modifications from target loci, without affecting control regions. We find that inactivation of enhancer chromatin by these fusions frequently causes down- regulation of proximal genes. Our study demonstrates the potential of 'epigenome editing' tools to characterize a critical class of functional genomic elements. For data usage terms and conditions, please refer to http://www.genome.gov/27528022 and http://www.genome.gov/Pages/Research/ENCODE/ENCODEDataReleasePolicyFinal2008.pdf
Project description:Recent large-scale studies have defined genomewide, cell type-specific patterns of DNA methylation, a modification known to be important for regulating gene expression in both normal development and disease states. However, determining the functional significance of specific methylation events remains a challenging problem due to the current lack of targeted methodologies for removing these modifications. Here we describe an approach for efficient targeted demethylation of specific CpGs in human cells using fusions of engineered transcription activator-like effector (TALE) repeat arrays and the TET1 hydroxylase catalytic domain. Using these TALE-TET1 fusions, we demonstrate that modification of certain critical methylated promoter CpG positions can be associated with substantial increases in endogenous human gene expression. Our results delineate a general strategy for defining the functional significance of specific CpG methylation marks in the context of endogenous gene loci and validate new programmable DNA demethylation reagents with broad utility for research and potential therapeutic applications. Bisulfite sequencing of three different loci in three different cell lines (Klf4 in K562s, HBB in K562s and RHOXF2 in 293s and HeLas. Biological triplicates of all samples and controls (off-target and GFP controls).
Project description:Hundreds of Chromatin Regulators (CRs) control chromatin structure and function by catalyzing and binding histone modifications, yet the rules governing these key processes remain obscure. Here, we present a systematic approach to infer CR function. We developed ChIP-string, a meso-scale assay that combines chromatin immunoprecipitation with a signature readout of 487 representative loci. We applied ChIP-string to screen 145 antibodies, thereby identifying effective reagents, which we used to map the genome-wide binding of 29 CRs in two cell types. We found that specific combinations of CRs co-localize in characteristic patterns at distinct chromatin environments, genes of coherent functions and distal regulatory elements. When comparing between cell types, CRs redistribute to different loci, but maintain their modular and combinatorial associations. Our work provides a multiplex method that substantially enhances the ability to monitor CR binding, presents a large resource of CR maps, and reveals common principles for combinatorial CR function. For data usage terms and conditions, please refer to http://www.genome.gov/27528022 and http://www.genome.gov/Pages/Research/ENCODE/ENCODEDataReleasePolicyFinal2008.pdf Study of genom-wide binding of 29 CRs in two cell types.
Project description:Use DNase-seq to assess genome-wide chromation remodeling which occurred in CRISPR/Cas9 and TALE genome engineering systems Determining chromatin structural changes in transfected cells vs. the parent HEK293T cells
Project description:Synthetic DNA-binding proteins have found broad application in gene therapies and as tools for interrogating biology. Engineered proteins based on the CRISPR/Cas9 and TALE systems have been used to alter genomic DNA sequences, control transcription of endogenous genes, and modify epigenetic states. Although the activity of these proteins at their intended genomic target sites have been assessed, the genome-wide effects of their action have not been extensively characterized. Additionally, the role of chromatin structure in determining the binding of CRISPR/Cas9 and TALE proteins to their target sites and the regulation of nearby genes is poorly understood. Characterization of the activity these proteins using modern high-throughput genomic methods would provide valuable insight into the specificity and off-target effects of CRISPR- and TALE-based genome engineering tools. We have analyzed the genome-wide effects of TALE- and CRISPR-based transcriptional activators targeted to the promoters of two different endogenous human genes in HEK293T cells using a variety of high-throughput DNA sequencing methods. In particular, we assayed the DNA-binding specificity of these proteins and their effects on the epigenome. DNA-binding specificity was evaluated by ChIP-seq and RNA-seq was used to measure the specificity of these activators in perturbing the transcriptome. Additionally, DNase-seq was used to identify the chromatin state at target sites of the synthetic transcriptional activators and the genome-wide chromatin remodeling that occurs as a result of their action. Our results show that these genome engineering technologies are highly specific in both binding to their promoter target sites and inducing expression of downstream genes when multiple activators bind to a single promoter. Moreover, we show that these synthetic activators are able to induce the expression of silent genes in heterochromatic regions of the genome by opening regions of closed chromatin and decreasing DNA methylation. Interestingly, the transcriptional activation domain was not necessary for DNA-binding or chromatin remodeling in these regions, but was critical to inducing gene expression. This study shows that these CRISPR- and TALE-based transcriptional activators are exceptionally specific. Although we detected limited binding of off-target sites in the genome and changes to genome structure, these off-target event did not lead to any detectable changes in gene regulation. Collectively, these results underscore the potential for these technologies to make precise changes to gene expression for gene and cell therapies or fundamental studies of gene function. HEK293T cells were transfected in triplicate with plasmids expressing synthetic transcription factors. The synthetic TFs were either (a) dCas9-VP64 fusion protein and a targeting guide RNA (gRNA), or (b) a TALE-VP64 fusion protein engineered to bind to a specific target site in the genome. As a control, cells were transfected with plasmids expressing GFP. After transfection, RNA-seq was used to identify both on-target and off-target binding sites for the synthetic TFs. The data in this submission were generated using the TALE transfection experiments.
Project description:To identify direct LHX2 target genes in HFSCs, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation and deep sequencing (ChIP-seq) analysis using FACS-isolated HFSCs. Three independent LHX2 ChIP-seq experiments were conducted.
Project description:After characterizing super-enhancer-associated chromatin dynamics accompanied by malignant progression of skin stem cells, we show that ETS family members auto-regulate themselves and a cohort of cancer-associated super-enhancer transcription factors which together are essential for tumor maintenance. Mouse skin squamouse cell carcinoma (SCC) tumor-initiating stem cells (SCs) were FACS-purified for ChIP-sequencing.
Project description:After characterizing super-enhancer-associated chromatin dynamics accompanied by malignant progression of skin stem cells, we show that ETS family members auto-regulate themselves and a cohort of cancer-associated super-enhancer transcription factors which together are essential for tumor maintenance. Control and ETS2(T72D) super-activated epidermal basal stem cells were FACS-purified for ChIP-sequencing.
Project description:To identify direct NFIB target genes in HFSCs, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation and deep sequencing (ChIP-seq) analysis using FACS-isolated HFSCs. Two independent NFIB ChIP-seq experiments were conducted.
Project description:Snt2 is a yeast chromatin-interacting protein whose function has not been well characterized, that was recently shown to associate with Ecm5 and the Rpd3 deacetylase. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq), we show that in response to H2O2, Snt2 and Ecm5 colocalize to promoters of genes involved in various aspects of the environmental stress response. By integrating these ChIP-seq results with expression analysis, we identify a key set of target genes that require Snt2 for proper expression after H2O2 stress. Finally, by mapping Snt2 and Ecm5 localization before and after rapamycin treatment, we identify a subset of H2O2-specific Snt2 and Ecm5 target promoters that are also targeted in response to rapamycin. Our results establish a function for Snt2 in regulating transcriptional changes in response to oxidative stress, and suggest Snt2 may have a role in additional stress pathways. RNA-seq analysis to look at gene expression levels in wild-type, snt2 deletion, or ecm5 deletion strains before or 0.5 hours after treatment with H2O2 (final concentration 0.4 mM). This sequencing was done on biological triplicate samples.