Project description:The integrated activity of cis-regulatory elements fine-tunes transcriptional programs of mammalian cells by recruiting cell type–specific as well as ubiquitous transcription factors (TFs). Despite their key role in modulating transcription, enhancers are still poorly characterized at the molecular level, and their limited DNA sequence conservation in evolution and variable distance from target genes make their unbiased identification challenging. The coexistence of high mono-methylation and low tri-methylation levels of lysine 4 of histone H3 is considered a signature of enhancers, but a comprehensive view of histone modifications associated to enhancers is still lacking. By combining chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) with mass spectrometry, we investigated cis-regulatory regions in macrophages to comprehensively identify histone marks specifically associated with enhancers, and to profile their dynamics after transcriptional activation elicited by an inflammatory stimulation. The intersection of the proteomics data with ChIP-seq and RNA-seq analyses revealed the existence of novel subpopulations of enhancers, marked by specific histone modification signatures: specifically, H3K36me2/K4me1 marks transcribed enhancers, while H3K36me3/K4me1 and H3K79me2/K4me1 combinations mark distinct classes of intronic enhancers. Thus, our MS analysis of functionally distinct genomic regions revealed the combinatorial code of histone modifications, highlighting the potential of proteomics in addressing fundamental questions in epigenetics.
Project description:Enhancers are fundamental to gene regulation. Post-translational modifications by the small ubiquitin-like modifiers (SUMO) modify chromatin regulation enzymes, including histone acetylases and deacetylases. However, it remains unclear whether SUMOylation regulates enhancer marks, acetylation at the 27th lysine residue of the histone H3 protein (H3K27Ac). We hypothesize that SUMOylation regulates H3K27Ac. To test this hypothesis, we performed genome-wide ChIP-seq analyses. We discovered that knockdown (KD) of the SUMO activating enzyme catalytic subunit UBA2 reduced H3K27Ac at most enhancers. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that TFAP2C-binding sites are enriched in enhancers whose H3K27Ac was reduced by UBA2 KD. ChIP-seq analysis in combination with molecular biological methods showed that TFAP2C binding to enhancers increased upon UBA2 KD or inhibition of SUMOylation by a small molecule SUMOylation inhibitor. However, this is not due to the SUMOylation of TFAP2C itself. Proteomics analysis of TFAP2C interactome on the chromatin identified histone deacetylation (HDAC) machinery. TFAP2C KD reduced HDAC binding to chromatin and increased H3K27Ac marks at enhancer regions, suggesting that TFAP2C is involved in recruiting HDAC. Taken together, our findings provide important insights into regulation of enhancer marks by SUMOylation.
Project description:The expansion of repressive epigenetic marks has been implicated in heterochromatin formation during embryonic development, but the general applicability of this mechanism is unclear. Here we show that nuclear rearrangement of repressive histone marks H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 into non-overlapping structural layers characterizes senescence-associated heterochromatic foci (SAHF) formation in human fibroblasts. However, the global landscape of these repressive marks remains unchanged upon SAHF formation, suggesting that in somatic cells heterochromatin can be formed through the spatial repositioning of pre-existing repressively marked histones. This model is reinforced by the correlation of pre-senescent replication timing with both the subsequent layered structure of SAHFs and the global landscape of the repressive marks, allowing us to integrate microscopic and genomic information. Furthermore, modulation of SAHF structure does not affect the occupancy of these repressive marks nor vice versa. These experiments reveal that high-order heterochromatin formation and epigenetic remodeling of the genome can be discrete events. ChIP-seq for different histone marks in both growing and Ras-induced senescent fibroblasts, in the presence or absence of certain sh-RNAs K9me3Grow2.bed (growing) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K9me3 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts d6 4OHT K9me3Sen2.bed (senescent) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K9me3 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts with no treatment K9me2Grow3.bed (growing) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K9me2 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts with no treatment K9me2Sen3.bed (senescent) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K9me2 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts d6 4OHT K27me3Sen3.bed (senescent) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K27me3 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts d6 4OHT K27me3Grow2.bed (growing) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K27me3 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts with no treatment K36me3Grow2.bed (growing) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K36me3 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts with no treatment K36me3Sen2.bed (senescent) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K36me3 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts d6 4OHT K4me3Grow2.bed (growing) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K4me3 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts with no treatment K4me3Sen3.bed (senescent) Chip Seq Analysis of H3K4me3 in ER:Ras expressing IMR90 human diploid fibroblasts d6 4OHT
Project description:To investigate the regulation of human enteroendocrine cell differentiation, we established Neurog3ER inducible cell lines. We then analysed active histone marks using data obtained from H3K27ac ChIP-seq at various time points.
Project description:Using the estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) as a model ligand inducible transcription factor, we sought to explicitly define parameters that determine transcription factor binding site selection on a genomic scale in an inducible system that minimizes confounding chromatin effects by the transcription factor itself. By examining several genetic and epigenetic parameters, we find that an energetically favorable estrogen response element (ERE) motif sequence, evidence of occupancy of a "pioneering" transcription factor FOXA1, the presence of the enhancer mark, H3K4me1, and an open chromatin configuration (FAIRE) at the pre-ligand state provide specificity for ER binding. Genome-wide ChIP-sequencing was done in MCF-7 cancer cell line for the following histone H3 modifications: monomethylation H3K4me1, trimethylation H3K4me3, H3K9me3, H3K27me3, acetylation H3K9ac, H3K14ac. In addition sequencing of RNA Pol II was done at same treatment conditions (E2 and DMSO). In addition, we assessed the chromatin configuration of ERα binding sites by deeply sequencing fragments isolated by Formaldehyde-Assisted Isolation of Regulatory Elements (FAIRE) (Giresi et al, 2007) which enriches for nucleosome free genomic DNA in the aqueous phase of a phenol extraction. The analysis histone modifications in MCF-7 cancer cells was done by ChIP-seq data obtained either with E2 stimulation or without stimulation using vehicle as a control. Using the ERα binding sites defined by ChIP-seq (separate submission), we analyzed the population characteristics of the chromatin configuration of the ERα binding sites. To this end, we performed ChIP-seq analysis for the occupancy configuration of each of the following marks before and after E2 exposure: RNA Pol II, the activation marks H3K4me1, H3K4me3, H3K9ac and H3K14ac, and the repression marks H3K9me3 and H3K27me3. We assessed the chromatin configuration of ERα binding sites by deeply sequencing fragments isolated by Formaldehyde-Assisted Isolation of Regulatory Elements (FAIRE) (Giresi et al, 2007) which enriches for nucleosome free genomic DNA in the aqueous phase of a phenol extraction. The tag count of FAIRE fragments reflects the nucleosome depletion at any given site. RNA Pol II - Cat# ab5408, Abcam; H3K9me3 - Cat# ab8898, Abcam; H3K27me3 - Cat# 07-449, Upstate Biotechnology Inc.; H3K4me1 - Cat# ab8895, Abcam; H3K4me3 - Cat# ab8580, Abcam; H3K9ac - Cat# 07-352, Upstate Biotechnology Inc.; H3K14ac - Cat# 07-353, Upstate Biotechnology Inc.
Project description:Using the estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) as a model ligand inducible transcription factor, we sought to explicitly define parameters that determine transcription factor binding site selection on a genomic scale in an inducible system that minimizes confounding chromatin effects by the transcription factor itself. By examining several genetic and epigenetic parameters, we find that an energetically favorable estrogen response element (ERE) motif sequence, evidence of occupancy of a "pioneering" transcription factor FOXA1, the presence of the enhancer mark, H3K4me1, and an open chromatin configuration (FAIRE) at the pre-ligand state provide specificity for ER binding. Genome-wide ChIP-sequencing was done in MCF-7 cancer cell line for the following histone H3 modifications: monomethylation H3K4me1, trimethylation H3K4me3, H3K9me3, H3K27me3, acetylation H3K9ac, H3K14ac. In addition sequencing of RNA Pol II was done at same treatment conditions (E2 and DMSO). In addition, we assessed the chromatin configuration of ERα binding sites by deeply sequencing fragments isolated by Formaldehyde-Assisted Isolation of Regulatory Elements (FAIRE) (Giresi et al, 2007) which enriches for nucleosome free genomic DNA in the aqueous phase of a phenol extraction. The analysis histone modifications in MCF-7 cancer cells was done by ChIP-seq data obtained either with E2 stimulation or without stimulation using vehicle as a control. Using the ERα binding sites defined by ChIP-seq (separate submission), we analyzed the population characteristics of the chromatin configuration of the ERα binding sites. To this end, we performed ChIP-seq analysis for the occupancy configuration of each of the following marks before and after E2 exposure: RNA Pol II, the activation marks H3K4me1, H3K4me3, H3K9ac and H3K14ac, and the repression marks H3K9me3 and H3K27me3. We assessed the chromatin configuration of ERα binding sites by deeply sequencing fragments isolated by Formaldehyde-Assisted Isolation of Regulatory Elements (FAIRE) (Giresi et al, 2007) which enriches for nucleosome free genomic DNA in the aqueous phase of a phenol extraction. The tag count of FAIRE fragments reflects the nucleosome depletion at any given site. RNA Pol II - Cat# ab5408, Abcam; H3K9me3 - Cat# ab8898, Abcam; H3K27me3 - Cat# 07-449, Upstate Biotechnology Inc.; H3K4me1 - Cat# ab8895, Abcam; H3K4me3 - Cat# ab8580, Abcam; H3K9ac - Cat# 07-352, Upstate Biotechnology Inc.; H3K14ac - Cat# 07-353, Upstate Biotechnology Inc.
Project description:Specific sites of histone tail methylation are associated with transcriptional activity at gene loci. These methyl-marks are interpreted by effector molecules, which harbor protein domains that bind the methylated motifs and facilitate either active or inactive states of transcription. CARM1 and PRMT1 are transcriptional coactivators that deposit H3R17me2a and H4R3me2a marks, respectively. We used a protein domain microarray approach to identify the tudor domain-containing protein TDRD3 as a “reader” of these marks. Importantly, TDRD3 itself is a transcriptional coactivator. This coactivator activity requires an intact tudor domain. TDRD3 is recruited to an estrogen responsive element in a CARM1-dependent manner. Furthermore, ChIP-seq analysis of TDRD3 reveals that it is predominantly localized to transcriptional start site. Thus, TDRD3 is an effector molecule that promotes transcription by binding methylarginine marks on histone tails. ChIP seq analysis of TDRD3 in MCF7 cells