Project description:Chromatin insulators are functionally conserved DNA-protein complexes that are situated throughout the genome and organize independent transcriptional domains. Previous work implicated RNA as an important cofactor in chromatin insulator activity, although the mechanisms by which RNA affects insulator activity are not yet understood. Here we identify the exosome, the highly conserved major cellular 3’ to 5’ RNA degradation machinery, as a physical interactor of CP190-dependent chromatin insulator complexes in Drosophila. High resolution genome-wide profiling of exosome by ChIP-seq in two different embryonic cell lines reveals extensive and specific overlap with the CP190, BEAF-32, and CTCF insulator proteins. Colocalization occurs mainly at promoters but also well-characterized boundary elements, such as scs, scs’, Mcp, and Fab-8. Surprisingly, exosome associates primarily with promoters but not gene bodies, arguing against simple cotranscriptional recruitment to RNA substrates. We find that exosome is recruited to chromatin in a transcription dependent manner, preferentially to highly transcribed genes. Similar to insulator proteins, exosome is also significantly enriched at divergently transcribed promoters. Directed ChIP of exosome in cell lines depleted of insulator proteins shows that CTCF is specifically required for exosome association at Mcp and Fab-8 but not other sites, suggesting that alternate mechanisms must also contribute to exosome chromatin recruitment. Taken together, our results reveal a novel relationship between exosome and chromatin insulators throughout the genome. ChIP-seq of exosome components. RNA-seq after control and exosome subunit knockdown in Drosophila cell lines.
Project description:Chromatin insulators are functionally conserved DNA-protein complexes that are situated throughout the genome and organize independent transcriptional domains. Previous work implicated RNA as an important cofactor in chromatin insulator activity, although the mechanisms by which RNA affects insulator activity are not yet understood. Here we identify the exosome, the highly conserved major cellular 3’ to 5’ RNA degradation machinery, as a physical interactor of CP190-dependent chromatin insulator complexes in Drosophila. High resolution genome-wide profiling of exosome by ChIP-seq in two different embryonic cell lines reveals extensive and specific overlap with the CP190, BEAF-32, and CTCF insulator proteins. Colocalization occurs mainly at promoters but also well-characterized boundary elements, such as scs, scs’, Mcp, and Fab-8. Surprisingly, exosome associates primarily with promoters but not gene bodies, arguing against simple cotranscriptional recruitment to RNA substrates. We find that exosome is recruited to chromatin in a transcription dependent manner, preferentially to highly transcribed genes. Similar to insulator proteins, exosome is also significantly enriched at divergently transcribed promoters. Directed ChIP of exosome in cell lines depleted of insulator proteins shows that CTCF is specifically required for exosome association at Mcp and Fab-8 but not other sites, suggesting that alternate mechanisms must also contribute to exosome chromatin recruitment. Taken together, our results reveal a novel relationship between exosome and chromatin insulators throughout the genome.
Project description:Insulators are DNA sequences that control the interactions among genomic regulatory elements and act as chromatin boundaries. A thorough understanding of their location and function is necessary to address the complexities of metazoan gene regulation. We studied by ChIP-chip the genome-wide binding sites of 6 insulator-associated proteins – dCTCF, CP190, BEAF-32, Su(Hw), Mod(mdg4) and GAF – to obtain the first comprehensive map of insulator elements in Drosophila embryos. We identify over 14,000 putative insulators, including all previously known insulators. We find two major classes of insulators defined by dCTCF/CP190/BEAF-32 and Su(Hw) respectively. Distributional analyses of insulators revealed that particular sub-classes of insulator elements are excluded between cis-regulatory elements and their target promoters, divide differentially expressed, alternative, and divergent promoters, act as chromatin boundaries, are associated with chromosomal breakpoints among species, and are embedded within active chromatin domains. Together, these results provide a map demarcating the boundaries of gene regulatory units, and a framework for understanding insulator function during the development and evolution of Drosophila. 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:Chromatin insulators are DNA-protein complexes that establish higher order independent DNA domains to influence transcriptional regulation. Insulators are defined by two different functions: they can block communication between an enhancer and a promoter and also act as a barrier between heterochromatin and euchromatin. In Drosophila, the gypsy-insulator complex contains three core components: Su(Hw), CP190 and Mod(mdg4)67.2. Here we identify a novel role for Chromatin-linked adaptor for MSL proteins (CLAMP) in promoting gypsy chromatin insulator function. When Clamp is depleted by RNAi, gypsy-dependent enhancer blocking activity decreases and barrier activity is reduced in all tissues. Furthermore, Clamp RNAi knockdowns and mutation result in disorganized insulator complex localization in the nucleus. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments showed that CLAMP physically associates with core gypsy-insulator proteins. Co-localization of CLAMP with gypsy components on polytene chromosomes and ChIP-seq analysis demonstrates co-localization of CLAMP with a subset of insulator sites across the genome. Thus, our findings suggest a ubiquitous, genome-wide role for CLAMP in promoting gypsy-dependent chromatin insulator activity.
Project description:Chromatin insulators are DNA-protein complexes that establish higher order independent DNA domains to influence transcriptional regulation. Insulators are defined by two different functions: they can block communication between an enhancer and a promoter and also act as a barrier between heterochromatin and euchromatin. In Drosophila, the gypsy-insulator complex contains three core components: Su(Hw), CP190 and Mod(mdg4)67.2. Here we identify a novel role for Chromatin-linked adaptor for MSL proteins (CLAMP) in promoting gypsy chromatin insulator function. When Clamp is depleted by RNAi, gypsy-dependent enhancer blocking activity decreases and barrier activity is reduced in all tissues. Furthermore, Clamp RNAi knockdowns and mutation result in disorganized insulator complex localization in the nucleus. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments showed that CLAMP physically associates with core gypsy-insulator proteins. Co-localization of CLAMP with gypsy components on polytene chromosomes and ChIP-seq analysis demonstrates co-localization of CLAMP with a subset of insulator sites across the genome. Thus, our findings suggest a ubiquitous, genome-wide role for CLAMP in promoting gypsy-dependent chromatin insulator activity.
Project description:Here we map the localization of Mod(mdg4), including Mod(mdg4)2.2 specific and Mod(mdg4) common to all isoforms, to chromatin insulators, as well as the lethal-3 malignant brain tumor protein in Drosophila Kc cells.
Project description:Hybrid incompatibility between Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans is caused by a lethal interaction of the proteins encoded by the Hmr and Lhr genes. In D. melanogaster the loss of HMR results in mitotic defects, an increase in transcription of transposable elements and a deregulation of heterochromatic genes. To investigate the molecular mechanisms that mediate HMRs function, we measured genome-wide localization of HMR in D. melanogaster by chromatin immunoprecipitation. Interestingly, we find HMR localizing to genomic insulator sites that can be classified into two groups. One group that belongs to the gypsy class of insulators and another one that separates HP1a binding regions from active promoters. The activity of these promoters is strongly affected in Hmr mutant flies. Our data provide a novel link between HMR and insulator proteins and suggest a key role for genome organization in the formation of species.