Project description:Dynamic changes of histone epigenetic modifications and chromatin structure represent an universal mechanism by which cells adapt their transcriptional response to rapidly changing environmental conditions. During neuronal development, extensive chromatin remodeling takes place allowing the transition of pluripotent cells into differentiated neurons. Here we report that the ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complex NuRD, which couples ATP-dependent nucleosome sliding with histone deacetylase activity, is a major remodeling complex in embryonic brain and plays an instructive role during mouse neuronal development. Importantly, the ATPase subunits of NuRD complex CHD3, CHD4 and CHD5 undergo a functional switch, thereby regulating distinct aspects of neuronal differentiation and migration in a sequential and mostly non-overlapping manner. We conclude that the recruitment of NuRD complexes containing specific CHDs to gene promoters and enhancers plays an instructive role in brain development. Gene expression analysis was performed in the mouse embryonic cortex at three developmental stages: E12.5, E15.5 and E18.5 using total RNA obtained from four embryos for each time point.
Project description:Intestinal epithelia exist in a uniquely dynamic oxygen tension microenvironment. Adaptive responses to hypoxia in mammalian cells are regulated largely by hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) transcriptional complexes. Functional HIF exists as an obligate alpha/beta heterodimer, comprising both a constitutive subunit (HIF-1beta), and an oxygen-labile regulatory (alpha) component. To date, three regulatory subunits have been identified, namely HIF-1alpha, HIF-2alpha, and HIF-3alpha, with the highest level of sequence homology conserved between HIF-1alpha and HIF-2alpha. Despite their concurrent expression in intestinal epithelial cells, HIF-1 and HIF-2 play non-redundant roles in the regulation of an overlapping but distinct set of gene targets. In this study, we performed ChIP-on-chip analysis of chromatin isolated from hypoxic intestinal epithelia to delineate HIF-1 and HIF-2 specific loci. Comparison of HIF-1alpha ChIP-chip and HIF-2alpha ChIP-chip to map HIF-1- and HIF-2-specific gene targets across the genome.
Project description:The transcription factor CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) modulates pleiotropic functions mostly related to gene expression regulation. The role of CTCF in large scale genome organization is also well established. A unifying model to explain relationships between many CTCF-mediated activities involve direct or indirect interactions with numerous protein cofactors recruited to specific binding sites. The co-association of CTCF with other architectural proteins such as cohesin, chromodomain helicases and BRG1 further support the interplay between master regulators of mammalian genome folding. Here we report a comprehensive LC-MS/MS mapping of the components of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex co-associated with CTCF including subunits belonging to the core, signature and ATPase modules. We further show that the localization patterns of representative SWI/SNF members significantly overlap with CTCF sites on transcriptionally active chromatin regions. Moreover, we provide evidence of a direct binding of the BRK-BRG1 domain to the zinc finger motifs 4-8 of CTCF, thus suggesting that these domains mediate the interaction of CTCF with the SWI/SNF complex. These findings provide an updated view of the cooperative nature between CTCF and the SWI/SNF ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling complexes, an important step for understanding how these architectural proteins collaborate to shape the genome.
Project description:We carried out multiple functional genomic assays in Capsaspora owczarzaki, the unicellular relative of animals with the largest known gene repertoire for transcriptional regulation. We show that changing chromatin states, differential lincRNA expression and dynamic cis-regulatory sites are associated with life cycle transitions in Capsaspora.
Project description:The packaging of DNA into chromatin plays an important role in transcriptional regulation and nuclear processes. Brahma related gene-1 SMARCA4 (also known as BRG1), the essential ATPase subunit of the mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, uses the energy from ATP hydrolysis to disrupt nucleosomes at target regions. Although the transcriptional role of SMARCA4 at gene promoters is well-studied, less is known about its role in higher-order genome organization. SMARCA4 knockdown in human mammary epithelial MCF-10A cells resulted in 176 up-regulated genes, including many related to lipid and calcium metabolism, and 1292 down-regulated genes, some of which encode extracellular matrix (ECM) components that can exert mechanical forces and affect nuclear structure. ChIP-seq analysis of SMARCA4 localization and SMARCA4-bound super-enhancers demonstrated extensive binding at intergenic regions. Furthermore, Hi-C analysis showed extensive SMARCA4-mediated alterations in higher-order genome organization at multiple resolutions. First, SMARCA4 knockdown resulted in clustering of intra- and inter- sub-telomeric regions, demonstrating a novel role for SMARCA4 in telomere organization. SMARCA4 binding was enriched at TAD (Topologically Associating Domain) boundaries, and SMARCA4 knockdown resulted in weakening of TAD boundary strength. Taken together, these findings provide a dynamic view of SMARCA4-dependent changes in higher-order chromatin organization and gene expression, identifying SMARCA4 as a novel component of chromatin organization. Hi-C and RNA-seq experiments were conducted in MCF-10A shSCRAM and shSMARCA4 cells. SMARCA4 ChIP-seq was conducted in wildtype MCF-10A cells.
Project description:We studied the extent of chromatin remodeling in an in-vitro model of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). EMT is induced in spheroid cultures (3D) using simultaneously two cytokines: TGFbeta and TNFalpha. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cellular de-differentiation process that has been implicated in cancer progression and metastasis. Increasing evidence suggests that EMT is regulated and established by epigenetic reprogramming, however a systems-level mechanism describing how chromatin remodeling contributes to the phenotypic switch is not known. We have generated genome-wide maps of 18 histone modifications/variants and variants in both the epithelial and mesenchymal states and quantified patterns of epigenetic changes at gene and enhancer loci. Clusters of these patterns reveal that EMT-related genes and their proximal enhancers are regulated through coordinated patterns of chromatin activation and repression at both gene and enhancer loci. At the cellular level, the remodeling of gene loci translates into a modular protein interaction network that recapitulates EMT-related signaling. Moreover, differentially activated or repressed enhancers are associated with two non-overlapping sets of transcription factors. We propose a chromatin-mediated regulatory feedback loop model where the NFkappaB and AP-1 transcription factors (TFs) bind activated enhancers, that regulate EMT-related genes, which in turn activate signaling pathways upstream of these TFs.