Project description:Transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) is a potent inhibitor of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) proliferation. However, the precise mechanism for this effect is unknown. Here, we have identified the transcription factor Gata2, previously described as an important regulator of HSC function, as an early and direct target gene for TGFβ-induced Smad signaling in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Interestingly, TGFβ-induced Gata2 upregulation is critical for subsequent transcriptional activation of the TGFβ signaling effector molecule p57 and resulting growth arrest of HSPCs. Importantly, both Gata2 and p57 are abundantly expressed in freshly isolated highly purified HSCs, demonstrating the relevance of this circuit in HSC regulation within the HSC niche. Our results connect key molecules involved in HSC self-renewal and reveal a functionally relevant network regulating proliferation of primitive hematopoietic cells. To identify TGFβ targets downstream of Gata2, we carried out a ChIP-Seq experiment on TGFβ-induced Lhx2 cells. Interestingly, there was a large overlap between the GATA2-bound genes and genes differentially expressed after 2h TGFβ induction.
Project description:Transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) is a potent inhibitor of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) proliferation. However, the precise mechanism for this effect is unknown. Here, we have identified the transcription factor Gata2, previously described as an important regulator of HSC function, as an early and direct target gene for TGFβ-induced Smad signaling in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Interestingly, TGFβ-induced Gata2 upregulation is critical for subsequent transcriptional activation of the TGFβ signaling effector molecule p57 and resulting growth arrest of HSPCs. Importantly, both Gata2 and p57 are abundantly expressed in freshly isolated highly purified HSCs, demonstrating the relevance of this circuit in HSC regulation within the HSC niche. Our results connect key molecules involved in HSC self-renewal and reveal a functionally relevant network regulating proliferation of primitive hematopoietic cells. To identify early gene targets of TGFβ signaling in hematopoietic progenitor cells, we performed high-throughput gene expression profiling of a primitive murine hematopoietic cell line. One of the revealed target genes was the transcription factor Gata2, which became the base for the rest of the study.
Project description:Transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) is a potent inhibitor of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) proliferation. However, the precise mechanism for this effect is unknown. Here, we have identified the transcription factor Gata2, previously described as an important regulator of HSC function, as an early and direct target gene for TGFβ-induced Smad signaling in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Interestingly, TGFβ-induced Gata2 upregulation is critical for subsequent transcriptional activation of the TGFβ signaling effector molecule p57 and resulting growth arrest of HSPCs. Importantly, both Gata2 and p57 are abundantly expressed in freshly isolated highly purified HSCs, demonstrating the relevance of this circuit in HSC regulation within the HSC niche. Our results connect key molecules involved in HSC self-renewal and reveal a functionally relevant network regulating proliferation of primitive hematopoietic cells. To identify TGFβ targets downstream of Gata2, we carried out a ChIP-Seq experiment on TGFβ-induced Lhx2 cells. Interestingly, there was a large overlap between the GATA2-bound genes and genes differentially expressed after 2h TGFβ induction. One sample of 1x10^8 cells (treated with 10 ng/ml TGFβ for 2h) was sequenced.
Project description:Transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) is a potent inhibitor of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) proliferation. However, the precise mechanism for this effect is unknown. Here, we have identified the transcription factor Gata2, previously described as an important regulator of HSC function, as an early and direct target gene for TGFβ-induced Smad signaling in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Interestingly, TGFβ-induced Gata2 upregulation is critical for subsequent transcriptional activation of the TGFβ signaling effector molecule p57 and resulting growth arrest of HSPCs. Importantly, both Gata2 and p57 are abundantly expressed in freshly isolated highly purified HSCs, demonstrating the relevance of this circuit in HSC regulation within the HSC niche. Our results connect key molecules involved in HSC self-renewal and reveal a functionally relevant network regulating proliferation of primitive hematopoietic cells. To identify early gene targets of TGFβ signaling in hematopoietic progenitor cells, we performed high-throughput gene expression profiling of a primitive murine hematopoietic cell line. One of the revealed target genes was the transcription factor Gata2, which became the base for the rest of the study. Three independent RNA harvests were separately analyzed. Untreated cells were used as controls to the 10ng/ml TGFb-treated cells.
Project description:Deregulation of the transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) signaling pathway in epithelial ovarian cancer has been reported, but the precise mechanism underlying disrupted TGFβ signaling in the disease remains unclear. We performed chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) to investigate genome-wide screening of TGFβ-induced SMAD4 binding in epithelial ovarian cancer. Following TGFβ stimulation of the A2780 epithelial ovarian cancer cell line, we identified 2,362 SMAD4 binding loci and 318 differentially expressed SMAD4 target genes. Comprehensive examination of SMAD4-bound loci, revealed four distinct binding patterns: 1) Basal; 2) Shift; 3) Stimulated Only; 4) Unstimulated Only. SMAD4-bound loci were primarily classified as either Stimulated only (74%) or Shift (25%), indicating that TGFβ-stimulation alters SMAD4 binding patterns in epithelial ovarian cancer cells compared to normal epithelial cells. Furthermore, based on gene regulatory network analysis, we determined that the TGFβ-induced SMAD4-dependent regulatory network was strikingly different in ovarian cancer compared to normal cells. Importantly, the TGFβ/SMAD4 target genes identified in the A2780 epithelial ovarian cancer cell line were predictive of patient survival, based on in silico mining of publically available patient data bases. In conclusion, our data highlight the utility of next generation sequencing technology to identify genome-wide SMAD4 target genes in epithelial ovarian cancer. The results link aberrant TGFβ/SMAD signaling to ovarian tumorigenesis. Furthermore, the identified SMAD4 binding loci, combined with gene expression profiling and in silico data mining of patient cohorts, may provide a powerful approach to determine potential gene signatures with biological and future translational research in ovarian and other cancers.
Project description:In vertebrates, GATA2 is a master regulator of hematopoiesis and is expressed throughout embryo development and in adult life. Although the essential role of GATA2 in mouse hematopoiesis is well established, its involvement during early human hematopoietic development is not clear. By combining time-controlled overexpression of GATA2 with genetic knockout experiments, we found that GATA2, at the mesoderm specification stage, promotes the generation of hemogenic endothelial progenitors and their further differentiation to hematopoietic progenitor cells, and negatively regulates cardiac differentiation. Surprisingly, genome-wide transcriptional and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis showed that GATA2 bound preferentially to regulatory regions, and repressed the expression of cardiac development-related genes. By contrast, genes important for hematopoietic differentiation were upregulated by GATA2 in a mostly indirect manner. Collectively, our data reveal a hitherto unrecognized role of GATA2 as repressor of cardiac fates, and highlight the importance of coordinating the specification and repression of alternative cell fates.
Project description:Combinatorial actions of relatively few transcription factors control hematopoietic differentiation. To investigate this process in erythro-megakaryopoiesis, we correlated the genome-wide chromatin occupancy signatures of four master hematopoietic transcription factors (GATA1, GATA2, TAL1, and FLI1) and three diagnostic histone modification marks with the gene expression changes that occur during development of primary cultured megakaryocytes (MEG) and primary erythroblasts (ERY) from murine fetal liver hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. We identified a robust, genome-wide mechanism of MEG-specific lineage priming by a previously described stem/progenitor cell-expressed transcription factor heptad (GATA2, LYL1, TAL1, FLI1, ERG, RUNX1, LMO2) binding to MEG-associated cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) in multipotential progenitors. This is followed by genome-wide GATA factor switching that mediates further induction of MEG-specific genes following lineage commitment. Interaction between GATA and ETS factors appears to be a key determinant of these processes. In contrast, ERY-specific lineage priming is biased toward GATA2-independent mechanisms. In addition to its role in MEG lineage priming, GATA2 plays an extensive role in late megakaryopoiesis as a transcriptional repressor at loci defined by a specific DNA signature. Our findings reveal important new insights into how ERY and MEG lineages arise from a common bipotential progenitor via overlapping and divergent functions of shared hematopoietic transcription factors. Genome-wide chromatin occupancy using ChIP-seq on 4 transcription factors (GATA1, GATA2, TAL1, and FLII) and three histone marks (H3K4me1, H3K4me3, and H3K27me3) in lineage-commited primary erythoblasts (ERY) and primary cultured megakaryocytes (MEG).
Project description:We used ChIP-Seq to map Ldb1, Scl and Gata2 binding sites in mouse hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs). Together with functional studies using conventional and conditional Ldb1 deficient mouse models and bioinformatics analysis, we systematically determined a transcriptional program controlled by Ldb1 complexes in HSC maintenance. To evaluate the role of Ldb1 in hematopoietic stem cell maintenance.
Project description:Cellular decision-making is mediated by a complex interplay of external stimuli with the intracellular environment, in particular transcription factor regulatory networks. Here we have determined the expression of a network of 18 key haematopoietic transcription factors (TFs) in 597 single primary blood stem and progenitor cells isolated from mouse bone marrow. We demonstrate that different stem/progenitor populations are characterised by distinctive TF expression states, and through comprehensive bioinformatic analysis reveal positively and negatively correlated TF pairings, including previously unrecognised relationships between Gata2, Gfi1 and Gfi1b. Validation using transcriptional and transgenic assays confirmed direct regulatory interactions consistent with a novel regulatory triad in immature blood stem cells, where Gata2 may function to modulate cross-inhibition between Gfi1 and Gfi1b. Single cell expression profiling therefore identifies network states and allows reconstruction of network hierarchies involved in controlling stem cell fate choices, and provides a blueprint for studying both normal development and human disease. Examination of Gata2 and Gfi1 binding patterns in murine mast cells
Project description:Innate immune signaling protects against pathogens, controls hematopoietic development and functions in oncogenesis, yet the relationship between these mechanisms is incompletely defined. Downregulating the GATA2 transcription factor in fetal hematopoietic progenitor cells upregulates genes encoding innate immune regulators, increases Interferon-g (IFNg) signaling and disrupts differentiation. Here, we demonstrate that deletion of an enhancer that confers GATA2 expression in fetal progenitor cells elevated Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) TLR1/2 and TLR2/6 expression and signaling. Genetic rescue by expressing GATA2 downregulated the elevated TLR signaling. IFNg amplified TLR1/2 and TLR2/6 signaling in GATA2-deficient progenitor cells, synergistically activating cytokine/chemokine genes and elevating cytokine/chemokine production in their myeloid cell progeny. Genome-wide analysis of how IFNg and TLR signaling remodels the progenitor cell transcriptome in GATA2-deficient cells revealed exaggerated responses at innate immune genes harboring motifs for signal-dependent transcription factors. Thus, GATA2 establishes a transcriptome that constrains innate immune signaling, and insufficient GATA2 renders fetal progenitor cells hypersensitive to innate immune signaling.