Project description:Since the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells there has been intense interest in understanding the mechanisms that allow a somatic cell to be reprogrammed back to a pluripotent state. Several groups have studied the alterations in gene expression that occur as somatic cells modify their genome to that of an embryonic stem cell. Underpinning many of the gene expression changes are modifications to the epigenetic profile of the associated chromatin. We have used a large-scale shRNA screen to identify epigenetic modifiers that act as barriers to reprogramming. We have uncovered an important role for TRIM28 in cells resisting transition between somatic and pluripotent states. TRIM28 achieves this by maintaining the H3K9me3 repressed state and keeping endogenous retroviruses silenced. We propose that knockdown of TRIM28 during reprogramming results in more plastic H3K9me3 domains, dysregulation of genes nearby H3K9me3 marks, and up regulation of endogenous retroviruses, thus facilitating the transition through reprogramming. Gene expression profiling using high through put sequencing at day 7 of Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and cMyc (OSKM) expression in mouse embryonic fibroblasts with or without Trim28 / Setdb1 knockdown
Project description:Since the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells there has been intense interest in understanding the mechanisms that allow a somatic cell to be reprogrammed back to a pluripotent state. Several groups have studied the alterations in gene expression that occur as somatic cells modify their genome to that of an embryonic stem cell. Underpinning many of the gene expression changes are modifications to the epigenetic profile of the associated chromatin. We have used a large-scale shRNA screen to identify epigenetic modifiers that act as barriers to reprogramming. We have uncovered an important role for TRIM28 in cells resisting transition between somatic and pluripotent states. TRIM28 achieves this by maintaining the H3K9me3 repressed state and keeping endogenous retroviruses silenced. We propose that knockdown of TRIM28 during reprogramming results in more plastic H3K9me3 domains, dysregulation of genes nearby H3K9me3 marks, and up regulation of endogenous retroviruses, thus facilitating the transition through reprogramming.
Project description:Reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are primarily regulated by epigenetic machinery. Tripartite motif protein 28 (TRIM28), a universal mediator of Krüppel-associated box domain zinc fingers (KRAB-ZNFs), is known to regulate both processes, however exact mechanism and identity of participating KRAB-ZNF genes remains unknown. Here, using a novel reporter system, we first showed that TRIM28/KRAB-ZNFs alter DNA methylation patterns in addition to H3K9me3 to cause gene repression during reprogramming. Next, using several expression datasets, we identified novel KRAB-ZNFs (ZNF114, ZNF483 and ZNF589) in the human genome that regulate pluripotency. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that these KRAB-ZNFs directly alter gene expression of important developmental genes by modulation of H3K9me3 and DNA methylation on their promoters. In summary, TRIM28 employs novel KRAB-ZNFs to evoke epigenetic silencing of its target differentiation genes by H3K9me3 and DNA methylation.
Project description:Reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are primarily regulated by epigenetic machinery. Tripartite motif protein 28 (TRIM28), a universal mediator of Krüppel-associated box domain zinc fingers (KRAB-ZNFs), is known to regulate both processes, however exact mechanism and identity of participating KRAB-ZNF genes remains unknown. Here, using a novel reporter system, we first showed that TRIM28/KRAB-ZNFs alter DNA methylation patterns in addition to H3K9me3 to cause gene repression during reprogramming. Next, using several expression datasets, we identified novel KRAB-ZNFs (ZNF114, ZNF483 and ZNF589) in the human genome that regulate pluripotency. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that these KRAB-ZNFs directly alter gene expression of important developmental genes by modulation of H3K9me3 and DNA methylation on their promoters. In summary, TRIM28 employs novel KRAB-ZNFs to evoke epigenetic silencing of its target differentiation genes by H3K9me3 and DNA methylation.
Project description:Lipid metabolism is recognized as a key process for stem cell maintenance and differentiation but genetic factors that instruct stem cell function by influencing lipid metabolism remain to be delineated. Here we identify Tnfaip2 as an inhibitor of reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts into induced pluripotent stem cells. Tnfaip2 knockout embryonic stem cells (ESCs) exhibit differentiation failure and knockdown of the planarian orthologue, Smed-exoc3, abrogates in vivo differentiation of somatic stem cells, tissue homeostasis, and regeneration. Tnfaip2 deficient ESCs fail to induce synthesis of cellular triacylglycerol (TAG) and lipid droplets (LD) coinciding with reduced expression of Vimentin (Vim) – a known inducer of LD formation. Knockdown of Vim and Tnfaip2 act epistatically in enhancing cellular reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts. Similarly, planarians devoid of Smed-exoc3 displayed acute loss of TAGs. Supplementation of palmitic acid (PA) and palmitoyl-L-carnitine (a mitochondrial carrier of PA) restores the differentiation capacity of Tnfaip2 deficient ESCs as well as stem cell differentiation and organ maintenance in Smed-exoc3-depleted planarians. Together, these results identify a novel pathway, which is essential for stem cell differentiation and organ maintenance by instructing lipid metabolism.
Project description:Lipid metabolism is recognized as a key process for stem cell maintenance and differentiation but genetic factors that instruct stem cell function by influencing lipid metabolism remain to be delineated. Here we identify Tnfaip2 as an inhibitor of reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts into induced pluripotent stem cells. Tnfaip2 knockout embryonic stem cells (ESCs) exhibit differentiation failure and knockdown of the planarian orthologue, Smed-exoc3, abrogates in vivo differentiation of somatic stem cells, tissue homeostasis, and regeneration. Tnfaip2 deficient ESCs fail to induce synthesis of cellular triacylglycerol (TAG) and lipid droplets (LD) coinciding with reduced expression of Vimentin (Vim) – a known inducer of LD formation. Knockdown of Vim and Tnfaip2 act epistatically in enhancing cellular reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts. Similarly, planarians devoid of Smed-exoc3 displayed acute loss of TAGs. Supplementation of palmitic acid (PA) and palmitoyl-L-carnitine (a mitochondrial carrier of PA) restores the differentiation capacity of Tnfaip2 deficient ESCs as well as stem cell differentiation and organ maintenance in Smed-exoc3-depleted planarians. Together, these results identify a novel pathway, which is essential for stem cell differentiation and organ maintenance by instructing lipid metabolism.
Project description:Somatic cells can be reprogrammed to pluripotency using different methods. In comparison to pluripotent cells obtained through somatic nuclear transfer, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) exhibit a higher number of epigenetic errors. Furthermore, most of these abnormalities have been described to be intrinsic to the iPSC technology. Here we investigate whether the aberrant epigenetic patterns detected in iPSCs are specific to transcription factor-mediated reprogramming. We used germline stem cells (GSCs), which are the only adult cell type that can be converted into pluripotent cells (gPSCs) under specific culture conditions, and compared GSC-derived iPSCs and gPSCs at the transcriptomic, epigenetic and functional level. Our results show that both reprogramming methods generate indistinguishable states of pluripotency. GSC-derived iPSCs and gPSCs retained similar levels of donor cell-type memory and exhibited comparable numbers of reprogramming errors. Therefore, our study demonstrates that the epigenetic memory detected in iPSCs is not intrinsic to transcription-factor mediated reprogramming. Total RNA from 12 different in vitro mouse cell lines, 2 technical replicates per sample: germline stem cells (GSCs, 2 independent cell lines), GSC-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs, 4 independent cell lines), germline-derived pluripotent stem cells (gPSCs, 4 independent cell lines), embryonic stem cells (ESCs), fibroblast-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (Fib-iPSCs)
Project description:We developed and report on a novel new technique to reprogramm fobroblasts from two non-permissive mouse backgrounds into emrbyonic stem cell-like induced pluripotent stem cells