Project description:Naive and primed pluripotent human embryonic stem cells bear transcriptional similarity to pre- and post-implantation epiblast and thus constitute a developmental model for understanding the pluripotent stages in human embryo development. To identify new transcription factors that differentially regulate the unique pluripotent stages, we mapped open chromatin using ATAC-seq and found enrichment of the activator protein-2 (AP2) transcription factor binding motif at naive-specific open chromatin. We determined that the AP2 family member TFAP2C is upregulated during primed to naive reversion and becomes widespread at naive-specific enhancers. TFAP2C functions to maintain pluripotency and repress neuroectodermal differentiation during the transition from primed to naive by facilitating the opening of enhancers proximal to pluripotency factors. Additionally, we identify a previously undiscovered naive-specific POU5F1 (OCT4) enhancer enriched for TFAP2C binding. Taken together, TFAP2C establishes and maintains naive human pluripotency and regulates OCT4 expression by mechanisms that are distinct from mouse.
Project description:Pioneer transcription factors (TFs), such as OCT4 and SOX2, play crucial roles in pluripotency regulation. However, the master TF-governed pluripotency regulatory circuitry was largely inferred from cultured cells. In this work, we investigated SOX2 binding from embryonic day 3.5 (E3.5) to E7.5 in the mouse. In E3.5 inner cell mass (ICM), SOX2 regulates the ICM-trophectoderm program but is dispensable for opening global enhancers. Instead, SOX2 occupies preaccessible enhancers in part opened by early-stage expressing TFs TFAP2C and NR5A2. SOX2 then redistributes when cells adopt naive and formative pluripotency by opening enhancers or poising them for further rapid activation. Hence, multifaceted pioneer TF–enhancer interaction underpins pluripotency progression in embryos, including a state in E3.5 ICM that bridges totipotency and pluripotency.
Project description:Human primordial germ cells (hPGCs) are the first embryonic progenitors in the germ cell lineage, yet the molecular mechanisms required for hPGC formation are not well characterized. To identify regulatory regions in hPGC development, we used the assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq) to systematically characterize regions of open chromatin in hPGCs and hPGC-like cells (hPGCLCs) differentiated from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). We discovered regions of open chromatin unique to hPGCs and hPGCLCs that significantly overlap with TFAP2C-bound enhancers identified in the naive ground state of pluripotency. Using CRISPR/Cas9, we show that deleting the TFAP2C-bound naive enhancer at the OCT4 locus (also called POU5F1) results in impaired OCT4 expression and a negative effect on hPGCLC identity.
Project description:Mouse naive and primed pluripotent stem cells, ESC and EpiSC, represent two distinct stages of pluripotency. Here we report that BMP4 drives primed to naive transition or PNT by reprogramming chromatin accessibility. ATAC-seq reveals that a short pulse of BMP4 triggers EpiSCs to close 26409 and open 6428 loci to reach an intermediate state that continue to open 18744 and close 7042 loci under 2iL until reaching a naive state, following with a dramatic reactivation of the silenced X chromosome. Among loci opened by BMP4 are those encoding Id1, Tfap2c/2a and Zbtb7b that synergistically drive PNT without BMP4. Tfap2c-/- ESCs or EpiSCs self-renew normally, while the former capable of differentiating to the latter but the latter fails to undergo PNT, a defect rescuable by exogenous Tfap2c. Our results link BMP4 to PNT through a binary logic of chromatin closing and opening, revealing the intrinsic power of extracellular factors to reorganize nuclear architecture in development.
Project description:Mouse naive and primed pluripotent stem cells, ESC and EpiSC, represent two distinct stages of pluripotency. Here we report that BMP4 drives primed to naive transition or PNT by reprogramming chromatin accessibility. ATAC-seq reveals that a short pulse of BMP4 triggers EpiSCs to close 26409 and open 6428 loci to reach an intermediate state that continue to open 18744 and close 7042 loci under 2iL until reaching a naive state, following with a dramatic reactivation of the silenced X chromosome. Among loci opened by BMP4 are those encoding Id1, Tfap2c/2a and Zbtb7b that synergistically drive PNT without BMP4. Tfap2c-/- ESCs or EpiSCs self-renew normally, while the former capable of differentiating to the latter but the latter fails to undergo PNT, a defect rescuable by exogenous Tfap2c. Our results link BMP4 to PNT through a binary logic of chromatin closing and opening, revealing the intrinsic power of extracellular factors to reorganize nuclear architecture in development.
Project description:Genome wide localization of SUMO1 and SUMO2/3 proteins revealed an asscociation of SUMO proetins with active chromatin. SUMO proteins are enriched at super enhancers and enhancers and SUMOylation regulates a subset of these super enhancers. Super enhancers regulated by SUMOylation were enriched for transcription factor TFAP2C and SUMOylation negatively regulates TFAP2C localization to enhancers and super enhancers. Proteomics and ChIP-PCR at MYC SE suggests that chromatin bound TFAP2C recruits histone deacetylation complexes that increases upon SAE2 knockdown. Conversely, SUMOylation promoted TFAP2C asscociation with pre-mRNA splicing machinery components. Taken together, our study revealed a critical role of SUMOylation in chromatin modification through an AP-2 family of transcription factor, TFAP2C and a potential role of TFAP2C in pre-mRNA splicing.
Project description:Genome wide localization of SUMO1 and SUMO2/3 proteins revealed an asscociation of SUMO proetins with active chromatin. SUMO proteins are enriched at super enhancers and enhancers and SUMOylation regulates a subset of these super enhancers. Super enhancers regulated by SUMOylation were enriched for transcription factor TFAP2C and SUMOylation negatively regulates TFAP2C localization to enhancers and super enhancers. Proteomics and ChIP-PCR at MYC SE suggests that chromatin bound TFAP2C recruits histone deacetylation complexes that increases upon SAE2 knockdown. Conversely, SUMOylation promoted TFAP2C asscociation with pre-mRNA splicing machinery components. Taken together, our study revealed a critical role of SUMOylation in chromatin modification through an AP-2 family of transcription factor, TFAP2C and a potential role of TFAP2C in pre-mRNA splicing.
Project description:Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can transition between cell states in vitro, closely reflecting developmental changes in the early embryo. PSCs can be stabilized in their naive state by blocking extracellular differentiation stimuli, particularly FGF5 MEK signaling. Here, we report that multiple features of the naive state in human and mouse PSCs can be recapitulated without affecting FGF-MEK-signaling. Mechanistically, chemical inhibition of CDK8 and CDK19 kinases (CDK8/19i) removes their ability to repress the Mediator complex at enhancers. Thus CDK8/19i increases Mediator-driven recruitment of RNA Pol II to promoters and enhancers. This efficiently stabilizes the naive transcriptional program, and confers resistance to enhancer perturbation by BRD4 inhibition. Moreover, naive pluripotency during embryonic development coincides with reduction in CDK8/19. We conclude that global hyperactivation of enhancers drives naive pluripotency, and this can be captured in-vitro by inhibiting extracellular FGF-MEK-signaling, or downstream, by CDK8/19i. These principles may apply to other contexts of cellular plasticity.
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.