Project description:The switch from cellular proliferation to differentiation occurs to a large extend through specific programs of gene expression. In fission yeast, the high-mobility-group transcription factor Ste11 is the master regulator of sexual differentiation. ste11 is induced by environmental conditions, mostly nitrogen starvation, leading to mating and meiosis 1. We have used ChIP-chip and gene expression profiling to show that CDK-dependent phosphorylation of serine 2 in the C-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest subunit of the RNA polymerase II (PolII) holoenzyme plays a critical role in the induction of ste11 transcription during sexual differentiation while it has a minor impact on gene expression during vegetative growth. Moreover, we demonstrate that both the recruitment of the CTD serine 2 kinase and the phosphorylation event initiate at the promoter region of ste11 in contrast to the classical case where serine 2 phosphorylation occurs across the coding region 2. In the absence of CTD serine 2 phosphorylation, both PolII occupancy at the ste11 locus, and ste11 expression are impaired. This results in sterility that is rescued when ste11 is expressed from the canonical adh promoter. We conclude that a modification of the RNA polymerase II holoenzyme plays a specific and pivotal role in the sexual differentiation. For the ChIP-chip experiments, 3-4 biological replicates were performed for each tagged protein of interest. For the expression experiments, two biological samples were hybridized for each mutant strain (replicates 1 and 2), with two dye-swap technical replicates per sample (replicates 3 and 4).
Project description:The tumor suppressor p53 plays a crucial role in cellular growth control inducing a plethora of cellular response pathways. The molecular mechanisms that discriminate between the distinct p53-responses towards different stress treatments have remained largely elusive. Here, we have analyzed the p53-regulated pathways induced by two chemotherapeutical treatments, Actinomycin D inducing growth arrest and Etoposide resulting in apoptosis. We found that the genome-wide p53-binding patterns are almost identical upon both treatments notwithstanding transcriptional differences that we observed in genome-wide transcriptome analysis. To assess the role of post-translational modifications in target gene choice and activation we investigated the extent of phosphorylation of Serine 46 of p53 bound to DNA (p53-pS46), a modification that has been linked to apoptosis-pathways, and the extent of phosphorylation of Serine 15 (p53-pS15), a general p53-activation mark. Interestingly, the overall extent of S46 phosphorylation of p53 bound to DNA is considerably higher in cells directed towards apoptosis while the degree of phosphorylation at S15 of DNA bound p53 remains highly similar upon both treatments. Moreover, our data suggest that, following different chemotherapeutical treatments, the extent of chromatin-associated p53 phosphorylated at S46 but not at pS15 is higher on certain apoptosis related target genes, including the BAX and PUMA genes. These data provide evidence that cell fate decisions are not made primarily on the level of general p53 DNA-binding, but possibly through post-translational modifications of chromatin bound p53. ChIP-seq profiles of p53, p53phosphorylated at Serine 15 (p53-pS15) and p53 phosphorylated at Serine 46 (p53-pS46) in U2OS cells treated with either Actinomycin D or Etoposide.
Project description:Mutations of MECP2 (Methyl-CpG Binding Protein 2) cause Rett Syndrome. As a chromatin associated multifunctional protein, how MeCP2 integrates external signals and regulates neuronal function remain unclear. While neuronal activity-induced phosphorylation of MeCP2 at serine 421 (S421) has been reported, the full spectrum of MeCP2 phosphorylation together with the in vivo function of such modifications are yet to be revealed. Here we report the identification of several novel MeCP2 phosphorylation sites in normal and epileptic brains from multiple species. We demonstrate that serine 80 (S80) phosphorylation of MeCP2 is critical as its mutation into alanine (S80A) in transgenic knock-in mice leads to locomotor deficits. S80A mutation attenuates MeCP2 chromatin association at several gene promoters in resting neurons and leads to transcription changes of a small number of genes. Calcium influx in neurons causes dephosphorylation at S80, potentially contributing to its dissociation from the chromatin. We postulate that phosphorylation of MeCP2 modulates its dynamic function in neurons transiting between resting and active states within neural circuits that underlie behaviors. E 15.5 Mecp2 -/y cortical neurons were infected with lentivirus expressing wild-type and S80A mutant MeCP2 at similar protein expression level. 2 biological independent samples and dye swap were used for this set (GSM367413) and replicate 2 set (GSM367414).
Project description:The tumor suppressor p53 plays a crucial role in cellular growth control inducing a plethora of cellular response pathways. The molecular mechanisms that discriminate between the distinct p53-responses towards different stress treatments have remained largely elusive. Here, we have analyzed the p53-regulated pathways induced by two chemotherapeutical treatments, Actinomycin D inducing growth arrest and Etoposide resulting in apoptosis. We found that the genome-wide p53-binding patterns are almost identical upon both treatments notwithstanding transcriptional differences that we observed in genome-wide transcriptome analysis. To assess the role of post-translational modifications in target gene choice and activation we investigated the extent of phosphorylation of Serine 46 of p53 bound to DNA (p53-pS46), a modification that has been linked to apoptosis-pathways, and the extent of phosphorylation of Serine 15 (p53-pS15), a general p53-activation mark. Interestingly, the overall extent of S46 phosphorylation of p53 bound to DNA is considerably higher in cells directed towards apoptosis while the degree of phosphorylation at S15 of DNA bound p53 remains highly similar upon both treatments. Moreover, our data suggest that, following different chemotherapeutical treatments, the extent of chromatin-associated p53 phosphorylated at S46 but not at pS15 is higher on certain apoptosis related target genes, including the BAX and PUMA genes. These data provide evidence that cell fate decisions are not made primarily on the level of general p53 DNA-binding, but possibly through post-translational modifications of chromatin bound p53. Microarray analysis (Affymetrix Human Exon array) of the p53 response in U2OS cells treated with either Etoposide or Actinomycin D
Project description:Mutations of MECP2 (Methyl-CpG Binding Protein 2) cause Rett Syndrome. As a chromatin associated multifunctional protein, how MeCP2 integrates external signals and regulates neuronal function remain unclear. While neuronal activity-induced phosphorylation of MeCP2 at serine 421 (S421) has been reported, the full spectrum of MeCP2 phosphorylation together with the in vivo function of such modifications are yet to be revealed. Here we report the identification of several novel MeCP2 phosphorylation sites in normal and epileptic brains from multiple species. We demonstrate that serine 80 (S80) phosphorylation of MeCP2 is critical as its mutation into alanine (S80A) in transgenic knock-in mice leads to locomotor deficits. S80A mutation attenuates MeCP2 chromatin association at several gene promoters in resting neurons and leads to transcription changes of a small number of genes. Calcium influx in neurons causes dephosphorylation at S80, potentially contributing to its dissociation from the chromatin. We postulate that phosphorylation of MeCP2 modulates its dynamic function in neurons transiting between resting and active states within neural circuits that underlie behaviors.
Project description:In response to environmental stressors and a variety of inflammatory cytokines, p38 MAPKs become directly activated. Here we report the human glucocorticoid receptor (GR) Serine 134 as a novel target for p38 MAPK. Unlike most other phosphorylation events that occur on the GR, phosphorylation of Ser134 was found to be hormone-independent in several human and rat cell types. Instead we found phosphorylation of Ser134 was induced by a variety of stress-activating stimuli, including: glucose starvation, ultraviolet irradiation, osmotic shock, and oxidative stress. Pharmacological inhibitors and shRNA-mediated knockdown experiments correlate this phosphorylation with the activation of p38 MAPK. Compared to wild-type GR, cells expressing a mutant receptor incapable of phosphorylation at Ser134 (S134A GR) had a significantly altered hormone-dependent genome-wide transcriptional response to glucocorticoids. Moreover, we show that although WT GR regulated roughly half as many genes as S134A GR, WT receptor selectively activated significantly more genes associated with endocrine and inflammatory disease than the mutant receptor, suggesting that the phosphorylation status of Ser134 is critical for modulating GR function. Phosphorylation of Ser134 did not alter either nuclear translocation or the stability of the GR protein in the absence or presence of ligand. However, phosphorylation of Ser134 significantly increased the association of the GR with the zeta isoform the 14-3-3 class of signaling proteins, resulting in a blunted hormone-dependent transcriptional response of LAD1 and IGFBP1 but not GILZ. Together these data suggest that the phosphorylation of Ser134 acts as a molecular sensor on the GR, monitoring the level of cellular stress to allow for altered 14-3-3zeta cofactor association, ultimately modifying glucocorticoid signaling in a gene-dependent manner. Our results reveal one mechanism that may allow cellular stress to dictate the transcriptional response of cells to hormone. U2OS cells, a human osteosarcoma cell line, were transfected with either WT GR or S134A GR and put under antibiotic selection to produce a stable mixed population of cells expressing comparable levels of GR. 10^6 cells were treated with 100nM Dexamethasone (DEX) or vehicle control for 6 hours. Three biological and one hybridization replicate are included for each sample.
Project description:The 19S proteasome mutant rpn12a-236 exhibits a stay-green phenotype upon individually darkened leaf treatment (IDL). To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms conferring this extended longevity to rpn12a-236 in response to darkness, we performed RNA-seq analysis on WT and mutant leaves sampled after 0 hour (light control), 6 hours, 1 day, 3 days and 6 days of IDL treatment.
Project description:The tumor suppressor p53 plays a crucial role in cellular growth control inducing a plethora of cellular response pathways. The molecular mechanisms that discriminate between the distinct p53-responses towards different stress treatments have remained largely elusive. Here, we have analyzed the p53-regulated pathways induced by two chemotherapeutical treatments, Actinomycin D inducing growth arrest and Etoposide resulting in apoptosis. We found that the genome-wide p53-binding patterns are almost identical upon both treatments notwithstanding transcriptional differences that we observed in genome-wide transcriptome analysis. To assess the role of post-translational modifications in target gene choice and activation we investigated the extent of phosphorylation of Serine 46 of p53 bound to DNA (p53-pS46), a modification that has been linked to apoptosis-pathways, and the extent of phosphorylation of Serine 15 (p53-pS15), a general p53-activation mark. Interestingly, the overall extent of S46 phosphorylation of p53 bound to DNA is considerably higher in cells directed towards apoptosis while the degree of phosphorylation at S15 of DNA bound p53 remains highly similar upon both treatments. Moreover, our data suggest that, following different chemotherapeutical treatments, the extent of chromatin-associated p53 phosphorylated at S46 but not at pS15 is higher on certain apoptosis related target genes, including the BAX and PUMA genes. These data provide evidence that cell fate decisions are not made primarily on the level of general p53 DNA-binding, but possibly through post-translational modifications of chromatin bound p53.