Project description:We report the identification of 67 previously undescribed histone modifications, increasing the current number of known histone marks by about 70%. We further investigated one of the marks, lysine crotonylation (Kcr), confirming that it represents an evolutionarily-conserved histone posttranslational modification. The unique structure and genomic localization of histone Kcr suggest that it is mechanistically and functionally different from histone lysine acetylation (Kac). Specifically, in both human somatic and mouse male germ cell genomes, histone Kcr marks either active promoters or potential enhancers. In male germinal cells immediately following meiosis, Kcr is enriched on sex chromosomes and specifically marks testis-specific genes, including a significant proportion of X-linked genes that escape sex chromosome inactivation in haploid cells. These results therefore dramatically extend the repertoire of histone PTM sites and designate Kcr as a specific mark of active sex chromosome-linked genes in postmeiotic male germ cells. 2 histone marks (pan-lysine acetylation and pan-lysine crotonylation) were studied in 1 human cell type and 2 mouse cell types using ChIP-Seq. Input was sequenced for each cell type as a control. Pan-anti_Kac and pan-anti_Kcr antibodies were custom developed with PTM BioLab, Co., Ltd (Chicago, IL).
Project description:In this study we report that histone crotonylation promotes human embryonic stem cell differentiation to endoderm cells. Addition of crotonate, a precursor for crotonyl-CoA and therefore histone crotonylation, dramatically enhanced endoderm cell differentiation from human embryonic stem cells, while incubation of acetate, a precursor of acetyl-CoA and therefore histone acetylation, did not change the efficiency of endoderm differentiation.
Project description:We examined the genome-wide distribution of histone crotonylation and H3K27ac in human embryonic stem cells and induced endoderm cells, by obtaining over four billion bases of sequence from chromatin immunoprecipitated DNA. When compared to H3K27ac, histone crotonylation was more enriched in metabolic genes and in promoters at pluripotent state, while H3k27ac was enriched in the enhancers of endoderm genes. After endoderm differentiation, histone crotonylation and H3K27ac were both enriched in endoderm genes. Moreover, the enrichment of histone crotonylation was more remarkable than that of H3K27ac. Our data indicate that histone crotonylation correlates with endoderm differentiation.
Project description:Histone lysine crotonylation (Kcr) is a newly discovered post-translational modification (PTM) existing in mammalian. To assess relevance in histone Kcr and genome, we performed on genomic localization analysis of histone Kcr by ChIP-seq analysis.
Project description:Histone lysine acetylation and methylation regulate gene transcription through coordination of chromatin structure and transcriptional activity. However, our understanding of the role of histones in gene regulation is far from complete, in part due to newly discovered novel histone modifications, whose functions are yet to be uncovered1. Here we report that histone H3 lysine 27 crotonylation (H3K27cr) is selectively recognized by the YEATS domain of GAS41 in association with SIN3a-HDAC1/2 co-repressor complex for gene transcriptional repression. The GAS41 YEATS domain dimer binds proto-oncogenic transcription factor c-Myc, which recruits GAS41/SIN3a-HDAC1/2 complex to target gene loci in chromatin such as cell cycle inhibitor p21. Transcriptional de-repression of p21, directed by tumor suppressor p53 upon doxorubicin stimulation, entails dissociation of c-Myc/GAS41/SIN3a-HDAC1/2 complex from chromatin, reduced H3K27 crotonylation, and consequentially increased H3K27 acetylation at p21 locus. GAS41 knockout or H3K27cr binding depletion with CRISPR/Cas9 results in p21 activation, cell cycle arrest and tumor growth inhibition in mice. Our study explains mechanistically causal effect of GAS41 and c-Myc gene amplification on down-regulation of p21 in human colorectal cancer, and suggests GAS41 as an anti-cancer target. We propose that H3K27 crotonylation represents a previously unrecognized, distinct chromatin state for gene transcriptional repression in contrast to H3K27 trimethylation for long-term transcriptional silencing and H3K27 acetylation for transcriptional activation.
Project description:Chrysanthemum is a garden plant with good economic benefit and high ornamental value. Chrysanthemum in the key period of flowering in autumn and winter, vulnerable to cold damage, affecting the normal growth of the chrysanthemum plant and even death. little is known regarding the study of histone crotonylation in plant cold response. In this study, we first obtained reference chrysanthemum transcriptome data via RNA sequencing. Next, we quantitatively investigated the chrysanthemum proteome, crotonylation, and the association between them in chrysanthemum following low temperature. In total, 365669 unigenes, 6693 proteins and 2017 crotonylation sites were quantified under low temperature stress. There were 24631 up-regulated and 22648 down-regulated unigenes (absolute log2-fold change > 1 and P value<0.05), 393 up-regulated and 500 down-regulated proteins using a 1.2-fold threshold (P<0.05). The lysine crotonylation mainly influenced in photosynthesis, ribosome, antioxidant enzyme and ROS system. In the process of low temperature, 61 lysine crotonylation sites in 89 proteins were up-regulated and 87 lysine crotonylation sites in 72 proteins are down-regulated (1.2-fold threshold, P<0.05).
Project description:Post-translational modifications of proteins are crucial to the regulation of their activity and function. As a newly discovered acylation modification, crotonylation of non-histone proteins remains largely unexplored, particularly in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Here we report the investigation of induced crotonylation in hESCs, which resulted in hESCs of different pluripotency states differentiating into the endodermal lineage. We showed that increased protein crotonylation in hESCs was accompanied by transcriptomic shifts and decreased glycolysis. Through large-scale profiling of non-histone protein crotonylation, we showed that metabolic enzymes were major targets of inducible crotonylation in hESCs. We further discovered GAPDH as a key glycolytic enzyme regulated by crotonylation during endodermal differentiation from hESCs, where crotonylation of GAPDH decreased its enzymatic activity thereby leading to reduced glycolysis. Our study demonstrates that crotonylation of glycolytic enzymes may be crucial to metabolic switching and cell fate determination in hESCs.
Project description:Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) are critical for processes such as transcription. The more notable among these are the non-acetyl histone lysine acylation modifications such as crotonylation, butyrylation and succinylation. However, the biological relevance of these PTMs is not fully understood because their regulation is largely unknown. Here, we set out to investigate whether the main histone acetyltransferases in budding yeast, Gcn5 and Esa1, possess crotonyltransferase activity. In vitro studies revealed that the Gcn5-Ada2-Ada3 (ADA) and Esa1-Yng2-Epl1 (Piccolo NuA4) histone acetyltransferase complexes have the capacity to crotonylate histones. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that ADA and Piccolo NuA4 crotonylate lysines in the N-terminal tails of histone H3 and H4, respectively. Functionally, we show that crotonylation selectively affects gene transcription in vivo in a manner dependent on Gcn5 and Esa1. Thus, we identify the Gcn5- and Esa1-containing ADA and Piccolo NuA4 complexes as bona fide crotonyltransferases that promote crotonylation-dependent transcription.