Project description:The multi-domain transcription factor ZEB2 controls embryonic and adult cell fate decisions and maturation in many stem/progenitor cell types. Defects in these processes in specific cell types underlie Mowat-Wilson syndrome (MOWS), which is caused by ZEB2 haplo-insufficiency. Human ZEB2, like mouse Zeb2, is located on chromosome 2 downstream of an approximately 3.5 Mb-long gene-desert, lacking any protein-coding gene sequence. Using temporal high-resolution Targeted Chromatin Capture (T2C), we show major chromatin structural changes based on mapping in-cis proximities between the ZEB2 gene promoter and this gene desert during neural differentiation of induced pluripotent cells (iPSCs), including at early neuroprogenitor cell (NPC)/rosette state, where ZEB2 mRNA levels increase significantly. Combining T2C with histone-3 acetylation mapping, we identified three novel candidate enhancers about 500 kb upstream of the ZEB2 transcription start site (TSS). Functional luciferase-based assays in heterologous cells and NPCs reveal co-operation between these three enhancers. This study is the first to document in-cis regulatory elements (REs) located in ZEB2’s gene desert. The results further show the usability of T2C for future studies of ZEB2 REs in differentiation and maturation of relevant cell types, and the molecular characterization of identified MOWS patients that lack mutations in ZEB2 protein-coding exons.
Project description:In this study we performed temporal profiling of DNA methylation by RRBseq of differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells using an embryoid body protocol. Analysis at d0, d4 and d6 revealed that Zeb2 deficient mESC lose their initially acquired DNA methylation at d6.
Project description:infarct size and subsequent deterioration in function. The identification of factors that enhance cardiac repair by the restoration of the vascular network is, therefore, of great significance. Here, we show that the transcription factor Zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 2 (ZEB2) is increased in stressed cardiomyocytes and induces a cardioprotective cross-talk between cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells to enhance angiogenesis after ischemia. Single-cell sequencing indicates ZEB2 to be enriched in injured cardiomyocytes. Cardiomyocyte-specific deletion of ZEB2 results in impaired cardiac contractility and infarct healing post-myocardial infarction (post-MI), while cardiomyocyte-specific ZEB2 overexpression improves cardiomyocyte survival and cardiac function. We identified Thymosin 4 (TMSB4) and Prothymosin (PTMA) as main paracrine factors released from cardiomyocytes to stimulate angiogenesis by enhancing endothelial cell migration, and whose regulation is validated in our in vivo models. Therapeutic delivery of ZEB2 to cardiomyocytes in the infarcted heart induces the expression of TMSB4 and PTMA, which enhances angiogenesis and prevents cardiac dysfunction. These findings reveal ZEB2 as a beneficial factor during ischemic injury, which may hold promise for the identification of new therapies.
Project description:To elucidate the direct targets of ZEB2 in ABCs, we performed high-throughput sequencing of regulome by ATAC-seq, CUT & Tag, and CUT & RUN, leading to the identification the accessible sites with ZEB2 binding. Among the genes differentially expressed by Zeb2 deficiency, we found 33 candidate target genes of ZEB2, with 22 repressed and 11 activated by ZEB2. The critical transcription factor Mef2b, essential for GC development, was repressed by ZEB2. This direct regulation was mapped to a conserved region about 20kb downstream of Mef2b's exon I TSS, enriched with enhancer-associated features in both human and mouse.
Project description:Study of loss of ZEB2 in breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo: gene expression and phenotypic switch to more benign behavior of the cancer cells. Morphological, functional and gene microarray analysis following ZEB2 knockdown in MDAMB231 cells reveals gain of epithelial differentiation, reduction of migration, invasion and metastatic capability. The measurement of ZEB2 transcriptional activity in tumor cells efficiently predicts the probability of breast cancer patient survival. Global gene expression profiles were measured using Affymetrix U133 plus2 microarrays in MDAMB231 cells (control and ZEB2 shRNA and siRNA knockdown cells on plastic)
Project description:We report a time course of RNA-seq data from wild-type embryonic stem cells and embryonic stem cells in which the cardiogenic transcription factors ZNF503, ZEB2 and NKX2-5 are depleted with shRNAs differentiating along the cardiac lineage. Biological replicates of RNA-seq data from embryonic stem cells differentiating along the cardiac lineage.
Project description:Corneal endothelial cells (CECs) are critical to maintaining clarity of the cornea. This study was initiated to develop peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC)-originated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)-derived CECs. We isolated PBMC and programmed the mononuclear cells to generate iPSCs. Subsequently, the PBMC-originated iPSCs were differentiated to CECs. The morphology of differentiating iPSCs was examined at regular intervals by phase contrast microscopy. In parallel, the expression of pluripotent, and CECs-associated markers was investigated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The molecular architecture of the iPSCs-derived CECs and human corneal endothelium (CE) were examined by mass spectrometry-based proteome sequencing. The PBMC-originated iPSCs expressed pluripotent-specific markers at levels similar to expression in H9 human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Phase contrast microscopy illustrated that iPSCs-derived CECs are tightly adherent, exhibiting a hexagonal-like shape, one of the cardinal characteristics of CECs. The CECs-associated markers were expressed at many orders of magnitude higher in iPSCs-derived CECs at days 13, 20, and 30 compared to their respective levels in iPSCs. Importantly, only residual expression levels of pluripotency markers were detected in iPSCs-derived CECs. Mass spectrometry-based proteome profiling identified 10,575 proteins in iPSCs-derived CECs. In parallel, we completed proteome profiling of the human CE identifying 6345 proteins. Of these, 5763 proteins were identified in the iPSCs-derived CECs suggesting a 90.82% overlap between the iPSCs-derived CECs and human CE proteomes. Importantly, cryopreservation of iPSCs-derived CECs did not affect the tight adherence of CECs, and their hexagonal-like shape while expressing high levels of CECs-associated markers. We have successfully developed a personalized approach to generate CECs that closely mimic the molecular architecture of the human CE. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the development of PBMC-originated, iPSCs-derived CECs.
Project description:T-bet is critical for cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) differentiation, but it is unclear how it operates in a graded manner in the formation of both terminal effector and memory precursor cells during infection. We find that at high concentrations T-bet induced expression of Zeb2 mRNA, which then triggered CTLs to adopt terminally differentiated states. ZEB2 and T-bet cooperate to switch on a terminal CTL differentiation program, while simultaneously repressing genes necessary for central memory CTL development. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) showed that a large proportion of these genes were bound by T-bet, and this binding was altered by ZEB2 deficiency. Furthermore, T-bet overexpression could not fully bypass ZEB2 function. Thus, the coordinated actions of T-bet and ZEB2 outline a novel genetic pathway that forces commitment of CTLs to terminal differentiation, thereby restricting their memory cell potential. Splenocyte derived CD8+ T cells from C57BL/6 mice with either a wildtype (WT) (GzmB-Cre Zeb2+/+) or GzmB-Cre Zeb2-fl/fl (Zeb2-/-) backgrounds, following 8 days post infection with LCMV-Armstrong, were subsetted into KLRG1-hi/IL-7R-lo populations (terminal effectors, TE) or KLRG1-lo/IL-7R-hi (memory precursors, MP) populations. Four experimental groups, each with 3 samples, comprised of TE+WT, MP+WT, TE+ZEB2-/-, and MP+ZEB2-/-, were profiled for gene expression utilizing a polyA RNA prep and hybridized to the Illumina microarray platform IlluminaWG-v2.0.
Project description:We report a time course of RNA-seq data from wild-type embryonic stem cells and embryonic stem cells in which the cardiogenic transcription factors ZNF503, ZEB2 and NKX2-5 are depleted with shRNAs differentiating along the cardiac lineage.