Project description:Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) play a critical role in chromatin regulation. It has been proposed that these PTMs form localized “codes” that are read by specialized domains (reader domains) in chromatin associated proteins (CAPs) to regulate downstream function. Substantial effort has been made to define [CAP - histone PTM] specificity, and in doing so to decipher the histone code. However, this has largely been done using a reductive approach of isolated reader domains and histone peptides, with the assumption that PTM readout is unaffected by any higher order considerations. Here we show that histone PTM specificity is in fact dependent on nucleosomal context, necessitating we re-define the ‘histone code’ concept and further interrogate it at the nucleosomal level.
Project description:We have used a high-resolution tiled microarray, with single-nucleosome resolution, to investigate the in vivo occurrence of combinations of 12 histone modifications on thousands of nucleosomes in actively growing S. cerevisiae. We found that histone modifications do not occur independently; there are roughly two groups of co-occurring modifications. We find no evidence for a deterministic code of many discrete states, but instead see blended, continuous patterns that distinguish nucleosomes at one location (promoter nucleosomes, for example) from those at another location (over the 3’ ends of coding regions, for example). These results are consistent with the idea of a simple, redundant histone code, in which multiple modifications share the same role. Keywords: ChIP-chip
Project description:Recent studies indicate that thousands of genes are expressed from bidirectional promoters (BDPs). Gene regulation at BDPs is poorly understood, in particular how the cell is able to regulate them differently. Here we investigate the effect of histone Modifications in BDP regulation. In this study, we model the gene activity using different gene expression assays, such as RNA-Seq, GRO-cap, and CAGE around the BDP transcription start sites (TSSs) using different histone modifications in various cell types. We develop a new statistical approach that links histone modifications to gene expression at BDPs. It improves over previous methods, because it is able to capture spatial dependencies of histone modifications along a promoter and leads to more interpretable results. We predict a general histone code that is independent of transcript orientation, cell type, and promoter configuration. The histone code at BDPs reveals that promoters are regulated unidirectionally, such that the majority of histone marks associated with gene expression occur downstream of the gene's TSS. By contrasting associations of histone marks with steady-state levels of capped RNAs in CAGE and nascent capped RNAs in GRO-cap, we show which histone marks have a preference for initiating polymerases and actively elongating polymerases. Using single-cell data we show that the bidirectional histone signal of activating marks is often due averaging of a heterogeneous cell population. Our results have implications for other experiments where the relationship between histone modification and gene initiation or gene elongation is investigated on a genome-wide scale.
Project description:We assess the role of intrinsic histone-DNA interactions by mapping nucleosomes assembled in vitro on genomic DNA. Nucleosomes strongly prefer yeast DNA over E. coli DNA, indicating that the yeast genome evolved to favor nucleosome formation. Many yeast promoter and terminator regions intrinsically disfavor nucleosome formation, and nucleosomes assembled in vitro display strong rotational positioning. Nucleosome arrays generated by the ACF assembly factor display fewer nucleosome-free regions, reduced rotational positioning, and less translational positioning than obtained by intrinsic histone-DNA interactions. Importantly, in vitro assembled nucleosomes display only a limited preference for specific translational positions and do not show the pattern observed in vivo. Our results argue against a genomic code for nucleosome positioning, and they suggest that the nucleosomal pattern in coding regions arises primarily from statistical positioning from a barrier near the promoter that involves some aspect of transcriptional initiation by RNA polymerase II.
Project description:Linker histones are involved in the formation of higher-order chromatin structure. Although linker histones have been implicated in the regulation of specific genes, it still remains unclear what their principal binding determinants are and how their repressive function in vitro can be reconciled with presumed broad binding in vivo. We generated a full genome, high resolution binding map of linker histone H1 in Drosophila Kc cells, using DamID. H1 binds at similar levels across much of the genome, both in classical euchromatin and heterochromatin. Strikingly, there are pronounced dips of low H1 occupancy around transcription start sites of active genes and at many distant cis-regulatory sites. H1 dips are not due to lack of nucleosomes. Rather, all regions with low binding of H1 show enrichment of the histone variant H3.3 which itself has been linked to high nucleosome turnover. Upon knockdown of H3.3, we find that H1 levels increase at sites previously not covered with H1 with a concomitant increase in nucleosome repeat length. These changes are independent of transcriptional changes. Our results show that the H3.3 protein counteracts association of H1 at genomic sites with high rates of histone turnover. This antagonism provides a mechanism to keep diverse genomic sites in an open chromatin conformation. For this study, we generated DamID profiles of histone H1 and RpII18 in Drosophila Kc167 cells. Additionally, we generated H1 profiles in cells treated with RNAi against white, H3.3B, or H3.3A and H3.3B. Nucleosome occupancy profiles were generated in untreated cells and cells treated with RNAi against white or H3.3A and H3.3B. Profiles of expression changes were generated for H3.3B RNAi and H3.3A and H3.3B RNAi. DamID experiments for H1 and RpII18 were performed in Drosophila cell cultures. Samples were hybridized to 380k NimbleGen arrays with 300 bp probe spacing. Formaldehyde-assisted isolation of regulatotry elements (FAIRE) was performed in Drosophila Kc167 cells. Samples were hybridized to 380k NimbleGen arrays with 300 bp probe spacing over non-crosslinked genomic DNA. Nucleosome positioning profiles were made by hybridizing mononucleosomal DNA over MNase digested purified genomic DNA on 380k NimbleGen arrays with 10 bp probe spacing. Expression profiles were made as H3.3 RNAi over white RNAi cohybridizations on spotted INDAC long oligo arrays. Every experiment was done in duplicate in the reverse dye orientation.
Project description:Experiments performed over the past three decades have shown that nucleosomes are transcriptional repressors. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, depletion of histone H4 results in the genome-wide transcriptional de-repression of hundreds genes. The mechanism of de-repression is hypothesized to be rooted directly in chromatin changes. To test this, we reproduced classical H4 depletion experiments by conditional repression of all histone H3 transcription, which depletes the supply of nucleosomes in vivo. RNA-seq results were consistent with the earlier studies, but much more sensitive, revealing nearly 2500 de-repressed genes. Changes in chromatin organization were determined by MNase-seq. Nucleosomes that were preferentially retained occurred in regions of high DNA-encoded nucleosome affinity, and were marked with H3K36me2, which is linked to transcription elongation. Nucleosomes harboring acetyl marks or that contained the variant histone H2A.z were preferentially lost. Genes that were de-repressed lost or rearranged nucleosomes at their promoter, but not in the gene body. Therefore, a combination of DNA-encoded nucleosome stability and nucleosome composition dictates which nucleosomes will be lost under conditions of limiting histone protein. This, in turn, governs which genes will experience a loss of regulatory fidelity. MNase-seq experiments consist of three wildtype (1 single-end and 2 paired-end) and four mutant (DCB200.1/H3 shutoff; 2 single-end, 2 paired-end) replicates. Each replicate contains two timepoints reflecting chromatin immediately after ("O hours") and 3 hours after transition to media containing dextrose. RNA-seq data includes three replicates from wildtype or H3 depleted cells after 3 hours in media containing dextrose.
Project description:Experiments performed over the past three decades have shown that nucleosomes are transcriptional repressors. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, depletion of histone H4 results in the genome-wide transcriptional de-repression of hundreds genes. The mechanism of de-repression is hypothesized to be rooted directly in chromatin changes. To test this, we reproduced classical H4 depletion experiments by conditional repression of all histone H3 transcription, which depletes the supply of nucleosomes in vivo. RNA-seq results were consistent with the earlier studies, but much more sensitive, revealing nearly 2500 de-repressed genes. Changes in chromatin organization were determined by MNase-seq. Nucleosomes that were preferentially retained occurred in regions of high DNA-encoded nucleosome affinity, and were marked with H3K36me2, which is linked to transcription elongation. Nucleosomes harboring acetyl marks or that contained the variant histone H2A.z were preferentially lost. Genes that were de-repressed lost or rearranged nucleosomes at their promoter, but not in the gene body. Therefore, a combination of DNA-encoded nucleosome stability and nucleosome composition dictates which nucleosomes will be lost under conditions of limiting histone protein. This, in turn, governs which genes will experience a loss of regulatory fidelity.
Project description:Linker histones are involved in the formation of higher-order chromatin structure. Although linker histones have been implicated in the regulation of specific genes, it still remains unclear what their principal binding determinants are and how their repressive function in vitro can be reconciled with presumed broad binding in vivo. We generated a full genome, high resolution binding map of linker histone H1 in Drosophila Kc cells, using DamID. H1 binds at similar levels across much of the genome, both in classical euchromatin and heterochromatin. Strikingly, there are pronounced dips of low H1 occupancy around transcription start sites of active genes and at many distant cis-regulatory sites. H1 dips are not due to lack of nucleosomes. Rather, all regions with low binding of H1 show enrichment of the histone variant H3.3 which itself has been linked to high nucleosome turnover. Upon knockdown of H3.3, we find that H1 levels increase at sites previously not covered with H1 with a concomitant increase in nucleosome repeat length. These changes are independent of transcriptional changes. Our results show that the H3.3 protein counteracts association of H1 at genomic sites with high rates of histone turnover. This antagonism provides a mechanism to keep diverse genomic sites in an open chromatin conformation. For this study, we generated DamID profiles of histone H1 and RpII18 in Drosophila Kc167 cells. Additionally, we generated H1 profiles in cells treated with RNAi against white, H3.3B, or H3.3A and H3.3B. Nucleosome occupancy profiles were generated in untreated cells and cells treated with RNAi against white or H3.3A and H3.3B. Profiles of expression changes were generated for H3.3B RNAi and H3.3A and H3.3B RNAi.
Project description:Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) are frequently co-occurring on the same chromatin domains or even the same molecule. It is now established that these ‘histone codes’ are the result of cross-talk between enzymes that catalyse multiple PTMs with univocal readout as compared to these PTMs in isolation. Here, we performed a comprehensive identification and quantification of histone codes of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. We used advanced quantitative middle-down proteomics to identify combinations of PTMs in both the proliferative, asexual stages and transmissible, sexual gametocyte stages of P. falciparum. We provide an updated, high-resolution compendium of 72 PTMs on H3 and H3.3, of which 30 newly identified. Several co-existing PTMs with unique stage distinction was identified, indicating that many of these combinatorial PTMs are associated to specific stages of the parasite life cycle. We focused on the code H3R17me2K18acK23ac for its unique presence in mature gametocytes; chromatin proteomics identified a gametocyte-specific SAGA-like effector complex including the transcription factor AP2-G2 which we associated to this specific histone code, as involved in regulating gene expression in mature gametocytes. Ultimately, this study unveils previously undiscovered histone PTMs and their functional relationship with co-existing partners. These results highlight that investigating chromatin regulation in the parasite using single histone PTM assays might overlook higher order gene regulation for distinct proliferation and differentiation processes.
Project description:Nucleosome is the basic structural unit of chromatin, and its dynamics plays critical roles in the regulation of genome functions. However, how the nucleosome structure is regulated by histone variants in vivo is still largely uncharacterized. Here, by employing Micrococcal nuclease (MNase) digestion of crosslinked chromatin followed by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and paired-end sequencing (MNase-X-ChIP-seq), we mapped genome-wide unwrapping states of nucleosomes containing histone variant H2A.Z in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. We found that H2A.Z is enriched with unwrapped nucleosomes. Interestingly, the function of +1 H2A.Z nucleosome in transcriptional regulation is correlated with the unwrapping states. We further showed that H2A.Z nucleosomes adjacent the CTCF binding sites (CBS) may adopt an open conformation. We confirmed the unwrapping state of H2A.Z nucleosomes under native condition by re-ChIP of H2A.Z after CTCF CUT&RUN in mouse ES cells. Importantly, we found that depletion of H2A.Z results in increased CTCF binding, indicating dynamic competition between the unwrapped H2A.Z nucleosomal intermediates and CTCF at the CBS. Taken together, our results showed that histone variant H2A.Z regulates transcription and CTCF binding through modulating the nucleosome unwrapping.