Identification of conserved cis-regulatory elements impact Mecp2 level and neurological functions
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
PROVIDER: PRJNA640181 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
Similar Datasets
Project description:Methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is a nuclear protein that binds to methylated cytosines and regulates gene expression. Normal brain function requires precise control of MeCP2 level. Loss of function mutations in the X-linked gene, MECP2 cause Rett Syndrome (RTT), a progressive neurological disorder. Increase in MeCP2 level leads to the neurological disorder MECP2 duplication syndrome (MDS). Despite the functional importance of MeCP2 in the brain, its transcriptional regulation remains poorly understood. Here, we utilized ATAC-seq in the mouse brain across development to identify five putative adult brain cis-regulatory elements (CREs) of Mecp2. We found that knocking out these CREs using CRISPR-Cas9 altered Mecp2 levels. Furthermore, two of the CREs were conserved in human, and when we delete either of these in mice, the animals show progressive neurological dysfunction. Deletion of one of the conserved CREs led to a decreased MeCP2 level and caused phenotypes similar, albeit milder, to those seen in Mecp2-null mice whereas the deletion of the second CRE led to an increased MeCP2 level and phenotypically resembled, but also milder than, MECP2 duplication mice. Deleting these two conserved CREs levels in human iPSC-derived neurons also similarly altered MECP2 levels. Taken together, our discovery of CREs that modulate Mecp2/MECP2 expression provides insight into regulation of Mecp2/MECP2 in the mouse brain and human neurons, respectively. These CREs could be candidate sites for non-coding mutations that lead to neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by partial features of RTT or MDS.
2020-12-01 | GSE152719 | GEO
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC8015713 | biostudies-literature
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).
2009-02-10 | E-GEOD-14715 | biostudies-arrayexpress
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.
2009-02-10 | GSE14715 | GEO
Project description:A unique signature of neuronal transcriptomes is the high expression of the longest genes in the genome (e.g. >100 kilobases). These genes encode proteins with essential functions in neuronal physiology, and disruption of long gene expression has been implicated in neurological disorders. DNA topoisomerases resolve topological constraints that arise on DNA and facilitate the expression of long genes in neurons. Conversely, methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2), which is disrupted in Rett syndrome, can act as a transcriptional repressor to downregulate the expression of long genes. The molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of long genes by these factors are not fully understood, however, and whether or not they directly influence each other is not known. Here, we identify a functional interaction between MeCP2 and Topoisomerase II-beta (TOP2β) in neurons. We show that MeCP2 and TOP2β physically interact in vivo and map protein sequences sufficient for their physical interaction in vitro. We profile TOP2β activity genome-wide in neurons and detect enrichment at regulatory regions and gene bodies of long neuronal genes, including long genes regulated by MeCP2. Further, we find that knockdown and overexpression of MeCP2 leads to altered TOP2β activity at MeCP2-regulated genes. Our findings uncover a mechanism by which MeCP2 inhibits the activity of TOP2β at long genes in neurons and suggest that this mechanism is disrupted in neurodevelopment disorders caused by mutation of MeCP2.
2023-11-15 | PXD046904 | Pride
Project description:Mutations in methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2), a major epigenetic regulator, are the predominant cause of Rett syndrome. We previously found that Mecp2-null microglia are deficient in phagocytic ability, and that engraftment of wild-type monocytes into the brain of Mecp2-deficient mice attenuates pathology. We have observed that Mecp2 deficiency is associated with increased levels of histone acetylation at the cis-regulatory regions of the Mecp2-regulated genes in macrophages. We hypothesized that Mecp2 recruits protein complexes containing histone deacetylases (HDACs) to repress the expression of its target genes. Our ChIP-Seq studies in bone-marrow derived macrophages revealed that Mecp2 co-localizes with Ncor2/Hdac3 protein complex at cis-regulatory regions of the target genes. These results suggest a role for Mecp2 in the recruitment and regulation of Ncor2/Hdac3 repressosome that plays a critical role in the regulation of inflammatory responses in macrophages. Examination of NCOR2 and HDAC3 genome-wide location in bone-marrow derived macrophages.
2015-03-31 | E-GEOD-66501 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Disruption of the MECP2 gene leads to Rett syndrome (RTT), a severe neurological disorder with features of autism. MECP2 encodes a methyl-DNA-binding protein that is proposed to function as a transcriptional repressor, but, despite numerous studies examining neuronal gene expression in MeCP2 mutants, no coherent model has emerged for how MeCP2 regulates transcription. Here we identify a genome-wide length-dependent increase in the expression of long genes in neurons lacking MeCP2. This gene misregulation occurs in human RTT brains and correlates with onset and severity of phenotypes in Mecp2 mutant mice, suggesting that the disruption of long gene expression contributes to RTT pathology. We present evidence that MeCP2 represses long genes by binding to brain-enriched, methylated CA dinucleotides within genes and show that loss of methylated CA in the brain recapitulates gene expression defects observed in MeCP2 mutants. We find that long genes encode proteins with neuronal functions, and overlap substantially with genes that have been implicated in autism and Fragile X syndrome. Reversing the overexpression of long genes in neurons lacking MeCP2 can improve some RTT-associated cellular deficits. These findings suggest that a function of MeCP2 in the mammalian brain is to temper the expression of genes in a length-dependent manner, and that mutations in MeCP2 and possibly other autism genes may cause neurological dysfunction by disrupting the expression of long genes in the brain.
2015-03-12 | GSE60074 | GEO
Project description:Mutations in methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2), a major epigenetic regulator, are the predominant cause of Rett syndrome. We previously found that Mecp2-null microglia are deficient in phagocytic ability, and that engraftment of wild-type monocytes into the brain of Mecp2-deficient mice attenuates pathology. We have observed that Mecp2 deficiency is associated with increased levels of histone acetylation at the cis-regulatory regions of the Mecp2-regulated genes in macrophages. We hypothesized that Mecp2 recruits protein complexes containing histone deacetylases (HDACs) to repress the expression of its target genes. Our ChIP-Seq studies in bone-marrow derived macrophages revealed that Mecp2 co-localizes with Ncor2/Hdac3 protein complex at cis-regulatory regions of the target genes. These results suggest a role for Mecp2 in the recruitment and regulation of Ncor2/Hdac3 repressosome that plays a critical role in the regulation of inflammatory responses in macrophages.
2015-03-31 | GSE66501 | GEO
Project description:MECP2-R270X transgenic mice (TG) and MECP2-G273X TG mice were generated in the Zoghbi Lab. These mice express the respective truncated form of MeCP2 tagged with GFP at the C-terminus from a transgenic human PAC containing all known regulatory sequences. These transgenes were maintained on a wild-type pure FVB background. For experiments each transgenic line was crossed by Mecp2 null mice (Mecp2 tm1.1Bird) on a pure 129SvEv background and the resulting male F1 hybrid progeny (FVB;129SvEv) that lacked endogenous MeCP2 expression but expressed either transgene (Mecp2 -/y; MECP2-R270X TG or Mecp2-/y; MECP2-G273X TG) were used for ChIP-Seq analysis. Whole brain from either the R270X mice (Mecp2 -/y; MECP2-R270X TG) or the G273X mice (Mecp2 -/y; MECP2-G273X TG) was formaldehyde crosslinked and purified chromatin was immunoprecipitated with anti-GFP antibody (Abcam ab6556). 2 samples: R270X (Mecp2 -/y; MECP2-R270X TG) and G273X (Mecp2 -/y; MECP2-G273X TG) both on an F1 (FVB;129SvEv) hybrid background
2013-03-12 | E-GEOD-36536 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurological disorder which is mainly caused by mutations found in the X-linked gene encoding MeCP2. Despite extensive studies, the molecular functions of MeCP2 remain elusive. Here, we report that MeCP2 is a new subunit of a higher-order multiunit protein complex Rbfox/LASR and acts as a scaffold for this splicing complex. Deletion or mutation of MeCP2 leads to defects in forming MeCP2/Rbfox/LASR complex and aberrant alternative pre-mRNA splicing. Our data link RTT to an impaired function of MeCP2 in splicing control through its role in nucleating Rbfox/LASR macromolecule assembly.
2021-08-28 | GSE142716 | GEO