Project description:Eukaryotic genomes are compacted into loops and topologically associating domains (TADs), which contribute to transcription, recombination and genomic stability. Cohesin extrudes DNA into loops that are thought to lengthen until it encounters CTCF boundaries. Little is known whether loop extrusion is impeded by macromolecular machines. We demonstrate that the replicative helicase MCM is a barrier that restricts loops and TADs in G1 phase. Single-nucleus Hi-C of one-cell embryos revealed that MCM loading reduces CTCF-anchored loops and increases TAD boundary insulation, suggesting loop extrusion is impeded before reaching CTCF. Single-molecule imaging provides evidence that MCM are physical barriers that constrain cohesin translocation in vitro. Simulations are consistent with MCM as abundant, random barriers with low permeability. We conclude that distinct loop extrusion barriers contribute to shaping 3D genomes.
Project description:Eukaryotic genomes are compacted into loops and topologically associating domains (TADs), which contribute to transcription, recombination and genomic stability. Cohesin extrudes DNA into loops that are thought to lengthen until CTCF boundaries are encountered. Little is known about whether loop extrusion is impeded by DNA-bound macromolecular machines. We demonstrate that the replicative helicase MCM is a barrier that restricts loop extrusion in G1 phase. Single-nucleus Hi-C of one-cell embryos revealed that MCM loading reduces CTCF-anchored loops and decreases TAD boundary insulation, suggesting loop extrusion is impeded before reaching CTCF. Single-molecule imaging shows that MCMs are physical barriers that constrain cohesin translocation in vitro. Simulations are consistent with MCMs as abundant, random barriers. We conclude that distinct loop extrusion barriers contribute to shaping 3D genomes.
Project description:Eukaryotic genomes are compacted into loops and topologically associating domains (TADs), which contribute to transcription, recombination and genomic stability. Cohesin extrudes DNA into loops that are thought to lengthen until CTCF boundaries are encountered. Little is known about whether loop extrusion is impeded by DNA-bound machines. Here we show that the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) complex is a barrier that restricts loop extrusion in G1 phase. Single-nucleus Hi-C of mouse zygotes revealed that MCM loading reduces CTCF-anchored loops and decreases TAD boundary insulation, suggesting loop extrusion is impeded before reaching CTCF. This effect extends to HCT116 cells, where MCMs affect the number of CTCF-anchored loops and gene expression. Simulations suggest that MCMs are abundant, randomly positioned, partially permeable barriers. Single-molecule imaging shows that MCMs are physical barriers that frequently constrain cohesin translocation in vitro. Remarkably, chimaeric yeast MCMs harbouring a cohesin-interaction motif from human MCM3 induce cohesin pausing, suggesting that MCMs are “active” barriers with binding sites. These findings raise the possibility that cohesin can arrive by loop extrusion at MCMs, which determine the genomic sites at which sister chromatid cohesion is established. Based on in vivo, in silico and in vitro data, we conclude that distinct loop extrusion barriers shape the 3D genome.
Project description:The hexameric DNA helicase MCM (Mcm2-7) is a central regulatory target in eukaryotic replication. Chromatin-bound MCM is kept inactive during G1 phase and subsequently activated in S phase to initiate replication. During this transition, the only known chemical change on the Mcm2-7 proteins is the gain of multi-site phosphorylation that promotes recruitment of co-factors. As replication initiation is tied intimately to multiple biological cues, additional changes on these proteins can provide a second regulatory point. Here we describe a new MCM modification cycle mediated by SUMO that enables a negative regulation of replication initiation. We show that all MCM subunits undergo sumoylation upon loading at origins in G1 phase prior to MCM phosphorylation. Then bulk MCM sumoylation is lost as MCM phosphorylation rises. The pattern of MCM sumoylation suggests a negative role in replication. Indeed, increasing MCM sumoylation delays genome-wide replication initiation. Mechanistically, this is partly due to enhancing the recruitment of a conserved phosphatase that delays MCM phosphorylation and activation. By revealing a new MCM modification cycle and its role in replication, our findings suggest a new model, in which MCM sumoylation counterbalances kinase-based regulation to ensure accurate control of replication initiation.
Project description:Paternal genomes are compacted during spermiogenesis and de-compacted following fertilization. These processes are fundamental for inheritance but incompletely understood. We analyzed these processes in the frog Xenopus laevis, whose sperm can be assembled into functional pronuclei in egg extracts in vitro. In such extracts, cohesin extrudes DNA into loops, but in vivo cohesin only assembles topologically-associating domains (TADs) at the mid-blastula transition (MBT). Why cohesin assembles TADs only at this stage is unknown. We first analyzed genome architecture in frog sperm and compared it to human and mouse. Our results indicate that sperm genome organization is conserved between frogs and humans and occurs without formation of TADs. TADs can be detected in mouse sperm samples, as reported, but these structures might originate from somatic chromatin contaminations. We therefore discuss the possibility that the absence of TADs might be a general feature of vertebrate sperm. To analyze sperm genome remodeling upon fertilization, we reconstituted male pronuclei in Xenopus egg extracts. In pronuclei, chromatin compartmentalization increases but cohesin does not accumulate at CTCF sites and assemble TADs. However, if pronuclei are formed in the presence of exogenous CTCF, CTCF binds to its consensus sites, cohesin accumulates at these and forms short-range chromatin loops, which are preferentially anchored at CTCF’s N-terminus. These results indicate that TADs are only assembled at MBT because before this stage CTCF sites are not occupied and cohesin only forms short-range chromatin loops.