Project description:Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is a multifunctional transcription factor shown to be critical in a variety of biological processes. Although it has been reported to be regulated by multiple types of post-translational modifications (PTMs), whether YY1 is methylated, which enzyme methylates YY1, and hence the functional significance of YY1 methylation remain completely unknown. Here we reported the first methyltransferase, SET7/9 (KMT7), capable of methylating YY1 in vitro and in vivo at two highly conserved lysine (K) residues, K173 and K411, located in two distinct domains, one in the central glycine-rich region and the other in the very carboxyl-terminus. Functional study revealed that SET7/9-mediated YY1 methylation regulated YY1 DNA-binding activity both in vitro and at specific genomic loci in cultured cells. Consistently, SET7/9-mediated YY1 methylation was shown to involve in YY1-regulated gene transcription and cell proliferation. Our findings revealed a novel regulatory strategy, methylation by lysine methyltransferase, imposed on YY1 protein, and linked YY1 methylation with its biological functions.
Project description:Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is a multifunctional transcription factor shown to be critical in a variety of biological processes. Although it has been reported to be regulated by multiple types of post-translational modifications (PTMs), whether YY1 is methylated, which enzyme methylates YY1, and hence the functional significance of YY1 methylation remain completely unknown. Here we reported the first methyltransferase, SET7/9 (KMT7), capable of methylating YY1 in vitro and in vivo at two highly conserved lysine (K) residues, K173 and K411, located in two distinct domains, one in the central glycine-rich region and the other in the very carboxyl-terminus. Functional study revealed that SET7/9-mediated YY1 methylation regulated YY1 DNA-binding activity both in vitro and at specific genomic loci in cultured cells. Consistently, SET7/9-mediated YY1 methylation was shown to involve in YY1-regulated gene transcription and cell proliferation. Our findings revealed a novel regulatory strategy, methylation by lysine methyltransferase, imposed on YY1 protein, and linked YY1 methylation with its biological functions.
Project description:Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is a multifunctional DNA-binding transcription factor shown to be critical in a variety of biological processes, and its activity and function have been shown to be regulated by multitude of mechanisms, which include but are not limited to post-translational modifications (PTMs), its associated proteins and cellular localization. YY2, the paralog of YY1 in mouse and human, has been proposed to function redundantly or oppositely in a context specific manner compared to YY1. Despite its functional importance, how YY2’s DNA binding activity and function is regulated, particularly by PTMs, remains completely unknown. Here we report the first PTM with functional characterization on YY2, namely lysine 247 mono-methylation (K247me1), which was found to be dynamically regulated by SET7/9 and LSD1 both in vitro and in cultured cells. Functional study revealed that SET7/9-mediated YY2 methylation regulated its DNA-binding activity in vitro and association with chromatin examined by ChIP-seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with sequencing) in cultured cells. Knockout of YY2, SET7/9 or LSD1 by CRISPR (clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats) /Cas9-mediated gene editing followed by RNA-seq revealed that a subset of genes was positively-regulated by YY2 and SET7/9, but negatively-regulated by LSD1, which were enriched with genes involved in cell proliferation regulation. Importantly, YY2-regulated gene transcription, cell proliferation and tumor growth were dependent, at least partially, on YY2 K247 methylation. Finally, somatic mutations on YY2 found in cancer, which are in close proximity to K247, altered its methylation, DNA binding activity and gene transcription it controls. Our findings revealed the first PTM with functional implications imposed on YY2 protein, and linked YY2 methylation with its biological functions.
Project description:Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is a multifunctional DNA-binding transcription factor shown to be critical in a variety of biological processes, and its activity and function have been shown to be regulated by multitude of mechanisms, which include but are not limited to post-translational modifications (PTMs), its associated proteins and cellular localization. YY2, the paralog of YY1 in mouse and human, has been proposed to function redundantly or oppositely in a context specific manner compared to YY1. Despite its functional importance, how YY2’s DNA binding activity and function is regulated, particularly by PTMs, remains completely unknown. Here we report the first PTM with functional characterization on YY2, namely lysine 247 mono-methylation (K247me1), which was found to be dynamically regulated by SET7/9 and LSD1 both in vitro and in cultured cells. Functional study revealed that SET7/9-mediated YY2 methylation regulated its DNA-binding activity in vitro and association with chromatin examined by ChIP-seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with sequencing) in cultured cells. Knockout of YY2, SET7/9 or LSD1 by CRISPR (clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats) /Cas9-mediated gene editing followed by RNA-seq revealed that a subset of genes was positively-regulated by YY2 and SET7/9, but negatively-regulated by LSD1, which were enriched with genes involved in cell proliferation regulation. Importantly, YY2-regulated gene transcription, cell proliferation and tumor growth were dependent, at least partially, on YY2 K247 methylation. Finally, somatic mutations on YY2 found in cancer, which are in close proximity to K247, altered its methylation, DNA binding activity and gene transcription it controls. Our findings revealed the first PTM with functional implications imposed on YY2 protein, and linked YY2 methylation with its biological functions.
Project description:Methyl-dependent regulation of transcription has expanded from a traditional focus on histones to encompass transcription factor modulation. While the Set7 lysine methyltransferase is associated with pro-inflammatory gene expression in vascular endothelial cells, genome-wide regulatory roles remain to be investigated. From initial characterization of Set7 as specific for methyl-lysine 4 of H3 histones (H3K4m1), biochemical activity toward non-histone substrates has revealed additional mechanisms of gene regulation. mRNA-Seq revealed transcriptional deregulation of over 8,000 genes in an endothelial model of Set7 knockdown. Gene ontology identified up-regulated pathways involved in developmental processes and extracellular matrix remodeling, whereas pathways regulating the inflammatory response as well as nitric oxide signaling were down-regulated. Chromatin maps derived from ChIP-Seq profiling of H3K4m1 identified several hundred loci with loss of H3K4m1 at gene regulatory elements associated with an unexpectedly subtle effect on gene expression. Transcription factor network analysis implicated six previously described Set7 substrates in mRNA-Seq changes, and we predict that Set7 post-translationally regulates other transcription factors associated with vascular endothelial gene expression through the presence of Set7 amino acid methylation motifs. We describe a role for Set7 in regulating developmental pathways and response to stimuli (inflammation/immune response) in human endothelial cells of vascular origin. Set7-dependent gene expression changes that occurred independent of H3K4m1 may involve transcription factor lysine methylation events. The method of mapping measured transcriptional changes to transcription factors to identify putative substrates with strong associations to functional changes is applicable to substrate prediction for other broad-substrate histone modifiers.
Project description:The Yin Yang 2 (YY2) gene encodes a zinc finger transcription factor that is not well characterized, yet. By using chromatin immunoprecipitations combined with whole-genome human promoter microarray (ChIP-chip) in HEK293 cells, we identified a multiplicity of YY2-bound annotated promoters as well as additional chromosomal regions. Interestingly, gene ontology analyses linked YY2 to fundamental biological pathways associated to cancer and developmental processes. Identification of YY2 target genes in HEK293 cells in vivo
Project description:The Yin Yang 2 (YY2) gene encodes a zinc finger transcription factor that is not well characterized, yet. By using chromatin immunoprecipitations combined with whole-genome human promoter microarray (ChIP-chip) in HEK293 cells, we identified a multiplicity of YY2-bound annotated promoters as well as additional chromosomal regions. Interestingly, gene ontology analyses linked YY2 to fundamental biological pathways associated to cancer and developmental processes.
Project description:We generated skeletal muscle-specific knockout mice lacking the transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1) and analyzed expression patterns in the skeletal muscle these mice. We used microarrays to detail the global programme of gene expression regulated by YY1.