Project description:The zinc-finger transcription factor GATA2 has been shown to be important for endometrial stromal cell decidualization in early pregnancy in mice and humans. Progesterone and its receptor PGR is also critical during decidualization but its interaction with GATA2 in regulating genes and pathways necessary for decidualization in human endometrium are unclear. Human endometrial stromal cells were isolated from 5 premenopausal women for primary cell culture. The cells underwent in vitro decidualization (IVD) or vehicle (Veh) treatment for 10 days. RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed to compare gene expression profiles (n=3) and chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) using an antibody against GATA2 (n=2) was performed to examine binding to target genes in the Veh and IVD cells. A public PGR ChIP-seq dataset (GSE69539) was mined to identify PGR-binding regions in IVD-treated human endometrial cells.
Project description:The zinc-finger transcription factor GATA2 has been shown to be important for endometrial stromal cell decidualization in early pregnancy in mice and humans. Progesterone and its receptor PGR is also critical during decidualization but its interaction with GATA2 in regulating genes and pathways necessary for decidualization in human endometrium are unclear. Human endometrial stromal cells were isolated from 5 premenopausal women for primary cell culture. The cells underwent in vitro decidualization (IVD) or vehicle (Veh) treatment for 10 days. RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed to compare gene expression profiles (n=3) and chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) using an antibody against GATA2 (n=2) was performed to examine binding to target genes in the Veh and IVD cells. A public PGR ChIP-seq dataset (GSE69539) was mined to identify PGR-binding regions in IVD-treated human endometrial cells.
Project description:PLZF (promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger) is a transcription factor acting as a global regulator of hematopoietic commitment. PLZF displays an epigenetic specificity by recruiting chromatin-modifying factors but little is known about its role in remodeling chromatin of cells committed towards a given specific hematopoietic lineage. In murine myeloid progenitors, we decipher a new role for PLZF in restraining active genes and enhancers by targeting acetylated lysine 27 of Histone H3 (H3K27ac). Functional analyses reveal that active enhancers bound by PLZF are involved in biological processes related to metabolism and associated with hematopoietic aging. Comparing the epigenome of young and old myeloid progenitors, we reveal that H3K27ac variation at active enhancers is a hallmark of hematopoietic aging. Taken together, these data suggest that PLZF, associated with active enhancers, appears to restrain their activity as an epigenetic gatekeeper of hematopoietic aging.
Project description:The transcription factor PLZF (promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger protein) acts as an epigenetic regulator balancing self-renewal and differentiation of hematopoietic cells through binding to various chromatin-modifying factors. First described as a transcriptional repressor, PLZF is also associated with active transcription, although the molecular bases underlying the differences are unknown. Here, we reveal that, in a hematopoietic cell line, PLZF is predominantly associated with transcribed genes. Additionally, we identify a new association between PLZF and the histone methyltransferase, EZH2 at the genomic level. We find that co-occupancy of PLZF and EZH2 on chromatin at PLZF target genes is not associated with SUZ12 or trimethylated lysine 27 of histone H3 (H3K27me3) but with the active histone mark H3K4me3 and active transcription. Removal of EZH2 leads to an increase of PLZF binding and increased in gene expression. Our results suggest a new role of EZH2 in restricting PLZF positive transcriptional activity independently of its canonical PRC2 activity.
Project description:Decidualization is critical for the embryonic implantation and successful pregnancy. ATRA can suppress in-vitro decidualization of human endometrial stromal cells (hESCs) induced by MPA and estrogen treatment. However, the mechanism by which RA suppressed estrogen and progesterone induced decidualization of mESCs is not clear. We used microarrays to investigate the mechanism by which all-trans RA (ATRA) regulates the decidualization of endometrial stroma cells (mESCs). mESCs were isolated at day 4 of pseudopregnancy and cultured with administration of E2 and P4 in the presence or absence of ATRA for 72h.
Project description:Sensitivity to Interferon (IFN) is determined by a complex coordination of genetic and environmental factors. A previous experiment using two renal cancer cell lines differing markedly in their response to IFN were analyzed for their ISG profiles in order to determine gene expression changes associated with IFN sensitivity (Holko M, Williams BR. Functional annotation of IFN-alpha-stimulated gene expression profiles from sensitive and resistant renal cell carcinoma cell lines. J Interferon Cytokine Res 2006 Aug;26(8):534-47). Higher and more persistent expression of a subset of ISGs was noted in the IFN-sensitive RCC1 cells when compared with the relatively IFN-insensitive ACHN cells. A subset of Interferon stimulated genes (ISGs) whose sustained expression correlates with heightened IFN sensitivity were analyzed for functional and sequence similarities. This subset predominately contains genes involved in transcription, and most were found to contain in their promoters binding sites for promyleocytic zinc finger factor (PLZF), a transcriptional repressor identified by virtue of its role in the etiology of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL). Analysis of gene expression in a lymphoid cell line with inducible PLZF expression reveals that increased expression of immune system related genes including ISGs, depends on PLZF expression. Chromatin Immunoprecipitation assays show direct association between PLZF and in silico identified PLZF binding sites in ISG promoters. This study reveals a novel interaction between PLZF and IFN signaling. A time course of IFNa treatment (0, 6, 16, 24 hrs) was performed in tetetracycline induced PLZF overexpressing and control U937T:PLZF45 cells. For the 0 hr time point, PLZF overexpression (Cy5) was compared with control cells (Cy3). For the 6, 16, and 24 hr IFN treated time points, treated RNA was labelled with Cy5 and non-IFN treated RNA with Cy3. Each IFN treatment time point was performed on control and PLZF-overexpressing cells respectively.
Project description:Ovarian estrogen (E2) and progesterone (P4) are indispensable for embryo-implantation and endometrial stromal decidualization; however, the molecular mechanisms that underpin these reproductive processes are unclear. Steroid receptor coregulator-2 (SRC-2) belongs to the multifunctional SRC/p160 family which also includes SRC-1 and SRC-3. Sharing strong sequence homology, all three SRCs exert diverse regulatory effects by modulating the transcriptional potency of nuclear receptor family members, including the estrogen and progesterone receptor (ER and PR respectively). Importantly, absence of SRC-2 in PR positive cells in the epithelial, stromal, and myometrial compartments of the murine uterus results in a striking infertility defect. This reproductive phenotype highlights a key role for SRC-2 in uterine function which is not shared with other coregulators. Intriguingly, abrogation of uterine SRC-2 does not block embryo apposition or attachment to the apical surface of luminal epithelial cells of the endometrium but rather prevents P4-dependent local decidualization of the sub-epithelial stroma. Remarkably, epithelial-specific ablation of SRC-2 in the murine uterus does not compromise endometrial functionality, again underscoring the unique importance of stromal derived SRC-2 in uterine function. The stromal decidualization defect resulting from SRC-2 ablation is reflected at the molecular level by a marked attenuation in P4 responsive target genes known to be critical for P4 dependent decidualization (i.e. ERBB receptor feedback inhibitor 1, Follistatin and Fkbp5). Conversely, the induction of E2 or P4 target genes involved in embryo implantation (i.e. leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and Indian hedgehog (Ihh) respectively) is not affected by SRC-2’s absence. As with mouse studies, decidualization of primary human stromal cells (HESCs) in culture is blocked by SRC-2 knockdown; however, HESC decidualization is unaffected by knockdown of SRC-1 or SRC-3. As a consequence of SRC-2 knockdown, molecular studies disclose a striking decrease in the induction of a subset of P4 target genes (i.e. WNT4 and FKBP5) which are essential for the stromal-epithelioid transformation step, the cellular hallmark of endometrial decidualization. Collectively, these studies not only showcase the evolutionary importance of SRC-2 in endometrial biology but also suggest that deregulation of this coregulator may underpin a spectrum of hormone-dependent uterine pathologies such as endometriosis and endometrial cancer. Microarray analysis was performed on mouse uteri using eighteen SRC-2flox/flox (SRC-2f/f) and eighteen PRCre/+ SRC-2flox/flox (SRC-2d/d) mice. Mice were ovariectomized at 6 weeks and after 2 weeks mice were either treated with sesame oil (vehicle) or 1 mg of P4. RNA from three mice per genotype per treatment were pooled and assigned as one sample (three samples per genotype per treatment). multiple group comparison
Project description:Proper decidualization is vital in preparation for a potential embryo receptivity, placentation, menstrual health and subsequent endometrial regeneration. Given the importance of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in intercellular communication, and recently in embryo implantation and indicators of menstrual cycle and fertility, we investigated their role during decidualization. Overall, this study provides an insight into distinct variation in sEV composition depending upon the level of decidualization of endometrial stromal cells, with the signaling potential to coordinate endometrial health ranging from embryo implantation, facilitating placentation and subsequent endometrial regeneration.