Project description:The genome-wide binding sites of transcription factors provide insight into their regulatory function. We used chromatin immunoprecipitaition with high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) to identify the genomic binding sites of HNF4A and GATA6 in OE19 cells.
Project description:Chromatin immunoprecipitation of FOXK2 (tagged with Flag and His tags) in U2OS cells detected by Affymetrix human promoter array 1.0R.
Project description:Cells constantly adjust their metabolism in response to environmental conditions, yet major mechanisms underlying survival remain poorly understood. We discover a post-transcriptional mechanism that integrates starvation response with GTP homeostasis to allow survival, enacted by the nucleotide (p)ppGpp, a key player in bacterial stress response and persistence. We reveal that (p)ppGpp activates global metabolic changes upon starvation, allowing survival entirely by regulating GTP. Combining metabolomics with biochemical demonstrations, we find that (p)ppGpp directly inhibits the activities of multiple GTP biosynthesis enzymes. This inhibition results in robust and rapid GTP regulation in Bacillus subtilis, which we demonstrate is essential to maintaining GTP levels within a range that supports viability even in the absence of starvation. Correspondingly, without (p)ppGpp, gross GTP dysregulation occurs, revealing a vital housekeeping function of (p)ppGpp; in fact, loss of (p)ppGpp results in death from rising GTP, a severe and previously unknown consequence of GTP dysfunction. Four-condition experiment: wt, wt+RHX, (p)ppGpp0, (p)ppGpp0+RHX. Biological replicates: 3 for each sample. Reference: a mixture of wt RNA from different growth phases and wt backgrounds.
Project description:The past twenty years have seen tremendous advances in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying bacterial cytokinesis, particularly the composition of the division machinery and the factors controlling its assembly. At the same time, however, we understand very little about the relationship between cell division and other cell cycle events in bacteria. Here we report that inhibiting division in Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus quickly leads to an arrest in the initiation of new rounds of DNA replication followed by a complete arrest in cell growth. Arrested cells are metabolically active but unable to initiate new rounds of either DNA replication or division when shifted to permissive conditions. Inhibiting DNA replication results in entry into a similar quiescent state, in which cells are unable to resume growth or division when returned to permissive conditions. Our findings suggest the presence of two cell cycle control points: one linking division to the initiation of DNA replication and another linking the initiation of DNA replication to division. Significantly, this evidence contradicts the prevailing view of the bacterial cell cycle as a series of coordinated but uncoupled events. Importantly, the terminal nature of the cell cycle arrest validates the bacterial cell cycle machinery as an effective target for antimicrobial development. Four-condition experiment: ftsZ induced for 1hr, ftsZ depleted for 1hr, ftsZ induced for 2hrs, ftsZ depleted for 2hrs. Biological replicates: 3-4 for each sample. Reference: a mixture of wt RNA from different growth phases and wt backgrounds.
Project description:The nucleotide (p)ppGpp is crucial for viability during amino acid limitation in bacteria, yet how it accomplishes this remains unknown. We found that the absence of (p)ppGpp in Bacillus subtilis cells leads to multiple amino acid auxotrophy, and that (p)ppGpp allows for prototrophy by reducing GTP levels. We provide evidence that reduction of GTP levels relieves the requirements for branched-chain amino acids primarily by preventing hyperactivity of the GTP-dependent transcriptional regulator CodY, but that GTP levels can also play an important role in regulating transcription of many amino acid biosynthesis genes independently of CodY. Thus, CodY-dependent and independent regulation of transcription by GTP levels plays overlapping yet distinct physiological roles in allowing amino acid prototrophy. Finally, supplementing these required amino acids does not protect against cell death upon nutrient downshift, but allows for sustained growth following this transition. We conclude that regulation of GTP levels by (p)ppGpp allows cells to adapt to conditions of amino acid limitation by first allowing survival during shifting nutrient conditions, and then allowing amino acid prototrophy by transcriptionally regulating amino acid biosynthesis. This strategy may be used to ensure viability during amino acid limitation in evolutionarily divergent bacteria. Twelve-condition experiment: wt, wt+RHX, wt+Guo, (p)ppGpp0, (p)ppGpp0+RHX, (p)ppGpp0+Guo, M-NM-^TcodY (p)ppGpp0, M-NM-^TcodY (p)ppGpp0+RHX, M-NM-^TcodY (p)ppGpp0+Guo, guaB- (p)ppGpp0, guaB- (p)ppGpp0+RHX, guaB- (p)ppGpp0+Guo. Biological replicates: 3 for each sample. Reference: a mixture of wt RNA from different growth phases and wt backgrounds.
Project description:Next-generation sequencing has been widely used for the genome-wide profiling of histone modifications, transcription factor binding and gene expression through chromatin immunoprecipitated DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq) and cDNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Here, we describe a versatile library construction method that can be applied to both ChIP-seq and RNA-seq on the widely used Illumina platforms. Standard methods for ChIP-seq library construction require nanograms of starting DNA, substantially limiting its application to rare cell types or limited clinical samples. By minimizing the DNA purification steps that cause major sample loss, our method achieved a high sensitivity in ChIP-seq library preparation. Using this method, we achieved the following: (1) generated high-quality epigenomic and transcription factor-binding maps using ChIP-seq for murine adipocytes; (2) successfully prepared a ChIP-seq library from as little as 25 pg of starting DNA; (3) achieved paired-end sequencing of the ChIP-seq libraries; (4) systematically profiled gene expression dynamics during murine adipogenesis using RNA-seq; and (5) preserved the strand specificity of the transcripts in RNA-seq. Given its sensitivity and versatility in both double-stranded and single-stranded DNA library construction, this method has wide applications in genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic and interactomic studies. Pre-adipocytes and mature adipocytes were collected. Their chromatin and RNA were subjected to ChIP and mRNA extraction. Sequencing libraries from ChIP DNA or mRNA were generated following either standard protocols or TELP method. The quality and features of TELP libraries were proved and demonstrated in comparison with standard libraries or other published data.
Project description:A cell line (MFD-1) was derived from a 55-year old male with oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Using different sources of genetic material from normal and tumour tissue surgically resected, peripheral blood and the derived cell line a high concordance of genotypes calls across the whole genome confirms MFD-1 was derived from parent tumour. The SNP6 array contained 906,000 probes for the genotyping of SNPs and 946,000 probes for the genotyping of non-polymorphic copy number. Affymetrix CEL files were analysed using the tool PICNIC2 (predicting absolute allele copy number variation with microarray cancer data).