Project description:The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane protein complex (EMC) was identified over a decade ago in a genetic screen for ER protein homeostasis. The EMC inserts transmembrane domains (TMDs) with limited hydrophobicity. Two recent cryo-EM structures, and a third model based on partial high- and low-resolution structures, suggest how this is accomplished.
Project description:Fouchier et al. reported the isolation and genome sequencing of a novel coronavirus tentatively named "human betacoronavirus 2c EMC/2012 (HCoV-EMC)" from a Saudi patient presenting with pneumonia and renal failure in June 2012. Genome sequencing showed that this virus belongs to the group C species of the genus betacoronavirus and phylogenetically related to the bat coronaviruses HKU4 and HKU5 previously found in lesser bamboo bat and Japanese Pipistrelle bat of Hong Kong respectively. Another patient from Qatar with similar clinical presentation and positive RT-PCR test was reported in September 2012. We compare and contrast the clinical presentation, laboratory diagnosis and management of infection due to this novel coronavirus and that of SARS coronavirus despite the paucity of published information on the former. Since 70% of all emerging infectious pathogens came from animals, the emergence of this novel virus may represent another instance of interspecies jumping of betacoronavirus from animals to human similar to the group A coronavirus OC43 possibly from a bovine source in the 1890s and the group B SARS coronavirus in 2003 from bat to civet and human. Despite the apparently low transmissibility of the virus at this stage, research preparedness against another SARS-like pandemic is an important precautionary strategy.
Project description:Mammals encode ?5,000 integral membrane proteins that need to be inserted in a defined topology at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane by mechanisms that are incompletely understood. Here, we found that efficient biogenesis of ?1-adrenergic receptor (?1AR) and other G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) requires the conserved ER membrane protein complex (EMC). Reconstitution studies of ?1AR biogenesis narrowed the EMC requirement to the co-translational insertion of the first transmembrane domain (TMD). Without EMC, a proportion of TMD1 inserted in an inverted orientation or failed altogether. Purified EMC and SRP receptor were sufficient for correctly oriented TMD1 insertion, while the Sec61 translocon was necessary for insertion of the next TMD. Enforcing TMD1 topology with an N-terminal signal peptide bypassed the EMC requirement for insertion in vitro and restored efficient biogenesis of multiple GPCRs in EMC-knockout cells. Thus, EMC inserts TMDs co-translationally and cooperates with the Sec61 translocon to ensure accurate topogenesis of many membrane proteins.
Project description:This experiment contains a subset of data from the BLUEPRINT Epigenome project ( http://www.blueprint-epigenome.eu ), which aims at producing a reference haemopoetic epigenomes for the research community. 29 samples of primary cells or cultured primary cells of different haemopoeitc lineages from cord blood are included in this experiment. This ArrayExpress record contains only meta-data. Raw data files have been archived at the European Genome-Phenome Archive (EGA, www.ebi.ac.uk/ega) by the consortium, with restricted access to protect sample donors' identity. The relevant accessions of EGA data sets is EGAD00001001165. Details on how to apply for data access via the BLUEPRINT data access committee are on the EGA data set pages. The mapping of samples to these EGA accessions can be found in the 'Sample Data Relationship Format' file of this ArrayExpress record. Information on individual samples and sequencing libraries can also be found on the BLUEPRINT data coordination centre (DCC) website: http://dcc.blueprint-epigenome.eu
Project description:This experiment contains a subset of data from the BLUEPRINT Epigenome project ( http://www.blueprint-epigenome.eu ), which aims at producing a reference haemopoetic epigenomes for the research community. 4 samples of primary cells from tonsil with cell surface markes CD20med/CD38high in young individuals (3 to 10 years old) are included in this experiment. This ArrayExpress record contains only meta-data. Raw data files have been archived at the European Genome-Phenome Archive (EGA, www.ebi.ac.uk/ega) by the consortium, with restricted access to protect sample donors' identity. The relevant accessions of EGA data sets is EGAD00001001523. Details on how to apply for data access via the BLUEPRINT data access committee are on the EGA data set pages. The mapping of samples to these EGA accessions can be found in the 'Sample Data Relationship Format' file of this ArrayExpress record. Information on individual samples and sequencing libraries can also be found on the BLUEPRINT data coordination centre (DCC) website: http://dcc.blueprint-epigenome.eu
Project description:The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane protein complex (EMC) is a conserved, multi-subunit complex acting as an insertase at the ER membrane. Growing evidence shows that the EMC is also involved in stabilizing and trafficking membrane proteins. However, the structural basis and regulation of its multifunctionality remain elusive. Here, we report cryo-electron microscopy structures of human EMC in apo- and voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC)-bound states at resolutions of 3.47 Å and 3.32 Å, respectively. We discovered a specific interaction between VDAC proteins and the EMC at mitochondria-ER contact sites, which is conserved from yeast to humans. Moreover, we identified a gating plug located inside the EMC hydrophilic vestibule, the substrate-binding pocket for client insertion. Conformation changes of this gating plug during the apo-to-VDAC-bound transition reveal that the EMC unlikely acts as an insertase in the VDAC1-bound state. Based on the data analysis, the gating plug may regulate EMC functions by modifying the hydrophilic vestibule in different states. Our discovery offers valuable insights into the structural basis of EMC's multifunctionality.
Project description:Reprogramming of histone modification regulates gene expression and mammal preimplantation development. Trimethylation of lysine 4 on histone 3 (H3K4me3) has unique landscape in mouse oocytes and early embryos. However, the dynamics and function of H3K4me3 in livestock embryos remain unclear. To address how it is reprogrammed in domestic animals, we profiled changes of H3K4me3 during bovine early embryo development. Notably, the overall signal of H3K4me3 decreased during embryonic genome activation (EGA). By utilizing ultra-low-input native ChIP-seq (ULI-NChIP-seq) technology, we observed widespread broad H3K4me3 domains in oocytes and embryos. The signal of broad H3K4me3 began to decrease after fertilization and was lowest after EGA. Along with the removal of broad H3K4me3, deposition of H3K4me3 at promoter regions enhanced gradually. Besides, the transcriptional activity and signal of promoter H3K4me3 showed positive correlation after the erasure of broad H3K4me3 at 16-cell stage. Moreover, knocking down of demethylases KDM5A, KDM5B and KDM5C caused EGA delay and blastocyst formation failure. RNA-seq analysis revealed 47.8% down-regulated genes in knockdown embryos at 8/16-cell stage were EGA genes, and 63.1% of up-regulated genes were maternal transcripts. Particularly, the positive correlation between transcriptional activity and promoter H3K4me3 during EGA was restrained when knocking down of KDM5A, KDM5B and KDM5C. Overall, our work initiatively mapped the genomic reprogramming of H3K4me3 during bovine preimplantation development, and KDM5A/B/C played roles in modulating oocyte-to-embryonic transition (OET) through timely erasure of broad H3K4me3 domains far away from promoters.
Project description:Reprogramming of histone modification regulates gene expression and mammal preimplantation development. Trimethylation of lysine 4 on histone 3 (H3K4me3) has unique landscape in mouse oocytes and early embryos. However, the dynamics and function of H3K4me3 in livestock embryos remain unclear. To address how it is reprogrammed in domestic animals, we profiled changes of H3K4me3 during bovine early embryo development. Notably, the overall signal of H3K4me3 decreased during embryonic genome activation (EGA). By utilizing ultra-low-input native ChIP-seq (ULI-NChIP-seq) technology, we observed widespread broad H3K4me3 domains in oocytes and embryos. The signal of broad H3K4me3 began to decrease after fertilization and was lowest after EGA. Along with the removal of broad H3K4me3, deposition of H3K4me3 at promoter regions enhanced gradually. Besides, the transcriptional activity and signal of promoter H3K4me3 showed positive correlation after the erasure of broad H3K4me3 at 16-cell stage. Moreover, knocking down of demethylases KDM5A, KDM5B and KDM5C caused EGA delay and blastocyst formation failure. RNA-seq analysis revealed 47.8% down-regulated genes in knockdown embryos at 8/16-cell stage were EGA genes, and 63.1% of up-regulated genes were maternal transcripts. Particularly, the positive correlation between transcriptional activity and promoter H3K4me3 during EGA was restrained when knocking down of KDM5A, KDM5B and KDM5C. Overall, our work initiatively mapped the genomic reprogramming of H3K4me3 during bovine preimplantation development, and KDM5A/B/C played roles in modulating oocyte-to-embryonic transition (OET) through timely erasure of broad H3K4me3 domains far away from promoters.
Project description:Following fertilization, the new embryo reprograms parental genomes to begin transcription (embryonic genome activation, EGA). EGA is indispensable for development, but its dynamics, profile or when it initiates in vertebrates are unknown. We here characterize the onset of transcription in mouse one-cell embryos. Precise embryo staging eliminated noise to reveal a cascading program of de novo transcription initiating within six hours of fertilization. This immediate EGA (iEGA) utilized canonical promoters, produced spliced transcripts, was distinctive and predominantly driven by the maternal genome. Expression represented pathways not only associated with embryo development but with cancer. In human one-cell embryos, hundreds of genes were up-regulated, days earlier than thought, with conservation to mouse iEGA. These findings provide a functional basis for epigenetic analysis in early-stage embryos and illuminate networks governing totipotency and other cell-fate transitions.