Comparative chromatin accessibility profiling of wildtype and supt16h-/- zebrafish using ATAC-sequencing
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ABSTRACT: Chromatin organization and accessibility are fundamental to how genes are transcriptionally controlled. We identify the first vertebrate mutant for supt16h, a component of the FACT (FAcilitates Chromatin Transcription) complex along with Ssrp1 known to reorganize nucleosomes and assist in transcriptional elongation. We demonstrate its importance in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) specification by regulating the elongation of Notch genes. Unexpectedly, Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin (ATAC) sequencing revealed that loss of supt16h does not affect histone accessibility on a Notch-specific or global level. Although the majority of genes are unaffected, loss of supt16h alters chromatin accessibility significantly at the p53 locus, leading to its overexpression in mutants. Upon downregulation of p53, both loss of Notch and loss of HSC phenotypes are rescued. Notably, ssrp1 mutants possessed normal elongation of Notch genes, levels of P53, and specification of HSCs. Our results highlight the discrete effects of Supt16h and Ssrp1 during HSC specification. Additionally, we demonstrate the relationship between supt16h and p53 during transcriptional elongation to specify HSC fate via modulation of Notch signaling.
Project description:Chromatin organization and accessibility are fundamental to how genes are transcriptionally controlled. We identify the first vertebrate mutant for supt16h, a component of the FACT (FAcilitates Chromatin Transcription) complex along with Ssrp1 known to reorganize nucleosomes and assist in transcriptional elongation. We demonstrate its importance in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) specification by regulating the elongation of Notch genes. Unexpectedly, Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin (ATAC) sequencing revealed that loss of supt16h does not affect histone accessibility on a Notch-specific or global level. Although the majority of genes are unaffected, loss of supt16h alters chromatin accessibility significantly at the p53 locus, leading to its overexpression in mutants. Upon downregulation of p53, both loss of Notch and loss of HSC phenotypes are rescued. Notably, ssrp1 mutants possessed normal elongation of Notch genes, levels of P53, and specification of HSCs. Our results highlight the discrete effects of Supt16h and Ssrp1 during HSC specification. Additionally, we demonstrate the relationship between supt16h and p53 during transcriptional elongation to specify HSC fate via modulation of Notch signaling.
Project description:Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have long been the focus of developmental and regenerative studies, yet our understanding of the signalling events regulating their specification remains incomplete. We demonstrate that supt16h, a component of the FAcilitates Chromatin Transcription (FACT) complex, is required for HSC formation. Zebrafish supt16h mutants express reduced levels of Notch signalling components, genes essential for HSC development, due to abrogated transcription. Classically, Supt16h regulates transcription and nucleosome reorganization. Whereas global chromatin accessibility in supt16h mutants is unaffected, we observe a specific increase in accessibility at the p53 locus, causing an accumulation of p53 mRNA and protein. We further demonstrate that P53 levels directly influence expression of the Polycomb Group protein, phc1, which functions as a transcriptional repressor of Notch genes. Suppression of phc1 or its upstream regulator, p53, rescues both loss of Notch and loss of HSC phenotypes in supt16h mutants. Taken together, our results highlight a previously uncharacterized relationship between supt16h, p53, and phc1 to specify HSCs via modulation of Notch signalling.
Project description:Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have long been the focus of developmental and regenerative studies, yet our understanding of the signaling events regulating their specification remains incomplete. We demonstrate that supt16h, a component of the FAcilitates Chromatin Transcription (FACT) complex, is required for HSC formation. Zebrafish supt16h mutants express reduced levels of Notch signaling components, genes essential for HSC development, due to abrogated transcription. Classically, Supt16h regulates transcription and nucleosome reorganization. Whereas global chromatin accessibility in supt16h mutants is unaffected, we observe a specific increase in accessibility at the p53 locus, causing an accumulation of p53 mRNA and protein. We further demonstrate that P53 levels directly influence expression of the Polycomb Group protein, phc1, which functions as a transcriptional repressor of Notch genes. Suppression of phc1 or its upstream regulator, p53, rescues both loss of Notch and loss of HSC phenotypes in supt16h mutants. Taken together, our results highlight a previously uncharacterized relationship between supt16h, p53, and phc1 to specify HSCs via modulation of Notch signaling.
Project description:To assess the mechanisms by which FACT depletion leads to increased sensitivity of cells to be reprogrammed, we measured the chromatin accessibility landscape using ATAC-seq following mock treatment, SSRP1 knockdown, or SUPT16H knockdown in human fibroblasts and mock, hmg-3 or hmg-4 knockdown in whole worms, and differential gene expression in hmg-3 knockout mutants or following mock, hmg-4, or spt-16 knockdown by RNAseq.
Project description:Chromatin organization is a highly orchestrated process that influences gene expression, in part by modulating access of regulatory factors to DNA and nucleosomes. We found that the chromatin accessibility regulator HMGN1, a target of recurrent DNA copy gains in leukemia, controls myeloid differentiation. HMGN1 amplification was associated with increased accessibility, expression, and histone H3K27 acetylation of loci important for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function and AML, such as HoxA cluster genes. In vivo, HMGN1 overexpression was linked to decreased quiescence and increased HSC activity in bone marrow transplantation. HMGN1 overexpression also cooperated with the AML-ETO9a fusion oncoprotein to impair myeloid differentiation and enhance leukemia stem cell (LSC) activity. Inhibition of histone acetyltransferases CBP/p300 relieved the HMGN1-associated differentiation block. These data nominate factors that modulate chromatin accessibility as regulators of HSCs and LSCs and suggest that targeting HMGN1 or its downstream effects on histone acetylation could be therapeutically active in AML.
Project description:To investigate how ex vivo culture affects chromatin accessibility in cultured HSC, we performed the Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-Seq) on cLT (CD34+CD90+CD45RA-) and cST populations purified from 8 day cultured lineage depleted cord blood (lin- CB) cells treated with 3-Factor (4HPR+UM171+SR1), U+S or 4HPR as well as untreated and vehicle-treated (DMSO) control populations. The subsequent ATAC-seq data was compared to chromatin accessibility signatures generated from uncultured hematopoietic stem and progenitor populations (Takayama, et al.). We found that ex vivo culture shifted cLT and cST cells isolated from control or untreated samples to a chromatin accessibility profiles not found in LT-HSC, suggesting some loss of a stem-cell associated chromatin state. By contrast, 4HPR-treated, to some extent, and 3-Factor-treated HSC maintained chromatin accessibility features of uncultured LT-HSC.
Project description:Chromatin modifications provide additional context-dependence for DNA sequence-based gene regulation. Binding sites of the transcription factor (TF) and important tumour suppressor p53 are unusually diverse with regards to their chromatin accessibility and histone modifications, suggesting different modes of binding. Here, we show that the ability of p53 to open chromatin and activate its target genes is locally restricted by its cofactor Trim24. The histone-binding domains of Trim24 limits the role of p53 at closed chromatin but not at accessible chromatin where Trim24 is blocked by histone 3 methylation at lysine 4. In turn, p53 regulates gene expression as a function of the naïve chromatin state prior to activation. These findings establish a novel mode of gene regulation by p53 in closed chromatin and illustrate how histone modification sensing cofactors can bridge local chromatin state and TF potency.
Project description:Transcription by RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II) depends on transcription factors and chromatin factors. Here we use rapid factor depletion and multiomics analysis to investigate how a histone chaperone, FAcilitates Chromatin Transcription (FACT), influence nascent transcription by RNA PolII in human cells. Depletion of a FACT subunit, SSRP1, led to rapid changes in chromatin structure and concomitantly strongly compromised RNA synthesis. FACT depletion led to a multilayered transcriptional defect, including loss of promoter proximal pausing, deregulated release into elongation and drop-off of RNA Pol II in promoter-distant gene regions. We combined these analyses with biochemical dissection of transcription of a chromatinized template to show that FACT supports both elongation and pausing of RNA Pol II. Our study also provides new evidence how the position of promoter proximal pausing is defined by the +1 nucleosome in human cells.
Project description:Transcription by RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II) depends on transcription factors and chromatin factors. Here we use rapid factor depletion and multiomics analysis to investigate how a histone chaperone, FAcilitates Chromatin Transcription (FACT), influence nascent transcription by RNA PolII in human cells. Depletion of a FACT subunit, SSRP1, led to rapid changes in chromatin structure and concomitantly strongly compromised RNA synthesis. FACT depletion led to a multilayered transcriptional defect, including loss of promoter proximal pausing, deregulated release into elongation and drop-off of RNA Pol II in promoter-distant gene regions. We combined these analyses with biochemical dissection of transcription of a chromatinized template to show that FACT supports both elongation and pausing of RNA Pol II. Our study also provides new evidence how the position of promoter proximal pausing is defined by the +1 nucleosome in human cells.
Project description:Transcription by RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II) depends on transcription factors and chromatin factors. Here we use rapid factor depletion and multiomics analysis to investigate how a histone chaperone, FAcilitates Chromatin Transcription (FACT), influence nascent transcription by RNA PolII in human cells. Depletion of a FACT subunit, SSRP1, led to rapid changes in chromatin structure and concomitantly strongly compromised RNA synthesis. FACT depletion led to a multilayered transcriptional defect, including loss of promoter proximal pausing, deregulated release into elongation and drop-off of RNA Pol II in promoter-distant gene regions. We combined these analyses with biochemical dissection of transcription of a chromatinized template to show that FACT supports both elongation and pausing of RNA Pol II. Our study also provides new evidence how the position of promoter proximal pausing is defined by the +1 nucleosome in human cells.