CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knock-in of an optimized TetO repeat for live cell imaging does not cause heterochromatinization of endogenous loci
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: We recently developed an easy, efficient and scalable method for tagging and live cell imaging of non-repetitive, endogenous chromosome regions via CRISPR/Cas9 mediated knock-in of a TetO repeat. For this purpose, we created optimized and irregular 48-mer and 96-mer TetO repeats. Since it is known that repetitive regions in the human genome can induce H3K9me3-mediated heterochromatin formation, we tested whether 48-mer and/or 96-mer TetO repeats induce H3K9me3 flanking their insertion sites. Using a newly developed method called as CUT&RUN, we showed that there was no significant difference in the H3K9me3 pattern flanking the insertion sites of TetO repeats when compared to wild-type cells.
Project description:This study analyses the effects of truncation of the gene encoding Tor1 kinase in Candida albicans. The study involves a mutant tetO-TOR1-Del381 which has the N terminal regulator HEAT repeats deleted compared to a full length tetO-TOR1 strain and a heterozygous TOR1/tor1 control. Cell were grown in vitro in YEPD broth at 30˚C. In shut off experiments, doxycycline (30 µg.ml) was added to cultures to shut off the tetO promoter and inhibit Tor1 expression.
Project description:Background: Global DNA methylation contributes to genomic integrity by supressing repeat associated transposition events. Several chromatin factors are required in addition to DNA methyltransferases to maintain DNA methylation at intergenic and satellite repeats. Embryos lacking Lsh, a member of the SNF2 superfamily of chromatin helicases, are hypomethylated. The interaction of Lsh with the de novo methyltransferase, Dnmt3b, facilitates the deposition of DNA methylation at stem cell genes. We wished to determine if a similar targeting mechanism operates to maintain DNA methylation at repetitive sequences. Results: We used HELP-seq to map genome wide DNA methylation patterns in Lsh-/- and Dnmt3b-/- somatic cells. DNA methylation is predominantly lost from specific genomic repeats in Lsh-/- cells: LTR-retrotransposons, LINE-1 repeats and mouse satellites. RNA-seq experiments demonstrate that specific IAP (Intracisternal A-type particle) LTRs and satellites, but not LINE-1 elements, are aberrantly transcribed inLsh-/- cells. LTR hypomethylation in Dnmt3b-/- cells is moderate and hypomethylated repetitive elements (IAP, LINE-1 and satellite) are silent. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) indicates that repressed LINE-1 elements gain H3K4me3, but H3K9me3 levels are unaltered in Lsh-/- cells, indicating that DNA hypomethylation alone is not permissive for their transcriptional activation. Mis-expressed IAPs and satellites lose H3K9me3 and gain H3K4me3 in Lsh-/- cells. Conclusions: Our study emphasizes that regulation of repetitive elements by DNA methylation is selective and context dependent. We propose a model where Lsh is specifically required at a precise developmental window to target de novo methylation to repeat sequences, which is subsequently maintained by Dnmt1 in somatic cells to enforce repeat silencing thus contributing to genomic integrity. Two pairs of RNA samples compared: WT and Lsh-/- RNA isolations from tail-tip fibroblasts; WT and Lsh-/- RNA isolations from E13.5 mouse embryos.
Project description:Background: Global DNA methylation contributes to genomic integrity by supressing repeat associated transposition events. Several chromatin factors are required in addition to DNA methyltransferases to maintain DNA methylation at intergenic and satellite repeats. Embryos lacking Lsh, a member of the SNF2 superfamily of chromatin helicases, are hypomethylated. The interaction of Lsh with the de novo methyltransferase, Dnmt3b, facilitates the deposition of DNA methylation at stem cell genes. We wished to determine if a similar targeting mechanism operates to maintain DNA methylation at repetitive sequences. Results: We used HELP-seq to map genome wide DNA methylation patterns in Lsh-/- and Dnmt3b-/- somatic cells. DNA methylation is predominantly lost from specific genomic repeats in Lsh-/- cells: LTR-retrotransposons, LINE-1 repeats and mouse satellites. RNA-seq experiments demonstrate that specific IAP (Intracisternal A-type particle) LTRs and satellites, but not LINE-1 elements, are aberrantly transcribed inLsh-/- cells. LTR hypomethylation in Dnmt3b-/- cells is moderate and hypomethylated repetitive elements (IAP, LINE-1 and satellite) are silent. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) indicates that repressed LINE-1 elements gain H3K4me3, but H3K9me3 levels are unaltered in Lsh-/- cells, indicating that DNA hypomethylation alone is not permissive for their transcriptional activation. Mis-expressed IAPs and satellites lose H3K9me3 and gain H3K4me3 in Lsh-/- cells. Conclusions: Our study emphasizes that regulation of repetitive elements by DNA methylation is selective and context dependent. We propose a model where Lsh is specifically required at a precise developmental window to target de novo methylation to repeat sequences, which is subsequently maintained by Dnmt1 in somatic cells to enforce repeat silencing thus contributing to genomic integrity. Two pairs of genomic samples compared: WT and Lsh-/- DNA isolations from tail-tip fibroblasts; WT and Dnmt3b knockout DNA isolations from mouse embryonic fibroblasts.
Project description:Spider dragline silk protein, major ampullate spidroin (MaSp) are mainly composed of multiple types of MaSp, such as MaSp1 and MaSp2. MaSp has a conserved primary structure comprising three domains: a repetitive central domain and nonrepetitive N-terminal and C-terminal domains. The MaSp repetitive domains are arranged in alternating blocks of polyalanine (crystalline) and glycine-rich (amorphous) sequences, which are responsible for the high tensile strength and high elasticity, respectively, of spider silk fibers. Recombinant spidroins have been successfully expressed in various hosts such as bacteria, yeasts, insects, plants, and animals. However, it is still a great challenge to produce spidroins on a large scale with a sustainable production process. In this study, we develop an economical and sustainable marine photosynthetic microbial cell factory using Rhodovulum sulfidophilum, which is a marine purple nonsulfur bacterium that is capable of producing the hydrophobic repetitive sequence of MaSp1 (1-mer, 2-mer, 3-mer and 6-mer from Nephila clavipes) using small amount of organic substance under photoheterotrophic or photoautotrophic growth conditions.
Project description:The transposon site hybridization (TraSH) technique (Sassetti, CM et al. 2001. PNAS 98:12712-7) was utilized to identify genes important for the survival of Y. pestis within murine macrophages. A transposon library was created with ~31,500 Y. pestis KIM6+ insertion mutants. A portion of the Y. pestis transposon insertion mutant library was used to infect BMMs and the surviving bacteria (output pool) were recovered. TraSH was used to compare the output pool to a portion of the library that was not subjected to selection (input pool) in order to identify Y. pestis genes important for survival in macrophages. Each end of the transposon used for mutagenesis contains an outward-reading T7 RNA polymerase promoter. RNAs transcribed from the T7 promoters are complementary to the chromosomal DNA flanking each transposon in the library, so the RNAs can be used as “targets” to identify the approximate position of each transposon insertion in the mutant pool. Differentially labeled targets generated from the output and input pools are competitively hybridized to the 70-mer oligonucleotide microarrays obtained from Pathogen Functional Genomics Resource Center/J. Craig Venter Institute. Genes important for survival of Y. pestis in macrophages are identified by determining the ratio of the signal intensities for the output and input targets hybridizing to a given probe. A transposon library was created with ~31,500 Y. pestis KIM6+ insertion mutants. A portion of the Y. pestis transposon insertion mutant library was used to infect BMMs and the surviving bacteria (output pool) were recovered. TraSH was used to compare the output pool to a portion of the library that was not subjected to selection (input pool). Each end of the transposon used for mutagenesis contains an outward-reading T7 RNA polymerase promoter. RNAs transcribed from the T7 promoters are complementary to the chromosomal DNA flanking each transposon in the library, so the RNAs was used as “targets” to identify the approximate position of each transposon insertion in the mutant pool. Differentially labeled targets generated from the output and input pools are competitively hybridized to the 70-mer oligonucleotide microarrays obtained from Pathogen Functional Genomics Resource Center/J. Craig Venter Institute. Genes important for survival of Y. pestis in macrophages are identified by determining the ratio of the signal intensities for the output and input targets hybridizing to a given probe.
Project description:Background: Global DNA methylation contributes to genomic integrity by supressing repeat associated transposition events. Several chromatin factors are required in addition to DNA methyltransferases to maintain DNA methylation at intergenic and satellite repeats. Embryos lacking Lsh, a member of the SNF2 superfamily of chromatin helicases, are hypomethylated. The interaction of Lsh with the de novo methyltransferase, Dnmt3b, facilitates the deposition of DNA methylation at stem cell genes. We wished to determine if a similar targeting mechanism operates to maintain DNA methylation at repetitive sequences. Results: We used HELP-seq to map genome wide DNA methylation patterns in Lsh-/- and Dnmt3b-/- somatic cells. DNA methylation is predominantly lost from specific genomic repeats in Lsh-/- cells: LTR-retrotransposons, LINE-1 repeats and mouse satellites. RNA-seq experiments demonstrate that specific IAP (Intracisternal A-type particle) LTRs and satellites, but not LINE-1 elements, are aberrantly transcribed inLsh-/- cells. LTR hypomethylation in Dnmt3b-/- cells is moderate and hypomethylated repetitive elements (IAP, LINE-1 and satellite) are silent. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) indicates that repressed LINE-1 elements gain H3K4me3, but H3K9me3 levels are unaltered in Lsh-/- cells, indicating that DNA hypomethylation alone is not permissive for their transcriptional activation. Mis-expressed IAPs and satellites lose H3K9me3 and gain H3K4me3 in Lsh-/- cells. Conclusions: Our study emphasizes that regulation of repetitive elements by DNA methylation is selective and context dependent. We propose a model where Lsh is specifically required at a precise developmental window to target de novo methylation to repeat sequences, which is subsequently maintained by Dnmt1 in somatic cells to enforce repeat silencing thus contributing to genomic integrity.
Project description:Background: Global DNA methylation contributes to genomic integrity by supressing repeat associated transposition events. Several chromatin factors are required in addition to DNA methyltransferases to maintain DNA methylation at intergenic and satellite repeats. Embryos lacking Lsh, a member of the SNF2 superfamily of chromatin helicases, are hypomethylated. The interaction of Lsh with the de novo methyltransferase, Dnmt3b, facilitates the deposition of DNA methylation at stem cell genes. We wished to determine if a similar targeting mechanism operates to maintain DNA methylation at repetitive sequences. Results: We used HELP-seq to map genome wide DNA methylation patterns in Lsh-/- and Dnmt3b-/- somatic cells. DNA methylation is predominantly lost from specific genomic repeats in Lsh-/- cells: LTR-retrotransposons, LINE-1 repeats and mouse satellites. RNA-seq experiments demonstrate that specific IAP (Intracisternal A-type particle) LTRs and satellites, but not LINE-1 elements, are aberrantly transcribed inLsh-/- cells. LTR hypomethylation in Dnmt3b-/- cells is moderate and hypomethylated repetitive elements (IAP, LINE-1 and satellite) are silent. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) indicates that repressed LINE-1 elements gain H3K4me3, but H3K9me3 levels are unaltered in Lsh-/- cells, indicating that DNA hypomethylation alone is not permissive for their transcriptional activation. Mis-expressed IAPs and satellites lose H3K9me3 and gain H3K4me3 in Lsh-/- cells. Conclusions: Our study emphasizes that regulation of repetitive elements by DNA methylation is selective and context dependent. We propose a model where Lsh is specifically required at a precise developmental window to target de novo methylation to repeat sequences, which is subsequently maintained by Dnmt1 in somatic cells to enforce repeat silencing thus contributing to genomic integrity.
Project description:Short tandem repeat (STR) instability causes transcriptional silencing in several repeat expansion disorders. In fragile X syndrome (FXS), mutation-length expansion of a CGG STR represses FMR1 via local DNA methylation. Here, we find Megabase-scale H3K9me3 domains on autosomes and encompassing FMR1 on the X-chromosome in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neural progenitors, B-cells, and fibroblasts with mutation-length CGG expansion. H3K9me3 domains connect via inter-chromosomal interactions and demarcate severe misfolding of TADs and loops. They harbor long synaptic genes replicating at the end of S phase, replication stress-induced double strand breaks, and STRs prone to stepwise somatic instability. CRISPR engineering of the full-mutation CGG to premutation-length reverses H3K9me3 domains on the X-chromosome and multiple autosomes, refolds TADs, and restores expression. H3K9me3 domains also arise in a subset of normal-length iPSCs with increased STR instability burden. Our results reveal Mb-scale heterochromatinization and trans interactions among chromosomes susceptible to repeat genetic instability.
Project description:Short tandem repeat (STR) instability causes transcriptional silencing in several repeat expansion disorders. In fragile X syndrome (FXS), mutation-length expansion of a CGG STR represses FMR1 via local DNA methylation. Here, we find Megabase-scale H3K9me3 domains on autosomes and encompassing FMR1 on the X-chromosome in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neural progenitors, B-cells, and fibroblasts with mutation-length CGG expansion. H3K9me3 domains connect via inter-chromosomal interactions and demarcate severe misfolding of TADs and loops. They harbor long synaptic genes replicating at the end of S phase, replication stress-induced double strand breaks, and STRs prone to stepwise somatic instability. CRISPR engineering of the full-mutation CGG to premutation-length reverses H3K9me3 domains on the X-chromosome and multiple autosomes, refolds TADs, and restores expression. H3K9me3 domains also arise in a subset of normal-length iPSCs with increased STR instability burden. Our results reveal Mb-scale heterochromatinization and trans interactions among chromosomes susceptible to repeat genetic instability.
Project description:Short tandem repeat (STR) instability causes transcriptional silencing in several repeat expansion disorders. In fragile X syndrome (FXS), mutation-length expansion of a CGG STR represses FMR1 via local DNA methylation. Here, we find Megabase-scale H3K9me3 domains on autosomes and encompassing FMR1 on the X-chromosome in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neural progenitors, B-cells, and fibroblasts with mutation-length CGG expansion. H3K9me3 domains connect via inter-chromosomal interactions and demarcate severe misfolding of TADs and loops. They harbor long synaptic genes replicating at the end of S phase, replication stress-induced double strand breaks, and STRs prone to stepwise somatic instability. CRISPR engineering of the full-mutation CGG to premutation-length reverses H3K9me3 domains on the X-chromosome and multiple autosomes, refolds TADs, and restores expression. H3K9me3 domains also arise in a subset of normal-length iPSCs with increased STR instability burden. Our results reveal Mb-scale heterochromatinization and trans interactions among chromosomes susceptible to repeat genetic instability.