P53 transcription factor mediates nuclear speckle association of target genes
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Nuclear speckles are prominent nuclear bodies that contain a myriad of factors involved in gene expression. The role of nuclear speckles as activating transcriptional compartments is emerging. However, the extent that the association between speckles and DNA is regulatable, and the mechanisms that govern regulated speckle association are currently unclear. Using DNA- and RNA-FISH, we show that speckle association can be mediated by the p53 transcription factor, finding that p53 activation drives speckle association of specific p53 transcriptional targets. Analysis of a key p53 target, p21, revealed an increase in nascent transcripts at speckle-adjacent transcription sites, supporting a role for speckles in amplifying transcriptional output. Importantly, p53-regulated speckle association of p21 did not depend on transcriptional activation, demonstrating that speckle association is not merely a consequence of gene expression. In contrast, speckle association of p21 did require DNA binding functions of p53, providing a mechanism for the specificity by which speckle association is regulated. Beyond p21, a substantial subset of p53 targets have p53-regulated speckle association, while other p53 targets do not, and we find that genomic context is highly deterministic of which target genes have regulated speckle association. These findings reveal a novel means by which transcription factors may control gene expression and provide a mechanism for the specificity of regulated speckle association.
Project description:Nuclear speckles, a type of membraneless nuclear organelle in higher eukaryotic cells, play a vital role in gene expression regulation. Using the reverse transcription-based RBP binding sites sequencing (ARTR-seq) method, we study human transcripts associated with nuclear speckles. We identify three gene groups whose transcripts demonstrate different speckle localization properties and dynamics – stably enriched in nuclear speckle post-transcriptionally, transiently enriched in speckles at the pre-mRNA stage co-transcriptionally, and not enriched in speckles. We show that nuclear speckles specifically facilitate splicing of speckle-enriched transcripts. We further reveal RNA sequence features contributing to transcript speckle localization, underscoring a tight interplay between genome organization, RNA cis-elements, and transcript speckle enrichment, and connecting transcript speckle localization with splicing logic. Finally, we show that speckles can act as hubs for the regulated retention of introns during cellular stress. Collectively, our data highlight a role of nuclear speckles in both co- and post-transcriptional splicing regulation.
Project description:Nuclear speckles, a type of membraneless nuclear organelle in higher eukaryotic cells, play a vital role in gene expression regulation. Using the reverse transcription-based RBP binding sites sequencing (ARTR-seq) method, we study human transcripts associated with nuclear speckles. We identify three gene groups whose transcripts demonstrate different speckle localization properties and dynamics – stably enriched in nuclear speckle post-transcriptionally, transiently enriched in speckles at the pre-mRNA stage co-transcriptionally, and not enriched in speckles. We show that nuclear speckles specifically facilitate splicing of speckle-enriched transcripts. We further reveal RNA sequence features contributing to transcript speckle localization, underscoring a tight interplay between genome organization, RNA cis-elements, and transcript speckle enrichment, and connecting transcript speckle localization with splicing logic. Finally, we show that speckles can act as hubs for the regulated retention of introns during cellular stress. Collectively, our data highlight a role of nuclear speckles in both co- and post-transcriptional splicing regulation.
Project description:The interchromatin space in the cell nucleus contains various membrane-less nuclear bodies. Recent findings indicate that nuclear speckles, comprising a distinct nuclear body, exhibit interactions with certain chromatin regions in a ground state. Key questions are how this ground state of chromatin-nuclear speckle association is established and what are the gene regulatory roles of this layer of nuclear organization. We report here that chromatin structural factors CTCF and cohesin are required for full ground state association between DNA and nuclear speckles. Disruption of ground state DNA-speckle contacts via either CTCF depletion or cohesin depletion had minor effects on basal level expression of speckle-associated genes, however we show strong negative effects on stimulus-dependent induction of speckle-associated genes. We identified a putative speckle targeting motif (STM) within cohesin subunit RAD21 and demonstrated that the STM is required for chromatin-nuclear speckle association. In contrast to reduction of CTCF or RAD21, depletion of the cohesin releasing factor WAPL stabilized cohesin on chromatin and DNA-speckle contacts, resulting in enhanced inducibility of speckle-associated genes. In addition, we observed disruption of chromatin-nuclear speckle association in patient derived cells with Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS), a congenital neurodevelopmental diagnosis involving defective cohesin pathways, thus revealing nuclear speckles as an avenue for therapeutic inquiry. In summary, our findings reveal a mechanism to establish the ground organizational state of chromatin-speckle association, to promote gene inducibility, and with relevance to human disease.
Project description:The interchromatin space in the cell nucleus contains various membrane-less nuclear bodies. Recent findings indicate that nuclear speckles, comprising a distinct nuclear body, exhibit interactions with certain chromatin regions in a ground state. Key questions are how this ground state of chromatin-nuclear speckle association is established and what are the gene regulatory roles of this layer of nuclear organization. We report here that chromatin structural factors CTCF and cohesin are required for full ground state association between DNA and nuclear speckles. Disruption of ground state DNA-speckle contacts via either CTCF depletion or cohesin depletion had minor effects on basal level expression of speckle-associated genes, however we show strong negative effects on stimulus-dependent induction of speckle-associated genes. We identified a putative speckle targeting motif (STM) within cohesin subunit RAD21 and demonstrated that the STM is required for chromatin-nuclear speckle association. In contrast to reduction of CTCF or RAD21, depletion of the cohesin releasing factor WAPL stabilized cohesin on chromatin and DNA-speckle contacts, resulting in enhanced inducibility of speckle-associated genes. In addition, we observed disruption of chromatin-nuclear speckle association in patient derived cells with Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS), a congenital neurodevelopmental diagnosis involving defective cohesin pathways, thus revealing nuclear speckles as an avenue for therapeutic inquiry. In summary, our findings reveal a mechanism to establish the ground organizational state of chromatin-speckle association, to promote gene inducibility, and with relevance to human disease.
Project description:The interchromatin space in the cell nucleus contains various membrane-less nuclear bodies. Recent findings indicate that nuclear speckles, comprising a distinct nuclear body, exhibit interactions with certain chromatin regions in a ground state. Key questions are how this ground state of chromatin-nuclear speckle association is established and what are the gene regulatory roles of this layer of nuclear organization. We report here that chromatin structural factors CTCF and cohesin are required for full ground state association between DNA and nuclear speckles. Disruption of ground state DNA-speckle contacts via either CTCF depletion or cohesin depletion had minor effects on basal level expression of speckle-associated genes, however we show strong negative effects on stimulus-dependent induction of speckle-associated genes. We identified a putative speckle targeting motif (STM) within cohesin subunit RAD21 and demonstrated that the STM is required for chromatin-nuclear speckle association. In contrast to reduction of CTCF or RAD21, depletion of the cohesin releasing factor WAPL stabilized cohesin on chromatin and DNA-speckle contacts, resulting in enhanced inducibility of speckle-associated genes. In addition, we observed disruption of chromatin-nuclear speckle association in patient derived cells with Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS), a congenital neurodevelopmental diagnosis involving defective cohesin pathways, thus revealing nuclear speckles as an avenue for therapeutic inquiry. In summary, our findings reveal a mechanism to establish the ground organizational state of chromatin-speckle association, to promote gene inducibility, and with relevance to human disease.
Project description:The interchromatin space in the cell nucleus contains various membrane-less nuclear bodies. Recent findings indicate that nuclear speckles, comprising a distinct nuclear body, exhibit interactions with certain chromatin regions in a ground state. Key questions are how this ground state of chromatin-nuclear speckle association is established and what are the gene regulatory roles of this layer of nuclear organization. We report here that chromatin structural factors CTCF and cohesin are required for full ground state association between DNA and nuclear speckles. Disruption of ground state DNA-speckle contacts via either CTCF depletion or cohesin depletion had minor effects on basal level expression of speckle-associated genes, however we show strong negative effects on stimulus-dependent induction of speckle-associated genes. We identified a putative speckle targeting motif (STM) within cohesin subunit RAD21 and demonstrated that the STM is required for chromatin-nuclear speckle association. In contrast to reduction of CTCF or RAD21, depletion of the cohesin releasing factor WAPL stabilized cohesin on chromatin and DNA-speckle contacts, resulting in enhanced inducibility of speckle-associated genes. In addition, we observed disruption of chromatin-nuclear speckle association in patient derived cells with Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS), a congenital neurodevelopmental diagnosis involving defective cohesin pathways, thus revealing nuclear speckles as an avenue for therapeutic inquiry. In summary, our findings reveal a mechanism to establish the ground organizational state of chromatin-speckle association, to promote gene inducibility, and with relevance to human disease.
Project description:Recent findings indicate that nuclear speckles, a distinct type of nuclear body, interact with certain chromatin regions in a ground state. Here, we report that the chromatin structural factors CTCF and cohesin are required for full ground-state association between DNA and nuclear speckles. We identified a putative speckle targeting motif (STM) within cohesin subunit RAD21 and demonstrated that the STM is required for chromatin-nuclear speckle association, disruption of which impaired induction of speckle-associated genes. Depletion of the cohesin-releasing factor WAPL, which stabilizes cohesin on chromatin and reinforces DNA–speckle contacts, results in enhanced inducibility of speckle-associated genes. Additionally, we observed disruption of chromatin–nuclear speckle association in patient-derived cells with Cornelia de Lange syndrome, a congenital neurodevelopmental disorder involving defective cohesin pathways. In summary, our findings reveal a mechanism for establishing the ground state of chromatin–speckle association and promoting gene inducibility, with relevance to human disease.
Project description:Nuclear speckles are dynamic nuclear bodies characterized by high local concentrations of RNA binding proteins and specific non-coding RNAs. Although the contents of speckles suggest multifaceted roles in regulating chromatin dynamics and gene expression, the overarching biological function(s) of nuclear speckles remain enigmatic. In this study, we investigate speckle compositional variation in human cancer, finding two main speckle compositional states based on RNA expression of speckle-resident proteins. One cancer speckle state was more similar to normal adjacent tissues, while the other was dissimilar from normal tissue, and thus considered an aberrant cancer speckle state. We link the aberrant speckle state to altered speckle positioning within the nucleus, to elevation of the TREX RNA export complex, and to worse patient outcomes in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). ccRCC is typified by hyperactivation of the HIF-2a transcription factor, and we demonstrate that HIF-2a drives physical association of a select subset of its target genes with nuclear speckles depending on HIF-2a's two speckle targeting motifs (STMs) defined in this study. STMs are highly enriched among transcription factors, suggesting that DNA-speckle targeting may be a general mechanism of gene regulation and providing a resource of candidate speckle-targeting factors. Via integration of tissue culture functional studies with tumor genomic and imaging analysis, we show that HIF-2a gene regulatory programs are impacted by speckle compositional state and by abrogation of speckle targeting abilities of HIF-2a. These findings suggest that, in ccRCC, a key biological function of nuclear speckles is to modulate expression of a specific subset of HIF-2a-regulated target genes that, in turn, influence patient outcomes. Beyond ccRCC, tumor speckle compositional states broadly correlate with altered functional pathways and expression of speckle-associated gene neighborhoods, exposing a general link between nuclear speckles and gene expression dysregulation in human cancer.
Project description:Nuclear speckles are dynamic nuclear bodies characterized by high local concentrations of RNA binding proteins and specific non-coding RNAs. Although the contents of speckles suggest multifaceted roles in regulating chromatin dynamics and gene expression, the overarching biological function(s) of nuclear speckles remain enigmatic. In this study, we investigate speckle compositional variation in human cancer, finding two main speckle compositional states based on RNA expression of speckle-resident proteins. One cancer speckle state was more similar to normal adjacent tissues, while the other was dissimilar from normal tissue, and thus considered an aberrant cancer speckle state. We link the aberrant speckle state to altered speckle positioning within the nucleus, to elevation of the TREX RNA export complex, and to worse patient outcomes in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). ccRCC is typified by hyperactivation of the HIF-2a transcription factor, and we demonstrate that HIF-2a drives physical association of a select subset of its target genes with nuclear speckles depending on HIF-2a's two speckle targeting motifs (STMs) defined in this study. STMs are highly enriched among transcription factors, suggesting that DNA-speckle targeting may be a general mechanism of gene regulation and providing a resource of candidate speckle-targeting factors. Via integration of tissue culture functional studies with tumor genomic and imaging analysis, we show that HIF-2a gene regulatory programs are impacted by speckle compositional state and by abrogation of speckle targeting abilities of HIF-2a. These findings suggest that, in ccRCC, a key biological function of nuclear speckles is to modulate expression of a specific subset of HIF-2a-regulated target genes that, in turn, influence patient outcomes. Beyond ccRCC, tumor speckle compositional states broadly correlate with altered functional pathways and expression of speckle-associated gene neighborhoods, exposing a general link between nuclear speckles and gene expression dysregulation in human cancer.
Project description:Nuclear speckles are dynamic nuclear bodies characterized by high local concentrations of RNA binding proteins and specific non-coding RNAs. Although the contents of speckles suggest multifaceted roles in regulating chromatin dynamics and gene expression, the overarching biological function(s) of nuclear speckles remain enigmatic. In this study, we investigate speckle compositional variation in human cancer, finding two main speckle compositional states based on RNA expression of speckle-resident proteins. One cancer speckle state was more similar to normal adjacent tissues, while the other was dissimilar from normal tissue, and thus considered an aberrant cancer speckle state. We link the aberrant speckle state to altered speckle positioning within the nucleus, to elevation of the TREX RNA export complex, and to worse patient outcomes in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). ccRCC is typified by hyperactivation of the HIF-2a transcription factor, and we demonstrate that HIF-2a drives physical association of a select subset of its target genes with nuclear speckles depending on HIF-2a's two speckle targeting motifs (STMs) defined in this study. STMs are highly enriched among transcription factors, suggesting that DNA-speckle targeting may be a general mechanism of gene regulation and providing a resource of candidate speckle-targeting factors. Via integration of tissue culture functional studies with tumor genomic and imaging analysis, we show that HIF-2a gene regulatory programs are impacted by speckle compositional state and by abrogation of speckle targeting abilities of HIF-2a. These findings suggest that, in ccRCC, a key biological function of nuclear speckles is to modulate expression of a specific subset of HIF-2a-regulated target genes that, in turn, influence patient outcomes. Beyond ccRCC, tumor speckle compositional states broadly correlate with altered functional pathways and expression of speckle-associated gene neighborhoods, exposing a general link between nuclear speckles and gene expression dysregulation in human cancer.