Evolution of antagonism among DUX family members from an ancestral toxic single homeodomain protein I
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE214228 | GEO | 2023/02/08
REPOSITORIES: GEO
Similar Datasets
Project description:Double homeobox genes are unique to eutherian mammals, transiently expressed in early blastomere-stage embryos, and comprise 3 clades (DUXA, B, C) evolved by homeobox duplication and divergence from an ancestral single homeobox gene, sDUX, present in other vertebrates. We test platypus sDUX and find that it drives cytotoxicity and inhibition of myogenesis identical to DUX4, the human DUXC gene. sDUX binds DNA as a head-to-head dimer, with protein core and DNA nearly overlapping the DUX4-DNA crystal structure. Although DUXA lacks transcriptional activity, DUXA-VP64 transcriptome and chromatin accessibility profiles significantly overlap those of DUX4 and sDUX, including expression of ZGA genes and LTR elements. Furthermore, DUXA binds DUX4 sites at most DUX4 target genes and counteracts transcriptional activity of DUX4, including in FSHD patient cells, potentiating a feedback inhibitory loop. The DUX gene family therefore comprises cross-regulating members of opposing function, with implications for their roles in ZGA, FSHD, and cancer.
2023-02-08 | GSE214229 | GEO
Project description:Double homeobox genes are unique to eutherian mammals, transiently expressed in early blastomere-stage embryos, and comprise 3 clades (DUXA, B, and C) evolved by homeodomain duplication and divergence from an ancestral single homeobox gene, sDUX, present in non-eutherian mammals and other vertebrates. We test platypus sDUX and find that it drives cellular phenotypes identical to DUX4, the human DUXC gene, including cytotoxicity and inhibition of myogenic differentiation. sDUX binds DNA as a head-to-head dimer, showing near overlap of protein core and DNA to the DUX4-DNA crystal structure. DUXA and sDUX bind both palindromic and nonpalindromic TAAT/TGAT double homeodomain motifs against DUX4 preference for non-palindromic. Although DUXA lacks transcriptional activation potential, we find significant similarities in transcriptional and chromatin profiles of sDUX with DUX4 and DUXA-VP64, including expression of ZGA genes and LTR elements. Furthermore, DUXA binds to a significant fraction of DUX4 target sites and is able to counteract transcriptional activation of DUX4 on its targets, potentiating a feedback inhibitory loop, including in cells from patients with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). The DUX gene family therefore comprises cross-regulating members of opposing function, with implications for their roles in ZGA, FSHD, and cancer.
2023-02-08 | GSE214245 | GEO
Project description:Human DUX4 and mouse Dux transcription factors are normally expressed in the germ line and early embryonic cells where they activate the cleavage stage genes. The misexpression of DUX4 in skeletal muscles causes Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD). In primates and rodents, DUX4 and Dux arose from retrotransposition of the mRNA from the ancestral intron-containing DUXC, which is not found in these species, and whether it has similar roles in the cleavage stage and FSHD as DUX4 and Dux are unknown. Here, we identified two isoforms of DUXC in canine testis tissues: One encodes the canonical double homeodomain (DUXC) similar to DUX4/Dux, and one contains an extra exon that disrupts the conserved amino-acid sequence of the first homeodomain (DUXC-ALT). We expressed DUXC and DUXC-ALT in canine skeletal muscle and found that the expression of DUXC induced retrotransposons and pluripotent programs similar to DUX4 and Dux, whereas DUXC-ALT did not robustly activate genes in these assays.
2021-12-03 | GSE188927 | GEO
Project description:Human DUX4 and mouse Dux transcription factors are normally expressed in the germ line and early embryonic cells where they activate the cleavage stage genes. The misexpression of DUX4 in skeletal muscles causes Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD). In primates and rodents, DUX4 and Dux arose from retrotransposition of the mRNA from the ancestral intron-containing DUXC, which is not found in these species, and whether it has similar roles in the cleavage stage and FSHD as DUX4 and Dux are unknown. Here, we identified two isoforms of DUXC in canine testis tissues: One encodes the canonical double homeodomain (DUXC) similar to DUX4/Dux, and one contains an extra exon that disrupts the conserved amino-acid sequence of the first homeodomain (DUXC-ALT). We expressed DUXC and DUXC-ALT in canine skeletal muscle and found that the expression of DUXC induced retrotransposons and pluripotent programs similar to DUX4 and Dux, whereas DUXC-ALT did not robustly activate genes in these assays.
2021-12-03 | GSE188926 | GEO
Project description:FSHD is characterized by the misexpression of DUX4 in skeletal muscle. Although DUX4 upregulation is thought to be the pathogenic cause of FSHD, DUX4 is lowly expressed in patient samples, and analysis of the consequences of DUX4 expression has largely relied on artificial overexpression. To better understand the native expression profile of DUX4 and its targets, we first performed pooled RNA-seq on a 6-day differentiation time-course in FSHD2 patient-derived primary myoblasts. We identify a set of 54 FSHD-induced genes upregulated in FSHD2 cells starting at day 2 of differentiation through the end of the time-course. Using single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-seq on FSHD2 myoblasts and day 3 and day 5 differentiated myotubes respectively, we captured, for the first time, DUX4 expressed at the single-nucleus level in a native state. We identified two populations of FSHD myotube nuclei based on low or high enrichment of DUX4 and FSHD-induced genes (FSHD-Lo and “FSHD Hi”, respectively). FSHD-Hi nuclei upregulate many cell cycle related genes with significant enrichment of E2F target genes and p53 signaling activation. In FSHD-Hi myotube nuclei, multiple DUX4 target genes are co-expressed including a set of transcription factors, such as DUXA, ZSCAN4 and LEUTX. DUXA (the DUX4 paralog) is more widely expressed than DUX4, and depletion of DUXA suppressed the expression of LEUTX and ZSCAN4 in late, but not early, differentiation. The results indicate that the DUXA can take over the role of DUX4 and maintain target gene expression. These results may provide explanation as to why it is easier to detect and monitor DUX4 target genes than DUX4 itself in patient cells and suggest a self-sustaining network of gene dysregulation that perpetuates this disease after DUX4 is no longer expressed.
2020-04-07 | GSE143452 | GEO
Project description:FSHD is characterized by the misexpression of DUX4 in skeletal muscle. Although DUX4 upregulation is thought to be the pathogenic cause of FSHD, DUX4 is lowly expressed in patient samples, and analysis of the consequences of DUX4 expression has largely relied on artificial overexpression. To better understand the native expression profile of DUX4 and its targets, we first performed pooled RNA-seq on a 6-day differentiation time-course in FSHD2 patient-derived primary myoblasts. We identify a set of 54 FSHD-induced genes upregulated in FSHD2 cells starting at day 2 of differentiation through the end of the time-course. Using single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-seq on FSHD2 myoblasts and day 3 and day 5 differentiated myotubes respectively, we captured, for the first time, DUX4 expressed at the single-nucleus level in a native state. We identified two populations of FSHD myotube nuclei based on low or high enrichment of DUX4 and FSHD-induced genes (FSHD-Lo and “FSHD Hi”, respectively). FSHD-Hi nuclei upregulate many cell cycle related genes with significant enrichment of E2F target genes and p53 signaling activation. In FSHD-Hi myotube nuclei, multiple DUX4 target genes are co-expressed including a set of transcription factors, such as DUXA, ZSCAN4 and LEUTX. DUXA (the DUX4 paralog) is more widely expressed than DUX4, and depletion of DUXA suppressed the expression of LEUTX and ZSCAN4 in late, but not early, differentiation. The results indicate that the DUXA can take over the role of DUX4 and maintain target gene expression. These results may provide explanation as to why it is easier to detect and monitor DUX4 target genes than DUX4 itself in patient cells and suggest a self-sustaining network of gene dysregulation that perpetuates this disease after DUX4 is no longer expressed.
2020-04-07 | GSE143492 | GEO
Project description:FSHD is characterized by the misexpression of DUX4 in skeletal muscle. Although DUX4 upregulation is thought to be the pathogenic cause of FSHD, DUX4 is lowly expressed in patient samples, and analysis of the consequences of DUX4 expression has largely relied on artificial overexpression. To better understand the native expression profile of DUX4 and its targets, we first performed pooled RNA-seq on a 6-day differentiation time-course in FSHD2 patient-derived primary myoblasts. We identify a set of 54 FSHD-induced genes upregulated in FSHD2 cells starting at day 2 of differentiation through the end of the time-course. Using single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-seq on FSHD2 myoblasts and day 3 and day 5 differentiated myotubes respectively, we captured, for the first time, DUX4 expressed at the single-nucleus level in a native state. We identified two populations of FSHD myotube nuclei based on low or high enrichment of DUX4 and FSHD-induced genes (FSHD-Lo and “FSHD Hi”, respectively). FSHD-Hi nuclei upregulate many cell cycle related genes with significant enrichment of E2F target genes and p53 signaling activation. In FSHD-Hi myotube nuclei, multiple DUX4 target genes are co-expressed including a set of transcription factors, such as DUXA, ZSCAN4 and LEUTX. DUXA (the DUX4 paralog) is more widely expressed than DUX4, and depletion of DUXA suppressed the expression of LEUTX and ZSCAN4 in late, but not early, differentiation. The results indicate that the DUXA can take over the role of DUX4 and maintain target gene expression. These results may provide explanation as to why it is easier to detect and monitor DUX4 target genes than DUX4 itself in patient cells and suggest a self-sustaining network of gene dysregulation that perpetuates this disease after DUX4 is no longer expressed.
2020-04-07 | GSE143453 | GEO
Project description:The human double-homeodomain retrogene DUX4 is expressed in the testis and epigenetically repressed in somatic tissues. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is caused by mutations that decrease the epigenetic repression of DUX4 in somatic tissues and result in mis-expression of this transcription factor in skeletal muscle. DUX4 binds sites in the human genome that contain a double-homeobox sequence motif, including sites in unique regions of the genome as well as many sites in repetitive elements. Using ChIP-seq and RNA-seq on myoblasts transduced with DUX4 we show that DUX4 binds and activates transcription of mammalian apparent LTR-retrotransposons (MaLRs), endogenous retrovirus (ERVL and ERVK) elements, and pericentromeric satellite HSATII sequences. Some DUX4-activated MaLR and ERV elements create novel promoters for genes, long non-coding RNAs, and antisense transcripts. Many of these novel transcripts are expressed in FSHD muscle cells but not control cells, and thus might contribute to FSHD pathology. For example, HEY1, a repressor of myogenesis, is activated by DUX4 through a MaLR promoter. DUX4-bound motifs, including those in repetitive elements, show evolutionary conservation and some repeat-initiated transcripts are expressed in healthy testis, the normal expression site of DUX4, but more rarely in other somatic tissues. Testis expression patterns are known to have evolved rapidly in mammals, but the mechanisms behind this rapid change have not yet been identified: our results suggest that mobilization of MaLR and ERV elements during mammalian evolution altered germline gene expression patterns through transcriptional activation by DUX4. Our findings demonstrate a role for DUX4 and repetitive elements in mammalian germline evolution and in FSHD muscular dystrophy. RNA-seq of differentiated human primary myotube cell lines for FSHD patients and control samples Raw data not provided due to patient privacy concerns.
2014-03-19 | E-GEOD-51041 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:DUX4 and its mouse ortholog Dux are normally expressed in the early embryo—the 4 cell or 2 cell cleavage stage embryo, respectively—and activate a portion of the first wave of zygotic gene expression. DUX4 is epigenetically suppressed in nearly all somatic tissue, whereas FSHD-causing mutations result in its aberrant expression in skeletal muscle, transcriptional activation of the early embryonic program, and subsequent muscle pathology. Although DUX4 and Dux both activate an early totipotent transcriptional program, divergence of their DNA binding domains limits the use of DUX4 expressed in mice as a pre-clinical model for FSHD. In this study, we identify the porcine DUXC mRNA expressed in early development and show that both pig DUXC and human DUX4 robustly activate a highly similar early embryonic program in pig muscle cells. These results support further investigation of pig preclinical models for FSHD.
2023-05-10 | GSE210772 | GEO
Project description:DUX4 activates the first wave of zygotic gene expression in the early embryo. Mis-expression of DUX4 in skeletal muscle causes facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD), whereas expression in cancers suppresses IFNg-induction of MHC Class I and contributes to immune evasion. We show that the DUX4 protein broadly suppresses immune signaling pathways—including IFNg, IFNb, DDX58, IFIH1 and cGAS mediated pathways. A conserved region containing (L)LxxL(L) motifs in the DUX4 carboxyterminal domain (CTD) was necessary to suppress interferon stimulated genes (ISGs). Co-immunoprecipitation identified DUX4-CTD interaction with multiple immune signaling factors, including STAT1. The DUX4-CTD (L)LxxL(L) region interacts with phosphorylated STAT1, sequesters it in the nucleus, modestly reduces its DNA binding, and prevents STAT1 from inducing ISG transcription. Mouse Dux similarly interacted with STAT1 and suppressed IFNg induction of ISGs. These findings identify an evolved role of the DUXC family in modulating immune signaling pathways with implications for development, cancers, and FSHD.
2023-05-10 | PXD029215 | Pride