Apparent loss of PRC2 chromatin occupancy as an artefact of RNA depletion
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ABSTRACT: RNA has been implicated in the recruitment of chromatin modifiers, and previous studies have provided evidence in favour and against this idea. RNase treatment of chromatin is a prevalent tool for the study of RNA-mediated regulation of chromatin modifiers, but the limitations of this approach remain unclear. One of the most studied chromatin modifiers in the context of RNA-mediated regulation is the H3K27me3 methyltransferase Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2). RNase A treatment during chromatin immunoprecipitation (rChIP) reduces the occupancy of PRC2 on chromatin. This led to suggestions of an “RNA bridge" between PRC2 and chromatin. Here we show that RNase A treatment during chromatin immunoprecipitation leads to the apparent loss of all facultative heterochromatin, including both PRC2 and its H3K27me3 mark genome-wide. This phenomenon persists in mouse embryonic stem cells, human cancer cells and human-induced pluripotent stem cells. We track this observation to a global gain of chromatin that artificially reduces ChIP signals from facultative heterochromatin. Our results point to substantial limitations in RNase A treatment for mapping RNA-dependent chromatin occupancy and invalidate conclusions that were previously established for PRC2 based on this assay.
ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE240079 | GEO | 2024/02/21
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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