Reprogramming chromosome ends by functional histone acetylation
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Cancers harness embryonic programs to evade aging and promote survival. Normally, sequences at chromosome ends called telomeres, shorten with cell division, and function as a countdown clock to limits cell replication. Therefore, a crucial aspect of cancerous transformation is avoiding replicative aging, by activation of telomere repair programs. In mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), the transient expression of the gene Zscan4, correlates with chromatin de-condensation and telomere extension. Head and neck cancers reactivate ZSCAN4, which in turn regulates the cancer stem cell (CSCs) phenotype. Our new study reveals a novel role for human ZSCAN4 in facilitating functional histone H3 acetylation at the telomere chromatin. Next-generation sequencing reveals ZSCAN4 enrichment at chromosome ends and its pivotal role in facilitating histone H3 acetylation at telomeres. These epigenetic changes correlate with ZSCAN4-induced telomere elongation, while CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of ZSCAN4 leads to telomere shortening in cancer cells. Our study elucidates the intricate involvement of ZSCAN4 in modulating telomere histone acetylation, and its interaction with telomeric proteins. These findings suggest ZSCAN4 induction as a novel link between cancer stemness and telomere maintenance. Future strategies aimed at blocking ZSCAN4 may provide new therapeutic approaches to effectively target cancer stem cells and limit their replicative lifespan.
Project description:Telomere shortening rates must be regulated to prevent premature replicative senescence. TERRA R-loops become stabilized at critically short telomeres to promote their elongation through homology-directed repair (HDR), thereby counteracting senescence onset. Using a non-bias proteomic approach to identify telomere binding factors, we identified Npl3, an RNA-binding protein previously implicated in multiple RNA biogenesis processes. Using Chromatin- and RNA immunoprecipitation, we demonstrate that Npl3 interacts with TERRA and telomeres. Furthermore, we show that Npl3 associates to telomeres in an R-loop dependent manner, as changes in R-loop levels, e.g. at short telomeres, modulate the recruitment of Npl3 to chromosome ends. Through a series of genetic and biochemical approaches we demonstrate that Npl3 binds to TERRA and stabilizes R-loops at short telomeres, which in turn promotes HDR and prevents premature replicative senescence onset. This may have implications for diseases associated with excessive telomere shortening.
Project description:Telomere is a highly refined system for maintaining the stability of linear chromosomes. Most telomeres rely on simple repetitive sequences and telomerase enzymes, but in some species or telomerase-defective situations, alternative telomere lengthening (ALT) mechanism is utilized to protect chromosomal ends. Telomere loss can induce telomere recombination by which specific sequences can be recruited into telomeres. However, canonical telomeric repeat-based telomeres have been found in mammals. Here, we show that mammalian telomeres can also be completely reconstituted using a non-telomeric unique sequence. We found that a specific subtelomeric element, named as mouse template for ALT (mTALT), is utilized for repairing telomeric DNA damage and composing new telomeric sequences in mouse embryonic stem cells. We found a high-level of non-coding mTALT transcript despite the heterochromatic nature of mTALT-based telomere. After ALT activation, the increased HMGN1, a non-histone chromosomal protein, contributed to maintaining telomere stability by regulating telomeric transcriptions. Our findings reveal novel molecular features of potential telomeric sequences which can reconstitute telomeres during cancer formation and evolution.
Project description:Telomere integrity is critical for embryonic development and core telomere-binding proteins such as TIN2 are key to maintaining telomere stability. Here we report that homozygous Tin2S341X resulted in embryonic lethality in mice and reduced expression of Tin2 in the derived mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Homozygous mutant mESCs were able to self-renew and remain undifferentiated but displayed many phenotypes associated with alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT), including excessively long and heterogeneous telomeres, increased ALT-associated PML bodies, and unstable chromosomal ends. These cells also showed upregulation of Zscan4 expression and elevated targeting of DAXX/ATRX and H3K9me3 marks on telomeres. Furthermore, the mutant mESCs were impeded in their differentiation capacity. Upon differentiation, DAXX/ATRX and PML bodies disassociated from telomeres in these cells, where elevated DNA damage was also apparent. Our results reveal differential responses to telomere dysfunction in mESCs versus differentiated cells and highlight the critical role of TIN2 in embryonic development.
Project description:Telomeres have the ability to adopt a lariat conformation and hence, engage in long and short distance intra-chromosome interactions. Budding yeast telomeres were proposed to fold back into subtelomeric regions, but a robust assay to quantitatively characterize this structure has been lacking. Therefore, it is not well understood how the interactions between telomeres and non-telomeric regions are established and regulated. We employ a telomere chromosome conformation capture (Telo-3C)approach to directly analyze telomere folding and its maintenance in S. cerevisiae. We identify the histone modifiers Sir2, Sin3 and Set2 as critical regulators for telomere folding, which suggests that a distinct telomeric chromatin environment is a major requirement for the folding of yeast telomeres. We demonstrate that telomeres are not folded when cells enter replicative senescence, which occurs independently of short telomere length. Indeed, Sir2, Sin3 and Set2 protein levels are decreased during senescence and their absence may thereby prevent telomere folding. Additionally, we show that the homologous recombination machinery, including the Rad51 and Rad52 proteins, as well as the checkpoint component Rad53 are essential for establishing the telomere fold-back structure. This study outlines a method to interrogate telomere-subtelomere interactions at a single unmodified yeast telomere. Using this method, we provide insights into how the spatial arrangement of the chromosome end structure is established and demonstrate that telomere folding is compromised throughout replicative senescence.
Project description:Telomeres play vital roles in ensuring chromosome stability and are thus closely linked with the onset of aging and human disease. Telomeres undergo extensive lengthening during early embryogenesis. However, the detailed molecular mechanism of telomere resetting in early embryos remains unknown. Here, we show that Dcaf11 (Ddb1- and Cul4-associated factor 11) participates in telomere elongation in early embryos and 2-cell-like embryonic stem cells (ESCs). The deletion of Dcaf11 in embryos and ESCs leads to reduced telomere sister-chromatid exchange (T-SCE) and impairs telomere lengthening. Importantly, Dcaf11-deficient mice exhibit gradual telomere erosion with successive generations, and hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) activity is also greatly compromised. Mechanistically, Dcaf11 targets Kap1 (KRAB-associated protein 1) for ubiquitination-mediated degradation, leading to the activation of Zscan4 downstream enhancer and the removal of heterochromatic H3K9me3 at telomere/subtelomere regions. Our study therefore demonstrates that Dcaf11 plays important roles in telomere elongation in early embryos and ESCs through activating Zscan4.
Project description:The histone H3 variant, CENP-ACnp1, is normally assembled upon canonical centromeric sequences, but there is no apparent obligate coupling of sequence and assembly, suggesting that centromere location can be epigenetically determined. To explore the tolerances and constraints on CENP-ACnp1 deposition we investigated whether certain locations are favoured when additional CENP-ACnp1 is present in fission yeast cells. Our analyses show that additional CENP-ACnp1 accumulates within and close to heterochromatic centromeric outer repeats, and over regions adjacent to rDNA and telomeres. The use of minichromosome derivatives with unique DNA sequences internal to chromosome ends shows that telomeres are sufficient to direct CENP-ACnp1 deposition. However, chromosome ends are not required as CENP-ACnp1 deposition also occurs at telomere repeats inserted at an internal locus and correlates with the presence of H3K9 methylation near these repeats. The Ccq1 protein, which is known to bind telomere repeats and recruit telomerase, was found to be required to induce H3K9 methylation and thus promote the incorporation of CENP-A near telomere repeats. These analyses demonstrate that at non-centromeric chromosomal locations the presence of heterochromatin influences the sites at which CENP-A is incorporated into chromatin and thus, potentially the location of centromeres. For CENP-A/Cnp1 chromatin immunoprecipitation: DNA immunoprecipitated with anti-Cnp1 serum using chromatin extracts from mutants and wild type control cells in biological duplicates normalized to input DNA from each strain.
Project description:Critically short telomeres activate cellular senescence or apoptosis, as mediated by the tumor suppressor p53, but in the absence of this checkpoint response, telomere dysfunction engenders chromosomal aberrations and cancer. Here, analysis of p53-regulated genes activated in the setting of telomere dysfunction identified Zfp365 (ZNF365 in humans) as a direct p53 target that promotes genome stability. Germline polymorphisms in the ZNF365 locus are associated with increased cancer risk, including those associated with telomere dysfunction. On the mechanistic level, ZNF365 suppresses expression of a subset of common fragile sites (CFS) including telomeres. In the absence of ZNF365, defective telomeres engage in aberrant recombination of telomere ends, leading to increased telomere sister chromatid exchange (T-SCE) and formation of anaphase DNA bridges, including ultra-fine DNA bridges (UFB), and ultimately increased cytokinesis failure and aneuploidy. Thus, the p53-ZNF365 axis contributes to genomic stability in the setting of telomere dysfunction. We expressed an inducible p53 allele encoding a p53-estrogen receptor fusion protein (p53ER) that becomes functional upon addition of 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT) in TKO cells. We chose a time point of 4 hours post-4-OHT induction to catalog potential direct targets.
Project description:Telomeres and tumor suppressor protein TP53 (p53) function in genome protection, but a direct role of p53 at telomeres has not yet been described. Here, we have identified non-canonical p53 binding sites within the human subtelomeres that suppress the accumulation of DNA damage at telomeric repeat DNA. These non-canonical subtelomeric p53 binding sites conferred transcription enhancer-like functions that include an increase in local histone H3K9 and H3K27 acetylation and stimulation of subtelomeric transcripts, including telomere-repeat containing RNA (TERRA). p53 suppressed formation of telomere-associated γH2AX and prevented telomere DNA degradation in response to DNA damage stress. Our findings indicate that p53 provides a direct chromatin-associated protection to human telomeres, as well as other fragile genomic sites. We propose that p53-associated chromatin modifications enhance local DNA repair or protection to provide a previously unrecognized tumor suppressor function of p53. p53 binding was analyzed by ChIP-Seq in HCT116 cells treated with camptothecin or untreated control.
Project description:Critically short telomeres activate cellular senescence or apoptosis, as mediated by the tumor suppressor p53, but in the absence of this checkpoint response, telomere dysfunction engenders chromosomal aberrations and cancer. Here, analysis of p53-regulated genes activated in the setting of telomere dysfunction identified Zfp365 (ZNF365 in humans) as a direct p53 target that promotes genome stability. Germline polymorphisms in the ZNF365 locus are associated with increased cancer risk, including those associated with telomere dysfunction. On the mechanistic level, ZNF365 suppresses expression of a subset of common fragile sites (CFS) including telomeres. In the absence of ZNF365, defective telomeres engage in aberrant recombination of telomere ends, leading to increased telomere sister chromatid exchange (T-SCE) and formation of anaphase DNA bridges, including ultra-fine DNA bridges (UFB), and ultimately increased cytokinesis failure and aneuploidy. Thus, the p53-ZNF365 axis contributes to genomic stability in the setting of telomere dysfunction.
Project description:Chemical induced pluripotent stem cells (CiPSCs) have been successfully achieved and may provide an alternative and attractive source for stem cell-based therapy. Sufficient telomere lengths are critical for unlimited self-renewal and genomic stability of pluripotent stem cells. Dynamics of telomere reprogramming and whether and how telomeres are sufficiently elongated in the CiPSCs have remained to be understood. We show that CiPSCs acquire telomere lengthening with increasing passages after clonal formation. Both telomerase activity and recombination-based mechanisms are involved in the telomere elongation. Telomere lengths strongly indicate the degree of reprogramming, pluripotency and differentiation capacity of CiPSCs. Nevertheless, telomere damage and shortening occur at late stage of lengthy induction, limiting CiPSC formation. Recombination mechanism is not activated during induction until CiPSC clonal formation and passages. We find that histone crotonylation induced by crotonic acid can activate two-cell genes including Zscan4, alleviate telomere damage and shortening during induction and promote CiPSC generation. Moreover, crotonylation decreases abundance of heterochromatic H3K9me3 and HP1a at subtelomeres and Zscan4 loci. Taken together, telomere rejuvenation links to reprogramming and pluripotency of CiPSCs. Crotonylation facilitates telomere maintenance and enhances chemical induced reprogramming to pluripotency.