Synthetic reversed sequences reveal default genomic states
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Pervasive transcriptional activity is observed across diverse species. The genomes of extant organisms have undergone billions of years of evolution, making it unclear whether these genomic activities represent effects of selection or ‘noise’1,2,3,4. Characterizing default genome states could help understand whether pervasive transcriptional activity has biological meaning. Here we addressed this question by introducing a synthetic 101-kb locus into the genomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Mus musculus and characterizing genomic activity. The locus was designed by reversing but not complementing human HPRT1, including its flanking regions, thus retaining basic features of the natural sequence but ablating evolved coding or regulatory information. We observed widespread activity of both reversed and native HPRT1 loci in yeast, despite the lack of evolved yeast promoters. By contrast, the reversed locus displayed no activity at all in mouse embryonic stem cells, and instead exhibited repressive chromatin signatures. The repressive signature was alleviated in a locus variant lacking CpG dinucleotides; nevertheless, this variant was also transcriptionally inactive. These results show that synthetic genomic sequences that lack coding information are active in yeast, but inactive in mouse embryonic stem cells, consistent with a major difference in ‘default genomic states’ between these two divergent eukaryotic cell types, with implications for understanding pervasive transcription, horizontal transfer of genetic information and the birth of new genes.
Project description:Understanding default genome states would help interpret whether pervasive transcriptional activity has biological meaning. The genomes of extant organism have undergone billions of years of evolution, making it unclear whether observed genomic activities represent the effects of selection or “noise”. We addressed this question by introducing a novel 101-kb locus into the genomes of S. cerevisiae and M. musculus, and characterizing genomic activity. The locus was designed by reversing but not complementing human HPRT1, including substantial flank-ing regions, retaining basic sequence features but ablating evolved coding or regulatory infor-mation. We observed widespread activity of both reversed and native HPRT1 loci in yeast, de-spite the lack of evolved yeast promoters. In contrast, the reversed locus displayed no activity at all in mouse embryonic stem cells, instead showing repressive chromatin signatures. The re-pressive signature was alleviated in a locus variant lacking CpG dinucleotides; nevertheless this variant too was transcriptionally inactive. These results show that novel genomic sequences lacking coding information are active in yeast, but inactive in mouse embryonic stem cells, con-sistent with a major difference in “default genomic states” between these two divergent eukary-otic cell types, with implications for understanding pervasive transcription, horizontal transfer of genetic information, and new gene birth.
Project description:Understanding default genome states would help interpret whether pervasive transcriptional activity has biological meaning. The genomes of extant organism have undergone billions of years of evolution, making it unclear whether observed genomic activities represent the effects of selection or “noise”. We addressed this question by introducing a novel 101-kb locus into the genomes of S. cerevisiae and M. musculus, and characterizing genomic activity. The locus was designed by reversing but not complementing human HPRT1, including substantial flank-ing regions, retaining basic sequence features but ablating evolved coding or regulatory infor-mation. We observed widespread activity of both reversed and native HPRT1 loci in yeast, de-spite the lack of evolved yeast promoters. In contrast, the reversed locus displayed no activity at all in mouse embryonic stem cells, instead showing repressive chromatin signatures. The re-pressive signature was alleviated in a locus variant lacking CpG dinucleotides; nevertheless this variant too was transcriptionally inactive. These results show that novel genomic sequences lacking coding information are active in yeast, but inactive in mouse embryonic stem cells, con-sistent with a major difference in “default genomic states” between these two divergent eukary-otic cell types, with implications for understanding pervasive transcription, horizontal transfer of genetic information, and new gene birth.
Project description:Understanding default genome states would help interpret whether pervasive transcriptional activity has biological meaning. The genomes of extant organism have undergone billions of years of evolution, making it unclear whether observed genomic activities represent the effects of selection or “noise”. We addressed this question by introducing a novel 101-kb locus into the genomes of S. cerevisiae and M. musculus, and characterizing genomic activity. The locus was designed by reversing but not complementing human HPRT1, including substantial flank-ing regions, retaining basic sequence features but ablating evolved coding or regulatory infor-mation. We observed widespread activity of both reversed and native HPRT1 loci in yeast, de-spite the lack of evolved yeast promoters. In contrast, the reversed locus displayed no activity at all in mouse embryonic stem cells, instead showing repressive chromatin signatures. The re-pressive signature was alleviated in a locus variant lacking CpG dinucleotides; nevertheless this variant too was transcriptionally inactive. These results show that novel genomic sequences lacking coding information are active in yeast, but inactive in mouse embryonic stem cells, con-sistent with a major difference in “default genomic states” between these two divergent eukary-otic cell types, with implications for understanding pervasive transcription, horizontal transfer of genetic information, and new gene birth.
Project description:Understanding default genome states would help interpret whether pervasive transcriptional activity has biological meaning. The genomes of extant organism have undergone billions of years of evolution, making it unclear whether observed genomic activities represent the effects of selection or “noise”. We addressed this question by introducing a novel 101-kb locus into the genomes of S. cerevisiae and M. musculus, and characterizing genomic activity. The locus was designed by reversing but not complementing human HPRT1, including substantial flank-ing regions, retaining basic sequence features but ablating evolved coding or regulatory infor-mation. We observed widespread activity of both reversed and native HPRT1 loci in yeast, de-spite the lack of evolved yeast promoters. In contrast, the reversed locus displayed no activity at all in mouse embryonic stem cells, instead showing repressive chromatin signatures. The re-pressive signature was alleviated in a locus variant lacking CpG dinucleotides; nevertheless this variant too was transcriptionally inactive. These results show that novel genomic sequences lacking coding information are active in yeast, but inactive in mouse embryonic stem cells, con-sistent with a major difference in “default genomic states” between these two divergent eukary-otic cell types, with implications for understanding pervasive transcription, horizontal transfer of genetic information, and new gene birth.
Project description:Understanding default genome states would help interpret whether pervasive transcriptional activity has biological meaning. The genomes of extant organism have undergone billions of years of evolution, making it unclear whether observed genomic activities represent the effects of selection or “noise”. We addressed this question by introducing a novel 101-kb locus into the genomes of S. cerevisiae and M. musculus, and characterizing genomic activity. The locus was designed by reversing but not complementing human HPRT1, including substantial flank-ing regions, retaining basic sequence features but ablating evolved coding or regulatory infor-mation. We observed widespread activity of both reversed and native HPRT1 loci in yeast, de-spite the lack of evolved yeast promoters. In contrast, the reversed locus displayed no activity at all in mouse embryonic stem cells, instead showing repressive chromatin signatures. The re-pressive signature was alleviated in a locus variant lacking CpG dinucleotides; nevertheless this variant too was transcriptionally inactive. These results show that novel genomic sequences lacking coding information are active in yeast, but inactive in mouse embryonic stem cells, con-sistent with a major difference in “default genomic states” between these two divergent eukary-otic cell types, with implications for understanding pervasive transcription, horizontal transfer of genetic information, and new gene birth.
Project description:Understanding default genome states would help interpret whether pervasive transcriptional activity has biological meaning. The genomes of extant organism have undergone billions of years of evolution, making it unclear whether observed genomic activities represent the effects of selection or “noise”. We addressed this question by introducing a novel 101-kb locus into the genomes of S. cerevisiae and M. musculus, and characterizing genomic activity. The locus was designed by reversing but not complementing human HPRT1, including substantial flank-ing regions, retaining basic sequence features but ablating evolved coding or regulatory infor-mation. We observed widespread activity of both reversed and native HPRT1 loci in yeast, de-spite the lack of evolved yeast promoters. In contrast, the reversed locus displayed no activity at all in mouse embryonic stem cells, instead showing repressive chromatin signatures. The re-pressive signature was alleviated in a locus variant lacking CpG dinucleotides; nevertheless this variant too was transcriptionally inactive. These results show that novel genomic sequences lacking coding information are active in yeast, but inactive in mouse embryonic stem cells, con-sistent with a major difference in “default genomic states” between these two divergent eukary-otic cell types, with implications for understanding pervasive transcription, horizontal transfer of genetic information, and new gene birth.
Project description:Understanding default genome states would help interpret whether pervasive transcriptional activity has biological meaning. The genomes of extant organism have undergone billions of years of evolution, making it unclear whether observed genomic activities represent the effects of selection or “noise”. We addressed this question by introducing a novel 101-kb locus into the genomes of S. cerevisiae and M. musculus, and characterizing genomic activity. The locus was designed by reversing but not complementing human HPRT1, including substantial flank-ing regions, retaining basic sequence features but ablating evolved coding or regulatory infor-mation. We observed widespread activity of both reversed and native HPRT1 loci in yeast, de-spite the lack of evolved yeast promoters. In contrast, the reversed locus displayed no activity at all in mouse embryonic stem cells, instead showing repressive chromatin signatures. The re-pressive signature was alleviated in a locus variant lacking CpG dinucleotides; nevertheless this variant too was transcriptionally inactive. These results show that novel genomic sequences lacking coding information are active in yeast, but inactive in mouse embryonic stem cells, con-sistent with a major difference in “default genomic states” between these two divergent eukary-otic cell types, with implications for understanding pervasive transcription, horizontal transfer of genetic information, and new gene birth.
Project description:Most of human genome may show evidence of transcription, yet annotated transcripts account for less than 5%. The basis for this major discrepancy is not clear, and it remains uncertain whether excess transcription is functional, or simply a byproduct of pervasive, non-specific RNA polymerase binding and transcription initiation. Understanding the default state of the genome would be informative in determining whether the observed pervasive activity is functional. The genome of any extant organism has undergone billions of years of evolution, making it unclear whether any observed genomic activity, or lack thereof, has been selected for. We sought to address this question by introducing a completely novel 101 kb locus into the genomes of two eukaryotic organisms, S. cerevisiae and M. musculus, and characterizing its genomic activity based on chromatin accessibility, chromatin states, and transcription. The locus was designed by reversing, but not complementing, the sequence of the human HPRT1 locus, including ~30 kb of both upstream and downstream regulatory regions, allowing retention of sequence features like repeat frequency and GC content but ablating coding information and transcription factor binding sites. We also compared this reversed locus with a synthetic version of the normal human HPRT1 locus in both organismal contexts. Neither the synthetic HPRT1 locus nor its reversed version evolved to harbor yeast promoters. Nevertheless, we observed widespread transcriptional activity of both loci in yeast, and this pervasive activity was observed both when the loci were present as episomes and when chromosomally integrated. In the latter case, it was obvious that the accessibility and level of transcription initiation substantially exceeded that of the flanking native yeast genome sequences. In contrast, when integrated in the mouse genome, the synthetic HPRT1 locus showed transcriptional activity corresponding precisely to the HPRT1 coding sequence, whereas the reverse locus displayed no activity at all, but was instead actively repressed by Polycomb machinery. Together, these results show that novel genomic sequences lacking coding information are active in yeast, but repressed in mouse stem cells, indicating a major difference in default genomic states between these two divergent eukaryotes, with implications for understanding pervasive transcription and the birth of new genes.
Project description:Most of human genome may show evidence of transcription, yet annotated transcripts account for less than 5%. The basis for this major discrepancy is not clear, and it remains uncertain whether excess transcription is functional, or simply a byproduct of pervasive, non-specific RNA polymerase binding and transcription initiation. Understanding the default state of the genome would be informative in determining whether the observed pervasive activity is functional. The genome of any extant organism has undergone billions of years of evolution, making it unclear whether any observed genomic activity, or lack thereof, has been selected for. We sought to address this question by introducing a completely novel 101 kb locus into the genomes of two eukaryotic organisms, S. cerevisiae and M. musculus, and characterizing its genomic activity based on chromatin accessibility, chromatin states, and transcription. The locus was designed by reversing, but not complementing, the sequence of the human HPRT1 locus, including ~30 kb of both upstream and downstream regulatory regions, allowing retention of sequence features like repeat frequency and GC content but ablating coding information and transcription factor binding sites. We also compared this reversed locus with a synthetic version of the normal human HPRT1 locus in both organismal contexts. Neither the synthetic HPRT1 locus nor its reversed version evolved to harbor yeast promoters. Nevertheless, we observed widespread transcriptional activity of both loci in yeast, and this pervasive activity was observed both when the loci were present as episomes and when chromosomally integrated. In the latter case, it was obvious that the accessibility and level of transcription initiation substantially exceeded that of the flanking native yeast genome sequences. In contrast, when integrated in the mouse genome, the synthetic HPRT1 locus showed transcriptional activity corresponding precisely to the HPRT1 coding sequence, whereas the reverse locus displayed no activity at all, but was instead actively repressed by Polycomb machinery. Together, these results show that novel genomic sequences lacking coding information are active in yeast, but repressed in mouse stem cells, indicating a major difference in default genomic states between these two divergent eukaryotes, with implications for understanding pervasive transcription and the birth of new genes.
Project description:Most of human genome may show evidence of transcription, yet annotated transcripts account for less than 5%. The basis for this major discrepancy is not clear, and it remains uncertain whether excess transcription is functional, or simply a byproduct of pervasive, non-specific RNA polymerase binding and transcription initiation. Understanding the default state of the genome would be informative in determining whether the observed pervasive activity is functional. The genome of any extant organism has undergone billions of years of evolution, making it unclear whether any observed genomic activity, or lack thereof, has been selected for. We sought to address this question by introducing a completely novel 101 kb locus into the genomes of two eukaryotic organisms, S. cerevisiae and M. musculus, and characterizing its genomic activity based on chromatin accessibility, chromatin states, and transcription. The locus was designed by reversing, but not complementing, the sequence of the human HPRT1 locus, including ~30 kb of both upstream and downstream regulatory regions, allowing retention of sequence features like repeat frequency and GC content but ablating coding information and transcription factor binding sites. We also compared this reversed locus with a synthetic version of the normal human HPRT1 locus in both organismal contexts. Neither the synthetic HPRT1 locus nor its reversed version evolved to harbor yeast promoters. Nevertheless, we observed widespread transcriptional activity of both loci in yeast, and this pervasive activity was observed both when the loci were present as episomes and when chromosomally integrated. In the latter case, it was obvious that the accessibility and level of transcription initiation substantially exceeded that of the flanking native yeast genome sequences. In contrast, when integrated in the mouse genome, the synthetic HPRT1 locus showed transcriptional activity corresponding precisely to the HPRT1 coding sequence, whereas the reverse locus displayed no activity at all, but was instead actively repressed by Polycomb machinery. Together, these results show that novel genomic sequences lacking coding information are active in yeast, but repressed in mouse stem cells, indicating a major difference in default genomic states between these two divergent eukaryotes, with implications for understanding pervasive transcription and the birth of new genes.