Project description:Naïve CD4+ T Cells are capable of differentiating into numerous T helper effector lineages depending on the provided local cytokines during activation. Cis-regulatory elements (CRE) are critical for cell differentiation, homeostasis, and function; however, CRE functional annotation (e.g. silencers, enhancers, and insulators) from existing genomic libraries remains an active need. Genome wide screens, including Transcribing Active Regulatory Region Sequencing (STARR-Seq) provides quantifies enhancer activity. However, these screens are mainly conducted in immortalized cell lines. Therefore, we have modified STARR-Seq using a non-integrating lentiviral transduction system (Lenti-STARR-seq) to investigate CRE in human CD4+ T cells. We identify and validate functional enhancers and negative regulatory elements (NRE). These elements differences stark differences in chromatin modification, TF binding, and nucleosome positioning. Additionally, STARR-Seq enhancers, but not NRE, exhibit transcription of enhancer RNA. Collectively these data suggest that Lenti-STARR-Seq may be a useful tool in the screening of primary human cell types for CRE function, and provides an atlas of functional CRE in human CD4+ T Cells.
Project description:The complexity of the brain and the links entailed to its functional diversity remain a major challenge of biology to understand. Distinct anatomical areas regulate a vast array of processes including organismal homeostasis, cognitive functions and susceptibility to neurological pathologies, many of which define our species. Distal enhancers have emerged as key regulatory elements that acquire epigenetic modifications in a cell-type specific manner, thus enforcing cell- and species-specific gene expression programs. Here, we survey the epigenetic landscape of promoters and cis-regulatory elements in 87 anatomically distinct regions of the human brain, spanning over a hundred different anatomical structures. ChIP-Seq of various regions of the human brain. Also includes mouse and rat samples. Contributor: The Netherlands Brain Bank
Project description:Cis-regulatory elements (CREs) encode the genomic blueprints for coordinating the spatiotemporal regulation of gene transcription programs necessary for highly specialized cellular functions. To identify cis-regulatory elements underlying cell-type specification and developmental transitions, we implemented single-cell sequencing of Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin (scATAC-seq) in an atlas of Zea mays tissues and organs. We describe 92 distinct patterns of chromatin accessibility across more than 165,913 putative CREs, greater than 56,575 cells, and 52 known cell-types using a novel regularized quasibinomial logistic model for estimating single cell accessibility. Cell-type specification could be largely explained by combinatorial accessibility of transcription factors (TFs) and their associated binding. Analysis of cell type-specific co-accessible chromatin recapitulated higher-order chromatin interactions, providing novel insight into cell type-specific regulatory dynamics. Integration of genetic diversity data revealed cell-type specific CREs contributed to specific morphological and molecular phenotypic traits indicative of their cellular functions, expanding our understanding of the molecular influence of complex traits in a eukaryotic species.
Project description:Gene expression and complex phenotypes are determined by the activity of cis-regulatory elements. However, an understanding of how extant genetic variants affect cis-regulatory activity remains limited. Here, we investigated the consequences of cis-regulatory diversity using single-cell genomics of >0.7 million nuclei across 172 maize inbreds. Our analyses pinpointed cis-regulatory elements distinct to domesticated maize and how transposons rewired the regulatory landscape. We found widespread chromatin accessibility variation associated with >4.6 million genetic variants with largely cell-type-specific effects. Variants in TEOSINTE BRANCHED1/CYCLOIDEA/PROLIFERATING CELL FACTOR binding sites were the most prevalent determinants of chromatin accessibility. Finally, integration of genetic variants associated with chromatin accessibility, organismal trait variation, and population differentiation revealed how local adaptation has rewired regulatory networks in unique cellular context to alter maize flowering phenotypes.
Project description:Promoters and enhancers are key cis-regulatory elements, but how they operate to generate cell-type-specific transcriptomes is not fully understood. We developed a simple and robust approach to sensitively detect 5’-ends of nascent RNAs (NET-CAGE) in diverse cells and tissues, including unstable transcripts such as enhancer-derived RNAs. We studied RNA synthesis and degradation at the transcription start site (TSS) level, characterizing the impact of differential promoter usage on transcript stability. We quantified transcription from cis-regulatory elements without the influence of RNA turnover, and show that enhancer-promoter pairs are generally activated simultaneously upon stimulation. By integrating NET-CAGE data with chromatin interaction maps, we show that cis-regulatory elements are topologically connected according to their cell-type specificity. We identified new enhancers with high sensitivity, and delineated primary locations of transcription within super-enhancers. Our NET-CAGE dataset derived from human and mouse cells expands the FANTOM5 catalogue of transcribed enhancers, with broad applicability to biomedical research.