Project description:We have performed a systematic examination of genome-wide expression profiles using microarrays to reconstruct a global picture of the trx regulatory gene network in D. melanogaster. Using computational analysis of the microarray data, we have identified 25 clusters of genes potentially regulated by trx, most of them being located in the arm L of chromosome 3. Functional analysis revealed that most clusters are enriched in structural proteins involved in cuticle formation, which are preferently expressed in salivary glands. The same organization in clusters was observed in the transcriptomes of four independent experiments, being a distinctive feature of the regulatory networks of trx and other chromatin regulators (ASH2, NURF, Pc, ASH1). We have also identified many of these clusters in D. simulans, D. yakuba, D. pseudoobscura and partially in A. gambiae. Keywords: loss of function analysis
Project description:We have performed a systematic examination of genome-wide expression profiles using microarrays to reconstruct a global picture of the trx regulatory gene network in D. melanogaster. Using computational analysis of the microarray data, we have identified 25 clusters of genes potentially regulated by trx, most of them being located in the arm L of chromosome 3. Functional analysis revealed that most clusters are enriched in structural proteins involved in cuticle formation, which are preferently expressed in salivary glands. The same organization in clusters was observed in the transcriptomes of four independent experiments, being a distinctive feature of the regulatory networks of trx and other chromatin regulators (ASH2, NURF, Pc, ASH1). We have also identified many of these clusters in D. simulans, D. yakuba, D. pseudoobscura and partially in A. gambiae. Keywords: loss of function analysis
Project description:We have performed a systematic examination of genome-wide expression profiles using microarrays to reconstruct a global picture of the trx regulatory gene network in D. melanogaster. Using computational analysis of the microarray data, we have identified 25 clusters of genes potentially regulated by trx, most of them being located in the arm L of chromosome 3. Functional analysis revealed that most clusters are enriched in structural proteins involved in cuticle formation, which are preferently expressed in salivary glands. The same organization in clusters was observed in the transcriptomes of four independent experiments, being a distinctive feature of the regulatory networks of trx and other chromatin regulators (ASH2, NURF, Pc, ASH1). We have also identified many of these clusters in D. simulans, D. yakuba, D. pseudoobscura and partially in A. gambiae. Keywords: loss of function analysis Total RNA from w1118;+;+ larvae was pooled and used as a common reference in four microarrays against w1118;+;ash2I1 total RNA coming from two different extractions to take biological differences into account. Amplified RNA (aRNA) was obtained with the Amino-Allyl Messageamp II aRNA Amplification Kit (Ambion, Inc) from w1118;+;+ and w1118;+;ash2I1 prior to hybridization.
Project description:We have analyzed changes in histone H3 lysine 4 methylation (H3K4me) and gene expression resulting from trx knockdown (KD) in adult mushroom body neurons of Drosophila melanogaster.
Project description:We have performed a systematic examination of genome-wide expression profiles using microarrays to reconstruct a global picture of the trx regulatory gene network in D. melanogaster. Using computational analysis of the microarray data, we have identified 25 clusters of genes potentially regulated by trx, most of them being located in the arm L of chromosome 3. Functional analysis revealed that most clusters are enriched in structural proteins involved in cuticle formation, which are preferently expressed in salivary glands. The same organization in clusters was observed in the transcriptomes of four independent experiments, being a distinctive feature of the regulatory networks of trx and other chromatin regulators (ASH2, NURF, Pc, ASH1). We have also identified many of these clusters in D. simulans, D. yakuba, D. pseudoobscura and partially in A. gambiae. Keywords: loss of function analysis Total RNA from w1118;+;+ larvae was pooled and used as a common reference in four microarrays against w1118;+;trxE3/trxB11 total RNA coming from two different extractions to take biological differences into account. Two amplifications from w1118;+;+ and one from each w1118;+;trxE3/trxB11 replicate were performed with the Amino-Allyl Messageamp II aRNA Amplification Kit (Ambion, Inc) to obtain amplified RNA (aRNA). The two arrays from each replicate pair were hybridized with the same amplified RNA from sample and common reference but with dyes (Cy3 and Cy5 from Amersham, Inc) swapped to take dye-bias into account.
Project description:We have analyzed changes in histone H3 lysine 4 methylation (H3K4me) and gene expression resulting from trx knockdown (KD) in adult mushroom body neurons of Drosophila melanogaster.
Project description:We have analyzed changes in histone H3 lysine 4 methylation (H3K4me) and gene expression resulting from trx knockdown (KD) in adult mushroom body neurons of Drosophila melanogaster.
Project description:Adult stem cells must coordinate transcriptional programs with external cues to maintain tissue homeostasis. In the Drosophila midgut, intestinal stem cells (ISCs) generate enterocytes (ECs) or enteroendocrine (EE) cells through Notch-dependent fate decisions, but how chromatin regulators influence this balance remains unclear. In this study we identified the Trithorax gene (trx) as a key factor that safeguards ISC lineage fidelity. Trx depletion biases ISCs toward EE differentiation without affecting proliferation, a phenotype exacerbated during aging or DSS-induced damage. Transcriptomic and chromatin profiling revealed the homeobox transcription factor Ptx1 as a Trx-dependent target. Ptx1 knockdown phenocopies Trx loss, whereas Ptx1 overexpression reverts trx-RNAi-induced EE overproduction, establishing Ptx1 as a critical mediator of Trx function. These findings support a model in which Trx constrains the scute–prospero axis through Ptx1-mediated repression, thereby limiting inappropriate EE specification and maintaining ISC plasticity.
Project description:Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) maintains epigenetic repression through the catalysis of H3K27 trimethylation (H3K27me3), which restricts gene expression and preserves developmental gene- regulatory networks. The integrity of PRC2-mediated gene silencing depends critically on the ability of PRC2 to establish and propagate H3K27me3 beyond initial recruitment sites. The oncoproteins EZHIP and histone H3 K27M specifically inhibit this propagation by blocking the allosterically activated state of PRC2, leading to global disruption of H3K27me3 patterns and developmental abnormalities. To uncover chromatin-related pathways intersecting with PRC2 repression, we developed a Drosophila melanogaster model with tissue-specific expression of EZHIP and H3 K27M. A targeted RNAi screen of conserved chromatin regulators identified genetic modifiers that when knocked down either enhanced or suppressed developmental phenotypes driven by these PRC2 inhibitors. Strong suppressors, including the Trithorax-group proteins Ash1 and Trx, the PR-DUB complex member Asx, and the nucleoporin Nup153, restored normal development despite persistent depletion of global H3K27me3. Gene expression analyses revealed that suppression reflected reduced expression of genes aberrantly activated following PRC2 inhibition. Together, these findings highlight conserved chromatin-regulatory pathways that intersect with Polycomb to maintain transcriptional balance and support developmental homeostasis.