Project description:Epigenetic regulation of mutually exclusive transcription within the var gene family is important for infection and pathogenesis of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. var genes are kept transcriptionally silent via heterochromatic clusters located at the nuclear periphery; however, only a few proteins have been shown to play a direct role in var gene transcriptional regulation. Importantly, the chromatin components that contribute to var gene nuclear organization remain unknown. Here, we adapted a CRISPR-based immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry approach for de novo identification of factors associated with specific transcriptional regulatory sequences of var genes. Tagged, catalytically inactive Cas9 (“dCas9”) was targeted to var gene promoters or introns, cross-linked, and immunoprecipitated with all DNA, proteins, and RNA associated with the targeted locus. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing demonstrated that genome-wide dCas9 binding was specific and robust. Proteomics analysis of dCas9-immunoprecipitates identified specific proteins for each target region, including known and novel factors such as DNA binding proteins, chromatin remodelers, and structural proteins. We also demonstrate the ability to immunoprecipitate RNA that is closely associated to the targeted locus. Our CRISPR/dCas9 study establishes a new tool for targeted purification of specific genomic loci and advances understanding of virulence gene regulation in the human malaria parasite.
Project description:The parasite Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for severe malaria, which remains a major cause of death, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The reference strain NF54 (or its subclone 3D7) is commonly used for controlled human malaria infection (CHMI), but recently strains with a different geographic and genomic background have become available for CHMI, including 7G8, which was subcloned from the Brazilian isolate IMTM22 in 1984 (Burkot TR et al. 1984. Infectivity to mosquitoes of Plasmodium falciparum clones grown in vitro from the same isolate. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 78 (3):339-41. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(84)90114-7). In contrast to NF54, in which var gene expression resets after mosquito transmission, 7G8 shows a partial reset with retention of the C-type var gene PF7G8_040025600 in the human host. The three subclones A1G9 (almost exclusive var2csa expression, control), A2E10, and A2G2 (both predominantly expressing var gene PF7G8_040025600) recently obtained by limited dilution from the Sanaria 7G8 parasite working cell bank (Lot: SAN03-021214 dated 20. February 2014) were selected for gDNA sequencing to test whether parasite subclones expressing PF7G8_040025600 differ in their genomic background. 150 mL of P. falciparum cell culture with >10% parasitemia was harvested and gDNA isolation was performed using the MasterPure™ Complete DNA Purification Kit (Lucigen). The gDNA samples were tested for degradation and RNA contamination on an agarose gel and quantified using the Qubit™ dsDNA BR Assay Kit (ThermoFischer). DNA-seq was performed at BGI Genomics (Shenzhen, China) on the DNBseq platform to generate 150 bp paired-end sequencing reads.
Project description:Comparison of small RNA fractions derived from piRNA clusters and transposon sequences in control and Su(var)3-7 null mutant. Small RNA profile of 3-day old control and Su(var)3-7 mutant ovaries were generated by high-throughput sequencing on Illumina HiSeq 2000
Project description:Histone modifications represent one of the key factors contributing to proper genome regulation. One of the histone modifications involved in gene silencing is H3K9 methylation, which is found in the chromosomes across different eukaryotes and controlled by SU(VAR)3-9 and its orthologs. Although SU(VAR)3-9 was discovered over two decades ago, little is known about the details of its chromosomal distribution pattern. To fill in this gap, we used DamID-seq approach and obtained high-resolution genome-wide profiles for SU(VAR)3-9 in two somatic and two germline tissues of fruitfly.
Project description:The P. falciparum genome is equipped with several subtelomeric gene families that are implicated in parasite virulence and immune evasion. The members of these gene families are uniformly positioned within heterochromatic domains of the genome and are thus subject to variegated expression. The best-studied example is that of the var gene family encoding the major parasite virulence factor P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1). Transcriptional regulation of other subtelomeric gene families and their role in parasite biology is much less understood. Here, we investigated the mode of transcriptional control of var, rif, stevor, phist and pfmc-2tm families by comparative genome-wide transcriptional profiling of transgenic parasite lines. Our results establish a clear functional distinction between var and non-var transcriptional control mechanisms. Unlike var promoters, we find that promoters of non-var families are not silenced by default. Moreover, we show that mutually exclusive transcription is unique to the var gene family.
Project description:modENCODE_submission_5128 This submission comes from a modENCODE project of Gary Karpen. For full list of modENCODE projects, see http://www.genome.gov/26524648 Project Goal: We aim to determine the locations of 125 chromosomal proteins across the Drosophila melanogaster genome. The proteins under study are involved in basic chromosomal functions such as DNA replication, gene expression, gene silencing, and inheritance. We will perform Chromatin ImmunoPrecipitation (ChIP) using the Illumina NGS platform. We will initially assay localizations using chromatin from three cell lines and two embryonic stages, and will then extend the analysis of a subset of proteins to four additional animal tissues/stages For data usage terms and conditions, please refer to http://www.genome.gov/27528022 and http://www.genome.gov/Pages/Research/ENCODE/ENCODEDataReleasePolicyFinal2008.pdf EXPERIMENT TYPE: CHIP-seq. BIOLOGICAL SOURCE: Strain: Oregon-R(official name : Oregon-R-modENCODE genotype : wild type ); Developmental Stage: 3rd Instar Larvae; Genotype: wild type; EXPERIMENTAL FACTORS: Strain Oregon-R(official name : Oregon-R-modENCODE genotype : wild type ); Antibody Su(var)3-9-Q2598 (target is Su(var)3-9); Developmental Stage 3rd Instar Larvae