Project description:Transcriptome and Translatome in Drosophila S2 cells treated by tsRNA transfection, serum deprivation, ago 2 knockdown and rapamycin
Project description:Transcription and pre-mRNA alternative splicing are highly regulated processes that play major roles in modulating eukaryotic gene expression. It is increasingly apparent that other pathways of RNA metabolism, including small RNA biogenesis, can regulate these processes. However, a direct link between alternative pre- mRNA splicing and small RNA pathways has remained elusive. Here we show that the small RNA pathway protein Argonaute-2 (Ago-2) regulates alternative pre-mRNA splicing patterns of specific transcripts in the Drosophila nucleus using genome-wide methods in conjunction with RNAi in cell culture and Ago-2 deletion or catalytic site mutations in Drosophila adults. Moreover, we show that nuclear Argonaute-2 binds to specific chromatin sites near gene promoters and negatively regulates the transcription of the Ago-2-associated target genes. These transcriptional target genes are also bound by Polycomb group (PcG) transcriptional repressor proteins and change during development, implying that Ago-2 may regulate Drosophila development. Impor- tantly, both of these activities were independent of the catalytic activity of Ago-2, suggesting new roles for Ago-2 in the nucleus. Finally, we determined the nuclear RNA-binding profile of Ago-2, found it bound to several splicing target transcripts, and identified a G-rich RNA-binding site for Ago-2 that was enriched in these transcripts. These results suggest two new nuclear roles for Ago-2: one in pre-mRNA splicing and one in transcriptional repression. Input chromatin, 2 replicates of Ago2 ChIP-seq
Project description:Chromatin immunoprecipitation was performed with modification of the protocols described before (Lee et al., 2006; Lilja et al., 2007). Briefly, the chorion was removed from 12-hour old embryos, cross-linked using 2% paraformaldehyde and resuspended in storage buffer (50mM Tris-HCl pH8.0, 1 mM EDTA). Embryos were then lysed in SDS-lysis buffer (1.0 ml 5 M NaCl, 2.5 ml 1 M Tris-HCl pH 8.0, 0.5 ml 0.5M EDTA, 2.5 ml 10 % SDS), resuspended in SDS-lysis and Triton buffer (1.0 ml 5 M NaCl, 5.0 ml 1 M Tris-HCl pH 8.0, 0.5 ml 0.5M EDTA, 2.5 ml Triton X-100, protease inhibitor cocktail) and sonicated on ice to an average length of 350 bp. The resulting sheared chromatin (25Izg) was subjected to immunoprecipitation using anti-Myc antibody (Santa Cruz) as described previously (Lee et al., 2006). ChIP-sequencing libraries were constructed following manufactureras instructions (Illumina). The resulting DNA libraries were sequenced using Illumina platform (University of Massachusetts Medical School Core Facility).
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:A catalog of transcription factor (TF) binding sites in the genome is critical for deciphering regulatory relationships. Here we present the culmination of the efforts of the modENCODE (Model Organism ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements) and modERN (model organism Encyclopedia of Regulatory Networks) consortia to systematically assay TF binding events in vivo in two major model organisms, Drosophila melanogaster (fly) and Caenorhabditis elegans (worm). These datasets comprise 605 TFs identifying 3.6M sites in the fly and 356 TFs identifying 0.9 M sites in the worm, and represent the majority of the regulatory space in each genome. We demonstrate that TFs associate with chromatin in clusters termed “metapeaks”, that larger metapeaks have characteristics of high occupancy target (HOT) regions, and that the importance of consensus sequence motifs bound by TFs depends on metapeak size and complexity. Combining ChIP-seq data with single cell RNA-seq data in a machine learning model identifies particular TFs with a prominent role in promoting target gene expression in specific cell types, even differentiating between parent-daughter cells during embryogenesis. These data are a rich resource for the community that should fuel and guide future investigations into TF function. To facilitate data accessibility and utility, all strains expressing GFP-tagged TFs are available at the stock centers for each organism. The chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing data are available through the ENCODE Data Coordinating Center, GEO, and through a direct interface (http://epic.gs.washington.edu/modERN/) that provides rapid access to processed data sets and summary analyses, as well as widgets to probe the cell type-specific TF-target relationships.
Project description:Transcription and pre-mRNA alternative splicing are highly regulated processes that play major roles in modulating eukaryotic gene expression. It is increasingly apparent that other pathways of RNA metabolism, including small RNA biogenesis, can regulate these processes. However, a direct link between alternative pre- mRNA splicing and small RNA pathways has remained elusive. Here we show that the small RNA pathway protein Argonaute-2 (Ago-2) regulates alternative pre-mRNA splicing patterns of specific transcripts in the Drosophila nucleus using genome-wide methods in conjunction with RNAi in cell culture and Ago-2 deletion or catalytic site mutations in Drosophila adults. Moreover, we show that nuclear Argonaute-2 binds to specific chromatin sites near gene promoters and negatively regulates the transcription of the Ago-2-associated target genes. These transcriptional target genes are also bound by Polycomb group (PcG) transcriptional repressor proteins and change during development, implying that Ago-2 may regulate Drosophila development. Impor- tantly, both of these activities were independent of the catalytic activity of Ago-2, suggesting new roles for Ago-2 in the nucleus. Finally, we determined the nuclear RNA-binding profile of Ago-2, found it bound to several splicing target transcripts, and identified a G-rich RNA-binding site for Ago-2 that was enriched in these transcripts. These results suggest two new nuclear roles for Ago-2: one in pre-mRNA splicing and one in transcriptional repression.
Project description:Cytosine methylation in the genome of Drosophila melanogaster has been elusive and controversial: methylcytosine has been detected at very low levels in early embryos, but the genomic location and function of methylation has not been established. We have mapped cytosine methylation genomewide in Stage 5 Drosophila embryo DNA by combining immuno-enrichment for 5-methylcytosine, bisulfite conversion, and deep sequencing. Unlike methylation patterns observed in other eukaryotic species, methylation in Drosophila is punctate and highly strand-asymmetrical; we confirmed this by direct PCR amplification and sequencing of bisulfite-converted DNA. Despite the locally asymmetric nature of methylation, large-scale patterns of methylation are symmetric. Methylated regions make up ~1% of the genome, and within these regions methylation of individual cytosines averages 2-10%. Methylation is concentrated in specific 5-base sequence motifs that are CA- and CT-rich but depleted of guanine. It is depleted from promoters, coding sequences, and most retrotransposons, and enriched in introns and in certain simple sequence repeats containing the commonly methylated motifs. Comparison with available gene expression data indicates that methylation in a gene is associated with lower expression; the X chromosome, which is subject to gene dosage compensation, is more densely methylated than the autosomes. This study firmly establishes the presence of cytosine methylation in Drosophila; the temporal overlap of methylation with the maternal-zygotic transition raises the possibility that methylation participates in the transition to zygotic gene expression. To enrich for rare cytosine methylation in Drosophila at embryonic Stage 5 (2-3 hours post-fertilization), we enriched sonicated Stage 5 genomic DNA for methylcytosine by immunoprecipitation with antibody to 5-methylcytosine. The immunoprecipitated DNA was then bisulfite converted and Illumina sequenced to obtain direct evidence for the presence of methylation. The presence and extent of DNA methylation was confirmed by Illumina sequencing of bisulfite-converted PCR amplicons.
Project description:A catalog of transcription factor (TF) binding sites in the genome is critical for deciphering regulatory relationships. Here we present the culmination of the efforts of the modENCODE (Model Organism ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements) and modERN (model organism Encyclopedia of Regulatory Networks) consortia to systematically assay TF binding events in vivo in two major model organisms, Drosophila melanogaster (fly) and Caenorhabditis elegans (worm). These datasets comprise 605 TFs identifying 3.6M sites in the fly and 356 TFs identifying 0.9 M sites in the worm, and represent the majority of the regulatory space in each genome. We demonstrate that TFs associate with chromatin in clusters termed “metapeaks”, that larger metapeaks have characteristics of high occupancy target (HOT) regions, and that the importance of consensus sequence motifs bound by TFs depends on metapeak size and complexity. Combining ChIP-seq data with single cell RNA-seq data in a machine learning model identifies particular TFs with a prominent role in promoting target gene expression in specific cell types, even differentiating between parent-daughter cells during embryogenesis. These data are a rich resource for the community that should fuel and guide future investigations into TF function. To facilitate data accessibility and utility, all strains expressing GFP-tagged TFs are available at the stock centers for each organism. The chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing data are available through the ENCODE Data Coordinating Center, GEO, and through a direct interface (http://epic.gs.washington.edu/modERN/) that provides rapid access to processed data sets and summary analyses, as well as widgets to probe the cell type-specific TF-target relationships.