Project description:The Krüppel-like factors, KLF1 and KLF2, positively regulate embryonic β-globin expression, and have additional overlapping roles in embryonic (primitive) erythropoiesis. KLF1-/-KLF2-/- double knockout mice are anemic at embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5) and die by E11.5, in contrast to single knockouts. To investigate the combined roles of KLF1 and KLF2 in primitive erythropoiesis, expression profiling of E9.5 erythroid cells was performed. A limited number of genes had a significantly decreasing trend of expression in wild-type, KLF1-/- and KLF1-/-KLF2-/-. Among these, c-myc emerged as a central node in the most significant gene network. c-myc expression is synergistically regulated by KLF1 and KLF2, and both factors bind the c-myc promoters. To characterize the role of c-myc in primitive erythropoiesis, ablation was performed specifically in mouse embryonic proerythroblast cells. After E9.5, these embryos exhibit an arrest in the normal expansion of circulating red cells and develop anemia analogous to KLF1-/-KLF2-/-. In the absence of c-myc, circulating erythroid cells do not show the normal increase in α- and β-like globin expression, but interestingly, have accelerated erythroid maturation, between E9.5 and E11.5. This study reveals a novel regulatory network by which KLF1 and KLF2 regulate c-myc, to control the primitive erythropoietic program. Timed-pregnant KLF1+/-, KLF1+/- KLF2+/- females were anesthetized and sacrificed. E9.5 yolk sacs were dissected from the embryo, cryoprotected in 20% sucrose in PBS and frozen in OCT media. A small portion of the embryo tail was used for PCR genotyping. Eight micron frozen yolk sac sections were obtained and laser capture microdissection (LCM) was used to isolate primitive erythroid precursors. For each biological replicate, 2 to 4 yolk sacs from 2 different litters were used. Total RNA was isolated from 8 different wild-type, 3 KLF1-/-, 3 KLF1-/- KLF2-/- erythroid samples and hybridized to Affymetrix 430 A 2.0 microarrays.
Project description:The Krüppel-like factors, KLF1 and KLF2, positively regulate embryonic β-globin expression, and have additional overlapping roles in embryonic (primitive) erythropoiesis. KLF1-/-KLF2-/- double knockout mice are anemic at embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5) and die by E11.5, in contrast to single knockouts. To investigate the combined roles of KLF1 and KLF2 in primitive erythropoiesis, expression profiling of E9.5 erythroid cells was performed. A limited number of genes had a significantly decreasing trend of expression in wild-type, KLF1-/- and KLF1-/-KLF2-/-. Among these, c-myc emerged as a central node in the most significant gene network. c-myc expression is synergistically regulated by KLF1 and KLF2, and both factors bind the c-myc promoters. To characterize the role of c-myc in primitive erythropoiesis, ablation was performed specifically in mouse embryonic proerythroblast cells. After E9.5, these embryos exhibit an arrest in the normal expansion of circulating red cells and develop anemia analogous to KLF1-/-KLF2-/-. In the absence of c-myc, circulating erythroid cells do not show the normal increase in α- and β-like globin expression, but interestingly, have accelerated erythroid maturation, between E9.5 and E11.5. This study reveals a novel regulatory network by which KLF1 and KLF2 regulate c-myc, to control the primitive erythropoietic program.
Project description:EKLF/Klf1 is a Zinc-finger transcription activator essential for erythroid lineage commitment and terminal differentiation. Using ChIP-Seq, we investigate EKLF DNA binding and transcription activation mechanisms during mouse embryonic erythropoiesis. Our study focuses on global EKLF binding dynamics during embryonic erythropoiesis in primary WT and Nan/+ mouse fetal liver, and its correlation with chromatin accessibility, CBP occupancy, histone acetylation, and finally its effect on RNA Polymerase II pausing and elongation. Our goal is to elucidate the mechanisms of transcription activation by EKLF/Klf1 during embryonic erythropoiesis in vivo and in the context of RNA pol II pause-release control. Additionally, we aim to understand the unusually severe effects of conservative E to D change in Nan-EKLF and the molecular mechanisms leading to dominant anemia through global gene dysregulation.
Project description:KLF2 is a Krüppel-like zinc-finger transcription factor required for blood vessel, lung, T-cell, and erythroid development. KLF2-/- mice die by embryonic day 14.5 (E14.5), due to hemorrhaging and heart failure. Embryonic -like globin gene expression is reduced in KLF2-/- embryos compared to wildtype (WT), and E10.5 erythroid cells exhibit abnormal morphology. Other KLF2 target genes were identified by comparing E9.5 KLF2-/- and WT yolk sac erythroid cells, using laser capture microdissection and microarray assays. One hundred and ninety-six genes exhibited significant differences in expression; eighty-nine of these are downregulated in KLF2-/- compared to WT. Genes involved in cell migration, differentiation and development are over-represented in the KLF2-regulated gene list. Previously identified erythroid-enriched regulatory genes such as reelin, adenylate cyclase 7, cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 2 alpha, and CD24a antigen are downregulated in KLF2-/- compared to WT. SOX2, a pluripotency factor in ES cells, is also a KLF2 target in embryonic erythroid cells. We investigated whether reelin, which has an established role in neuronal migration and proliferation, has a role in embryonic erythropoiesis. Luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that KLF2 directly transactivates the reelin promoter, but reelin mutant mice have no apparent abnormalities in embryonic erythroid morphology or globin gene expression. Timed-pregnant KLF2+/- females were anesthetized and sacrificed. E9.5 yolk sacs were dissected from the embryo, cryoprotected in 20% sucrose in PBS and frozen in OCT media. A small portion of the embryo tail was used for PCR genotyping. Eight micron KLF2-/- frozen yolk sac sections were obtained and laser capture microdissection (LCM) was used to isolate primitive erythroid precursors. For each biological replicate, 2 to 4 yolk sacs from 2 different litters were used. Total RNA was isolated from 4 different KLF2-/- erythroid samples and hybridized to Affymetrix 430 A 2.0 microarrays
Project description:KLF2 is a Krüppel-like zinc-finger transcription factor required for blood vessel, lung, T-cell, and erythroid development. KLF2-/- mice die by embryonic day 14.5 (E14.5), due to hemorrhaging and heart failure. Embryonic -like globin gene expression is reduced in KLF2-/- embryos compared to wildtype (WT), and E10.5 erythroid cells exhibit abnormal morphology. Other KLF2 target genes were identified by comparing E9.5 KLF2-/- and WT yolk sac erythroid cells, using laser capture microdissection and microarray assays. One hundred and ninety-six genes exhibited significant differences in expression; eighty-nine of these are downregulated in KLF2-/- compared to WT. Genes involved in cell migration, differentiation and development are over-represented in the KLF2-regulated gene list. Previously identified erythroid-enriched regulatory genes such as reelin, adenylate cyclase 7, cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 2 alpha, and CD24a antigen are downregulated in KLF2-/- compared to WT. SOX2, a pluripotency factor in ES cells, is also a KLF2 target in embryonic erythroid cells. We investigated whether reelin, which has an established role in neuronal migration and proliferation, has a role in embryonic erythropoiesis. Luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that KLF2 directly transactivates the reelin promoter, but reelin mutant mice have no apparent abnormalities in embryonic erythroid morphology or globin gene expression.
Project description:During the human cord blood CD34+ cell differentiation, expression of the genes which contribute to erycyte maturation are increased, inculding ALAS2, SLC25A37, GYPA and KLF1. ETO2 functions as a transcription repressor and is required for the erythrocyte maturation and the hemoglobin switch. During mouse embryonic erythropoiesis, RNA-seq data in E8.5 yolk sac /E12.5, E14.5 fetal liver cells indicated that eto2 promoted a critical developmental transition and played an important role in globin switch from embryonic to adult β-globin transcription since its function is essential for erythorid maturation regulators (Alas2,Slc25a37,Epb42,Gypc,Klf1) and globin genes (Hbb-y and Hba-x) regulation.
Project description:The onset of erythropoiesis is under strict developmental control, with direct and indirect inputs influencing its derivation from the hematopoietic stem cell. A major regulator of this transition is KLF1/EKLF, a zinc finger transcription factor that plays a global role in all aspects of erythropoiesis. Here, we have identified a short, conserved enhancer element in KLF1 intron 1 that is important for establishing optimal levels of KLF1 in mouse and human cells. Chromatin accessibility of this site exhibits cell-type specificity and is under developmental control during the differentiation of human CD34+ cells towards the erythroid lineage. This site binds GATA1, SMAD1, TAL1, and ETV6. In vivo editing of this region in cell lines and primary cells reduces KLF1 expression quantitatively. However, we find that, similar to observations seen in pedigrees of families with KLF1 mutations, downstream effects are variable, suggesting that the global architecture of the site is buffered towards keeping the KLF1 genetic region in an active state. We propose that modification of intron 1 in both alleles is not equivalent to complete loss of function of one allele.
Project description:The ERK5 MAP kinase signalling pathway was recently discovered as a driver of naïve pluripotency in mouse Embryonic Stem Cells (mESCs). However, the molecular functions of ERK5 in mESCs have not been investigated. Here, we employ combinatorial mESC proteomics to identify ERK5 target genes and substrates. Global proteomic profiling reveals ZSCAN4 and other 2-cell stage genes as transcriptional targets of the ERK5 pathway. ZSCAN4 expression is specifically induced by ERK5-dependent transcription of the core pluripotency factor KLF2. Additionally, ERK5 directly phosphorylates tandem KLF2 Thr-Pro/Ser-Pro motifs identified by phosphoproteomics to recruit the FBXW7-CUL1 E3 ligase, promoting KLF2 ubiquitylation and degradation. ERK5 phosphorylation of KLF2 thereby provides negative-feedback control to restrain transcriptional induction of ZSCAN4. Our data uncover an auto-regulatory module by which ERK5 co-opts KLF2 to pattern ZSCAN4 expression. This study provides the first molecular insight into ERK5 functions in mESCs, and suggests a novel role for ERK5 signalling in stem cell rejuvenation
Project description:Embryonic stem cells are maintained in a self-renewing and pluripotent state by multiple regulatory pathways. Pluripotent-specific transcriptional networks are sequentially reactivated as somatic cells reprogram to achieve pluripotency. How epigenetic regulators modulate this process and contribute to somatic cell reprogramming is not clear. Here we perform a functional RNAi screen to identify the earliest epigenetic regulators required for reprogramming. We identify components of the SAGA histone acetyltransferase complex, in particular Gcn5, as critical regulators of reprogramming initiation. Furthermore, we show in mouse pluripotent stem cells that Gcn5 strongly associates with Myc and that upon initiation of somatic reprogramming, Gcn5 and Myc form a positive feed forward loop that activates a distinct alternative splicing network and the early acquisition of pluripotency-associated splicing events. These studies expose a Myc-SAGA pathway that drives expression of an essential alternative splicing regulatory network during somatic cell reprogramming. Examination of 2 Gcn5-chromatin interactions in mouse embryonic stem cells