Project description:Polycomb Repressive Complexes PRC1 and PRC2 play a crucial role in silencing lineage-specific genes during early embryogenesis. To provide new insights in polycomb biology, we profiled the proximal interactome (proxeome) of the catalytic subunits RNF2 (PRC1) and EZH2 (PRC2) in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). This revealed >100 proteins proximal to PRC2 and PRC1, which mainly comprise transcription factors, transcriptional regulators and RNA binding proteins. Interestingly, the EZH2 proxeome included both PRC complexes, while the RNF2 proxeome only identified PRC1 subunits. More than half of the PRC2 proximal proteins are shared with PRC1, revealing the molecular constitution of polycomb chromatin domains. We identified several pluripotency-associated transcription factors, including NANOG, for which we confirmed genomic co-localisation with PRC2. Upon PRC2 disruption, NANOG redistributes to specific sites containing its DNA binding motif. Finally, we compared PRC2 proximal interactomes between naïve mESCs, serum-cultured mESCs and embryoid bodies, altogether providing a comprehensive resource in different cellular contexts that may help to further decipher Polycomb biology.
Project description:Polycomb Repressive Complexes PRC1 and PRC2 play a crucial role in silencing lineage-specific genes during early embryogenesis. To provide new insights in polycomb biology, we profiled the proximal interactome (proxeome) of the catalytic subunits RNF2 (PRC1) and EZH2 (PRC2) in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). This revealed >100 proteins proximal to PRC2 and PRC1, which mainly comprise transcription factors, transcriptional regulators and RNA binding proteins. Interestingly, the EZH2 proxeome included both PRC complexes, while the RNF2 proxeome only identified PRC1 subunits. More than half of the PRC2 proximal proteins are shared with PRC1, revealing the molecular constitution of polycomb chromatin domains. We identified several pluripotency-associated transcription factors, including NANOG, for which we confirmed genomic co-localisation with PRC2. Upon PRC2 disruption, NANOG redistributes to specific sites containing its DNA binding motif. Finally, we compared PRC2 proximal interactomes between naïve mESCs, serum-cultured mESCs and embryoid bodies, altogether providing a comprehensive resource in different cellular contexts that may help to further decipher Polycomb biology.
Project description:The Polycomb Group proteins foster gene repression profiles required for proper development and unimpaired adulthood, and comprise the components of the PRC2 complex including the histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27) methyltransferase Ezh2. How mammalian PRC2 accesses chromatin is unclear. We find that Jarid2 associates with PRC2 and stimulates its enzymatic activity in vitro. Jarid2 contains a Jumonji C domain, but is devoid of detectable histone demethylase activity. Instead, its artificial recruitment to a promoter in vivo resulted in co-recruitment of PRC2 with resultant increased levels of H3K27me2/3. Jarid2 co-localizes with Ezh2 and MTF2, a homologue of Drosophila Pcl, at endogenous genes in ES cells. Jarid2 can itself bind DNA and its recruitment in ES cells is interdependent with that of PRC2 as Jarid2 knockdown reduced PRC2 at its target promoters, and ES cells devoid of the PRC2 component EED are deficient in Jarid2 promoter access. In addition to the well-documented defects in embryonic viability upon down-regulation of Jarid2, ES cell differentiation is impaired, as is Oct4 silencing. Examination of two factors in ES cells
Project description:JARID2 is an integral subunit of the chromatin modifier PRC2 (Polycomb Repressive Complex 2). PRC2 methylates lysine 27 in histone H3 and is required for human development. Mutaitons of PRC2 subunits have been frequently found in a variety of adult and pediatric cancer, suggesting that PRC2 critically regulates normal and cancer development. The goal of this project is to identify new regulator or co-factors of PRC2 and study their molecular interactions and activities in order to better understand function and regulation of PRC2 in normal and cancer development.
Project description:Polycomb proteins are epigenetic regulators that localize to developmental loci in the early embryo where they mediate lineage-specific gene repression. In Drosophila, these repressors are recruited to sequence elements by DNA binding proteins associated with Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2). However, the sequences that recruit PRC2 in mammalian cells have remained obscure. To address this, we integrated a series of engineered bacterial artificial chromosomes into embryonic stem (ES) cells and examined their chromatin. We found that a 44 kb region corresponding to the Zfpm2 locus initiates de novo recruitment of PRC2. We then pinpointed a CpG island within this locus as both necessary and sufficient for PRC2 recruitment. Based on this causal demonstration and prior genomic analyses, we hypothesized that large GC-rich elements depleted of activating transcription factor motifs mediate PRC2 recruitment in mammals. We validated this model in two ways. First, we showed that a constitutively active CpG island is able to recruit PRC2 after excision of a cluster of activating motifs. Second, we showed that two 1 kb sequence intervals from the E. coli genome with GC-contents comparable to a mammalian CpG island are both capable of recruiting PRC2 when integrated into the ES cell genome. Our findings demonstrate a causal role for GC-rich sequences in PRC2 recruitment and implicate a specific subset of CpG islands depleted of activating motifs as instrumental for the initial localization of this key regulator in mammalian genomes. Analysis of YY1 binding in two cell types
Project description:PRC2-isogenic human malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) M3 cells were generated through CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of the PRC2 core component, SUZ12. PRC2 loss leads to global loss of H3K27me3, which causes H3K27ac redistribution and also affect other histone modification, e.g., H3K36me2/3.
Project description:Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) catalyzes histone H3 lysine 27 tri-methylation, an epigenetic modification associated with gene repression. H3K27me3 is enriched at the promoters of a large cohort of developmental genes in embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Loss of H3K27me3 leads to a failure of ESCs to properly differentiate, which presents a major roadblock for dissecting the precise roles of PRC2 activity during lineage commitment. While recent studies suggest that loss of H3K27me3 leads to changes in DNA methylation in ESCs, how these two pathways coordinate to regulate gene expression programs during lineage commitment is poorly understood. Here, we analyzed gene expression and DNA methylation levels in several PRC2 mutant ESC lines that maintain varying levels of H3K27me3. We found that maintenance of intermediate levels of H3K27me3 allowed for proper temporal activation of lineage genes during directed differentiation of ESCs to spinal motor neurons (SMNs). However, genes that function to specify other lineages failed to be repressed, suggesting that PRC2 activity is necessary for lineage fidelity. We also found that H3K27me3 is antagonistic to DNA methylation in cis. Furthermore, loss of H3K27me3 leads to a gain in promoter DNA methylation in developmental genes in ESCs and in lineage genes during differentiation. Thus, our data suggest a role for PRC2 in coordinating dynamic gene repression while protecting against inappropriate promoter DNA methylation during differentiation. Embryonic Stem Cell (ESC) lines mutant for PRC2 core components Suz12 (Suz12GT and Suz12delta) and Eed (Eednull) were subjected to in vitro directed differentiation down the spinal motor neuron lineage. ESCs and day 5 differentiated cells from the three mutant lines and wild-type were used for Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing (RRBS).
Project description:Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) catalyzes histone H3 lysine 27 tri-methylation, an epigenetic modification associated with gene repression. H3K27me3 is enriched at the promoters of a large cohort of developmental genes in embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Loss of H3K27me3 leads to a failure of ESCs to properly differentiate, which presents a major roadblock for dissecting the precise roles of PRC2 activity during lineage commitment. While recent studies suggest that loss of H3K27me3 leads to changes in DNA methylation in ESCs, how these two pathways coordinate to regulate gene expression programs during lineage commitment is poorly understood. Here, we analyzed gene expression and DNA methylation levels in several PRC2 mutant ESC lines that maintain varying levels of H3K27me3. We found that maintenance of intermediate levels of H3K27me3 allowed for proper temporal activation of lineage genes during directed differentiation of ESCs to spinal motor neurons (SMNs). However, genes that function to specify other lineages failed to be repressed, suggesting that PRC2 activity is necessary for lineage fidelity. We also found that H3K27me3 is antagonistic to DNA methylation in cis. Furthermore, loss of H3K27me3 leads to a gain in promoter DNA methylation in developmental genes in ESCs and in lineage genes during differentiation. Thus, our data suggest a role for PRC2 in coordinating dynamic gene repression while protecting against inappropriate promoter DNA methylation during differentiation. Embryonic Stem Cell (ESC) lines mutant for PRC2 core components Suz12 (Suz12GT and Suz12delta) and Eed (Eednull) were subjected to in vitro directed differentiation down the spinal motor neuron lineage. ESCs and day 5 differentiated cells from the three mutant lines and wild-type were used for H3K27me3 ChIP-seq.
Project description:We report on mechanism of interaction between PRC2 complex and Jarid2 and their role in pluripotent cells Examination of PRC2 genomic localization by analysis of Jarid2, Ezh2, Suz12 and Jarid1a occupancy