Project description:In mammals, DNA methylation is essential for protecting repetitive sequences from aberrant transcription, translocation, and homologous recombination. However, DNA hypomethylation occurs during specific developmental stages (e.g. preimplantation embryos) and in certain cell types (e.g., primordial germ cells). The absence of dysregulated repetitive elements in these cells suggests the existence of alternative mechanisms that prevent genome instability triggered by DNA hypomethylation. In this report, we seek to elucidate the factors that play a critical role in ensuring genome stability by focusing on DAXX and ATRX, two proteins that have been linked to transcriptional control and epigenetic regulation. We carried out ChIP-seq and RNA-seq analyses to compare the genome-wide binding and transcriptome profiles of DAXX and ATRX in mouse ES (mES) cells triple knocked out for the three mammalian DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) (TKO cells) to those in wildtype mES cells. Our data indicate that DAXX and ATRX are distinct in their chromatin-binding profiles and highly co-enriched at tandem repetitive elements. Global DNA hypomethylation, as was the case in TKO cells, further promoted the recruitment of the DAXX/ATRX complex to tandem repeat sequences including IAP (intracisternal A‐particle) retrotransposons and telomeres. Inhibition of DAXX or ATRX in cells with hypomethylated genomes (e.g., TKO cells, mES cells cultured in ground-state conditions, and preimplantation embryos) increased aberrant transcriptional de-repression of repeat elements and dysfunction at telomeres. Furthermore, we provide evidence that DAXX/ATRX-dependent silencing may occur through DAXX’s interaction with SUV39H1 and increased H3K9me3 on repetitive sequences. Our study suggests that DAXX and ATRX are important for safeguarding the genome, particularly in silencing repetitive elements in the absence of DNA methylation. We tested the hypothesis that the DAXX/ATRX complex participates in protecting repetitive elements in the absence of DNA methylation. To this end, we investigated genome-wide chromatin targeting of DAXX and ATRX in wildtype mES cells, and in mES cells that exhibit extensive loss of DNA methylation due to homozygous knockout of all three DNA.
Project description:Centromeres play an essential role in cell division by specifying the site of kinetochore formation on each chromosome so that chromosomes can attach to the mitotic spindle for segregation. Centromeres are defined epigenetically by the histone H3 variant CEntromere Protein A (CENP-A). Dividing cells maintain the centromere by depositing new CENP-A each cell cycle to replenish CENP-A diluted by replication. The CENP-A nucleosome serves as the primary signal to the machinery responsible for its replenishment. Vertebrate centromeres are frequently built on repetitive sequences organized in tandem arrays. Repetitive centromeric DNA has been suggested to play a role in centromere maintenance and in de novo centromere formation, but this has been difficult to dissect because of the difficulty in manipulating centromere in cells. Extracts from Xenopus laevis eggs are able to assemble centromeres and kinetochores in vitro and thus provide a useful system for studying the role of centromeric DNA in centromere formation. However centromeric sequences in X. laevis have not been extensively characterized.. In this study we characterize repeat sequences found at X. laevis centromeres. We utilize a k-mer based approach in order to uncover the previously unknown diversity of X. laevis centromeric sequences. We validate centromere localization of repeat sequences by in situ hybridization and identify the location of the centromeric repetitive array on each chromosome by mapping the distribution of centromere enriched k-mers on the Xenopus genome. Our identification of X. laevis centromere sequences enables previously unapproachable genomic studies of centromeres. The k-mer based approach that we used to investigate centromeric repetitive DNA is suitable for the analysis of other repetitive sequences found across the genome or the study of repeats in other organisms.
Project description:In mammals, DNA methylation is essential for protecting repetitive sequences from aberrant transcription, translocation, and homologous recombination. However, DNA hypomethylation occurs during specific developmental stages (e.g. preimplantation embryos) and in certain cell types (e.g., primordial germ cells). The absence of dysregulated repetitive elements in these cells suggests the existence of alternative mechanisms that prevent genome instability triggered by DNA hypomethylation. In this report, we seek to elucidate the factors that play a critical role in ensuring genome stability by focusing on DAXX and ATRX, two proteins that have been linked to transcriptional control and epigenetic regulation. We carried out ChIP-seq and RNA-seq analyses to compare the genome-wide binding and transcriptome profiles of DAXX and ATRX in mouse ES (mES) cells triple knocked out for the three mammalian DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) (TKO cells) to those in wildtype mES cells. Our data indicate that DAXX and ATRX are distinct in their chromatin-binding profiles and highly co-enriched at tandem repetitive elements. Global DNA hypomethylation, as was the case in TKO cells, further promoted the recruitment of the DAXX/ATRX complex to tandem repeat sequences including IAP (intracisternal A‐particle) retrotransposons and telomeres. Inhibition of DAXX or ATRX in cells with hypomethylated genomes (e.g., TKO cells, mES cells cultured in ground-state conditions, and preimplantation embryos) increased aberrant transcriptional de-repression of repeat elements and dysfunction at telomeres. Furthermore, we provide evidence that DAXX/ATRX-dependent silencing may occur through DAXX’s interaction with SUV39H1 and increased H3K9me3 on repetitive sequences. Our study suggests that DAXX and ATRX are important for safeguarding the genome, particularly in silencing repetitive elements in the absence of DNA methylation.
Project description:Background: Global DNA methylation contributes to genomic integrity by supressing repeat associated transposition events. Several chromatin factors are required in addition to DNA methyltransferases to maintain DNA methylation at intergenic and satellite repeats. Embryos lacking Lsh, a member of the SNF2 superfamily of chromatin helicases, are hypomethylated. The interaction of Lsh with the de novo methyltransferase, Dnmt3b, facilitates the deposition of DNA methylation at stem cell genes. We wished to determine if a similar targeting mechanism operates to maintain DNA methylation at repetitive sequences. Results: We used HELP-seq to map genome wide DNA methylation patterns in Lsh-/- and Dnmt3b-/- somatic cells. DNA methylation is predominantly lost from specific genomic repeats in Lsh-/- cells: LTR-retrotransposons, LINE-1 repeats and mouse satellites. RNA-seq experiments demonstrate that specific IAP (Intracisternal A-type particle) LTRs and satellites, but not LINE-1 elements, are aberrantly transcribed inLsh-/- cells. LTR hypomethylation in Dnmt3b-/- cells is moderate and hypomethylated repetitive elements (IAP, LINE-1 and satellite) are silent. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) indicates that repressed LINE-1 elements gain H3K4me3, but H3K9me3 levels are unaltered in Lsh-/- cells, indicating that DNA hypomethylation alone is not permissive for their transcriptional activation. Mis-expressed IAPs and satellites lose H3K9me3 and gain H3K4me3 in Lsh-/- cells. Conclusions: Our study emphasizes that regulation of repetitive elements by DNA methylation is selective and context dependent. We propose a model where Lsh is specifically required at a precise developmental window to target de novo methylation to repeat sequences, which is subsequently maintained by Dnmt1 in somatic cells to enforce repeat silencing thus contributing to genomic integrity. Two pairs of genomic samples compared: WT and Lsh-/- DNA isolations from tail-tip fibroblasts; WT and Dnmt3b knockout DNA isolations from mouse embryonic fibroblasts.
Project description:To investigate how exogenous DNA concatemerizes to form episomal artificial chromosomes (ACs), acquire equal segregation ability and maintain stable holocentromeres, we injected DNA sequences with different features, including sequences that are repetitive or complex, and sequences with different AT-contents, into the gonad of Caenorhabditis elegans to form ACs in embryos, and monitored AC mitotic segregation. We demonstrated that AT-poor sequences (26% AT-content) delayed the acquisition of segregation competency of newly formed ACs. We also co-injected fragmented Saccharomyces cerevisiae genomic DNA, differentially expressed fluorescent markers and ubiquitously expressed selectable marker to construct a less repetitive, more complex AC. We sequenced the whole genome of a strain which propagates this AC through multiple generations, and de novo assembled the AC sequences. We discovered CENP-AHCP-3 domains/peaks are distributed along the AC, as in endogenous chromosomes, suggesting a holocentric architecture. We found that CENP-AHCP-3 binds to the unexpressed marker genes and many fragmented yeast sequences, but is excluded in the yeast extremely high-AT-content centromeric and mitochondrial DNA (> 83% AT-content) on the AC. We identified A-rich motifs in CENP-AHCP-3 domains/peaks on the AC and on endogenous chromosomes, which have some similarity with each other and similarity to some non-germline transcription factor binding sites.
Project description:DNA methylation is an essential epigenetic modification, present in both unique DNA sequences and repetitive elements, but its exact function in repetitive elements remains obscure. Here, we describe the genome-wide comparative analysis of the 5mC, 5hmC, 5fC and 5caC profiles of repetitive elements in mouse embryonic fibroblasts and mouse embryonic stem cells. We provide evidence for distinct and highly specific DNA methylation/oxidation patterns of the repetitive elements in both cell types, which mainly affect CA repeats and evolutionary conserved mouse-specific transposable elements including IAP-LTRs, SINEs B1m/B2m and L1Md-LINEs. DNA methylation controls the expression of these retro-elements, which are clustered at specific locations in the mouse genome. We show that TDG is implicated in the regulation of their unique DNA methylation/oxidation signatures and their dynamics. Our data suggest the existence of novel epigenetic code for the most recently acquired evolutionary conserved repeats that could play a major role in cell differentiation.
Project description:DNA methylation is an essential epigenetic modification, present in both unique DNA sequences and repetitive elements, but its exact function in repetitive elements remains obscure. Here, we describe the genome-wide comparative analysis of the 5mC, 5hmC, 5fC and 5caC profiles of repetitive elements in mouse embryonic fibroblasts and mouse embryonic stem cells. We provide evidence for distinct and highly specific DNA methylation/oxidation patterns of the repetitive elements in both cell types, which mainly affect CA repeats and evolutionary conserved mouse-specific transposable elements including IAP-LTRs, SINEs B1m/B2m and L1Md-LINEs. DNA methylation controls the expression of these retro-elements, which are clustered at specific locations in the mouse genome. We show that TDG is implicated in the regulation of their unique DNA methylation/oxidation signatures and their dynamics. Our data suggest the existence of novel epigenetic code for the most recently acquired evolutionary conserved repeats that could play a major role in cell differentiation. This SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Project description:The histone variant H2A.Z is central to early embryonic development, determining transcriptional competency through chromatin regulation of gene promoters and enhancers. In addition to genic loci, we find that H2A.Z resides at a subset of evolutionarily young repetitive elements, including DNA transposons, LINEs, and LTRs, during early zebrafish development. Moreover, increases in H2A.Z occur when repetitive elements become transcriptionally active. Acquisition of H2A.Z corresponds with a reduction in the repressive histone modification H3K9me3, and a moderate increase in chromatin accessibility. Notably however, de-repression of repetitive elements also leads to a significant reduction in H2A.Z over non-repetitive genic loci. Genic loss of H2A.Z is accompanied by transcriptional silencing at adjacent coding sequences, but remarkably, these impacts are mitigated by augmentation of total H2A.Z protein, via transgenic over-expression. Our study reveals that levels of H2A.Z protein determine embryonic sensitivity to de-repression of repetitive elements, that repetitive elements can function as a nuclear sink for epigenetic factors, and that competition for H2A.Z greatly influences overall transcriptional output during development. These findings uncover general mechanisms in which counteractive biological processes underlie phenotypic outcomes.