研究揭示TAD結構在調控基因表達中的作用
作者:
小柯機器人發布時間:2019/8/5 16:05:22
近日,德國馬克斯·普朗克分子遺傳學研究所Daniel M. Ibrahim和Stefan Mundlos團隊合作,以Sox9-Kcnj2基因座為模型揭示了TAD結構的功能。相關論文於2019年8月發表在《自然—遺傳學》上。
研究人員測試了Sox9-Kcnj2基因座的TAD在小鼠枝芽發育中的功能。研究人員發現,去除TAD內以及邊界的主要CTCF位點會導致相鄰TAD的融合,但對基因表達無明顯影響。然而,將TAD的邊界進行反轉和/或重定位會改變調控活性,從而產生基因錯誤表達與疾病表型。因此,TAD結構為基因的表達提供了穩定性與精確性,但對於發育中的基因調控並不是必需的。疾病相關基因的異常激活並不是僅僅由轉錄絕緣性丟失所引起,而是需要CTCF依賴的增強子-啟動子聯繫的重定向。
據介紹,通過cohesin與DNA結合因子CTCT的合作,基因組被組織為三維的單元,這被稱為拓撲相關結構域(TAD)。TAD的基因組重排被證明會導致基因的錯誤表達與疾病,但全基因組敲除CTCF卻不會對轉錄產生明顯的影響。
Title: Functional dissection of the Sox9 – Kcnj2 locus identifies nonessential and instructive roles of TAD architecture
Author: Alexandra Despang, Robert Schpflin, Martin Franke, Salaheddine Ali, Ivana Jerkovi, Christina Paliou, Wing-Lee Chan, Bernd Timmermann, Lars Wittler, Martin Vingron, Stefan Mundlos, Daniel M. Ibrahim
Issue&Volume: 2019-07-29
Abstract: The genome is organized in three-dimensional units called topologically associating domains (TADs), through a process dependent on the cooperative action of cohesin and the DNA-binding factor CTCF. Genomic rearrangements of TADs have been shown to cause gene misexpression and disease, but genome-wide depletion of CTCF has no drastic effects on transcription. Here, we investigate TAD function in vivo in mouse limb buds at the Sox9Kcnj2 locus. We show that the removal of all major CTCF sites at the boundary and within the TAD resulted in a fusion of neighboring TADs, without major effects on gene expression. Gene misexpression and disease phenotypes, however, were achieved by redirecting regulatory activity through inversions and/or the repositioning of boundaries. Thus, TAD structures provide robustness and precision but are not essential for developmental gene regulation. Aberrant disease-related gene activation is not induced by a mere loss of insulation but requires CTCF-dependent redirection of enhancerpromoter contacts.
DOI: 10.1038/s41588-019-0466-z
Source:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-019-0466-z