Effects of DNA Methylation and Histone Modification on Differentiation-associated Gene Expression in ES,NIH3T3,and NIT-1

The effects of epigenetic modification on the differentiation of islet cells and the expression of associated genes（Pdx-1,Pax4,MafA,and Nkx6.1,etc） were investigated.The promoter methylation status of islet differentiation-associated genes（Pdx-1,Pax4,MafA and Nkx6.1）,Oct4 and MLH1 genes of mouse embryonic stem cells,NIH3T3 cells and NIT-1 cells were profiled by methylated DNA immunoprecipitation,real-time quantitative PCR（MeDIP-qPCR） techniques.The histone modification status of these genes promoter region in different cell types was also measured by using chromatin immunoprecipitation real-time quantitative PCR methods.The expression of these genes in these cells was detected by using real-time quantitative PCR.The relationship between the epigenetic modification（DNA methylation,H3 acetylation,H3K4m3 and H3K9m3） of these genes and their expression was analyzed.The results showed that：（1） the transcription-initiation-sites of Pdx-1,MafA and Nkx6.1 were highly methylated in NIH3T3 cells; （2） NIH3T3 cells showed a significantly higher level of DNA methylation modification in the transcription-initiation-site of Pdx-1,Pax4,MafA and Nkx6.1 genes than that in mES cells and NIT-1 cells（P〈0.05）; （3） NIT-1 cells had a significantly higher level of H3K4m3 modification in the transcription-initiation-site of Pdx-1,Pax4,MafA and Nkx6.1 genes than that in mES cells and NIH3T3 cells（P〈0.05）,with significantly increased level of gene expression; （4） NIH3T3 cell had a significantly higher level of H3K9m3 modification in the transcription-initiation-site of Pdx-1,Pax4,MafA and Nkx6.1 genes than that in mES cells and with NIT-1 cell（P〈0.05）,with no detectable mRNA expression of these genes.It was concluded that histone modification（H3K4m3 and H3K9m3） and DNA methylation might have an intimate communication between each other in the differentiation process from embryonic stem cells into islet cells.

组蛋白H3、H4乙酰化及H3K4甲基化对人妊娠子宫平滑肌细胞PRA/PRB的影响

目的通过组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂(trichostatin A,TSA)、H3K4甲基化酶抑制剂(5’-deoxy-5’-methylthioadenosine,MTA)处理人妊娠子宫平滑肌细胞,干预组蛋白H3、H4乙酰化及H3K4甲基化水平,探讨组蛋白H3、H4乙酰化及H3K4甲基化对人妊娠子宫平滑肌细胞PRA/PRB的影响。方法分离纯化人妊娠子宫平滑肌细胞(n=16),免疫组化定位孕激素受体(progesterone receptor,PR)及孕激素受体B(progesterone receptor B,PRB)在子宫平滑肌细胞核的表达。分别利用不同浓度TSA、MTA对其进行处理,Real-time PCR检测PR、PRA、PRB mRNA的表达;染色质免疫共沉淀技术(Chromatin immunoprecipitation,ChIP)比较处理前后PRA、PRB启动子区H3、H4乙酰化及H3K4三甲基化水平。结果TSA可使PRA/PRB明显增高(P<0.05),使PRA启动子区H3、H4乙酰化水平明显上升(P<0.05)。MTA可使PRA/PRB明显下降(P<0.05),PRA启动子区H3K4乙酰化水平明显下降(P<0.05)。两种药物的干预主要通过对PRA的调控来调节PRA/PRB比值。结论组蛋白H3、H4乙酰化和H3K4甲基化均可使人妊娠子宫平滑肌细胞PRA/PRB比值发生改变,可能参与"功能性孕激素撤退"机制的调节。

Acidic domains differentially read histone H3 lysine 4 methylation status and are widely present in chromatin-associated proteins

Histone methylation is believed to provide binding sites for specific reader proteins, which translate histone code into biological function. Here we show that a family of acidic domain-containing proteins including nucleophosmin （NPM 1）, pp32, SET/TAF 113, nucleolin （NCL） and upstream binding factor （UBF） are novel H3K4me2-binding proteins. These proteins exhibit a unique pattern of interaction with methylated H3K4, as their binding is stimulated by H3K4me2 and inhibited by H3K4mel and H3K4me3. These proteins contain one or more acidic domains consisting mainly of aspartic and/or glutamic residues that are necessary for preferential binding of H3K4me2. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the acidic domain with sufficient length alone is capable of binding H3K4me2 in vitro and in vivo. NPM1, NCL and UBF require their acidic domains for association with and transcriptional activation ofrDNA genes. Interestingly, by defining acidic domain as a sequence with at least 20 acidic residues in 50 continuous amino acids, we identified 655 acidic domain-containing protein coding genes in the human genome and Gene Ontology （GO） analysis showed that many of the acidic domain proteins have chromatin-related functions. Our data suggest that acidic domain is a novel histone binding motif that can differentially read the status of H3K4 methylation and is broadly present in chromatin-associated proteins.

4-甲基-7,10-二氢苯并[h]香豆素的合成研究

以 1 萘酚 ( 6)为起始原料 ,经过Birch还原得到 5 ,8 二氢 1 萘酚 ( 7) ;7与乙酰乙酸乙酯在不同条件下缩合合成了 4 甲基 7,10 二氢苯并 [h]香豆素 ( 4 ) .研究结果表明 ,无氧和酸催化的反应条件对缩合反应是至关重要的 .在没有酸催化的条件下 ,反应生成 3 乙酰基 2 羟基 6 甲基 -吡喃 4 酮 ( 8) ,并通过单晶X射线衍射分析确定了产物的结构 ;在酸催化的条件下 ,除了生成产物 4外 ,还伴随生成脱氢芳构化产物 4 甲基苯并 [h]香豆素 ( 5 ) ,而且在不同条件下二者的比例不同 ,其中以甲磺酸为催化剂、在氮气保护下并加入抗氧化剂无水Na2 SO3 为最佳反应条件 ,化学选择性约为 70∶3 0 ( 4∶5 ) ,收率49 1%.

Both combinatorial K4me0-K36me3 marks on sister histone H3s of a nucleosome are required for Dnmt3a-Dnmt3L mediated de novo DNA methylation

A nucleosome contains two copies of each histone H2A,H2B,H3 and H4.Histone H3 K4me0 and K36me3are two key chromatin marks for de novo DNA methylation catalyzed by DNA methyltransferases in mammals.However,it remains unclear whether K4me0 and K36me3 marks on both sister histone H3s regulate de novo DNA methylation independently or cooperatively.Here,taking advantage of the bivalent histone H3 system in yeast,we examined the contributions of K4 and K36 on sister histone H3s to genomic DNA methylation catalyzed by ectopically co-expressed murine Dnmt3a and Dnmt3L.The results show that lack of both K4me0 and K36me3 on one sister H3 tail,or lack of K4me0 and K36me3 on respective sister H3s results in a dramatic reduction of 5mC,revealing a synergy of two sister H3s in DNA methylation regulation.Accordingly,the Dnmt3a or Dnmt3L mutation that disrupts the interaction of Dnmt3aADD domain-H3K4me0,Dnmt3LADD domain-H3K4me0,orDnmt3aPWWP domain-H3K36me3 causes a significant reduction of DNA methylation.These results support the model that each heterodimeric Dnmt3a-Dnmt3L reads both K4me0 and K36me3 marks on one tail of sister H3s,and the dimer of heterodimeric Dnmt3a-Dnmt3L recognizes two tails of sister histone H3s to efficiently execute de novo DNA methylation.

Cellular functions of MLL/SET-family histone H3 lysine 4 methyltransferase components

The MLL/SET family of histone H3 lysine 4 methyltransferases form enzyme complexes with core subunits ASH2L, WDR5, RbBP5, and DPY-30 （often abbreviated WRAD）, and are responsible for global histone H3 iysine 4 methylation, a hallmark of actively transcribed chromatin in mammalian cells. Accordingly, the function of these proteins is required for a wide variety of processes including stem cell differentiation, cell growth and division, body segmentation, and hematopoiesis. While most work on MLL-WRAD has focused on the function this core complex in histone methylation, recent studies indicate that MLL-WRAD proteins interact with a variety of other proteins and IncRNAs and can localize to cellular organelles beyond the nucleus. In this review, we focus on the recently described activities and interacting partners of MLL-WRAD both inside and outside the nucleus.

组蛋白共价修饰——组蛋白H3第4赖氨酸甲基化

染色体组蛋白的共价修饰在调节染色体结构,控制基因的转录等方面发挥重要的作用。组蛋白H3第4赖氨酸的甲基化作为共价修饰的方式之一,可以调控基因的转录激活。随着对组蛋白甲基化转移酶及相关作用蛋白研究的深入,人们对组蛋白H3第4赖氨酸的甲基化的功能也有了更深的了解。目前研究发现它与癌症也有很密切的关系。

New perspectives on epigenetic modifications and PARP inhibitor resistance in HR-deficient cancers

The clinical treatment of DNA-repair defective tumours has been revolutionised by the use of poly(ADP)ribose polymerase(PARP)inhibitors.However,the efficacy of these compounds is hampered by resistance,which is attributed to numerous mechanisms including rewiring of the DNA damage response to favour pathways that repair PARP inhibitor-mediated damage.Here,we comment on recent findings by our group identifying the lysine methyltransferase SETD1A as a novel factor that conveys PARPi resistance.We discuss the implications,with a particular focus on epigenetic modifications and H3K4 methylation.We also deliberate on the mechanisms responsible,the consequences for the refinement of PARP inhibitor use in the clinic,and future possibilities to circumvent drug resistance in DNA-repair deficient cancers.

Total chemical synthesis of bivalently modified H3 by improved three-segment native chemical ligation

The H3 bivalent modifications of trimethylationat Lys9 and acetylation at Lys18(H3-K9 Me3-K18 Ac) were identified to collectively recruit TRIM33 in the nodal signaling pathway.To understand the underlying mechanism of TRIM33 recruitment,the nucleosome core particles(NCPs) containing full-length H3-K9 Me3-K18 Ac were indispensable samples.Herein we developed a pseudo dipeptide strategy to efficiently prepare peptide segments,facilitating the chemical synthesis of H3-K9 Me3-K18 Ac at a tens of milligram scale.The synthetic H3-K9 Me3-K18 Ac was then examined by CD spectroscopy,which demonstrated a prominent shift compared to recombinant H3.Finally,bivalently modified NCPs were assembled and verified by gel mobility shift assay with good homogeneity.

ERα promotes transcription of tumor suppressor gene ApoA-I by establishing H3K27ac-enriched chromatin microenvironment in breast cancer cells

Apolipoprotein A-I(Apo A-I),the main protein component of high-density lipoprotein(HDL),plays a pivotal role in reverse cholesterol transport(RCT).Previous studies indicated a reduction of serum Apo A-I levels in various types of cancer,suggesting Apo A-I as a potential cancer biomarker.Herein,ectopically overexpressed Apo A-I in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells was observed to have antitumor effects,inhibiting cell proliferation and migration.Subsequent studies on the mechanism of expression regulation revealed that estradiol(E2)/estrogen receptorα(ERα)signaling activates Apo A-I gene transcription in breast cancer cells.Mechanistically,our Ch IP-seq data showed that ERαdirectly binds to the estrogen response element(ERE)site within the Apo A-I gene and establishes an acetylation of histone 3 lysine 27(H3 K27 ac)-enriched chromatin microenvironment.Conversely,Fulvestrant(ICI 182780)treatment blocked ERαbinding to ERE within the Apo A-I gene and downregulated the H3 K27 ac level on the Apo A-I gene.Treatment with p300 inhibitor also significantly decreased the Apo A-I messenger RNA(m RNA)level in MCF7 cells.Furthermore,the analysis of data from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)revealed a positive correlation between ERαand Apo A-I expression in breast cancer tissues.Taken together,our study not only revealed the antitumor potential of Apo A-I at the cellular level,but also found that ERαpromotes the transcription of Apo A-I gene through direct genomic effects,and p300 may act as a co-activator of ERαin this process.