scholarly journals Methylation QTLs are associated with coordinated changes in transcription factor binding, histone modifications, and gene expression levels

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas E. Banovich ◽  
Xun Lan ◽  
Graham McVicker ◽  
Bryce van de Geijn ◽  
Jacob F. Degner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Histone Modifications ◽  
Transcription Factor Binding ◽  
Dnase I ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Factor Binding ◽  
Quantitative Changes

AbstractDNA methylation is an important epigenetic regulator of gene expression. Recent studies have revealed widespread associations between genetic variation and methylation levels. However, the mechanistic links between genetic variation and methylation remain unclear. To begin addressing this gap, we collected methylation data at ∼300,000 loci in lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) from 64 HapMap Yoruba individuals, and genome-wide bisulfite sequence data in ten of these individuals. We identified (at an FDR of 10%) 13,915 cis methylation QTLs (meQTLs)—i.e., CpG sites in which changes in DNA methylation are associated with genetic variation at proximal loci. We found that meQTLs are frequently associated with changes in methylation at multiple CpGs across regions of up to 3 kb. Interestingly, meQTLs are also frequently associated with variation in other properties of gene regulation, including histone modifications, DNase I accessibility, chromatin accessibility, and expression levels of nearby genes. These observations suggest that genetic variants may lead to coordinated molecular changes in all of these regulatory phenotypes. One plausible driver of coordinated changes in different regulatory mechanisms is variation in transcription factor (TF) binding. Indeed, we found that SNPs that change predicted TF binding affinities are significantly enriched for associations with DNA methylation at nearby CpGs.Author SummaryDNA methylation is an important epigenetic mark that contributes to many biological processes including the regulation of gene expression. Genetic variation has been associated with quantitative changes in DNA methylation (meQTLs). We identified thousands of meQTLs using an assay that allowed us to measure methylation levels at around 300 thousand cytosines. We found that meQTLs are enriched with loci that is also associated with quantitative changes in gene expression, DNase I hypersensitivity, PolII occupancy, and a number of histone marks. This suggests that many molecular events are likely regulated in concert. Finally, we found that changes in transcription factor binding as well as transcription factor abundance are associated with changes in DNA methylation near transcription factor binding sites. This work contributes to our understanding of the regulation of DNA methylation in the larger context of gene regulatory landscape.

scholarly journals Methylation QTLs Are Associated with Coordinated Changes in Transcription Factor Binding, Histone Modifications, and Gene Expression Levels

PLoS Genetics ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. e1004663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas E. Banovich ◽  
Xun Lan ◽  
Graham McVicker ◽  
Bryce van de Geijn ◽  
Jacob F. Degner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Histone Modifications ◽  
Transcription Factor Binding ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Factor Binding ◽  
Gene Expression Levels

scholarly journals Rare genetic variation at transcription factor binding sites modulates local DNA methylation profiles

PLoS Genetics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e1009189
Author(s):  
Alejandro Martin-Trujillo ◽  
Nihir Patel ◽  
Felix Richter ◽  
Bharati Jadhav ◽  
Paras Garg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Dna Binding ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Transcription Factor Binding Sites ◽  
Transcription Factor Binding ◽  
Ctcf Binding ◽  
Factor Binding ◽  
Rare Genetic Variation

Although DNA methylation is the best characterized epigenetic mark, the mechanism by which it is targeted to specific regions in the genome remains unclear. Recent studies have revealed that local DNA methylation profiles might be dictated by cis-regulatory DNA sequences that mainly operate via DNA-binding factors. Consistent with this finding, we have recently shown that disruption of CTCF-binding sites by rare single nucleotide variants (SNVs) can underlie cis-linked DNA methylation changes in patients with congenital anomalies. These data raise the hypothesis that rare genetic variation at transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) might contribute to local DNA methylation patterning. In this work, by combining blood genome-wide DNA methylation profiles, whole genome sequencing-derived SNVs from 247 unrelated individuals along with 133 predicted TFBS motifs derived from ENCODE ChIP-Seq data, we observed an association between the disruption of binding sites for multiple TFs by rare SNVs and extreme DNA methylation values at both local and, to a lesser extent, distant CpGs. While the majority of these changes affected only single CpGs, 24% were associated with multiple outlier CpGs within ±1kb of the disrupted TFBS. Interestingly, disruption of functionally constrained sites within TF motifs lead to larger DNA methylation changes at nearby CpG sites. Altogether, these findings suggest that rare SNVs at TFBS negatively influence TF-DNA binding, which can lead to an altered local DNA methylation profile. Furthermore, subsequent integration of DNA methylation and RNA-Seq profiles from cardiac tissues enabled us to observe an association between rare SNV-directed DNA methylation and outlier expression of nearby genes. In conclusion, our findings not only provide insights into the effect of rare genetic variation at TFBS on shaping local DNA methylation and its consequences on genome regulation, but also provide a rationale to incorporate DNA methylation data to interpret the functional role of rare variants.

scholarly journals Distinct Contribution of DNA Methylation and Histone Acetylation to the Genomic Occupancy of Transcription Factors

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Cusack ◽  
Hamish W. King ◽  
Paolo Spingardi ◽  
Benedikt M. Kessler ◽  
Robert J. Klose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Transcription Factor Binding ◽  
Chromatin Accessibility ◽  
Histone Deacetylation ◽  
Hdac Inhibition ◽  
Factor Binding

AbstractEpigenetic modifications on chromatin play important roles in regulating gene expression. While chromatin states are often governed by multi-layered structure, how individual pathways contribute to gene expression remains poorly understood. For example, DNA methylation is known to regulate transcription factor binding but also to recruit methyl-CpG binding proteins that affect chromatin structure through the activity of histone deacetylase complexes (HDACs). Both of these mechanisms can potentially affect gene expression, but the importance of each, and whether these activities are integrated to achieve appropriate gene regulation, remains largely unknown. To address this important question, we measured gene expression, chromatin accessibility, and transcription factor occupancy in wild-type or DNA methylation-deficient mouse embryonic stem cells following HDAC inhibition. Interestingly, we observe widespread increases in chromatin accessibility at repeat elements when HDACs are inhibited, and this is magnified when cells also lack DNA methylation. A subset of these elements have elevated binding of the YY1 and GABPA transcription factors and increased expression. The pronounced additive effect of HDAC inhibition in DNA methylation deficient cells demonstrate that DNA methylation and histone deacetylation act largely independently to suppress transcription factor binding and gene expression.

scholarly journals DNA methylation changes are a late event in acute promyelocytic leukemia and coincide with loss of transcription factor binding

Blood ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 178-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Till Schoofs ◽  
Christian Rohde ◽  
Katja Hebestreit ◽  
Hans-Ulrich Klein ◽  
Stefanie Göllner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Retinoic Acid ◽  
Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Transcription Factor Binding ◽  
Promyelocytic Leukemia ◽  
Factor Binding ◽  
Aberrant Dna Methylation

Abstract The origin of aberrant DNA methylation in cancer remains largely unknown. In the present study, we elucidated the DNA methylome in primary acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and the role of promyelocytic leukemia–retinoic acid receptor α (PML-RARα) in establishing these patterns. Cells from APL patients showed increased genome-wide DNA methylation with higher variability than healthy CD34+ cells, promyelocytes, and remission BM cells. A core set of differentially methylated regions in APL was identified. Age at diagnosis, Sanz score, and Flt3-mutation status characterized methylation subtypes. Transcription factor–binding sites (eg, the c-myc–binding sites) were associated with low methylation. However, SUZ12- and REST-binding sites identified in embryonic stem cells were preferentially DNA hypermethylated in APL cells. Unexpectedly, PML-RARα–binding sites were also protected from aberrant DNA methylation in APL cells. Consistent with this, myeloid cells from preleukemic PML-RARα knock-in mice did not show altered DNA methylation and the expression of PML-RARα in hematopoietic progenitor cells prevented differentiation without affecting DNA methylation. Treatment of APL blasts with all-trans retinoic acid also did not result in immediate DNA methylation changes. The results of the present study suggest that aberrant DNA methylation is associated with leukemia phenotype but is not required for PML-RARα–mediated initiation of leukemogenesis.

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