scholarly journals The transcription factor basal regulatory network of Homo sapiens and Saccharomyces cerevisiae: uncovering the relationship between topology and phenotype

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
JL Hernández-Domínguez ◽  
A. Brass ◽  
EM Navarro-López

AbstractTranscription factors play a key role in controlling which proteins are made by a cell. As transcription factors are themselves proteins, they are part of a complex interconnected and self-regulated network. We define the transcription factor basal regulatory network (TFBRN) as the network formed by the interactions between transcription factors (TFs) as proteins acting on target genes which are themselves TFs. The question then becomes as to whether topological features of this network are important in determining phenotypes caused by perturbations in TFs. To explore this, we developed two simple TFBRN models; one based on data from human TFs, and the other on the budding yeast. Even from this basic model we did find some very clear correlations between local topological measures and phenotypes seen in cancer and rare genetic diseases. This strongly suggests that the local network architecture of the TFBRN provides important information around the roles of transcription factors and the impacts to an organisation of their perturbation.Author SummaryThe human body is controlled by proteins whose production is coordinated by proteins known as transcription factors. These transcription factors can control multiple proteins, including other transcription factors. Does this network itself play any role in determining the properties of the transcription factors and their roles in cancer and disease? In this paper we find that there is a relationship between the local structures in the network and processes such as cancer and rare genetic diseases. We also found a similar relationship between local network characteristics and budding yeast phenotypes. This work therefore shows that simple properties of the network of interactions between transcription factors and their targets can be useful in determining the effects caused by changes in transcription factors (whether through deletion or allelic variation).

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 8193
Author(s):  
Daniel Pérez-Cremades ◽  
Ana B. Paes ◽  
Xavier Vidal-Gómez ◽  
Ana Mompeón ◽  
Carlos Hermenegildo ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Estrogen has been reported to have beneficial effects on vascular biology through direct actions on endothelium. Together with transcription factors, miRNAs are the major drivers of gene expression and signaling networks. The objective of this study was to identify a comprehensive regulatory network (miRNA-transcription factor-downstream genes) that controls the transcriptomic changes observed in endothelial cells exposed to estradiol. Methods: miRNA/mRNA interactions were assembled using our previous microarray data of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) treated with 17β-estradiol (E2) (1 nmol/L, 24 h). miRNA–mRNA pairings and their associated canonical pathways were determined using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software. Transcription factors were identified among the miRNA-regulated genes. Transcription factor downstream target genes were predicted by consensus transcription factor binding sites in the promoter region of E2-regulated genes by using JASPAR and TRANSFAC tools in Enrichr software. Results: miRNA–target pairings were filtered by using differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs characterized by a regulatory relationship according to miRNA target prediction databases. The analysis identified 588 miRNA–target interactions between 102 miRNAs and 588 targets. Specifically, 63 upregulated miRNAs interacted with 295 downregulated targets, while 39 downregulated miRNAs were paired with 293 upregulated mRNA targets. Functional characterization of miRNA/mRNA association analysis highlighted hypoxia signaling, integrin, ephrin receptor signaling and regulation of actin-based motility by Rho among the canonical pathways regulated by E2 in HUVEC. Transcription factors and downstream genes analysis revealed eight networks, including those mediated by JUN and REPIN1, which are associated with cadherin binding and cell adhesion molecule binding pathways. Conclusion: This study identifies regulatory networks obtained by integrative microarray analysis and provides additional insights into the way estradiol could regulate endothelial function in human endothelial cells.


2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (18) ◽  
pp. 5438-5453
Author(s):  
Alejandra Camoirano ◽  
Agustín L Arce ◽  
Federico D Ariel ◽  
Antonela L Alem ◽  
Daniel H Gonzalez ◽  
...  

Abstract Trichomes and the cuticle are two specialized structures of the aerial epidermis that are important for plant organ development and interaction with the environment. In this study, we report that Arabidopsis thaliana plants affected in the function of the class I TEOSINTE BRANCHED 1, CYCLOIDEA, PCF (TCP) transcription factors TCP14 and TCP15 show overbranched trichomes in leaves and stems and increased cuticle permeability. We found that TCP15 regulates the expression of MYB106, a MIXTA-like transcription factor involved in epidermal cell and cuticle development, and overexpression of MYB106 in a tcp14 tcp15 mutant reduces trichome branch number. TCP14 and TCP15 are also required for the expression of the cuticle biosynthesis genes CYP86A4, GPAT6, and CUS2, and of SHN1 and SHN2, two AP2/EREBP transcription factors required for cutin and wax biosynthesis. SHN1 and CUS2 are also targets of TCP15, indicating that class I TCPs influence cuticle formation acting at different levels, through the regulation of MIXTA-like and SHN transcription factors and of cuticle biosynthesis genes. Our study indicates that class I TCPs are coordinators of the regulatory network involved in trichome and cuticle development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juha Mehtonen ◽  
Susanna Teppo ◽  
Mari Lahnalampi ◽  
Aleksi Kokko ◽  
Riina Kaukonen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Tight regulatory loops orchestrate commitment to B cell fate within bone marrow. Genetic lesions in this gene regulatory network underlie the emergence of the most common childhood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The initial genetic hits, including the common translocation that fuses ETV6 and RUNX1 genes, lead to arrested cell differentiation. Here, we aimed to characterize transcription factor activities along the B-lineage differentiation trajectory as a reference to characterize the aberrant cell states present in leukemic bone marrow, and to identify those transcription factors that maintain cancer-specific cell states for more precise therapeutic intervention. Methods We compared normal B-lineage differentiation and in vivo leukemic cell states using single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) and several complementary genomics profiles. Based on statistical tools for scRNA-seq, we benchmarked a workflow to resolve transcription factor activities and gene expression distribution changes in healthy bone marrow lymphoid cell states. We compared these to ALL bone marrow at diagnosis and in vivo during chemotherapy, focusing on leukemias carrying the ETV6-RUNX1 fusion. Results We show that lymphoid cell transcription factor activities uncovered from bone marrow scRNA-seq have high correspondence with independent ATAC- and ChIP-seq data. Using this comprehensive reference for regulatory factors coordinating B-lineage differentiation, our analysis of ETV6-RUNX1-positive ALL cases revealed elevated activity of multiple ETS-transcription factors in leukemic cells states, including the leukemia genome-wide association study hit ELK3. The accompanying gene expression changes associated with natural killer cell inactivation and depletion in the leukemic immune microenvironment. Moreover, our results suggest that the abundance of G1 cell cycle state at diagnosis and lack of differentiation-associated regulatory network changes during induction chemotherapy represent features of chemoresistance. To target the leukemic regulatory program and thereby overcome treatment resistance, we show that inhibition of ETS-transcription factors reduced cell viability and resolved pathways contributing to this using scRNA-seq. Conclusions Our data provide a detailed picture of the transcription factor activities characterizing both normal B-lineage differentiation and those acquired in leukemic bone marrow and provide a rational basis for new treatment strategies targeting the immune microenvironment and the active regulatory network in leukemia.


Author(s):  
Juha Mehtonen ◽  
Susanna Teppo ◽  
Mari Lahnalampi ◽  
Aleksi Kokko ◽  
Riina Kaukonen ◽  
...  

AbstractTight regulatory loops orchestrate commitment to B-cell fate within bone marrow. Genetic lesions in this gene regulatory network underlie the emergence of the most common childhood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The initial genetic hits, including the common translocation that fuses ETV6 and RUNX1 genes, lead to arrested cell differentiation. Here, we aimed to characterize transcription factor activities along the B-lineage differentiation trajectory as a reference to characterize the aberrant cell states present in leukemic bone marrow, and to identify those transcription factors that maintain cancer-specific cell states for more precise therapeutic intervention.We compared normal B-lineage differentiation and in vivo leukemic cell states using single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) and several complementary genomics profiles. Based on statistical tools for scRNA-seq, we benchmarked a workflow to resolve transcription factor activities and gene expression distribution changes in healthy bone marrow lymphoid cell states. We compared these to ALL bone marrow at diagnosis and in vivo during chemotherapy, focusing on leukemias carrying the ETV6-RUNX1 fusion.We show that lymphoid cell transcription factor activities uncovered from bone marrow scRNA-seq have high correspondence with independent ATAC- and ChIP-seq data. Using this comprehensive reference for regulatory factors coordinating B-lineage differentiation, our analysis of ETV6-RUNX1-positive ALL cases revealed elevated activity of multiple ETS-transcription factors in leukemic cells states, including the leukemia genome-wide association study hit ELK3. The accompanying gene expression changes associated with natural killer cell inactivation and depletion in the leukemic immune microenvironment. Moreover, our results suggest that the abundance of G1 cell cycle state at diagnosis and lack of differentiation-associated regulatory network changes during induction chemotherapy represent features of chemoresistance. To target the leukemic regulatory program and thereby overcome treatment-resistance, we show that selective inhibitors of ETS-transcription factors could effectively reduce cell viability.Our data provide a detailed picture of the transcription factor activities that characterize both normal B-lineage differentiation and those acquired in leukemic bone marrow and provide a rational basis for new treatment strategies targeting the immune microenvironment and the active regulatory network in leukemia.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (03) ◽  
pp. 1950024
Author(s):  
Ping Huang ◽  
Peng Ge ◽  
Qing-Fen Tian ◽  
Guo-Bao Huang

Purpose: Burn is one of the most common injuries in clinical practice. The use of transcription factors (TFs) has been reported to reverse the epigenetic rewiring process and has great promise for skin regeneration. To better identify key TFs for skin reprogramming, we proposed a predictive system that conjoint analyzed gene expression data and regulatory network information. Methods: Firstly, the gene expression data in skin tissues were downloaded and the LIMMA package was used to identify differential-expressed genes (DEGs). Then three ways, including identification of TFs from the DEGs, enrichment analysis of TFs by a Fisher’s test, the direct and network-based influence degree analysis of TFs, were used to identify the key TFs related to skin regeneration. Finally, to obtain most comprehensive combination of TFs, the coverage extent of all the TFs were analyzed by Venn diagrams. Results: The top 30 TFs combinations with higher coverage were acquired. Especially, TFAP2A, ZEB1, and NFKB1 exerted greater regulatory influence on other DEGs in the local network and presented relatively higher degrees in the protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks. Conclusion: These TFs identification could give a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanism of cell trans-differentiation, and provide a reference for the skin regeneration and burn treatment.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raja Jothi ◽  
S Balaji ◽  
Arthur Wuster ◽  
Joshua A Grochow ◽  
Jörg Gsponer ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Schwartz ◽  
Avital Sarusi Portugez ◽  
Bracha Zukerman Attia ◽  
Miriam Tannenbaum ◽  
Olga Loza ◽  
...  

AbstractGene transcription is substantially regulated by distant regulatory elements via combinatorial binding of transcription factors. It is more and more recognized that alterations in chromatin state and transcription factor binding in these distant regulatory elements may have key roles in cancer development. Here we focused on the first stages of oncogene induced carcinogenic transformation, and characterized the regulatory network underlying transcriptional reprogramming associated with this process. Using Hi-C data, we couple between differentially expressed genes and their differentially active regulatory elements and reveal two candidate transcription factors, p53 and CTCF, as major determinants of transcriptional reprogramming at early stages of HRas-induced transformation. Strikingly, the malignant transcriptional reprograming is promoted by redistribution of chromatin binding of these factors without major variation in their expression level. Our results demonstrate that alterations in the regulatory landscape have a major role in driving oncogene-induced transcriptional reprogramming.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 6066-6077
Author(s):  
Guangyu Xu ◽  
Guangxin Yuan ◽  
Xuechun Lu ◽  
Liping An ◽  
Yu Sheng ◽  
...  

Cordyceps militaris polypeptide can regulate the immune function of mice through multiple genes and transcription factors.


mSystems ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Bergenholm ◽  
Guodong Liu ◽  
Petter Holland ◽  
Jens Nielsen

ABSTRACT To build transcription regulatory networks, transcription factor binding must be analyzed in cells grown under different conditions because their responses and targets differ depending on environmental conditions. We performed whole-genome analysis of the DNA binding of five Saccharomyces cerevisiae transcription factors involved in lipid metabolism, Ino2, Ino4, Hap1, Oaf1, and Pip2, in response to four different environmental conditions in chemostat cultures, which allowed us to keep the specific growth rate constant. Chromatin immunoprecipitation with lambda exonuclease digestion (ChIP-exo) enabled the detection of binding events at a high resolution. We discovered a large number of unidentified targets and thus expanded functions for each transcription factor (e.g., glutamate biosynthesis as a target of Oaf1 and Pip2). Moreover, condition-dependent binding of transcription factors in response to cell metabolic state (e.g., differential binding of Ino2 between fermentative and respiratory metabolic conditions) was clearly suggested. Combining the new binding data with previously published data from transcription factor deletion studies revealed the high complexity of the transcriptional regulatory network for lipid metabolism in yeast, which involves the combinatorial and complementary regulation by multiple transcription factors. We anticipate that our work will provide insights into transcription factor binding dynamics that will prove useful for the understanding of transcription regulatory networks. IMPORTANCE Transcription factors play a crucial role in the regulation of gene expression and adaptation to different environments. To better understand the underlying roles of these adaptations, we performed experiments that give us high-resolution binding of transcription factors to their targets. We investigated five transcription factors involved in lipid metabolism in yeast, and we discovered multiple novel targets and condition-specific responses that allow us to draw a better regulatory map of the lipid metabolism.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. e1009354
Author(s):  
Sergio Sarnataro ◽  
Andrea Riba ◽  
Nacho Molina

Proliferating cells experience a global reduction of transcription during mitosis, yet their cell identity is maintained and regulatory information is propagated from mother to daughter cells. Mitotic bookmarking by transcription factors has been proposed as a potential mechanism to ensure the reactivation of transcription at the proper set of genes exiting mitosis. Recently, mitotic transcription and waves of transcription reactivation have been observed in synchronized populations of human hepatoma cells. However, the study did not consider that mitotic-arrested cell populations progressively desynchronize leading to measurements of gene expression on a mixture of cells at different internal cell-cycle times. Moreover, it is not well understood yet what is the precise role of mitotic bookmarking on mitotic transcription as well as on the transcription reactivation waves. Ultimately, the core gene regulatory network driving the precise transcription reactivation dynamics remains to be identified. To address these questions, we developed a mathematical model to correct for the progressive desynchronization of cells and estimate gene expression dynamics with respect to a cell-cycle pseudotime. Furthermore, we used a multiple linear regression model to infer transcription factor activity dynamics. Our analysis allows us to characterize waves of transcription factor activities exiting mitosis and predict a core gene regulatory network responsible of the transcription reactivation dynamics. Moreover, we identified more than 60 transcription factors that are highly active during mitosis and represent new candidates of mitotic bookmarking factors which could be relevant therapeutic targets to control cell proliferation.


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