Many players, one goal: how chromatin states are inherited during cell division

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 332-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaella Santoro ◽  
Filomena De Lucia

Replication of genomic material is a process that requires not only high fidelity in the duplication of DNA sequences but also inheritance of the chromatin states. In the last few years enormous effort has been put into elucidating the mechanisms involved in the correct propagation of chromatin states. From all these studies it emerges that an epigenetic network is at the base of this process. A coordinated interplay between histone modifications and histone variants, DNA methylation, RNA components, ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling, and histone-specific assembly factors regulates establishment of the replication timing program, initiation of replication, and propagation of chromatin domains. The aim of this review is to examine, in light of recent findings, how so many players can be coordinated with each other to achieve the same goal, a correct inheritance of the chromatin state.Key words: replication, histone variants, histone modification, DNA methylation, chromatin remodeling factors.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanae Sato ◽  
Bin Wu ◽  
Fabien Delahaye ◽  
Robert H. Singer ◽  
John M. Greally

SUMMARYThe heritability of chromatin states through cell division is a potential contributor to the epigenetic maintenance of cellular memory of prior states. The macroH2A histone variant has properties of a regulator of epigenetic cell memory, including roles controlling gene silencing and cell differentiation. Its mechanisms of regional genomic targeting and maintenance through cell division are unknown. Here we combined in vivo imaging with biochemical and genomic approaches to show that human macroH2A is incorporated into chromatin in the G1 phase of the cell cycle following DNA replication. The newly-incorporated macroH2A re-targets the same, large heterochromatic domains where macroH2A was already enriched in the previous cell cycle. It remains heterotypic, targeting individual nucleosomes that do not already contain a macroH2A molecule. The pattern observed resembles that of new deposition of centromeric histone variants during the cell cycle, indicating mechanistic similarities for macrodomain-scale regulation of epigenetic properties of the cell.


2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 757-771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Francastel ◽  
Frédérique Magdinier

Abstract Despite the tremendous progress made in recent years in assembling the human genome, tandemly repeated DNA elements remain poorly characterized. These sequences account for the vast majority of methylated sites in the human genome and their methylated state is necessary for this repetitive DNA to function properly and to maintain genome integrity. Furthermore, recent advances highlight the emerging role of these sequences in regulating the functions of the human genome and its variability during evolution, among individuals, or in disease susceptibility. In addition, a number of inherited rare diseases are directly linked to the alteration of some of these repetitive DNA sequences, either through changes in the organization or size of the tandem repeat arrays or through mutations in genes encoding chromatin modifiers involved in the epigenetic regulation of these elements. Although largely overlooked so far in the functional annotation of the human genome, satellite elements play key roles in its architectural and topological organization. This includes functions as boundary elements delimitating functional domains or assembly of repressive nuclear compartments, with local or distal impact on gene expression. Thus, the consideration of satellite repeats organization and their associated epigenetic landmarks, including DNA methylation (DNAme), will become unavoidable in the near future to fully decipher human phenotypes and associated diseases.


Author(s):  
Mai Mahmoud Shaker ◽  
Taghreed Abdelmoniem shalabi ◽  
Khalda said Amr

Abstract Background DNA methylation is an epigenetic process for modifying transcription factors in various genes. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) stimulates synthesis of methyl radical in the homocysteine cycle and delivers methyl groups needed in DNA methylation. Furthermore, numerous studies have linked gene polymorphisms of this enzyme with a larger risk of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), yet scarce information is available concerning the association between epigenetic deviations in this gene and RPL. Hypermethylation at precise DNA sequences can function as biomarkers for a diversity of diseases. We aimed by this study to evaluate the methylation status of the promoter region of MTHFR gene in women with RPL compared to healthy fertile women. It is a case–control study. Hundred RPL patients and hundred healthy fertile women with no history of RPL as controls were recruited. MTHFR C677T was assessed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Quantitative evaluation of DNA methylation was performed by high-resolution melt analysis by real-time PCR. Results The median of percentage of MTHFR promoter methylation in RPL cases was 6.45 [0.74–100] vs. controls was 4.50 [0.60–91.7], P value < 0.001. In the case group, 57 hypermethylated and 43 normo-methylated among RPL patients vs. 40 hypermethylated and 60 normo-methylated among controls, P< 0.005. Frequency of T allele in C677T MTHFR gene among RPL patients was 29% vs. 23% among the control group; C allele vs. T allele: odds ratio (OR) = 1.367 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.725–2.581). Conclusion Findings suggested a significant association between hypermethylation of the MTHFR promoter region in RPL patients compared to healthy fertile women.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3580
Author(s):  
Shatavisha Dasgupta ◽  
Patricia C. Ewing-Graham ◽  
Sigrid M. A. Swagemakers ◽  
Thierry P. P. van den Bosch ◽  
Peggy N. Atmodimedjo ◽  
...  

DNA methylation is the most widely studied mechanism of epigenetic modification, which can influence gene expression without alterations in DNA sequences. Aberrations in DNA methylation are known to play a role in carcinogenesis, and methylation profiling has enabled the identification of biomarkers of potential clinical interest for several cancers. For vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC), however, methylation profiling remains an under-studied area. We sought to identify differentially methylated genes (DMGs) in VSCC, by performing Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip (Illumina) array sequencing, on a set of primary VSCC (n = 18), and normal vulvar tissue from women with no history of vulvar (pre)malignancies (n = 6). Using a false-discovery rate of 0.05, beta-difference (Δβ) of ± 0.5, and CpG-island probes as cut-offs, 199 DMGs (195 hyper-methylated, 4 hypo-methylated) were identified for VSCC. Most of the hyper-methylated genes were found to be involved in transcription regulator activity, indicating that disruption of this process plays a vital role in VSCC development. The majority of VSCCs harbored amplifications of chromosomes 3, 8, and 9. We identified a set of DMGs in this exploratory, hypothesis-generating study, which we hope will facilitate epigenetic profiling of VSCCs. Prognostic relevance of these DMGs deserves further exploration in larger cohorts of VSCC and its precursor lesions.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6810-6818 ◽  
Author(s):  
X Y Zhang ◽  
N Jabrane-Ferrat ◽  
C K Asiedu ◽  
S Samac ◽  
B M Peterlin ◽  
...  

A mammalian protein called RFX or NF-X binds to the X box (or X1 box) in the promoters of a number of major histocompatibility (MHC) class II genes. In this study, RFX was shown to have the same DNA-binding specificity as methylated DNA-binding protein (MDBP), and its own cDNA was found to contain a binding site for MDBP in the leader region. MDBP is a ubiquitous mammalian protein that binds to certain DNA sequences preferentially when they are CpG methylated and to other related sequences, like the X box, irrespective of DNA methylation. MDBP from HeLa and Raji cells formed DNA-protein complexes with X-box oligonucleotides that coelectrophoresed with those containing standard MDBP sites. Furthermore, MDBP and X-box oligonucleotides cross-competed for the formation of these DNA-protein complexes. DNA-protein complexes obtained with MDBP sites displayed the same partial supershifting with an antiserum directed to the N terminus of RFX seen for complexes containing an X-box oligonucleotide. Also, the in vitro-transcribed-translated product of a recombinant RFX cDNA bound specifically to MDBP ligands and displayed the DNA methylation-dependent binding of MDBP. RFX therefore contains MDBP activity and thereby also EF-C, EP, and MIF activities that are indistinguishable from MDBP and that bind to methylation-independent sites in the transcriptional enhancers of polyomavirus and hepatitis B virus and to an intron of c-myc.


1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 2919-2928
Author(s):  
K W Runge ◽  
R J Wellinger ◽  
V A Zakian

The linear chromosomes of eukaryotes contain specialized structures to ensure their faithful replication and segregation to daughter cells. Two of these structures, centromeres and telomeres, are limited, respectively, to one and two copies per chromosome. It is possible that the proteins that interact with centromere and telomere DNA sequences are present in limiting amounts and could be competed away from the chromosomal copies of these elements by additional copies introduced on plasmids. We have introduced excess centromeres and telomeres into Saccharomyces cerevisiae and quantitated their effects on the rates of loss of chromosome III and chromosome VII by fluctuation analysis. We show that (i) 600 new telomeres have no effect on chromosome loss; (ii) an average of 25 extra centromere DNA sequences increase the rate of chromosome III loss from 0.4 x 10(-4) events per cell division to 1.3 x 10(-3) events per cell division; (iii) centromere DNA (CEN) sequences on circular vectors destabilize chromosomes more effectively than do CEN sequences on 15-kb linear vectors, and transcribed CEN sequences have no effect on chromosome stability. We discuss the different effects of extra centromere and telomere DNA sequences on chromosome stability in terms of how the cell recognizes these two chromosomal structures.


1983 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 881-891
Author(s):  
H J Breter ◽  
J Ferguson ◽  
T A Peterson ◽  
S I Reed

The genes CDC36, CDC37, and CDC39, thought to function in the cell division control process in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, were isolated from a recombinant plasmid library prepared by partial digestion of S. cerevisiae genomic DNA with Sau3A and insertion into the S. cerevisiae-Escherichia coli shuttle vector YRp7. In each case, S. cerevisiae DNA sequences were identified which could complement mutant alleles of the gene in question and which could direct integration of a plasmid at the chromosomal location known to correspond to that gene. Complementing DNA segments were subcloned to remove extraneous coding regions. The coding regions corresponding to CDC36, CDC37, and CDC39 were then identified and localized by R-loop analysis. The estimated sizes of the three coding regions were 615, 1,400, and 2,700 base pairs, respectively. Transcriptional orientation of the coding regions was established by using M13 vectors to prepare strand-specific probes followed by hybridization to blots of electrophoresed S. cerevisiae mRNA. The intracellular steady-state abundance of the mRNA species corresponding to the genes was estimated by comparing hybridization signals on RNA blots to that of a previously determined standard, the cell cycle start gene CDC28. The quantities calculated for the three mRNA species were low, ranging from 1.5 +/- 1 copies per haploid cell for the CDC36 mRNA to 3.1 +/- 1.5 and 4.6 +/- 2 copies per haploid cell for the CDC37 and CDC39 mRNAs, respectively. The CDC28 mRNA had been previously estimated at 7.0 +/- 2 copies per cell.


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