scholarly journals New Aspects of Magnesium Function: A Key Regulator in Nucleosome Self-Assembly, Chromatin Folding and Phase Separation

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (17) ◽  
pp. 4232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Ohyama
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Nucleic Acids ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Metal Cations ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Chromatin Dynamics ◽  
Chromatin Folding ◽  
Heterochromatin Domain

Metal cations are associated with many biological processes. The effects of these cations on nucleic acids and chromatin were extensively studied in the early stages of nucleic acid and chromatin research. The results revealed that some monovalent and divalent metal cations, including Mg2+, profoundly affect the conformations and stabilities of nucleic acids, the folding of chromatin fibers, and the extent of chromosome condensation. Apart from these effects, there have only been a few reports on the functions of these cations. In 2007 and 2013, however, Mg2+-implicated novel phenomena were found: Mg2+ facilitates or enables both self-assembly of identical double-stranded (ds) DNA molecules and self-assembly of identical nucleosomes in vitro. These phenomena may be deeply implicated in the heterochromatin domain formation and chromatin-based phase separation. Furthermore, a recent study showed that elevation of the intranuclear Mg2+ concentration causes unusual differentiation of mouse ES (embryonic stem) cells. All of these phenomena seem to be closely related to one another. Mg2+ seems to be a key regulator of chromatin dynamics and chromatin-based biological processes.

scholarly journals Phase separation of both a plant virus movement protein and cellular factors support virus-host interactions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelby L Brown ◽  
Jared P. May
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Mosaic Virus ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Electrostatic Interactions ◽  
Movement Protein ◽  
Virus Movement ◽  
In Planta ◽  
Ribonucleoprotein Complexes

Phase separation concentrates biomolecules, which should benefit RNA viruses that must sequester viral and host factors during an infection. Here, the p26 movement protein from Pea enation mosaic virus 2 (PEMV2) was found to phase separate and partition in nucleoli and G3BP stress granules (SGs) in vivo . Electrostatic interactions drive p26 phase separation as mutation of basic (R/K-G) or acidic (D/E-G) residues either blocked or reduced phase separation, respectively. During infection, p26 must partition inside the nucleolus and interact with fibrillarin (Fib2) as a pre-requisite for systemic trafficking of viral RNAs. Partitioning of p26 in pre-formed Fib2 droplets was dependent on p26 phase separation suggesting that phase separation of viral movement proteins supports nucleolar partitioning and virus movement. Furthermore, viral ribonucleoprotein complexes containing p26, Fib2, and PEMV2 RNA were formed via phase separation in vitro and could provide the basis for self-assembly in planta . Interestingly, both R/K-G and D/E-G p26 mutants failed to support systemic trafficking of a Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) vector in Nicotiana benthamiana suggesting that p26 phase separation, proper nucleolar partitioning, and systemic movement are intertwined. p26 also partitioned in SGs and G3BP over-expression restricted PEMV2 accumulation >20-fold. Expression of phase separation-deficient G3BP only restricted PEMV2 5-fold, demonstrating that G3BP phase separation is critical for maximum antiviral activity.

scholarly journals Dynamic plasticity of large-scale chromatin structure revealed by self-assembly of engineered chromosome regions

2010 ◽  
Vol 190 (5) ◽  
pp. 761-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Sinclair ◽  
Qian Bian ◽  
Matt Plutz ◽  
Edith Heard ◽  
Andrew S. Belmont
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Tandem Repeats ◽  
Es Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes ◽  
Artificial Chromosomes ◽  
Lac Operator ◽  
Chromatin Folding ◽  
Chromosome Regions

Interphase chromatin compaction well above the 30-nm fiber is well documented, but the structural motifs underlying this level of chromatin folding remain unknown. Taking a reductionist approach, we analyzed in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and ES-derived fibroblasts and erythroblasts the folding of 10–160-megabase pair engineered chromosome regions consisting of tandem repeats of bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) containing ∼200 kilobases of mammalian genomic DNA tagged with lac operator (LacO) arrays. Unexpectedly, linear mitotic and interphase chromatid regions formed from noncontiguously folded DNA topologies. Particularly, in ES cells, these model chromosome regions self-organized with distant sequences segregating into functionally distinct, compact domains. Transcriptionally active and histone H3K27me3-modified regions positioned toward the engineered chromosome subterritory exterior, with LacO repeats and the BAC vector backbone localizing within an H3K9me3, HP1-enriched core. Differential compaction of Dhfr and α- and β-globin transgenes was superimposed on dramatic, lineage-specific reorganization of large-scale chromatin folding, demonstrating a surprising plasticity of large-scale chromatin organization.

scholarly journals Self-assembly of multi-component mitochondrial nucleoids via phase separation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Feric ◽  
Tyler G. Demarest ◽  
Jane Tian ◽  
Deborah L. Croteau ◽  
Vilhelm A. Bohr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Mitochondrial Dysfunction ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Size Control ◽  
Premature Aging ◽  
List Type ◽  
Mitochondrial Nucleoids ◽  
Hutchinson Gilford Progeria Syndrome

SummaryMitochondria contain an autonomous and spatially segregated genome. The organizational unit of their genome is the nucleoid, which consists of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and associated architectural proteins. Here, we show that phase separation is the primary physical mechanism for assembly and size-control of the mitochondrial nucleoid. The major mtDNA-binding protein TFAM spontaneously phase separates in vitro via weak, multivalent interactions into viscoelastic droplets with slow internal dynamics. In combination, TFAM and mtDNA form multiphase, gel-like structures in vitro, which recapitulate the in vivo dynamic behavior of mt-nucleoids. Enlarged, phase-separated, yet transcriptionally active, nucleoids are present in mitochondria from patients with the premature aging disorder Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) and are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. These results point to phase separation as an evolutionarily conserved mechanism of genome organization.HighlightsMitochondrial genomes are organized by phase separation.The main packaging protein TFAM and mtDNA combine to form viscoelastic, multiphase droplets in vitro.Mitochondrial nucleoids exhibit phase behavior in vivo, including dynamic rearrangements and heterogenous organization.Coalescence and enlargement of mt-nucleoids occur upon loss of mitochondrial homeostasis as well as in prematurely aged cells and are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction.

scholarly journals Artificial pollen walls simulated by the tandem processes of phase separation and self‐assembly in vitro

2019 ◽  
Vol 225 (5) ◽  
pp. 1956-1973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina I. Gabarayeva ◽  
Valentina V. Grigorjeva ◽  
Maxim O. Lavrentovich
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Self Assembly

scholarly journals Molecular determinants of phase separation forDrosophilaDNA replication licensing factors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew W. Parker ◽  
Jonchee Kao ◽  
Alvin Huang ◽  
James M. Berger ◽  
Michael R. Botchan
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Initiation Factor ◽  
Sequence Composition ◽  
Intrinsically Disordered ◽  
Intrinsically Disordered Regions ◽  
Partner Proteins

ABSTRACTLiquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) in proteins can drive the formation of membraneless compartments in cells. Phase-separated structures enrich for specific partner proteins and exclude others. We have shown that the IDRs of metazoan DNA replication initiators drive DNA-dependent phase separationin vitroand chromosome bindingin vivo, and that initiator condensates selectively recruit specific partner proteins. How initiator IDRs facilitate LLPS and maintain compositional specificity is unknown. UsingD. melanogaster (Dm)Cdt1 as a model initiation factor, we show that phase separation results from a synergy between electrostatic DNA-bridging interactions and hydrophobic inter-IDR contacts. Both sets of interactions depend on sequence composition (but not sequence order), are resistant to 1,6- hexanediol, and do not depend on aromaticity. These findings demonstrate that distinct sets of interactions drive self-assembly and condensate specificity across different phase-separating systems and advance efforts to predict IDR LLPS propensity and specificitya priori.

scholarly journals Binding to m6A RNA promotes YTHDF2-mediated phase separation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiahua Wang ◽  
Liyong Wang ◽  
Jianbo Diao ◽  
Yujiang Geno Shi ◽  
Yang Shi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Low Complexity ◽  
Rna Degradation ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Liquid Droplets ◽  
P Granules ◽  
Defective Mutant ◽  
In Cells

AbstractAs the most abundant modification on mRNA in mammal, N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) has been demonstrated to play important roles in various biological processes including mRNA splicing, translation and degradation. m6A reader proteins have been shown to play central roles in these processes. One of the m6A readers, YTHDF2 is localized to the P granules, which are liquid-like droplets where RNA degradation occurs. How YTHDF2 is localized to P granules is unknown. Here we provide evidence that YTHDF2 forms liquid droplets and phase separate, mediated by its low complexity (LC) domains. Interestingly, the ability to phase separate is robustly stimulated by m6A RNAs in vitro. In vivo, YTHDF2 phase separation may in fact be dependent on m6A RNA and YTHDF2 binding to m6A RNA, since a YTHDF2 m6A-binding defective mutant or a wildtype YTHDF2 assayed in cells lacking m6A RNAs, both fail to phase separate. The ability of phase separate is not limited to YTHDF2; we find other members of the YTH-domain m6A readers can also undergo phase separation. Our findings suggest that m6A RNA induced phase separation of m6A readers may play an important role in their distributions to different phase-separated compartments in cells.

scholarly journals What macromolecular crystallogenesis tells us – what is needed in the future

IUCrJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 340-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Giegé
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Inorganic Materials ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Biologically Relevant ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
The Future

Crystallogenesis is a longstanding topic that has transformed into a discipline that is mainly focused on the preparation of crystals for practising crystallographers. Although the idiosyncratic features of proteins have to be taken into account, the crystallization of proteins is governed by the same physics as the crystallization of inorganic materials. At present, a diversified panel of crystallization methods adapted to proteins has been validated, and although only a few methods are in current practice, the success rate of crystallization has increased constantly, leading to the determination of ∼105X-ray structures. These structures reveal a huge repertoire of protein folds, but they only cover a restricted part of macromolecular diversity across the tree of life. In the future, crystals representative of missing structures or that will better document the structural dynamics and functional steps underlying biological processes need to be grown. For the pertinent choice of biologically relevant targets, computer-guided analysis of structural databases is needed. From another perspective, crystallization is a self-assembly process that can occur in the bulk of crowded fluids, with crystals being supramolecular assemblies. Life also uses self-assembly and supramolecular processes leading to transient, or less often stable, complexes. An integrated view of supramolecularity implies that proteins crystallizing eitherin vitroorin vivoor participating in cellular processes share common attributes, notably determinants and antideterminants that favour or disfavour their correct or incorrect associations. As a result, underin vivoconditions proteins show a balance between features that favour or disfavour association. If this balance is broken, disorders/diseases occur. Understanding crystallization underin vivoconditions is a challenge for the future. In this quest, the analysis of packing contacts and contacts within oligomers will be crucial in order to decipher the rules governing protein self-assembly and will guide the engineering of novel biomaterials. In a wider perspective, understanding such contacts will open the route towards supramolecular biology and generalized crystallogenesis.

scholarly journals The ZT Biopolymer: A Self-Assembling Protein Scaffold for Stem Cell Applications

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (17) ◽  
pp. 4299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yevheniia Nesterenko ◽  
Christopher J. Hill ◽  
Jennifer R. Fleming ◽  
Patricia Murray ◽  
Olga Mayans
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Culture Conditions ◽  
Molecular Engineering ◽  
Induced Pluripotent

The development of cell culture systems for the naturalistic propagation, self-renewal and differentiation of cells ex vivo is a high goal of molecular engineering. Despite significant success in recent years, the high cost of up-scaling cultures, the need for xeno-free culture conditions, and the degree of mimicry of the natural extracellular matrix attainable in vitro using designer substrates continue to pose obstacles to the translation of cell-based technologies. In this regard, the ZT biopolymer is a protein-based, stable, scalable, and economical cell substrate of high promise. ZT is based on the naturally occurring assembly of two human proteins: titin-Z1Z2 and telethonin. These protein building blocks are robust scaffolds that can be conveniently functionalized with full-length proteins and bioactive peptidic motifs by genetic manipulation, prior to self-assembly. The polymer is, thereby, fully encodable. Functionalized versions of the ZT polymer have been shown to successfully sustain the long-term culturing of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), and murine mesenchymal stromal cells (mMSCs). Pluripotency of hESCs and hiPSCs was retained for the longest period assayed (4 months). Results point to the large potential of the ZT system for the creation of a modular, pluri-functional biomaterial for cell-based applications.

scholarly journals Satellite repeat transcripts modulate heterochromatin condensates and safeguard chromosome stability in mouse embryonic stem cells

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara Lopes Novo ◽  
Emily Wong ◽  
Colin Hockings ◽  
Chetan Poudel ◽  
Eleanor Sheekey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Phase Separation ◽  
Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Satellite Repeat ◽  
Static State ◽  
Major Satellite ◽  
Nuclear Domains

SummaryHeterochromatin maintains genome integrity and function, and is organised into distinct nuclear domains. Some of these domains are proposed to form by phase separation through the accumulation of HP1α. Mammalian heterochromatin contains noncoding major satellite repeats (MSR), which are highly transcribed in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Here, we report that MSR transcripts can drive the formation of HP1α droplets in vitro, and scaffold heterochromatin into dynamic condensates in ESCs, leading to the formation of large nuclear domains that are characteristic of pluripotent cells. Depleting MSR transcripts causes heterochromatin to transition into a more compact and static state. Unexpectedly, changing heterochromatin’s biophysical properties has severe consequences for ESCs, including chromosome instability and mitotic defects. These findings uncover an essential role for MSR transcripts in modulating the organisation and properties of heterochromatin to preserve genome stability. They also provide new insights into the processes that could regulate phase separation and the functional consequences of disrupting the properties of heterochromatin condensates.

scholarly journals Simulated Microgravity Modulates Differentiation Processes of Embryonic Stem Cells

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 1483-1499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaibhav Shinde ◽  
Sonja Brungs ◽  
Margit Henry ◽  
Lucia Wegener ◽  
Harshal Nemade ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Stem Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Simulated Microgravity ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Embryoid Bodies ◽  
Signal Transduction Pathways ◽  
Biological Processes

Background/Aims: Embryonic developmental studies under microgravity conditions in space are very limited. To study the effects of altered gravity on the embryonic development processes we established an in vitro methodology allowing differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) under simulated microgravity within a fast-rotating clinostat (clinorotation) and capture of microarray-based gene signatures. Methods: The differentiating mESCs were cultured in a 2D pipette clinostat. The microarray and bioinformatics tools were used to capture genes that are deregulated by simulated microgravity and their impact on developmental biological processes. Results: The data analysis demonstrated that differentiation of mESCs in pipettes for 3 days resultet to early germ layer differentiation and then to the different somatic cell types after further 7 days of differentiation in the Petri dishes. Clinorotation influences differentiation as well as non-differentiation related biological processes like cytoskeleton related 19 genes were modulated. Notably, simulated microgravity deregulated genes Cyr61, Thbs1, Parva, Dhrs3, Jun, Tpm1, Fzd2 and Dll1 are involved in heart morphogenesis as an acute response on day 3. If the stem cells were further cultivated under normal gravity conditions (1 g) after clinorotation, the expression of cardiomyocytes specific genes such as Tnnt2, Rbp4, Tnni1, Csrp3, Nppb and Mybpc3 on day 10 was inhibited. This correlated well with a decreasing beating activity of the 10-days old embryoid bodies (EBs). Finally, we captured Gadd45g, Jun, Thbs1, Cyr61and Dll1 genes whose expressions were modulated by simulated microgravity and by real microgravity in various reported studies. Simulated microgravity also deregulated genes belonging to the MAP kinase and focal dhesion signal transduction pathways. Conclusion: One of the most prominent biological processes affected by simulated microgravity was the process of cardiomyogenesis. The most significant simulated microgravity-affected genes, signal transduction pathways, and biological processes which are relevant for mESCs differentiation have been identified and discussed below.

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