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DNA i-motifs (iMs) are non-canonical C-rich secondary structures implicated in numerous cellular processes. Though iMs exist throughout the genome, our understanding of iM recognition by proteins or small molecules is limited to a few examples. We designed a DNA microarray containing 10,976 genomic iM sequences to examine the binding profiles of four iM-binding proteins, mitoxantrone, and the iMab antibody. iMab microarray screens demonstrated that pH 6.5, 5% BSA buffer was optimal, and fluorescence was correlated with iM C-tract length. hnRNP K broadly recognizes diverse iM sequences, favoring 3-5 cytosine repeats flanked by thymine-rich loops of 1-3 nucleotides. Array binding mirrored public ChIP-Seq datasets, in which 35% of well-bound array iMs are enriched in hnRNP K peaks. In contrast, other reported iM-binding proteins had weaker binding or preferred G-quadruplex (G4) sequences instead. Mitoxantrone broadly binds both shorter iMs and G4s, consistent with an intercalation mechanism. These results suggest that hnRNP K may play a role in iM-mediated regulation of gene expressionin vivo, whereas hnRNP A1 and ASF/SF2 are possibly more selective in their binding preferences. This powerful approach represents the most comprehensive investigation of how biomolecules selectively recognize genomic iMs to date.

Patients with GATA2 deficiencyharbor de novo or inherited germline mutations in the GATA2 transcription factor gene, predisposing them to myeloid malignancies. There is considerable variation in disease progression, even among family members with the same mutation in GATA2. We investigated somatic mutations in 106 patients with GATA2 deficiency to identify acquired mutations that are associated with myeloid malignancies. Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) was the most common diagnosis (∼44%), followed by GATA2 bone marrow immunodeficiency disorder (G2BMID; ∼37%). Thirteen percent of the cohort had GATA2 mutations but displayed no disease manifestations. There were no correlations between age or sex with disease progression or survival. Cytogenetic analyses showed a high incidence of abnormalities (∼43%), notably trisomy 8 (∼23%) and monosomy 7 (∼12%), but the changes did not correlate with lower survival. Somatic mutations in ASXL1 and STAG2 were detected in ∼25% of patients, although the mutations were rarely concomitant. Mutations in DNMT3A were found in ∼10% of patients. These somatic mutations were found similarly in G2BMID and MDS, suggesting clonal hematopoiesis in early stages of disease, before the onset of MDS. ASXL1 mutations conferred a lower survival probability and were more prevalent in female patients. STAG2 mutations also conferred a lower survival probability, but did not show a statistically significant sex bias. There was a conspicuous absence of many commonly mutated genes associated with myeloid malignancies, including TET2, IDH1/2, and the splicing factor genes. Notably, somatic mutations in chromatin-related genes and cohesin genes characterized disease progression in GATA2 deficiency.

Upon exit from the totipotent 2-cell (2C) embryo stage, the 2C-associated transcriptional program needs to be efficiently silenced. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in this process remain mostly unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the 2C-specific transcription factor DUX directly induces the expression of DUXBL to promote this silencing. Indeed, DUX expression in Duxbl-knockout ESC causes increased induction of the 2C-transcriptional program, whereas DUXBL overexpression impairs 2C-associated transcription. CUT&RUN analyses show that DUXBL gains accessibility to DUX-bound regions in DUX-induced ESC while it is unable to bind those regions in uninduced cells. Mechanistically, we determined that DUXBL interacts with TRIM24 and TRIM33, two members of the tripartite motif superfamily involved in gene silencing and co-localizes with them in nuclear foci upon DUX expression. Furthermore, DUXBL downregulation in mouse zygotes leads to a penetrant 2C-stage arrest. Our data reveals an unexpected role for DUXBL in controlling the exit from totipotency.

G-quadruplexes are novel DNA secondary structures that are formed in guanine-rich genomic regions with functional importance in cancers, such as human telomeres and oncogene promoters. G-quadruplexes adopt globular structures distinct from duplex B-DNA and their structural diversity suggests specific recognition. G-quadruplexes have become attractive drug targets because they provide a means of addressing otherwise undruggable targets. As one example, MYC is an important oncogene that is difficult to target by traditional drug design; however, its regulation involves a promoter G-quadruplex (MycG4) that is a potential drug target. 3,6-bis(1-Methyl-4-vinylpyridinium) carbazole diiodide (BMVC) is the first fluorescent probe developed for detecting G-quadruplex structures in cells and has been tested for cancer cell diagnosis. Although it was designed to detect the G-quadruplexes formed in human telomeres, we found BMVC binds to the MYC promoter G-quadruplex (MycG4) with higher affinity and specificity. We determined the high-resolution NMR K+ solution structure of the 2:1 BMVC-MycG4 complex showing a novel conformational adjustment of BMVC for an optimal binding to G-quadruplexes. Intriguingly, BMVC binds the 5’-end of MycG4 with higher affinity, but it binds the 3’-end with greater sequence selectivity. To determine ligand-binding selectivity on a large-scale, we designed a new custom G-quadruplex microarray platform with more than 25,000 potential oncogene G4 sequences and mutants. The new microarray was able to systematically assess binding affinity and selectivity of drugs targeted to G4s like the G-quadruplex involved in MYC regulation. The microarray results show that BMVC preferentially binds to the parallel type of G-quadruplexes, especially MycG4. Importantly, a strong sequence selectivity of BMVC for a 3’ flanking T was observed, consistent with the NMR data. The new microarray was also able to systematically assess binding of proteins and antibodies in a high-throughput and unbiased manner, and we tested the G-quadruplex binding proteins FANCJ, PIF1, BLM, DHX36, WRN, IGF2, CNBP, nucleolin, as well as the G-quadruplex-specific antibody BG4. In conclusion, we establish the custom G4 DNA microarray which can be used to determine binding selectivity of small molecules and proteins to oncogene G-quadruplexes in large-scale and high-throughput. Citation Format: Guanhui Wu, Luying Chen, Kristen Huseman, Desiree Tillo, Sreejana Ray, Ta-Chau Chang, John S. Schneekloth, Charles Vinson, Danzhou Yang. Custom G4 DNA microarray can determine large-scale binding selectivity of small molecules and proteins to oncogene G-quadruplexes [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 2756.

NFATc2 is a DNA binding protein in the Rel family transcription factors, which binds a CGGAA motif better when both cytosines in the CG dinucleotide are methylated. Using protein binding microarrays (PBMs), we examined the DNA binding of NFATc2 to three additional types of DNA: single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) with either 5-methylcytosine (5mC, M) or 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC, H) in one strand and a cytosine in the second strand. ATTTCCAC, the complement of the core GGAA motif, is better bound as ssDNA compared to dsDNA. dsDNA containing the 5-mer CGGAA with either 5mC or 5hmC in one DNA strand is bound stronger than CGGAA. In contrast, the reverse complement TTCCG is bound weaker when it contains 5mC. Analysis of the available NFATc2:dsDNA complexes rationalizes these PBM data.

The naïve epiblast transitions to a pluripotent primed state during embryo implantation. Despite the relevance of the FGF pathway during this period, little is known about the downstream effectors regulating this signaling. Here, we examined the molecular mechanisms coordinating the naïve to primed transition by using inducible ESC to genetically eliminate all RAS proteins. We show that differentiated RAS

Totipotent cells have the ability to generate embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues. Interestingly, a rare population of cells with totipotent-like potential, known as 2 cell (2C)-like cells, has been identified within ESC cultures. They arise from ESC and display similar features to those found in the 2C embryo. However, the molecular determinants of 2C-like conversion have not been completely elucidated. Here, we show that the CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is a barrier for 2C-like reprogramming. Indeed, forced conversion to a 2C-like state by the transcription factor DUX is associated with DNA damage at a subset of CTCF binding sites. Depletion of CTCF in ESC efficiently promotes spontaneous and asynchronous conversion to a 2C-like state and is reversible upon restoration of CTCF levels. This phenotypic reprogramming is specific to pluripotent cells as neural progenitor cells do not show 2C-like conversion upon CTCF-depletion. Furthermore, we show that transcriptional activation of the ZSCAN4 cluster is necessary for successful 2C-like reprogramming. In summary, we reveal an unexpected relationship between CTCF and 2C-like reprogramming., Embryos at the 2-cell (2C) stage are totipotent, and overexpression of Dux transcription factor convert embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to a 2C-like state. Here the authors show that DUX-mediated 2C-like reprogramming is associated with DNA damage at CTCF sites and CTCF depletion promotes 2Clike conversion.

Previously, cooperative binding of the bZIP domain of CREB1 and the ETS domain of GABPα was observed for the composite DNA ETS ⇔ CRE motif (A0C1C2G3G4A5A6G7T8G9A10C11G12T13C14A15 ). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at the beginning and end of the ETS motif (ACCGGAAGT) increased cooperative binding. Here, we use an Agilent microarray of 60-mers containing all double nucleotide polymorphisms (DNPs) of the ETS ⇔ CRE motif to explore GABPα and CREB1 binding to their individual motifs and their cooperative binding. For GABPα, all DNPs were bound as if each SNP acted independently. In contrast, CREB1 binding to some DNPs was stronger or weaker than expected, depending on the locations of each SNP. CREB1 binding to DNPs where both SNPs were in the same half site, T8G9A10 or T13C14A15 , was greater than expected, indicating that an additional SNP cannot destroy binding as much as expected, suggesting that an individual SNP is enough to abolish sequence-specific DNA binding of a single bZIP monomer. If a DNP contains SNPs in each half site, binding is weaker than expected. Similar results were observed for additional ETS and bZIP family members. Cooperative binding between GABPα and CREB1 to the ETS ⇔ CRE motif was weaker than expected except for DNPs containing A7 and SNPs at the beginning of the ETS motif.

The bZIP homodimers CEBPB and CREB1 bind DNA containing methylated cytosines differently. CREB1 binds stronger to the C/EBP half-site GCAA when the cytosine is methylated. For CEBPB, methylation of the same cytosine does not affect DNA binding. The X-ray structure of CREB1 binding the half site GTCA identifies an alanine in the DNA binding region interacting with the methyl group of T, structurally analogous to the methyl group of methylated C. This alanine is replaced with a valine in CEBPB. To explore the contribution of this amino acid to binding with methylated cytosine of the GCAA half-site, we made the reciprocal mutants CEBPB(V285A) and CREB1(A297V) and used protein binding microarrays (PBM) to examine binding to four types of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA): 1) DNA with cytosine in both strands (DNA(C|C)), 2) DNA with 5-methylcytosine (M) in one strand and cytosine in the second strand (DNA(M|C)), 3) DNA with 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (H) in one strand and cytosine in the second strand (DNA(H|C)), and 4) DNA with both cytosines in all CG dinucleotides containing 5-methylcytosine (DNA(5mCG)). When binding to DNA(C|C), CEBPB (V285A) preferentially binds the CRE consensus motif (TGACGTCA), similar to CREB1. The reciprocal mutant, CREB1(A297V) binds DNA with some similarity to CEBPB, with strongest binding to the methylated PAR site 8-mer TTACGTAA. These data demonstrate that V285 residue inhibits CEBPB binding to methylated cytosine of the GCAA half-site.

BackgroundThe lung intratumor microbiome influences lung cancer tumorigenesis and treatment responses, but detailed data on the extent, location, and effects of microbes within lung tumors are missing, information needed for improved prognosis and treatment.MethodsTo address this gap, we developed a novel spatial meta-transcriptomic method simultaneously detecting the expression level of 1,811 host genes and 3 microbe targets (bacteria, fungi, and cytomegalovirus). After rigorous validation, we analyzed the spatial meta-transcriptomic profiles of tumor cells, T cells, macrophages, other immune cells, and stroma in surgically resected tumor samples from 12 patients with early-stage lung cancer.ResultsBacterial burden was significantly higher in tumor cells compared with T cells, macrophages, other immune cells, and stroma. This burden increased from tumor-adjacent normal lung and tertiary lymphoid structures to tumor cells to the airways, suggesting that lung intratumor bacteria derive from the latter route of entry. Expression of oncogenic β-catenin was strongly correlated with bacterial burden, as were tumor histological subtypes and environmental factors.ConclusionsIntratumor bacteria were enriched with tumor cells and associated with multiple oncogenic pathways, supporting a rationale for reducing the local intratumor microbiome in lung cancer for patient benefit.Trial registration numberNCT00242723, NCT02146170.

8531 Background: The lung intratumor microbiome influences lung cancer tumorigenesis and treatment responses, but detailed data on the extent, location, and effects of microbes within lung tumors is missing, information needed to improve treatment outcomes and prognosis. Methods: To address this gap, we developed a novel spatial meta-transcriptomic method simultaneously detecting the expression level of 1,811 host genes and three microbe targets (16S rRNA, 28S rRNA and CMV). After rigorous validation, we analyzed the spatial meta-transcriptomic profiles of tumor cells, T cells, macrophages, other immune cells, and stroma in tumor samples from 12 patients with early-stage lung cancer. Results: Bacterial burden was significantly higher in tumor cells compared to T cells, macrophages, other immune cells, and stroma. This burden increased from tumor-adjacent normal lung and tertiary lymphoid structures to tumor cells to the airways, suggesting that lung intratumor bacteria derive from the latter route of entry. Expression of oncogenic β-catenin and epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathway genes was strongly correlated with bacterial burden, as were tumor subtypes, mutation profile, histology and smoking history. Conclusions: Intratumor bacteria were enriched with tumor cells and associated with multiple oncogenic pathways, supporting a rationale for reducing the local intratumor microbiome in lung cancer to optimize clinical outcomes. This research was supported in part by the Intramural Research Programs of the NCI and NIAID. Other funding sources included ASCO Young Investigator Award, SITC-AstraZeneca Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer (Early Stage NSCLC) Clinical Fellowship Award, NIH Bench-to-Bedside and Back Program (BtB), NCI R00 award (CA226400), Emerson Collective Cancer Research fund, Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) pilot grant and W.W. Smith Trust Foundation award. This study was approved by NCI institutional review board (NCT00242723 and NCT02146170) and Animal Use and Care Committee at the University of Pennsylvania (#806875).

The naïve epiblast undergoes a transition to a pluripotent primed state during embryo implantation. Despite the relevance of the FGF pathway during this period, little is known about the downstream effectors regulating this signaling. Here, we examined the molecular mechanisms coordinating the naïve to primed transition by using inducible ESC to genetically eliminate all RAS proteins. We show that differentiated RASKO ESC remain trapped in an intermediate state of pluripotency with naïve-associated features. Elimination of the transcription factor ERF overcomes the developmental blockage of RAS-deficient cells by naïve enhancer decommissioning. Mechanistically, ERF regulates NANOG expression and ensures naïve pluripotency by strengthening naïve transcription factor binding at ESC enhancers. Moreover, ERF negatively regulates the expression of the de novo methyltransferase DNMT3B, which participates in the extinction of the naïve transcriptional program. Collectively, we demonstrated an essential role for ERF controlling the exit from naïve pluripotency during the progression to primed pluripotency.TeaserERF is the MAPK-dependent switch controlling the transition between naïve and primed pluripotency during embryonic development.

SUMMARYTotipotent cells have the ability of generating embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues1,2. Interestingly, a rare population of cells with totipotent-like potential was identified within ESC cultures3. These cells, known as 2 cell (2C)-like cells, arise from ESC and display similar features to those found in the totipotent 2 cell embryo2-4. However, the molecular determinants of 2C-like conversion have not been completely elucidated. Here, we show that CTCF is a barrier for 2C-like reprogramming. Indeed, forced conversion to a 2C-like state by DUX expression was associated with DNA damage at a subset of CTCF binding sites. Endogenous or DUX-induced 2C-like ESC showed decreased CTCF enrichment at known binding sites, suggesting that acquisition of a totipotent-like state is associated with a highly dynamic chromatin architecture. Accordingly, depletion of CTCF in ESC efficiently promoted spontaneous and asynchronous conversion to a totipotent-like state. This phenotypic reprogramming was reversible upon restoration of CTCF levels. Furthermore, we showed that transcriptional activation of the ZSCAN4 cluster was necessary for successful 2C-like reprogramming. In summary, we revealed the intimate relation between CTCF and totipotent-like reprogramming.

In mammalian cells, 5-methylcytosine (5mC) occurs in genomic double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and is enzymatically oxidized to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), then to 5-formylcytosine (5fC), and finally to 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC). These cytosine modifications are enriched in regulatory regions of the genome. The effect of these oxidative products on five bZIP dimers (CREB1, ATF2, Zta, ATF3|cJun, and cFos|cJun) binding to five types of dsDNA was measured using protein binding microarrays. The five dsDNAs contain either cytosine in both DNA strands or cytosine in one strand and either 5mC, 5hmC, 5fC, or 5caC in the second strand. Some sequences containing the CEBP half-site GCAA are bound more strongly by all five bZIP domains when dsDNA contains 5mC, 5hmC, or 5fC. dsDNA containing 5caC in some TRE (AP-1)-like sequences, e.g., TGACTAA, is better bound by Zta, ATF3|cJun, and cFos|cJun.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) B-ZIP transcription factor (TF) Zta binds to many DNA sequences containing methylated CG dinucleotides. Using protein binding microarrays (PBMs), we analyzed the sequence specific DNA binding of Zta to four kinds of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA): 1) DNA containing cytosine in both strands, 2) DNA with 5-methylcytosine (5mC) in one strand and cytosine in the second strand, 3) DNA with 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in one strand and cytosine in the second strand, and 4) DNA where both cytosines in all CG dinucleotides contain 5mC. We compared these data to PBM data for three additional B-ZIP proteins (CREB1 and CEBPB homodimers, and cJun|cFos heterodimers). With cytosine, Zta binds the TRE motif TGAC/GTCA as previously reported. With CG dinucleotides containing 5mC on both strands, many TRE motif variants containing a methylated CG dinucleotide at two positions in the motif, such as MGAGTCA and TGAGMGA (where M=5mC) were preferentially bound. 5mC inhibits Zta binding to both TRE motif half sites GTCA and CTCA. Like the CREB1 homodimer, the Zta homodimer and the cJun|cFos heterodimer bind the C/EBP half site tetranucleotide GCAA stronger when it contains 5mC. Zta also binds dsDNA sequences containing 5hmC in one strand, although the effect is less dramatic than observed for 5mC. Our results identify new DNA sequences that are well-bound by the viral B-ZIP protein Zta only when they contain 5mC or 5hmC, uncovering the potential for discovery of new viral and host regulatory programs controlled by EBV.

There are numerous examples of parental transgenerational inheritance that is epigenetic. The informational molecules include RNA, chromatin modifications, and cytosine methylation. With advances in DNA sequencing technologies, the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms mediating these effects are now starting to be uncovered. This mini-review will highlight some of the examples of epigenetic inheritance, the establishment of cytosine methylation in sperm, and recent genomic studies linking sperm cytosine methylation to epigenetic effects on offspring. A recent paper examining changes in diet and sperm cytosine methylation from pools of eight animals each, found differences between a normal diet, a high fat diet, and a low protein diet. However, epivariation between individuals within a group was greater than the differences between groups obscuring any potential methylation changes linked to diet. Learning more about epivariation may help unravel the mechanisms that regulate cytosine methylation. In addition, other experimental and genetic systems may also produce more dramatic changes in the sperm methylome, making it easier to unravel potential transgenerational phenomena. J. Cell. Physiol. 231: 2346-2352, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

G-quadruplexes (G4) are considered new drug targets for human diseases such as cancer. More than 10,000 G4s have been discovered in human chromatin, posing challenges for assessing the selectivity of a G4-interactive ligand. 3,6-bis(1-Methyl-4-vinylpyridinium) carbazole diiodide (BMVC) is the first fluorescent small molecule for G4 detection in vivo. Our previous structural study shows that BMVC binds to the MYC promoter G4 (MycG4) with high specificity. Here, we utilize high-throughput, large-scale custom DNA G4 microarrays to analyze the G4-binding selectivity of BMVC. BMVC preferentially binds to the parallel MycG4 and selectively recognizes flanking sequences of parallel G4s, especially the 3&prime, flanking thymine. Importantly, the microarray results are confirmed by orthogonal NMR and fluorescence binding analyses. Our study demonstrates the potential of custom G4 microarrays as a platform to broadly and unbiasedly assess the binding selectivity of G4-interactive ligands, and to help understand the properties that govern molecular recognition.

Zta is a bZIP transcription factor (TF) in the Epstein-Barr virus that binds unmethylated and methylated DNA sequences. Substitution of cysteine 189 of Zta to serine (Zta(C189S)) results in a virus that is unable to execute the lytic cycle which was attributed to a change in binding to methylated DNA sequences. To learn more about the role of this position in defining sequence-specific DNA binding, we mutated cysteine 189 to four other amino acids producing Zta(C189S), Zta(C189T), Zta(C189A), and Zta(C189V) mutants. Zta and mutants were used in protein binding microarray (PBM) experiments to evaluate sequence-specific DNA binding to four types of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA): 1) with cytosine in both strands (DNA(C∣C)), 2) with 5-methylcytosine (5mC) in one strand and cytosine in the second strand (DNA(5mC∣C)), 3) with 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in one strand and cytosine in the second strand (DNA(5hmC∣C)), and 4) with both cytosines in all CG dinucleotides containing 5mC (DNA(5mCG)). Zta(C189S) and Zta(C189T) bound the TRE (AP-1) motif (TGA(G)/(C)TCA) more strongly than wild-type Zta, while binding to other sequences, including the C/EBP half site GCAA was reduced. Binding of Zta(C189S) and Zta(C189T) to DNA containing modified cytosines (DNA(5mC∣C), DNA(5hmC∣C), and DNA(5mCG)) was reduced compared to Zta. Zta(C189A) and Zta(C189V) had higher non-specific binding to all four types of DNA. Our data suggests that position C189 in Zta impacts sequence-specific binding to DNA containing modified and unmodified cytosine.

To achieve proper spatiotemporal control of gene expression, transcription factors cooperatively assemble onto specific DNA sequences. The ETS domain protein monomer of GABPα and the B-ZIP domain protein dimer of CREB1 cooperatively bind DNA only when the ETS (C/GCGGAAGT) and CRE (GTGACGTCAC) motifs overlap precisely, producing the ETS↔CRE motif (C/GCGGAAGTGACGTCAC). We designed a Protein Binding Microarray (PBM) with 60-bp DNAs containing four identical sectors, each with 177,440 features that explore the cooperative interactions between GABPα and CREB1 upon binding the ETS↔CRE motif. The DNA sequences include all 15-mers of the form C/GCGGA—–CG—, the ETS↔CRE motif, and all single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and occurrences in the human and mouse genomes. CREB1 enhanced GABPα binding to the canonical ETS↔CRE motif CCGGAAGT two-fold, and up to 23-fold for several SNPs at the beginning and end of the ETS motif, which is suggestive of two separate and distinct allosteric mechanisms of cooperative binding. We show that the ETS-CRE array data can be used to identify regions likely cooperatively bound by GABPα and CREB1 in vivo, and demonstrate their ability to identify human genetic variants that might inhibit cooperative binding.

In human and mouse stem cells and brain, 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) can occur outside of CG dinucleotides. Using protein binding microarrays (PBMs) containing 60-mer DNA probes, we evaluated the effect of 5mC and 5hmC on one DNA strand on the double-stranded DNA binding of the mouse B-ZIP transcription factors (TFs) CREB1, ATF1, and JUND. 5mC inhibited binding of CREB1 to the canonical CRE half-site |GTCA but enhanced binding to the C/EBP half-site |GCAA. 5hmC inhibited binding of CREB1 to all 8-mers except TGAT|GCAA, where binding is enhanced. We observed similar DNA binding patterns with ATF1, a closely related B-ZIP domain. In contrast, both 5mC and 5hmC inhibited binding of JUND. These results identify new DNA sequences that are well-bound by CREB1 and ATF1 only when they contain 5mC or 5hmC. Analysis of two X-ray structures examines the consequences of 5mC and 5hmC on DNA binding by CREB and FOS|JUN.

Human CMV (hCMV) establishes lifelong infections in most of us, causing developmental defects in human embryos and life-threatening disease in immunocompromised individuals. During productive infection, the viral >230,000-bp dsDNA genome is expressed widely and in a temporal cascade. The hCMV genome does not carry histones when encapsidated but has been proposed to form nucleosomes after release into the host cell nucleus. Here, we present hCMV genome-wide nucleosome occupancy and nascent transcript maps during infection of permissive human primary cells. We show that nucleosomes occupy nuclear viral DNA in a nonrandom and highly predictable fashion. At early times of infection, nucleosomes associate with the hCMV genome largely according to their intrinsic DNA sequence preferences, indicating that initial nucleosome formation is genetically encoded in the virus. However, as infection proceeds to the late phase, nucleosomes redistribute extensively to establish patterns mostly determined by nongenetic factors. We propose that these factors include key regulators of viral gene expression encoded at the hCMV major immediate-early (IE) locus. Indeed, mutant virus genomes deficient for IE1 expression exhibit globally increased nucleosome loads and reduced nucleosome dynamics compared with WT genomes. The temporal nucleosome occupancy differences between IE1-deficient and WT viruses correlate inversely with changes in the pattern of viral nascent and total transcript accumulation. These results provide a framework of spatial and temporal nucleosome organization across the genome of a major human pathogen and suggest that an hCMV major IE protein governs overall viral chromatin structure and function.

There are numerous examples of parental transgenerational inheritance that is epigenetic. The informational molecules include RNA, chromatin modifications, and cytosine methylation. With advances in DNA sequencing technologies, the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms mediating these effects are now starting to be uncovered. This mini-review will highlight some of the examples of epigenetic inheritance, the establishment of cytosine methylation in sperm, and recent genomic studies linking sperm cytosine methylation to epigenetic effects on offspring. A recent paper examining changes in diet and sperm cytosine methylation from pools of eight animals each, found differences between a normal diet, a high fat diet, and a low protein diet. However, epivariation between individuals within a group was greater than the differences between groups obscuring any potential methylation changes linked to diet. Learning more about epivariation may help unravel the mechanisms that regulate cytosine methylation. In addition, other experimental and genetic systems may also produce more dramatic changes in the sperm methylome, making it easier to unravel potential transgenerational phenomena. J. Cell. Physiol. 231: 2346-2352, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The nucleosomes are the basic repeating units of eukaryotic chromatin, and nucleosome organization is critically important for gene regulation. Kaplan et al. tested the importance of the intrinsic DNA sequence preferences of nucleosomes by measuring the genome-wide occupancy of nucleosomes assembled on purified yeast genomic DNA. The resulting map is remarkably similar to in vivo nucleosome maps, indicating that the organization of nucleosomes in vivo is largely governed by the underlying genomic DNA sequence. This study tests the importance of the intrinsic DNA sequence preferences of nucleosomes by measuring the genome-wide occupancy of nucleosomes assembled on purified yeast genomic DNA. The resulting map is similar to in vivo nucleosome maps, indicating that the organization of nucleosomes in vivo is largely governed by the underlying genomic DNA sequence. Nucleosome organization is critical for gene regulation1. In living cells this organization is determined by multiple factors, including the action of chromatin remodellers2, competition with site-specific DNA-binding proteins3, and the DNA sequence preferences of the nucleosomes themselves4,5,6,7,8. However, it has been difficult to estimate the relative importance of each of these mechanisms in vivo7,9,10,11, because in vivo nucleosome maps reflect the combined action of all influencing factors. Here we determine the importance of nucleosome DNA sequence preferences experimentally by measuring the genome-wide occupancy of nucleosomes assembled on purified yeast genomic DNA. The resulting map, in which nucleosome occupancy is governed only by the intrinsic sequence preferences of nucleosomes, is similar to in vivo nucleosome maps generated in three different growth conditions. In vitro, nucleosome depletion is evident at many transcription factor binding sites and around gene start and end sites, indicating that nucleosome depletion at these sites in vivo is partly encoded in the genome. We confirm these results with a micrococcal nuclease-independent experiment that measures the relative affinity of nucleosomes for ∼40,000 double-stranded 150-base-pair oligonucleotides. Using our in vitro data, we devise a computational model of nucleosome sequence preferences that is significantly correlated with in vivo nucleosome occupancy in Caenorhabditis elegans. Our results indicate that the intrinsic DNA sequence preferences of nucleosomes have a central role in determining the organization of nucleosomes in vivo.

We present the first complete high-resolution map of nucleosome occupancy across the whole Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome, identifying over 70,000 positioned nucleosomes occupying 81% of the genome. On a genome-wide scale, the persistent nucleosome-depleted region identified previously in a subset of genes demarcates the transcription start site. Both nucleosome occupancy signatures and overall occupancy correlate with transcript abundance and transcription rate. In addition, functionally related genes can be clustered on the basis of the nucleosome occupancy patterns observed at their promoters. A quantitative model of nucleosome occupancy indicates that DNA structural features may account for much of the global nucleosome occupancy.

In mammals, the cytosine in CG dinucleotides is typically methylated producing 5-methylcytosine (5mC), a chemically less stable form of cytosine that can spontaneously deaminate to thymidine resulting in a T•G mismatched base pair. Unlike other eukaryotes that efficiently repair this mismatched base pair back to C•G, in mammals, 5mCG deamination is mutagenic, sometimes producing TG dinucleotides, explaining the depletion of CG dinucleotides in mammalian genomes. It was suggested that new TG dinucleotides generate genetic diversity that may be critical for evolutionary change. We tested this conjecture by examining the DNA sequence properties of regulatory sequences identified by DNase I hypersensitive sites (DHSs) in human and mouse genomes. We hypothesized that the new TG dinucleotides generate transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) that become tissue-specific DHSs (TS-DHSs). We find that 8-mers containing the CG dinucleotide are enriched in DHSs in both species. However, 8-mers containing a TG and no CG dinucleotide are preferentially enriched in TS-DHSs when compared with 8-mers with neither a TG nor a CG dinucleotide. The most enriched 8-mer with a TG and no CG dinucleotide in tissue-specific regulatory regions in both genomes is the AP-1 motif ( TG: A(C)/GT CA: N), and we find evidence that TG dinucleotides in the AP-1 motif arose from CG dinucleotides. Additional TS-DHS-enriched TFBS containing the TG/CA dinucleotide are the E-Box motif (G CA: GC TG: C), the NF-1 motif (GG CATG: CC), and the GR (glucocorticoid receptor) motif (G-A CATG: T-C). Our results support the suggestion that cytosine methylation is mutagenic in tetrapods producing TG dinucleotides that create TFBS that drive evolution.

Approaches for the determination of interacting partners from different protein families (such as ligands and their receptors) have made use of the property that interacting proteins follow similar patterns and relative rates of evolution. Interacting protein partners can then be predicted from the similarity of their phylogenetic trees or evolutionary distances matrices. We present a novel method called Codep, for the determination of interacting protein partners by maximizing co-evolutionary signals. The order of sequences in the multiple sequence alignments from two protein families is determined in such a manner as to maximize the similarity of substitution patterns at amino acid sites in the two alignments and, thus, phylogenetic congruency. This is achieved by maximizing the total number of interdependencies of amino acids sites between the alignments. Once ordered, the corresponding sequences in the two alignments indicate the predicted interacting partners. We demonstrate the efficacy of this approach with computer simulations and in analyses of several protein families. A program implementing our method, Codep, is freely available to academic users from our website: http://www.uhnresearch.ca/labs/tillier/.

Background The interplay between epigenetic modifications and chromatin structure are integral to our understanding of genome function. Methylation of cytosine (5mC) at CG dinucleotides, traditionally associated with transcriptional repression, is the most highly studied chemical modification of DNA, occurring at over 70% of all CG dinucleotides in the genome. Hypomethylated regions (HMRs) often occur in CG islands (CGIs), however, they also occur outside of CGIs and function as cell-type specific enhancers. During the process of differentiation, reorganization of chromatin and nucleosome arrangement at regulatory regions is thought to occur in order for the establishment of cell-type specific transcriptional programs. However, the specifics regarding the organization of nucleosomes at HMRs and the potential mechanisms regulating nucleosome occupancy in these regions are unknown. Here, we have investigated nucleosome organization around hypomethylated regions (HMRs) identified in two mouse primary cells. Results Microccocal nuclease (MNase) digested mononucleosomes from primary cultures of new-born female mouse dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes were mapped and compared to the HMRs obtained from single base-pair resolution methylomes. In both cell types, we find that nucleosomes are enriched at HMR boundaries. In contrast to the nucleosomes found at boundaries of HMRs in CGIs, HMRs outside of CGIs are calculated to be preferentially bound by nucleosomes, with phased nucleosomes propagating into the methylated region. Nucleosomes are enriched at the tissue-specific HMRs (TS-HMR) boundaries in both cell types suggesting that nucleosome organization surrounding HMR boundaries is independent of methylation status. In addition, we find potential transcription factor (TF) binding sites (E-box motifs) enriched in non-CGI TS-HMR boundaries. Conclusions Our results show that intrinsic nucleosome occupancy score (INOS) positively correlate with the nucleosome organization surrounding non-CGI TS-HMRs, suggesting that DNA sequence plays a role in the establishment of HMRs in the genome. Since nucleosomes impact all processes involving the genome, our results provide a link between epigenetic modifications, chromatin structure, and regulatory function. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1756-8935-7-34) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Active eukaryotic regulatory sites are characterized by open chromatin, and yeast promoters and transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) typically have low intrinsic nucleosome occupancy. Here, we show that in contrast to yeast, DNA at human promoters, enhancers, and TFBSs generally encodes high intrinsic nucleosome occupancy. In most cases we examined, these elements also have high experimentally measured nucleosome occupancy in vivo. These regions typically have high G+C content, which correlates positively with intrinsic nucleosome occupancy, and are depleted for nucleosome-excluding poly-A sequences. We propose that high nucleosome preference is directly encoded at regulatory sequences in the human genome to restrict access to regulatory information that will ultimately be utilized in only a subset of differentiated cells.

The sequence specificity of DNA-binding proteins is the primary mechanism by which the cell recognizes genomic features. Here, we describe systematic determination of yeast transcription factor DNA-binding specificities. We obtained binding specificities for 112 DNA-binding proteins representing 19 distinct structural classes. One-third of the binding specificities have not been previously reported. Several binding sequences have striking genomic distributions relative to transcription start sites, supporting their biological relevance and suggesting a role in promoter architecture. Among these are Rsc3 binding sequences, containing the core CGCG, which are found preferentially approximately 100 bp upstream of transcription start sites. Mutation of RSC3 results in a dramatic increase in nucleosome occupancy in hundreds of proximal promoters containing a Rsc3 binding element, but has little impact on promoters lacking Rsc3 binding sequences, indicating that Rsc3 plays a broad role in targeting nucleosome exclusion at yeast promoters.

Background The relative preference of nucleosomes to form on individual DNA sequences plays a major role in genome packaging. A wide variety of DNA sequence features are believed to influence nucleosome formation, including periodic dinucleotide signals, poly-A stretches and other short motifs, and sequence properties that influence DNA structure, including base content. It was recently shown by Kaplan et al. that a probabilistic model using composition of all 5-mers within a nucleosome-sized tiling window accurately predicts intrinsic nucleosome occupancy across an entire genome in vitro. However, the model is complicated, and it is not clear which specific DNA sequence properties are most important for intrinsic nucleosome-forming preferences. Results We find that a simple linear combination of only 14 simple DNA sequence attributes (G+C content, two transformations of dinucleotide composition, and the frequency of eleven 4-bp sequences) explains nucleosome occupancy in vitro and in vivo in a manner comparable to the Kaplan model. G+C content and frequency of AAAA are the most important features. G+C content is dominant, alone explaining ~50% of the variation in nucleosome occupancy in vitro. Conclusions Our findings provide a dramatically simplified means to predict and understand intrinsic nucleosome occupancy. G+C content may dominate because it both reduces frequency of poly-A-like stretches and correlates with many other DNA structural characteristics. Since G+C content is enriched or depleted at many types of features in diverse eukaryotic genomes, our results suggest that variation in nucleotide composition may have a widespread and direct influence on chromatin structure.