Harm van Bakel | Union Graduate College-Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Bioethics Program (original) (raw)

Papers by Harm van Bakel

Promoter recognition by TATA-binding protein (TBP) is an essential step in the initiation of RNA ... more Promoter recognition by TATA-binding protein (TBP) is an essential step in the initiation of RNA polymerase II (pol II) mediated transcription. Genetic and biochemical studies in yeast have shown that Mot1p and NC2 play important roles in inhibiting TBP activity. To understand how TBP activity is regulated in a genome-wide manner, we profiled the binding of TBP, NC2, Mot1p, TFIID,

Gene expression patterns : GEP, 2015

Sutures, where neighboring craniofacial bones are separated by undifferentiated mesenchyme, are m... more Sutures, where neighboring craniofacial bones are separated by undifferentiated mesenchyme, are major growth sites during craniofacial development. Pathologic fusion of bones within sutures occurs in a wide variety of craniosynostosis conditions and can result in dysmorphic craniofacial growth and secondary neurologic deficits. Our knowledge of the genes involved in suture formation is poor. Here we describe the novel expression pattern of the BCL11B transcription factor protein during murine embryonic craniofacial bone formation. We examined BCL11B protein expression at E14.5, E16.5, and E18.5 in 14 major craniofacial sutures of C57BL/6J mice. We found BCL11B expression to be associated with all intramembranous craniofacial bones examined. The most striking aspects of BCL11B expression were its high levels in suture mesenchyme and increasingly complementary expression with RUNX2 in differentiating osteoblasts during development. BCL11B was also expressed in mesenchyme at the non-su...

Nature Immunology, 2015

The human helicase senataxin (SETX) has been linked to the neurodegenerative diseases amyotrophic... more The human helicase senataxin (SETX) has been linked to the neurodegenerative diseases amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS4) and ataxia with oculomotor apraxia (AOA2). Here we identified a role for SETX in controlling the antiviral response. Cells that had undergone depletion of SETX and SETX-deficient cells derived from patients with AOA2 had higher expression of antiviral mediators in response to infection than did wild-type cells. Mechanistically, we propose a model whereby SETX attenuates the activity of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) at genes stimulated after a virus is sensed and thus controls the magnitude of the host response to pathogens and the biogenesis of various RNA viruses (e.g., influenza A virus and West Nile virus). Our data indicate a potentially causal link among inborn errors in SETX, susceptibility to infection and the development of neurologic disorders.

Embo Reports, 2003

Expression profiling is a universal tool, with a range of applications that benefit from the accu... more Expression profiling is a universal tool, with a range of applications that benefit from the accurate determination of differential gene expression. To allow normalization using endogenous transcript levels, current microarray analyses assume that relatively few transcripts vary, or that any changes that occur are balanced. When normalization using endogenous genes is carried out, changes in expression levels are calculated relative

We have identified a novel germline mutation in the PTEN tumour suppressor gene. The mutation was... more We have identified a novel germline mutation in the PTEN tumour suppressor gene. The mutation was identified in a patient with a glioma, and turned out to be a heterozygous germline mutation of PTEN (Arg234Gln), without loss of heterozygosity in tumour DNA. The biological consequences of this germline mutation were investigated by means of transfection studies of the mutant PTEN molecule compared to wild-type PTEN. In contrast to the wild-type molecule, the mutant PTEN protein is not capable of inducing apoptosis, induces increased cell proliferation and leads to high constitutive PKB/Akt activation, which cannot be increased anymore by stimulation with insulin. The reported patient, in addition to glioma, had suffered from benign meningioma in the past but did not show any clinical signs of Cowden disease or other hereditary diseases typically associated with PTEN germline mutations. The functional consequences of the mutation in transfection studies are consistent with high proliferative activity. Together, these findings suggest that the Arg234Gln missense mutation in PTEN has oncogenic properties and predisposes to brain tumours of multiple lineages.

Cwc21 (complexed with Cef1 protein 21) is a 135 amino acid yeast protein that shares homology wit... more Cwc21 (complexed with Cef1 protein 21) is a 135 amino acid yeast protein that shares homology with the N-terminal domain of human SRm300/SRRM2, a large serine/arginine-repeat protein shown previously to associate with the splicing coactivator and 39-end processing stimulatory factor, SRm160. Proteomic analysis of spliceosomal complexes has suggested a role for Cwc21 and SRm300 at the core of the spliceosome. However, specific functions for these proteins have remained elusive. In this report, we employ quantitative genetic interaction mapping, mass spectrometry of tandem affinity-purified complexes, and microarray profiling to investigate genetic, physical, and functional interactions involving Cwc21. Combined data from these assays support multiple roles for Cwc21 in the formation and function of splicing complexes. Consistent with a role for Cwc21 at the core of the spliceosome, we observe strong genetic, physical, and functional interactions with Isy1, a protein previously implicated in the first catalytic step of splicing and splicing fidelity. Together, the results suggest multiple functions for Cwc21/SRm300 in the splicing process, including an important role in the activation of splicing in association with Isy1.

Clark et al. criticize several aspects of our study , and specifically challenge our assertion th... more Clark et al. criticize several aspects of our study , and specifically challenge our assertion that the degree of pervasive transcription has previously been overstated. We disagree with much of their reasoning and their interpretation of our work. For example, many of our conclusions are based on overall sequence read distributions, while Clark et al. focus on transcript units and seqfrags (sets of overlapping reads). A key point is that one can derive a robust estimate of the relative amounts of different transcript types without having a complete reconstruction of every single transcript.

Nucleosomes in all eukaryotes examined to date adopt a characteristic architecture within genes a... more Nucleosomes in all eukaryotes examined to date adopt a characteristic architecture within genes and play fundamental roles in regulating transcription, yet the identity and precise roles of many of the trans-acting factors responsible for the establishment and maintenance of this organization remain to be identified. We profiled a compendium of 50 yeast strains carrying conditional alleles or complete deletions of genes involved in transcriptional regulation, histone biology, and chromatin remodeling, as well as compounds that target transcription and histone deacetylases, to assess their respective roles in nucleosome positioning and transcription. We find that nucleosome patterning in genes is affected by many factors, including the CAF-1 complex, Spt10, and Spt21, in addition to previously reported remodeler ATPases and histone chaperones. Disruption of these factors or reductions in histone levels led genic nucleosomes to assume positions more consistent with their intrinsic sequence preferences, with pronounced and specific shifts of the +1 nucleosome relative to the transcription start site. These shifts of +1 nucleosomes appear to have functional consequences, as several affected genes in Ino80 mutants exhibited altered expression responses. Our parallel expression profiling compendium revealed extensive transcription changes in intergenic and antisense regions, most of which occur in regions with altered nucleosome occupancy and positioning. We show that the nucleosome-excluding transcription factors Reb1, Abf1, Tbf1, and Rsc3 suppress cryptic transcripts at their target promoters, while a combined analysis of nucleosome and expression profiles identified 36 novel transcripts that are normally repressed by Tup1/Cyc8. Our data confirm and extend the roles of chromatin remodelers and chaperones as major determinants of genic nucleosome positioning, and these data provide a valuable resource for future studies.

Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 2005

Molecular Cell, 2008

The sequence specificity of DNA-binding proteins is the primary mechanism by which the cell recog... more 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 which have not been previously reported. Several newly discovered 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 ~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. 8Corresponding author: t.hughes@utoronto.ca; Tel. 416-946-8260; FAX 416-978-8258. Supplementary material and URLs. Supplementary data files including clone sequences and 8-mer scores and motifs for all TFs are posted at

Cell, 2014

These data present a powerful resource for mapping transcriptional networks across eukaryotes.

Genome Biology, 2011

Background: Cannabis sativa has been cultivated throughout human history as a source of fiber, oi... more Background: Cannabis sativa has been cultivated throughout human history as a source of fiber, oil and food, and for its medicinal and intoxicating properties. Selective breeding has produced cannabis plants for specific uses, including high-potency marijuana strains and hemp cultivars for fiber and seed production. The molecular biology underlying cannabinoid biosynthesis and other traits of interest is largely unexplored.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010

Bacterial nucleoid-associated proteins play important roles in chromosome organization and global... more Bacterial nucleoid-associated proteins play important roles in chromosome organization and global gene regulation. We find that Lsr2 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a unique nucleoid-associated protein that binds AT-rich regions of the genome, including genomic islands acquired by horizontal gene transfer and regions encoding major virulence factors, such as the ESX secretion systems, the lipid virulence factors PDIM and PGL, and the PE/PPE families of antigenic proteins. Comparison of genome-wide binding data with expression data indicates that Lsr2 binding results in transcriptional repression. Domain-swapping experiments demonstrate that Lsr2 has an N-terminal dimerization domain and a C-terminal DNA-binding domain. Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of the DNA-binding domain of Lsr2 and its interaction with DNA reveals a unique structure and a unique mechanism that enables Lsr2 to discriminately target AT-rich sequences through interactions with the minor groove of DNA. Taken together, we provide evidence that mycobacteria have employed a structurally distinct molecule with an apparently different DNA recognition mechanism to achieve a function similar to the Enterobacteriaceae H-NS, likely coordinating global gene regulation and virulence in this group of medically important bacteria.

PLoS Biology, 2010

A series of reports over the last few years have indicated that a much larger portion of the mamm... more A series of reports over the last few years have indicated that a much larger portion of the mammalian genome is transcribed than can be accounted for by currently annotated genes, but the quantity and nature of these additional transcripts remains unclear. Here, we have used data from single-and paired-end RNA-Seq and tiling arrays to assess the quantity and composition of transcripts in PolyA+ RNA from human and mouse tissues. Relative to tiling arrays, RNA-Seq identifies many fewer transcribed regions (''seqfrags'') outside known exons and ncRNAs. Most nonexonic seqfrags are in introns, raising the possibility that they are fragments of pre-mRNAs. The chromosomal locations of the majority of intergenic seqfrags in RNA-Seq data are near known genes, consistent with alternative cleavage and polyadenylation site usage, promoter-and terminator-associated transcripts, or new alternative exons; indeed, reads that bridge splice sites identified 4,544 new exons, affecting 3,554 genes. Most of the remaining seqfrags correspond to either single reads that display characteristics of random sampling from a low-level background or several thousand small transcripts (median length = 111 bp) present at higher levels, which also tend to display sequence conservation and originate from regions with open chromatin. We conclude that, while there are bona fide new intergenic transcripts, their number and abundance is generally low in comparison to known exons, and the genome is not as pervasively transcribed as previously reported.

Physiological Genomics, 2005

Exhaustive microarray time-course analyses of S.cerevisiae during copper starvation and copper ex... more Exhaustive microarray time-course analyses of S.cerevisiae during copper starvation and copper excess reveal new aspects of metal-induced gene regulation. Besides identifying targets of established copper-and iron-responsive transcription factors, we find that genes encoding mitochondrial proteins are down-regulated and that copper-independent iron transport genes are preferentially upregulated, both during prolonged copper deprivation. The experiments also suggest the presence of a small regulatory iron pool that links copper and iron responses. 128 genes with putative roles in metal metabolism were further investigated by several systematic phenotype screens. Of the novel phenotypes uncovered, hsp12-∆ and arn1-∆ display increased sensitivity to copper, cyc1-∆ and crr1-∆ show resistance to high copper, vma13-∆ exhibits increased sensitivity to iron deprivation, and pep12-∆ results in reduced growth in high copper and low iron. Besides revealing new components of eukaryotic metal trafficking pathways, the results underscore the previously determined intimate links between iron and copper metabolism, mitochondrial and vacuolar function in metal trafficking. The analyses further suggest that copper starvation can specifically lead to downregulation of respiratory function to preserve iron and copper for other cellular processes.

Nucleic Acids Research, 2007

Chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with DNA microarrays (ChIP-chip) is a powerful technique t... more Chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with DNA microarrays (ChIP-chip) is a powerful technique to detect in vivo protein-DNA interactions. Due to low yields, ChIP assays of transcription factors generally require amplification of immunoprecipitated genomic DNA. Here, we present an adapted linear amplification method that involves two rounds of T7 RNA polymerase amplification (double-T7). Using this we could successfully amplify as little as 0.4 ng of ChIP DNA to sufficient amounts for microarray analysis. In addition, we compared the double-T7 method to the ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction (LM-PCR) method in a ChIP-chip of the yeast transcription factor Gsm1p. The double-T7 protocol showed lower noise levels and stronger binding signals compared to LM-PCR. Both LM-PCR and double-T7 identified strongly bound genomic regions, but the double-T7 method increased sensitivity and specificity to allow detection of weaker binding sites.

Molecular Cell, 2005

Mediator is an evolutionarily conserved coregulator of RNA polymerase II transcription. Microarra... more Mediator is an evolutionarily conserved coregulator of RNA polymerase II transcription. Microarray structure-function analysis of S.cerevisiae Mediator reveals functional antagonism between the cyclin dependent kinase (Cdk) submodule and components from the Tail (Med15, Med2, Med3), Head (Med20, Med18) and Middle (Med31). Certain genes exhibit increased or decreased expression, depending on which subunit is deleted. Epistasis analysis with expression-profile phenotypes, shows that MED2 and MED18 are downstream of CDK8. Strikingly, Cdk8mediated modification of a single amino acid within Mediator represses the regulon of a single transcription factor, Rcs1/Aft1. Highly specific gene regulation is thought to be determined by activators and combinatorial use of cofactors. Here, subtle modification of the general transcription machinery through one of its own components is shown to determine highly specific expression patterns. Expression-profiling can therefore precisely map regulatory cascades and our findings support a role for Mediator as a direct processor of signaling pathways for determining specificity.

Journal of Experimental Medicine, 2014

Abbreviations used: FDR, false discovery rate; GI, gastrointesti nal; OTU, operational taxo nomic... more Abbreviations used: FDR, false discovery rate; GI, gastrointesti nal; OTU, operational taxo nomic unit; qPCR, quantitative PCR; rDNA, ribosomal DNA; SP, serrated polyp.