Interplay between H1 and HMGN epigenetically regulates OLIG1&2 expression and oligodendrocyte differentiation (original) (raw)
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Epigenetics & Chromatin, 2019
Background Members of the HMGN protein family modulate chromatin structure and influence epigenetic modifications. HMGN1 and HMGN2 are highly expressed during early development and in the neural stem/progenitor cells of the developing and adult brain. Here, we investigate whether HMGN proteins contribute to the chromatin plasticity and epigenetic regulation that is essential for maintaining pluripotency in stem cells. Results We show that loss of Hmgn1 or Hmgn2 in pluripotent embryonal carcinoma cells leads to increased levels of spontaneous neuronal differentiation. This is accompanied by the loss of pluripotency markers Nanog and Ssea1, and increased expression of the pro-neural transcription factors Neurog1 and Ascl1. Neural stem cells derived from these Hmgn-knockout lines also show increased spontaneous neuronal differentiation and Neurog1 expression. The loss of HMGN2 leads to a global reduction in H3K9 acetylation, and disrupts the profile of H3K4me3, H3K9ac, H3K27ac and H3K1...
Shaping the oligodendrocyte identity by epigenetic control
Epigenetics, 2010
C ell diversity in the central nervous system (CNS) is achieved by a highly regulated process of differentiation from multipotential neural stem cells. The spatial specificity and timing control of neural differentiation is achieved by the interplay between various genetic and epigenetic regulators. Oligodendrocytes, the myelinating cell in the CNS, play an important role in brain development and neuronal function. At present, multiple signaling pathways have been implicated in regulating in oligodendrocyte differentiation, however, the integration of these pathways with transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulatory networks are not fully understood. This review will focus on exploiting epigenetic mechanisms underlying oligodendrocyte development including chromatin remodeling by histone deacetylases and gene silencing by non-coding RNAs (e.g., microRNA), and attempts to summarize the recent advance as to the genetic and epigenetic interaction in controlling oligodendroglial differentiation and myelination.
Genes & Development, 2004
We showed previously that purified rat oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) can be induced by extracellular signals to convert to multipotent neural stem-like cells (NSLCs), which can then generate both neurons and glial cells. Because the conversion of precursor cells to stem-like cells is of both intellectual and practical interest, it is important to understand its molecular basis. We show here that the conversion of OPCs to NSLCs depends on the reactivation of the sox2 gene, which in turn depends on the recruitment of the tumor suppressor protein Brca1 and the chromatin-remodeling protein Brahma (Brm) to an enhancer in the sox2 promoter. Moreover, we show that the conversion is associated with the modification of Lys 4 and Lys 9 of histone H3 at the same enhancer. Our findings suggest that the conversion of OPCs to NSLCs depends on progressive chromatin remodeling, mediated in part by Brca1 and Brm.
The Journal of Cell Biology, 2005
Timely differentiation of progenitor cells is critical for development. In this study we asked whether global epigenetic mechanisms regulate timing of progenitor cell differentiation into myelin-forming oligodendrocytes in vivo. Histone deacetylation was essential during a specific temporal window of development and was dependent on the enzymatic activity of histone deacetylases, whose expression was detected in the developing corpus callosum. During the first 10 postnatal days, administration of valproic acid (VPA), the specific inhibitor for histone deacetylase activity, resulted in significant hypomyelination with delayed expression of late differentiation markers and retained expression of progenitor markers. Differentiation resumed in VPA-injected rats if a recovery period was allowed. Administration of VPA after myelination onset had no effect on myelin gene expression and was consistent with changes of nucleosomal histones from reversible deacetylation to more stable methylation and chromatin compaction. Together, these data identify global modifications of nucleosomal histones critical for timing of oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination in the developing corpus callosum.
Molecular and cellular biology, 2015
Neurons exploit local mRNA translation and retrograde transport of transcription factors to regulate gene expression in response to signaling events at distal neuronal ends. Whether epigenetic factors could also be involved in such regulation is not known. We report that the mRNA encoding the HMGN5 chromatin binding protein localizes to growth cones of both neuronal-like cells and of hippocampal neurons, where it has the potential to be translated, and that HMGN5 can be retrogradely transported into the nucleus along neurites. Loss of HMGN5 function induces transcriptional changes and impairs neurite outgrowth while HMGN5 overexpression induces neurite outgrowth and chromatin decompaction; these effects are dependent on growth cone localization of Hmgn5 mRNA. We suggest that the localization and local translation of transcripts coding for epigenetic factors couples the dynamic neuronal outgrowth process with chromatin regulation in the nucleus.
Scientific Reports, 2014
Histone 3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) is known to be associated with transcriptionally active or poised genes and required for postnatal neurogenesis within the subventricular zone (SVZ) in the rodent model. Previous comparisons have shown significant correlation between baboon (Papio anubis) and human brain. In this study, we demonstrate that chromatin activation mark H3K4me3 is present in undifferentiated progenitor cells within the SVZ of adult baboon brain. To identify the targets and regulatory role of H3K4me3 within the baboon SVZ, we developed a technique to purify undifferentiated SVZ cells while preserving the endogenous nature without introducing culture artifact to maintain the in vivo chromatin state for genome-wide studies (ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq). Overall, H3K4me3 is significantly enriched for genes involved in cell cycle, metabolism, protein synthesis, signaling pathways, and cancer mechanisms. Additionally, we found elevated levels of H3K4me3 in the MRI-classified SVZ-associated Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), which has a transcriptional profile that reflects the H3K4me3 modifications in the undifferentiated progenitor cells of the baboon SVZ. Our findings highlight the importance of H3K4me3 in coordinating distinct networks and pathways for life-long neurogenesis, and suggest that subtypes of GBM could occur, at least in part, due to aberrant H3K4me3 epigenetic regulation. B rain regions retaining neural stem cells (NSCs) for postnatal and adult neurogenesis include the subventricular zone (SVZ) on the walls of the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone within the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus 1-4 . Within the SVZ, there is a population of slowly dividing NSCs with astrocyte-like morphology. These NSCs give rise to transit-amplifying cells, which subsequently give rise to immature neuroblasts. In the rodent, neuroblasts ultimately migrate through the rostral migratory stream to generate interneurons in the olfactory bulb 5-7 . Numerous studies have demonstrated that extracellular signals 5,8-11 , intracellular regulators 6,12,13 , and epigenetic mechanisms 1 have significant effects on the self-renewal and lineage commitment of NSCs. An epigenetic mechanism through MLL1 (mixed-lineage leukaemia 1, a histone methyltransferase responsible for histone 3 lysine 4 trimethylation-H3K4me3) has been shown to induce postnatal neurogenesis in SVZ 14 . The MLL family methyltransferases (MLL1, MLL2, MLL3, MLL4, MLL5) reside within the Trithorax (Trx) group protein complex, which also contains WDR5/RbBP5/ASH2 subunits to convert the demethylated forms of H3K4 to the trimethylated form in order to render open chromatin . To date, the emerging consensus from genome-wide scale analysis reveals that tri-methylation at H3K4 (H3K4me3) is characteristic of transcriptionally active or poised status . Importantly, the H3K4me3/MLL family is also known to be associated with distinct types of hematologic disorders 19,20 . Thus, oncogenesis under MLL deregulation could result in changes of gene expression through the alteration of H3K4me3 epigenetic landscape.
Interplay between transcriptional control and chromatin regulation in the oligodendrocyte lineage
Glia, 2015
The recent years have been characterized by a surge of studies on the role of transcription factors and histone modifications in regulating the progression of progenitors into oligodendrocytes. This review summarizes this body of evidence and presents an integrated view of transcriptional networks and epigenetic regulators defining proliferating progenitors and their differentiation along the oligodendrocyte lineage. We suggest that transcription factors in proliferating progenitors have direct access to DNA, due to predominantly euchromatic nuclei. As progenitors differentiate, however, transcriptional competence is modulated by the formation of heterochromatin, which modifies the association of DNA with nucleosomal histones and renders the access of transcription factors dependent on the activity of epigenetic modulators. These concepts are delineated within the context of development, and the potential functional implications are discussed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. GLIA 201...
Extensive Transcriptional Regulation of Chromatin Modifiers during Human Neurodevelopment
2012
Epigenetic changes, including histone modifications or chromatin remodeling are regulated by a large number of human genes. We developed a strategy to study the coordinate regulation of such genes, and to compare different cell populations or tissues. A set of 150 genes, comprising different classes of epigenetic modifiers was compiled. This new tool was used initially to characterize changes during the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) to central nervous system neuroectoderm progenitors (NEP). qPCR analysis showed that more than 60% of the examined transcripts were regulated, and .10% of them had a .5-fold increased expression. For comparison, we differentiated hESC to neural crest progenitors (NCP), a distinct peripheral nervous system progenitor population. Some epigenetic modifiers were regulated into the same direction in NEP and NCP, but also distinct differences were observed. For instance, the remodeling ATPase SMARCA2 was up-regulated .30-fold in NCP, while it remained unchanged in NEP; up-regulation of the ATP-dependent chromatin remodeler CHD7 was increased in NEP, while it was down-regulated in NCP. To compare the neural precursor profiles with those of mature neurons, we analyzed the epigenetic modifiers in human cortical tissue. This resulted in the identification of 30 regulations shared between all cell types, such as the histone methyltransferase SETD7. We also identified new markers for post-mitotic neurons, like the arginine methyl transferase PRMT8 and the methyl transferase EZH1. Our findings suggest a hitherto unexpected extent of regulation, and a cell type-dependent specificity of epigenetic modifiers in neurodifferentiation.
PLoS ONE, 2014
H1 linker histone proteins are essential for the structural and functional integrity of chromatin and for the fidelity of additional epigenetic modifications. Deletion of H1c, H1d and H1e in mice leads to embryonic lethality by mid-gestation with a broad spectrum of developmental alterations. To elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying H1 linker histone developmental functions, we analyzed embryonic stem cells (ESCs) depleted of H1c, H1d and H1e subtypes (H1-KO ESCs) by utilizing established ESC differentiation paradigms. Our study revealed that although H1-KO ESCs continued to express core pluripotency genes and the embryonic stem cell markers, alkaline phosphatase and SSEA1, they exhibited enhanced cell death during embryoid body formation and during specification of mesendoderm and neuroectoderm. In addition, we demonstrated deregulation in the developmental programs of cardiomyocyte, hepatic and pancreatic lineage elaboration. Moreover, ectopic neurogenesis and cardiomyogenesis occurred during endoderm-derived pancreatic but not hepatic differentiation. Furthermore, neural differentiation paradigms revealed selective impairments in the specification and maturation of glutamatergic and dopaminergic neurons with accelerated maturation of glial lineages. These impairments were associated with deregulation in the expression profiles of pro-neural genes in dorsal and ventral forebrain-derived neural stem cell species. Taken together, these experimental observations suggest that H1 linker histone proteins are critical for the specification, maturation and fidelity of organ-specific cellular lineages derived from the three cardinal germ layers.