Targeted removal of epigenetic barriers during transcriptional reprogramming

Autor: Christopher T. Breunig, Julia M. Braun, Anna Köferle, Valentin Baumann, Magdalena Götz, Jovica Ninkovic, Stefan H. Stricker, Maximilian F. Wiesbeck
Rok vydání: 2019
Předmět:
0301 basic medicine
CRISPR-Cas systems
Transcription
Genetic

Science
General Physics and Astronomy
02 engineering and technology
Biology
Article
General Biochemistry
Genetics and Molecular Biology

Cell Line
Epigenesis
Genetic

Mice
03 medical and health sciences
Transactivation
Gene expression analysis
SOX1
Neural Stem Cells
Proto-Oncogene Proteins
Epigenome editing
Transcriptional regulation
Animals
Epigenetics
Promoter Regions
Genetic

lcsh:Science
Transcription factor
Gene Editing
DNA methylation
Multidisciplinary
SOXB1 Transcription Factors
Reprogramming
Cell Differentiation
General Chemistry
Cellular Reprogramming
021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology
Cell biology
DNA-Binding Proteins
030104 developmental biology
Gene Expression Regulation
lcsh:Q
Epigenetics analysis
0210 nano-technology
Neuroglia
RNA
Guide
Kinetoplastida
Zdroj: Nat. Commun. 10:2119 (2019)
Nature Communications, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2019)
Nature Communications
ISSN: 2041-1723
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10146-8
Popis: Master transcription factors have the ability to direct and reverse cellular identities, and consequently their genes must be subject to particular transcriptional control. However, it is unclear which molecular processes are responsible for impeding their activation and safeguarding cellular identities. Here we show that the targeting of dCas9-VP64 to the promoter of the master transcription factor Sox1 results in strong transcript and protein up-regulation in neural progenitor cells (NPCs). This gene activation restores lost neuronal differentiation potential, which substantiates the role of Sox1 as a master transcription factor. However, despite efficient transactivator binding, major proportions of progenitor cells are unresponsive to the transactivating stimulus. By combining the transactivation domain with epigenome editing we find that among a series of euchromatic processes, the removal of DNA methylation (by dCas9-Tet1) has the highest potential to increase the proportion of cells activating foreign master transcription factors and thus breaking down cell identity barriers.
Master transcription factors dominantly direct cell fate and barriers ensuring their tissue specific silencing are not clearly defined. Here, the authors demonstrate that inefficient targeted transactivation of Sox1 in neural progenitor cells is surmountable through targeted promoter demethylation using dCas9-Tet1.
Databáze: OpenAIRE