Examining the Developmental Trajectory of an in Vitro Model of Mouse Primordial Germ Cells following Exposure to Environmentally Relevant Bisphenol A Levels.

BACKGROUND: Animal-based studies indicate that bisphenol A (BPA) exposure is detrimental to reproductive health, but its impact on the earliest stages of germ cell development remains poorly defined. OBJECTIVES: Using a murine in vitro model of early germ cell specification and differentiation, we sought to assess whether exposure to low levels of BPA prior to formation of primordial germ cells (PGCs) alters their differentiation trajectory and unique molecular program. METHODS: We used an established method of in vitro differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into epiblast-like cells (EpiLCs) followed by PGC-like cells (PGCLCs), which together recapitulate defined stages of early germ cell development. Cellular consequences were determined using hemocytometer-based cell counting, fixation, and intracellular staining, followed by flow cytometry/fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) of cells exposed to increasing concentrations (range: 1 nM-10 µM) of BPA. To interrogate and characterize gene expression differences resulting from BPA exposure, we also generated RNA-seq libraries from RNA extracted from FACS-purified PGCLCs and performed transcriptome analysis using bioinformatics-based approaches. RESULTS: Exposure of EpiLCs to BPA resulted in higher numbers of cells that were associated with a higher proportion of cells in S-phase as well as a lower proportion undergoing apoptosis; this difference occurred in a concentration-dependent manner. Exposure also resulted in a greater fraction of EpiLCs showing signs of DNA damage. Remarkably, EpiLC exposure did not negatively affect PGC specification and resulted in a concentration-dependent effect on PGCLC proliferation in XX but not XY cells. PGCLC transcriptome analysis revealed an aberrant program with significant deregulation of X-linked genes and retrotransposon expression. Differential gene expression analysis also revealed the deregulation of genes associated with lipid metabolism as well as deregulated expression of genes associated with later stages of gametogenesis. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge our findings represent the first characterization of the consequences of early BPA exposure on a model of mammalian PGC development, highlighting altered cell behavior, altered underlying pathways, and altered molecular processes. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP8196.

REF6 recognizes a specific DNA sequence to demethylate H3K27me3 and regulate organ boundary formation in Arabidopsis.

RELATIVE OF EARLY FLOWERING 6 (REF6, also known as JMJ12) counteracts Polycomb-mediated gene silencing by removing methyl groups from trimethylated histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) in hundreds of genes in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here we show that REF6 function and genome-wide targeting require its four Cys2His2 zinc fingers, which directly recognize a CTCTGYTY motif. Motifs bound by REF6 tend to cluster and reside in loci with active chromatin states. Furthermore, REF6 targets CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON 1 (CUC1), which harbors CTCTGYTY motifs, to modulate H3K27me3 levels and activate CUC1 expression. Loss of REF6 causes CUC1 repression and defects in cotyledon separation. In contrast, REF6 does not bind CUC2, encoding a close homolog of CUC1, which lacks the CTCTGYTY motif. Collectively, these results identify a new targeting mechanism of an H3K27 demethylase to counteract Polycomb-mediated gene silencing that regulates plant development, including organ boundary formation.

C-terminal domains of a histone demethylase interact with a pair of transcription factors and mediate specific chromatin association.

JmjC domain containing protein 14 (JMJ14) is an H3K4-specific histone demethylase that plays important roles in RNA-mediated gene silencing and flowering time regulation in Arabidopsis. However, how JMJ14 is recruited to its target genes remains unclear. Here, we show that the C-terminal FYRN and FYRC domains of JMJ14 are required for RNA silencing and flowering time regulation. Chromatin binding of JMJ14 is lost upon deletion of its FYRN and FYRC domains, and H3K4me3 is increased. FYRN and FYRC domains interact with a pair of NAC domain containing transcription factors, NAC050 and NAC052. Genome-wide ChIP analysis revealed that JMJ14 and NAC050/052 share a set of common target genes with CTTGNNNNNCAAG consensus sequences. Mutations in either NAC052 or NAC050 impair RNA-mediated gene silencing. Together, our findings demonstrate an important role of FYRN and FYRC domains in targeting JMJ14 through direct interaction with NAC050/052 proteins, which reveals a novel mechanism of histone demethylase recruitment.

Ubiquitin-specific proteases UBP12 and UBP13 act in circadian clock and photoperiodic flowering regulation in Arabidopsis.

Protein ubiquitination is involved in most cellular processes. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation regulates the stability of key components of the circadian clock feedback loops and the photoperiodic flowering pathway. Here, we identified two ubiquitin-specific proteases, UBP12 and UBP13, involved in circadian clock and photoperiodic flowering regulation. Double mutants of ubp12 and ubp13 display pleiotropic phenotypes, including early flowering and short periodicity of circadian rhythms. In ubp12 ubp13 double mutants, CONSTANS (CO) transcript rises earlier than that of wild-type plants during the day, which leads to increased expression of FLOWERING LOCUS T. This, and analysis of ubp12 co mutants, indicates that UBP12 and UBP13 regulate photoperiodic flowering through a CO-dependent pathway. In addition, UBP12 and UBP13 regulate the circadian rhythm of clock genes, including LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL, CIRCADIAN CLOCK ASSOCIATED1, and TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION1. Furthermore, UBP12 and UBP13 are circadian controlled. Therefore, our work reveals a role for two deubiquitinases, UBP12 and UBP13, in the control of the circadian clock and photoperiodic flowering, which extends our understanding of ubiquitin in daylength measurement in higher plants.