RESUMO
DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification involved in gene regulation and transposable element silencing. Changes in DNA methylation can be heritable and, thus, can lead to the formation of stable epialleles. A well-characterized example of a stable epiallele in plants is fwa, which consists of the loss of DNA cytosine methylation (5mC) in the promoter of the FLOWERING WAGENINGEN (FWA) gene, causing up-regulation of FWA and a heritable late-flowering phenotype. Here we demonstrate that a fusion between the catalytic domain of the human demethylase TEN-ELEVEN TRANSLOCATION1 (TET1cd) and an artificial zinc finger (ZF) designed to target the FWA promoter can cause highly efficient targeted demethylation, FWA up-regulation, and a heritable late-flowering phenotype. Additional ZF-TET1cd fusions designed to target methylated regions of the CACTA1 transposon also caused targeted demethylation and changes in expression. Finally, we have developed a CRISPR/dCas9-based targeted demethylation system using the TET1cd and a modified SunTag system. Similar to the ZF-TET1cd fusions, the SunTag-TET1cd system is able to target demethylation and activate gene expression when directed to the FWA or CACTA1 loci. Our study provides tools for targeted removal of 5mC at specific loci in the genome with high specificity and minimal off-target effects. These tools provide the opportunity to develop new epialleles for traits of interest, and to reactivate expression of previously silenced genes, transgenes, or transposons.
Assuntos
Arabidopsis/genética , Metilação de DNA , Genoma de Planta , Oxigenases de Função Mista/química , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas/química , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Domínio Catalítico , Elementos de DNA Transponíveis , DNA de Plantas/química , Epigênese Genética , Flores , Regulação da Expressão Gênica de Plantas , Inativação Gênica , Proteínas de Homeodomínio/metabolismo , Humanos , Mutação , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Dedos de ZincoRESUMO
The MORC family of GHKL ATPases are an enigmatic class of proteins with diverse chromatin related functions. In Arabidopsis, AtMORC1, AtMORC2, and AtMORC6 act together in heterodimeric complexes to mediate transcriptional silencing of methylated DNA elements. Here, we studied Arabidopsis AtMORC4 and AtMORC7. We found that, in contrast to AtMORC1,2,6, they act to suppress a wide set of non-methylated protein-coding genes that are enriched for those involved in pathogen response. Furthermore, atmorc4 atmorc7 double mutants show a pathogen response phenotype. We found that AtMORC4 and AtMORC7 form homomeric complexes in vivo and are concentrated in discrete nuclear bodies adjacent to chromocenters. Analysis of an atmorc1,2,4,5,6,7 hextuple mutant demonstrates that transcriptional de-repression is largely uncoupled from changes in DNA methylation in plants devoid of MORC function. However, we also uncover a requirement for MORC in both DNA methylation and silencing at a small but distinct subset of RNA-directed DNA methylation target loci. These regions are characterized by poised transcriptional potential and a low density of sites for symmetric cytosine methylation. These results provide insight into the biological function of MORC proteins in higher eukaryotes.
Assuntos
Adenosina Trifosfatases/genética , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/genética , Epigênese Genética , Transcrição Gênica , Adenosina Trifosfatases/biossíntese , Arabidopsis/genética , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/biossíntese , Metilação de DNA/genética , Regulação da Expressão Gênica de Plantas , Família Multigênica/genética , FenótipoRESUMO
Epigenetic gene silencing is of central importance to maintain genome integrity and is mediated by an elaborate interplay between DNA methylation, histone posttranslational modifications, and chromatin remodeling complexes. DNA methylation and repressive histone marks usually correlate with transcriptionally silent heterochromatin, however there are exceptions to this relationship. In Arabidopsis, mutation of Morpheus Molecule 1 (MOM1) causes transcriptional derepression of heterochromatin independently of changes in DNA methylation. More recently, two Arabidopsis homologues of mouse microrchidia (MORC) genes have also been implicated in gene silencing and heterochromatin condensation without altering genome-wide DNA methylation patterns. In this study, we show that Arabidopsis microrchidia (AtMORC6) physically interacts with AtMORC1 and with its close homologue, AtMORC2, in two mutually exclusive protein complexes. RNA-sequencing analyses of high-order mutants indicate that AtMORC1 and AtMORC2 act redundantly to repress a common set of loci. We also examined genetic interactions between AtMORC6 and MOM1 pathways. Although AtMORC6 and MOM1 control the silencing of a very similar set of genomic loci, we observed synergistic transcriptional regulation in the mom1/atmorc6 double mutant, suggesting that these epigenetic regulators act mainly by different silencing mechanisms.
Assuntos
Adenosina Trifosfatases/química , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/genética , Arabidopsis/genética , Regulação da Expressão Gênica de Plantas , Inativação Gênica , Adenosina Trifosfatases/genética , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/química , Metilação de DNA , Elementos de DNA Transponíveis , Epigênese Genética , Genótipo , Heterocromatina/metabolismo , Mutação , Ligação ProteicaRESUMO
Understanding genomic functions requires site-specific manipulation of loci via efficient protein effector targeting systems. However, few approaches for targeted manipulation of the epigenome are available in plants. Here, we adapt the dCas9-SunTag system to engineer targeted gene activation and DNA methylation in Arabidopsis. We demonstrate that a dCas9-SunTag system utilizing the transcriptional activator VP64 drives robust and specific activation of several loci, including protein coding genes and transposable elements, in diverse chromatin contexts. In addition, we present a CRISPR-based methylation targeting system for plants, utilizing a SunTag system with the catalytic domain of the Nicotiana tabacum DRM methyltransferase, which efficiently targets DNA methylation to specific loci, including the FWA promoter, triggering a developmental phenotype, and the SUPERMAN promoter. These SunTag systems represent valuable tools for the site-specific manipulation of plant epigenomes.