The N-terminus of Stag1 is required to repress the 2C program by maintaining rRNA expression and nucleolar integrity.

Our understanding of how STAG proteins contribute to cell identity and disease have largely been studied from the perspective of chromosome topology and protein-coding gene expression. Here, we show that STAG1 is the dominant paralog in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) and is required for pluripotency. mESCs express a wide diversity of naturally occurring Stag1 isoforms, resulting in complex regulation of both the levels of STAG paralogs and the proportion of their unique terminal ends. Skewing the balance of these isoforms impacts cell identity. We define a novel role for STAG1, in particular its N-terminus, in regulating repeat expression, nucleolar integrity, and repression of the two-cell (2C) state to maintain mESC identity. Our results move beyond protein-coding gene regulation via chromatin loops to new roles for STAG1 in nucleolar structure and function, and offer fresh perspectives on how STAG proteins, known to be cancer targets, contribute to cell identity and disease.

H4K16ac activates the transcription of transposable elements and contributes to their cis-regulatory function.

Mammalian genomes harbor abundant transposable elements (TEs) and their remnants, with numerous epigenetic repression mechanisms enacted to silence TE transcription. However, TEs are upregulated during early development, neuronal lineage, and cancers, although the epigenetic factors contributing to the transcription of TEs have yet to be fully elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that the male-specific lethal (MSL)-complex-mediated histone H4 acetylation at lysine 16 (H4K16ac) is enriched at TEs in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and cancer cells. This in turn activates transcription of subsets of full-length long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE1s, L1s) and endogenous retrovirus (ERV) long terminal repeats (LTRs). Furthermore, we show that the H4K16ac-marked L1 and LTR subfamilies display enhancer-like functions and are enriched in genomic locations with chromatin features associated with active enhancers. Importantly, such regions often reside at boundaries of topologically associated domains and loop with genes. CRISPR-based epigenetic perturbation and genetic deletion of L1s reveal that H4K16ac-marked L1s and LTRs regulate the expression of genes in cis. Overall, TEs enriched with H4K16ac contribute to the cis-regulatory landscape at specific genomic locations by maintaining an active chromatin landscape at TEs.

Epigenetic and post-transcriptional regulation of somatostatin receptor subtype 5 (SST5 ) in pituitary and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Somatostatin receptor subtype 5 (SST5 ) is an emerging biomarker and actionable target in pituitary (PitNETs) and pancreatic (PanNETs) neuroendocrine tumors. Transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of SSTR5 gene expression and mRNA biogenesis is poorly understood. Recently, an overlapping natural antisense transcript, SSTR5-AS1, potentially regulating SSTR5 expression, was identified. We aimed to elucidate whether epigenetic processes contribute to the regulation of SSTR5 expression in PitNETs (somatotropinomas) and PanNETs. We analyzed the SSTR5/SSTR5-AS1 human locus in silico to identify CpG islands. SSTR5 and SSTR5-AS1 expression was assessed by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) in 27 somatotropinomas, 11 normal pituitaries (NPs), and 15 PanNETs/paired adjacent (control) samples. We evaluated methylation grade in four CpG islands in the SSTR5/SSTR5-AS1 genes. Results revealed that SSTR5 and SSTR5-AS1 were directly correlated in NP, somatotropinoma, and PanNET samples. Interestingly, selected CpG islands were differentially methylated in somatotropinomas compared with NPs. In PanNETs cell lines, SSTR5-AS1 silencing downregulated SSTR5 expression, altered aggressiveness features, and influenced pasireotide response. These results provide evidence that SSTR5 expression in PitNETs and PanNETs can be epigenetically regulated by the SSTR5-AS1 antisense transcript and, indirectly, by DNA methylation, which may thereby impact tumor behavior and treatment response.

Endogenous retroviruses are a source of enhancers with oncogenic potential in acute myeloid leukaemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterised by a series of genetic and epigenetic alterations that result in deregulation of transcriptional networks. One understudied source of transcriptional regulators are transposable elements (TEs), whose aberrant usage could contribute to oncogenic transcriptional circuits. However, the regulatory influence of TEs and their links to AML pathogenesis remain unexplored. Here we identify six endogenous retrovirus (ERV) families with AML-associated enhancer chromatin signatures that are enriched in binding of key regulators of hematopoiesis and AML pathogenesis. Using both locus-specific genetic editing and simultaneous epigenetic silencing of multiple ERVs, we demonstrate that ERV deregulation directly alters the expression of adjacent genes in AML. Strikingly, deletion or epigenetic silencing of an ERV-derived enhancer suppresses cell growth by inducing apoptosis in leukemia cell lines. This work reveals that ERVs are a previously unappreciated source of AML enhancers that may be exploited by cancer cells to help drive tumour heterogeneity and evolution.

TET1 and 5-Hydroxymethylation Preserve the Stem Cell State of Mouse Trophoblast.

The ten-eleven translocation factor TET1 and its conferred epigenetic modification 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) have important roles in maintaining the pluripotent state of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). We previously showed that TET1 is also essential to maintain the stem cell state of trophoblast stem cells (TSCs). Here, we establish an integrated panel of absolute 5hmC levels, genome-wide DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation patterns, transcriptomes, and TET1 chromatin occupancy in TSCs and differentiated trophoblast cells. We show that the combined presence of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5hmC correlates with transcriptional activity of associated genes. Hypoxia can slow down the global loss of 5hmC that occurs upon differentiation of TSCs. Notably, unlike in ESCs and epiblast cells, most TET1-bound regions overlap with active chromatin marks and TFAP2C binding sites and demarcate putative trophoblast enhancer regions. These chromatin modification and occupancy patterns are highly informative to identify novel candidate regulators of the TSC state.

Regulation of transposable elements by DNA modifications.

Maintenance of genome stability requires control over the expression of transposable elements (TEs), whose activity can have substantial deleterious effects on the host. Chemical modification of DNA is a commonly used strategy to achieve this, and it has long been argued that the emergence of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) in many species was driven by the requirement to silence TEs. Potential roles in TE regulation have also been suggested for other DNA modifications, such as N6-methyladenine and oxidation derivatives of 5mC, although the underlying mechanistic relationships are poorly understood. Here, we discuss current evidence implicating DNA modifications and DNA-modifying enzymes in TE regulation across different species.

Divergent wiring of repressive and active chromatin interactions between mouse embryonic and trophoblast lineages.

The establishment of the embryonic and trophoblast lineages is a developmental decision underpinned by dramatic differences in the epigenetic landscape of the two compartments. However, it remains unknown how epigenetic information and transcription factor networks map to the 3D arrangement of the genome, which in turn may mediate transcriptional divergence between the two cell lineages. Here, we perform promoter capture Hi-C experiments in mouse trophoblast (TSC) and embryonic (ESC) stem cells to understand how chromatin conformation relates to cell-specific transcriptional programmes. We find that key TSC genes that are kept repressed in ESCs exhibit interactions between H3K27me3-marked regions in ESCs that depend on Polycomb repressive complex 1. Interactions that are prominent in TSCs are enriched for enhancer-gene contacts involving key TSC transcription factors, as well as TET1, which helps to maintain the expression of TSC-relevant genes. Our work shows that the first developmental cell fate decision results in distinct chromatin conformation patterns establishing lineage-specific contexts involving both repressive and active interactions.

SETDB1 prevents TET2-dependent activation of IAP retroelements in naïve embryonic stem cells.

BACKGROUND: Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), which are responsible for 10% of spontaneous mouse mutations, are kept under control via several epigenetic mechanisms. The H3K9 histone methyltransferase SETDB1 is essential for ERV repression in embryonic stem cells (ESCs), with DNA methylation also playing an important role. It has been suggested that SETDB1 protects ERVs from TET-dependent DNA demethylation, but the relevance of this mechanism for ERV expression remains unclear. Moreover, previous studies have been performed in primed ESCs, which are not epigenetically or transcriptionally representative of preimplantation embryos. RESULTS: We use naïve ESCs to investigate the role of SETDB1 in ERV regulation and its relationship with TET-mediated DNA demethylation. Naïve ESCs show an increased dependency on SETDB1 for ERV silencing when compared to primed ESCs, including at the highly mutagenic intracisternal A particles (IAPs). We find that in the absence of SETDB1, TET2 activates IAP elements in a catalytic-dependent manner. Surprisingly, TET2 does not drive changes in DNA methylation levels at IAPs, suggesting that it regulates these retrotransposons indirectly. Instead, SETDB1 depletion leads to a TET2-dependent loss of H4R3me2s, which is indispensable for IAP silencing during epigenetic reprogramming. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate a novel and unexpected role for SETDB1 in protecting IAPs from TET2-dependent histone arginine demethylation.

TET2- and TDG-mediated changes are required for the acquisition of distinct histone modifications in divergent terminal differentiation of myeloid cells.

The plasticity of myeloid cells is illustrated by a diversity of functions including their role as effectors of innate immunity as macrophages (MACs) and bone remodelling as osteoclasts (OCs). TET2, a methylcytosine dioxygenase highly expressed in these cells and frequently mutated in myeloid leukemias, may be a key contributor to this plasticity. Through transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses, we investigated 5-methylcytosine (5mC), 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and gene expression changes in two divergent terminal myeloid differentiation processes, namely MAC and OC differentiation. MACs and OCs undergo highly similar 5hmC and 5mC changes, despite their wide differences in gene expression. Many TET2- and thymine-DNA glycosylase (TDG)-dependent 5mC and 5hmC changes directly activate the common terminal myeloid differentiation programme. However, the acquisition of differential features between MACs and OCs also depends on TET2/TDG. In fact, 5mC oxidation precedes differential histone modification changes between MACs and OCs. TET2 and TDG downregulation impairs the acquisition of such differential histone modification and expression patterns at MAC-/OC-specific genes. We prove that the histone H3K4 methyltransferase SETD1A is differentially recruited between MACs and OCs in a TET2-dependent manner. We demonstrate a novel role of these enzymes in the establishment of specific elements of identity and function in terminal myeloid differentiation.

TET-dependent regulation of retrotransposable elements in mouse embryonic stem cells.

BACKGROUND: Ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzymes oxidise DNA methylation as part of an active demethylation pathway. Despite extensive research into the role of TETs in genome regulation, little is known about their effect on transposable elements (TEs), which make up nearly half of the mouse and human genomes. Epigenetic mechanisms controlling TEs have the potential to affect their mobility and to drive the co-adoption of TEs for the benefit of the host. RESULTS: We performed a detailed investigation of the role of TET enzymes in the regulation of TEs in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). We find that TET1 and TET2 bind multiple TE classes that harbour a variety of epigenetic signatures indicative of different functional roles. TETs co-bind with pluripotency factors to enhancer-like TEs that interact with highly expressed genes in ESCs whose expression is partly maintained by TET2-mediated DNA demethylation. TETs and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) are also strongly enriched at the 5' UTR of full-length, evolutionarily young LINE-1 elements, a pattern that is conserved in human ESCs. TETs drive LINE-1 demethylation, but surprisingly, LINE-1s are kept repressed through additional TET-dependent activities. We find that the SIN3A co-repressive complex binds to LINE-1s, ensuring their repression in a TET1-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: Our data implicate TET enzymes in the evolutionary dynamics of TEs, both in the context of exaptation processes and of retrotransposition control. The dual role of TET action on LINE-1s may reflect the evolutionary battle between TEs and the host.

FGF signaling inhibition in ESCs drives rapid genome-wide demethylation to the epigenetic ground state of pluripotency.

Genome-wide erasure of DNA methylation takes place in primordial germ cells (PGCs) and early embryos and is linked with pluripotency. Inhibition of Erk1/2 and Gsk3ß signaling in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) by small-molecule inhibitors (called 2i) has recently been shown to induce hypomethylation. We show by whole-genome bisulphite sequencing that 2i induces rapid and genome-wide demethylation on a scale and pattern similar to that in migratory PGCs and early embryos. Major satellites, intracisternal A particles (IAPs), and imprinted genes remain relatively resistant to erasure. Demethylation involves oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), impaired maintenance of 5mC and 5hmC, and repression of the de novo methyltransferases (Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b) and Dnmt3L. We identify a Prdm14- and Nanog-binding cis-acting regulatory region in Dnmt3b that is highly responsive to signaling. These insights provide a framework for understanding how signaling pathways regulate reprogramming to an epigenetic ground state of pluripotency.

Genome-wide distribution of 5-formylcytosine in embryonic stem cells is associated with transcription and depends on thymine DNA glycosylase.

BACKGROUND: Methylation of cytosine in DNA (5mC) is an important epigenetic mark that is involved in the regulation of genome function. During early embryonic development in mammals, the methylation landscape is dynamically reprogrammed in part through active demethylation. Recent advances have identified key players involved in active demethylation pathways, including oxidation of 5mC to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and 5-formylcytosine (5fC) by the TET enzymes, and excision of 5fC by the base excision repair enzyme thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG). Here, we provide the first genome-wide map of 5fC in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and evaluate potential roles for 5fC in differentiation. RESULTS: Our method exploits the unique reactivity of 5fC for pulldown and high-throughput sequencing. Genome-wide mapping revealed 5fC enrichment in CpG islands (CGIs) of promoters and exons. CGI promoters in which 5fC was relatively more enriched than 5mC or 5hmC corresponded to transcriptionally active genes. Accordingly, 5fC-rich promoters had elevated H3K4me3 levels, associated with active transcription, and were frequently bound by RNA polymerase II. TDG down-regulation led to 5fC accumulation in CGIs in ES cells, which correlates with increased methylation in these genomic regions during differentiation of ES cells in wild-type and TDG knockout contexts. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, our data suggest that 5fC plays a role in epigenetic reprogramming within specific genomic regions, which is controlled in part by TDG-mediated excision. Notably, 5fC excision in ES cells is necessary for the correct establishment of CGI methylation patterns during differentiation and hence for appropriate patterns of gene expression during development.

Uncovering the role of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in the epigenome.

Just over 2 years ago, TET1 was found to catalyse the oxidation of 5-methylcytosine, a well-known epigenetic mark, into 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in mammalian DNA. The exciting prospect of a novel epigenetic modification that may dynamically regulate DNA methylation has led to the rapid accumulation of publications from a wide array of fields, from biochemistry to stem cell biology. Although we have only started to scratch the surface, interesting clues on the role of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine are quickly emerging.

Dynamic regulation of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in mouse ES cells and during differentiation.

Methylation at the 5' position of cytosine in DNA has important roles in genome function and is dynamically reprogrammed during early embryonic and germ cell development. The mammalian genome also contains 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), which seems to be generated by oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) by the TET family of enzymes that are highly expressed in embryonic stem (ES) cells. Here we use antibodies against 5hmC and 5mC together with high throughput sequencing to determine genome-wide patterns of methylation and hydroxymethylation in mouse wild-type and mutant ES cells and differentiating embryoid bodies. We find that 5hmC is mostly associated with euchromatin and that whereas 5mC is under-represented at gene promoters and CpG islands, 5hmC is enriched and is associated with increased transcriptional levels. Most, if not all, 5hmC in the genome depends on pre-existing 5mC and the balance between these two modifications is different between genomic regions. Knockdown of Tet1 and Tet2 causes downregulation of a group of genes that includes pluripotency-related genes (including Esrrb, Prdm14, Dppa3, Klf2, Tcl1 and Zfp42) and a concomitant increase in methylation of their promoters, together with an increased propensity of ES cells for extraembryonic lineage differentiation. Declining levels of TETs during differentiation are associated with decreased hydroxymethylation levels at the promoters of ES cell-specific genes together with increased methylation and gene silencing. We propose that the balance between hydroxymethylation and methylation in the genome is inextricably linked with the balance between pluripotency and lineage commitment.

Poised transcription factories prime silent uPA gene prior to activation.

The position of genes in the interphase nucleus and their association with functional landmarks correlate with active and/or silent states of expression. Gene activation can induce chromatin looping from chromosome territories (CTs) and is thought to require de novo association with transcription factories. We identify two types of factory: "poised transcription factories," containing RNA polymerase II phosphorylated on Ser5, but not Ser2, residues, which differ from "active factories" associated with phosphorylation on both residues. Using the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) gene as a model system, we find that this inducible gene is predominantly associated with poised (S5p(+)S2p(-)) factories prior to activation and localized at the CT interior. Shortly after induction, the uPA locus is found associated with active (S5p(+)S2p(+)) factories and loops out from its CT. However, the levels of gene association with poised or active transcription factories, before and after activation, are independent of locus positioning relative to its CT. RNA-FISH analyses show that, after activation, the uPA gene is transcribed with the same frequency at each CT position. Unexpectedly, prior to activation, the uPA loci internal to the CT are seldom transcriptionally active, while the smaller number of uPA loci found outside their CT are transcribed as frequently as after induction. The association of inducible genes with poised transcription factories prior to activation is likely to contribute to the rapid and robust induction of gene expression in response to external stimuli, whereas gene positioning at the CT interior may be important to reinforce silencing mechanisms prior to induction.

[Hypercalcemic crisis associated with primary hyperparathyroidism during pregnancy]. / Crise hipercalcémica secundária a hiperparatiroidismo primário durante a gravidez.

Primary hyperparathyroidism is a rare occurrence in pregnancy with significant risks to the mother and the foetus, witch is related to the level of serum calcium. A 41-year-old women, gravida 2, para 1, presented at 22 weeks gestation with nausea, vomiting and mild cognitive dysfunction associated with hypercalcemic crisis. The hypercalcemia was observed to be related to parathyroid hyperplasia that was surgically removed. Complete resolution of her symptomatology and hypercalcemia occurred postoperatively. The pregnancy was complicated with transient hypertension. A small for gestational age healthy male infant was delivered at term with no neonatal complications related with this pathology.