Identification and characterization of centromeric sequences in Xenopus laevis.

Centromeres play an essential function in cell division by specifying the site of kinetochore formation on each chromosome for mitotic spindle attachment. Centromeres are defined epigenetically by the histone H3 variant Centromere Protein A (Cenpa). Cenpa nucleosomes maintain the centromere by designating the site for new Cenpa assembly after dilution by replication. Vertebrate centromeres assemble on tandem arrays of repetitive sequences, but the function of repeat DNA in centromere formation has been challenging to dissect due to the difficulty in manipulating centromeres in cells. Xenopus laevis egg extracts assemble centromeres in vitro, providing a system for studying centromeric DNA functions. However, centromeric sequences in Xenopus laevis have not been extensively characterized. In this study, we combine Cenpa ChIP-seq with a k-mer based analysis approach to identify the Xenopus laevis centromere repeat sequences. By in situ hybridization, we show that Xenopus laevis centromeres contain diverse repeat sequences, and we map the centromere position on each Xenopus laevis chromosome using the distribution of centromere-enriched k-mers. Our identification of Xenopus laevis centromere sequences enables previously unapproachable centromere genomic studies. Our approach should be broadly applicable for the analysis of centromere and other repetitive sequences in any organism.

Global mapping of RNA-chromatin contacts reveals a proximity-dominated connectivity model for ncRNA-gene interactions.

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are transcribed throughout the genome and provide regulatory inputs to gene expression through their interaction with chromatin. Yet, the genomic targets and functions of most ncRNAs are unknown. Here we use chromatin-associated RNA sequencing (ChAR-seq) to map the global network of ncRNA interactions with chromatin in human embryonic stem cells and the dynamic changes in interactions during differentiation into definitive endoderm. We uncover general principles governing the organization of the RNA-chromatin interactome, demonstrating that nearly all ncRNAs exclusively interact with genes in close three-dimensional proximity to their locus and provide a model predicting the interactome. We uncover RNAs that interact with many loci across the genome and unveil thousands of unannotated RNAs that dynamically interact with chromatin. By relating the dynamics of the interactome to changes in gene expression, we demonstrate that activation or repression of individual genes is unlikely to be controlled by a single ncRNA.

Formation of the CenH3-Deficient Holocentromere in Lepidoptera Avoids Active Chromatin.

Despite the essentiality for faithful chromosome segregation, centromere architectures are diverse among eukaryotes1,2 and embody two main configurations: mono- and holocentromeres, referring, respectively, to localized or unrestricted distribution of centromeric activity. Of the two, some holocentromeres offer the curious condition of having arisen independently in multiple insects, most of which have lost the otherwise essential centromere-specifying factor CenH33 (first described as CENP-A in humans).4-7 The loss of CenH3 raises intuitive questions about how holocentromeres are organized and regulated in CenH3-lacking insects. Here, we report the first chromatin-level description of CenH3-deficient holocentromeres by leveraging recently identified centromere components6,7 and genomics approaches to map and characterize the holocentromeres of the silk moth Bombyx mori, a representative lepidopteran insect lacking CenH3. This uncovered a robust correlation between the distribution of centromere sites and regions of low chromatin activity along B. mori chromosomes. Transcriptional perturbation experiments recapitulated the exclusion of B. mori centromeres from active chromatin. Based on reciprocal centromere occupancy patterns observed along differentially expressed orthologous genes of Lepidoptera, we further found that holocentromere formation in a manner that is recessive to chromatin dynamics is evolutionarily conserved. Our results help us discuss the plasticity of centromeres in the context of a role for the chromosome-wide chromatin landscape in conferring centromere identity rather than the presence of CenH3. Given the co-occurrence of CenH3 loss and holocentricity in insects,7 we further propose that the evolutionary establishment of holocentromeres in insects was facilitated through the loss of a CenH3-specified centromere.

Mapping Transcriptome-Wide and Genome-Wide RNA-DNA Contacts with Chromatin-Associated RNA Sequencing (ChAR-seq).

RNAs play key roles in the cell as molecular intermediates for protein synthesis and as regulators of nuclear processes such as splicing, posttranscriptional regulation, or chromatin remodeling. Various classes of non-coding RNAs, including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), can bind chromatin either directly or via interaction with chromatin binding proteins. It has been proposed that lncRNAs regulate cell-state-specific genes by coordinating the locus-dependent activity of chromatin-modifying complexes. Yet, the vast majority of lncRNAs have unknown functions, and we know little about the specific loci they regulate. A key step toward understanding chromatin regulation by RNAs is to map the genomic loci with which every nuclear RNA interacts and, reciprocally, to identify all RNAs that target a given locus. Our ability to generate such data has been limited, until recently, by the lack of methods to probe the genomic localization of more than a few RNAs at a time. Here, we describe a protocol for ChAR-seq, an RNA-DNA proximity ligation method that maps the binding loci for thousands of RNAs at once and without the need for specific RNA or DNA probe sequences. The ChAR-seq approach generates chimeric RNA-DNA molecules in situ and then converts those chimeras to DNA for next-generation sequencing. Using ChAR-seq we detect many types of chromatin-associated RNA, both coding and non-coding. Understanding the RNA-DNA interactome and its changes during differentiation or disease with ChAR-seq will likely provide key insights into chromatin and RNA biology.