RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Viral vectors are attractive gene delivery vehicles because of their broad tropism, high transduction efficiency, and durable expression. With no risk of integration into the host genome, the vectors developed from RNA viruses such as Sendai virus (SeV) are especially promising. However, RNA-based vectors have limited applicability because they lack a convenient method to control transgene expression by an external inducer. RESULTS: We engineered a Csy4 switch in Sendai virus-based vectors by combining Csy4 endoribonuclease with mutant FKBP12 (DD: destabilizing domain) that becomes stabilized when a small chemical Shield1 is supplied. In this Shield1-responsive Csy4 (SrC) switch, Shield1 increases Csy4 fused with DD (DD-Csy4), which then cleaves and downregulates the transgene mRNA containing the Csy4 recognition sequence (Csy4RS). Moreover, when Csy4RS is inserted in the viral L gene, the SrC switch suppresses replication and transcription of the SeV vector in infected cells in a Shield1-dependent manner, thus enabling complete elimination of the vector from the cells. By temporally controlling BRN4 expression, a BRN4-expressing SeV vector equipped with the SrC switch achieves efficient, stepwise differentiation of embryonic stem cells into neural stem cells, and then into astrocytes. CONCLUSION: SeV-based vectors with the SrC switch should find wide applications in stem cell research, regenerative medicine, and gene therapy, especially when precise control of reprogramming factor expression is desirable.
RESUMO
Articular cartilage plays vital roles as a friction minimizer and shock absorber during joint movement but has a poor capacity to self-repair when damaged through trauma or disease. Cartilage tissue engineering is an innovative technique for cartilage regeneration, yet its therapeutic application requires chondrocytes in large numbers. Direct reprogramming of somatic cells to chondrocytes by expressing SOX9, KLF4, and c-MYC offers a promising option to generate chondrocytes in sufficient numbers; however, the low efficiency of the reprogramming system warrants further improvement. Here we referred to structural and functional features of SOX9 and performed alanine-scanning mutagenesis of functionally critical residues in the HMG box and at putative posttranslational modification (PTM) sites. We discovered that a SOX9 variant H131A/K398A, doubly mutated in the HMG box (H131) and at a PTM site (K398), significantly upregulated expression of chondrogenic genes and potently induced chondrocytes from mouse embryonic fibroblasts. The H131A/K398A variant remained unsumoylated in cells and exhibited a stronger DNA-binding activity than wild-type SOX9, especially when complexed with other proteins. Our results show that the novel SOX9 variant may be useful for efficient induction of chondrocytes and illuminate the strategic feasibility of mutating a transcription factor at functionally critical residues to expedite discovery of an optimized reprogramming factor.
Assuntos
Cartilagem Articular , Condrócitos , Animais , Camundongos , Condrócitos/metabolismo , Fibroblastos/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Fatores de Transcrição SOX9/genética , Fatores de Transcrição SOX9/metabolismo , Células CultivadasRESUMO
Pluripotency is a crucial feature of pluripotent stem cells, which are regulated by the core pluripotency network consisting of key transcription factors and signaling molecules. However, relatively less is known about the molecular mechanisms that modify the core pluripotency network. Here we used the CAPTURE (CRISPR Affinity Purification in situ of Regulatory Elements) to unbiasedly isolate proteins assembled on the Nanog promoter in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), and then tested their functional relevance to the maintenance of mESCs and reprogramming of somatic cells. Gene ontology analysis revealed that the identified proteins, including many RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), are enriched in RNA-related functions and gene expression. ChIP-qPCR experiments confirmed that BCLAF1, FUBP1, MSH6, PARK7, PSIP1, and THRAP3 occupy the Nanog promoter region in mESCs. Knockdown experiments of these factors show that they play varying roles in self-renewal, pluripotency gene expression, and differentiation of mESCs as well as in the reprogramming of somatic cells. Our results show the utility of unbiased identification of chromatin-associated proteins on a pluripotency gene in mESCs and reveal the functional relevance of RBPs in ESC differentiation and somatic cell reprogramming.
Assuntos
Células-Tronco Embrionárias Murinas , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes , Animais , Camundongos , Células-Tronco Embrionárias Murinas/metabolismo , Cromatina/genética , Cromatina/metabolismo , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes/metabolismo , Diferenciação Celular/genética , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas , Reprogramação Celular/genética , Proteína Homeobox Nanog/genética , Proteína Homeobox Nanog/metabolismo , Proteína Desglicase DJ-1/metabolismoRESUMO
Somatic cell reprogramming proceeds through a series of events to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The early stage of reprogramming of mouse embryonic fibroblasts is characterized by rapid cell proliferation and morphological changes, which are accompanied by downregulation of mesenchyme-associated genes. However, the functional relevance of their downregulation to reprogramming remains poorly defined. In this study, we have screened transcriptional regulators that are downregulated immediately upon reprogramming, presumably through direct targeting by reprogramming factors. To test if these transcriptional regulators impact reprogramming when expressed continuously, we generated an expression vector that harbors human cytomegalovirus upstream open reading frame 2 (uORF2), which reduces translation to minimize the detrimental effect of an expressed protein. Screening of transcriptional regulators with this expression vector revealed that downregulation of (odd-skipped related 2 [Osr2]) is crucial for efficient reprogramming. Using a cell-based model for epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), we show that Osr2 is a novel EMT regulator that acts through induction of transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) signaling. During reprogramming, Osr2 downregulation not only diminishes TGF-ß signaling but also allows activation of Wnt signaling, thus promoting mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) toward acquisition of pluripotency. Our results illuminate the functional significance of Osr2 downregulation in erasing the mesenchymal phenotype at an early stage of somatic cell reprogramming.
Assuntos
Transição Epitelial-Mesenquimal , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas , Animais , Reprogramação Celular/genética , Regulação para Baixo/genética , Transição Epitelial-Mesenquimal/genética , Fibroblastos/metabolismo , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas/metabolismo , Camundongos , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Fator de Crescimento Transformador beta/metabolismoRESUMO
Non-genetically modified somatic cells can only be inefficiently and stochastically reprogrammed to pluripotency by exogenous expression of reprogramming factors. Low competence of natural reprogramming factors may prevent the majority of cells to successfully and synchronously reprogram. Here we screened DNA-interacting amino acid residues in the zinc-finger domain of KLF4 for enhanced reprogramming efficiency using alanine-substitution scanning methods. Identified KLF4 L507A mutant accelerated and stabilized reprogramming to pluripotency in both mouse and human somatic cells. By testing all the variants of L507 position, variants with smaller amino acid residues in the KLF4 L507 position showed higher reprogramming efficiency. L507A bound more to promoters or enhancers of pluripotency genes, such as KLF5, and drove gene expression of these genes during reprogramming. Molecular dynamics simulations predicted that L507A formed additional interactions with DNA. Our study demonstrates how modifications in amino acid residues of DNA-binding domains enable next-generation reprogramming technology with engineered reprogramming factors.
RESUMO
Reprogramming of murine female somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is accompanied by X chromosome reactivation (XCR), by which the inactive X chromosome (Xi) in female somatic cells becomes reactivated. However, how Xi initiates reactivation during reprogramming remains poorly defined. Here, we used a Sendai virus-based reprogramming system to generate partially reprogrammed iPSCs that appear to be undergoing the initial phase of XCR. Allele-specific RNA-seq of these iPSCs revealed that XCR initiates at a subset of genes clustered near the centromere region. The initial phase of XCR occurs when the cells transit through mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) before complete shutoff of Xist expression. Moreover, regulatory regions of these genes display dynamic changes in lysine-demethylase 1a (KDM1A) occupancy. Our results identified clustered genes on the Xi that show reactivation in the initial phase of XCR during reprogramming and suggest a possible role for histone demethylation in this process.
Assuntos
Diferenciação Celular/genética , Reprogramação Celular/genética , Família Multigênica , Ativação Transcricional , Inativação do Cromossomo X/genética , Alelos , Animais , Biomarcadores , Técnicas de Reprogramação Celular , Fibroblastos , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Sequenciamento de Nucleotídeos em Larga Escala , Histona Desmetilases , Camundongos , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase em Tempo Real , Análise de Célula Única , TranscriptomaRESUMO
We visualized a dynamic process of fatty acid uptake of brown adipocytes using a time-lapse ultra-broadband multiplex coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopic imaging system with an onstage incubator. Combined with the deuterium labeling technique, the intracellular uptake of saturated fatty acids was traced up to 9 h, a substantial advance over the initial multiplex CARS system, with an analysis time of 80 min. Characteristic metabolic activities of brown adipocytes, such as resistance to lipid saturation, were elucidated, supporting the utility of the newly developed system.
Assuntos
Adipócitos Marrons/citologia , Adipócitos Marrons/metabolismo , Ácidos Graxos/metabolismo , Incubadoras , Metabolismo dos Lipídeos , Análise Espectral Raman , Animais , Linhagem Celular , Camundongos , Imagem com Lapso de TempoRESUMO
Sendai virus (SeV) vectors are being recognized as a superior tool for gene transfer. Here, we report the transfection efficacy of a novel, high-performance, replication-defective, and persistent Sendai virus (SeVdp) vector in cultured cells and in mice using a near-infrared fluorescent protein (iRFP)-mediated in vivo imaging system. The novel SeVdp vector established persistent infection, and strong expression of inserted genes was sustained indefinitely in vitro. Analysis of iRFP-expressing cells transplanted subcutaneously into NOG, nude, and ICR mice suggests that innate immunity was involved in the exclusion of the transplanted cells. We also evaluated the feasibility of this novel SeVdp vector for hemophilia A gene therapy. This system enabled insertion of full-length FVIII genes, and transduced cells secreted FVIII into the culture medium. Transient FVIII activity was detected in the plasma of mice after intraperitoneal transplantation of these FVIII-secreting cells. Further improvement in methods to evade immunity, such as simultaneous expression of immunomodulatory genes, would make this novel vector a very useful tool in regenerative medicine.
Assuntos
Terapia Genética , Vetores Genéticos/genética , Hemofilia A/genética , Hemofilia A/terapia , Vírus Sendai/genética , Animais , Testes de Coagulação Sanguínea , Linhagem Celular , Terapia Baseada em Transplante de Células e Tecidos/métodos , Células Cultivadas , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Fator VIII/genética , Expressão Gênica , Ordem dos Genes , Técnicas de Transferência de Genes , Genes Reporter , Terapia Genética/métodos , Vetores Genéticos/administração & dosagem , Humanos , Camundongos , Camundongos Knockout , Transdução Genética , TransgenesRESUMO
Reprogramming somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is accompanied by dramatic changes in epigenetic programs, including silencing of endogenous and exogenous retroviruses. Here, we utilized replication-defective and persistent Sendai virus (SeVdp)-based vectors to monitor retroviral silencing during reprogramming. We observed that retroviral silencing occurred at an early reprogramming stage without a requirement for KLF4 or the YY1-binding site in the retroviral genome. Insertional chromatin immunoprecipitation (iChIP) enabled us to isolate factors assembled on the silenced provirus, including components of inhibitor of histone acetyltransferase (INHAT), which includes the SET/TAF-I oncoprotein. Knockdown of SET/TAF-I in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) diminished retroviral silencing during reprogramming, and overexpression of template activating factor-I α (TAF-Iα), a SET/TAF-I isoform predominant in embryonic stem cells (ESCs), reinforced retroviral silencing by an SeVdp-based vector that is otherwise defective in retroviral silencing. Our results indicate an important role for TAF-Iα in retroviral silencing during reprogramming.
Assuntos
Técnicas de Reprogramação Celular , Reprogramação Celular , Retrovirus Endógenos , Inativação Gênica , Células-Tronco Embrionárias Murinas , Animais , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/metabolismo , Retrovirus Endógenos/genética , Retrovirus Endógenos/metabolismo , Chaperonas de Histonas/genética , Chaperonas de Histonas/metabolismo , Fator 4 Semelhante a Kruppel , Fatores de Transcrição Kruppel-Like/genética , Fatores de Transcrição Kruppel-Like/metabolismo , Camundongos , Células-Tronco Embrionárias Murinas/citologia , Células-Tronco Embrionárias Murinas/metabolismo , Células-Tronco Embrionárias Murinas/virologia , Vírus Sendai/genética , Vírus Sendai/metabolismo , Fator de Transcrição YY1/genética , Fator de Transcrição YY1/metabolismoRESUMO
Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) is a mitochondrial protein that is expressed in both brown and beige adipocytes. UCP1 uncouples the mitochondrial electron transport chain from ATP synthesis to produce heat via non-shivering thermogenesis. Due to their ability to dissipate energy as heat and ameliorate metabolic disorders, UCP1-expressing adipocytes are considered as a potential target for anti-obesity treatment. To monitor the expression of UCP1 in live mice in a non-invasive manner, we generated the Ucp1-iRFP720 knock-in (Ucp1-iRFP720 KI) mice, in which the gene encoding a near-infrared fluorescent protein iRFP720 is inserted into the Ucp1 gene locus. Using the heterozygous Ucp1-iRFP720 KI mice, we observed robust iRFP fluorescence in the interscapular region where brown adipose tissue is located. Moreover, the iRFP fluorescence was clearly observable in inguinal white adipose tissues in live mice administered with ß3-adrenergic receptor agonist CL316,243. We also found that the homozygous Ucp1-iRFP720 KI mice, which are deficient in UCP1, displayed prominent iRFP fluorescence in the inguinal regions at the standard housing temperature. Consistent with this, the mice exhibited expanded populations of beige-like adipocytes in inguinal white adipose tissue, in which the Ucp1 promoter was dramatically activated. Thus, the Ucp1-iRFP720 KI mice provide a convenient model for non-invasive in vivo imaging of UCP1 expression in both brown and beige adipocytes in live mice.
Assuntos
Expressão Gênica , Proteínas Luminescentes/genética , Imagem Molecular , Proteína Desacopladora 1/genética , Adipócitos Bege/metabolismo , Animais , Linhagem Celular , Marcação de Genes , Loci Gênicos , Genótipo , Humanos , Proteínas Luminescentes/metabolismo , Camundongos , Camundongos Knockout , Camundongos Transgênicos , Imagem Molecular/métodos , Espectroscopia de Luz Próxima ao Infravermelho , Proteína Desacopladora 1/metabolismo , Proteína Vermelha FluorescenteRESUMO
Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), hold a huge promise for regenerative medicine, drug development, and disease modeling. PSCs have unique metabolic features that are akin to those of cancer cells, in which glycolysis predominates to produce energy as well as building blocks for cellular components. Recent studies indicate that the unique metabolism in PSCs is not a mere consequence of their preference for a low oxygen environment, but is an active process for maintaining self-renewal and pluripotency, possibly in preparation for rapid response to the metabolic demands of differentiation. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms of this unique metabolism in PSCs is essential for proper derivation, generation, and maintenance of PSCs. In this review, we discuss the metabolic features of PSCs and describe the current understanding of the mechanisms of the metabolic shift during reprogramming from somatic cells to iPSCs, in which the metabolism switches from oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) to glycolysis.
Assuntos
Reprogramação Celular , Metabolismo Energético , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes/metabolismo , Animais , Humanos , Mitocôndrias/metabolismo , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes/citologiaRESUMO
Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have various degrees of pluripotency, which necessitates selection of PSCs with high pluripotency before their application to regenerative medicine. However, the quality control processes for PSCs are costly and time-consuming, and it is essential to develop inexpensive and less laborious selection methods for translation of PSCs into clinical applications. Here we developed an imaging system, termed Phase Distribution (PD) imaging system, which visualizes subcellular structures quantitatively in unstained and unlabeled cells. The PD image and its derived PD index reflected the mitochondrial content, enabling quantitative evaluation of the degrees of somatic cell reprogramming and PSC differentiation. Moreover, the PD index allowed unbiased grouping of PSC colonies into those with high or low pluripotency without the aid of invasive methods. Finally, the PD imaging system produced three-dimensional images of PSC colonies, providing further criteria to evaluate pluripotency of PSCs. Thus, the PD imaging system may be utilized for screening of live PSCs with potentially high pluripotency prior to more rigorous quality control processes.
Assuntos
Microscopia de Fluorescência/métodos , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes/citologia , Frações Subcelulares/ultraestrutura , Animais , Diferenciação Celular , Corantes Fluorescentes , Humanos , Camundongos , Mitocôndrias/ultraestrutura , Células NIH 3T3 , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes/ultraestruturaRESUMO
Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with naive pluripotency is important for their applications in regenerative medicine. In female iPSCs, acquisition of naive pluripotency is coupled to X chromosome reactivation (XCR) during somatic cell reprogramming, and live cell monitoring of XCR is potentially useful for analyzing how iPSCs acquire naive pluripotency. Here we generated female mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) that carry the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and humanized Kusabira-Orange (hKO) genes inserted into an intergenic site near either the Syap1 or Taf1 gene on both X chromosomes. The ESC clones, which initially expressed both EGFP and hKO, inactivated one of the fluorescent protein genes upon differentiation, indicating that the EGFP and hKO genes are subject to X chromosome inactivation (XCI). When the derived somatic cells carrying the EGFP gene on the inactive X chromosome (Xi) were reprogrammed into iPSCs, the EGFP gene on the Xi was reactivated when pluripotency marker genes were induced. Thus, the fluorescent protein genes inserted into an intergenic locus on both X chromosomes enable live cell monitoring of XCI during ESC differentiation and XCR during reprogramming. This is the first study that succeeded live cell imaging of XCR during reprogramming.
RESUMO
Transgene-free induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are valuable for both basic research and potential clinical applications. We previously reported that a replication-defective and persistent Sendai virus (SeVdp) vector harboring four reprogramming factors (SeVdp-iPS) can efficiently induce generation of transgene-free iPSCs. This vector can express all four factors stably and simultaneously without chromosomal integration and can be eliminated completely from reprogrammed cells by suppressing vector-derived RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Here, we describe an improved SeVdp-iPS vector (SeVdp(KOSM)302L) that is automatically erased in response to microRNA-302 (miR-302), uniquely expressed in pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). Gene expression and genome replication of the SeVdp-302L vector, which contains miRNA-302a target sequences at the 3' untranslated region of L mRNA, are strongly suppressed in PSCs. Consequently, SeVdp(KOSM)302L induces expression of reprogramming factors in somatic cells, while it is automatically erased from cells successfully reprogrammed to express miR-302. As this vector can reprogram somatic cells into transgene-free iPSCs without the aid of exogenous short interfering RNA (siRNA), the results we present here demonstrate that this vector may become an invaluable tool for the generation of human iPSCs for future clinical applications.
Assuntos
Técnicas de Cultura de Células/métodos , Vetores Genéticos/metabolismo , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas/metabolismo , MicroRNAs/metabolismo , Vírus Sendai/genética , Transgenes , Animais , Sequência de Bases , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Camundongos , MicroRNAs/genéticaRESUMO
Reprogramming of somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is accompanied by morphological, functional, and metabolic alterations before acquisition of full pluripotency. Although the genome-wide effects of the reprogramming factors on gene expression are well documented, precise mechanisms by which gene expression changes evoke phenotypic responses remain to be determined. We used a Sendai virus-based system that permits reprogramming to progress in a strictly KLF4-dependent manner to screen for KLF4 target genes that are critical for the progression of reprogramming. The screening identified Tcl1 as a critical target gene that directs the metabolic shift from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis. KLF4-induced TCL1 employs a two-pronged mechanism, whereby TCL1 activates AKT to enhance glycolysis and counteracts PnPase to diminish oxidative phosphorylation. These regulatory mechanisms described here highlight a central role for a reprogramming factor in orchestrating the metabolic shift toward the acquisition of pluripotency during iPSC generation.
Assuntos
Reprogramação Celular , Metabolismo Energético , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas/citologia , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição Kruppel-Like/metabolismo , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas/metabolismo , Animais , Reprogramação Celular/genética , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Glicólise , Fator 4 Semelhante a Kruppel , Fatores de Transcrição Kruppel-Like/genética , Camundongos , Mitocôndrias/genética , Mitocôndrias/metabolismo , Fosforilação Oxidativa , Ligação Proteica , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-akt/metabolismo , Transdução de SinaisRESUMO
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) patients carry a missense mutation in ACVR1 [617G > A (R206H)] that leads to hyperactivation of BMP-SMAD signaling. Contrary to a previous study, here we show that FOP fibroblasts showed an increased efficiency of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) generation. This positive effect was attenuated by inhibitors of BMP-SMAD signaling (Dorsomorphin or LDN1931890) or transducing inhibitory SMADs (SMAD6 or SMAD7). In normal fibroblasts, the efficiency of iPSC generation was enhanced by transducing mutant ACVR1 (617G > A) or SMAD1 or adding BMP4 protein at early times during the reprogramming. In contrast, adding BMP4 at later times decreased iPSC generation. ID genes, transcriptional targets of BMP-SMAD signaling, were critical for iPSC generation. The BMP-SMAD-ID signaling axis suppressed p16/INK4A-mediated cell senescence, a major barrier to reprogramming. These results using patient cells carrying the ACVR1 R206H mutation reveal how cellular signaling and gene expression change during the reprogramming processes.
Assuntos
Proteínas Morfogenéticas Ósseas/metabolismo , Fibroblastos/citologia , Fibroblastos/metabolismo , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas/citologia , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas/metabolismo , Miosite Ossificante , Proteínas Smad/metabolismo , Receptores de Ativinas Tipo I/genética , Adolescente , Adulto , Animais , Linhagem Celular , Reprogramação Celular , Senescência Celular , Criança , Inibidor p16 de Quinase Dependente de Ciclina/metabolismo , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Camundongos Transgênicos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Mutação , Miosite Ossificante/genética , Transdução de SinaisRESUMO
The c-fos gene is rapidly induced to high levels by various extracellular stimuli. We used a defined in vitro transcription system that utilizes the c-fos promoter to purify a coactivator activity in an unbiased manner. We report here that NF45-NF90 and NF45-NF110, which possess archetypical double-stranded RNA binding motifs, have a direct function as transcriptional coactivators. The transcriptional activities of the nuclear factor (NF) complexes (NF45-NF90 and NF45-NF110) are mediated by both the upstream enhancer and core promoter regions of the c-fos gene and do not require their double-stranded RNA binding activities. The NF complexes cooperate with general coactivators, PC4 and Mediator, to elicit a high level of transcription and display multiple interactions with activators and the components of the general transcriptional machinery. Knockdown of the endogenous NF90/NF110 in mouse cells shows an important role for the NF complexes in inducing c-fos transcription. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrate that the NF complexes occupy the c-fos enhancer/promoter region before and after serum induction and that their occupancies within the coding region of the c-fos gene increase in parallel to that of RNAPII upon serum induction. In light of their dynamic occupancy on the c-fos gene as well as direct functions in both transcription and posttranscriptional processes, the NF complexes appear to serve as multifunctional coactivators that coordinate different steps of gene expression to facilitate rapid response of inducible genes.
Assuntos
Genes fos , Proteína do Fator Nuclear 45/genética , Proteínas do Fator Nuclear 90/genética , RNA Polimerase II/genética , Transcrição Gênica , Animais , Baculoviridae/genética , Sítios de Ligação , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/metabolismo , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Células HeLa , Humanos , Cinética , Complexo Mediador/genética , Complexo Mediador/metabolismo , Camundongos , Proteína do Fator Nuclear 45/metabolismo , Proteínas do Fator Nuclear 90/metabolismo , Plasmídeos/química , Plasmídeos/metabolismo , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas , Ligação Proteica , RNA Polimerase II/metabolismo , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , Células Sf9 , Transdução de Sinais , Spodoptera , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismoRESUMO
In eukaryotes, the general transcription factor TFIIE consists of two subunits, α and ß, and plays essential roles in transcription. Structure-function studies indicate that TFIIE has three-winged helix (WH) motifs, with one in TFIIEα and two in TFIIEß. Recent studies suggested that, by binding to the clamp region of RNA polymerase II, TFIIEα-WH promotes the conformational change that transforms the promoter-bound inactive preinitiation complex to the active complex. Here, to elucidate its roles in transcription, functional analyses of point-mutated human TFIIEα-WH proteins were carried out. In vitro transcription analyses identified two classes of mutants. One class was defective in transcription initiation, and the other was defective in the transition from initiation to elongation. Analyses of the binding of this motif to other general transcription factors showed that the former class was defective in binding to the basic helix-loop-helix motif of TFIIEß and the latter class was defective in binding to the N-terminal cyclin homology region of TFIIB. Furthermore, TFIIEα-WH bound to the TFIIH XPB subunit at a third distinct region. Therefore, these results provide further insights into the mechanisms underlying RNA polymerase II activation at the initial stages of transcription.
Assuntos
Elongação da Transcrição Genética , Fator de Transcrição TFIIB/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição TFII/metabolismo , Iniciação da Transcrição Genética , Fatores de Transcrição Winged-Helix/metabolismo , Animais , Células CHO , Caenorhabditis elegans , Cricetulus , Drosophila melanogaster , Sequências Hélice-Alça-Hélice , Humanos , Mutação , Saccharomyces cerevisiae , Schizosaccharomyces , Sulfolobus solfataricus , Fator de Transcrição TFIIH/metabolismo , Xenopus laevisRESUMO
The detailed mechanism of reprogramming somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) remains largely unknown. Partially reprogrammed iPSCs are informative and useful for understanding the mechanism of reprogramming but remain technically difficult to generate in a predictable and reproducible manner. Using replication-defective and persistent Sendai virus (SeVdp) vectors, we analyzed the effect of decreasing the expression levels of OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC and found that low KLF4 expression reproducibly gives rise to a homogeneous population of partially reprogrammed iPSCs. Upregulation of KLF4 allows these cells to resume reprogramming, indicating that they are paused iPSCs that remain on the path toward pluripotency. Paused iPSCs with different KLF4 expression levels remain at distinct intermediate stages of reprogramming. This SeVdp-based stage-specific reprogramming system (3S reprogramming system) is applicable for both mouse and human somatic cells and will facilitate the mechanistic analysis of reprogramming.
Assuntos
Reprogramação Celular/genética , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição Kruppel-Like/genética , Animais , Western Blotting , Células Cultivadas , Análise por Conglomerados , Embrião de Mamíferos/citologia , Fibroblastos/citologia , Fibroblastos/metabolismo , Proteínas de Fluorescência Verde/genética , Proteínas de Fluorescência Verde/metabolismo , Proteínas de Homeodomínio/genética , Proteínas de Homeodomínio/metabolismo , Humanos , Fator 4 Semelhante a Kruppel , Fatores de Transcrição Kruppel-Like/metabolismo , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Transgênicos , Células NIH 3T3 , Proteína Homeobox Nanog , Fator 3 de Transcrição de Octâmero/genética , Fator 3 de Transcrição de Octâmero/metabolismo , Análise de Sequência com Séries de Oligonucleotídeos , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-myc/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-myc/metabolismo , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase Reversa , Fatores de Transcrição SOXB1/genética , Fatores de Transcrição SOXB1/metabolismoRESUMO
The c-fos gene responds to extracellular stimuli and undergoes robust but transient transcriptional activation. Here we show that heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein R (hnRNP R) facilitates transcription reinitiation of the c-fos promoter in vitro in cooperation with Mediator. Consistently, hnRNP R interacts with the Scaffold components (Mediator, TBP, and TFIIH) as well as TFIIB, which recruits RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and TFIIF to Scaffold. The cooperative action of hnRNP R and Mediator is diminished by the cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) module, which is comprised of CDK8, Cyclin C, MED12 and MED13 of the Mediator subunits. Interestingly, we find that the length of the G-free cassettes, and thereby their transcripts, influences the hnRNP R-mediated facilitation of reinitiation. Indeed, indicative of a possible role of the transcript in facilitating transcription reinitiation, the RNA transcript produced from the G-free cassette interacts with hnRNP R through its RNA recognition motifs (RRMs) and arginine-glycine-glycine (RGG) domain. Mutational analyses of hnRNP R indicate that facilitation of initiation and reinitiation requires distinct domains of hnRNP R. Knockdown of hnRNP R in mouse cells compromised rapid induction of the c-fos gene but did not affect transcription of constitutive genes. Together, these results suggest an important role for hnRNP R in regulating robust response of the c-fos gene.