PO-182 The upregulation of EPDR1 is related to tumour invasiveness in a cohort of localised colorectal cancer patients
Introduction Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents a relevant public health problem. Despite new therapeutic advances, prognosis of patients diagnosed with advanced disease is still poor. The identification of new markers involved in the mechanisms of invasiveness represents a priority in order to better understand cancer development and generate new therapeutic targets. We describe here the possible role of EPDR1, a gene not yet well characterised, which encodes a protein related to ependymins, a family of piscine transmembrane proteins involved in cell adhesion. To evaluate the role of EPDR1, a translational investigation was planned to explore the consequences of the upregulation of EPDR1 i…
Release of Hypoacetylated and Trimethylated Histone H4 Is an Epigenetic Marker of Early Apoptosis
11 p.-5 fig.-1 fig. supl.
EGF-Induced Acetylation of Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins Is Dependent on KRAS Mutational Status in Colorectal Cancer Cells.
KRAS mutational status is considered a negative predictive marker of the response to anti-EGFR therapies in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. However, conflicting data exist regarding the variable response to EGFR-targeted therapy. The effects of oncogenic KRAS on downstream targets were studied in cell lines with different KRAS mutations. Cells harboring a single KRASG13D allele showed the most tumorigenic profile, with constitutive activation of the downstream pathway, rendering them EGF-unresponsive. Conversely, KRASA146T cells showed a full EGF-response in terms of signal transduction pathways, cell proliferation, migration or adhesion. Moreover, the global acetylome of CRC cells was al…
Amino acid substitutions enhancing thermostability of Bacillus polymyxa beta-glucosidase A
Mutations enhancing the thermostability of β-glucosidase A of Bacillus polymyxa, a family 1 glycosyl hydrolase, have been obtained after hydroxylamine mutagenesis of a plasmid containing the bglA gene, transformation of Escherichia coli with the mutagenized plasmid, and identification of transformant colonies that showed β-glucosidase activity after a thermal treatment that inactivated the wild-type enzyme. Two additive mutations have been characterized that cause replacement of glutamate at position 96 by lysine and of methionine at position 416 by isoleucine respectively. The thermoresistant mutant enzymes showed increased resistance to other denaturing agents, such as pH and urea, while …
A pea nuclear protein that is induced by dehydration belongs to the vicilin superfamily
The purification to homogeneity of p16, a protein with an electrophoretic mobility compatible with an apparent molecular mass of 16 kDa, from nuclei of ungerminated pea embryonic axes is described. A cDNA clone of its gene, which was designated psp54, was also isolated. The psp54 cDNA contains an open reading frame coding for a 54.4-kDa polypeptide (p54). p16 corresponds to the C-terminal third of p54, although the mechanisms by which the primary polypeptide could be processed are not yet known. The sequence of p54 is 60% identical with that of the precursor of a sucrose-binding soybean protein, and, to a lesser extent (31-34%), it shares homology with some storage proteins. p16 is also 30%…
Histone Post-Translational Modifications and Nucleosome Organisation in Transcriptional Regulation: Some Open Questions
The organisation of chromatin is first discussed to conclude that nucleosomes play both structural and transcription-regulatory roles. The presence of nucleosomes makes difficult the access of transcriptional factors to their target sequences and the action of RNA polymerases. The histone post-translational modifications and nucleosome remodelling are first discussed, from a historical point of view, as mechanisms to remove the obstacles imposed by chromatin structure to transcription. Instead of reviewing the state of the art of the whole field, this review is centred on some open questions. First, some “non-classical” histone modifications, such as short-chain acylations other than acetyl…
In vivo assembly of chromatin on pBR322 sequences cloned into yeast plasmids
Abstract In order to study the in vivo assembly of chromatin on prokaryotic DNA templates, we have transformed yeast cells with plasmids pAJ50 and pRB58, which contain pBR322 sequences. In both cases nucleosomes are assembled in vivo on pBR322 DNA, although the nucleosomes are not homogeneous in size. To explore whether there is any preference for nucleosome assembly along pBR322 sequences, we have used an indirect end labeling method. The results indicate that most nucleosomes are placed at random on pBR322, although the probability for histone octamers to interact with some short regions is somewhat reduced. These regions coincide with sequences in which the frequency distribution of nucl…
A new glucose-repressible gene identified from the analysis of chromatin structure in deletion mutants of yeast SUC2 locus.
We have previously shown that some changes occur in the chromatin structure of the 3' flank of the yeast SUC2 gene in going from a repressed to an active state. In an attempt to find out the causes of these changes, we have carried out experiments in which mutant copies of SUC2 locus lacking either 5' or 3' flanks have been analysed for their transcriptional activity and chromatin structure. These experiments allowed us to discard any relationship between SUC2 transcription and chromatin changes within its 3'flank. Sequencing of this flank and mRNA analysis, however, resulted in the location of a putative peroxisomal 3-oxoacyl-CoA thiolase gene (POT1), which is repressible by glucose. The d…
Liver-specific methionine adenosyltransferase MAT1A gene expression is associated with a specific pattern of promoter methylation and histone acetylation: implications for MAT1A silencing during transformation.
Methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) is the enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet), the main donor of methyl groups in the cell. In mammals MAT is the product of two genes, MAT1A and MAT2A. MAT1A is expressed only in the mature liver whereas fetal hepatocytes, extrahepatic tissues and liver cancer cells express MAT2A. The mechanisms behind the tissue and differentiation state specific MAT1A expression are not known. In the present work we examined MAT1A promoter methylation status by means of methylation sensitive restriction enzyme analysis. Our data indicate that MAT1A promoter is hypomethylated in liver and hypermethylated in kidney and fetal rat hepatocytes…
Hepatocyte growth factor induces MAT2A expression and histone acetylation in rat hepatocytes: role in liver regeneration 1
SPECIFIC AIMSWe have studied the molecular mechanisms and mediators behind the induction of methionine adenosyltransferase 2 A (MAT2A) gene expression in the regenerating rat liver after partial he...
A chromatin-associated histone deacetylase from pea (Pisum sativum)
Abstract A histone deacetylase activity has been found in preparation of chromatin from pea (Pisum sativum) embryonic axes. This activity readily deacetylates free histones and is somewhat specific for H2A and H2B; this property and its chromatographic behaviour allowed us to identify the enzyme with the previously described histone deacetylase HD2 (Sendra et al., Plant Mol. Biol., 11 (1988) 857). HD2 is only loosely associated to chromatin but the enzymatic activity is enhanced when chromatin adopts a folded conformation. Polyamines and divalent cations activate the enzyme, probably due to their effect on chromatin folding.
In silico RNA-seq and experimental analyses reveal the differential expression and splicing of EPDR1 and ZNF518B genes in relation to KRAS mutations in colorectal cancer cells.
Several drugs used for the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) are targeted at the epidermal growth factor receptor, but mutations in genes of the RAS family cause resistance to these drugs. Thus, extensive research is being carried out to counterbalance this resistance. The G13D mutation of KRAS is common in humans, and we previously reported that this mutation results in the epigenetic modification of hnRNP proteins, involved in RNA splicing. As aberrant splicing often results in oncogenicity, the present study aimed to identify the genes which show altered splicing patterns in connection with the G13D KRAS mutation. To accomplish this, we first carried out an in silico analysis of RNA-s…
On the ubiquitous presence of histone acetyltransferase B in eukaryotes
AbstractHistone acetyltransferase B activity has been found in pea (Pisun sativum) seedlings. The enzyme has been partially purified and it has been found that it is highly specific for H4. The results confirm that histone acetyltransferase B occurs in 3 eukaryotic kingdoms.
Chromatin structure of transposon Tn903 cloned into a yeast plasmid
Transposon Tn903 contains the APH gene for kanamycin resistance, which is active in yeast [A. Jiménez and J. Davies (1980) Nature (London) 287, 869-871] and is flanked by two inverted repeats (IR) 1057 bp long. When plasmid pAJ50, carrying Tn903 and the 2-microns circle origin of replication, is cloned into Saccharomyces cerevisiae, nucleosomes are assembled in vivo on the prokaryotic DNA of the transposon. Indirect end labeling revealed that three nucleosomes are preferentially positioned on symmetrical sequences from both IRs. DNase I digestion also confirmed that the chromatin structure is symmetrical in both IRs. This suggests that sequence determinants are decisive for chromatin struct…
The POT1 gene for yeast peroxisomal thiolase is subject to three different mechanisms of regulation
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae POT1 gene is, as are other yeast peroxisomal protein genes, inducible by fatty acids and repressible by glucose. We have now found that it is also induced during the stationary phase of the culture. To investigate these three regulatory circuits, we have studied the mRNA levels of regulatory mutants as well as the changes in chromatin structure upon gene activation. We conclude that the regulation of transcriptional activity in glucose repression, oleate induction, and stationary phase induction follow different molecular mechanisms. We suggest that this multiplicity of regulatory mechanisms may represent a general rule for the yeast peroxisomal protein genes.
Unrest at the Nevados de Chillán volcanic complex: a failed or yet to unfold magmatic eruption?
Resuming erupting activity at volcanoes that have been long quiescent poses a significant challenge to hazard assessment, as it require assessment of whether the change in activity is an isolated event or the beginning of a new eruptive sequence. Such inception is often poorly characterised as quiescent volcanoes tend to be poorly equipped and not extensively monitored, especially with respect to gas geochemistry. Here, we report gas composition and flux measurements from a newly opened vent at the very onset of eruptive activity at the Nevados de Chillán volcanic complex (Chile) in January-February 2016. The molar proportions of H2O, CO2, SO2, H2S and H2 gases are found to be 98.4, 0.97, 0…
Distinct Site Specificity of Two Pea Histone Deacetylase Complexes
We report on the site specificity of two intact pea histone deacetylase complexes. HD1 deacetylates lysines 5 and 16 of H4 in the order K16 > K5, while in the case of H3 the preferred order is K4 >> K18 approximately K9. The specificity of the HD2 complex is markedly different. The preferred residues in H4 are K8 approximately K5 > K16, while in H3 deacetylation, the complex HD2 prefers sites 4 and 18. To obtain these results, we have used a novel procedure based on the SPOT technique, a method to synthesize peptides on membrane supports. Different sets of membranes with sequentially overlapping histone peptides containing acetylated lysines in the sites corresponding to all in vivo acetyla…
ZNF518B gene up-regulation promotes dissemination of tumour cells and is governed by epigenetic mechanisms in colorectal cancer
AbstractMost of colorectal cancer CRC-related death is due to metastasis and the finding of markers for prognosis of invasiveness, constitutes an appealing challenge. Here, after analysing cDNA array containing 43 tumour and 5 normal mucosa samples, we report that the expression of the ZNF518B gene as a whole and that of its two major splicing isoforms are significantly increased in tumours. The canonical isoform was also up-regulated in a patients’ cohort containing 70 tumour and 69 adjacent tissue samples. The effects of silencing ZNF518B on the phenotype of CRC cell lines were then studied. The gene does not affect cell proliferation, but plays a significant role in cell migration and in…
Sliding-end-labelling
Abstract A method, termed ‘sliding-end-labelling’, has been devised to avoid a frequent artifact in nucleosome positioning by indirect end labelling, namely the appearing of DNA fragments originated by two nuclease cuts, one of them lying within the region covered by the probe. The method is applied to the nucleosome positioning in the yeast SUC2 gene for invertase.
Site specificity of pea histone acetyltransferase B in vitro.
Histone acetyltransferase B from pea embryonic axes has been purified approximately 300-fold by a combination of chromatographic procedures, including affinity chromatography on histone-agarose. The enzyme preparation has been used for the in vitro transfer of acetyl groups from [1-14C]acetyl-CoA to non-acetylated pea histone H4. Up to three acetyl groups can be introduced into the histone. The resulting mono-, di-, and triacetylated H4 isoforms were separated and sequenced to determine the acetylated sites. Only sites 5, 12, and 16 were used by histone acetyltransferase B, but no clear preference among them was observed. The absence of modification of other potentially acetylatable sites i…
Abscisic acid and desiccation-dependent expression of a novel putative SNF5-type chromatin-remodeling gene in Pisum sativum.
Snf5-like proteins are components of multiprotein chromatin remodeling complexes involved in the ATP-dependent alteration of DNA-histone contacts. Mostly described in yeast and animals, the only plant SNF5-like gene characterized so far has been BSH from Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. We report the cloning and characterization of expression of a SNF5-like gene from pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Lincoln), which has been designated PsSNF5. Southern analysis showed a single copy of the gene in the pea genome. The cDNA contained a 723bp open reading frame encoding a 240 amino acid protein of 27.4kDa with a potential nuclear localization signal. PsSNF5 protein sequence closely resembled BSH, with …
Functional analysis of the isoforms of an ABI3-like factor of Pisum sativum generated by alternative splicing
At least seven isoforms (PsABI3-1 to PsABI3-7) of a putative, pea ABI3-like factor, originated by alternative splicing, have been identified after cDNA cloning. A similar variability had previously only been described for monocot genes. The full-length isoform, PsABI3-1, contains the typical N-terminal acidic domains and C-terminal basic subdomains, B1 to B3. Reverse transcriptase-PCR analysis revealed that the gene is expressed just in seeds, starting at middle embryogenesis; no gene products are observed in embryo axes after 18 h post-imbibition although they are more persistent in cotyledons. The activity of the isoforms was studied by yeast one-hybrid assays. When yeast was transformed …
Nucleosome-specific, Time-dependent Changes in Histone Modifications during Activation of the Early Growth Response 1 (Egr1) Gene
Histone post-translational modifications and nucleosome remodeling are coordinate events involved in eukaryotic transcriptional regulation. There are relatively few data on the time course with which these events occur in individual nucleosomes. As a contribution to fill this gap, we first describe the nature and time course of structural changes in the nucleosomes -2, -1, and +1 of the murine Egr1 gene upon induction. To initiate the transient activation of the gene, we used the stimulation of MLP29 cells with phorbol esters and the in vivo activation after partial hepatectomy. In both models, nucleosomes -1 and +1 are partially evicted, whereas nucleosomes +1 and -2 slide downstream durin…
DNA methylation and histone acetylation of rat methionine adenosyltransferase 1A and 2A genes is tissue-specific.
Methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) catalyzes the biosynthesis of S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet). In mammals MAT activity derives from two separate genes which display a tissue-specific pattern of expression. While MAT1A is expressed only in the adult liver, MAT2A is expressed in non-hepatic tissues. The mechanisms behind the selective expression of these two genes are not fully understood. In the present report we have evaluated MAT1A and MAT2A methylation in liver and in other tissues, such as kidney, by methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme digestion of genomic DNA. Our data indicate that MAT1A is hypomethylated in liver and hypermethylated in non-expressing tissues. The opposite situ…
Conformational Changes in the Nucleosome Followed by the Selective Accessibility of Histone Glutamines in the Transglutaminase Reaction: Effects of Ionic Strength
Transglutaminases, the enzymes that catalyze the acyl-transfer reaction between glutamine and primary amines, have been used to introduce probes into proteins in order to perform structural studies using physical techniques. Here we use an original approach in which the increasing accessibility of the glutamines of core histones to TGase is used to monitor the salt-induced conformational changes of the nucleosome. The rationale of this strategy is that the accessibility of a glutamine to transglutaminase depends on the blockage due to the presence of either other histones or DNA. At low ionic strength, only glutamines on the N-terminal tails of H2B and H3 are labeled with monodansylcadaveri…
A short-range gradient of histone H3 acetylation and Tup1p redistribution at the promoter of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SUC2 gene.
Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays are used to map H3 and H4 acetylation over the promoter nucleosomes and the coding region of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SUC2 gene, under repressed and derepressed conditions, using wild type and mutant strains. In wild type cells, a high level of H3 acetylation at the distal end of the promoter drops sharply toward the proximal nucleosome that covers the TATA box, a gradient that become even steeper on derepression. In contrast, substantial H4 acetylation shows no such gradient and extends into the coding region. Overall levels of both H3 and H4 acetylation rise on derepression. Mutation of GCN5 or SNF2 lead to substantially reduced SUC2 expression; in…
The Pisum sativum psp54 gene requires ABI3 and a chromatin remodeller to switch from a poised to a transcriptionally active state
Summary •Aspects of transcriptional regulation in plants, such as the order in which transcriptional factors and the preinitiation complex are assembled, are obscure because studies carried out under conditions in which native chromatin structure is preserved are still few in comparison with those carried out under other conditions. •In vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) experiments were used here to study the regulation of Pisum sativum psp54, which codes for the precursor of a chromatin-associated protein in dry seeds. •Antibodies against PsSNF5, a component of the SWI/SNF remodelling complex, and against the transcriptional factor Pisum sativum abscisic acid insensitive 3 (PsABI3)…
Putative high mobility group non-histone chromosomal proteins from pea (Pisum sativum)
Abstract Three putative HMG proteins, 1P, 2P and 3P have been isolated from pea ( Pisum sativum L. cv. Lincoln) nuclei by extraction with either 5% perchloric acid or 0.35 M NaCl and purified by preparative electrophoresis. The amino acid analysis showed many of the typical features of the HMG proteins, although 1P and 2P possess a somewhat reduced content of acidic amino acids and 3P has less than 20% basic amino acids. Peptide mapping with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease suggested that none of the proteins are proteolytic products of histone H1.
Core Histones Are Glutaminyl Substrates for Tissue Transglutaminase
Chicken erythrocyte core histones are glutaminyl substrates in the transglutaminase (TGase) reaction with monodansylcadaverine (DNC) as donor amine. The modification is very fast when compared with that of many native substrates of TGase. Out of the 18 glutamines of the four histones, nine (namely glutamine 95 of H2B; glutamines 5, 19, and 125 of H3; glutamines 27 and 93 of H4; and glutamines 24, 104, and 112 of H2A) are the amine acceptors in free histones. The use of Gln112 of H2A requires a temperature-dependent partial unfolding of the histone, showing that structural determinants are decisive for the glutamine specificity. The structures of H2A and H2B do not appreciably change upon mo…
A chromatin-associated protein from pea seeds preferentially binds histones H3 and H4
Pisum sativum p16 is a protein present in the chromatin of ungerminated embryonic axes. The purification of p16 and the isolation of a cDNA clone of psp54, the gene encoding its precursor have been recently reported [Castillo, J., Rodrigo, M. I., Marquez, J. A., Zuniga, A and Franco, L. (2000) Eur. J. Biochem.267, 2156-2165]. In the present paper, we present data showing that p16 is a nuclear protein. First, after subcellular fractionation, p16 was clearly found in nuclei, although the protein is also present in other organelles. Immunocytochemical methods also confirm the above results. p16 seems to be firmly anchored to chromatin, as only extensive DNase I digestion of nuclei allows its r…
Chromatin structure of the yeast FBP1 gene: transcription-dependent changes in the regulatory and coding regions.
We have studied the chromatin structure of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae FBP1 gene, which codes for fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase. A strong, constitutive, DNase I, micrococcal nuclease and S1 nuclease hypersensitive site is present close to the 3′ end of the coding region. In the repressed state, positioned nucleosomes exist around this site, and subtle changes occur in this nucleosomal organization upon derepression. A DNase I hypersensitive region is located within the promoter between positions −540 and −400 and it extends towards the gene in the derepressed state, leading to an alteration of nucleosomal positioning. Psoralen crosslinking of chromatin, which is used for the first time to st…
A multifunctional bicupin serves as precursor for a chromosomal protein of Pisum sativum seeds.
The fact that the psp54 gene codes for p16, a seed chromatin protein of Pisum sativum, has been described previously. In the present paper it is shown that p54, the p16 precursor, also exists as a free polypeptide in pea and that it also yields p38, a second polypeptide from the N-terminal region of p54, which is co-localized at a subcellular level with p16. By using antibodies against pea p16 and p38, it was found that these proteins are present in the members of the tribe Viciae examined. Sequence analysis and 3D modelling indicates that p54 proteins belong to the cupin superfamily, and that they are related to sucrose binding proteins and, to a lesser extent, to vicilin-type seed storage…
Glutamate cysteine ligase up-regulation fails in necrotizing pancreatitis
Glutathione depletion is a key factor in the development of acute pancreatitis. Our aim was to study the regulation of glutamate cysteine ligase, the rate-limiting enzyme in glutathione synthesis, in edematous or necrotizing pancreatitis in rats. Glutathione levels were kept low in necrotizing pancreatitis for several hours, with no increase in protein or mRNA levels of glutamate cysteine ligase subunits, despite binding of RNA polymerase II to their promoters and coding regions. The survival signal pathway mediated by ERK and c-MYC was activated, and c-MYC was recruited to the promoters. The failure in gene up-regulation seems to be due to a marked increase in cytosolic ribonuclease activi…
Histone deacetylase A key enzyme for the binding of regulatory proteins to chromatin
AbstractCore histones can be modified by reversible, posttranslational acetylation of specific lysine residues within the N-terminal protein domains. The dynamic equilibrium of acetylation is maintained by two enzyme activities, histone acetyltransferase and histone deacetylase. Recent data on histone deacetylases and on anionic motifs in chromatin- or DNA-binding regulatory proteins (e.g. transcription factors, nuclear proto-oncogenes) are summarized and united into a hypothesis which attributes a key function to histone deacetylation for the binding of regulatory proteins to chromatin by a transient, specific local increase of the positive charge in the N-terminal domains of nucleosomal c…
Subcellular localization and nucleosome specificity of yeast histone acetyltransferases
We have previously reported [López-Rodas et al. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 19028-19033] that the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains four histone acetyltransferases, which can be resolved by ion-exchange chromatography, and their specificity toward yeast free histones was studied. In the present contribution we show that three of the enzymes are nuclear, type A histone acetyltransferases and they are able to acetylate nucleosome-bound histones. They differ in their histone specificity. Enzyme A1 acetylates H2A in chicken nucleosomes, although it is specific for yeast free H2B; histone acetyltransferase A2 is highly specific for H3, and histone acetyltransferase A3 preparations acetylate…
Use of the Transglutaminase Reaction To Study the Dissociation of Histone N-Terminal Tails from DNA in Nucleosome Core Particles
We have recently shown that core histones are glutaminyl substrates for transglutaminase (TGase) and that when native nucleosome cores are incubated with monodansylcadaverine (DNC) as donor amine, this fluorescent probe is incorporated into Gln5 and Gln19 of H3 and in Gln22 of H2B [Ballestar et al. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 18817-18825]. In the present paper, we report that the cause by which Gln22 of H2B is modified in nucleosomes but not in the free histone is the interaction of the region containing that glutamine with DNA. We have used the specificity of the TGase reaction to study the changes induced by increasing ionic strength in the interaction between the histone N-terminal tails …
Id2 leaves the chromatin of the E2F4-p130-controlled c-myc promoter during hepatocyte priming for liver regeneration
The Id (inhibitor of DNA binding or inhibitor of differentiation) helix–loop–helix proteins are involved in the regulation of cell growth, differentiation and cancer. The fact that the molecular mechanisms of liver regeneration are not completely understood prompted us to study the fate of Id2 in proliferating liver. Id2 increases in liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy, following the early induction of its gene. Co-immunoprecipitation shows that Id2 forms a complex with E2F4, p130 and mSin3A in quiescent liver and all these components are present at the c-myc promoter as shown using ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation). Activation of c-myc during hepatocyte priming (G0–G1 transitio…
DNase I sensitivity of the chromatin of the yeast SUC2 gene for invertase.
The DNase I sensitivity of chromatin of the yeast SUC2 gene, which encodes two forms of invertase, has been studied both in the genome and in a multicopy plasmid carrying the gene and its flaking sequences. Whereas little if any difference in the DNase I sensitivity of the flanking regions was found between the repressed and the derepressed states, derepression of the gene was accompanied by a large increase in the sensitivity of the transcribed region. A well-defined DNase I hypersensitive site was found centered at approximately 120 bp downstream from the end of the coding region. This site seems to be flanked in the 3' non-coding region by strictly positioned nucleosomes, and the structu…
RNAPol-ChIP: a novel application of chromatin immunoprecipitation to the analysis of real-time gene transcription.
We describe a procedure, RNAPol-ChIP, to measure actual transcriptional rate. It consists of the detection, by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), of RNA polymerase II within the coding region of genes. To do this, the DNA immunoprecipitated with polymerase antibodies is analysed by PCR, using an amplicon well within the coding region of the desired genes to avoid interferences with polymerase paused at the promoter. To validate RNAPol-ChIP, we compare our results to those obtained by classical methods in several genes induced during either liver regeneration or acute pancreatitis. When short half-life mRNA genes are studied (e.g. c-fos and egr1), RNAPol-ChIP gives results similar to thos…
The nucleosomal repeat length of pea (Pisum sativum) chromatin changes during germination
Pea (Pisum sativum) nuclei have been isolated from ungerminated embryos, developing embryonic axes and seedlings. Morphological and biochemical criteria revealed that preparations were free from contaminants and that nuclei were intact. These circumstances permitted an accurate determination of nucleosomal repeat lengths, the values obtained being 175±4 base pairs for ungerminated embryos, 185±5 base pairs for 62-hours germinated embryonic axes and 185±3 base pairs for 6-day old seedlings. The results seem to indicate that the increase in repeat length is associated with the onset of transcription and/or replication of DNA.
Epigenetic Regulation of Early- and Late-Response Genes in Acute Pancreatitis
Abstract Chromatin remodeling seems to regulate the patterns of proinflammatory genes. Our aim was to provide new insights into the epigenetic mechanisms that control transcriptional activation of early- and late-response genes in initiation and development of severe acute pancreatitis as a model of acute inflammation. Chromatin changes were studied by chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis, nucleosome positioning, and determination of histone modifications in promoters of proinflammatory genes in vivo in the course of taurocholate-induced necrotizing pancreatitis in rats and in vitro in rat pancreatic AR42J acinar cells stimulated with taurocholate or TNF-α. Here we show that the upregulat…
Blockade of the trans-sulfuration pathway in acute pancreatitis due to nitration of cystathionine β-synthase
© 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Pentoxifylline and Oxypurinol: Potential Drugs to Prevent the “Cytokine Release (Storm) Syndrome” Caused by SARS-CoV-2?
Background: COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is a potentially lethal, rapidly-expanding pandemic and many efforts are being carried out worldwide to understand and control the disease. COVID-19 patients may display a cytokine release syndrome, which causes severe lung inflammation, leading, in many instances, to death. Objective: This paper is intended to explore the possibilities of controlling the COVID-19-associated hyperinflammation by using licensed drugs with anti-inflammatory effects. Hypothesis: We have previously described that pentoxifylline alone, or in combination with oxypurinol, reduces the systemic inflammation caused by experimentally-induced pancreatitis in rats. Pentoxifyl…
Acetylated nucleosome assembly on telomeric DNAs
Abstract The role of histone N-terminal domains on the thermodynamic stability of nucleosomes assembled on several different telomeric DNAs as well as on ‘average’ sequence DNA and on strong nucleosome positioning sequences, has been studied by competitive reconstitution. We find that histone tails hyperacetylation favors nucleosome formation, in a similar extent for all the examined sequences. On the contrary, removal of histone terminal domains by selective trypsinization causes a decrease of nucleosome stability which is smaller for telomeres compared to the other sequences examined, suggesting that telomeric sequences have only minor interactions with histone tails. Micrococcal nuclease…
ZNF518B as a transcriptional factor involved in colorectal cancer progression through the epithelial to mesenchymal transition
Abstract Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents a relevant public health problem. The identification of new markers involved in the mechanisms of invasiveness represents a priority in order to better understand cancer development and generate new therapeutic targets. Recently, our group demonstrated overexpression of ZNF518B gene, which encodes an unknown zinc finger transcription factor, in CRC. A transcriptome-wide gene expression profile revealed its implication in different biological processes related to the progression of CRC, especially in the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Methods To study the biological processes regulated by ZNF518B, we performed a ClariomS Arr…
Chromatin structure of yeast genes.
Pentoxifylline Prevents Loss of PP2A Phosphatase Activity and Recruitment of Histone Acetyltransferases to Proinflammatory Genes in Acute Pancreatitis
Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are considered major signal transducers early during the development of acute pancreatitis. Pentoxifylline is a phosphodiesterase inhibitor with marked anti-inflammatory properties through blockade of extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation and tumor necrosis factor alpha production. Our aim was to elucidate the mechanism of action of pentoxifylline as an anti-inflammatory agent in acute pancreatitis. Necrotizing pancreatitis induced by taurocholate in rats and taurocholate-treated AR42J acinar cells were studied. Phosphorylation of ERK and ERK kinase (MEK1/2), as well as PP2A, PP2B, and PP2C serine/threonine phosphatase activiti…
EPDR1 up-regulation in human colorectal cancer is related to staging and favours cell proliferation and invasiveness
The finding of novel molecular markers for prediction or prognosis of invasiveness in colorectal cancer (CRC) constitutes an appealing challenge. Here we show the up-regulation of EPDR1 in a prospective cohort of 101 CRC patients, in a cDNA array of 43 patients and in in silico analyses. EPDR1 encodes a protein related to ependymins, a family of glycoproteins involved in intercellular contacts. A thorough statistical model allowed us to conclude that the gene is significantly up-regulated in tumour tissues when compared with normal mucosa. These results agree with those obtained by the analysis of three publicly available databases. EPDR1 up-regulation correlates with the TNM staging parame…
Yeast contains multiple forms of histone acetyltransferase.
We have assayed several methods to quantitatively recover yeast histone acetyltransferases in an attempt to study the multiplicity of enzymatic activities. Two methods, namely (NH4)2SO4 precipitation and salt dissociation of chromatin in 0.5 M NaCl, yielded convenient preparations of total histone acetyltransferases. DEAE-Sepharose chromatography of the crude extracts resulted in the separation of three peaks of activity when total yeast histones were used as substrate. However, the scanning of the enzymatic activity toward individual histones along the chromatography, achieved by determining the specific activity of the individual histones after incubating whole histones and [14C]acetyl-Co…
Chromatin structure of the Arabidopsis thaliana Adh promoter: analysis of nucleosome positioning
Abstract The chromatin structure of the promoter and proximal 5′ transcribed region of the Arabidopsis thaliana Adh gene has been studied in three experimental models: whole plants under aerobic conditions in which the gene is repressed, whole plants under flooding-induced anaerobiosis, in which the expression of the gene occurs in some plant tissues and yeast cells in which the Arabidopsis Adh DNA had been cloned but is not expressed at all. Experiments of indirect end labelling after DNase I and micrococcal nuclease digestion of nuclei allowed us to conclude that no positioned nucleosomes exist in plant nuclei on the proximal region of the promoter (up to −350), probably due to the presen…
Chromatin structure of the yeast SUC2 promoter in regulatory mutants
We have previously suggested that two positioned nucleosomes are removed from the promoter of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SUC2 gene upon derepression by glucose starvation. To gain further insight into the changes accompanying derepression at the chromatin level we have studied the chromatin structure of the SUC2 promoter in several mutants affecting SUC2 expression. The non-derepressible mutants snf1, snf2 and snf5 present a chromatin structure characteristic of the repressed state, irrespective of the presence or absence of glucose. The non-repressible mutants, mig1 and ssn6, as well as the double mutant snfs sn6 exhibit an opened chromatin structure even in the presence of glucose. Thes…
Growth Arrest Specific 1 (Gas1) Gene Overexpression in Liver Reduces the In Vivo Progression of Murine Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Partially Restores Gene Expression Levels.
The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma patients is usually poor, the size of tumors being a limiting factor for surgical treatments. Present results suggest that the overexpression of Gas1 (growth arrest specific 1) gene reduces the size, proliferating activity and malignancy of liver tumors. Mice developing diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma were subjected to hydrodynamic gene delivery to overexpress Gas1 in liver. This treatment significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the number of large tumors, while the difference in the total number of lesions was not significant. Moreover, the number of carcinoma foci in the liver and the number of lung metastases were reduced. These resu…
Epigenetic Transcriptional Regulation of the Growth Arrest-Specific gene 1 (Gas1) in Hepatic Cell Proliferation at Mononucleosomal Resolution
Background Gas1 (growth arrest-specific 1) gene is known to inhibit cell proliferation in a variety of models, but its possible implication in regulating quiescence in adult tissues has not been examined to date. The knowledge of how Gas1 is regulated in quiescence may contribute to understand the deregulation occurring in neoplastic diseases. Methodology/Principal Findings Gas1 expression has been studied in quiescent murine liver and during the naturally synchronized cell proliferation after partial hepatectomy. Chromatin immunoprecipitation at nucleosomal resolution (Nuc-ChIP) has been used to carry out the study preserving the in vivo conditions. Transcription has been assessed at real …
ACTIVIDAD DE LA SER/THR FOSFATASA PP2A Y REGULACIÓN EPIGENÉTICA DE GENES PRO-INFLAMATORIOS EN LA PANCREATITIS AGUDA
Objetivos 1) Estudiar el papel de las serin/treonin protein fosfatasas en la induccion de genes pro-inflamatorios en el pancreas en la pancreatitis aguda, 2) Investigar el papel de las serin/treonin fosfatasas en el mecanismo de accion de la pentoxifilina como agente inflamatorio en la PA. Diseno Modelo de PA necrotica en ratas inducida por taurocolato sodico al 3,5%. Determinacion en pancreas de ratas de la fosforilacion de ERK y MEK1/2 (western blotting), las actividades de las serin/treonin fosfatasas PP2A, PP2B y PP2C, la induccion de genes pro-inflamatorios (RT-PCR e immunoprecipitacion de la cromatina) y el reclutamiento de factores de transcripcion e histonas acetiltransferasas/deace…
Characterization of pea histone deacetylases
The present paper is the first report on histone deacetylases from plants. Three enzyme fractions with histone deacetylase activity (HD0, HD1 and HD2) have been partially purified from pea (Pisum sativum) embryonic axes. They deacetylate biologically acetylated chicken histones and, to a lesser extent, chemically acetylated histones, this being a criterion of their true histone deacetylase nature. The three enzymes are able to accept nucleosomes as substrates. HD1 is not inhibited by n-butyrate up to 50 mM, whereas HD0 and HD2 are only slightly inhibited, thereby establishing a clear difference to animal histone deacetylases. The three activities are inhibited by acetate, Cu(2+) and Zn(2+) …
Fine analysis of the chromatin structure of the yeast SUC2 gene and of its changes upon derepression. Comparison between the chromosomal and plasmid-inserted genes.
Micrococcal nuclease digestion has been used to investigate some fine details of the chromatin structure of the yeast SUC2 gene for invertase. Precisely positioned nucleosomes have been found on a 2 kb sequence from the 3' non-coding region, and four nucleosomes also seem to occupy fixed positions on the 5' flank. Eleven nucleosomes lie on the coding region, although their positioning is not as precise as in the flanks. When the gene is derepressed, these latter nucleosomes adopt a more open conformation and so do two of the nucleosomes positioned on the 5' flank. A dramatic change occurs in the 3' flank, whose involvement in the structural transitions of chromatin upon gene activation is p…
Histone variants from pea (Pisum sativum): Their differential presence in fractions obtained by DNase I digestion of nuclei
The variants of the core histones of Pisum sativum L. cv. Lincoln have been resolved by two dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Acetic acid, 8 M urea, 7.2 mM Triton X-100 was used in the first dimension. The second dimension was run in the presence of either anionic (sodium dodecylsulphate) or cationic (cetyltrimethyl-aminonium bromide) detergents. Four putative variants were found for the H2B histone class, 4 for H3 and 3 for H2A. Peptide mapping with (Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease was used, together with other criteria, to characterize the variants. The pattern of histone variants is not organ specific and, in an attempt to determine whether the diversity of histone varian…