Ash2l-1/Ash2l-2在小鼠胚胎干细胞中的表达特异性及互补效应

H3K4me3是一种重要的表观遗传修饰,主要由MLL(mixed lineage leukemia)甲基转移酶复合体催化,对小鼠胚胎干细胞(mouse embryonic stem cells, mESCs)自我更新能力的维持具有重要作用。ASH2L是MLL复合体中一个重要的核心亚单位,参与调控mESCs中染色质的开放状态。ASH2L在mESCs中有2个异构体：ASH2L-1(80 kDa)和ASH2L-2(65 kDa),且以ASH2L-2的表达为主;而在小鼠胚胎成纤维细胞(mouse embryonic fibroblast, MEF)中,只有ASH2L-1表达。目前,Ash2l-1和Ash2l-2在mESCs中的作用尚不清楚。本文利用CRISPR/Cas9基因组编辑技术,建立了Ash2l-1 ^-/-和Ash2l-2 ^-/-mESCs。通过碱性磷酸酶染色、免疫荧光染色和qRT-PCR发现,Ash2l-1 ^-/-和Ash2l-2 ^-/-mESCs在碱性磷酸酶、多能性调控转录因子(Oct4、Nanog、Sox2和Klf4)的表达与野生型对照无显著差异。通过拟胚体分化实验,发现Ash2l-1 ^-/-mESCs诱导的拟胚体在Snai2(外胚层标记基因)和Gata4(内胚层标记基因)的表达上显著低于野生型mESCs诱导的拟胚体(P<0.01)。通过Western blotting,发现Ash2l-1 ^-/-mESCs中ASH2L-2的表达显著上调(P<0.01),Ash2l-2 ^-/-mESCs中ASH2L-1的表达显著上调(P<0.01),而Ash2l-1 ^-/-和Ash2l-2 ^-/-mESCs中,基因组H3K4me3的表达与野生型对照并无显著差异。这表明Ash2l-1和Ash2l-2之间存在补偿效应。利用JASPAR和KEGG预测分析发现,Ash2l-1和Ash2l-2启动子区分别具有3个和16个潜在的多能性转录因子结合位点,这些转录因子可能介导实现Ash2l-1和Ash2l-2之间的补偿效应。以上结果表明,Ash2l-1和Ash2l-2之间的补偿效应可能参与mESCs多能性的维持和基因组H3K4me3的调控。     

人类及小鼠胚胎干细胞的不同多能性状态

胚胎干细胞(embryonic stem cells,ESCs)是来源于早期胚胎的全能性细胞,在合适条件下具有分化为任何一类成体细胞的潜力。在小鼠中,根据细胞来源的胚胎发育时间,ESCs可以被分为原始态多能性(na(?)ve pluripotency)和始发态多能性(primed pluripotency)两种状态。这两种状态的细胞在发育上相互联系,具有不同的形态、信号依赖、发育性质、基因表达及表观遗传学性质,并且在特定的条件下可以相互转化。人类胚胎干细胞(human embryonic stem cells,hESCs)的发育潜能曾一度被认为低于小鼠胚胎干细胞(mouse embryonic stem cells,mESCs),直到人类原始态胚胎干细胞的发现证明了hESCs可以表现出与mESCs相似的性质。这对于人类胚胎发育的研究及ESCs在临床治疗上的实际应用都具有重要的意义。     

Histone variants as emerging regulators of embryonic stem cell identity

Dynamic regulation of chromatin structure is an important mechanism for balancing the pluripotency and cell fate decision in embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Indeed ESCs are characterized by unusual chromatin packaging, and a wide variety of chromatin regulators have been implicated in control of pluripotency and differentiation. Genome-wide maps of epigenetic factors have revealed a unique epigenetic signature in pluripotent ESCs and have contributed models to explain their plasticity. In addition to the well known epigenetic regulation through DNA methylation, histone posttranslational modifications, chromatin remodeling, and non-coding RNA, histone variants are emerging as important regulators of ESC identity. In this review, we summarize and discuss the recent progress that has highlighted the central role of histone variants in ESC pluripotency and ESC fate, focusing, in particular, on H1 variants, H2A variants H2A.X, H2A.Z and macroH2A and H3 variant H3.3.     

Tackling the epigenome in the pluripotent stem cells

Embryonic stem cells are unique in their abilities of self-renewal and to differentiate into many, if not all, cellular lineages. Transcrip- tional regulation, epigenetic modifications and chromatin structures are the key modulators in controlling such pluripotency nature of embryonic stem cell genomes, particularly in the developmental decisions and the maintenance of cell fates. Among them, epigenetic regulation of gene expression is mediated partly by covalent modifications of core histone proteins including methylation, phosphoryla- tion and acetylation. Moreover, the chromatins in stem cell genome appear as a highly organized structure containing distinct functional domains. Recent rapid progress of new technologies enables us to take a global, unbiased and comprehensive view of the epigenetic modifications and chromatin structures that contribute to gene expression regulation and cell identity during diverse developmental stages. Here, we summarized the latest advances made by high throughput approaches in profiling epigenetic modifications and chromatin con- formations, with an emphasis on genome-wide analysis of histone modifications and their implications in pluripotency nature of embry- onic stem cells.     

Mouse embryonic stem cell-derived feeder cells support the growth of their own mouse embryonic stem cells

Feeder cells are usually used in culturing embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to maintain their undifferentiated and pluripotent status. To test whether mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) may be a source of feeder cells to support their own growth, 48 fibroblast-like cell lines were isolated from the same mouse embryoid bodies (mEBs) at three phases (10th day, 15th day, 20th day), and five of them, mostly derived from 15th day mEBs, were capable of maintaining mESCs in an undifferentiated and pluripotent state over 10 passages, even up to passage 20. mESCs cultured on the feeder system derived from these five cell lines expressed alkaline phosphatase and specific mESCs markers, including SSEA-1, Oct-4, Nanog, and formed mEBs in vitro and teratomas in vivo. These results suggest that mEB-derived fibroblasts (mEB-dFs) could serve as feeder cells that could sustain the undifferentiated growth and pluripotency of their own mESCs in culture. This study not only provides a novel feeder system for mESCs culture, avoiding a lot of disadvantages of commonly used mouse embryonic fibroblasts as feeder cells, but also indicates that fibroblast-like cells derived from mESCs take on different functions. Investigating the molecular mechanisms of these different functional fibroblast-like cells to act on mESCs will contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms of mESCs self-renewal.     

Chromatin signatures of pluripotent cell lines

Epigenetic genome modifications are thought to be important for specifying the lineage and developmental stage of cells within a multicellular organism. Here, we show that the epigenetic profile of pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ES) is distinct from that of embryonic carcinoma cells, haematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and their differentiated progeny. Silent, lineage-specific genes replicated earlier in pluripotent cells than in tissue-specific stem cells or differentiated cells and had unexpectedly high levels of acetylated H3K9 and methylated H3K4. Unusually, in ES cells these markers of open chromatin were also combined with H3K27 trimethylation at some non-expressed genes. Thus, pluripotency of ES cells is characterized by a specific epigenetic profile where lineage-specific genes may be accessible but, if so, carry repressive H3K27 trimethylation modifications. H3K27 methylation is functionally important for preventing expression of these genes in ES cells as premature expression occurs in embryonic ectoderm development (Eed)-deficient ES cells. Our data suggest that lineage-specific genes are primed for expression in ES cells but are held in check by opposing chromatin modifications.     

Epigenetic regulation of amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cell differentiation to the mesodermal lineages at normal and fetus-diseased gestation

Human mesenchymal stem cells isolated from amniotic fluid (AF-MSCs) demonstrate the potency for self-renewal and multidifferentiation, and can, therefore, be a potential alternative source of stem cells adapted for therapeutic purposes. The object of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of MSCs from AF when the pregnancy is normal or when the fetus is affected during pregnancy to differentiate into mesodermal lineage tissues and to elucidate epigenetic states responsible for terminal adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation. The morphology of AF-MSCs from two cell sources and the expression of the cell surface-specific (CD44, CD90, and CD105) markers and pluripotency (Oct4, Nanog, Sox2, and Rex1) genes were quite similar and underwent mesodermal lineage differentiation because this is shown by the typical cell morphology and of genes’ expression specific for adipogenic (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-ɣ, adiponectin) and osteoblastic (alkaline phosphatase, osteopontin, and osteocalcin) differentiation. Terminal lineage-specific differentiation was related to differential expression of miR-17, miR-21, miR-34a, and miR-146a, decreased levels of acetylated H4 and H3K9, trimethylated H3K4 and H3K9, and the retention of H3K27me3 along with a reduction in the levels of HDAC1, DNMT1, and PRC1/2 proteins (BMI1/SUZ12). No significant distinction could be identified in the levels of expression of all epigenetic or pluripotency markers between undifferentiated MSCs isolated from AF of normal gestation and pregnancy where the fetus was damaged and between those differentiated toward adipocytes or osteoblasts. The expressional changes of those marks and microRNAs that occurred during terminal differentiation to mesodermal tissues indicate subtle epigenetic regulation in AF-MSCs when the condition of the fetus is healthy normal or diseased. More detailed studies of epigenetic mechanisms may offer a better understanding of AF-MSCs differentiation in fetus-diseased conditions and their usage in an autologous therapeutic application and prenatal disease research.     

Chromatin remodeling and bivalent histone modifications in embryonic stem cells

Pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are characterized by distinct epigenetic features including a relative enrichment of histone modifications related to active chromatin. Among these is tri‐methylation of lysine 4 on histone H3 (H3K4me3). Several thousands of the H3K4me3‐enriched promoters in pluripotent cells also contain a repressive histone mark, namely H3K27me3, a situation referred to as “bivalency”. While bivalent promoters are not unique to pluripotent cells, they are relatively enriched in these cell types, largely marking developmental and lineage‐specific genes which are silent but poised for immediate action. The H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 modifications are catalyzed by lysine methyltransferases which are usually found within, although not entirely limited to, the Trithorax group (TrxG) and Polycomb group (PcG) protein complexes, respectively, but these do not provide selective bivalent specificity. Recent studies highlight the family of ATP‐dependent chromatin remodeling proteins as regulators of bivalent domains. Here, we discuss bivalency in general, describe the machineries that catalyze bivalent chromatin domains, and portray the emerging connection between bivalency and the action of different families of chromatin remodelers, namely INO80, esBAF, and NuRD, in pluripotent cells. We posit that chromatin remodeling proteins may enable “bivalent specificity”, often selectively acting on, or selectively depleted from, bivalent domains.     

MEK/ERK signaling contributes to the maintenance of human embryonic stem cell self-renewal

MEK/ERK signaling plays a crucial role in a diverse set of cellular functions including cell proliferation, differentiation and survival, and recently has been reported to negatively regulate mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) self-renewal by antagonizing STAT3 activity. However, its role in human ESCs (hESCs) remains unclear. Here we investigated the functions of MEK/ERK in controlling hESC activity. We demonstrated that MEK/ERK kinases were targets of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) pathway in hESCs. Surprisingly, we found that, in contrast to mESCs, high basal MEK/ERK activity was required for maintaining hESCs in an undifferentiated state. Inhibition of MEK/ERK activity by specific MEK inhibitors PD98059 and U0126, or by RNA interference, rapidly caused the loss of self-renewal capacity. We also showed that MEK/ERK signaling cooperated with phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling in maintaining hESC pluripotency. However, MEK/ERK signaling had little or no effect on regulating hESC proliferation and survival, in contrast to PI3K/AKT signaling. Taken together, these findings reveal the unique and crucial role of MEK/ERK signaling in the determination of hESC cell fate and expand our understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind the FGF pathway maintenance of hESC pluripotency. Importantly, these data make evident the striking differences in the control of self-renewal between hESCs and mESCs.     

Id2诱导Myc表达促进小鼠胚胎干细胞自我更新

小鼠胚胎干细胞(mouse embryonic stem cells,m ESCs)分离自小鼠的囊胚内细胞团,在体外具有无限的自我更新能力和多向分化的潜能,因此拥有重大的社会和经济效益.前期人们发现,DNA结合抑制因子1(inhibitor of DNA binding 1,Id1)在含血清培养条件下,可以促进m ESCs自我更新,但其家族成员,如Id2和Id3,在m ESCs中的作用尚不清楚.本课题在m ESCs里分别上调Id2和Id3基因的表达,发现它们在含血清的培养条件下均具有促进m ESCs自我更新的能力,但Id2促进自我更新的能力大于Id3.通过转录组测序技术发现Id2上调c-Myc和n-Myc基因的表达水平.最后功能性验证实验证实,只有同时干扰c-Myc和n-Myc基因的表达才能够极大地削弱Id2维持m ESCs未分化状态的作用,表明Id2主要通过诱导Myc家族成员的表达来促进m ESCs的自我更新.本研究结果将扩大人们对干细胞多能性调控网络的认识,利于干细胞未来的基础研究和安全应用.