Systematic identification of mammalian regulatory motifs' target genes and functions

We developed an algorithm, Lever, that systematically maps metazoan DNA regulatory motifs or motif combinations to sets of genes. Lever assesses whether the motifs are enriched in cis-regulatory modules (CRMs), predicted by our PhylCRM algorithm, in the noncoding sequences surrounding the genes. Lever analysis allows unbiased inference of functional annotations to regulatory motifs and candidate CRMs. We used human myogenic differentiation as a model system to statistically assess greater than 25,000 pairings of gene sets and motifs or motif combinations. We assigned functional annotations to candidate regulatory motifs predicted previously and identified gene sets that are likely to be co-regulated via shared regulatory motifs. Lever allows moving beyond the identification of putative regulatory motifs in mammalian genomes, toward understanding their biological roles. This approach is general and can be applied readily to any cell type, gene expression pattern or organism of interest.     

Genomic strategies to identify mammalian regulatory sequences

With the continuing accomplishments of the human genome project, high-throughput strategies to identify DNA sequences that are important in mammalian gene regulation are becoming increasingly feasible. In contrast to the historic, labour-intensive, wet-laboratory methods for identifying regulatory sequences, many modern approaches are heavily focused on the computational analysis of large genomic data sets. Data from inter-species genomic sequence comparisons and genome-wide expression profiling, integrated with various computational tools, are poised to contribute to the decoding of genomic sequence and to the identification of those sequences that orchestrate gene regulation. In this review, we highlight several genomic approaches that are being used to identify regulatory sequences in mammalian genomes.     

Origin of a substantial fraction of human regulatory sequences from transposable elements

Transposable elements (TEs) are abundant in mammalian genomes and have potentially contributed to their hosts' evolution by providing novel regulatory or coding sequences. We surveyed different classes of regulatory region in the human genome to assess systematically the potential contribution of TEs to gene regulation. Almost 25% of the analyzed promoter regions contain TE-derived sequences, including many experimentally characterized cis-regulatory elements. Scaffold/matrix attachment regions (S/MARs) and locus control regions (LCRs) that are involved in the simultaneous regulation of multiple genes also contain numerous TE-derived sequences. Thus, TEs have probably contributed substantially to the evolution of both gene-specific and global patterns of human gene regulation.     

Reconstruction of full-length LINE-1 progenitors from ancestral genomes

Sequences derived from the Long INterspersed Element-1 (L1) family of retrotransposons occupy at least 17% of the human genome, with 67 distinct subfamilies representing successive waves of expansion and extinction in mammalian lineages. L1s contribute extensively to gene regulation, but their molecular history is difficult to trace, because most are present only as truncated and highly mutated fossils. Consequently, L1 entries in current databases of repeat sequences are composed mainly of short diagnostic subsequences, rather than full functional progenitor sequences for each subfamily. Here, we have coupled 2 levels of sequence reconstruction (at the level of whole genomes and L1 subfamilies) to reconstruct progenitor sequences for all human L1 subfamilies that are more functionally and phylogenetically plausible than existing models. Most of the reconstructed sequences are at or near the canonical length of L1s and encode uninterrupted ORFs with expected protein domains. We also show that the presence or absence of binding sites for KRAB-C2H2 Zinc Finger Proteins, even in ancient-reconstructed progenitor L1s, mirrors binding observed in human ChIP-exo experiments, thus extending the arms race and domestication model. RepeatMasker searches of the modern human genome suggest that the new models may be able to assign subfamily resolution identities to previously ambiguous L1 instances. The reconstructed L1 sequences will be useful for genome annotation and functional study of both L1 evolution and L1 contributions to host regulatory networks.     

血清反应因子结合位点在小鼠及人基因组中保守性、 多样性及进化的研究

目的:CArG元件因其为血清反应因子识别的结合位点近年来备受关注。然而迄今为止尚未见到有关CArG元件的序列特征及进化模式的研究。方法:本研究应用生物信息学方法结合遗传学方法对小鼠及人基因组中CArG元件的位置分布序列类型、多样性及保守性进行深入研究。结果:多样性研究结果显示,CArG元件的序列在小鼠及人类基因组存在大量的不同类型。但是,小鼠和人基因组中CArG元件的主要类型又存在明显差异。同源性分析结果表明人类和小鼠中的CArG元件存在两种进化历程,一部分CArG元件拥有共同的祖先,一部分是在物种分化以后突变产生的。结论:上述研究结果将为更为深入阐述SRF的调控模式奠定理论基础,同时为更清楚的阐释CArG元件序列变化对下游基因的表达影响提供理论支持。     

Finding regulatory sequences

DNA regulatory sequences control gene expression by forming DNA-protein complex with specific DNA binding protein. A major task of studies of gene regulation is to identify DNA regulatory sequences in genome-wide. Especially with the rapid pace of genome project, the function of DNA regulatory sequences becomes one of the focuses in functional genome era. Several approaches for screening and characterizing DNA regulatory sequences emerged one by one, from initial low-throughput methods to high-throughput strategies. Even though at present bioinformatics tools facilitate the process of screening regulatory fragments, the most reliable results will come from experimental test. This article highlights some experimental methods for the identification of regulatory sequences. A brief review of the history and procedures for selection methods are provided. Tendency as well as limitation and extension of these methods are also presented.     

DNA methylation: evolution of a bacterial immune function into a regulator of gene expression and genome structure in higher eukaryotes

The amino acid sequence of mammalian DNA methyltransferase has been deduced from the nucleotide sequence of a cloned cDNA. It appears that the mammalian enzyme arose during evolution via fusion of a prokaryotic restriction methyltransferase gene and a second gene of unknown function. Mammalian DNA methyltransferase currently comprises an N-terminal domain of about 1000 amino acids that may have a regulatory role and a C-terminal 570 amino acid domain that retains similarities to bacterial restriction methyltransferases. The sequence similarities among mammalian and bacterial DNA cytosine methyltransferases suggest a common evolutionary origin. DNA methylation is uncommon among those eukaryotes having genomes of less than 10(8) base pairs, but nearly universal among large-genome eukaryotes. This and other considerations make it likely that sequence inactivation by DNA methylation has evolved to compensate for the expansion of the genome that has accompanied the development of higher plants and animals. As methylated sequences are usually propagated in the repressed, nuclease-insensitive state, it is likely that DNA methylation compartmentalizes the genome to facilitate gene regulation by reducing the total amount of DNA sequence that must be scanned by DNA-binding regulatory proteins. DNA methylation is involved in immune recognition in bacteria but appears to regulate the structure and expression of the genome in complex higher eukaryotes. I suggest that the DNA-methylating system of mammals was derived from that of bacteria by way of a hypothetical intermediate that carried out selective de novo methylation of exogenous DNA and propagated the methylated DNA in the repressed state within its own genome.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

血清反应因子结合位点在小鼠及人基因组中保守性、多样性及进化的研究

目的：CArG元件因其为血清反应因子识别的结合位点近年来备受关注。然而迄今为止尚未见到有关CArG元件的序列特征及进化模式的研究。方法：本研究应用生物信息学方法结合遗传学方法对小鼠及人基因组中CArG元件的位置分布序列类型、多样性及保守性进行深入研究。结果：多样性研究结果显示,CArG元件的序列在小鼠及人类基因组存在大量的不同类型。但是,小鼠和人基因组中CArG元件的主要类型又存在明显差异。同源性分析结果表明人类和小鼠中的CArG元件存在两种进化历程,一部分CArG元件拥有共同的祖先,一部分是在物种分化以后突变产生的。结论：上述研究结果将为更为深入阐述SRF的调控模式奠定理论基础,同时为更清楚的阐释CArG元件序列变化对下游基因的表达影响提供理论支持。     

Combining gene expression QTL mapping and phenotypic spectrum analysis to uncover gene regulatory relationships

Gene expression QTL (eQTL) mapping can suggest candidate regulatory relationships between genes. Recent advances in mammalian phenotype annotation such as mammalian phenotype ontology (MPO) enable systematic analysis of the phenotypic spectrum subserved by many genes. In this study we combined eQTL mapping and phenotypic spectrum analysis to predict gene regulatory relationships. Five pairs of genes with similar phenotypic effects and potential regulatory relationships suggested by eQTL mapping were identified. Lines of evidence supporting some of the predicted regulatory relationships were obtained from biological literature. A particularly notable example is that promoter sequence analysis and real-time PCR assays support the predicted regulation of protein kinase C epsilon (Prkce) by cAMP responsive element binding protein 1 (Creb1). Our results show that the combination of gene eQTL mapping and phenotypic spectrum analysis may provide a valuable approach to uncovering gene regulatory relations underlying mammalian phenotypes.