Centromeres Reposition to the Nuclear Periphery during L6E9 Myogenesisin Vitro

To test the hypothesis that genome architecture in interphase is related to nuclear function, we have compared the disposition of centromeres in nuclei of undifferentiated rat L6E9 myoblasts with that in nuclei of L6E9 myotubes differentiatedin vitro.Immunofluorescence labeling showed that centromeres repositioned to the nuclear periphery during differentiation, and condensed chromatin was more prominent at the myotube nuclear envelope by electron microscopy. These data indicate that, in parallel with considerable changes in gene expression, the spatial order of the genome undergoes substantial rearrangement during myogenesis.     

Fbxl10/Kdm2b Recruits Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 to CpG Islands and Regulates H2A Ubiquitylation

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Highlights? Fbxl10 binds to most CpG islands in ESCs ? Fbxl10 recruits Nspc1 and Ring1B to CpG islands ? The Fbxl10, Nspc1, and Ring1B complex is required for H2A monoubiquitylation ? Fbxl10 is required for proper ESC differentiation     

A Census of Nuclear Cyanobacterial Recruits in the Plant Kingdom

The plastids and mitochondria of the eukaryotic cell are of endosymbiotic origin. These events occurred ~2 billion years ago and produced significant changes in the genomes of the host and the endosymbiont. Previous studies demonstrated that the invasion of land affected plastids and mitochondria differently and that the paths of mitochondrial integration differed between animals and plants. Other studies examined the reasons why a set of proteins remained encoded in the organelles and were not transferred to the nuclear genome. However, our understanding of the functional relations of the transferred genes is insufficient. In this paper, we report a high-throughput phylogenetic analysis to identify genes of cyanobacterial origin for plants of different levels of complexity: Arabidopsis thaliana, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Physcomitrella patens, Populus trichocarpa, Selaginella moellendorffii, Sorghum bicolor, Oryza sativa, and Ostreococcus tauri. Thus, a census of cyanobacterial gene recruits and a study of their function are presented to better understand the functional aspects of plastid symbiogenesis. From algae to angiosperms, the GO terms demonstrated a gradual expansion over functionally related genes in the nuclear genome, beginning with genes related to thylakoids and photosynthesis, followed by genes involved in metabolism, and finally with regulation-related genes, primarily in angiosperms. The results demonstrate that DNA is supplied to the nuclear genome on a permanent basis with no regard to function, and only what is needed is kept, which thereby expands on the GO space along the related genes.     

Core Components of the Nuclear Pore Bind Distinct States of Chromatin and Contribute to Polycomb Repression

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Characterization of non-canonical Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 subunits during early mouse embryogenesis

An intense period of chromatin remodeling takes place after fertilization in mammals, which is thought necessary for epigenetic reprogramming to start a new developmental program. While much attention has been given to the role of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) and to canonical PRC1 complexes during this process, little is known as to whether there is any contribution of non-canonical PRC1 in shaping the chromatin landscape after fertilization. Here, we first describe in detail the temporal dynamics and abundance of H2A ubiquitylation (H2AK119ub), a histone modification catalyzed by PRC1, during pre-implantation mouse development. In addition, we have analyzed the presence of the 2 characteristic subunits of non-canonical PRC1 complexes, RYBP and its homolog YAF-2. Our results indicate that H2AK119ub is inherited from the sperm, rapidly removed from the paternal chromatin after fertilization, but detected again prior to the first mitosis, suggesting that PRC1 activity occurs as early as the zygotic stage. RYBP and YAF-2, together with the non-canonical subunit L3MBTL2, are all present during pre-implantation development but show different temporal dynamics. While RYBP is absent in the zygote, it is strongly induced from the 4-cell stage onwards. YAF-2 is inherited maternally and localizes to the pericentromeric regions in the zygote, is strongly induced between the 2- and 4-cell stages but then remains weak to undetectable subsequently. All together, our data suggest that non-canonical PRC1 is active during pre-implantation development and should be regarded as an additional component during epigenetic reprogramming and in the establishment of cellular plasticity of the early embryo.     

Combined deficiencies of Msx1 and Msx2 cause impaired patterning and survival of the cranial neural crest

The neural crest is a multipotent, migratory cell population that contributes to a variety of tissues and organs during vertebrate embryogenesis. Here, we focus on the function of Msx1 and Msx2, homeobox genes implicated in several disorders affecting craniofacial development in humans. We show that Msx1/2 mutants exhibit profound deficiencies in the development of structures derived from the cranial and cardiac neural crest. These include hypoplastic and mispatterned cranial ganglia, dysmorphogenesis of pharyngeal arch derivatives and abnormal organization of conotruncal structures in the developing heart. The expression of the neural crest markers Ap-2alpha, Sox10 and cadherin 6 (cdh6) in Msx1/2 mutants revealed an apparent retardation in the migration of subpopulations of preotic and postotic neural crest cells, and a disorganization of neural crest cells paralleling patterning defects in cranial nerves. In addition, normally distinct subpopulations of migrating crest underwent mixing. The expression of the hindbrain markers Krox20 and Epha4 was altered in Msx1/2 mutants, suggesting that defects in neural crest populations may result, in part, from defects in rhombomere identity. Msx1/2 mutants also exhibited increased Bmp4 expression in migratory cranial neural crest and pharyngeal arches. Finally, proliferation of neural crest-derived mesenchyme was unchanged, but the number of apoptotic cells was increased substantially in neural crest-derived cells that contribute to the cranial ganglia and the first pharyngeal arch. This increase in apoptosis may contribute to the mispatterning of the cranial ganglia and the hypoplasia of the first arch.     

Expression of Msx1 and Dlx1 during Dumbo rat head development: Correlation with morphological features

The Dumbo rat possesses some characteristics that evoke several human syndromes, such as Treacher-Collins: shortness of the maxillary, zygomatic and mandibular bones, and low position of the ears. Knowing that many homeobox genes are candidates in craniofacial development, we investigated the involvement of the Msx1 and Dlx1 genes in the Dumbo phenotype with the aim of understanding their possible role in abnormal craniofacial morphogenesis and examining the possibility of using Dumbo rat as an experimental model for understanding abnormal craniofacial development. We studied the expression of these genes during craniofacial morphogenesis by RT-PCR method. We used Dumbo embryos at E12 and E14 and included the Wistar strain as a control. Semi-quantitative PCR analysis demonstrated that Msx1 and Dlx1 are expressed differently between Dumbo and Wistar rats, indicating that their low expression may underly the Dumbo phenotype.     

Polycomb group proteins: remembering how to catch chromatin during replication

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins maintain the expression state of PcG‐responsive genes during development of multicellular organisms. Recent observations suggest that “the H3K27me3 modification” acts to maintain Polycomb repressive complex (PRC) 2, the enzyme that creates this modification, on replicating chromatin. This could in turn promote propagation of H3K27me3 on newly replicated daughter chromatin, and promote recruitment of PRC1. Other work suggests that PRC1‐class complexes can be maintained on replicating chromatin, at least in vitro, independently of H3K27me3. Thus, histone modifications and PcG proteins themselves may both be maintained through replication.