User-friendly tools for robust transcriptional activation of endogenous genes are highly demanded in plants. We previously showed that a dCas9-VP64 system consisting of the deactivated CRISPR- associated protein 9 （d...User-friendly tools for robust transcriptional activation of endogenous genes are highly demanded in plants. We previously showed that a dCas9-VP64 system consisting of the deactivated CRISPR- associated protein 9 （dCasg） fused with four tandem repeats of the transcriptional activator VP16 0/1=64） could be used for transcriptional activation of endogenous genes in plants. In this study, we developed a second generation of vector systems for enhanced transcriptional activation in plants. We tested multiple strategies for dCasg-based transcriptional activation, and found that simultaneous recruitment of VP64 by dCas9 and a modified guide RNA scaffold gRNA2.0 （designated CRISPR-Act2.0） yielded stronger transcrip- tional activation than the dCas9-VP64 system. Moreover, we developed a multiplex transcription activator- likeeffector activation （mTALE-Act） system for simultaneous activation of up to four genes in plants. Our results suggest that mTALE-Act is even more effective than CRISPR-Act2.0 in most cases tested. In addition, we explored tissue-specific gene activation using positive feedback loops. Interestingly, our study revealed that certain endogenous genes are more amenable than others to transcriptional activation, and tightly regulated genes may cause target gene silencing when perturbed by activation probes. Hence, these new tools could be used to investigate gene regulatory networks and their control mechanisms. Assembly of multiplex CRISPR-Act2.0 and mTALE-Act systems are both based on streamlined and PCR-independent Golden Gate and Gateway cloning strategies, which will facilitate transcriptional activation applications in both dicots and monocots.展开更多
Although the mechanism of DNA methylationmediated gene silencing is extensively studied, relatively little is known about how promoter methylated genes are protected from transcriptional silencing. SUVH1, an Arabidops...Although the mechanism of DNA methylationmediated gene silencing is extensively studied, relatively little is known about how promoter methylated genes are protected from transcriptional silencing. SUVH1, an Arabidopsis Su(var)3-9 homolog, was previously shown to be required for the expression of a few promoter methylated genes. By chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with sequencing, we demonstrate that SUVH1 binds to methylated genomic loci targeted by RNA-directed DNA methylation. SUVH1 and its homolog SUVH3 function partially redundantly and interact with three DNAJ domain-containing homologs, SDJ1, SDJ2, and SDJ3, thus forming a complex which we named SUVH-SDJ. The SUVH-SDJ complex components are co-localized in a large number of methylated promoters and are required for the expression of a subset of promoter methylated genes. We demonstrate that the SUVHSDJ complex components have transcriptional activation activity. SUVH1 and SUVH3 function synergistically with SDJ1,SDJ2, and SDJ3 and are required for plant viability. This study reveals how the SUVH-SDJ complex protects promoter methylated genes from transcriptional silencing and suggests that the transcriptional activation of promoter methylated genes mediated by the SUVH-SDJ complex may play a critical role in plant growth and development.展开更多
The p53 tumor suppressor is a sequence-specific transcription factor that undergoes an abundance of post-translational modifications for its regulation and activation.Acetylation of p53 is an important reversible enzy...The p53 tumor suppressor is a sequence-specific transcription factor that undergoes an abundance of post-translational modifications for its regulation and activation.Acetylation of p53 is an important reversible enzymatic process that occurs in response to DNA damage and genotoxic stress and is indispensible for p53 transcriptional activity.p53 was the first non-histone protein shown to be acetylated by histone acetyl transferases,and a number of more recent in vivo models have underscored the importance of this type of modification for p53 activity.Here,we review the current knowledge and recent findings of p53 acetylation and deacetylation and discuss the implications of these processes for the p53 pathway.展开更多
Hypocotyl development in Arabidopsis thaliana is regulated by light and endogenous hormonal cues, mak- ing it an ideal model to study the interplay between light and endogenous growth regulators. BBX21, a B-box （BBX...Hypocotyl development in Arabidopsis thaliana is regulated by light and endogenous hormonal cues, mak- ing it an ideal model to study the interplay between light and endogenous growth regulators. BBX21, a B-box （BBX）-Iike zinc-finger transcription factor, integrates light and abscisic acid signals to regulate hypocotyl elongation in Arabidopsis. Heterotrimeric G-proteins are pivotal regulators of plant development. The short hypocotyl phenotype of the G-protein I^-subunit （AGB1） mutant （agbl-2） has been previously identified, but the precise role of AGB1 in hypocotyl elongation remains enigmatic. Here, we show that AGB1 directly interacts with BBX21, and the short hypocotyl phenotype of agbl-2 is partially suppressed in agb1-2bbx21-1 double mutant. BBX21 functions in the downstream of AGB1 and overexpression of BBX21 in agbl-2 causes a more pronounced reduction in hypocotyl length, indicating that AGB1 plays an oppositional role in relation to BBX21 during hypocotyl development. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the C-terminal region of BBX21 is important for both its intracellular localization and its transcriptional activation activity that is inhibited by interaction with AGB1. ChiP assays showed that BBX21 specifically associates with its own promoter and with those of BBX22, HY5, and GA2oxl. which is not altered in agbl-2. These data suggest that the AGB1-BBX21 interaction only affects the transcrip- tional activation activity of BBX21 but has no effect on its DNA binding ability. Taken together, our data demonstrate that AGB1 positively promotes hypocotyl elongation through repressing BBX21 activity.展开更多
【目的】从棉花无短绒突变体GZnn中分离棉纤维发育相关的转录因子,并对其转录激活功能和表达模式进行初步分析。【方法】通过RACE(rapid amplification of the cDNA ends)和染色体步行(genome walking)技术,获得GhMS3的cDNA序列及基因组...【目的】从棉花无短绒突变体GZnn中分离棉纤维发育相关的转录因子,并对其转录激活功能和表达模式进行初步分析。【方法】通过RACE(rapid amplification of the cDNA ends)和染色体步行(genome walking)技术,获得GhMS3的cDNA序列及基因组DNA序列。利用生物信息学方法对获得的DNA序列及推定的氨基酸序列进行分析,采用酵母单杂交系统验证GhMS3蛋白的转录激活功能,运用GUS组织化学染色法在转基因烟草中分析该基因的表达模式。【结果】获得GhMS3的基因组DNA以及上游1174bp的启动子序列。氨基酸序列比对发现GhMS3是R2R3 MYB转录因子。酵母试验表明,GhMS3蛋白具体外转录激活功能,C端体外转录激活功能较强,在PGhMS3:GUS转基因烟草中,GUS主要在表皮毛、根毛以及细胞分裂旺盛区域表达。【结论】从棉花无短绒突变体GZnn中分离到的R2R3 MYB转录因子GhMS3,具有组织特异性表达模式并且其编码蛋白具有体外转录激活功能,是否参与植物表皮细胞分化有待于进一步研究。展开更多
The tumor suppressor p53 is a multifunctional, highly regulated, and promoter-specific transcriptional factor that is uniquely sensitive to DNA damage and cellular stress signaling. The mechanisms by which p53 directs...The tumor suppressor p53 is a multifunctional, highly regulated, and promoter-specific transcriptional factor that is uniquely sensitive to DNA damage and cellular stress signaling. The mechanisms by which p53 directs a damaged cell down either a cell growth arrest or an apoptotic pathway remain poorly understood. Evidence suggests that the in vivo functions of p53 seem to balance the cell-fate choice with the type and severity of damage that occurs. The concept of antirepression, or inhibition of factors that normally keep p53 at bay, may help explain the physiological mechanisms for p53 activation. These factors also provide novel chemotherapeutic targets for the reactivation of p53 in tumors harboring a wild-type copy of the gene.展开更多
基金This work was supported by startup funds from East Carolina University and University of Maryland-College Park and a Collaborative Funding grant from North Carolina Biotechnology Center and Syngenta Biotechnology （2016-CFG-8003） to Y.Q. This work was also supported by grants, including the Sichuan Youth Science and Technology Foundation （2017JQ0005）, the National Science Foundation of China （31771486）, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities （ZYGX2016J119） to Y.Z.
文摘User-friendly tools for robust transcriptional activation of endogenous genes are highly demanded in plants. We previously showed that a dCas9-VP64 system consisting of the deactivated CRISPR- associated protein 9 （dCasg） fused with four tandem repeats of the transcriptional activator VP16 0/1=64） could be used for transcriptional activation of endogenous genes in plants. In this study, we developed a second generation of vector systems for enhanced transcriptional activation in plants. We tested multiple strategies for dCasg-based transcriptional activation, and found that simultaneous recruitment of VP64 by dCas9 and a modified guide RNA scaffold gRNA2.0 （designated CRISPR-Act2.0） yielded stronger transcrip- tional activation than the dCas9-VP64 system. Moreover, we developed a multiplex transcription activator- likeeffector activation （mTALE-Act） system for simultaneous activation of up to four genes in plants. Our results suggest that mTALE-Act is even more effective than CRISPR-Act2.0 in most cases tested. In addition, we explored tissue-specific gene activation using positive feedback loops. Interestingly, our study revealed that certain endogenous genes are more amenable than others to transcriptional activation, and tightly regulated genes may cause target gene silencing when perturbed by activation probes. Hence, these new tools could be used to investigate gene regulatory networks and their control mechanisms. Assembly of multiplex CRISPR-Act2.0 and mTALE-Act systems are both based on streamlined and PCR-independent Golden Gate and Gateway cloning strategies, which will facilitate transcriptional activation applications in both dicots and monocots.
基金supported by grants from National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFA0500801)
文摘Although the mechanism of DNA methylationmediated gene silencing is extensively studied, relatively little is known about how promoter methylated genes are protected from transcriptional silencing. SUVH1, an Arabidopsis Su(var)3-9 homolog, was previously shown to be required for the expression of a few promoter methylated genes. By chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with sequencing, we demonstrate that SUVH1 binds to methylated genomic loci targeted by RNA-directed DNA methylation. SUVH1 and its homolog SUVH3 function partially redundantly and interact with three DNAJ domain-containing homologs, SDJ1, SDJ2, and SDJ3, thus forming a complex which we named SUVH-SDJ. The SUVH-SDJ complex components are co-localized in a large number of methylated promoters and are required for the expression of a subset of promoter methylated genes. We demonstrate that the SUVHSDJ complex components have transcriptional activation activity. SUVH1 and SUVH3 function synergistically with SDJ1,SDJ2, and SDJ3 and are required for plant viability. This study reveals how the SUVH-SDJ complex protects promoter methylated genes from transcriptional silencing and suggests that the transcriptional activation of promoter methylated genes mediated by the SUVH-SDJ complex may play a critical role in plant growth and development.
文摘The p53 tumor suppressor is a sequence-specific transcription factor that undergoes an abundance of post-translational modifications for its regulation and activation.Acetylation of p53 is an important reversible enzymatic process that occurs in response to DNA damage and genotoxic stress and is indispensible for p53 transcriptional activity.p53 was the first non-histone protein shown to be acetylated by histone acetyl transferases,and a number of more recent in vivo models have underscored the importance of this type of modification for p53 activity.Here,we review the current knowledge and recent findings of p53 acetylation and deacetylation and discuss the implications of these processes for the p53 pathway.
文摘Hypocotyl development in Arabidopsis thaliana is regulated by light and endogenous hormonal cues, mak- ing it an ideal model to study the interplay between light and endogenous growth regulators. BBX21, a B-box （BBX）-Iike zinc-finger transcription factor, integrates light and abscisic acid signals to regulate hypocotyl elongation in Arabidopsis. Heterotrimeric G-proteins are pivotal regulators of plant development. The short hypocotyl phenotype of the G-protein I^-subunit （AGB1） mutant （agbl-2） has been previously identified, but the precise role of AGB1 in hypocotyl elongation remains enigmatic. Here, we show that AGB1 directly interacts with BBX21, and the short hypocotyl phenotype of agbl-2 is partially suppressed in agb1-2bbx21-1 double mutant. BBX21 functions in the downstream of AGB1 and overexpression of BBX21 in agbl-2 causes a more pronounced reduction in hypocotyl length, indicating that AGB1 plays an oppositional role in relation to BBX21 during hypocotyl development. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the C-terminal region of BBX21 is important for both its intracellular localization and its transcriptional activation activity that is inhibited by interaction with AGB1. ChiP assays showed that BBX21 specifically associates with its own promoter and with those of BBX22, HY5, and GA2oxl. which is not altered in agbl-2. These data suggest that the AGB1-BBX21 interaction only affects the transcrip- tional activation activity of BBX21 but has no effect on its DNA binding ability. Taken together, our data demonstrate that AGB1 positively promotes hypocotyl elongation through repressing BBX21 activity.
文摘【目的】从棉花无短绒突变体GZnn中分离棉纤维发育相关的转录因子,并对其转录激活功能和表达模式进行初步分析。【方法】通过RACE(rapid amplification of the cDNA ends)和染色体步行(genome walking)技术,获得GhMS3的cDNA序列及基因组DNA序列。利用生物信息学方法对获得的DNA序列及推定的氨基酸序列进行分析,采用酵母单杂交系统验证GhMS3蛋白的转录激活功能,运用GUS组织化学染色法在转基因烟草中分析该基因的表达模式。【结果】获得GhMS3的基因组DNA以及上游1174bp的启动子序列。氨基酸序列比对发现GhMS3是R2R3 MYB转录因子。酵母试验表明,GhMS3蛋白具体外转录激活功能,C端体外转录激活功能较强,在PGhMS3:GUS转基因烟草中,GUS主要在表皮毛、根毛以及细胞分裂旺盛区域表达。【结论】从棉花无短绒突变体GZnn中分离到的R2R3 MYB转录因子GhMS3,具有组织特异性表达模式并且其编码蛋白具有体外转录激活功能,是否参与植物表皮细胞分化有待于进一步研究。
文摘The tumor suppressor p53 is a multifunctional, highly regulated, and promoter-specific transcriptional factor that is uniquely sensitive to DNA damage and cellular stress signaling. The mechanisms by which p53 directs a damaged cell down either a cell growth arrest or an apoptotic pathway remain poorly understood. Evidence suggests that the in vivo functions of p53 seem to balance the cell-fate choice with the type and severity of damage that occurs. The concept of antirepression, or inhibition of factors that normally keep p53 at bay, may help explain the physiological mechanisms for p53 activation. These factors also provide novel chemotherapeutic targets for the reactivation of p53 in tumors harboring a wild-type copy of the gene.
