Lluis Morey

The Polycomb group protein EZH2 directly controls DNA methylation.

The establishment and maintenance of epigenetic gene silencing is fundamental to cell determination and function. The essential epigenetic systems involved in heritable repression of gene activity are the Polycomb group (PcG) proteins and the DNA methylation systems. Here we show that the corresponding silencing pathways are mechanistically linked. We find that the PcG protein EZH2 (Enhancer of Zeste homolog 2) interacts—within the context of the Polycomb repressive complexes 2 and 3 (PRC2/3)—with DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) and associates with DNMT activity in vivo. Chromatin immunoprecipitations indicate that binding of DNMTs to several EZH2-repressed genes depends on the presence of EZH2. Furthermore, we show by bisulphite genomic sequencing that EZH2 is required for DNA methylation of EZH2-target promoters. Our results suggest that EZH2 serves as a recruitment platform for DNA methyltransferases, thus highlighting a previously unrecognized direct connection between two key epigenetic repression systems.

Polycomb group protein-mediated repression of transcription

The polycomb group (PcG) proteins are essential for the normal development of multicellular organisms. They form multi-protein complexes that work as transcriptional repressors of several thousand genes controlling differentiation pathways during development. How the PcG proteins work as transcriptional repressors is incompletely understood, but involves post-translational modifications of histones by two major PcG protein complexes: polycomb repressive complex 1 and polycomb repressive complex 2.

Nonoverlapping Functions of the Polycomb Group Cbx Family of Proteins in Embryonic Stem Cells

Polycomb group proteins are essential regulators of cell fate decisions during embryogenesis. In mammals, at least five different Cbx proteins (Cbx2, Cbx4, Cbx6, Cbx7, and Cbx8) are known to associate with the core Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1). Here we show that pluripotency and differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) is regulated by different Cbx-associated PRC1 complexes with unique functions. Maintenance of pluripotency primarily depends on Cbx7, while lineage commitment is orchestrated by Cbx2 and Cbx4. At the molecular level, we have uncovered a Polycomb autoregulatory loop in which Cbx7 represses the expression of prodifferentiation Cbx proteins, thereby maintaining the pluripotent state. We additionally show that the occupancy of Cbx7 on promoters is completely dependent on PRC2 activity but only partially dependent on a functional PRC1 complex. Thus, Cbx proteins confer distinct target selectivity to the PRC1 complex, achieving a balance between the self-renewal and the differentiation of ESCs.

The histone variant macroH2A is an epigenetic regulator of key developmental genes

The histone variants macroH2A1 and macroH2A2 are associated with X chromosome inactivation in female mammals. However, the physiological function of macroH2A proteins on autosomes is poorly understood. Microarray-based analysis in human male pluripotent cells uncovered occupancy of both macroH2A variants at many genes encoding key regulators of development and cell fate decisions. On these genes, the presence of macroH2A1+2 is a repressive mark that overlaps locally and functionally with Polycomb repressive complex 2. We demonstrate that macroH2A1+2 contribute to the fine-tuning of temporal activation of HOXA cluster genes during neuronal differentiation. Furthermore, elimination of macroH2A2 function in zebrafish embryos produced severe but specific phenotypes. Taken together, our data demonstrate that macroH2A variants constitute an important epigenetic mark involved in the concerted regulation of gene expression programs during cellular differentiation and vertebrate development.

3D structures of individual mammalian genomes studied by single-cell Hi-C

The folding of genomic DNA from the beads-on-a-string-like structure of nucleosomes into higher-order assemblies is crucially linked to nuclear processes. Here we calculate 3D structures of entire mammalian genomes using data from a new chromosome conformation capture procedure that allows us to first image and then process single cells. The technique enables genome folding to be examined at a scale of less than 100 kb, and chromosome structures to be validated. The structures of individual topological-associated domains and loops vary substantially from cell to cell. By contrast, A and B compartments, lamina-associated domains and active enhancers and promoters are organized in a consistent way on a genome-wide basis in every cell, suggesting that they could drive chromosome and genome folding. By studying genes regulated by pluripotency factor and nucleosome remodelling deacetylase (NuRD), we illustrate how the determination of single-cell genome structure provides a new approach for investigating biological processes.

Phf19 links methylated Lys36 of histone H3 to regulation of Polycomb activity

Polycomb-group proteins are transcriptional repressors with essential roles in embryonic development. Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) contains the methyltransferase activity for Lys27. However, the role of other histone modifications in regulating PRC2 activity is just beginning to be understood. Here we show that direct recognition of methylated histone H3 Lys36 (H3K36me), a mark associated with activation, by the PRC2 subunit Phf19 is required for the full enzymatic activity of the PRC2 complex. Using NMR spectroscopy, we provide structural evidence for this interaction. Furthermore, we show that Phf19 binds to a subset of PRC2 targets in mouse embryonic stem cells and that this is required for their repression and for H3K27me3 deposition. These findings show that the interaction of Phf19 with H3K36me2 and H3K36me3 is essential for PRC2 complex activity and for proper regulation of gene repression in embryonic stem cells.

Jarid1b targets genes regulating development and is involved in neural differentiation.

H3K4 methylation is associated with active transcription and in combination with H3K27me3 thought to keep genes regulating development in a poised state. The contribution of enzymes regulating trimethylation of lysine 4 at histone 3 (H3K4me3) levels to embryonic stem cell (ESC) self‐renewal and differentiation is just starting to emerge. Here, we show that the H3K4me2/3 histone demethylase Jarid1b (Kdm5b/Plu1) is dispensable for ESC self‐renewal, but essential for ESC differentiation along the neural lineage. By genome‐wide location analysis, we demonstrate that Jarid1b localizes predominantly to transcription start sites of genes encoding developmental regulators, of which more than half are also bound by Polycomb group proteins. Virtually all Jarid1b target genes are associated with H3K4me3 and depletion of Jarid1b in ESCs leads to a global increase of H3K4me3 levels. During neural differentiation, Jarid1b‐depleted ESCs fail to efficiently silence lineage‐inappropriate genes, specifically stem and germ cell genes. Our results delineate an essential role for Jarid1b‐mediated transcriptional control during ESC differentiation.

RYBP and Cbx7 define specific biological functions of polycomb complexes in mouse embryonic stem cells

The Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) is required for decisions of stem cell fate. In mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), two major variations of PRC1 complex, defined by the mutually exclusive presence of Cbx7 or RYBP, have been identified. Here, we show that although the genomic localization of the Cbx7- and RYBP-containing PRC1 complexes overlaps in certain genes, it can also be mutually exclusive. At the molecular level, Cbx7 is necessary for recruitment of Ring1B to chromatin, whereas RYBP enhances the PRC1 enzymatic activity. Genes occupied by RYBP show lower levels of Ring1B and H2AK119ub and are consequently more highly transcribed than those bound by Cbx7. At the functional level, we show that genes occupied by RYBP are primarily involved in the regulation of metabolism and cell-cycle progression, whereas those bound by Cbx7 predominantly control early-lineage commitment of ESCs. Altogether, our results indicate that different PRC1 subtypes establish a complex pattern of gene regulation that regulates common and nonoverlapping aspects of ESC pluripotency and differentiation.

MBD3, a component of the NuRD complex, facilitates chromatin alteration and deposition of epigenetic marks.

ABSTRACT In plants, as in mammals, mutations in SNF2-like DNA helicases/ATPases were shown to affect not only chromatin structure but also global methylation patterns, suggesting a potential functional link between chromatin structure and epigenetic marks. The SNF2-like ATPase containing nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase corepressor complex (NuRD) is involved in gene transcriptional repression and chromatin remodeling. We have previously shown that the leukemogenic protein PML-RARa represses target genes through recruitment of DNA methytransferases and Polycomb complex. Here, we demonstrate a direct role of the NuRD complex in aberrant gene repression and transmission of epigenetic repressive marks in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). We show that PML-RARa binds and recruits NuRD to target genes, including to the tumor-suppressor gene RARβ2. In turn, the NuRD complex facilitates Polycomb binding and histone methylation at lysine 27. Retinoic acid treatment, which is often used for patients at the early phase of the disease, reduced the promoter occupancy of the NuRD complex. Knockdown of the NuRD complex in leukemic cells not only prevented histone deacetylation and chromatin compaction but also impaired DNA and histone methylation, as well as stable silencing, thus favoring cellular differentiation. These results unveil an important role for NuRD in the establishment of altered epigenetic marks in APL, demonstrating an essential link between chromatin structure and epigenetics in leukemogenesis that could be exploited for therapeutic intervention.

Regulation of Human Epidermal Stem Cell Proliferation and Senescence Requires Polycomb- Dependent and -Independent Functions of Cbx4

Human epidermal stem cells transit from a slow cycling to an actively proliferating state to contribute to homeostasis. Both stem cell states differ in their cell cycle profiles but must remain guarded from differentiation and senescence. Here we show that Cbx4, a Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1)-associated protein, maintains human epidermal stem cells as slow-cycling and undifferentiated, while protecting them from senescence. Interestingly, abrogating the polycomb activity of Cbx4 impairs its antisenescent function without affecting stem cell differentiation, indicating that differentiation and senescence are independent processes in human epidermis. Conversely, Cbx4 inhibits stem cell activation and differentiation through its SUMO ligase activity. Global transcriptome and chromatin occupancy analyses indicate that Cbx4 regulates modulators of epidermal homeostasis and represses factors such as Ezh2, Dnmt1, and Bmi1 to prevent the active stem cell state. Our results suggest that distinct Polycomb complexes balance epidermal stem cell dormancy and activation, while continually preventing senescence and differentiation.