Conserved roles of mouse DUX and human DUX4 in activating cleavage-stage genes and MERVL/HERVL retrotransposons

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Abstract

Bradley Cairns, Douglas Carrell, Stephen Tapscott and colleagues transcriptionally profile human oocytes and preimplantation embryos and highlight DUX4-family proteins as activators of cleavage-stage genes and repetitive elements. They show that Dux expression converts mouse embryonic stem cells into two-cell (2C) embryo-like cells, thus suggesting mouse DUX and human DUX4 as drivers of the mammalian cleavage/2C state.

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Genetic programs in human and mouse early embryos revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing.

Zhigang Xue, Kevin Huang, Chaochao Cai … (2013)

Mammalian pre-implantation development is a complex process involving dramatic changes in the transcriptional architecture. We report here a comprehensive analysis of transcriptome dynamics from oocyte to morula in both human and mouse embryos, using single-cell RNA sequencing. Based on single-nucleotide variants in human blastomere messenger RNAs and paternal-specific single-nucleotide polymorphisms, we identify novel stage-specific monoallelic expression patterns for a significant portion of polymorphic gene transcripts (25 to 53%). By weighted gene co-expression network analysis, we find that each developmental stage can be delineated concisely by a small number of functional modules of co-expressed genes. This result indicates a sequential order of transcriptional changes in pathways of cell cycle, gene regulation, translation and metabolism, acting in a step-wise fashion from cleavage to morula. Cross-species comparisons with mouse pre-implantation embryos reveal that the majority of human stage-specific modules (7 out of 9) are notably preserved, but developmental specificity and timing differ between human and mouse. Furthermore, we identify conserved key members (or hub genes) of the human and mouse networks. These genes represent novel candidates that are likely to be key in driving mammalian pre-implantation development. Together, the results provide a valuable resource to dissect gene regulatory mechanisms underlying progressive development of early mammalian embryos.

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Pioneer transcription factors in cell reprogramming

Makiko Iwafuchi-Doi, Kenneth Zaret (2014)

Biochemical and genomic studies have shown that transcription factors with the highest reprogramming activity often have the special ability to engage their target sites on nucleosomal DNA, thus behaving as “pioneer factors” to initiate events in closed chromatin. This review by Iwafuchi-Doi and Zaret focuses on the most recent studies of pioneer factors in cell programming and reprogramming, how pioneer factors have special chromatin-binding properties, and facilitators and impediments to chromatin binding.

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DUX4 activates germline genes, retroelements, and immune mediators: implications for facioscapulohumeral dystrophy.

Linda N. Geng, Zizhen Yao, Lauren Snider … (2012)

Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) is one of the most common inherited muscular dystrophies. The causative gene remains controversial and the mechanism of pathophysiology unknown. Here we identify genes associated with germline and early stem cell development as targets of the DUX4 transcription factor, a leading candidate gene for FSHD. The genes regulated by DUX4 are reliably detected in FSHD muscle but not in controls, providing direct support for the model that misexpression of DUX4 is a causal factor for FSHD. Additionally, we show that DUX4 binds and activates LTR elements from a class of MaLR endogenous primate retrotransposons and suppresses the innate immune response to viral infection, at least in part through the activation of DEFB103, a human defensin that can inhibit muscle differentiation. These findings suggest specific mechanisms of FSHD pathology and identify candidate biomarkers for disease diagnosis and progression. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.