Biology subjects

Shimura, C.

Publications and source records attributed to Shimura, C..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Resf1 is required for proper placental development and configuration of trophoblast cell-specific heterochromatin

Resf1 (Retroelement silencing factor 1) is involved in retroelement silencing cooperated with H3K9 methyltransferase SETDB1 by regulating H3K9 methylation in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). However, it remains unknown whether Resf1 functions in retroelement silencing in vivo, and has a role in development. Here, we established Resf1-deficient mice, which exhibited developmental delay, partial embryonic lethality, and placental defects. Notably, retroelements were also upregulated in the Resf1-deficient placenta, correlating with increased expression of nearby genes. To further assess whether Resf1 functions within the trophoblast lineage, we generated Resf1-deficient trophoblast stem cell (TSC) lines. Both undifferentiated TSCs and differentiated TSCs (D-TSCs) display increased retroelement expression along with elevated levels of genes associated with placental development. Moreover, Resf1-deficient TSCs exhibit compromised maintenance of H3K9me3 domains in a manner independent of SETDB1. Collectively, our findings reveal that Resf1 plays multifaceted roles beyond retroelement silencing, underscoring its importance in development and its critical function in trophoblast lineage regulation.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Chromatin landscape of budding yeast acquiring H3K9 methylation and its reader molecule HP1

Histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) methylation and heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) are well conserved heterochromatin epigenome and its reader molecule. However, the details of how importance of them in heterochromatin formation still remain unclear. One of the reasons is the redundancy aspects, as there are multiple H3K9 methylation reader molecules, including HP1, and HP1 itself functions as a hub recruiting various effector molecules. To overcome those issues, we took a synthetic biology approach and introduced H3K9 methylation and HP1 into budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which does not have this system, and examined its impact on transcription and chromatin compaction. We observed that the mammalian H3K9 methyltransferase can induce genome-wide H3K9 di- and tri-methylation (H3K9me2,3) in the budding yeast which mainly in the gene body region, and HP1 accumulates over the H3K9 methylated regions. The forced expression of H3K9 methyltransferase and HP1 had little impact on transcription. Furthermore, Micro-C-seq analysis revealed no significant effects on the chromatin 3D structure. These results suggest that although H3K9 methylation and recruitment of HP1 play essential roles in the epigenetic regulation of heterochromatin, they alone are not sufficient to alter the higher-order chromatin structure, at least in the gene body regions in budding yeast.

synthetic biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Trichostatin A Treatment Has Little Impact on Nuclear compartments in Cells Depleted of H3K9me, H3K27me3, and uH2A

In the mammalian nucleus, heterochromatin is segregated from transcriptionally active euchromatic regions (A compartments), forming large, condensed, and inactive nuclear compartments (B compartments). However, the mechanisms underlying its spatial organization remain incompletely understood. We previously demonstrated that simultaneous depletion of H3K9 methylation, H3K27me3, and H2A monoubiquitination in immortalized mouse embryonic fibroblasts (iMEFs) leads to heterochromatin weakening and alterations in nuclear compartments. However, the overall pattern of A/B compartments remains largely preserved even under these conditions, suggesting the involvement of unknown factors. Since histone deacetylation is a key factor in transcriptional repression, we investigated the impact of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition on nuclear compartments by treating cells depleted of H3K9 methylation, H3K27me3, and H2A K119 monoubiquitylation (H2AK119ub/uH2A) with the HDAC inhibitor Trichostatin A (TSA). We performed Hi-C analysis to assess the nuclear compartment changes. Our results showed that, although TSA treatment globally increased H3K27ac levels, the difference in H3K27ac enrichment between A/B compartments remained evident, and nuclear compartments were minimally affected. These findings suggest that factors other than HDACs maintain nuclear compartmentalization when repressive chromatin modifications are depleted.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2025

H3K27 and H3K9 Methylation Mask Potential CTCF Binding Sites to Maintain 3D Genome Integrity

The three-dimensional (3D) genome structure is essential for gene regulation and various genomic functions. CTCF plays a key role in organizing Topologically Associated Domains (TADs) and promoter-enhancer loops, contributing to proper cell differentiation and development. Although CTCF binds the genome with high sequence specificity, its binding sites are dynamically regulated during development, and aberrant CTCF binding is linked to diseases such as cancer and neurological disorders, and aging. However, the mechanisms controlling CTCF binding remain unclear. Here, we investigated the role of repressive chromatin modifications in CTCF binding using H3K9 methyltransferase-deficient immortalized mouse embryonic fibroblasts (iMEFs) and H3K27 methyltransferase EZH1/2 inhibitor. We found that H3K9 and H3K27 methylation regulate CTCF binding at distinct genomic regions, and their simultaneous loss induces drastic changes in CTCF binding. These changes were associated with alterations in 3D genome architecture and gene expression, suggesting that repressive chromatin modifications preserve proper chromatin organization by preventing aberrant CTCF binding. Additionally, while CTCF binding sites repressed by H3K9 methylation were bound by CTCF in early mouse embryos, those repressed by both H3K9 and H3K27 methylation remained inaccessible, with early embryonic-specific H3K27 methylation forming at these sites. These findings implicate that H3K27 methylation prevents abnormal CTCF binding in early embryos, ensuring proper genome organization during development.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2025

H3K27me3 and the PRC1-H2AK119ub pathway cooperatively maintain heterochromatin and transcriptional silencing after the loss of H3K9 methylation

Heterochromatin is a key architectural feature of eukaryotic chromosomes, essential for cell type-specific gene expression and genome stability. In the mammalian nucleus, heterochromatin is segregated from transcriptionally active euchromatic regions (A compartments), forming large, condensed, and inactive nuclear compartments (B compartments). However, the mechanisms underlying its spatial organization remain incompletely understood. Histone H3 lysine 9 and lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K9me3 and H3K27me3) are two major epigenetic modifications that enrich constitutive and facultative heterochromatin, respectively. Previously, we found that the redistribution of H3K27me3 following the loss of H3K9 methylation contributes to heterochromatin maintenance, while the simultaneous loss of both H3K27me3 and H3K9 methylation induces heterochromatin decondensation in mouse embryonic fibroblasts. However, nearly all B compartments were preserved despite the loss of these repressive chromatin modifications. These findings suggest that other factors are responsible for maintaining B compartments under these conditions. In this study, we explored the role of another repressive chromatin modification, PRC1-mediated H2A K119 monoubiquitylation (H2AK119ub/uH2A), in maintaining heterochromatin structure following the loss of H3K9/K27 methylation. We found that uH2A and H3K27me3 independently accumulate in the B compartments after the loss of H3K9 methylation in iMEFs and cooperatively maintain heterochromatin. Our data indicates that the PRC1-uH2A pathway contributes to maintain heterochromatin organization following the loss of H3K9/K27 methylation in mammalian cells.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Functional correlation of H3K9me2 and nuclear compartment formation

BackgroundHistone H3 lysine 9 dimethylation (H3K9me2) is a highly conserved silencing epigenetic mark. Chromatin marked with H3K9me2 forms large domains in mammalian cells and correlates well with lamina-associated domains and the B compartment. However, the role of H3K9me2 in 3-dimensional (3D) genome organization remains unclear. ResultsWe investigated the genome-wide H3K9me2 distribution, the transcriptome and 3D genome organization in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) upon the inhibition or depletion of H3K9 methyltransferases (MTases) G9a/GLP, SETDB1, and SUV39H1/2. We found that H3K9me2 is regulated by these five MTases; however, H3K9me2 and transcription in the A and B compartments were largely regulated by different sets of the MTases: H3K9me2 in the A compartments were mainly regulated by G9a/GLP and SETDB1, while H3K9me2 in the B compartments were regulated by all five H3K9 MTases. Furthermore, decreased H3K9me2 correlated with the changes to the more active compartmental state that accompanied transcriptional activation. ConclusionOur data showed that H3K9me2 domain formation is functionally linked to 3D genome organization.

molecular biology↗