Search bioRxiv⌕ Search

bioRxiv · 10.1101/783662

Principles of 3D Nucleus Organization and Epigenetic Regulation in Diploid Genome Revealed by Multi-omic Data from Hybrid Mouse

Abstract

Most mammalian genomes are diploid and previous studies have extensively investigated the average epigenetic profiles of homologous chromosomes. Here we use hybrid mice to distinguish the epigenetic status and three-dimensional organization of homologous chromosomes. We generated Hi-C, ChIP-seq and RNA-seq datasets from CD4 T cells of B6, Cast and hybrid mice, respectively, and systematically analyzed the 3D nucleus organization and epigenetic regulation. Our data indicate that the inter-chromosomal interaction patterns between homologous chromosomes are similar and the similarity is highly correlated with their allelic co-expression levels. Construction of 3D nucleus based on allele-specific interaction frequency revealed symmetric positioning of homologous chromosomes in the 3D nuclear space. The inter-chromosomal interactions at centromeres are significantly weaker than those at telomeres, indicating positioning of centromeres toward the inside of chromosome territories and telomeres toward the surface of chromosome territories. The majority A|B compartments or topologically associated domains (TADs) are consistent between B6 and Cast. We found 58% of the haploids in hybrids maintain their parental compartment status at B6/Cast divergent compartments due to cis-effect. About 95% of the trans-effected B6/Cast divergent compartments converge to same compartment status potentially due to a shared cellular environment. We found the differentially expressed genes between the two haploids in hybrid were associated with either genetic associated cis-effects or epigenetic associated trans-effects. The widespread epigenetic differences between B6 and Cast suggest that epigenetic changes may be major contributors to differences between B6 and Cast. Our data revealed symmetrical positioning of homologous chromosomes in 3D nucleus and enhanced our understanding of allele-specific epigenetic regulation.

Source connections

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Han, Z., Cui, K., Placek, K., Hong, N., Lin, C., Chen, W., Zhao, K., Jin, W.. 2019-09-26. Principles of 3D Nucleus Organization and Epigenetic Regulation in Diploid Genome Revealed by Multi-omic Data from Hybrid Mouse. https://doi.org/10.1101/783662

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

Long-read DNA sequencing reveals global hypomethylation and focal hypermethylation in SDHx-deficient pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma

Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGL) are highly heritable neuroendocrine tumors of the autonomic ganglia. Genomic DNA in most cancer cells is hypomethylated. However, DNA in PPGLs secondary to mutations in succinate dehydrogenase complex (SDHx) genes is reportedly hypermethylated due to succinate-mediated inhibition of DNA demethylases. We used nanopore long-read sequencing to characterize the methylome of tumor and white blood cell DNA from SDHx and non-SDHx PPGL patients, alongside normal adrenal medulla. We find that both SDHx and non-SDHx PPGLs are globally hypomethylated, particularly at centromeres. In normal adrenal medulla, CpG islands marked by H3K4 methylation are hypomethylated, whereas CpG islands lacking H3K4 methylation are hypermethylated. In SDHx-related PPGL, some H3K4me-marked CpG islands are hypermethylated, but most are not. We propose that DNA methylation in SDHx-related PPGL reflects the global hypomethylation generally observed in tumors, partly offset by succinate-mediated inhibition of TET DNA demethylases. Opposing effects of succinate may alter the balance between DNA methylation (indirect inhibition of the DNMT3A/B DNA methylases via inhibition of H3K4me demethylases) and DNA demethylation (inhibition of TET DNA demethylases) at active CpG islands.

genomics↗

High piRNA abundance is a hallmark of evolutionarily persistent piRNA-producing loci.

PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) silence transposons in the germline, and the loci that produce them diverge rapidly between species. Yet, some loci retain both their genomic location and their piRNA production across large evolutionary distances, and the basis for this conservation is unclear. To identify the features that distinguish these persistent loci, we compared piRNA production at orthologous loci in three closely related mouse species, contrasting loci that produce piRNAs in all three species with those that do so in only one. Transposon content and UTR features, often linked to piRNA production, did not distinguish the two groups. Transcription extending beyond gene ends (readthrough) was more frequent at conserved loci, but did not explain conservation once the amount of piRNAs produced was taken into account. Instead, we found that the conserved loci are those that produce the most piRNAs. The same association holds true in human and two other primate species. We speculate that most piRNAs expressed in testis are tolerated molecular noise, and that only the highly expressed minority are likely to be functional.

genomics↗

Epigenome-informed Polymer Modeling Reveals Chromosome Folding Landscapes across Distinct Genetic and Epigenetic Contexts

Three-dimensional (3D) genome organization is critical for gene regulation, enabling long-range interactions between genes and distal regulatory elements. Genomic structural variations and epigenetic differences can perturb this organization, contributing to phenotypic variation and tissue-specific gene regulation. Prior studies have assessed the impact of these genetic and epigenetic changes on 3D genome folding, primarily using population-averaged features such as topologically associating domains and loops. However, growing evidence from single-cell and live-imaging studies indicates that chromosomes are highly dynamic and exist as heterogeneous ensembles of conformations. Here, we applied an epigenetic-state-informed polymer modeling framework to generate chromosomal conformational ensembles directly from cell- and tissue-specific epigenomic data. The resulting ensembles reproduced experimental Hi-C maps across cell lines and tissue types. Comparison of these conformational ensembles revealed that, although polymer dynamics were conserved across cell lines, their folding landscapes diverged. These differences arose primarily from cell-line-specific chromatin-state interaction networks and were concentrated in rare, long-lived contacts. Furthermore, modeling a TAD-boundary-disrupting deletion without re-optimizing the model parameters indicated a shift in the chromatin conformational ensemble from predominantly insulated to predominantly fused states. The modeled deletion also selectively strengthened active chromatin contacts and differentially disrupted enhancer contacts involving neighboring genes. Finally, comparison of two tissue types from the same donor revealed epigenetically driven rewiring of chromatin-state interaction networks. These findings establish chromosomal conformational ensembles as a sensitive readout of genome reorganization across distinct genetic and epigenetic contexts.

genomics↗