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Interactive histone acetylation and methylation in regulating transdifferentiation‐related genes during tunicate budding and regeneration
Author(s) -
Shibuya Misa,
Hatano Mitzuki,
Kawamura Kaz
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
developmental dynamics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.634
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1097-0177
pISSN - 1058-8388
DOI - 10.1002/dvdy.24212
Subject(s) - biology , histone methylation , transdifferentiation , histone , histone methyltransferase , histone h2a , acetylation , chromatin immunoprecipitation , histone h3 , microbiology and biotechnology , epigenetics , histone code , histone h4 , gene expression , genetics , dna methylation , gene , promoter , nucleosome , stem cell
Background: In the budding tunicate Polyandrocarpa misakiensis , retinoic acid (RA)‐triggered transdifferentiation occurs during bud development and zooid regeneration. We aimed to reveal how and to what extent epigenetic histone modifications are involved in transdifferentiation‐related gene expression. Results: Acetylated histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9ac) was observed in transdifferentiating bud tissues and regenerating zooid tissues, where a histone acetyltransferase (HAT) gene, PmGCN5 , was strongly expressed. Results of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) indicated that in transdifferentiating bud tissues, retinoic acid receptor ( PmRAR ), retinoid X receptor ( PmRXR ), external signal‐regulated kinase ( PmERK ), and β‐catenin ( PmβCTN ) genes conspicuously underwent H3K9 acetylation in their core promoter regions. RA was found to induce PmGCN5 , causing histone acetylation of PmRAR , PmRXR , and PmERK . A GCN5 inhibitor, CPTH2, attenuated acetylation and weakened transcription of transdifferentiation‐related genes, except PmERK , indicating that RA‐induced GCN5 facilitates gene expression via histone acetylation. In regenerating zooids, H3K9ac occurred exclusively in PmERK , but PmERK expression did not change, and, surprisingly, the PmProhibitin2 expression decreased substantially. In the core promoter regions of these genes, suppressive histone methylation occurred at H3K9 and H3K27. Conclusions: These results, along with other evidence, indicate that cooperative and conflicting histone modifications enable the minute regulation of gene expression in P . misakiensis . Developmental Dynamics 244:10–20, 2015 . © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.