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Molecular and Cellular Biology, November 2006, p. 7929-7941, Vol. 26, No. 21
0270-7306/06/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/MCB.00617-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
,
Department of Pharmacology, UMDNJRobert Wood Johnson Medical School, 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854,1 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University, 617 Bowser Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854,2 Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 7 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 021383
Received 10 April 2006/ Returned for modification 18 May 2006/ Accepted 8 August 2006
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(II
) and TopIIß (IIß)
(13). The isozymes share
72% identity in their amino acid sequences. Despite their highly
homologous N-terminal ATPase and central core domains, TopII isozymes
differ greatly in their C termini
(3). In vitro, they
possess similar ATP-dependent strand-passing activities, such as
catenation/decatenation, knotting/unknotting, and relaxation
(2). However, II
and IIß are differentially regulated during cell growth and
differentiation (6,
47,
49,
52). II
is only
expressed in proliferating cells, with peak expression found at late S
and G2/M phases of the cell cycle
(18,
22). II
is most
likely involved in cell cycle events such as DNA replication,
chromosome condensation/decondensation, and sister chromatid
segregation (8,
10,
12,
20,
21,
50,
53). IIß, on the
other hand, is expressed in all cell types, with elevated expression
found in terminally differentiated cells
(6,
34,
46,
52). However, the
biological function of IIß is less
clear. Genetic studies employing mouse models have revealed that top2ß null mutants exhibit a perinatal death phenotype (34, 57). Analysis of the mutant embryos has revealed multiple defects during neuronal development. For example, motor neurons fail to innervate the diaphragm muscle, and the sensory projections are missing in the spinal cord (57). Studies using brain-specific top2ß knockout mice have demonstrated an aberrant lamination pattern in the developing cerebral cortex and a similar perinatal death phenotype, suggesting an essential role of IIß in brain development (34). Detailed analysis of corticogenesis has revealed that the migration of postmitotic cortical neurons is affected in top2ß mutant embryos (34).
The molecular basis for the neuronal migration defect during corticogenesis in top2ß null embryos is unclear. However, the corticogenesis defect of top2ß null mutants is similar to that of reln mutants (41). The extracellular matrix protein reelin, encoded by Reln, is known to be important for neuronal migration during corticogenesis and is found to be down-regulated at both message and protein levels in top2ß null mutants (34). Down-regulation of reelin could partially explain the abnormal cortical development phenotypes observed in top2ß mutants. However, the phenotypes of top2ß deletion seem more complex, since top2ß knockout mice, unlike reln mutant mice, are not viable.
The complex phenotypes of top2ß null mutants have prompted us to perform a transcription profiling analysis. In the current study, we have compared the gene expression profiles in the brains of top2ß null and wild-type embryos at three developmental stages. We show that throughout embryonic development of the mouse brain, IIß is required for the expression of only a subset (1 to 4%) of genes (IIß-sensitive genes). Expression of genes encoding early differentiation markers and cell growth functions is not altered. However, the expression of about 30% of the developmentally regulated genes was affected. The microarray results, together with additional immunohistochemical and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analyses, suggest that IIß may regulate the expression of developmentally regulated genes at late stages of differentiation by controlling chromatin topology.
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1
(57) (backcrossed
repeatedly with the C57BL/6 strain from the original strain with a
mixed genetic background) and
top2ß+/
2
(34) (mostly in a 129SvEv
background, with a minor contribution from 129SvJ) were used. The
top2ß
1 allele
(57) contains a neomycin
resistance gene that is constitutively expressed, whereas the
top2ß
2 allele
(34) does not contain any
exogenous gene in the truncated top2ß locus. For timed
matings of top2ß+/
1 or
top2ß+/
2 mice, the noon
time that the vaginal mucus plug was detected was counted as embryonic
day 0.5 (E0.5). For the cDNA microarray analysis, total RNAs isolated
from the brains of wild-type (wt) and
top2ß
1/
1 knockout (ko)
littermates were used. For the oligo microarray analysis, total RNAs
isolated from the brains of wild-type and
top2ß
2/
2 knockout
littermates were used. Total RNA isolation. Embryos were collected by caesarean section at E14.5, E16.5, and E18.5. Whole brains were dissected and immediately immersed into 1 ml of RNAlater solution (Ambion, Inc.) and stored at 20°C until needed for RNA isolation. For total RNA isolation, brain samples were transferred into 500 µl of TRIzol reagent (Invitrogen), and isolation was performed according to the manufacturer's instructions. RNA samples were further purified by using the RNeasy Mini kit (QIAGEN).
cRNA preparation. First-strand cDNAs were generated from 10 µg of total RNA using the SuperScript II reverse transcriptase (RT; Invitrogen). The synthesis was primed by a T7-(dT)24 primer: 5'-GGCCAGTGAATTGTAATACGACTCACTATAGGGAGGCGG-(dT)24-3'. Second-strand cDNA synthesis was carried out using the SuperScript Choice system for cDNA synthesis (Invitrogen). cDNAs were then purified by phenol-chloroform-isoamyl alcohol extraction using the phase-lock gel (Brinkman Instrument) and precipitated by the addition of a 0.5 volume of 7.5 M NH4OAc and 2.5 volumes of 100% ethanol at 20°C. After two washes in 80% ethanol, the air-dried cDNA pellet was dissolved in 12 µl of diethyl pyrocarbonate-treated water. Biotin-labeled cRNAs were synthesized in vitro by T7 RNA polymerase using the RNA transcript labeling kit (Affymetrix). The labeling mixture was purified using the RNeasy Mini kit. cRNAs were eluted from the column with 30 µl of RNase-free water. Twenty micrograms of labeled cRNAs recovered from the elution was fragmented to 35 to 300 nucleotides by incubating in a 40-µl reaction mixture containing 40 mM Tris-acetate (Ac) (pH 8.1), 30 mM MgOAc, and 10 mM KOAc at 94°C for 35 min.
Array hybridization and image scanning. Affymetrix MG_U74Av2 microarrays were hybridized with 15 µg of fragmented cRNAs in 300 µl of morpholineethanesulfonic acid (MES) buffer (0.1 M MES, pH 6.6, 1 M NaCl, 20 mM EDTA, 0.01% Tween 20), with 0.1 mg/ml herring sperm DNA, 0.5 mg/ml acetylated bovine serum albumin (BSA), 50 pM (final concentration) control oligonucleotide B2 (Affymetrix), and eukaryotic hybridization controls bioB, bioC, bioD, and cre at 1.5, 5, 25, and 100 pM (final concentrations), respectively. After hybridization, the arrays were washed in buffer A (0.9 M NaCl, 60 mM NaH2PO4, pH 7.6, 6 mM EDTA, 0.01% Tween 20), then in buffer B (0.1 M MES, pH 6.6, 0.1 M NaCl, 0.01% Tween 20) on a Fluidics station (Affymetrix), and then stained with buffer C (0.1 M MES, pH 6.6, 1 M NaCl, 0.05% Tween 20, 2 mg/ml BSA) containing 10 µg/ml streptavidin-phycoerythrin (Molecular Probes). Next, the arrays were stained in buffer C containing 0.1 mg/ml normal goat immunoglobulin G (Sigma) and 3 µg/ml biotinylated goat antistreptavidin antibody (Vector Laboratories) and subsequently stained again in buffer C containing 10 µg/ml streptavidin-phycoerythrin. Following the final wash with buffer A, the arrays were scanned by an argon-ion laser with an excitation wavelength of 488 nm and an emission wavelength of 570 nm at a resolution of 3 µm.
Data processing and analysis.
The .CEL file
(intensity DATA fields) was created from the scanned image by using
Microarray Suite 4 (Affymetrix). The .CEL file and the .CDF file
(information on the location and identity of different probe cells)
were then uploaded into the Rosetta Resolver system for gene expression
data analysis (Rosetta Inpharmatics, Inc.). The hybridization intensity
analysis and ratio analysis were performed. The Rosetta Resolver
application error model for Affymetrix GeneChip microarray data
(Rosetta Inpharmatics, Inc.) was used to define and calculate error and
P values associated with the intensity and ratio data. For
intensity analysis, probe sets with P values of
0.01
were called present. For ratio analysis (Rosetta Resolver System Ratio
Builder), probe sets with intensity ratios (either the
intensityko/intensitywt or
intensitywt/intensityko ratio) of
1.7-fold and P values of
0.01 were called
differentially expressed. For hierarchical clustering analysis, the
normalized absolute expression intensity of each probe set (determined
using the Rosetta Resolver application) was analyzed. Cluster and
TreeView programs (14)
were used to perform one-dimensional hierarchical clustering analysis
on the gene expression patterns. A gene heat map plot was generated
based on the pair-wise calculations of the Pearson coefficient of
normalized expression intensities as measurements of similarity and
linkage clustering. The clustered data were loaded into TreeView and
displayed by the graded color
scheme.
cDNA microarray chip analysis.
Total RNA was
isolated from the brains of E15.5
top2ß
1/
1 knockout
(57) and
Top2ß+/+ (wild-type)
littermates. mRNA isolation, cDNA generation, array hybridization, and
data collection were performed at Incyte Genomics. In brief,
fluorescent Cy3- and Cy5-labeled cDNAs were generated from wild-type
and top2ß
1/
1 knockout
poly(A)+ RNAs, respectively, followed by
hybridization to the mouse GEM1 and GEM2 cDNA microarray chips
(58). The mouse GEM1 chip
contains 7,634 unique genes/clusters (6,357 annotated and 1,277
unannotated), and the mouse GEM2 chip contains 9,514 unique
genes/clusters (4,170 annotated). The two-channel intensity data (Cy3
and Cy5) for each array were analyzed using the Rosetta Resolver
application. The P value assigned to each intensity ratio was
defined and calculated using the Rosetta Resolver application error
model for Incyte Genomics data (Rosetta Inpharmatics, Inc.). Based on
Cy5/Cy3 ratios with P values of
0.05, genes were
called differentially
expressed.
RT-PCR.
Total RNAs of the whole brains of
wild-type and top2ß
2/
2
embryos at different developmental stages were prepared. Total RNAs
(0.5 µg each) were used to generate first-strand cDNAs by
reverse transcription using the Superscript III RT (Invitrogen).
Various cDNAs, including Gapdh (GenBank accession no.
M32599), Tubb3
(AW050256), Neurod1
(U28068), Gata3
(X55123), Catna2
(AV353749), Robo1
(Y17793), Myt1l
(U86338), Odz3
(AB025412), Cdh8
(X95600), Cacna2d1
(U73487), Syt1
(D37792), Alcam
(L25274), Kcnd2
(AF107780), Ptgds
(AI840733), Thy1
(M12379), and Mef2c
(L13171), were PCR amplified using the following
primer pairs: Gapdh-F
(5'-AACATCATCCCTGCATCCACTGGT) and Gapdh-R
(5'-TGGAAGAGTGGGAGTTGCTGTTGA-3');
Tubb3-F
(5'-CCCAAGTGAAGTTGCTCGCAG-3') and
Tubb3-R
(5'-ACAGAGCCAAGTGGACTCACAT-3');
Neurod1-F
(5'-TCTTTCAAACACGAACCATCCGCC-3')
and Neurod1-R
(5'-GATGGCATTAAGCTGGGCACTCAT-3');
Gata3-F
(5'-TTATCAAGCCCAAGCGAAGGCTGT-3')
and Gata3-R
(5'-ATCTTCCGGTTTCGGGTCTGGATG-3');
Catna2-F
(5'-AGTCAACTTTCTACCCACCTCCCA-3')
and Catna2-R
(5'-AGACACAACTGGAGAGTTGACAGC-3'),
Robo1-F
(5'-GCCGAAGGAATATGGCAGAAATGC-3')
and Robo1-R
(5'-CGGCAACTTGTCCATTCTGATTGC-3'),
Myt1l-F
(5'-ACCACAATGGAGAGCAACCTGAAG-3')
and Myt1l-R
(5'-AGACCTGAATTCCTCTCACAGCCT-3');
Odz3-F
(5'-GACGTTTGGCTTCCATCTGCACAA-3')
and Odz3-R
(5'-TTGCCGATGAGCGACTTGACC-3');
Cdh8-F
(5'-ACATCATTCGCTACGACGACGA-3') and
Cdh8-R
(5'-GTCCATAGTCCCTTTCTTCAGGCA-3');
Cacna2d1-F
(5'-CAAGCGGAACAGACTTCTGATGGT-3')
and Cacna2d1-R
(5'-AGTAGGTAGTGTCTGCTGCCAGAT-3');
Syt1-F
(5'-ATTCACCTGATGCAGAACGGCAAG-3')
and Syt1-R
(5'-ATGTCTGACCAGTGTCGCAGCTCT-3');
Alcam-F
(5'-CTGATTGTGGGAATTGTCGTTGGTCTCC-3')
and Alcam-R
(5'-TTTCCTCAGGCTATCCAATCCGCT-3');
Kcnd2-F
(5'-CACAACAAGGAGTCACCAGCACTT-3')
and Kcnd2-R
(5'-GCTGTGGTCACGTAAGGTTGTTCA-3');
Ptgds-F
(5'-CCAAGATCATGGTACTGCAGCCT-3')
and Ptgds-R
(5'-TTCTCCTTCAGCTCGTCCTTCAGA-3');
Thy1-F
(5'-AGCCAACTTCACCACCAAGGATGA-3')
and Thy1-R
(5'-AAATGAAGTCCAGGGCTTGGAGGA-3').
Quantitative real-time RT-PCR.
Quantitative real-time PCR was
performed using cDNA generated (see above) in the 7900HT Fast real-time
PCR system (PE Applied Biosystems) with the use of SYBR Green. The data
were analyzed using the SDS 2.2 software. The threshold cycle
(CT) for each sample was chosen from the linear
range. The relative amount of mRNA was calculated with the use of the
2
CT method
(32), using
Gapdh as the normalization standard for each sample. A single
PCR product was verified by both its melting temperature and analysis
in an agarose gel.
ChIP.
Whole brains of
TOP2ß+ (pool of two
Top2ß+/+ and three
top2ß+/
2 brains) and
top2ß
2/
2 (pool of five
brains) embryos were dissected at E18.5 in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's
medium (DMEM) (with 10% fetal bovine serum [FBS]). Brain tissues were
minced and dislodged to single-cell suspensions in DMEM-10% FBS
using an Eppendorf pipette tip. Cells were then filtered through a
100-µm cell strainer. Neutral-buffered formaldehyde was added
to a final concentration of 1%, and cells were fixed for 15 min at
4°C. Glycine was then added to a final concentration of 0.125 M
to stop the cross-linking reaction, and cells were successively washed
in wash buffer 1 (0.25% Triton X-100, 10 mM EDTA, 0.5 mM EGTA, 10 mM
Tris-HCl, pH 8.0), and wash buffer 2 (0.2 M NaCl, 1 mM EDTA, 0.5 mM
EGTA, 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0) and then resuspended in resuspension
buffer (1 mM EDTA, 0.5 mM EGTA, 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0). Chromatin was
sheared by sonication to fragments of <4 kb. Chromatin solution
was then adjusted to 1x RIPA (50 mM HEPES, pH 7.5, 1% Triton
X-100, 0.1% sodium deoxycholate, 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate [SDS], 140
mM NaCl, protease inhibitor cocktail [Roche]). Immunoprecipitation (IP)
was performed using anti-TopIIß antibody (Santa Cruz) at
4°C overnight. No antibody was added for the control samples.
Protein A-agarose beads were then added to either IIß IP
mixtures or control mixtures to capture IP complexes or serve as
controls. The agarose beads were successively washed (twice for each
wash) in ChIP lysis buffer (50 mM HEPES, pH 7.5, 140 mM NaCl, 1% Triton
X-100, 0.1% sodium deoxycholate, 0.1% SDS, protease inhibitor
cocktail), high-salt ChIP lysis buffer (50 mM HEPES, pH 7.5, 500 mM
NaCl, 1% Triton X-100, 0.1% sodium deoxycholate, 0.1% SDS, protease
inhibitor cocktail), ChIP wash buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0, 250 mM
LiCl, 0.5% NP-40, 0.5% sodium deoxycholate, 1 mM EDTA), and TE (10 mM
Tris-HCl, pH 8.0, and 1 mM EDTA). The IP complex was then eluted twice
with 75 µl of chromatin elution buffer (50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0,
1% SDS, 10 mM EDTA) at 65°C for 10 min. Supernatants were
combined and incubated at 65°C overnight to reverse protein-DNA
cross-links. For the input control, 1/100 of the chromatin solution
taken for IP was added to 150 µl of elution buffer and
incubated at 65°C overnight. After reversal, DNA was purified
using the PCR purification kit (QIAGEN). DNA was eluted with 100
µl elution buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0). For PCR
amplification, 1 µl of the elution was used in each reaction
mixture. The PCR primers (listed below) were designed to amplify
200 bp of a DNA sequence located within a 500-bp region
upstream of the transcription start site for each gene of interest. The
primers were as follows: Myt1l-pF
(5'-TGGCCACCTTGTGAGAGACATTCA-3')
and Myt1l-pR
(5'-AGATCTGCTTTACCTCCACAGCCA-3');
Cacna2d1-pF
(5'-AGTCGGTTGAAGAAGCGACACAGA-3')
and Cacna2d1-pR
(5'-AACAGTCAACTCCCAAACCTCCCA-3');
Syt1-pF
(5'-GAAAGCCAATTCAGAACGCCATGC-3')
and Syt1-pR
(5'-AGGGCTTACATGGTATTGTCGGGA-3');
Cdh8-pF
(5'-CATTCCATTGCCAAGTCTCCTGCT-3')
and Cdh8-pR
(5'-GGCCCATTGGTCGTGCAAACTTTA-3');
Ptgds-pF
(5'-ACCTCCTAGAAGAAGAAACCTCTGCC-3')
and Ptgds-pR
(5'-TAGGGCTTGTGAGAAGCAGGTCTT-3');
Kcnd2-pF
(5'-ATCTCCGGAGCTACAACAACAGGT-3')
and Kcnd2-pR
(5'-GGCTTCAAACAGGTGTCTTCGCTT-3');
Odz2-pF
(5'-GACAAGCAGTGTGGCCTTCACTTT-3')
and Odz2-pR
(5'-TCTCCCACTCCAGCAACTGAATGA-3');
Tubb3-pF
(5'-TGCACAGAGGTCTCAAGAAGGGTT-3')
and Tubb3-pR
(5'-CGCACAATGCGGAGCAAGTCT-3'). To
map IIß binding to the Kcnd2 gene, sheared chromatin
with average sizes of 0.3 kb isolated from the brains of E17.5
TOP2ß+ (pool of one
Top2ß+/+ and three
top2ß+/ brains) and
top2ß
2/
2 (pool of four
brains) embryos were immunoprecipitated using anti-IIß
antibody. DNAs isolated from the ChIP assay was screened for
IIß binding using the following primer sets: 19.6KbF
(5'-AGTGTCTCAAATCATCTATGCTTGTCT-3')
and 19.6KbR
(5'-GGAGAGGTGTAGTTCAGTTGGTA-3');
5KbF
(5'-CGTTGTAGACCAGTAGTGAGTGTAGG-3')
and 5KbR
(5'-ATTGGACTGGGATCCAGTTAGTGC-3');
2.5KbF
(5'-ACAGCAAATCACAACCCACTTTCC-3')
and 2.5KbR
(5'-AGTGGAGTTCACTAGAAAGAGCAGAC-3');
Kcnd2-pF (see above) and Kcnd2-pR (see above); +2.5KbF
(5'-GAAGCCTCCCATATCTTTGAGGGTGTA-3')
and + 2.5KbR
(5'-ACGACCAGCAGAATAAAGGGAATGAAGG-3');
+10KbF
(5'-CCAGTTTGGAAGGAGTTCTGTGGA-3')
and + 10KbR
(5'-AGTCTGAAGCATTCTGGGTAAGGG-3');
+503.55KbF
(5'-AAATCCAAAGGATGGACAGGGAGG-3')
and + 503.55KbR
(5'-CCTGTTGAAATGACAAGCATGTTGGG-3').
These primer sets were used for the amplification of DNA sequences
located at kb 19.6, 5, 2.5, 0.5,
+2.5, +10, and +503.55 of the Kcnd2
gene, respectively.
Immunohistochemical analysis. Brains of E18.5 embryos and whole heads of E14.5 embryos were dissected and fixed by soaking overnight in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) plus 4% paraformaldehyde at 4°C. After washing with ice-cold PBS for 1 h, the specimens were separately processed for paraffin embedding or cryoprotection in OCT compound (Sigma). Tissues embedded in paraffin blocks were sectioned to 6-µm slices for mounting on SuperFrost Plus slides (Fisher). Sections were dewaxed by soaking in xylene (twice for 5 min) and rehydrated by soaking in ethanol with a decreasing percentage (5 min, two times each) and then in H2O for 3 min. Tissue sections were then treated with 3% H2O2 for 10 min, followed by rinsing twice in PBS and then incubation in ADB solution (0.05% Triton X-100, 10% goat serum, and 3% BSA in PBS) for 30 min. Rabbit anti-histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) antibody (1:100 dilution, in ADB; Santa Cruz Biotechnology) was applied to the sections, and incubation was continued for 2 h. After four washes (5 min each) in TBST (Tris-buffered saline plus 0.1% Tween 20), sections were incubated with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-rabbit secondary antibody (diluted 1:500 in ADB; Chemicon) for 45 min. After being washed four times (5 min each) in TBST, tissue sections were incubated with 3-3' diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride working solution (Vector Laboratories, Inc.) for 5 min, followed by rinsing in H2O, dehydrating, and mounting. Images were visualized under a microscope and captured with a charge-coupled-device camera. For cryosection analysis, cryosections (16 to 20 µm) were fixed in PBS containing 4% paraformaldehyde for 10 min. After four washings in PBS (2 min each), cryosections were incubated in ADB solution for 30 min and then incubated with either rabbit anti-HDAC2 antibody or rabbit anti-TopIIß 779 antibody (obtained from F. Boege, University of Wurzburg, Wurzburg, Germany) in a humidified chamber at 4°C overnight. After four washes (5 min each) in TBST, the slides were incubated for 30 min at 37°C with the Cy3-conjugated goat anti-rabbit secondary antibodies (Jackson ImmunoResearch). After washing in TBST (four times, 5 min each), the slides were mounted with Gel/Mount (Biomeda Corp.). For coimmunostaining of IIß and HDAC2, rabbit anti-IIß (Santa Cruz) and mouse anti-HDAC2 (Upstate) antibodies were used, followed by secondary staining with Cy3-conjugated goat anti-rabbit and Cy2-conjugated goat anti-mouse secondary antibodies. Images were visualized under a fluorescence microscope and photographed with a charge-coupled-device camera.
Microarray data accession number. The complete microarray data set has been deposited in the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/) and is accessible through the GEO Series query number GSE5458.
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1/
1 mutant embryos using cDNA microarrays.
cDNA
microarray analysis was performed on the brains of E15.5 wild-type and
top2ß
1/
1 embryos
(57). Total RNAs were
isolated from whole brains (including the olfactory bulb, forebrain,
mid-brain, hind brain, and brain stem), and Cy3-labeled (for wild type)
or Cy5-labeled (for
top2ß
1/
1) cDNAs were
hybridized to the mouse GEM1 and GEM2 arrays (Incyte). Intensity
profiles generated from scanning the arrays were uploaded into the
Rosetta Resolver system for gene expression data analysis (Rosetta
Resolver application; Rosetta Inpharmatics, Inc.). Differentially
expressed genes (intensity ratios [Cy5/Cy3] with P values of
0.05) were recorded (Fig.
1). The full list of the genes that were differentially expressed is shown
in Table S1 of the supplemental material. Many of the genes that are
involved in neuronal functions, such as Reln, Dab1,
Catna2, Ebf1, Pbx3, Cacna2d1,
Ptgds, Epha3, and Ptprd, were identified as
differentially expressed.
![]() View larger version (20K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 1. Transcription
profiling of the brain of a
top2ß 1/ 1 mutant embryo by
using cDNA microarrays. Total RNAs isolated from the brains of E15.5
top2ß 1/ 1 knockout and
wild-type embryos were used to generate labeled first-strand cDNAs (Cy3
for the wild-type and Cy2 for mutant brains) and hybridized to Incyte
cDNA microarrays GEM1 (upper panel) and GEM2 (lower panel).
Hybridization intensities of different probes were analyzed using the
Rosetta Resolver application. Intensity differences with P
values of 0.05 were considered differentially expressed and
plotted. The
log10(intensityko/intensitywt) value
(y axis; intensity ratio
[2ß/2ß+]) was
plotted against the log10[(intensityko +
intensitywt)/2] value (x axis; average intensity)
for each cDNA probe. Examples of differentially expressed genes that
are involved in neuronal functions are indicated by
arrows.
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2/
2 mutant embryos using Affymetrix GeneChip microarrays.
The interpretation of the above results
obtained from top2ß
1/
1
embryos could be complicated by the presence of the constitutively
expressed neomycin resistance gene in the
top2ß
1 locus. To avoid this
potential complication, all subsequent analyses were performed on the
brains of top2ß
2/
2
embryos in which the truncated
top2ß
2 allele did not contain any
exogenous DNA sequences.
We collected
top2ß
2/
2 (mutant) and
Top2ß+/+ (wild-type)
embryos at three developmental stages, E14.5, E16.5, and E18.5. Total
RNAs from whole brains were isolated. Biotin-labeled cRNAs were then
generated and hybridized to the Affymetrix GeneChip microarray
MG_U74Av2. This array contains 12,422 probe sets, which include
6,000 expressed sequence tag clusters and all sequences
(
6,000) in the mouse UniGene database (build 74) that have
been functionally characterized. Expression profiles of the brains of
mouse embryos at different developmental stages were then generated by
using the Rosetta Resolver application. There were 5,474, 5,538, and
5,854 probe sets called present in the brains of wild-type E14.5,
E16.5, and E18.5 embryos, respectively, and 5,779, 5,622, and 5,880
probe sets in the brains of the
top2ß
2/
2 E14.5, E16.5,
and E18.5 embryos, respectively (P
0.01) (Fig.
2A to
C). The numbers of unique probe sets expressed in wild-type
and mutant embryos at E14.5, E16.5, and E18.5 were 5,982, 5,981, and
6,158, respectively. We then compared gene expression intensities,
using the wild type as the baseline, to generate the ratio intensity
data. The distribution of differentially expressed genes at each
developmental stage was represented by plotting the intensity ratio
(2ß/2ß+) versus
the average intensity (Fig. 2A to
C). Differentially expressed probe sets represented 0.77%,
4.2%, and 2.5% of the total expressed genes (5,982, 5,981, and 6,158)
at E14.5, E16.5, and E18.5, respectively. Full lists of genes that were
differentially expressed at different stages are shown in Tables S2,
S3, and S4 in the supplemental material. As shown in Fig.
2A to C, most
differentially expressed genes are down-regulated (91, 65, and 87% of
the total number of differentially expressed genes at E14.5, E16.5, and
E18.5, respectively). As shown previously by Northern hybridization,
the steady-state Reln message was lower in the brains of
top2ß mutants at E14.5, E16.5, and E18.5
(34). Our microarray
approach has also identified Reln as one of the down-regulated
genes. Reln was down-regulated 1.75-, 1.92-, and 2.19-fold at
E14.5, E16.5, and E18.5, respectively (Fig.
2A to C).
![]() View larger version (20K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 2. Differential
gene expression in the brains of
top2ß 2/ 2 embryos at
different developmental stages. (A to C) Transcription profiling of the
brains of top2ß 2/ 2 mutant
embryos using Affymetrix oligo microarrays. The
log10(intensityko/intensitywt) value
(y axis; intensity ratio
[2ß/2ß+]) was
plotted against the log10[(intensityko +
intensitywt)/2] value (x axis; average intensity)
for each probe set. Probe sets with intensity ratios of
1.7-fold (either the
intensityko/intensitywt or
intensitywt/intensityko ratio) and P
values of 0.01 were included in the plot. The numbers of probe
sets that are expressed in the brains
of wild-type
(2ß+) and
top2ß 2/ 2 mutant
(2ß) embryos as well as the combined unique
probe sets (2ß+ and
2ß) at each developmental stage are
indicated in the upper right hand corner of each plot. (D) RT-PCR
analysis of genes that are differentially expressed in the mutant.
First-strand cDNAs were reverse transcribed from the total RNAs
isolated from top2ß 2/ 2
( 2/ 2) mutant and wild-type (+/+)
embryos. PCR was then performed using a primer set specific to each
gene as indicated to the right. PCR products were analyzed by agarose
gel
electrophoresis.
|
2/
2 mutants at all
three developmental stages, in agreement with the results obtained from
the microarray analysis. In addition, RT-PCR analysis also demonstrated
that genes such as Neurod1 and Gata3 were
up-regulated at both E16.5 and E18.5 (Fig.
2D), again consistent with
results obtained from the microarray
analysis.
Altered expression of specific neuronal genes in the brains of top2ß
2/
2 embryos.
By comparing the
results across three developmental stages, we found 31 probe sets are
down-regulated in
top2ß
2/
2 mutant embryos
at all three developmental stages (Fig.
3, Venn
diagram). This group included genes encoding proteins involved in neuron
migration/axon guidance (e.g., Reln, Sst and
Robo1), cell adhesion (e.g., Catna2, Catnd2,
Cdh4, Cdh8, Nell2, and Alcam),
transcription regulation (e.g., Atbf1, Ebf1, and
Pbx3), voltage-gated calcium channel activity (e.g.,
Cacna2d1 and Cacna2d3), and synaptic transmission
(e.g., Syt1). Some probe sets were differentially expressed at
only two developmental stages (a total of 60) (Fig.
3, Venn diagram). For
example, Dab1 (disabled homolog 1), Gabrb1 and
Gabrb3 (GABA-A receptor subunits beta 1 and beta 3),
Epha3/5/7 (ephrine receptors), Ptgds (prostaglandin
D2 synthase), and Fdps/Mvd (cholesterol
biosynthesis pathway genes) were differentially expressed in
top2ß
2/
2 mutants only at
E16.5 and E18.5. These two groups of probe sets were combined (91 in
total) and grouped together according to their involvement in various
biological pathways, such as cell migration and/or axon guidance, cell
adhesion, synaptic activity, ion channeling, kinase and phosphatase
activity, transcription regulation, and fatty acid/cholesterol
synthesis (Fig. 3, heat
map). The majority (greater than 90%) of the genes were down-regulated
in top2ß
2/
2 mutant
embryos. However, there were several up-regulated probe sets. They
included Calb1 (calbindin 28K), transcription factors
Gata3 and Neurod1, immune response-related antigen
Cd1d, and Elovl1 (synthesis of very-long-chain fatty
acid).
![]() View larger version (35K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 3. Genes
involved in various biological pathways are affected in the brains of
top2ß 2/ 2 mutant embryos.
Shown to the right is the Venn diagram representation of the number of
overlapping differentially expressed genes in the brains of
top2ß 2/ 2 embryos between
or among different developmental stages (E14.5, E16.5, and E18.5).
, up-regulation; , down-regulation. Shown to the left
is a heat map representation of genes showing differential expression
at any two (or all three) developmental stages. These genes were
grouped together according to their involvement in a particular
biological pathway. Each column represents individual developmental
stages (E14.5, E16.5, and E18.5). Log(ratio),
log10(intensityko/intensitywt); green
bar, down-regulation [log(ratio) < 0]; red bar, up-regulation
[log(ratio) > 0]; white, no change [log(ratio) =
0].
|
1/
1 brains are
consistent with those using
top2ß
2/
2 brains. For
example, Reln, Dab1, Catna2, Ebf1,
Pbx3, Cacna2d1, Ptgds, Epha3, and
Ptprd were identified as differentially expressed in both
studies.
Developmentally regulated genes are preferentially affected in the brains of top2ß
2/
2 embryos.
As mentioned
earlier, the expression of only a small percentage of genes was
affected in the brains of top2ß mutant embryos at
different stages of development. However, about one-third of
developmentally regulated genes were affected in the
top2ß mutant. Out of 314 developmentally regulated
genes (defined as differentially expressed by comparing the expression
profiles of the brains of E16.5 and E14.5 wild-type embryos) (Fig.
4A), the expression of 97 (31%) of them was affected in the brain of
top2ß
2/
2 embryos (Fig.
4B). This result indicates
that developmentally regulated genes are preferentially affected in
top2ß mutant brains. It should be noted that the
expression of the early neuron-specific differentiation marker
Tubb3 (Tubb3 is expressed in migrating neurons
located in the intermediate zone and in some cells in the ventricular
zone [9,
28,
36,
37]) was not affected in
the cerebral cortex of top2ß mutants. In addition, the
microarray analysis revealed that the expression of growth-related
genes (e.g., Top2
, thymidylate synthase, and
Cdc2), which are down-regulated during differentiation
(7,
11), was not affected in
the brains of top2ß knockout embryos.
![]() View larger version (27K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 4. Developmentally
regulated genes are preferentially affected in the brains of
top2ß 2/ 2 embryos.
(A) Comparison of developmentally regulated genes during
normal mouse brain development (E14.5 to E16.5
[2ß+]) and differentially expressed genes in
the brains of mutant embryos (E16.5 [2ß
versus 2ß+]). The developmentally regulated
genes (E14.5 to E16.5 [2ß+]) are defined as
those that are differentially expressed in the brain of the wild-type
E16.5 embryo compared to that of the E14.5 embryo. The
log10(intensityE16.5/intensityE14.5)
value (y axis; intensity ratio [E16.5/E14.5]) was plotted
against the log10[(intensityE14.5 +
intensityE16.5)/2] value (x axis; average
intensity) for each probe set. The total number of probe sets that are
differentially expressed during this period of development is 314
(intensity ratios 1.7 [either the intensity
E16.5/intensityE14.5 or
intensityE14.5/intensityE16.5 ratio] and
P 0.01). The differentially expressed probe sets in
the brain of the E16.5
top2ß 2/ 2 mutant embryo
are shown to the right (also see similar plot shown in Fig.
2B). (B) Venn
diagram representation of the number of overlapping genes between
developmentally regulated genes (E14.5 to E16.5
[2ß+]) and differentially expressed genes
(E16.5 [2ß versus
2ß+]).
|
![]() View larger version (50K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 5. RT-PCR
and clustering analysis of developmentally regulated genes in the
brains of top2ß 2/ 2
embryos. (A) RT-PCR analysis of Ptgds and
Thy1 in the brains of
top2ß 2/ 2 mutant embryos.
First-strand cDNAs were synthesized using total RNAs isolated from
wild-type (+/+) and
top2ß 2/ 2
( 2/ 2) mutant embryos. PCR was then performed using
primer pairs specific to Ptgds and Thy1 cDNAs. PCR
products were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. (B)
Real-time RT-PCR analysis. First-strand cDNAs were used to perform
real-time PCR with primer pairs specific to Ptgds,
Thy1, and Gapdh cDNAs. The value of the threshold
cycle (CT) for each PCR was determined. The
CT value of Ptgds or
Thy1 of wild-type (+/+) or
top2ß mutant ( 2/ 2) embryos at a
particular developmental stage is defined as the difference between the
CT value of Ptgds (or Thy1) and
that of the corresponding Gapdh [CT (Ptgds
or Thy1) CT (Gapdh)].
The 2 CT values for Ptgds
(upper panel) and Thy1 (lower panel) were then plotted against
each developmental stage (E14.5, E16.5, and E18.5). (C) Heat
map plot of hierarchical clustering of absolute expression intensities.
Clustering analysis was performed, and a cluster of genes that showed a
similar pattern of expression as that of Ptgds and
Thy1 is presented. ko,
top2ß 2/ 2; wt,
Top2ß+/+.
|
2 brains pooled
together) and top2ß
2/
2
brains and immunoprecipitated using anti-TopIIß antibody. DNAs
isolated from the ChIP assay were PCR amplified using primer sets
specific to the kb 0.5 region of different genes as described
in Materials and Methods. As shown in Fig.
6A, IIß was detected in the 5' coding and upstream regions
of the IIß-sensitive genes Myt1l, Cacna2d1,
Syt1, Cdh8, and Kcnd2, but not the
IIß-insensitive gene Tubb3, in
TOP2ß+ brains, suggesting a possible direct
role of IIß in the expression of these genes. Interestingly,
binding of IIß to other IIß-sensitive genes, such as
Ptgds and Odz2, was not detected (Fig.
6A). It is possible that
IIß is either indirectly involved or only transiently involved
in the expression of these genes and thus not detectable in the brains
of E18.5 embryos. Alternatively, IIß is bound to a region which
is distal to the 5' region. To obtain more quantitative
results, real-time PCR was also performed on DNAs obtained from the
ChIP assay described above. The threshold values of PCRs used to
amplify the promoter regions of various genes (e.g., Cacna2d1,
Syt1, Kcnd2, and Tubb3) in the
immunoprecipitated (by IIß-specific antibody) chromatin were
first normalized to those of the "input" and then
divided by the normalized "control" (no antibody was
added during ChIP) using the
2
CT method
(32). As shown in Fig.
6B, four- to sevenfold
more DNAs corresponding to the 5' coding and upstream regions
of Cacna2d1, Syt1, and Kcnd2 were brought
down by IIß-specific antibody than "controls"
in the TOP2ß+ sample. By contrast, no
IIß association with the 5' region of Tubb3 (a
IIß-insensitive gene) was demonstrable.
![]() View larger version (41K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 6. ChIP
analysis of TopIIß binding to TopIIß-sensitive genes.
(A) ChIP analysis using PCR. ChIP analysis using
anti-TopIIß antibody was performed on sheared chromatin
(<4 kb) isolated from E18.5 brains of both
TOP2ß+ (two
Top2ß+/+ and three
top2ß+/ 2 brains combined)
and null mutant
(top2ß 2/ 2) embryos. The
ChIP products were PCR amplified using primer sets corresponding to the
promoter regions of various genes (Myt1l, Cacna2d1,
Syt1, Cdh8, Ptgds, Kcnd2,
Odz2, and Tubb3) as described in Materials and
Methods. For control samples, no antibody was added during ChIP.
(B) ChIP analysis using quantitative real-time PCR.
Quantitative real-time PCR was performed on the same ChIP products
(described for panel A) using the same primer sets corresponding to the
promoter regions of Cacna2d1, Syt1, Kcnd2,
and Tubb3. Data were analyzed using the SDS 2.2 software. The
threshold cycle value for each sample was chosen from the linear range.
The relative amount of DNA in the ChIP product was calculated with the
use of the 2![]() CT method
(32), using
"input" as the normalization standard for each sample
and the "control" as the baseline. (C)
TopIIß binding to the transcription unit of the Kcnd2
gene. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed on ChIP products as
described for panel B, except that the ChIP was performed on sheared
chromatin with an average size of 300 bp (insert) and the primer sets
covering different regions of the Kcnd2 gene (see the
schematic representation of the 513.55-kb transcription unit of the
Kcnd2 gene) were
used.
|
Coregulated expression pattern of TopIIß and HDAC2 in the developing mouse cerebral cortex.
It has been shown
that TopIIß interacts with class I histone deacetylases, HDAC1
and HDAC2, in cultured cells
(23,
45). HDAC1 and HDAC2 are
subunits of the chromatin remodeling complex NurD
(56). Their interaction
with IIß may suggest a role for IIß in chromatin
remodeling. Because the overall expression level of HDAC1 is much lower
than that of HDAC2 in the brain (data not shown), we only analyzed the
expression pattern of HDAC2. As shown in Fig.
7A, the expression pattern of HDAC2 (right panel; stained with rabbit
anti-HDAC2 antibody) was surprisingly similar to that of IIß
(left panel; stained with rabbit anti-IIß antibody) in the
cerebral cortex of the E14.5
top2ß+/
2 mouse embryo.
Both HDAC2 and IIß were found to be much elevated in the
postmitotic (nonproliferating) neurons located in the cortical plate.
Neurons in the cortical plate are known to represent progressively more
mature neurons along the neuronal differentiation pathway. By contrast,
very few cells were found to express HDAC2 and IIß in the
intermediate zone, where less-mature postmitotic neurons are located,
or in the ventricular zone, where neuronal precursors are located. To
confirm the coregulated expression of IIß and HDAC2 in
postmitotic cortical neurons, coimmunostaining of E14.5
top2ß+/
2 brain sections
using both rabbit anti-IIß and mouse anti-HDAC2 antibodies was
performed. As shown in Fig.
7B (merged images at three
magnifications, x1, x2, and x4), IIß
and HDAC2 were coexpressed in postmitotic neurons located in the
cortical plate region.
![]() View larger version (46K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 7. Elevated
expression of TopIIß and HDAC2 in more-mature neurons of the
cerebral cortex. (A) Coronal sections (20-µm
cryosections) of the E14.5
top2ß+/ 2 telencephalon
immunostained with antibodies against IIß (left panel) and
HDAC2 (right panel). The lower panels represent the magnified views of
the boxed areas in the corresponding upper panels. (B)
Coronal sections (16-µm cryosections) of the E14.5
top2ß+/ 2 medial lateral
telencephalon immunostained with antibodies against IIß (red)
and HDAC2 (green). The 2x magnification images of the boxed
areas of the top panels (labeled 1X) are shown in the middle panels,
and 2x magnification images (labeled 4X) of the boxed areas of
the middle panels are shown in the bottom panels. A representative
neuron with colocalized IIß (red) and HDAC2 (green) is
indicated by an arrow. The relative magnifications (x1,
x2, and x4) are shown on the right of the panels.
(C) E18.5 sagittal sections of the
Top2ß+/+ neocortex stained
with anti-IIß (20-µm cryosection) and anti-HDAC2
(6-µm paraffin section) antibodies, as well as the E18.5
sagittal section of the
top2ß 2/ 2 neocortex
stained with anti-HDAC2 antibody (6-µm paraffin section). Bars,
100 µm (A and C) and 50 µm (B). vz, ventricular zone;
iz, intermediate zone; sp, subplate; cp, cortical plate; mz, marginal
zone.
|
2/
2 embryo (Fig.
7C). Expression in other
regions (i.e., intermediate and ventricular zones) of the cortex was
low (Fig. 7C). The
superficial layers of the E18.5
top2ß
2/
2 cortical plate
were known to be occupied by early-borne neurons (i.e., neurons at a
more mature state compared to neurons located in the deeper regions of
the cortical plate of the
top2ß
2/
2 cortex)
(34). These results
suggest that HDAC2 and IIß are preferentially expressed in more
mature neurons which are in their later stages of
differentiation. |
|
|---|
and TopIIß. It
is unclear whether it is TopIIß or the residual TopII
that is responsible for the ICRF-193 effect on gene expression. Our
current large-scale microarray analysis has revealed interesting
features of the gene expression profiles in the brains of
top2ß knockout embryos. First, the expression of only
a very small fraction of genes (0.73, 4.2, and 2.7%, respectively, at
E14.5, E16.5, and E18.5) are affected in top2ß
mutants. For example, the expression of genes encoding proteins
involved in neuron migration (e.g., Reln, Dab1,
Sst, and Robo1), cell adhesion (e.g.,
Catna2, Cdh4, Cdh8, Nell2, and
Alcam), voltage-gated calcium channel activity (e.g.,
Cacna2d1 and Cacna2d3), and synaptic transmission
(e.g., Syt1) was down-regulated in the mutant. Down-regulation
of some of these genes may be in part responsible for the neuronal
migration defect observed in the developing cortex of
top2ß mutant embryos
(34). The expression of
some transcription factors (e.g., Myt1l, Ebf1, and
Mef2c) was also down-regulated, while that of others (e.g.,
Gata3 and Neurod1) was up-regulated in
top2ß mutants. Many of these transcription factors
have been implicated in various differentiation pathways
(1,
15,
27,
39,
42). The fact that the
expression of certain transcription factors is affected in
top2ß mutants suggests the possibility that the
altered expression of at least some of the differentially expressed
genes may be an indirect effect of top2ß deletion.
Second, the expression of nearly one-third of the developmentally
regulated genes was either up-regulated (e.g., Matr3 and
Cas1) or down-regulated (e.g., Cdh13, Ptgds,
and Thy1) in top2ß mutants. Interestingly,
the expression of general housekeeping genes (i.e., genes involved in
cell proliferation, protein synthesis, and transcription, for example,
Top2
, Cdc2, Rbp1, Rpo1-2,
and Rpb1) is not affected. These results indicate that
IIß is specifically required for the proper expression of a
group of developmentally regulated genes.
Our microarray studies
have also demonstrated that the expression of early differentiation
markers does not appear to be affected. For example, the expression of
the early neuronal differentiation marker Tubb3
(9) was not affected in
the brains of top2ß mutant embryos. Tubb3 is
known to be an early differentiation marker which is expressed
immediately after the last cell division
(28,
36,
37). Furthermore, the
expression of genes (e.g., Top2
and the thymidylate
synthase gene) encoding general cell proliferation markers that are
down-regulated during terminal differentiation
(7,
11) was not affected. The
effect of IIß on the expression of late differentiation markers
is consistent with its expression pattern in the marginal zone,
cortical plate, and subplate but not the intermediate zone or the
ventricular zone. Neurons in the marginal zone, cortical plate, and
subplate are known to be at later stages of differentiation than
neurons in the intermediate zone and ventricular zone. II
is
known to have an opposite expression pattern compared to IIß in
the developing cortex. II
is expressed abundantly in
proliferating neuronal precursors. Its expression is very low in other
regions of the brain where postmitotic neurons are located
(46,
52). It is possible that
II
and IIß may have overlapping functions in gene
expression. The expression of early differentiation markers may require
II
, while that of late markers requires IIß.
Consequently, IIß deletion does not affect early
differentiation programming but does affect the expression of many
developmentally regulated genes at later stages of terminal
differentiation. In addition, our studies on the expression of
Ptgds and Thy1 genes at different stages of brain
development have demonstrated that both genes can still be induced in
top2ß null mutants, albeit at a reduced rate,
suggesting that IIß is important but not essential for the
activation of these genes. It is possible that alternative mechanisms
may exist to enable the expression of these genes in the absence of
IIß. For example, in the absence of IIß, the expression
of these genes may depend on either residual II
and/or
TopI.
The ChIP analysis demonstrated a direct interaction between IIß and the 5' coding and upstream regions of a number of IIß-sensitive genes (e.g., Myt1l, Cacna2d1, Syt1, and Kcnd2), suggesting a possible direct role of IIß in the transcription of these genes. Based on the known catalytic activity of IIß, it is reasonable to speculate that IIß may be involved in transcription initiation, elongation, or both. The potential role of IIß in transcription elongation is conceptually easier to understand in the framework of the twin-domain model of transcription (31). Indeed, fine mapping of TopIIß binding by ChIP has demonstrated the presence of TopIIß in the transcription unit of a IIß-sensitive gene, Kcnd2 (Fig. 6C). This result is consistent with results from a recent publication in which TopIIß was shown to bind to the pS2 promoter and stimulate transcription in 17ß-estradiol-treated MCF-7 cells (24). However, our transcriptional profiling studies in developing brains have demonstrated that only a small percentage of expressed genes are affected in top2ß null embryos. It seems unlikely that TopIIß is involved in transcription elongation of all genes. One possibility is that TopIIß is only involved in the transcription elongation of IIß-sensitive genes. It is well documented that TopI is specifically located within the transcribed regions of many genes (16, 38, 43, 59). The precise roles of TopI and TopIIß in transcription elongation of different genes remain to be established.
We have also considered the possibility
that TopIIß is involved in transcription initiation.
IIß may affect transcription initiation through its generation
of negative superhelical tension in a loop domain spanning the
gene/promoter. This possibility could be supported by the report that
the Drosophila melanogaster Hsp70 gene locus (and presumably
other microdomains) is under negative superhelical tension regardless
of its transcription status
(25). Using a
Me3-psoralen photobinding assay, random integration of the hygromycin B
phosphotransferase (Hph) gene into different chromosomal
domains has also indicated various levels of unconstrained negative
supercoiling (26).
However, IIß itself does not exhibit any detectable
supercoiling activity in vitro. Alternatively, IIß is involved
in local chromatin reorganization to enable activation/repression of
developmentally regulated genes. Such a possibility could be supported
by circumstantial evidence. First, a role for TopII in chromosome
condensation/decondensation has been suggested
(12,
50,
53). It is plausible that
II
is more specialized for large-scale chromosome-wide
condensation/decondensation in proliferating cells, while IIß
is more specialized for local/regional chromatin
condensation/decondensation in nonproliferating or differentiated
cells. Second, TopII has been shown to interact with condensin
(4,
33), histone deacetylases
HDAC1 and HDAC2 (23,
45), and chromatin
remodeling factors (30).
It is noteworthy that human IIß, but not II
, can be
copurified with the chromatin remodeling factor ACF
(30). Our current studies
have also demonstrated a similar temporal-spatial expression pattern of
TopIIß and HDAC2 in developing neurons. While the interaction
of IIß with HDACs may indicate a role for IIß in gene
repression, its interaction with chromatin remodeling complexes could
suggest a role in gene activation. Consequently, IIß may play a
role in both gene activation and repression. Third, studies on the
chicken ß-globin locus have demonstrated that most DNase
I-hypersensitive sites are TopII cleavage sites, suggesting an
association between TopII and gene activation
(40). The association of
TopII with the MAR/SAR sequences could also suggest a role of TopII in
chromatin structural organization and the control of the topology of
chromosomal loop domains
(5,
40,
44). TopII has been
suggested to be located at the base of chromosomal DNA loops. It seems
possible that TopIIß may perform its function through
controlling the topology of the loop domains and thus influencing
chromatin dynamics and gene expression. It is noteworthy that we have
observed binding of TopIIß to the kb 19.6 region of
the Kcnd2 gene. It remains to be determined whether this
region contains a DNase I-hypersensitive site(s) and/or MAR/SAR
site(s).
The interaction of TopII with condensin is of particular interest. Recent studies have suggested condensin is involved not only in chromosome condensation/decondensation during mitosis but also in other functions, such as gene expression (17, 19, 29, 35). In fact, it has been suggested that condensin affects gene expression through its influences on control mechanisms that operate globally at a chromosome-wide level, regionally over a subchromosomal domain, or locally on an individual gene (17). For example, the Drosophila TopII interacts with Barren (BARR, a CAP-H homolog of condensin I) and binds to the Polycomb group (PcG) target sequences in the bithorax complex (33). In addition, the PcG protein Polyhomeotic interacts physically with TopII and BARR, and BARR is required for Fab-7-regulated homeotic gene expression (33). Another interesting example is from the recent report that links condensin to the bookmarking of the active chromatin state of the hsp70i gene (55). It was shown that the active chromatin state of the hsp70i gene is initiated by the binding of the transcription factor HSF2, which leads to inactivation (through the recruitment of protein phosphatase 2A) of the condensin complexes in its vicinity and hence decompaction of the chromatin in the locus (55). It seems plausible that TopIIß, together with condensin and/or other chromatin remodeling complexes, may play a role in local/regional chromatin reorganization and thus impact gene expression.
This work was supported by NIH RO1 grants GM24544 (J.C.W.), CA102463 (L.F.L.), and CA39662 (L.F.L.).
Published ahead of print on 21 August 2006. ![]()
Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://mcb.asm.org/. ![]()
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