BACKGROUND: Epigenetic regulation is important in hematopoiesis, but the involvement of histone variants is poorly understood. Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are heterogeneous clonal hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) disorders characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis. MacroH2A1.1 is a histone H2A variant that negatively correlates with the self-renewal capacity of embryonic, adult, and cancer stem cells. MacroH2A1.1 is a target of the frequent U2AF1 S34F mutation in MDS. The role of macroH2A1.1 in hematopoiesis is unclear. RESULTS: MacroH2A1.1 mRNA levels are significantly decreased in patients with low-risk MDS presenting with chromosomal 5q deletion and myeloid cytopenias and tend to be decreased in MDS patients carrying the U2AF1 S34F mutation. Using an innovative mouse allele lacking the macroH2A1.1 alternatively spliced exon, we investigated whether macroH2A1.1 regulates HSC homeostasis and differentiation. The lack of macroH2A1.1 decreased while macroH2A1.1 haploinsufficiency increased HSC frequency upon irradiation. Moreover, bone marrow transplantation experiments showed that both deficiency and haploinsufficiency of macroH2A1.1 resulted in enhanced HSC differentiation along the myeloid lineage. Finally, RNA-sequencing analysis implicated macroH2A1.1-mediated regulation of ribosomal gene expression in HSC homeostasis. CONCLUSIONS: Together, our findings suggest a new epigenetic process contributing to hematopoiesis regulation. By combining clinical data with a discrete mutant mouse model and in vitro studies of human and mouse cells, we identify macroH2A1.1 as a key player in the cellular and molecular features of MDS. These data justify the exploration of macroH2A1.1 and associated proteins as therapeutic targets in hematological malignancies.

• MeSH
• buněčná diferenciace MeSH
• chromozomální delece MeSH
• down regulace * MeSH
• epigeneze genetická MeSH
• haploinsuficience MeSH
• hematopoetické kmenové buňky chemie   cytologie   MeSH
• histony genetika   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• lidské chromozomy, pár 5 genetika   MeSH
• makrocytární anemie genetika   MeSH
• místa sestřihu RNA MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• mutace MeSH
• myelodysplastické syndromy genetika   MeSH
• myši MeSH
• sekvenční analýza RNA MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Histone 3 K4 trimethylation (depositing H3K4me3 marks) is typically associated with active promoters yet paradoxically occurs at untranscribed domains. Research to delineate the mechanisms of targeting H3K4 methyltransferases is ongoing. The oocyte provides an attractive system to investigate these mechanisms, because extensive H3K4me3 acquisition occurs in nondividing cells. We developed low-input chromatin immunoprecipitation to interrogate H3K4me3, H3K27ac and H3K27me3 marks throughout oogenesis. In nongrowing oocytes, H3K4me3 was restricted to active promoters, but as oogenesis progressed, H3K4me3 accumulated in a transcription-independent manner and was targeted to intergenic regions, putative enhancers and silent H3K27me3-marked promoters. Ablation of the H3K4 methyltransferase gene Mll2 resulted in loss of transcription-independent H3K4 trimethylation but had limited effects on transcription-coupled H3K4 trimethylation or gene expression. Deletion of Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b showed that DNA methylation protects regions from acquiring H3K4me3. Our findings reveal two independent mechanisms of targeting H3K4me3 to genomic elements, with MLL2 recruited to unmethylated CpG-rich regions independently of transcription.

• MeSH
• chromatinová imunoprecipitace MeSH
• CpG ostrůvky MeSH
• genetická transkripce MeSH
• histonlysin-N-methyltransferasa chemie   MeSH
• histony chemie   MeSH
• Markovovy řetězce MeSH
• metylace DNA * MeSH
• multivariační analýza MeSH
• myší embryonální kmenové buňky cytologie   MeSH
• myši inbrední C57BL MeSH
• myši knockoutované MeSH
• myši MeSH
• oocyty cytologie   MeSH
• oogeneze MeSH
• promotorové oblasti (genetika) MeSH
• protoonkogenní protein MLL chemie   MeSH
• sekvenční analýza RNA MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• myši MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH