Chromatin Signatures of Pluripotent Cell Lines
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LETTERS Chromatin signatures of pluripotent cell lines Véronique Azuara 1,2,7, Pascale Perry1, Stephan Sauer1, Mikhail Spivakov1, Helle F. Jørgensen1, Rosalind M. John1,3, Mina Gouti1,4, Miguel Casanova5, Gary Warnes6, Matthias Merkenschlager1 and Amanda G. Fisher1,7 Epigenetic genome modifications are thought to be important (HSCs). Early replication during S phase is widely considered a feature for specifying the lineage and developmental stage of of gene-rich, transcriptionally active regions of the genome and cor- cells within a multicellular organism. Here, we show that relates with accessible chromatin carrying acetylated histones, whereas the epigenetic profile of pluripotent embryonic stem cells late replication is characteristic of constitutive heterochromatin and (ES) is distinct from that of embryonic carcinoma cells, some facultative heterochromatin15–17. The timing of DNA replication haematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and their differentiated of a panel of transcriptional regulatory genes (which are important for progeny. Silent, lineage-specific genes replicated earlier early development or for the specification of neural, haematopoietic in pluripotent cells than in tissue-specific stem cells or or muscle lineages) was compared in pluripotent ES cells, multipotent differentiated cells and had unexpectedly high levels of haematopoietic cell lines and unipotent T lymphocytes (Fig. 1 and see acetylated H3K9 and methylated H3K4. Unusually, in ES Supplementary Information, Fig. S1). Replication timing was assessed cells these markers of open chromatin were also combined using a previously described method16 in which cell populations are with H3K27 trimethylation at some non-expressed genes. pulse-labelled with 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU), fractionated Thus, pluripotency of ES cells is characterized by a specific according to cell-cycle stage and the abundance of candidate sequences epigenetic profile where lineage-specific genes may be within newly synthesized DNA determined using semi-quantitative PCR accessible but, if so, carry repressive H3K27 trimethylation or real-time quantitative (q) PCR. This allows locus replication to be modifications. H3K27 methylation is functionally important for compared in different cell types without the need to synchronise cells. preventing expression of these genes in ES cells as premature Representative cell-cycle profiles of ES, HSC and T cells with appropriate expression occurs in embryonic ectoderm development (Eed)- early (α-globin) and late (Amylase 2–1 and X141) replicating controls16 deficient ES cells. Our data suggest that lineage-specific genes are shown in the Supplementary Information, Fig. S1a. Replication tim- are primed for expression in ES cells but are held in check by ing is shown as a gradation of colour from green (earliest) to red (latest; opposing chromatin modifications. Fig. 1a, b). The replication profiles for each of the three independently derived ES cell lines CCE, OSG and OS25, were remarkably similar. Most Transcriptional profiling of stem cells has allowed the identification of genes replicated within the first quarter (65%) or first half (90%) of S genes that are important for stem-cell biology1–3, but a lack of consensus phase, including Oct4, Rex1 and Nanog10,11 and genes that are expressed between data sets has called into question whether a common molecu- in blood or neural lineages (such as Ikaros and PU.1, Sox1 and neu- lar identity or ‘signature’ can be accurately defined4–6. Parallel studies rogenin, respectively) but not in ES cells. Some genes (Myf5, Neurod using epigenetic markers have suggested that epigenetic profiles may and Mash1) and constitutive heterochromatin (K-satellite and X141) be valuable indicators of cell identity7–13. ES cells, unlike tissue-specific consistently replicated late in ES cells, confirming that the analysis was stem-cell populations, have a broad range of lineage options, consistent not inadvertently skewed towards early replication. with their origin from pluripotential cells within the inner cell mass The replication profiles of two different sources of haematopoietic of the developing embryo14. Here, we examine whether ES cells have stem cells (the IL-3 dependent FDCP (factor-dependent cell-pater- epigenetic features that distinguish them from stem cells with more son)-mix A4 clone18 and Pax5-deficient progenitors19) and of T lym- restricted developmental potential, such as haematopoietic stem cells phocytes were distinct from ES cells. Although a substantial proportion 1Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 ONN, UK. 2Current address: Stem Cell Initiative, Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 ONN, UK. 3Current addres: Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff CF10 3US, UK. 4Current address: Developmental Biology Laboratory, Foundation for Biomedical Research of the Academy of Athens, Soranou Ephessiou 4, Athens 11527, Greece. 5Developmental Epigenetics Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 ONN, UK. 6FACS Laboratory, Cancer Research UK, 44 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PX, UK. 7Correspondence should be addressed to V.A. or A.G.F. (e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]) Received 22 November 2005; accepted 16 March 2006; published online 29 March 2006; DOI: 10/1038 ncb1403 532 NATURE CELL BIOLOGY VOLUME 8 | NUMBER 5 | MAY 2006 © 2006 Nature Publishing Group pprintrint nncb1403.inddcb1403.indd 553232 110/4/060/4/06 33:11:20:11:20 ppmm LETTERS ab ES HSC T CCE OSG OS25 A4Pax5−/− T G1 S1 S2 S3 S4 G2 Cripto E Esg1 Fgf4 ME Foxd3 Nanog M Oct4 Rex1 Utf1 ML C/EBPα c-myb L Ebf Gata1 Gata2 Gata3 Ikaros Lmo2 NF-E2 Pax5 PU.1 Scl c Rex1 Irx3 Math1 T-bet Myf5 G1 S1 S2 S3 S4 G2 G1 S1 S2 S3 S4 G2 G1 S1 S2 S3 S4 G2 MyoD ES Myog Hes1 T Hes5 Irx3 Mash1 Msx1 Nkx2−2 Nkx2−9 Math1 G1 S1 S2 S3 S4 G2 G1 S1 S2 S3 S4 G2 G1 S1 S2 S3 S4 G2 Msx1 ES Neurod Ngn1 T Ngn2 Nkx2−2 Nkx2−9 Pax3 Sox1 Sox2 Olig2 G1 S1 S2 S3 S4 G2 G1 S1 S2 S3 S4 G2 G1 S1 S2 S3 S4 G2 Pax3 ES Pax6 Pax7 T Sox1 Sox2 Sox3 Figure 1 Pluripotent ES cells, multipotent HSC and unipotent T lymphocytes (middle–late, ML) or S4–G2 (late, L), determined in at least two independent have distinct replication timing profiles. (a, b) The replication timing experiments. To facilitate a comparison between different cell types, comparisons of candidate genes between three embryonic stem cell lines replication timing assignments are represented in a gradation of colours from (CCE, OSG, and OS25), the FDCP-mix A4 clone and Pax5-deficient pro-B dark green (E), to light green (ME), to yellow (M), to orange (ML) to red (L) cells representing two populations of haematopoietic progenitors (HSC), as shown in b. Genes marked by asterisks consistently replicate later in HSC and primary T cells are shown (a). The replication timing of each gene and T cells than in ES cells. (c) Southern blot comparisons of the abundance was defined according to its peak abundance in G1–S1 phase (early, E), of PCR product for Rex1, Irx3, Math1, Msx1, Nkx2-2, Nkx2-9, Pax3, Sox1 S2 phase (middle–early, ME), S2 and S3 phase (middle, M), S3 phase and Sox2 loci in ES and T cell fractions. of genes replicated within the first quarter (42–47%) or half of S phase and P19, which share the expression of numerous markers with ES cells (69–76%), the proportion of late-replicating genes increased to approxi- but have a much narrower range of lineage potential, was examined20. mately 20% in these haematopoietic cells (Fig. 1a and see Supplementary Replication timing was different between the two embryonic carcinoma Information, Fig. S2). Loci that replicated later in HSC and T cells than in cell lines and distinct from that of ES cells (Fig. 2). Several neural genes ES cells (asterisked in Fig. 1a) could be divided into two groups. The first replicated slightly later in F9 cells than in ES cells. F9 cells have a propen- group, as exemplified by Rex1, is expressed early in embryonic develop- sity to differentiate towards endoderm lineages21. In contrast, a shift to ment and was previously shown to shift to later replication during ES cell earlier replication of several neural genes was seen in P19 cells, resulting differentiation and transcriptional shut down10,11. The second group is in a profile that was more similar to ES-derived neural precursors10. P19 comprised of a subset of neural-specific genes that are not thought to be cells preferentially differentiate towards neuronal lineages22. Therefore, expressed by ES cells, HSC or lymphocytes (Irx3, Math1, Msx1, Nkx2–2, the replication profiles observed reflect the different potentials of these Nkx2–9, Pax3 and Sox1), but are selectively replicated earlier in ES cells embryonic carcinoma cell lines. (which retain neural potential) than in haematopoietic cells (which have The later replication of several neural-specific genes in T cells than lost neural potential; Fig. 1c). This observation implies that these epige- in ES cells (Fig. 1) may indicate underlying differences in the chromatin netic changes may reflect differences in transcriptional ‘competence’ and structure. To investigate this possibility, chromatin immunoprecipitation lineage affiliation, rather than overt changes in gene transcription. analysis was performed using a panel of antibodies that