Gene Regulation
mTORC1-independent translation control in mammalian cells by methionine adenosyltransferase 2A and S-adenosylmethionine
Methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) catalyzes the synthesis of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). As the sole methyl-donor for methylation of DNA, RNA, and proteins, SAM levels affect gene expression by changing methylation patterns. Expression of MAT2A, the catalytic subunit of isozyme MAT2, is positively correlated with proliferation of cancer cells; however, how MAT2A promotes cell proliferation is largely unknown. Given that the protein synthesis is induced in proliferating cells and that RNA and protein components of translation machinery are methylated, we tested here whether MAT2 and SAM are coupled with protein synthesis.Ferroptosis is controlled by the coordinated transcriptional regulation of glutathione and labile iron metabolism by the transcription factor BACH1
Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent programmed cell death event, whose regulation and physiological significance remain to be elucidated. Analyzing transcriptional responses of mouse embryonic fibroblasts exposed to the ferroptosis inducer erastin, here we found that a set of genes related to oxidative stress protection is induced upon ferroptosis. We considered that up-regulation of these genes attenuates ferroptosis induction and found that the transcription factor BTB domain and CNC homolog 1 (BACH1), a regulator in heme and iron metabolism, promotes ferroptosis by repressing the transcription of a subset of the erastin-induced protective genes.Regulatory signatures of liver regeneration distilled by integrative analysis of mRNA, histone methylation, and proteomics
The capacity of the liver to regenerate is likely to be encoded as a plasticity of molecular networks within the liver. By applying a combination of comprehensive analyses of the epigenome, transcriptome, and proteome, we herein depict the molecular landscape of liver regeneration. We demonstrated that histone H3 Lys-4 was trimethylated at the promoter regions of many loci, among which only a fraction, including cell-cycle-related genes, were transcriptionally up-regulated. A cistrome analysis guided by the histone methylation patterns and the transcriptome identified FOXM1 as the key transcription factor promoting liver regeneration, which was confirmed in vitro using a hepatocarcinoma cell line.Glucocorticoid receptor signaling represses the antioxidant response by inhibiting histone acetylation mediated by the transcriptional activator NRF2
NRF2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2) is a key transcriptional activator that mediates the inducible expression of antioxidant genes. NRF2 is normally ubiquitinated by KEAP1 (Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1) and subsequently degraded by proteasomes. Inactivation of KEAP1 by oxidative stress or electrophilic chemicals allows NRF2 to activate transcription through binding to antioxidant response elements (AREs) and recruiting histone acetyltransferase CBP (CREB-binding protein). Whereas KEAP1-dependent regulation is a major determinant of NRF2 activity, NRF2-mediated transcriptional activation varies from context to context, suggesting that other intracellular signaling cascades may impact NRF2 function.Epigenetic Regulation of the Blimp-1 Gene (Prdm1) in B Cells Involves Bach2 and Histone Deacetylase 3
B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 (Blimp-1) encoded by Prdm1 is a master regulator of plasma cell differentiation. The transcription factor Bach2 represses Blimp-1 expression in B cells to stall terminal differentiation, by which it supports reactions such as class switch recombination of the antibody genes. We found that histones H3 and H4 around the Prdm1 intron 5 Maf recognition element were acetylated at higher levels in X63/0 plasma cells expressing Blimp-1 than in BAL17 mature B cells lacking its expression.The Transcription Factor Bach2 Is Phosphorylated at Multiple Sites in Murine B Cells but a Single Site Prevents Its Nuclear Localization
The transcription factor Bach2 regulates the immune system at multiple points, including class switch recombination (CSR) in activated B cells and the function of T cells in part by restricting their terminal differentiation. However, the regulation of Bach2 expression and its activity in the immune cells are still unclear. Here, we demonstrated that Bach2 mRNA expression decreased in Pten-deficient primary B cells. Bach2 was phosphorylated in primary B cells, which was increased upon the activation of the B cell receptor by an anti-immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody or CD40 ligand.
