A comparison of the rest complex binding patterns in embryonic stem cells and epiblast stem cells

PLoS One. 2014 Apr 21;9(4):e95374. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095374. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

We detected and characterized the binding sites of the representative Rest complex components Rest, Sin3A, and Lsd1. We compared their binding patterns in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and epiblast stem (EpiS) cells. We found few Rest sites unique to the EpiS cells. The ES-unique site features were distinct from those of the common sites, namely, the signal intensities were weaker, and the characteristic gene function categories differed. Our analyses showed that the Rest binding sites do not always overlap with the Sin3A and Lsd1 binding sites. The Sin3A binding pattern differed remarkably between the ES and EpiS cells and was accompanied by significant changes in acetylated-histone patterns in the surrounding regions. A series of transcriptome analyses in the same cell types unexpectedly showed that the putative target gene transcript levels were not dramatically different despite dynamic changes in the Rest complex binding patterns and chromatin statuses, which suggests that Rest is not the sole determinant of repression at its targets. Nevertheless, we identified putative Rest targets with explicitly enhanced transcription upon Rest knock-down in 143 and 60 common and ES-unique Rest target genes, respectively. Among such sites, several genes are involved in ES cell proliferation. In addition, we also found that long, intergenic non-coding RNAs were apparent Rest targets and shared similar features with the protein-coding target genes. Interestingly, such non-coding target genes showed less conservation through evolution than protein-coding targets. As a result of differences in the components and targets of the Rest complex, its functional roles may differ in ES and EpiS cells.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • Chromatin / metabolism
  • Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
  • Embryonic Stem Cells / cytology
  • Embryonic Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Germ Layers / cytology
  • Germ Layers / metabolism*
  • Histone Demethylases
  • Mice
  • Oxidoreductases, N-Demethylating / metabolism*
  • Protein Binding
  • RNA, Long Noncoding / metabolism
  • Repressor Proteins / metabolism*
  • Sin3 Histone Deacetylase and Corepressor Complex
  • Transcription, Genetic

Substances

  • Chromatin
  • RE1-silencing transcription factor
  • RNA, Long Noncoding
  • Repressor Proteins
  • SIN3A transcription factor
  • Histone Demethylases
  • KDM1a protein, mouse
  • Oxidoreductases, N-Demethylating
  • Sin3 Histone Deacetylase and Corepressor Complex

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on the Priority Area “Genome Science” from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. This work was also supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) through its “Funding Program for World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology (FIRST Program)”. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.