Simultaneous profiling of multiple chromatin proteins in the same cells

Mol Cell. 2021 Nov 18;81(22):4736-4746.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.09.019. Epub 2021 Oct 11.

Abstract

Methods derived from CUT&RUN and CUT&Tag enable genome-wide mapping of the localization of proteins on chromatin from as few as one cell. These and other mapping approaches focus on one protein at a time, preventing direct measurements of co-localization of different chromatin proteins in the same cells and requiring prioritization of targets where samples are limiting. Here, we describe multi-CUT&Tag, an adaptation of CUT&Tag that overcomes these hurdles by using antibody-specific barcodes to simultaneously map multiple proteins in the same cells. Highly specific multi-CUT&Tag maps of histone marks and RNA Polymerase II uncovered sites of co-localization in the same cells, active and repressed genes, and candidate cis-regulatory elements. Single-cell multi-CUT&Tag profiling facilitated identification of distinct cell types from a mixed population and characterization of cell-type-specific chromatin architecture. In sum, multi-CUT&Tag increases the information content per cell of epigenomic maps, facilitating direct analysis of the interplay of different chromatin proteins.

Keywords: H3K27ac; H3K27me3; RNA polymerase; chromatin; histones; profiling; single-cell; transcription.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chromatin / chemistry*
  • Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Cluster Analysis
  • DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / chemistry*
  • Embryonic Stem Cells / cytology
  • Epigenesis, Genetic
  • Epigenomics
  • Epitopes / chemistry
  • Gene Regulatory Networks
  • Genome-Wide Association Study
  • Histone Code
  • Histones / chemistry
  • Mice
  • RNA Polymerase II / metabolism
  • Sensitivity and Specificity

Substances

  • Chromatin
  • Epitopes
  • Histones
  • RNA Polymerase II
  • DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases