Abstract

Master transcription factors have the ability to direct and reverse cellular identities, and consequently their genes must be subject to particular transcriptional control. However, it is unclear which molecular processes are responsible for impeding their activation and safeguarding cellular identities. Here we show that the targeting of dCas9-VP64 to the promoter of the master transcription factor Sox1 results in strong transcript and protein up-regulation in neural progenitor cells (NPCs). This gene activation restores lost neuronal differentiation potential, which substantiates the role of Sox1 as a master transcription factor. However, despite efficient transactivator binding, major proportions of progenitor cells are unresponsive to the transactivating stimulus. By combining the transactivation domain with epigenome editing we find that among a series of euchromatic processes, the removal of DNA methylation (by dCas9-Tet1) has the highest potential to increase the proportion of cells activating foreign master transcription factors and thus breaking down cell identity barriers.

Master transcription factors dominantly direct cell fate and barriers ensuring their tissue specific silencing are not clearly defined. Here, the authors demonstrate that inefficient targeted transactivation of Sox1 in neural progenitor cells is surmountable through targeted promoter demethylation using dCas9-Tet1.

Details

Title
Targeted removal of epigenetic barriers during transcriptional reprogramming
Author
Baumann Valentin 1 ; Wiesbeck Maximilian 2 ; Breunig, Christopher T 2 ; Braun, Julia M 2 ; Köferle Anna 2 ; Ninkovic Jovica 3 ; Götz Magdalena 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Stricker, Stefan H 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Ludwig-Maximilian-Universitaet, BioMedical Center, MCN Junior Research Group, Munich Center for Neurosciences, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany; Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany (GRID:grid.5252.0) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 973X) 
 Ludwig-Maximilian-Universitaet, BioMedical Center, MCN Junior Research Group, Munich Center for Neurosciences, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany (GRID:grid.5252.0) 
 German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neurogenesis and Regeneration, Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany (GRID:grid.4567.0) (ISNI:0000 0004 0483 2525); Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität, BioMedizinisches Centrum, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany (GRID:grid.5252.0) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 973X) 
 Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität, BioMedizinisches Centrum, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany (GRID:grid.5252.0) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 973X); German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany (GRID:grid.4567.0) (ISNI:0000 0004 0483 2525) 
 Ludwig-Maximilian-Universitaet, BioMedical Center, MCN Junior Research Group, Munich Center for Neurosciences, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany (GRID:grid.4567.0); Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität, BioMedizinisches Centrum, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany (GRID:grid.5252.0) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 973X); German Research Center for Environmental Health, Epigenetic Engineering, Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany (GRID:grid.4567.0) (ISNI:0000 0004 0483 2525) 
Publication year
2019
Publication date
2019
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2222648489
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2019. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.