Survival motor neuron SMN1 and SMN2 gene promoters: identical sequences and differential expression in neurons and non-neuronal cells

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a recessive disorder involving the loss of motor neurons from the spinal cord. Homozygous absence of the survival of motor neuron 1 gene (SMN1) is the main cause of SMA, but disease severity depends primarily on the number of SMN2 gene copies. SMN protein levels are high in normal spinal cord and much lower in the spinal cord of SMA patients, suggesting neuron-specific regulation for this ubiquitously expressed gene. We isolated genomic DNA from individuals with SMN1 or SMN2 deletions and sequenced 4.6 kb of the 5' upstream regions of the these. We found that these upstream regions, one of which is telomeric and the other centromeric, were identical. We investigated the early regulation of SMN expression by transiently transfecting mouse embryonic spinal cord and fibroblast primary cultures with three transgenes containing 1.8, 3.2 and 4.6, respectively, of the SMN promoter driving beta-galactosidase gene expression. The 4.6 kb construct gave reporter gene expression levels five times higher in neurons than in fibroblasts, due to the combined effects of a general enhancer and a non-neuronal cell silencer. The differential expression observed in neurons and fibroblasts suggests that the SMN genes play a neuron-specific role during development. An understanding of the mechanisms regulating SMN promoter activity may provide new avenues for the treatment of SMA.     

Neuronal SMN expression corrects spinal muscular atrophy in severe SMA mice while muscle-specific SMN expression has no phenotypic effect

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is caused by loss of the survival motor neuron gene (SMN1) and retention of the SMN2 gene. The copy number of SMN2 affects the amount of SMN protein produced and the severity of the SMA phenotype. While loss of mouse Smn is embryonic lethal, two copies of SMN2 prevents this embryonic lethality resulting in a mouse with severe SMA that dies 5 days after birth. Here we show that expression of full-length SMN under the prion promoter (PrP) rescues severe SMA mice. The PrP results in high levels of SMN in neurons at embryonic day 15. Mice homozygous for PrP-SMN with two copies of SMN2 and lacking mouse Smn survive for an average of 210 days and lumbar motor neuron root counts in these mice were normal. Expression of SMN solely in skeletal muscle using the human skeletal actin (HSA) promoter resulted in no improvement of the SMA phenotype or extension of survival. One HSA line displaying nerve expression of SMN did affect the SMA phenotype with mice living for an average of 160 days. Thus, we conclude that expression of full-length SMN in neurons can correct the severe SMA phenotype in mice. Furthermore, a small increase of SMN in neurons has a substantial impact on survival of SMA mice while high SMN levels in mature skeletal muscle alone has no impact.     

组蛋白化学修饰改变对c-Myb结合的影响及其在职业性苯中毒患者造血损伤中的作用

 目的:研究职业性苯中毒造血损伤患者中与拓扑异构酶Ⅱα启动子调控因子c-Myb结合的组蛋白化学修饰改变, 证实组蛋白乙酰化修饰水平改变在职业性苯中毒造血损伤中发挥一定的作用。方法:25例职业性苯中毒再生障碍性贫血患者为病例组,25例正常人为对照组,提取骨髓单个核细胞,用染色质免疫沉淀(ChIP)探讨与c-Myb结合的组蛋白乙酰化和甲基化水平的改变,RT-PCR法检测c-Myb的mRNA表达水平,组蛋白去乙酰化酶(HDAC)试剂盒检测HDAC活性的变化。结果:与正常对照组相比,职业性苯中毒再生障碍性贫血患者c-Myb与乙酰化组蛋白H4、H3结合的水平下降(P<0.01), 而与甲基化组蛋白H3K4和H3K9结合的水平无明显改变,差异无统计学显著性。与正常对照组相比,职业性苯中毒再生障碍性贫血患者c-Myb的mRNA表达水平降低,HDAC活性明显升高,差异均有统计学显著性(P<0.05)。结论:拓扑异构酶Ⅱα启动子调控因子c-Myb可能通过组蛋白乙酰化修饰的改变在职业性苯中毒造血损伤中发挥作用。     

Prognostic significance of the therapeutic targets histone deacetylase 1, 2, 6 and acetylated histone H4 in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma

Aims:  Aberrant histone acetylation has been associated with malignancy and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are currently being investigated in numerous clinical trials. So far, the malignancy most sensitive to HDAC inhibitors has been cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). The reason for this sensitivity is unclear and studies on HDAC expression and histone acetylation in CTCL are lacking. The aim of this study was to address this issue.
Methods and results:  The immunohistochemical expression of HDAC1, HDAC2, HDAC6, and acetylated H4 was examined in 73 CTCLs and the results related to histological subtypes and overall survival. HDAC1 was most abundantly expressed ( P  < 0.0001), followed by HDAC2; HDAC6 and H4 acetylation were equally expressed. HDAC2 ( P  = 0.001) and H4 acetylation ( P  = 0.03) were significantly more common in aggressive than indolent CTCL subtypes. In contrast, no differences were observed for HDAC1 and HDAC6. In a Cox analysis, elevated HDAC6 was the only parameter showing significant influence on survival ( P  = 0.04).
Conclusions:  High expression of HDAC2 and acetylated H4 is more common in aggressive than indolent CTCL. HDAC6 expression is associated with a favorable outcome independent of the subtype.     

HIV-1感染引起组蛋白乙酰化和增加p21WAF1表达

目的：DNA甲基化和组蛋白乙酰化是基因表达调控的主要形式。人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV-1）可引起T淋巴细胞DNA甲基化酶上调。本文旨在明确HIV-1对细胞周期依赖刺激酶抑制剂p21^WAF1表达的影响。方法：建立HIV-1感染的Hut78细胞系；以RT-PCR和Westem blotting 分析p21^WAF1表达情况；以亚硫酸氢钠修饰DNA和基因测序，研究p21^WAF1基因启动子甲基化，以Western blot-ting 和染色体免疫测定探究总组蛋白和与p21^WAF1基因启动子相关的组蛋白乙酰化水平。并以GST pull-down和免疫沉淀分析HIV-1导致乙酰化及乙酰化引起p21^WAF1过表达的可能机理。结果：HIV-1感染后，其反式激活蛋白Tat与辅助转录因子P/CAF、hGCN5结合，共同刺激组蛋白H3乙酰化。尽管p21^WAF1启动子部分区域有甲基化发生，但p21^WAF1表达仍上调。这可能与E2A对p21^WAF1的作用有关。结论：HIV-1感染可引起T淋巴细胞p21^WAF1基因的甲基化和乙酰化紊乱，导致p21^WAF1表达增强。     

同型半胱氨酸对小鼠卵母细胞成熟过程中组蛋白表观遗传修饰的影响

目的 探讨卵母细胞发育过程中同型半胱氨酸（HCY）对组蛋白表观遗传修饰的影响。 方法 首先使用10只2周ICR雌性小鼠建立完整卵泡的体外培养体系,在卵母细胞发育早期,利用免疫组织化学方法,观察HCY对甲基化组蛋白H3K4、H3K9以及乙酰化组蛋白H3K9分布的影响;其次使用10只4周ICR雌性小鼠,利用卵母细胞的体外成熟培养体系,观察HCY对卵母细胞成熟过程的影响,同时利用实时定量PCR方法,观察在此成熟过程中HCY对卵母细胞内组蛋白乙酰化水平的调控酶GCN5和HDAC表达的影响。 结果 HCY明显抑制卵母细胞的体外成熟,在HCY作用下,甲基化组蛋白H3K4、H3K9以及乙酰化组蛋白H3K9的分布没有变化,但是表达强度降低,核呈现去浓缩的趋势。成熟过程中HCY并不改变基因GCN5的表达水平,却明显抑制卵母细胞内HDAC基因的表达。 结论 卵母细胞发育过程中高水平的同型半胱氨酸影响组蛋白的表观遗传修饰,HCY对卵母细胞核内组蛋白甲基化和乙酰化修饰的影响有可能是造成核染色体稳定性下降的重要原因。