Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.7.6 (RNA polymerase)
34,946 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

It has previously been shown that the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) promoter is regulated through epigenetic mechanisms. It is unclear however whether epigenetic marks are stable in somatic cells or whether and how they vary with cell cycle dynamics. Here we present an analysis of epigenetic marks in cells positioned at different phases of the cell cycle following synchronization using a double thymidine block. We show that the levels of acetylated histone 4 are highest in early S phase, coinciding with the peak of binding of the transcriptional activators UBF and MBD3 to the rRNA promoter. Additionally, binding of the DNA methyltransferase DNMT1 is highest during mid-S phase, while DNMT3B binding peaks later in G2. Bisulfite mapping of the rRNA promoter reveals that the DNA methylation state varies during the cell cycle being lowest during early and late S phase. Interestingly, although the interaction of RNA polymerase I with the promoter and its progress along the gene coincides with epigenetic activation, the burst in levels of rRNA transcript did not occur until after DNA synthesis was complete. This suggests that although the rRNA promoter is poised for transcription early in the cell cycle, the accumulation of rRNA transcripts requires additional signals later in the cell cycle. This data is consistent with the idea that epigenetic states are dynamic in somatic cells and might participate in physiological cellular responses.
...
PMID:Dynamic epigenetic states of ribosomal RNA promoters during the cell cycle. 1823 21

The DNA adenine methyltransferase (Dam methylase) of Gammaproteobacteria and the cell cycle-regulated methyltransferase (CcrM) methylase of Alphaproteobacteria catalyze an identical reaction (methylation of adenosine moieties using S-adenosyl-methionine as a methyl donor) at similar DNA targets (GATC and GANTC, respectively). Dam and CcrM are of independent evolutionary origin. Each may have evolved from an ancestral restriction-modification system that lost its restriction component, leaving an 'orphan' methylase devoted solely to epigenetic genome modification. The formation of 6-methyladenine reduces the thermodynamic stability of DNA and changes DNA curvature. As a consequence, the methylation state of specific adenosine moieties can affect DNA-protein interactions. Well-known examples include binding of the replication initiation complex to the methylated oriC, recognition of hemimethylated GATCs in newly replicated DNA by the MutHLS mismatch repair complex, and discrimination of methylation states in promoters and regulatory DNA motifs by RNA polymerase and transcription factors. In recent years, Dam and CcrM have been shown to play roles in host-pathogen interactions. These roles are diverse and have only partially been understood. Especially intriguing is the evidence that Dam methylation regulates virulence genes in Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Yersinia at the posttranscriptional level.
...
PMID:Roles of DNA adenine methylation in host-pathogen interactions: mismatch repair, transcriptional regulation, and more. 1917 12

RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) is a nuclear process in which small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) direct the cytosine methylation of DNA sequences that are complementary to the siRNAs. In plants, double stranded-RNAs (dsRNAs) generated by RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 2 (RDR2) serve as precursors for Dicer-like 3 dependent biogenesis of 24-nt siRNAs. Plant specific RNA polymerase IV (Pol IV) is presumed to generate the initial RNA transcripts that are substrates for RDR2. siRNAs are loaded onto an argonaute4-containing RISC (RNA-induced silencing complex) that targets the de novo DNA methyltransferase DRM2 to RdDM target loci. Nascent RNA transcripts from the target loci are generated by another plant-specific RNA polymerase, Pol V, and these transcripts help recruit complementary siRNAs and the associated RdDM effector complex to the target loci in a transcription-coupled DNA methylation process. Small RNA binding proteins such as ROS3 may direct target-specific DNA demethylation by the ROS1 family of DNA demethylases. Chromatin remodeling enzymes and histone modifying enzymes also participate in DNA methylation and possibly demethylation. One of the well studied functions of RdDM is transposon silencing and genome stability. In addition, RdDM is important for paramutation, imprinting, gene regulation, and plant development. Locus-specific DNA methylation and demethylation, and transposon activation under abiotic stresses suggest that RdDM is also important in stress responses of plants. Further studies will help illuminate the functions of RdDM in the dynamic control of epigenomes during development and environmental stress responses.
...
PMID:RNA-directed DNA methylation and demethylation in plants. 1938 59

Calcitriol, a regulator of calcium homeostasis with antitumor properties, is degraded by the product of the CYP24A1 gene, which is downregulated in human prostate cancer by unknown mechanisms. We found that CYP24A1 expression is inversely correlated with promoter DNA methylation in prostate cancer cell lines. Treatment with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (DAC) activates CYP24A1 expression in prostate cancer cells. In vitro methylation of the CYP24A1 promoter represses its promoter activity. Furthermore, inhibition of histone deacetylases by trichostatin A (TSA) enhances the expression of CYP24A1 in prostate cancer cells. Quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation-PCR (ChIP-qPCR) reveals that specific histone modifications are associated with the CYP24A1 promoter region. Treatment with TSA increases H3K9ac and H3K4me2 and simultaneously decreases H3K9me2 at the CYP24A1 promoter. ChIP-qPCR assay reveals that treatment with DAC and TSA increases the recruitment of vitamin D receptor to the CYP24A1 promoter. Reverse transcriptase-PCR analysis of paired human prostate samples revealed that CYP24A1 expression is downregulated in prostate malignant lesions compared with adjacent histologically benign lesions. Bisulfite pyrosequencing shows that CYP24A1 gene is hypermethylated in malignant lesions compared with matched benign lesions. Our findings indicate that repression of CYP24A1 gene expression in human prostate cancer cells is mediated in part by promoter DNA methylation and repressive histone modifications.
...
PMID:Epigenetic regulation of vitamin D 24-hydroxylase/CYP24A1 in human prostate cancer. 2058 25

DNA methyltransferase inhibitors are currently the standard of care for myelodysplastic syndrome and are in clinical trials for leukemias and solid tumors. However, the molecular basis underlying their activity remains poorly understood. Here, we studied the induction and long-term stability of gene reactivation at three methylated tumor suppressor loci in response to the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-azaCdR) in human breast cancer cells. At the TMS1/ASC locus, treatment with 5-azaCdR resulted in partial DNA demethylation, the reengagement of RNA polymerase II (Pol II), and a shift from a repressive chromatin profile marked with H3K9me2 and H4K20me3 to an active profile enriched in H3ac and H3K4me2. Using a single-molecule approach coupling chromatin immunoprecipitation with bisulfite sequencing, we show that H3ac, H3K4me2, and Pol II selectively associated with the demethylated alleles, whereas H3K9me2 preferentially marked alleles resistant to demethylation. H4K20me3 was unaffected by DNA demethylation and associated with both unmethylated and methylated alleles. After drug removal, TMS1 underwent partial remethylation, yet a subset of alleles remained stably demethylated for over 3 months. These alleles remained selectively associated with H3K4me2, H3ac, and Pol II and correlated with a sustained low level of gene expression. TMS1 alleles reacquired H3K9me2 over time, and those alleles that became remethylated retained H3ac. In contrast, CDH1 and ESR1 were remethylated and completely silenced within approximately 1 week of drug removal, and failed to maintain stably unmethylated alleles. Our data suggest that the ability to maintain Pol II occupancy is a critical factor in the long-term stability of drug-induced CpG island demethylation.
...
PMID:Long-term stability of demethylation after transient exposure to 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine correlates with sustained RNA polymerase II occupancy. 2058 35

Viral virulence/immune evasion strategies and host anti-viral responses represent different sides of the continuing struggle between virus and host survival. To identify virus-encoding molecules whose function is to subvert or blunt host immune responses, we have adapted anti-sense approaches to knock down the expression of specific viral gene products. Our intention is to correlate knock down with loss of function and thus infer the role of a given viral gene. As a starting point in this process we have targeted several structural and catalytic genes using antisense morpholino oligonucleotides (asMO) and small, interfering RNAs (siRNA). In proof of concept experiments we show the feasibility of this approach and describe recent work targeting five frog virus 3 genes. Our results indicate that both 46K and 32R, two immediate-early viral proteins, are essential for replication in vitro, and confirm earlier findings that the major capsid protein, the largest subunit of the viral homolog of RNA polymerase II, and the viral DNA methyltransferase are also essential for replication in cell culture.
...
PMID:Antisense approaches for elucidating ranavirus gene function in an infected fish cell line. 2114 60

Dnmt1, the principal DNA methyltransferase in mammalian cells, is a large and a highly dynamic enzyme with multiple regulatory features that can control DNA methylation in cells. This chapter highlights how insights into Dnmt1 structure and function can advance our understanding of DNA methylation in cells. The allosteric site(s) on Dnmt1 can regulate processes of de novo and maintenance DNA methylation in cells. Remaining open questions include which molecules, by what mechanism, bind at the allosteric site(s) in cells? Different phosphorylation sites on Dnmt1 can change its activity or ability to bind DNA target sites. Thirty-one different molecules are currently known to have physical and/or functional interaction with Dnmt1 in cells. The Dnmt1 structure and enzymatic mechanism offer unique insights into those interactions. The interacting molecules are involved in chromatin organization, DNA repair, cell cycle regulation, and apoptosis and also include RNA polymerase II, some RNA-binding proteins, and some specific Dnmt1-inhibitory RNA molecules. Combined insights from studies of different enzymatic features of Dnmt1 offer novel ideas for development of drug candidates, and can be used in selection of promising drug candidates from more than 15 different compounds that have been identified as possible inhibitors of DNA methylation in cells.
...
PMID:Dnmt1 structure and function. 2150 53

DNA methylation is an evolutionarily conserved epigenetic modification that is critical for gene silencing and the maintenance of genome integrity. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the de novo DNA methyltransferase, domains rearranged methyltransferase 2 (DRM2), is targeted to specific genomic loci by 24 nt small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) through a pathway termed RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM). Biogenesis of the targeting siRNAs is thought to be initiated by the activity of the plant-specific RNA polymerase IV (Pol-IV). However, the mechanism through which Pol-IV is targeted to specific genomic loci and whether factors other than the core Pol-IV machinery are required for Pol-IV activity remain unknown. Through the affinity purification of nuclear RNA polymerase D1 (NRPD1), the largest subunit of the Pol-IV polymerase, we found that several previously identified RdDM components co-purify with Pol-IV, namely RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 2 (RDR2), CLASSY1 (CLSY1), and RNA-directed DNA methylation 4 (RDM4), suggesting that the upstream siRNA generating portion of the RdDM pathway may be more physically coupled than previously envisioned. A homeodomain protein, SAWADEE homeodomain homolog 1 (SHH1), was also found to co-purify with NRPD1; and we demonstrate that SHH1 is required for de novo and maintenance DNA methylation, as well as for the accumulation of siRNAs at specific loci, confirming it is a bonafide component of the RdDM pathway.
...
PMID:SHH1, a homeodomain protein required for DNA methylation, as well as RDR2, RDM4, and chromatin remodeling factors, associate with RNA polymerase IV. 2181 20

In mammals, germ cells undergo striking dynamic changes in DNA methylation during their development. However, the dynamics and mode of methylation are poorly understood for short interspersed elements (SINEs) dispersed throughout the genome. We investigated the DNA methylation status of mouse B1 SINEs in male germ cells at different developmental stages. B1 elements showed a large locus-to-locus variation in methylation; loci close to RNA polymerase II promoters were hypomethylated, while most others were hypermethylated. Interestingly, a mutation that eliminates Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), which are involved in methylation of long interspersed elements (LINEs), did not affect the level of B1 methylation, implying a piRNA-independent mechanism. Methylation at B1 loci in SINE-poor genomic domains showed a higher dependency on the de novo DNA methyltransferase DNMT3A but not on DNMT3B, suggesting that DNMT3A plays a major role in methylation of these domains. We also found that many genes specifically expressed in the testis possess B1 elements in their promoters, suggesting the involvement of B1 methylation in transcriptional regulation. Taken altogether, our results not only reveal the dynamics and mode of SINE methylation but also suggest how the DNA methylation profile is created in the germline by a pair of DNA methyltransferases.
...
PMID:Locus- and domain-dependent control of DNA methylation at mouse B1 retrotransposons during male germ cell development. 2204 42

The human small nuclear RNA (snRNA) and small cytoplasmic RNA (scRNA) gene families encode diverse non-coding RNAs that influence cellular growth and division. Many snRNA and scRNA genes are related via their compact and yet powerful promoters that support RNA polymerase III transcription. We have utilized the human U6 snRNA gene family to examine the mechanism for regulated transcription of these potent transcription units. Analysis of nine U6 family members showed enriched CpG density within the promoters of actively transcribed loci relative to inert genes, implying a relationship between gene potency and DNA methylation. Indeed, both pharmacological inhibition of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) activity and the forced diminution of DNMT-1, DNMT-3a, and DNMT-3b by siRNA targeting resulted in increased U6 levels in asynchronously growing MCF7 adenocarcinoma cells. In vitro transcription assays further showed that template methylation impedes U6 transcription by RNA polymerase III. Both DNMT-1 and DNMT-3a were detected at the U6-1 locus by chromatin immunoprecipitation directly linking these factors to RNA polymerase III regulation. Despite this association, the endogenous U6-1 locus was not substantially methylated in actively growing cells. However, both DNMT occupancy and low frequency methylation were correlated with increased Retinoblastoma tumor suppressor (RB) expression, suggesting that the RB status can influence specific epigenetic marks.
...
PMID:Regulation of human RNA polymerase III transcription by DNMT1 and DNMT3a DNA methyltransferases. 2221 93


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next >>