Name: a method to study de novo formation of chromatin domains
Uploaded: 2019-08-23T14:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Method to Study de novo Formation of Chromatin Domains at JoVE.com

We thank Drs. L. Vales, D. Ozata and H. Mou for revision of the manuscript. The D.R. Lab is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the National Institutes of Health (R01CA199652 and R01NS100897).

Generation of inducible EED rescue mESCs
1. Cell culture
<ol>
	<li>Use feeder-free C57BL/6 mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) possessing a stably integrated CreERT2 transgene, which can translocate to the nucleus upon administration of 4-Hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT)13.</li>
	<li>Grow mESCs in conventional ESC medium14,15, supplemented with 1000 U/mL LIF, 1 &#956;M ERK inhibitor PD0325901 and 3 &#9...

<ol>
	<li>Bonev, B., Cavalli, G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Organization+and+function+of+the+3D+genome.">Organization and function of the 3D genome.</a> Nature Reviews Genetics. 17 (11), 661-678 (2016).</li><li>Dixon, J. R., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Topological+domains+in+mammalian+genomes+identified+by+analysis+of+chromatin+interactions.">Topological domains in mammalian genomes identified by analysis of chromatin interactions.</a> Nature. 485 (7398), 376-380 (2012).</li><li>Pope, B. D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Topologically+associating+domains+are+stable+units+of+replication-timing+regulation.">Topologically associating domains are stable units of replication-timing regulation.</a> Nature. 515 (7527), 402-405 (2014).</li><li>Carelli, F. N., Sharma, G., Broad Ahringer, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Chromatin+Domains:+An+Important+Facet+of+Genome+Regulation.">Chromatin Domains: An Important Facet of Genome Regulation.</a> Bioessays. 39 (12), (2017).</li><li>Margueron, R., Reinberg, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+Polycomb+complex+PRC2+and+its+mark+in+life.">The Polycomb complex PRC2 and its mark in life.</a> Nature. 469 (7330), 343-349 (2011).</li><li>Holoch, D., Margueron, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mechanisms+Regulating+PRC2+Recruitment+and+Enzymatic+Activity.">Mechanisms Regulating PRC2 Recruitment and Enzymatic Activity.</a> Trends in Biochemical Sciences. 42 (7), 531-542 (2017).</li><li>Cao, R., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Role+of+histone+H3+lysine+27+methylation+in+polycomb-group+silencing.">Role of histone H3 lysine 27 methylation in polycomb-group silencing.</a> Science. 298 (5595), 1039-1043 (2002).</li><li>Kuzmichev, A., Nishioka, K., Erdjument-Bromage, H., Tempst, P., Reinberg, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Histone+methyltransferase+activity+associated+with+a+human+multiprotein+complex+containing+the+enhancer+of+zeste+protein.">Histone methyltransferase activity associated with a human multiprotein complex containing the enhancer of zeste protein.</a> Genes and Development. 16 (22), 2893-2905 (2002).</li><li>Czermin, B., Melfi, R., McCabe, D., Seitz, V., Imhof, A., Pirrotta, V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Drosophila+enhancer+of+Zeste/ESC+complexes+have+a+histone+H3+methyltransferase+activity+that+marks+chromosomal+Polycomb+sites.">Drosophila enhancer of Zeste/ESC complexes have a histone H3 methyltransferase activity that marks chromosomal Polycomb sites.</a> Cell. 111 (2), 185-196 (2002).</li><li>M&#252;ller, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Histone+methyltransferase+activity+of+a+Drosophila+Polycomb+group+repressor+complex.">Histone methyltransferase activity of a Drosophila Polycomb group repressor complex.</a> Cell. 111 (2), 197-208 (2002).</li><li>Ferrari, K. J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Polycomb-Dependent+H3K27me1+and+H3K27me2+Regulate+Active+Transcription+and+Enhancer+Fidelity.">Polycomb-Dependent H3K27me1 and H3K27me2 Regulate Active Transcription and Enhancer Fidelity.</a> Molecular Cell. 53 (1), 49-62 (2014).</li><li>Margueron, R., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Role+of+the+polycomb+protein+EED+in+the+propagation+of+repressive+histone+marks.">Role of the polycomb protein EED in the propagation of repressive histone marks.</a> Nature. 461 (7265), 762-767 (2009).</li><li>Oksuz, O., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Capturing+the+Onset+of+PRC2-Mediated+Repressive+Domain+Formation.">Capturing the Onset of PRC2-Mediated Repressive Domain Formation.</a> Molecular cell. 70 (6), 1149-1162 (2018).</li><li>Tee, W. W., Shen, S. S., Oksuz, O., Narendra, V., Reinberg, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Erk1/2+activity+promotes+chromatin+features+and+RNAPII+phosphorylation+at+developmental+promoters+in+mouse+ESCs.">Erk1/2 activity promotes chromatin features and RNAPII phosphorylation at developmental promoters in mouse ESCs.</a> Cell. 156 (4), 678-690 (2014).</li><li>Oksuz, O., Tee, W. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Probing+chromatin+modifications+in+response+to+ERK+signaling.">Probing chromatin modifications in response to ERK signaling.</a> Methods in Molecular Biology. 1487, 289-301 (2017).</li><li>Benchling for Academics. Benchling Available from: <a target="_blank" href="https://benchling.com">https://benchling.com</a> (2018)</li><li>Ran, F. A., Hsu, P. D., Wright, J., Agarwala, V., Scott, D. A., Zhang, F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Genome+engineering+using+the+CRISPR-Cas9+system.">Genome engineering using the CRISPR-Cas9 system.</a> Nature Protocols. 8 (11), 2281-2308 (2013).</li><li>Zhang, Z., Lutz, B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cre+recombinase-mediated+inversion+using+lox66+and+lox71:+method+to+introduce+conditional+point+mutations+into+the+CREB-binding+protein.">Cre recombinase-mediated inversion using lox66 and lox71: method to introduce conditional point mutations into the CREB-binding protein.</a> Nucleic acids research. 30 (17), 90 (2002).</li><li>Orlando, D. A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Quantitative+ChIP-Seq+normalization+reveals+global+modulation+of+the+epigenome.">Quantitative ChIP-Seq normalization reveals global modulation of the epigenome.</a> Cell reports. 9 (3), 1163-1170 (2014).</li><li>Langmead, B., Salzberg, S. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Fast+gapped-read+alignment+with+Bowtie+2.">Fast gapped-read alignment with Bowtie 2.</a> Nature Methods. 9 (4), 357-359 (2012).</li><li>Descostes, N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=ChIPSeqSpike:+ChIP-Seq+data+scaling+according+to+spike-in+control.">ChIPSeqSpike: ChIP-Seq data scaling according to spike-in control.</a> R package version 1.2.1. , (2019).</li><li>Quinlan, A. R., Hall, I. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=BEDTools:+a+flexible+suite+of+utilities+for+comparing+genomic+features.">BEDTools: a flexible suite of utilities for comparing genomic features.</a> Bioinformatics. 26 (6), 841-842 (2010).</li><li>Kent, W. J., Zweig, A. S., Barber, G., Hinrichs, A. S., Karolchik, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=BigWig+and+BigBed:+enabling+browsing+of+large+distributed+datasets.">BigWig and BigBed: enabling browsing of large distributed datasets.</a> Bioinformatics. 26 (17), 2204-2207 (2010).</li><li>. UCSC Genome Browser Home Available from: <a target="_blank" href="https://genome.ucsc.edu">https://genome.ucsc.edu</a> (2019)</li><li>Schindelin, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Fiji:+an+open-source+platform+for+biological-image+analysis.">Fiji: an open-source platform for biological-image analysis.</a> Nature Methods. 9 (7), 676-682 (2012).</li><li>Nishimura, K., Fukagawa, T., Takisawa, H., Kakimoto, T., Kanemaki, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=An+auxin-based+degron+system+for+the+rapid+depletion+of+proteins+in+nonplant+cells.">An auxin-based degron system for the rapid depletion of proteins in nonplant cells.</a> Nature Methods. 6 (12), 917-922 (2009).</li><li>Banaszynski, L. A., Chen, L., Maynard-Smith, L. A., Ooi, A. G. L., Wandless, T. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+Rapid,+Reversible,+and+Tunable+Method+to+Regulate+Protein+Function+in+Living+Cells+Using+Synthetic+Small+Molecules.">A Rapid, Reversible, and Tunable Method to Regulate Protein Function in Living Cells Using Synthetic Small Molecules.</a> Cell. 126 (5), 995-1004 (2006).</li><li>H&#248;jfeldt, J. W., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Accurate+H3K27+methylation+can+be+established+de+novo+by+SUZ12-directed+PRC2.">Accurate H3K27 methylation can be established de novo by SUZ12-directed PRC2.</a> Nature Structural &amp; Molecular Biology. 25 (3), 225-232 (2018).</li></ol>

A powerful approach towards understanding the mechanistic details during the formation of a given chromatin domain, is to first disrupt the domain and then track its reconstruction in progress within cells. The process can be paused at any time during the reconstruction to analyze in detail the events in progress. Previous studies on chromatin domains were unable to resolve such events as they were performed under steady-state conditions (e.g., comparing wild-type and gene knockout). Here, we outline a system to assess t...

Eukaryotic genomes are highly organized and changes in the chromatin accessibility directly controls gene transcription1. The genome contains distinct types of chromatin domains, which correlate with transcriptional activity and replication timing2,3. These chromatin domains range in size from a few kilobases (kb) to more than 100 kb and are characterized by an enrichment in distinct histone modifications4. The central questions are: how are these domains formed and how are they propagated?
One of the most well-characterized chromatin domains is fostered through the activity of the Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2). PRC2 is a multi-subunit complex composed of a subset of the Polycomb Group (PcG) of proteins5,6, and catalyzes the mono-, di- and trimethylation of lysine 27 of histone H3 (H3K27me1/me2/me3)7,8,9,10. H3K27me2/me3 are associated with a repressive chromatin state, but the function of H3K27me1 is unclear6,11. One of the core components of PRC2, embryonic ectoderm development (EED), binds to the end product of PRC2 catalysis, H3K27me3, through its aromatic cage and this feature results in the allosteric stimulation of PRC212,13. The PRC2 enzymatic activity is crucial for preserving cellular identity during development as the inappropriate expression of certain developmental genes that are contraindicated for a specific lineage, would be detrimental5,6. Hence, unraveling the mechanisms by which PRC2 fosters the formation of repressive chromatin domains in mammals is of fundamental importance to understanding cellular identity.
All of the past experimental systems designed to investigate chromatin domain formation including PRC2-mediated chromatin domains, were performed under steady-state conditions, which are unable to track the unfolding events of chromatin domain formation in cells. Here, we present a detailed protocol to generate an inducible cellular system which monitors the initial recruitment and propagation of chromatin domains. Specifically, we focus on tracking the formation of PRC2-mediated repressive chromatin domains that comprise H3K27me2/3. This system that can capture the mechanistic details of chromatin domain formation, could be adapted to incorporate other chromatin domains, such as the widely studied domains comprising either H2AK119ub or H3K9me. In combination with genomics and imaging technologies, this approach has the potential to successfully address various, key questions in chromatin biology.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:1045px;" width="1045">
	<colgroup>
		<col />
		<col />
		<col />
		<col />
	</colgroup>
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">(Z)-4-Hydroxytamoxifen (5 mg)</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Sigma</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">H7904-5MG</td>
			<td style="width:368px;">For induction of EED expression</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:259px;">16% Paraformaldehyde aqueous solution (10x10 ml)</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Electron Microscopy Sciences</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">15710</td>
			<td>For immunofluorescence</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">2-mercaptoethanol</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">LifeTechnologies</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">21985-023</td>
			<td style="width:368px;">For mESCs culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">2% Gelatin Solution</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Sigma</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">G1393-100ml</td>
			<td style="width:368px;">For mESCs culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">Accutase 500 ML</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Innovative Cell Tech/FISHER</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">AT 104-500</td>
			<td>For mESCs culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:259px;">Alexa Fluor 594 AffiniPure Donkey Anti-Rabbit IgG (H+L)</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Jackson immunoresaerch</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">711-585-152</td>
			<td>For immunofluorescence</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">Aqua-Mount Mounting Medium</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">FISHER/VWR</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">41799-008</td>
			<td>For immunofluorescence</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:259px;">CHAMBER SLD TC PRMA 8-CHM 16 PK</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Fisher Sci</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">177445PK</td>
			<td>For immunofluorescence</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:259px;">DAPI (4&#39;,6-Diamidino-2-Phenylindole, Dihydrochloride) - 10 mg</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Life Tech</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">D1306</td>
			<td>For immunofluorescence</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">ERK inhibitor, PD0325901</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Stemgent</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">04-0006</td>
			<td style="width:368px;">For mESCs culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">ESGRO Recombinant Mouse LIF Protein</td>
			<td>Millipore/Fisher</td>
			<td>ESG1107</td>
			<td>For mESCs culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">FBS Stem Cell Qualified</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Atlanta</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">S10250</td>
			<td style="width:368px;">For mESCs culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">Gibson Assembly Master Mix</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">NEB</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">E2611L</td>
			<td>For Donor template cloning</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">GSK3 inhibitor, CHIR99021</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Stemgent</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">04-0004</td>
			<td style="width:368px;">For mESCs culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">H3K27me2 (D18C8) rabbit mAB</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Cell Signaling</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">9728S</td>
			<td>Antibody for ChIP-seq</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">H3K27me3</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Cell Signaling</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">9733S</td>
			<td>Antibody for ChIP-seq</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">Histone H2Av antibody (pAb)</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Active motif</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">39715</td>
			<td>Spike-in control for ChIP-seq</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">Knockout DMEM</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">10829-018</td>
			<td style="width:368px;">For mESCs culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">L-glutamine</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Sigma</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">G7513</td>
			<td style="width:368px;">For mESCs culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">Lipofectamine 2000</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">LifeTech</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">11668019</td>
			<td>For transfection</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">MangoTaq DNA Polymerase</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Bioline</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">BIO-21079</td>
			<td>For Genotyping PCR</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">Normal donkey serum (10 mL)</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Jackson ImmunoResearch</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">017-000-121</td>
			<td>For immunofluorescence</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">Penicillin-Streptomycin</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Sigma/Roche</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">P0781</td>
			<td style="width:368px;">For mESCs culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">pSpCas9(BB)-2A-GFP (PX458)</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Addgene</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">48138</td>
			<td style="width:368px;">For gRNA cloning</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">QuickExtract DNA Extraction Solution</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Lucigen</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">QE0905T</td>
			<td style="width:368px;">For Genotyping PCR</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">Triton X-100</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Sigma</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">T8787-250ML</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Zero Blunt PCR Cloning Kit</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">Thermo Fisher</td>
			<td>K270020</td>
			<td>For Donor template cloning</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Primers/gBlocks</td>
			<td style="width:317px;"></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">EED-KO-gRNA-1</td>
			<td style="width:317px;"></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Sequence: ctctggctactgtcaactag. gRNAs pairs to knockout EED in C57BL/6 ESCs for i-WT-r and i-MT-r systems.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">EED-KO-gRNA-2</td>
			<td style="width:317px;"></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Sequence: TAGGCTATGACGCAGCTCAG. gRNAs pairs to knockout EED in C57BL/6 ESCs for i-WT-r and i-MT-r systems.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">EED-gRNA-inducible</td>
			<td style="width:317px;"></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Sequence: atggcaccccgaaattagaa. gRNA and Donor to generate i-WT-r system in the EED-KO background.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">i-WT-r Donor</td>
			<td style="width:317px;"></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>https://benchling.com/s/seq-l2LLlWNEnLrfGXcbdCxI. gRNA and Donor to generate i-WT-r system in the EED-KO background.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">EED-gRNA-inducible</td>
			<td style="width:317px;"></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Sequence: atggcaccccgaaattagaa. gRNA and Donor to generate i-WT-r system in the EED-KO background.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="60">
			<td height="60" style="height:60px;width:259px;">i-MT-r Donor</td>
			<td style="width:317px;"></td>
			<td style="width:101px;"></td>
			<td style="width:368px;">https://benchling.com/s/seq-n8eiZCB2XAkOuzzpv6qM. gRNA and Donor to generate i-MT-r system in the EED-KO background.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Genotyping Primers</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Gnt-EED-KO-FW-1</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Sequence: ctgtaggctgccatctgtga. Wild type allele will produce a product of 1.9 kb. Knockout allele will produce a product of 200 bp.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Gnt-EED-KO-REV-1</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Sequence: agccagggctacacagagaa. Wild type allele will produce a product of 1.9 kb. Knockout allele will produce a product of 200 bp.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Inducible_Genotype-FW-1</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Sequence: tgcagtgaaacaaatttggaa. When the casette is inserted, the primers will produce 1863 bp. The wild type allele will produce a product of ~200 bp.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Inducible_Genotype-REV-1</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Sequence: gagaggggtggcactgtaaa. When the casette is inserted, the primers will produce 1863 bp. The wild type allele will produce a product of ~200 bp.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Inducible_Genotype-FW-2</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Sequence: ccccctctttctccttttct. When the casette is inserted, the primers will produce 3200 bp. The wild type allele will produce a product of 1560 bp.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:259px;">Inducible_Genotype-REV-2</td>
			<td style="width:317px;"></td>
			<td style="width:101px;"></td>
			<td>Sequence: atgcctgggtgaatgaaaaa. When the casette is inserted, the primers will produce 3200 bp. The wild type allele will produce a product of 1560 bp.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

a method to study de novo formation of chromatin domains

The organization and structure of chromatin domains are unique to individual cell lineages. Their misregulation might lead to a loss in cellular identity and/or disease. Despite tremendous efforts, our understanding of the formation and propagation of chromatin domains is still limited. Chromatin domains have been studied under steady-state conditions, which are not conducive to following the initial events during their establishment. Here, we present a method to inducibly reconstruct chromatin domains and follow their re-formation as a function of time. Although, first applied to the case of PRC2-mediated repressive chromatin domain formation, it could be easily adapted to other chromatin domains. The modification of and/or the combination of this method with genomics and imaging technologies will provide invaluable tools to study the establishment of chromatin domains in great detail. We believe that this method will revolutionize our understanding of how chromatin domains form and interact with each other.

A general scheme of the conditional rescue system 
Figure 1 shows the targeting scheme to conditionally rescue EED KO cells with either WT or cage-mutant (Y365A) EED that is expressed from the endogenous EED locus. After knocking out EED, a core subunit of PRC2 that is essential for its stability and enzymatic activity, a cassette within the intron following exon 9 of EED is introduced (Figure 1). The cassette consists of the remaining 3&#3...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Method to Study de novo Formation of Chromatin Domains at JoVE.com

A Method to Study de novo Formation of Chromatin Domains

This method is designed to follow formation of PRC2-mediated chromatin domains in cell lines, and the method can be adapted to many other systems.

A Method to Study de novo Formation of Chromatin Domains

The organization and structure of chromatin domains are unique to individual cell lineages. Their misregulation might lead to a loss in cellular identity ...

We outline a system to assess the dynamic formation of chromatin domains. We utilize this system to follow the recruitment and spreading of PRC2-mediated chromatin domains in cells. The process can be paused at any time to analyze the events in progress.This system could be geared to monitor dynamic changes in any given cellular process and hence is not limited to tracking chromatin domain formation. Start by designing guide RNAs to delete exon 10 and 11 of an endogenous copy of embryonic ectoderm development, or EED, in mouse embryonic stem cells using CRISPR Design Tool. Clone the guide RNAs into the CRISPR/Cas9 plasmid according to manuscript directions.In a six-well plate format, transfect 200, 000 mouse embryonic stem cells, or mESCs, with one microgram of each guide RNA using transfection reagents according to manufacturer's instructions. Change the media 24 hours after transfection. Two days after the transfection, isolate GFP-positive cells using FACS.Transfection efficiency ranges from about 10 to 30%so sort around 500, 000 cells to capture sufficient GFP-positive cells for plating. Plate the isolated GFP-positive cells into 15-centimeter plates that are pre-coated with 0.1%gelatin for colony picking. Grow the cells in ESC medium for about one week until single colonies are visible, making sure to change the media every two days.Pick a minimum of 48 colonies by using a 20-microliter pipette tip to scrape over the colony while aspirating. Without breaking up the colony into single cells, transfer it to an Accutase-containing 96-well plate. Incubate the colonies at 37 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes to dissociate the cells.Then add 200 microliters of ESC media to each well with a multichannel pipette. Mix well and plate the cells into two separate 96-well plates. Use one of the plates for genotyping, and keep the other growing until genotyping is concluded.Extract DNA from the plate using commercial reagents and following manufacturer's directions. Use genotyping primers that span the deleted site to perform genotyping PCR with Taq DNA polymerase. Observe a DNA product of lower molecular weight in cells with a homozygous deletion relative to the wild-type cells.Design guide RNA to introduce a cut within the intron following exon 9 of EED using a CRISPR Design Tool, and clone it into the CRISPR/Cas9 plasmid according to manuscript directions. Design a donor template DNA that includes the EED cDNA sequence after exon 9 and a C-terminal Flag-HA tag upstream of a T2A-GFP sequence, all in reverse orientation with respect to the endogenous gene sequence. Flank the cassette with a splice-acceptor and a polyadenylation sequence nested between heterologous inverted loxP sites, and include at least 500 base pairs of homology arms from each end.Split the donor template into two segments of gBlocks Gene Fragments, and assemble them into a PCR Blunt vector using Gibson cloning following manufacturer's instructions. In a six-well plate format, transfect 200, 000 mESCs with one microgram of the guide RNA and one microgram of the donor templates. Then isolate GFP-positive cells using FACS.Isolate individual colonies for genotyping according to manuscript directions. Use flow cytometry to confirm that the mESCs do not have leaky expression of GFP, and, if they do, isolate GFP-negative cells by FACS before starting the experiment. Expand the cells into five 15-centimeter plates, and induce expression of wild-type or cage-mutant EED by administering 5-micromolar 4-hydroxytamoxifen for five different time durations ranging from zero hours to eight days.Change the media after 12 hours for treatments lasting longer than that. Isolate the successfully recombined cells by FACS using GFP, and perform ChIP-seq for H3K27me2 and H3K27me3 to investigate their temporal deposition to chromatin in response to re-expression of wild-type or cage-mutant EED. To validate the inducible wild-type rescue and inducible mutant rescue systems, western blot was performed on whole extracts after induction of wild-type or cage-mutant EED with 4-hydroxytamoxifen treatment.Flow cytometry analysis was used to confirm the efficiency of T2A-GFP expression in i-WT-r cells before and after the 4-hydroxytamoxifen treatment, which demonstrates the successful flip of the inverted cassette. ChIP-seq of H3K27me3 was performed after re-expression of wild-type or cage-mutant EED. The emergence of H3K27me3 is observed at 12 hours after wild-type EED expression at discrete nucleation sites and then at 24 hours at regions distant from the initial nucleation sites.ChIP-seq was also used to track the temporal deposition of H3K27me2, which appears to precede H3K27me3 deposition. The H3K27me3 foci and their growth have also been visualized with fluorescence microscopy. After 12 hours of wild-type EED expression, there is evidence of H3K27me3 foci formation.These foci increase in number and size by 24 hours and eventually spread to large regions of the nucleus by 36 hours. The accurate design of DNA constructs is very important to generate the desired inducible rescue system. This method can provide a temporal and special control of mutations of proteins in mice.In this way, one could determine the effect of mutations in a specific tissue or at a specific stage of development. We are currently using this system to monitor dynamic establishment of another chromatin domain, Polycomb repressive complex 1.

a-method-to-study-de-novo-formation-of-chromatin-domains

Research

JoVE Journal

Genetics

Leveraging CyVerse Resources for De Novo Comparative Transcriptomics of Underserved (Non-model) Organisms

This workflow allows novice researchers to leverage advanced computational resources such as cloud computing to carry out pairwise comparative transcriptomics. It also serves as a primer for biologists to develop data scientist computational skills, e.g. executing bash commands, visualization and management of large data sets. All command line code and further explanations of each command or step can be found on the wiki (<a href="https://wiki.cyverse.org/wiki/x/dgGtAQ">https://wiki.cyverse.org/wiki/x/dgGtAQ</a>). The Discovery Environment and Atmosphere platforms are connected together through the CyVerse Data Store. As such, once the initial raw sequencing data has been uploaded there is no more need to transfer large data files over an Internet connection, minimizing the amount of time needed to conduct analyses. This protocol is designed to analyze only two experimental treatments or conditions. Differential gene expression analysis is conducted through pairwise comparisons, and will not be suitable to test multiple factors. This workflow is also designed to be manual rather than automated. Each step must be executed and investigated by the user, yielding a better understanding of data and analytical outputs, and therefore better results for the user. Once complete, this protocol will yield de novo assembled transcriptome(s) for underserved (non-model) organisms without the need to map to previously assembled reference genomes (which are usually not available in underserved organism). These de novo transcriptomes are further used in pairwise differential gene expression analysis to investigate genes differing between two experimental conditions. Differentially expressed genes are then functionally annotated to understand the genetic response organisms have to experimental conditions. In total, the data derived from this protocol is used to test hypotheses about biological responses of underserved organisms.

Leveraging CyVerse Resources for De Novo Comparative Transcriptomics of Underserved Non-model Organisms

This protocol outlines a comparative de novo transcriptome assembly and annotation workflow for novice bioinformaticians. The workflow is available for free entirely through CyVerse and connected by the Data Store. Command line and graphical user interfaces are used, but all code needed is available to copy and paste.

This workflow allows novice researchers to leverage advanced computational resources such as cloud computing to carry out pairwise comparative ...

Sequential Salt Extractions for the Analysis of Bulk Chromatin Binding Properties of Chromatin Modifying Complexes

Elucidation of the binding properties of chromatin-targeting proteins can be very challenging due to the complex nature of chromatin and the heterogeneous nature of most mammalian chromatin-modifying complexes. In order to overcome these hurdles, we have adapted a sequential salt extraction (SSE) assay for evaluating the relative binding affinities of chromatin-bound complexes. This easy and straightforward assay can be used by non-experts to evaluate the relative difference in binding affinity of two related complexes, the changes in affinity of a complex when a subunit is lost or an individual domain is inactivated, and the change in binding affinity after alterations to the chromatin landscape. By sequentially re-suspending bulk chromatin in increasing amounts of salt, we are able to profile the elution of a particular protein from chromatin. Using these profiles, we are able to determine how alterations in a chromatin-modifying complex or alterations to the chromatin environment affect binding interactions. Coupling SSE with other in vitro and in vivo assays, we can determine the roles of individual domains and proteins on the functionality of a complex in a variety of chromatin environments.

Sequential salt extraction of chromatin bound proteins is a useful tool for determining the binding properties of large protein complexes. This method can be employed to evaluate the role of individual subunits or domains in the overall affinity of a protein complex to bulk chromatin.

Elucidation of the binding properties of chromatin-targeting proteins can be very challenging due to the complex nature of chromatin and the heterogeneous ...

Retroviral Scanning: Mapping MLV Integration Sites to Define Cell-specific Regulatory Regions

Moloney murine leukemia (MLV) virus-based retroviral vectors integrate predominantly in acetylated enhancers and promoters. For this reason, mLV integration sites can be used as functional markers of active regulatory elements. Here, we present a retroviral scanning tool, which allows the genome-wide identification of cell-specific enhancers and promoters. Briefly, the target cell population is transduced with an mLV-derived vector and genomic DNA is digested with a frequently cutting restriction enzyme. After ligation of genomic fragments with a compatible DNA linker, linker-mediated polymerase chain reaction (LM-PCR) allows the amplification of the virus-host genome junctions. Massive sequencing of the amplicons is used to define the mLV integration profile genome-wide. Finally, clusters of recurrent integrations are defined to identify cell-specific regulatory regions, responsible for the activation of cell-type specific transcriptional programs.
The retroviral scanning tool allows the genome-wide identification of cell-specific promoters and enhancers in prospectively isolated target cell populations. Notably, retroviral scanning represents an instrumental technique for the retrospective identification of rare populations (e.g. somatic stem cells) that lack robust markers for prospective isolation.

Here, we describe a protocol for genome-wide mapping of the integration sites of Moloney murine leukemia virus-based retroviral vectors in human cells.

Moloney murine leukemia (MLV) virus-based retroviral vectors integrate predominantly in acetylated enhancers and promoters. For this reason, mLV ...

Adaptation of Hybridization Capture of Chromatin-associated Proteins for Proteomics to Mammalian Cells

The hybridization capture of chromatin-associated proteins for proteomics (HyCCAPP) technology was initially developed to uncover novel DNA-protein interactions in yeast. It allows analysis of a target region of interest without the need for prior knowledge about likely proteins bound to the target region. This, in theory, allows HyCCAPP to be used to analyze any genomic region of interest, and it provides sufficient flexibility to work in different cell systems. This method is not meant to study binding sites of known transcription factors, a task better suited for Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and ChIP-like methods. The strength of HyCCAPP lies in its ability to explore DNA regions for which there is limited or no knowledge about the proteins bound to it. It can also be a convenient method to avoid biases (present in ChIP-like methods) introduced by protein-based chromatin enrichment using antibodies. Potentially, HyCCAPP can be a powerful tool to uncover truly novel DNA-protein interactions. To date, the technology has been predominantly applied to yeast cells or to high copy repeat sequences in mammalian cells. In order to become the powerful tool we envision, HyCCAPP approaches need to be optimized to efficiently capture single-copy loci in mammalian cells. Here, we present our adaptation of the initial yeast HyCCAPP capture protocol to human cell lines, and show that single-copy chromatin regions can be efficiently isolated with this modified protocol.

This is a method to identify novel DNA-interacting proteins at specific target loci, relying on sequence-specific capture of crosslinked chromatin for subsequent proteomic analyses. No prior knowledge about potential binding proteins, nor cell modifications are required. Initially developed for yeast, the technology has now been adapted for mammalian cells.

The hybridization capture of chromatin-associated proteins for proteomics (HyCCAPP) technology was initially developed to uncover novel DNA-protein ...

A Method to Study the C924T Polymorphism of the Thromboxane A2 Receptor Gene

The thromboxane A2 receptor (TBXA2R) gene is a member of the G-protein coupled superfamily with seven-transmembrane regions. It is involved in atherogenesis progression, ischemia, and myocardial infarction. Here we present a methodology of patient genotyping to investigate the post-transcriptional role of the C924T polymorphism (rs4523) situated at the 3&#39; region of the TBXA2 receptor gene. This method relies on DNA extraction from whole blood, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the TBXA2 gene portion containing the C924T mutation, and identification of wild type and/or mutant genotypes using a restriction digest analysis, specifically a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) on agarose gel. In addition, the results were confirmed by sequencing the TBXA2R gene. This method features several potential advantages, such as high efficiency and the rapid identification of the C924T polymorphism by PCR and restriction enzyme analysis. This approach allows a predictive study for plaque formation and atherosclerosis progression by analyzing patient genotypes for the TBXA2R C924T polymorphism. Application of this method has the potential to identify subjects who are more susceptible to atherothrombotic processes, in particular subjects in a high-risk, aspirin-treated group.

In the present study, we describe a methodology to analyze the C924T genotype. The protocol consists of three phases: DNA extraction, amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and analysis of the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) on agarose gel.

The thromboxane A2 receptor (TBXA2R) gene is a member of the G-protein coupled superfamily with seven-transmembrane regions. It is involved in ...

Lentiviral Mediated Production of Transgenic Mice: A Simple and Highly Efficient Method for Direct Study of Founders

For almost 40 years, pronuclear DNA injection represents the standard method to generate transgenic mice with random integration of transgenes. Such a routine procedure is widely utilized throughout the world and its main limitation resides in the poor efficacy of transgene integration, resulting in a low yield of founder animals. Only few percent of animals born after implantation of injected fertilized oocytes have integrated the transgene. In contrast, lentiviral vectors are powerful tools for integrative gene transfer and their use to transduce fertilized oocytes allows highly efficient production of founder transgenic mice with an average yield above 70%. Furthermore, any mouse strain can be used to produce transgenic animal and the penetrance of transgene expression is extremely high, above 80% with lentiviral mediated transgenesis compared to DNA microinjection. The size of the DNA fragment that can be cargo by the lentiviral vector is restricted to 10 kb and represents the major limitation of this method. Using a simple and easy to perform injection procedure beneath the zona pellucida of fertilized oocytes, more than 50 founder animals can be produced in a single session of microinjection. Such a method is highly adapted to perform, directly in founder animals, rapid gain and loss of function studies or to screen genomic DNA regions for their ability to control and regulate gene expression in vivo.

Here, we present a protocol to promote transgene integration and production of founder transgenic mice with high efficacy by a simple injection of a lentiviral vector in the perivitelline space of a fertilized oocyte.

For almost 40 years, pronuclear DNA injection represents the standard method to generate transgenic mice with random integration of transgenes. Such a ...

Methodology for Accurate Detection of Mitochondrial DNA Methylation

Quantification of DNA methylation can be achieved using bisulfite sequencing, which takes advantage of the property of sodium bisulfite to convert unmethylated cytosine into uracil, in a single-stranded DNA context. Bisulfite sequencing can be targeted (using PCR) or performed on the whole genome and provides absolute quantification of cytosine methylation at the single base-resolution. Given the distinct nature of nuclear- and mitochondrial DNA, notably in the secondary structure, adaptions of bisulfite sequencing methods for investigating cytosine methylation in mtDNA should be made. Secondary and tertiary structure of mtDNA can indeed lead to bisulfite sequencing artifacts leading to false-positives due to incomplete denaturation poor access of bisulfite to single-stranded DNA. Here, we describe a protocol using an enzymatic digestion of DNA with BamHI coupled with bioinformatic analysis pipeline to allow accurate quantification of cytosine methylation levels in mtDNA. In addition, we provide guidelines for designing the bisulfite sequencing primers specific to mtDNA, in order to avoid targeting undesirable NUclear MiTochondrial segments (NUMTs) inserted into the nuclear genome.

Here, we present a protocol to allow accurate quantification of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) methylation. In this protocol, we describe an enzymatic digestion of DNA with BamHI coupled with a bioinformatic analysis pipeline which can be used to avoid overestimation of mtDNA methylation levels caused by the secondary structure of mtDNA.

Quantification of DNA methylation can be achieved using bisulfite sequencing, which takes advantage of the property of sodium bisulfite to convert ...

High-throughput Identification of Gene Regulatory Sequences Using Next-generation Sequencing of Circular Chromosome Conformation Capture (4C-seq)

The identification of regulatory elements for a given target gene poses a significant technical challenge owing to the variability in the positioning and effect sizes of regulatory elements to a target gene. Some progress has been made with the bioinformatic prediction of the existence and function of proximal epigenetic modifications associated with activated gene expression using conserved transcription factor binding sites. Chromatin conformation capture studies have revolutionized our ability to discover physical chromatin contacts between sequences and even within an entire genome. Circular chromatin conformation capture coupled with next-generation sequencing (4C-seq), in particular, is designed to discover all possible physical chromatin interactions for a given sequence of interest (viewpoint), such as a target gene or a regulatory enhancer. Current 4C-seq strategies directly sequence from within the viewpoint but require numerous and diverse viewpoints to be simultaneously sequenced to avoid the technical challenges of uniform base calling (imaging) with next generation sequencing platforms. This volume of experiments may not be practical for many laboratories. Here, we report a modified approach to the 4C-seq protocol that incorporates both an additional restriction enzyme digest and qPCR-based amplification steps that are designed to facilitate a greater capture of diverse sequence reads and mitigate the potential for PCR bias, respectively. Our modified 4C method is amenable to the standard molecular biology lab for assessing chromatin architecture.

High-throughput Identification of Gene Regulatory Sequences Using Next-generation Sequencing of Circular Chromosome Conformation Capture 4C-seq

The identification of physical interactions between genes and regulatory elements is challenging but has been facilitated by chromosome conformation capture methods. This modification to the 4C-seq protocol mitigates PCR bias by minimizing over-amplification of PCR templates and maximizes the mappability of reads by incorporating an addition restriction enzyme digest step.

The identification of regulatory elements for a given target gene poses a significant technical challenge owing to the variability in the positioning and ...

A Fluorescence-based Method to Study Bacterial Gene Regulation in Infected Tissues

Bacterial virulence genes are often regulated at the transcriptional level by multiple factors that respond to different environmental signals. Some factors act directly on virulence genes; others control pathogenesis by adjusting the expression of downstream regulators or the accumulation of signals that affect regulator activity. While regulation has been studied extensively during in vitro growth, relatively little is known about how gene expression is adjusted during infection. Such information is important when a particular gene product is a candidate for therapeutic intervention. Transcriptional approaches like quantitative, real-time RT-PCR and RNA-Seq are powerful ways to examine gene expression on a global level but suffer from many technical challenges including low abundance of bacterial RNA compared to host RNA, and sample degradation by RNases. Evaluating regulation using fluorescent reporters is relatively easy and can be multiplexed with fluorescent proteins with unique spectral properties. The method allows for single-cell, spatiotemporal analysis of gene expression in tissues that exhibit complex three-dimensional architecture and physiochemical gradients that affect bacterial regulatory networks. Such information is lost when data are averaged over the bulk population. Herein, we describe a method for quantifying gene expression in bacterial pathogens in situ. The method is based on simple tissue processing and direct observation of fluorescence from reporter proteins. We demonstrate the utility of this system by examining the expression of Staphylococcus aureus thermonuclease (nuc), whose gene product is required for immune evasion and full virulence ex vivo and in vivo. We show that nuc-gfp is strongly expressed in renal abscesses and reveal heterogeneous gene expression due in part to apparent spatial regulation of nuc promoter activity in abscesses fully engaged with the immune response. The method can be applied to any bacterium with a manipulatable genetic system and any infection model, providing valuable information for preclinical studies and drug development.

Described here is a method for analyzing bacterial gene expression in animal tissues at a cellular level. This method provides a resource for studying the phenotypic diversity occurring within a bacterial population in response to the tissue environment during an infection.

Bacterial virulence genes are often regulated at the transcriptional level by multiple factors that respond to different environmental signals. Some ...

Methylated RNA Immunoprecipitation Assay to Study m5C Modification in Arabidopsis

Secondary base modifications on RNA, such as m5C, affect the structure and function of the modified RNA molecules. Methylated RNA Immunoprecipitation and sequencing (MeRIP-seq) is a method that aims to enrich for methylated RNA and ultimately identify modified transcripts. Briefly, sonicated RNA is incubated with an antibody for 5-methylated cytosines and precipitated with the assistance of protein G beads. The enriched fragments are then sequenced and the potential methylation sites are mapped based on the distribution of the reads and peak detection. MeRIP can be applied to any organism, as it does not require any prior sequence or modifying enzyme knowledge. In addition, besides fragmentation, RNA is not subjected to any other chemical or temperature treatment. However, MeRIP-seq does not provide single-nucleotide prediction of the methylation site as other methods do, although the methylated area can be narrowed down to a few nucleotides. The use of different modification-specific antibodies allows MeRIP to be adjusted for the different base modifications present on RNA, expanding the possible applications of this method.

Methylated RNA Immunoprecipitation Assay to Study m5C Modification in Arabidopsis

The methylated RNA immunoprecipitation assay is an antibody-based method used to enrich for methylated RNA fragments. Coupled with deep sequencing, it leads to the identification of transcripts carrying the m5C modification.

Secondary base modifications on RNA, such as m5C, affect the structure and function of the modified RNA molecules. Methylated RNA Immunoprecipitation and ...