• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.181-189
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• 2018

Candida albicans is a major pathogenic fungus in humans, and meets at first the innate immune cells, such as macrophages, in its host. One important strategy of the host cell to kill C. albicans is to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the macrophages. In response to ROS produced by the macrophages, C. albicans operates its defense mechanisms against them by expressing its oxidative stress response genes. Although there have been many research studies explaining the specific transcription factors and the expression of the oxidative stress genes in C. albicans, the regulation of the oxidative stress genes by chromatin structure is little known. Epigenetic regulation by the chromatin structure is very important for the regulation of eukaryotic gene expression, including the chromatin structure dynamics by histone modifications. Among various histone modifications, histone acetylation is reported for its direct relationship to the regulation of gene expression. Recent studies reported that histone acetyltransferases regulate genes to respond to the oxidative stress in C. albicans. In this review, we introduce all histone acetyltransferases that C. albicans contains and some papers that explain how histone acetyltransferases participate in the oxidative stress response in C. albicans.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.163-167
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• 2006

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity is commonly associated with transcriptional repression. However, there is also evidence for a function in transcriptional activation. Previous studies have demonstrated a fundamental role of deacetylase activity in $IFN{\alpha}$-responsive gene transcription. In the case of type II IFN ($IFN{\gamma}$) results are controversial: some genes require HDAC activity, while transcription of others is repressed by HDAC. To investigate the effect of HDAC on transcription of an $IFN{\gamma}$-activated gene, real-time PCR was used to measure CXCL10 mRNA in Hela cells stimulated with $IFN{\gamma}$ in the presence or absence of the HDAC inhibitor TSA. Chromatin imunoprecipitation combined with real-time PCR was used to check acetylation of histone H4 and recruitment of the STAT1 complex to the ISRE locus of the CXCL10 gene. Activation of CXCL10 transcription in response to $IFN{\gamma}$ was paralleled by a decrease in histone H4 acetylation and an increase in recruitment of the STAT1 complex to the CXCL10 ISRE locus. The transcription of CXCL10 and histone H4 deacetylation were blocked by TSA, but the latter had no obvious affect on recruitment of the STAT1 complex. Our data indicate that $IFN{\gamma}$ and STAT-dependent gene transcription requires the participation of HDAC, as does the $IFN{\alpha}$-STAT pathway.

• BMB Reports
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• 제48권3호
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• pp.131-138
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• 2015

Cardiac hypertrophy is a form of global remodeling, although the initial step seems to be an adaptation to increased hemodynamic demands. The characteristics of cardiac hypertrophy include the functional reactivation of the arrested fetal gene program, where histone deacetylases (HDACs) are closely linked in the development of the process. To date, mammalian HDACs are divided into four classes: I, II, III, and IV. By structural similarities, class II HDACs are then subdivided into IIa and IIb. Among class I and II HDACs, HDAC2, 4, 5, and 9 have been reported to be involved in hypertrophic responses; HDAC4, 5, and 9 are negative regulators, whereas HDAC2 is a pro-hypertrophic mediator. The molecular function and regulation of class IIa HDACs depend largely on the phosphorylation-mediated cytosolic redistribution, whereas those of HDAC2 take place primarily in the nucleus. In response to stresses, posttranslational modification (PTM) processes, dynamic modifications after the translation of proteins, are involved in the regulation of the activities of those hypertrophy-related HDACs. In this article, we briefly review 1) the activation of HDAC2 in the development of cardiac hypertrophy and 2) the PTM of HDAC2 and its implications in the regulation of HDAC2 activity.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제37권10호
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• pp.734-741
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• 2014

Histone modifications on major transcription factor target genes are one of the major regulatory mechanisms controlling adipogenesis. Plant homeodomain finger 2 (PHF2) is a Jumonji domain-containing protein and is known to demethylate the histone H3K9, a repressive gene marker. To better understand the function of PHF2 in adipocyte differentiation, we constructed stable PHF2 knock-down cells by using the mouse pre-adipocyte cell line 3T3-L1. When induced with adipogenic media, PHF2 knock-down cells showed reduced lipid accumulation compared to control cells. Differential expression using a cDNA microarray revealed significant reduction of metabolic pathway genes in the PHF2 knock-down cell line after differentiation. The reduced expression of major transcription factors and adipokines was confirmed with reverse transcription- quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. We further performed co-immunoprecipitation analysis of PHF2 with four major adipogenic transcription factors, and we found that CCATT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP)${\alpha}$ and C/EBP${\delta}$ physically interact with PHF2. In addition, PHF2 binding to target gene promoters was confirmed with a chromatin immunoprecipitation experiment. Finally, histone H3K9 methylation markers on the PHF2-binding sequences were increased in PHF2 knock-down cells after differentiation. Together, these results demonstrate that PHF2 histone demethylase controls adipogenic gene expression during differentiation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.189-196
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• 2017

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is associated with formation of Kaposi's sarcoma, multicentric Castleman's disease, and primary effusion lymphoma. Replication and transcription activator (RTA) genes are expressed upon reactivation of KSHV, which displays a biphasic life cycle consisting of latent and lytic replication phases. RTA protein expression results in KSHV genome amplification and successive viral lytic gene expression. Transcriptional activity of viral lytic genes is regulated through epigenetic modifications. In Raji cells latently infected with Epstein-Barr virus, various modifications, such as acetylation and methylation, have been identified at specific lysine residues in histone H4 during viral reactivation, supporting the theory that expression of specific lytic genes is controlled by histone modification processes. Data obtained from chromatin immunoprecipitation and quantitative real-time PCR analyses revealed alterations in the H4K8ac and H4K20me3 levels at lytic gene promoters during reactivation. Our results indicate that H4K20me3 is associated with the maintenance of latency, while H4K8ac contributes to KSHV reactivation in infected TREx BCBL-1 RTA cells.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제30권8호
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• pp.713-721
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• 2020

Adipogenesis의 연구는 인간의 지방생물학의 기초적인 분자기전을 이해하고, 비만, 당뇨 및 대사성 증후군의 발병기전을 밝히는데 필요하다. Adipogenesis의 많은 연구가 adipocytes 특이적인 핵심 전사인자인 PPARγ와 C/EBPα를 중심으로 하는 유전자 발현조절 및 세포 내 신호전달에 초점이 맞추어 활발하게 연구가 진행되었다. 그러나, 에피지놈 변형효소나 히스톤 돌연변이에 의한 에피지놈 관점에서 adipogenesis 연구는 미흡한 실정이다. 포유동물에서 히스톤 methylation은 유전자 발현에 대한 주요 후성유전적(epigenome) 변형 중 하나이며, 특히 히스톤 H3 lysine methylation은 다양한 조직 및 기관 발생과정과 세포 분화에 매우 중요한 히스톤 변형이다. 세포 특이적 enhancer는 adipogenesis에서 active enhancer 표지자인 H3K27ac와 함께 H3K4me1로 변형된다. MLL4는 Pparg 및 Cebpa 유전자 ehancers에서 중요한 adipogenic H3K4 mono-methyltransferase이다. 따라서 MLL4는 adipogenesis에 중요한 에피지놈 변형효소라고 할 수 있다. 유전자 발현 억제를 유발하는 대표적인 히스톤 변형인 H3K27me3은 Polycomb repressive complex 2의 효소활성 subunit인 Ezh2에 의해 매개된다. Wnt 유전자에서 Ezh2에 의한 H3K27me3 히스톤 methylation 변형은 adipogenesis를 증가시키는데, 이는 WNT 신호 전달이 adipogenesis의 억제 조절자로 알려져 있기 때문이다. 본 논문은 유전자 발현을 근본적으로 조절하는 히스톤 H3 methylation에 의한 후성 유전학적인 조절이 어떻게 adipogenesis를 조절하는지에 대해 요약한다.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.193-205
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• 2017

Histone methylation plays important roles in regulating chromatin dynamics and transcription in eukaryotes. Implication of histone modifications in fungal pathogenesis is, however, beginning to emerge. Here, we report identification and functional analysis of a putative JmjC-domain-containing histone demethylase in Magnaporthe oryzae. Through bioinformatics analysis, we identified seven genes, which encode putative histone demethylases containing JmjC domain. Deletion of one gene, MoJMJ1, belonging to JARID group, resulted in defects in vegetative growth, asexual reproduction, appressorium formation as well as invasive growth in the fungus. Western blot analysis showed that global H3K4me3 level increased in the deletion mutant, compared to wild-type strain, indicating histone demethylase activity of MoJMJ1. Introduction of MoJMJ1 gene into ${\Delta}Mojmj1$ restored defects in pre-penetration developments including appressorium formation, indicating the importance of histone demethylation through MoJMJ1 during infection-specific morphogenesis. However, defects in penetration and invasive growth were not complemented. We discuss such incomplete complementation in detail here. Our work on MoJMJ1 provides insights into H3K4me3-mediated regulation of infection-specific development in the plant pathogenic fungus.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제10권3호
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• pp.145-152
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• 2012

Chromatin structure and dynamics that are influenced by epigenetic marks, such as histone modification and DNA methylation, play a crucial role in modulating gene transcription. To understand the relationship between histone modifications and regulatory elements in breast cancer cells, we compared our chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-Seq) histone modification patterns for histone H3K4me1, H3K4me3, H3K9/16ac, and H3K27me3 in MCF-7 cells with publicly available formaldehyde-assisted isolation of regulatory elements (FAIRE)-chip signals in human chromosomes 8, 11, and 12, identified by a method called FAIRE. Active regulatory elements defined by FAIRE were highly associated with active histone modifications, like H3K4me3 and H3K9/16ac, especially near transcription start sites. The H3K9/16ac-enriched genes that overlapped with FAIRE signals (FAIRE-H3K9/14ac) were moderately correlated with gene expression levels. We also identified functional sequence motifs at H3K4me1-enriched FAIRE sites upstream of putative promoters, suggesting that regulatory elements could be associated with H3K4me1 to be regarded as distal regulatory elements. Our results might provide an insight into epigenetic regulatory mechanisms explaining the association of histone modifications with open chromatin structure in breast cancer cells.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• 제28권
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• pp.63-68
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• 2010

The epigenetic therapy of cancers is emerging as an effective and valuable approach to both chemotherapy and the chemoprevention of cancer. The utilization of epigenetic targets that include histone methyltransferase (HMTase), Histone deacetylatase, and DNA methyltransferase, are emerging as key therapeutic targets. SET containing proteins such as the HMTase Setd1b has been found significantly amplified in cancerous cells. In order to shed some light on the histone methyl transferase family, we cloned the Setd1b gene from Mus musculus and build a collection of vectors for recombinant protein expression in E.coli that will pave the way for further structural biology studies. We prospect the role of the Setd1b pathway in cancer therapy and detail its unique value for designing novel anti-cancer epigenetic-drugs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제19권8호
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• pp.1090-1094
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• 2006

Histone acetylation modification is one key mechanism in the regulation of gene activation. In this study, we investigated the global levels of histone H4 acetylation of insulin like growth factor I (IGF1) and growth hormone (GH) genes in the lungs of two somatic cell cloned calves. Data showed the levels of histone H4 acetylation of IGF1 and GH genes vary widely within different gene regions, and, in almost all regions of the two genes, acetylation levels are lower in the aberrant clone than in the normal clone. Thus we suggest that inefficient epigenetic reprogramming in the clone may affect the balance between acetylation and deacetylation, which will affect normal growth and development. These findings will also have implications for improvement of cloning success rates.