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Cohesin regulation and roles in chromosome structure and function
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2024 Feb 20;85:102159. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2024.102159. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTChromosome structure regulates DNA-templated processes such as transcription of genes. Dynamic changes to chromosome structure occur during development and in disease contexts. The cohesin complex is a molecular motor that regulates chromosome structure by generating DNA loops that bring two distal genomic sites into close spatial proximity. There are many open questions regarding the formation and dissolution of DNA loops, as well as the role(s) of DNA loops in regulating transcription of the interphase genome. This r...
Source: Current Opinion in Genetics and Development - February 21, 2024 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Natalie L Rittenhouse Jill M Dowen Source Type: research

A CTCF-dependent mechanism underlies the Hox timer: relation to a segmented body plan
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2024 Feb 19;85:102160. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2024.102160. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTDuring gastrulation, Hox genes are activated in a time-sequence that follows the order of the genes along their clusters. This property, which is observed in all animals that develop following a progressive rostral-to-caudal morphogenesis, is associated with changes in the chromatin structure and epigenetic profiles of Hox clusters, suggesting a process at least partly based on sequential gene accessibility. Here, we discuss recent work on this issue, as well as a possible mechanism based on the surprising conservation...
Source: Current Opinion in Genetics and Development - February 20, 2024 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Hocine Rekaik Denis Duboule Source Type: research

Corrigendum to: "PRC2 accessory factors: rheostats for cell fate decision?" [Curr Opin Genet Dev 84 (2024) 102137]
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2024 Feb 17;85:102157. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2024.102157. Online ahead of print.NO ABSTRACTPMID:38368740 | DOI:10.1016/j.gde.2024.102157 (Source: Current Opinion in Genetics and Development)
Source: Current Opinion in Genetics and Development - February 18, 2024 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Hina Bharti Sungwook Han Han-Wen Chang Danny Reinberg Source Type: research

Timing neurogenesis: a clock or an algorithm?
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2024 Feb 13;85:102156. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2024.102156. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTEmerging evidence supports the existence of dedicated molecular mechanisms under evolutionary selection to control time during neurogenesis. Here, we briefly review these mechanisms and discuss a potentially useful conceptual framework inspired by computer science to think about how these biological mechanisms operate during brain development and evolution.PMID:38354530 | DOI:10.1016/j.gde.2024.102156 (Source: Current Opinion in Genetics and Development)
Source: Current Opinion in Genetics and Development - February 14, 2024 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Julien Pigeon Bassem A Hassan Source Type: research

Degrees of freedom: temperature's influence on developmental rate
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2024 Feb 8;85:102155. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2024.102155. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTTemperature exerts a fundamental influence across scales of biology, from the biophysical nature of molecules, to the sensitivity of cells, and the coordinated progression of development in embryos. Species-specific developmental rates and temperature-induced acceleration of development indicate that these sensing mechanisms are harnessed to influence developmental dynamics. Tracing how temperature sensitivity propagates through biological scales to influence the pace of development can therefore reveal how embryogenesi...
Source: Current Opinion in Genetics and Development - February 9, 2024 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Jess J Bourn Michael W Dorrity Source Type: research

Toward a comprehensive view of gene architecture during transcription
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2024 Feb 2;85:102154. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2024.102154. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe activation of genes within the nucleus of eukaryotic cells is a tightly regulated process, orchestrated by a complex interplay of various physical properties and interacting factors. Studying the multitude of components and features that collectively contribute to gene activation has proven challenging due to the complexities of simultaneously visualizing the dynamic and transiently interacting elements that coalesce within the small space occupied by each individual gene. However, various labeling and imaging advan...
Source: Current Opinion in Genetics and Development - February 3, 2024 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Marcus A Woodworth Melike Lakadamyali Source Type: research

Role of H3K4 monomethylation in gene regulation
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2024 Feb;84:102153. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2024.102153. Epub 2024 Jan 26.ABSTRACTMethylation of histone H3 on the lysine-4 residue (H3K4me) is found throughout the eukaryotic domain, and its initial discovery as a conserved epigenetic mark of active transcription from yeast to mammalian cells has contributed to the histone code hypothesis. However, recent studies have raised questions on whether the different forms of H3K4me play a direct role in gene regulation or are simply by-products of the transcription process. Here, we review the often-conflicting experimental evidence, focusing on the monomethylati...
Source: Current Opinion in Genetics and Development - January 26, 2024 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Zhaoning Wang Bing Ren Source Type: research

Timing Drosophila development through steroid hormone action
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2024 Feb;84:102148. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2023.102148. Epub 2024 Jan 24.ABSTRACTSpecifically timed pulses of the moulting hormone ecdysone are necessary for developmental progression in insects, guiding development through important milestones such as larval moults, pupation and metamorphosis. It also coordinates the acquisition of cell identities, known as cell patterning, and growth in a tissue-specific manner. In the absence of ecdysone, the ecdysone receptor heterodimer Ecdysone Receptor and Ultraspiracle represses expression of target primary response genes, which become de-repressed as the ecdysone ...
Source: Current Opinion in Genetics and Development - January 25, 2024 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Hannah Morrow Christen K Mirth Source Type: research

Emergence of the circadian clock oscillation during the developmental process in mammals
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2024 Feb;84:102152. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2024.102152. Epub 2024 Jan 23.ABSTRACTThe circadian clocks are cell-autonomous intrinsic oscillators existing throughout the body to coordinate intracellular and intercellular functions of each organ or tissue. The circadian clock oscillation gradually emerges during mid-to-late gestation in the mammalian developmental process. Recently, it has been revealed that the in vitro differentiation of mouse ES cells recapitulates the circadian clock development. Moreover, reprogramming of the cells results in the redisappearance of the clock, indicating that circadian cl...
Source: Current Opinion in Genetics and Development - January 24, 2024 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Kazuhiro Yagita Source Type: research

What are tethering elements?
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2024 Feb;84:102151. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2023.102151. Epub 2024 Jan 18.ABSTRACTHigh-resolution Micro-C maps identified a specialized class of regulatory DNAs termed 'tethering elements' (TEs) in Drosophila. These 300-500-bp elements facilitate specific long-range genomic associations or loops. The POZ-containing transcription factor GAF (GAGA-associated factor) contributes to loop formation. Tether-tether interactions accelerate Hox gene activation by distal enhancers, and coordinate transcription of duplicated genes (paralogs) through promoter-promoter associations. Some TEs engage in ultra-long-range e...
Source: Current Opinion in Genetics and Development - January 18, 2024 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Xiao Li Michael Levine Source Type: research