Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Nat Genet. 2022 Feb;54(2):202-212. doi: 10.1038/s41588-021-01008-5. Epub 2022 Feb 10.
CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is critical to three-dimensional genome organization. Upon differentiation, CTCF insulates active and repressed genes within Hox gene clusters. We conducted a genome-wide CRISPR knockout (KO) screen to identify genes required for CTCF-boundary activity at the HoxA cluster, complemented by biochemical approaches. Among the candidates, we identified Myc-associated zinc-finger protein (MAZ) as a cofactor in CTCF insulation. MAZ colocalizes with CTCF at chromatin borders and, similar to CTCF, interacts with the cohesin subunit RAD21. MAZ KO disrupts gene expression and local contacts within topologically associating domains. Similar to CTCF motif deletions, MAZ motif deletions lead to derepression of posterior Hox genes immediately after CTCF boundaries upon differentiation, giving rise to homeotic transformations in mouse. Thus, MAZ is a factor contributing to appropriate insulation, gene expression and genomic architecture during development.
CCCTC 结合因子(CTCF)对三维基因组组织至关重要。在分化过程中,CTCF 将 Hox 基因簇内的活性和抑制基因隔离开来。我们进行了全基因组 CRISPR 敲除(KO)筛选,以鉴定在 HoxA 簇中与 CTCF 边界活性相关的基因,并用生化方法进行补充。在候选基因中,我们鉴定出与 Myc 相关的锌指蛋白(MAZ)作为 CTCF 隔离的辅助因子。MAZ 与 CTCF 在染色质边界处共定位,并且与 CTCF 一样,与黏合蛋白亚基 RAD21 相互作用。MAZ KO 破坏了拓扑关联域内的基因表达和局部接触。类似于 CTCF 基序缺失,MAZ 基序缺失导致分化后 CTCF 边界处的后 Hox 基因立即去抑制,导致小鼠发生同源异位转化。因此,MAZ 是在发育过程中有助于适当隔离、基因表达和基因组结构的一个因素。