RNA Biomedical Institute, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518107, China.
Nat Commun. 2024 Apr 1;15(1):2813. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-47048-3.
CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF), a ubiquitously expressed and highly conserved protein, is known to play a critical role in chromatin structure. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) diversify the functions of protein to regulate numerous cellular processes. However, the effects of PTMs on the genome-wide binding of CTCF and the organization of three-dimensional (3D) chromatin structure have not been fully understood. In this study, we uncovered the PTM profiling of CTCF and demonstrated that CTCF can be O-GlcNAcylated and arginine methylated. Functionally, we demonstrated that O-GlcNAcylation inhibits CTCF binding to chromatin. Meanwhile, deficiency of CTCF O-GlcNAcylation results in the disruption of loop domains and the alteration of chromatin loops associated with cellular development. Furthermore, the deficiency of CTCF O-GlcNAcylation increases the expression of developmental genes and negatively regulates maintenance and establishment of stem cell pluripotency. In conclusion, these results provide key insights into the role of PTMs for the 3D chromatin structure.
CCCTC 结合因子(CTCF)是一种广泛表达且高度保守的蛋白,已知在染色质结构中发挥关键作用。翻译后修饰(PTMs)使蛋白质的功能多样化,从而调节许多细胞过程。然而,PTMs 对 CTCF 的全基因组结合和三维(3D)染色质结构的组织的影响尚未完全理解。在这项研究中,我们揭示了 CTCF 的 PTM 谱,并表明 CTCF 可以被 O-GlcNAc 化和精氨酸甲基化。功能上,我们证明了 O-GlcNAc 化抑制 CTCF 与染色质的结合。同时,CTCF O-GlcNAc 化的缺乏会导致环域的破坏和与细胞发育相关的染色质环的改变。此外,CTCF O-GlcNAc 化的缺乏会增加发育基因的表达,并负调控维持和建立干细胞多能性。总之,这些结果为 PTMs 在 3D 染色质结构中的作用提供了重要的见解。