Selected missense mutations impair frataxin processing in Friedreich ataxia.

OBJECTIVE: Frataxin (FXN) is a highly conserved mitochondrial protein. Reduced FXN levels cause Friedreich ataxia, a recessive neurodegenerative disease. Typical patients carry GAA repeat expansions on both alleles, while a subgroup of patients carry a missense mutation on one allele and a GAA repeat expansion on the other. Here, we report that selected disease-related FXN missense mutations impair FXN localization, interaction with mitochondria processing peptidase, and processing. METHODS: Immunocytochemical studies and subcellular fractionation were performed to study FXN import into the mitochondria and examine the mechanism by which mutations impair FXN processing. Coimmunoprecipitation was performed to study the interaction between FXN and mitochondrial processing peptidase. A proteasome inhibitor was used to model traditional therapeutic strategies. In addition, clinical profiles of subjects with and without point mutations were compared in a large natural history study. RESULTS: FXNI154F and FXNG130V missense mutations decrease FXN 81-210 levels compared with FXNWT, FXNR165C, and FXNW155R, but do not block its association with mitochondria. FXNI154F and FXNG130V also impair FXN maturation and enhance the binding between FXN 42-210 and mitochondria processing peptidase. Furthermore, blocking proteosomal degradation does not increase FXN 81-210 levels. Additionally, impaired FXN processing also occurs in fibroblasts from patients with FXNG130V. Finally, clinical data from patients with FXNG130V and FXNI154F mutations demonstrates a lower severity compared with other individuals with Friedreich ataxia. INTERPRETATION: These data suggest that the effects on processing associated with FXNG130V and FXNI154F mutations lead to higher levels of partially processed FXN, which may contribute to the milder clinical phenotypes in these patients.

Low expression of ASH2L protein correlates with a favorable outcome in acute myeloid leukemia.

ASH2L encodes a trithorax group protein that is a core component of all characterized mammalian histone H3K4 methyltransferase complexes, including mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) complexes. ASH2L protein levels in primary leukemia patient samples have not yet been defined. We analyzed ASH2L protein expression in 511 primary AML patient samples using reverse phase protein array (RPPA) technology. We discovered that ASH2L expression is significantly increased in a subset of patients carrying fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) mutations. Furthermore, we observed that low levels of ASH2L are associated with increased overall survival. We also compared ASH2L levels to the expression of 230 proteins previously analyzed on this array. ASH2L expression was inversely correlated with 32 proteins, mostly involved in cell adhesion and cell cycle inhibition, while a positive correlation was observed for 50 proteins, many of which promote cell proliferation. Together, these results indicate that a lower level of ASH2L protein is beneficial to AML patients.

Establishment and Maintenance of Primary Fibroblast Repositories for Rare Diseases-Friedreich's Ataxia Example.

Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) represents a rare neurodegenerative disease caused by expansion of GAA trinucleotide repeats in the first intron of the FXN gene. The number of GAA repeats in FRDA patients varies from approximately 60 to <1000 and is tightly correlated with age of onset and severity of the disease symptoms. The heterogeneity of Friedreich's ataxia stresses the need for a large cohort of patient samples to conduct studies addressing the mechanism of disease pathogenesis or evaluate novel therapeutic candidates. Herein, we report the establishment and characterization of an FRDA fibroblast repository, which currently includes 50 primary cell lines derived from FRDA patients and seven lines from mutation carriers. These cells are also a source for generating induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines by reprogramming, as well as disease-relevant neuronal, cardiac, and pancreatic cells that can then be differentiated from the iPSCs. All FRDA and carrier lines are derived using a standard operating procedure and characterized to confirm mutation status, as well as expression of FXN mRNA and protein. Consideration and significance of creating disease-focused cell line and tissue repositories, especially in the context of rare and heterogeneous disorders, are presented. Although the economic aspect of creating and maintaining such repositories is important, the benefits of easy access to a collection of well-characterized cell lines for the purpose of drug discovery or disease mechanism studies overshadow the associated costs. Importantly, all FRDA fibroblast cell lines collected in our repository are available to the scientific community.

The role of chromatin modifiers in normal and malignant hematopoiesis.

Complex developmental processes such as hematopoiesis require a series of precise and coordinated changes in cellular identity to ensure blood homeostasis. Epigenetic mechanisms help drive changes in gene expression that accompany the transition from hematopoietic stem cells to terminally differentiated blood cells. Genome-wide profiling technologies now provide valuable glimpses of epigenetic changes that occur during normal hematopoiesis, and genetic mouse models developed to investigate the in vivo functions of chromatin-modifying enzymes clearly demonstrate significant roles for these enzymes during embryonic and adult hematopoiesis. Here, we will review the basic science aspects of chromatin modifications and the enzymes that add, remove, and interpret these epigenetic marks. This overview will provide a framework for understanding the roles that these molecules play during normal hematopoiesis. Moreover, many chromatin-modifying enzymes are involved in hematologic malignancies, underscoring the importance of establishing and maintaining appropriate chromatin modification patterns to normal hematology.

Histone-modifying enzymes: regulators of developmental decisions and drivers of human disease.

Precise transcriptional networks drive the orchestration and execution of complex developmental processes. Transcription factors possessing sequence-specific DNA binding properties activate or repress target genes in a step-wise manner to control most cell lineage decisions. This regulation often requires the interaction between transcription factors and subunits of massive protein complexes that bear enzymatic activities towards histones. The functional coupling of transcription proteins and histone modifiers underscores the importance of transcriptional regulation through chromatin modification in developmental cell fate decisions and in disease pathogenesis.

Protein-arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1) methylates Ash2L, a shared component of mammalian histone H3K4 methyltransferase complexes.

Multiple enzymes and enzymatic complexes coordinately regulate the addition and removal of post-translational modifications on histone proteins. The oncoprotein Ash2L is a component of the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) family members 1-4, Setd1A, and Setd1B mammalian histone H3K4 methyltransferase complexes and is essential to maintain global trimethylation of histone H3K4. However, regulation of these complexes at the level of expression and activity remains poorly understood. In this report, we demonstrate that Ash2L is methylated on arginine residues both in vitro and in cells. We found that both protein-arginine methyltransferases 1 and 5 methylate Arg-296 within Ash2L. These findings are the first to demonstrate that post-translational modifications occur on the Ash2L protein and provide a novel example of cross-talk between chromatin-modifying enzyme complexes.

DNA Methyltransferase protein synthesis is reduced in CXXC finger protein 1-deficient embryonic stem cells.

CXXC finger protein 1 (CFP1) binds to unmethylated CpG dinucleotides and is required for embryogenesis. CFP1 is also a component of the Setd1A and Setd1B histone H3K4 methyltransferase complexes. Murine embryonic stem (ES) cells lacking CFP1 fail to differentiate, and exhibit a 70% reduction in global genomic cytosine methylation and a 50% reduction in DNA methyltransferase (DNMT1) protein and activity. This study investigated the underlying mechanism for reduced DNMT1 expression in CFP1-deficient ES cells. DNMT1 transcript levels were significantly elevated in ES cells lacking CFP1, despite the observed reduction in DNMT1 protein levels. To address the posttranscriptional mechanisms by which CFP1 regulates DNMT1 protein activity, pulse/chase analyses were carried out, demonstrating a modest reduction in DNMT1 protein half-life in CFP1-deficient ES cells. Additionally, global protein synthesis was decreased in ES cells lacking CFP1, contributing to a reduction in the synthesis of DNMT1 protein. ES cells lacking CFP1 were found to contain elevated levels of phosphorylated eIF2alpha, and an accompanying reduction in translation initiation as revealed by a lower level of polyribosomes. These results reveal a novel role for CFP1 in the regulation of translation initiation, and indicate that loss of CFP1 function leads to decreased DNMT1 protein synthesis and half-life.

PAGE separation of hemi-methylated or unmethylated oligonucleotide substrates to distinguish between maintenance and de novo DNA methyltranferase activity.

DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) enzymes catalyze the addition of a methyl group to cytosine residues in DNA. Appropriate cytosine methylation of CpG dinucleotides is required for normal mammalian development and homeostasis, and quantitative methods are necessary to assess DNMT activity in various cell extracts. The method described in this report utilizes incorporation of S-[methyl-(3)H]-adenosyl-L-methionine into hemi-methylated or unmethylated oligonucleotides to distinguish between maintenance and de novo DNMT activity, respectively. However, unlike previously described methods, this protocol uses native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to detect the incorporation of radioactivity into substrate oligonucleotides. This approach distinguishes between incorporation of radioactivity into target substrate oligonucleotides and incorporation into non-specific cellular DNA that often contaminates nuclear extracts, and permits the reproducible quantitation and comparison of de novo and maintenance DNMT activities in various cell lines. Electrophoretic separation of the methylated substrates is a cost-effective, specific, and reproducible approach to quantitate DNMT activities in nuclear extracts.