Biology subjects

Chan, W.-L.

Publications and source records attributed to Chan, W.-L..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Enhancer adoption by an LTR retrotransposongenerates viral-like particles causingdevelopmental limb phenotypes

Mammalian genomes are scattered with transposable elements (TEs). TEs are epigenetically silenced to prevent harmful effects caused by either global activation leading to genome instability or insertional mutation disturbing gene transcription. However, whether the activation of a single element can contribute to pathological phenotypes without directly affecting gene expression is largely unknown. Here, we show that tissue-specific expression of a TE in the embryo leads to the production of viral-like particles (VLPs) which can affect organ formation. Failure to silence an LTR retrotransposon inserted upstream of the Fgf8 gene results in its co-expression with Fgf8 in the developing embryo. While local gene regulation is unaffected, the LTR retrotransposon participates in chromatin folding at the locus and adopts the expression of the regulatory domain it is located in. This drives the production of VLPs in the Fgf8-expressing cells of the developing limb, triggering apoptotic cell death at the time of digit outgrowth and resulting in a limb malformation resembling human ectrodactyly. This phenotype can be rescued by knock-out or knock-in of the retrotransposon causing mutations preventing its full retroviral cycle. Insertion of the same element at other developmental loci faithfully recapitulates expression according to the neighboring regulatory activity. Our findings provide a mechanism by which TE insertion is incorporated into the local genomic regulatory landscape and show how VLP production in post-implantation embryos can interfere with organ formation.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Single cell, whole embryo phenotyping of pleiotropic disorders of mammalian development

Mouse models are a critical tool for studying human diseases, particularly developmental disorders, as well as for advancing our general understanding of mammalian biology. However, it has long been suspected that conventional approaches for phenotyping are insufficiently sensitive to detect subtle defects throughout the developing mouse. Here we set out to establish single cell RNA sequencing (sc-RNA-seq) of the whole embryo as a scalable platform for the systematic molecular and cellular phenotyping of mouse genetic models. We applied combinatorial indexing-based sc-RNA-seq to profile 101 embryos of 26 genotypes at embryonic stage E13.5, altogether profiling gene expression in over 1.6M nuclei. The 26 genotypes include 22 mouse mutants representing a range of anticipated severities, from established multisystem disorders to deletions of individual enhancers, as well as the 4 wildtype backgrounds on which these mutants reside. We developed and applied several analytical frameworks for detecting differences in composition and/or gene expression across 52 cell types or trajectories. Some mutants exhibited changes in dozens of trajectories (e.g., the pleiotropic consequences of altering the Sox9 regulatory landscape) whereas others showed phenotypes affecting specific subsets of cells. We also identify differences between widely used wildtype strains, compare phenotyping of gain vs. loss of function mutants, and characterise deletions of topological associating domain (TAD) boundaries. Intriguingly, even among these 22 mutants, some changes are shared by heretofore unrelated models, suggesting that developmental pleiotropy might be "decomposable" through further scaling of this approach. Overall, our findings show how single cell profiling of whole embryos can enable the systematic molecular and cellular phenotypic characterization of mouse mutants with unprecedented breadth and resolution.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2019

Functional dissection of TADs reveals non-essential and instructive roles in regulating gene expression

The genome is organized in megabase-sized three-dimensional units, called Topologically Associated Domains (TADs), that are separated by boundaries. TADs bring distant cis-regulatory elements into proximity, a process dependent on the cooperative action of cohesin and the DNA binding factor CTCF. Surprisingly, genome-wide depletion of CTCF has little effect on transcription, yet structural variations affecting TADs have been shown to cause gene misexpression and congenital disease. Here, we investigate TAD function in vivo in mice by systematically editing components of TAD organization at the Sox9/Kcnj locus. We find that TADs are formed by a redundant system of CTCF sites requiring the removal of all major sites within the TAD and at the boundary for two neighboring TADs to fuse. TAD fusion resulted in leakage of regulatory activity from the Sox9 to the Kcnj TAD, but no major changes in gene expression. This indicates that TAD structures provide robustness and precision, but are not essential for developmental gene regulation. Gene misexpression and resulting disease phenotypes, however, were attained by re-directing regulatory activity through inversions and/or the re-positioning of boundaries. Thus, efficient re-wiring of enhancer promoter interaction and aberrant disease causing gene activation is not induced by a mere loss of insulation but requires the re-direction of contacts.

genetics↗