Repository logo
 

The HUSH complex cooperates with TRIM28 to repress young retrotransposons and new genes.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Robbez-Masson, Luisa 
Tie, Christopher HC 
Conde, Lucia 
Tunbak, Hale 
Husovsky, Connor 

Abstract

Retrotransposons encompass half of the human genome and contribute to the formation of heterochromatin, which provides nuclear structure and regulates gene expression. Here, we asked if the human silencing hub (HUSH) complex is necessary to silence retrotransposons and whether it collaborates with TRIM28 and the chromatin remodeler ATRX at specific genomic loci. We show that the HUSH complex contributes to de novo repression and DNA methylation of a SVA retrotransposon reporter. By using naïve vs. primed mouse pluripotent stem cells, we reveal a critical role for the HUSH complex in naïve cells, implicating it in programming epigenetic marks in development. While the HUSH component FAM208A binds to endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) and long interspersed element-1s (LINE-1s or L1s), it is mainly required to repress evolutionarily young L1s (mouse-specific lineages less than 5 million years old). TRIM28, in contrast, is necessary to repress both ERVs and young L1s. Genes co-repressed by TRIM28 and FAM208A are evolutionarily young, or exhibit tissue-specific expression, are enriched in young L1s and display evidence for regulation through LTR promoters. Finally, we demonstrate that the HUSH complex is also required to repress L1 elements in human cells. Overall, these data indicate that the HUSH complex and TRIM28 co-repress young retrotransposons and new genes rewired by retrotransposon non-coding DNA.

Description

Keywords

Animals, DNA Methylation, Endogenous Retroviruses, Genome, Human, Heterochromatin, Humans, Long Interspersed Nucleotide Elements, Mice, Nuclear Proteins, Promoter Regions, Genetic, Retroelements, Tripartite Motif-Containing Protein 28

Journal Title

Genome Research

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1088-9051
1549-5469

Volume Title

28

Publisher

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (101835/Z/13/Z)
Wellcome Trust (210688/Z/18/Z)
This work was supported through a Sir Henry Dale Fellowship jointly funded by the Wellcome Trust and Royal Society (Grant number 101200/Z/13/Z) awarded to HMR, a Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellowship to PJL (101835/Z/13/Z), and a Wellcome Trust PhD studentship to IAT. Additional funding was through UCL including an Athena SWAN Infection and Immunity maternity fund award to HMR. CHCT is funded through a UCL Grand Challenges Studentship.