Repurposing of the enhancer-promoter communication underlies the compensation of Mesp2 by Mesp1

PLoS Genet. 2022 Jan 13;18(1):e1010000. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010000. eCollection 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Organisms are inherently equipped with buffering systems against genetic perturbations. Genetic compensation, the compensatory response by upregulating another gene or genes, is one such buffering mechanism. Recently, a well-conserved compensatory mechanism was proposed: transcriptional adaptation of homologs under the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay pathways. However, this model cannot explain the onset of all compensatory events. We report a novel genetic compensation mechanism operating over the Mesp gene locus. Mesp1 and Mesp2 are paralogs located adjacently in the genome. Mesp2 loss is partially rescued by Mesp1 upregulation in the presomitic mesoderm (PSM). Using a cultured PSM induction system, we reproduced the compensatory response in vitro and found that the Mesp2-enhancer is required to promote Mesp1. We revealed that the Mesp2-enhancer directly interacts with the Mesp1 promoter, thereby upregulating Mesp1 expression upon the loss of Mesp2. Of note, this interaction is established by genomic arrangement upon PSM development independently of Mesp2 disruption. We propose that the repurposing of this established enhancer-promoter communication is the mechanism underlying this compensatory response for the upregulation of the adjacent gene.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors / genetics*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Dosage Compensation, Genetic
  • Enhancer Elements, Genetic
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Mice
  • Nonsense Mediated mRNA Decay
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Somites / cytology*
  • Somites / metabolism

Substances

  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
  • Mesp1 protein, mouse
  • Mesp2 protein, mouse

Grants and funding

This work was supported by NIG Postdoctoral Research Fellow grant 2018 (to HI) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI grants 19K16152 (to HI). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.