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Global Reprogramming of Apoptosis-Related Genes during Brain Development
Wei Jiang1, Liang Chen1, Sika Zheng2
1Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
Cells
|November 27, 2021
Summary
Mammalian neurons globally reprogram apoptosis-related gene expression during development. This involves epigenetic changes, specifically decreasing histone-3-lysine-4-trimethylation (H3K4me3) and losing repressive histone-3-lysine-27-trimethylation (H3K27me3) marks, to control neuronal cell death.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Epigenetics
Background:
- Mammalian adult neurons possess unique apoptosis competence for long-term survival.
- The global reprogramming of apoptotic gene expression in developing neurons remains largely uncharacterized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically examine the in vivo expression of apoptosis-related genes and associated histone modifications during mouse brain development.
- To elucidate the epigenetic mechanisms governing the developmental regulation of apoptosis in neurons.
Main Methods:
- In vivo analysis of 1923 apoptosis-related genes and histone modifications (H3K4me3, H3K27me3) across eight developmental ages in mouse brains.
- Correlation of gene expression patterns with epigenetic marks in different brain regions (forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain).
Main Results:
- Most apoptosis-related genes showed consistent temporal expression patterns across brain regions, indicating widespread developmental reprogramming.
- Downregulation of pro-apoptotic genes, including initiator caspases and Bcl-2 family members, was a major regulatory event.
- Developmental downregulation of apoptotic genes correlated with decreasing H3K4me3 marks at promoters, while gene upregulation was associated with the loss of H3K27me3 marks.
Conclusions:
- Developing neurons globally alter apoptotic gene expression through distinct epigenetic mechanisms (H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 modifications) to refine apoptosis control.
- Neuronal maturation stage is a critical biological variable to consider in research on neuronal cell death.
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