Dicer loss and recovery induce an oncogenic switch driven by transcriptional activation of the oncofetal Imp1–3 family

MicroRNAs(miRNAs) are post-transcriptional regulators of gene expressioncritical for organismal viability. Changes inmiRNAactivity arecommonin cancer, buthowthese changes relate to subsequent alterations in transcription and the process of tumorigenesis is not well understood. Here, we report a deep transcriptional, oncogenic network regulated bymiRNAs. Wepresent analysis of the gene expression and phenotypic changes associated with globalmiRNA restoration in miRNA-deficient fibroblasts. This analysis uncovers a miRNA-repressed network containing oncofetal genesImp1, Imp2, and Imp3(Imp1–3) that is up-regulated primarily transcriptionally > 100-fold uponDicer loss and is resistant to resilencing by complete restoration of miRNA activity. This Dicer-resistant epigenetic switch confers tumorigenicity to these cells. Let-7 targets Imp1–3 are required for this tumorigenicity and feed back to reinforce and sustain expression of the oncogenic network. Together, these Dicer-resistant genes constitute an mRNA expression signature that is present in numerous human cancers and is associated with poor survival.United States. Public Health Service (Grant R01CA133404)National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (Grant P01CA42063)Marie D. and Pierre Casimir-Lamber

Dicer loss induces an oncogenic epigenetic switch in mesenchymal stem cells

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology, 2016.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. Vita.Includes bibliographical references.MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are post-transcriptional regulators that tune gene expression. Despite the modest 2-fold repression that miRNA activity generally confers on a target, miRNAs are critical for many biological processes including development and differentiation. Due to this mild repression directly conferred by miRNA activity, miRNAs coordinate with other regulators such as transcription factors to shape the gene expression landscape and phenotypes of a cell. To understand the function of global miRNA activity in regulating the specification of the somatic state, we deleted Dicer in a murine mesenchymal stem cell model. Upon exploring the consequences of Dicer deletion, we identify a specific let-7 regulated mid-embryonic program within the global de-repression of miRNA targets accompanying Dicer loss. We further observe within the landscape of let-7 regulated targets, an activation of greater than 50-fold of known oncofetal (Igf2bp1/2/3) genes, an effect much greater than that typically reported for miRNA-mRNA interactions. This suggests a requirement of let-7 for the continual suppression of mid-embryonic programs in adult cells. To investigate the regulation of these oncofetal genes, we restored miRNAs through re-expression of Dicer. Despite complete reconstitution of the posttranscriptional activity of miRNAs, the activated oncofetal genes are incompletely suppressed. Igf2bp1-3 are components of a larger set of irreversible oncogenes whose chromatin signature indicate that they are transcriptionally activated upon Dicer deletion. This transcriptional activation is maintained, despite miRNA restoration in Dicer rescued cells. Consistent with this expression pattern, Dicer rescued cells are able to form tumors in mice, a phenotype absent in the parental wild-type and Dicer knockout cells. Moreover, the irreversible gene set is amplified in human cancers and is predictive of patient survival indicating that our observations are relevant to human disease. Finally, we develop a computational method to decipher the indirect, transcription factor mediated effects of miRNAs on gene expression. Through comprehensive analysis of ChIP-Seq, CLIP-Seq and RNA-Seq datasets, we quantitatively assess the relative contributions of direct posttranscriptional miRNA activity and transcriptional activity on gene expression changes resulting from Dicer deletion. We find that transcriptional changes contribute significantly to perturbations in gene expression resulting from global miRNA loss upon Dicer deletion. In summary, our work expands the current knowledge of fundamental roles for miRNAs in differentiated mammalian cells. As further work builds on our observations, the increased understanding of miRNA-mediated regulation will inform therapeutic strategies for human disease.by Courtney K. JnBaptiste.Ph. D

Elucidating MicroRNA Regulatory Networks Using Transcriptional, Post-transcriptional, and Histone Modification Measurements

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate diverse biological processes by repressing mRNAs, but their modest effects on direct targets, together with their participation in larger regulatory networks, make it challenging to delineate miRNA-mediated effects. Here, we describe an approach to characterizing miRNA-regulatory networks by systematically profiling transcriptional, post-transcriptional and epigenetic activity in a pair of isogenic murine fibroblast cell lines with and without Dicer expression. By RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and CLIP (crosslinking followed by immunoprecipitation) sequencing (CLIP-seq), we found that most of the changes induced by global miRNA loss occur at the level of transcription. We then introduced a network modeling approach that integrated these data with epigenetic data to identify specific miRNA-regulated transcription factors that explain the impact of miRNA perturbation on gene expression. In total, we demonstrate that combining multiple genome-wide datasets spanning diverse regulatory modes enables accurate delineation of the downstream miRNA-regulated transcriptional network and establishes a model for studying similar networks in other systems.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant U54-CA112967)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01-GM089903)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant U01-CA184898)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01-CA133404)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant PO1-CA042063)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant RO1-GM34277)National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (Koch Institute Support (Core) Grant P30-CA14051)Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America (Grant 5198-09

Dicer loss and recovery induce an oncogenic switch driven by transcriptional activation of the oncofetal Imp1–3 family

MicroRNAs(miRNAs) are post-transcriptional regulators of gene expressioncritical for organismal viability. Changes inmiRNAactivity arecommonin cancer, buthowthese changes relate to subsequent alterations in transcription and the process of tumorigenesis is not well understood. Here, we report a deep transcriptional, oncogenic network regulated bymiRNAs. Wepresent analysis of the gene expression and phenotypic changes associated with globalmiRNA restoration in miRNA-deficient fibroblasts. This analysis uncovers a miRNA-repressed network containing oncofetal genesImp1, Imp2, and Imp3(Imp1–3) that is up-regulated primarily transcriptionally > 100-fold uponDicer loss and is resistant to resilencing by complete restoration of miRNA activity. This Dicer-resistant epigenetic switch confers tumorigenicity to these cells. Let-7 targets Imp1–3 are required for this tumorigenicity and feed back to reinforce and sustain expression of the oncogenic network. Together, these Dicer-resistant genes constitute an mRNA expression signature that is present in numerous human cancers and is associated with poor survival.United States. Public Health Service (Grant R01CA133404)National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (Grant P01CA42063)Marie D. and Pierre Casimir-Lamber

Elucidating MicroRNA Regulatory Networks Using Transcriptional, Post-transcriptional, and Histone Modification Measurements

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate diverse biological processes by repressing mRNAs, but their modest effects on direct targets, together with their participation in larger regulatory networks, make it challenging to delineate miRNA-mediated effects. Here, we describe an approach to characterizing miRNA-regulatory networks by systematically profiling transcriptional, post-transcriptional and epigenetic activity in a pair of isogenic murine fibroblast cell lines with and without Dicer expression. By RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and CLIP (crosslinking followed by immunoprecipitation) sequencing (CLIP-seq), we found that most of the changes induced by global miRNA loss occur at the level of transcription. We then introduced a network modeling approach that integrated these data with epigenetic data to identify specific miRNA-regulated transcription factors that explain the impact of miRNA perturbation on gene expression. In total, we demonstrate that combining multiple genome-wide datasets spanning diverse regulatory modes enables accurate delineation of the downstream miRNA-regulated transcriptional network and establishes a model for studying similar networks in other systems