James Jaynes

TitleProfessor
InstitutionThomas Jefferson University
DepartmentBiochem & Molecular Biology
Address1020 Locust St.
Philadelphia PA 19107
Phone215-503-4778
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    Current work in the laboratory of James B. Jaynes is focused on understanding two major aspects of nuclear genome regulation in eukaryotic organisms that affect genome organization in 3 dimensions. We and others have shown that these regulatory systems have a major impact on the packaging and utilization of the genome. The first is repression (and sometimes activation) of gene expression through structural changes in chromatin by the Polycomb group of chromatin regulators, which work in part through modification of histone side chains. The second is the organization of chromosomal loops by chromatin insulators, which impacts several aspects of chromosome function. These include gene expression (by either facilitating or blocking interactions between enhancers and promoters), DNA recombination and repair (by influencing which linearly distant DNA sequences are accessible to each other and which are not), chromatin compaction during mitosis and meiosis, and epigenetic maintenance of gene expression. Insulators may facilitate epigenetic maintenance by helping to keep sister chromatids aligned following DNA replication, thereby allowing histone modifications, such as those propagated by the Polycomb group, to be faithfully templated from one cellular generation to the next.

    We are analyzing how long-range repression and activation occur over an entire genetic locus, even skipped (eve), and its genomic neighborhood, through the regulation of chromatin structure. The eve gene is flanked by insulators (called homie and nhomie) that functionally isolate it from neighboring genes. Along with Polycomb-group response elements, they maintain both the activated and repressed state within different developing lineages of cells. Both of these kinds of elements function in a variety of genes, and in mammals as well as in Drosophila, to regulate developmental processes such as stem cell maintenance and differentiation. Understanding the mechanisms will provide novel ways to attack cancer, which is caused in large part by mis-regulation of gene expression and chromatin structure.

    Another focus of the laboratory has been to understand the biochemical basis of combinatorial control of gene transcription by DNA binding proteins. Embryos regulate their growth and development in many ways, but control of gene transcription is essential for directing cells along particular developmental pathways. In Drosophila, a cascade of nuclear regulatory events establishes very early differences in cell fates by producing intricate patterns of gene expression. Many of these pattern-forming genes encode DNA binding proteins that regulate each others expression, and subsequently instruct the rest of the genome in a manner appropriate to each position in the organism. These regulatory proteins are conserved across the evolutionary distance separating flies and humans. This applies to both their primary structure, implying similarity in mechanism, and often their developmental function. That is, the regulatory scheme in which they function solves a common problem of developing multi-cellular organisms. Our current studies revolve around understanding specific mechanisms of two types: first, which gene products interact directly with which genes and other gene products, and second, how this impinges on transcriptional regulation and, relatedly, the stability of the epigenome.

    My laboratory studies the regulation and function of two homeodomain-containing proteins. The homeodomain is a highly conserved sequence-specific DNA binding domain found in transcriptional regulators from yeast to humans. One of these, Engrailed (En), is a potent repressor of transcription that recruits the corepressor Groucho, a homolog of the TLE family of mammalian cofactors. We study interactions between En and the Pbx and Meis/PREP families of Hox protein cofactors, which serve to increase its DNA-binding specificity and thereby direct it to particular target genes. The interaction with En confers a novel activity on the Meis/PREP-Pbx complex (in Drosophila, Hth-Exd), that of transcriptional repression. Our analysis focuses on the biochemical interactions among these factors, and on the functional consequences of altering those interactions.

    Even-skipped (Eve) is another homeodomain transcription factor that regulates developmental processes in a highly conserved fashion. Eve, like En, uses both Groucho-dependent and -independent mechanisms to repress transcription. The combinatorial regulation of gene expression by the homeodomain superfamily of transcription factors serves as a paradigm for understanding how cell-type specificity and intercellular signaling are integrated by DNA elements in all eukaryotic organisms.

    In a collaborative project with the Alex Mazo laboratory, we are studying the functions of the novel histone methyltransferase Trithorax-related (TRR). These studies reveal that this protein is a coactivator of the nuclear receptor complex of EcR-USP, acting in conjunction with ecdysone to up-regulate hedgehog gene expression during morphogenetic furrow progression in Drosophila eye development. This is the first H3-K4 methylase known to be directly involved in steroid hormone-regulated gene expression.

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    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.
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    1. Bing X, Ke W, Fujioka M, Kurbidaeva A, Levitt S, Levine M, Schedl P, Jaynes JB. Chromosome structure in Drosophila is determined by boundary pairing not loop extrusion. Elife. 2024 Aug 07; 13. PMID: 39110499.
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    2. Ke W, Fujioka M, Schedl P, Jaynes JB. Stem-loop and circle-loop TADs generated by directional pairing of boundary elements have distinct physical and regulatory properties. Elife. 2024 Aug 07; 13. PMID: 39110491.
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    3. Rappaport JA, Entezari AA, Caspi A, Caksa S, Jhaveri AV, Stanek TJ, Ertel A, Kupper J, Fortina PM, McMahon SB, Jaynes JB, Snook AE, Waldman SA. A ß-Catenin-TCF-Sensitive Locus Control Region Mediates GUCY2C Ligand Loss in Colorectal Cancer. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021 Dec 22. PMID: 34954189.
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    4. Guerrero-Santoro J, Khor JM, Açikbas AH, Jaynes JB, Ettensohn CA. Analysis of the DNA-binding properties of Alx1, an evolutionarily conserved regulator of skeletogenesis in echinoderms. J Biol Chem. 2021 07; 297(1):100901. PMID: 34157281.
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    5. Fujioka M, Nezdyur A, Jaynes JB. An insulator blocks access to enhancers by an illegitimate promoter, preventing repression by transcriptional interference. PLoS Genet. 2021 Apr; 17(4):e1009536. PMID: 33901190.
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    6. De S, Gehred ND, Fujioka M, Chan FW, Jaynes JB, Kassis JA. Defining the Boundaries of Polycomb Domains in Drosophila. Genetics. 2020 Nov; 216(3):689-700. PMID: 32948625.
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    7. Chen H, Levo M, Barinov L, Fujioka M, Jaynes JB, Gregor T. Dynamic interplay between enhancer-promoter topology and gene activity. Nat Genet. 2018 Sep; 50(9):1296-1303. PMID: 30038397.
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    8. Peacock J, Jaynes JB. Using competition assays to quantitatively model cooperative binding by transcription factors and other ligands. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2017 Jul 31. PMID: 28774855.
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    9. Chetverina D, Fujioka M, Erokhin M, Georgiev P, Jaynes JB, Schedl P. Bioessays 39(3) 2017. Boundaries of loop domains (insulators): Determinants of chromosome form and function in multicellular eukaryotes. 2017; 39(3):doi: 10.1002/bies.201600233. View Publication.
    10. Chetverina D, Fujioka M, Erokhin M, Georgiev P, Jaynes JB, Schedl P. Boundaries of loop domains (insulators): Determinants of chromosome form and function in multicellular eukaryotes. Bioessays. 2017 Mar; 39(3). PMID: 28133765.
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    11. Fujioka M, Mistry H, Schedl P, Jaynes JB. Determinants of Chromosome Architecture: Insulator Pairing in cis and in trans. PLoS Genet. 2016 Feb; 12(2):e1005889. PMID: 26910731.
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    12. Lacin H, Rusch J, Yeh RT, Fujioka M, Wilson BA, Zhu Y, Robie AA, Mistry H, Wang T, Jaynes JB, Skeath JB. Genome-wide identification of Drosophila Hb9 targets reveals a pivotal role in directing the transcriptome within eight neuronal lineages, including activation of Nitric oxide synthase and Fd59a/Fox-D. Dev Biol. 2014 Apr 1; 388(1):117-33. PMID: 24512689.
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    13. Fujioka M, Sun G, Jaynes JB. The Drosophila eve Insulator Homie Promotes eve Expression and Protects the Adjacent Gene from Repression by Polycomb Spreading. PLoS Genet. 2013 Oct; 9(10):e1003883. PMID: 24204298.
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    14. Fujioka M, Gebelein B, Cofer ZC, Mann RS, Jaynes JB. Engrailed cooperates directly with Extradenticle and Homothorax on a distinct class of homeodomain binding sites to repress sloppy paired. Dev Biol. 2012 Jun 15; 366(2):382-92. PMID: 22537495.
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    15. Fujioka M, Jaynes JB. Regulation of a duplicated locus: Drosophila sloppy paired is replete with functionally overlapping enhancers. Dev Biol. 2012 Feb 15; 362(2):309-19. PMID: 22178246.
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    16. Johnston DM, Sedkov Y, Petruk S, Riley KM, Fujioka M, Jaynes JB, Mazo A. Ecdysone- and NO-mediated gene regulation by competing EcR/Usp and E75A nuclear receptors during Drosophila development. Mol Cell. 2011 Oct 7; 44(1):51-61. PMID: 21981918.
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    17. Fujioka M, Wu X, Jaynes JB. A chromatin insulator mediates transgene homing and very long-range enhancer-promoter communication. Development. 2009 Sep; 136(18):3077-87. PMID: 19675129.
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    18. Fujioka M, Yusibova GL, Zhou J, Jaynes JB. The DNA-binding Polycomb-group protein Pleiohomeotic maintains both active and repressed transcriptional states through a single site. Development. 2008 Dec; 135(24):4131-9. PMID: 19029043.
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    19. Petruk S, Sedkov Y, Riley KM, Hodgson J, Schweisguth F, Hirose S, Jaynes JB, Brock HW, Mazo A. Transcription of bxd noncoding RNAs promoted by trithorax represses Ubx in cis by transcriptional interference. Cell. 2006 Dec 15; 127(6):1209-21. PMID: 17174895.
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    20. Fujioka M, Wessells RJ, Han Z, Liu J, Fitzgerald K, Yusibova GL, Zamora M, Ruiz-Lozano P, Bodmer R, Jaynes JB. Embryonic even skipped-dependent muscle and heart cell fates are required for normal adult activity, heart function, and lifespan. Circ Res. 2005 Nov 25; 97(11):1108-14. PMID: 16239588.
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    21. Jaynes JB, Fujioka M. Drawing lines in the sand: even skipped et al. and parasegment boundaries. Dev Biol. 2004 May 15; 269(2):609-22. PMID: 15110723.
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    22. Landgraf M, Jeffrey V, Fujioka M, Jaynes JB, Bate M. Embryonic origins of a motor system: motor dendrites form a myotopic map in Drosophila. PLoS Biol. 2003 Nov; 1(2):E41. PMID: 14624243.
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    23. Sedkov Y, Cho E, Petruk S, Cherbas L, Smith ST, Jones RS, Cherbas P, Canaani E, Jaynes JB, Mazo A. Methylation at lysine 4 of histone H3 in ecdysone-dependent development of Drosophila. Nature. 2003 Nov 6; 426(6962):78-83. PMID: 14603321.
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    24. McDonald JA, Fujioka M, Odden JP, Jaynes JB, Doe CQ. Specification of motoneuron fate in Drosophila: integration of positive and negative transcription factor inputs by a minimal eve enhancer. J Neurobiol. 2003 Nov; 57(2):193-203. PMID: 14556285.
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    25. Fujioka M, Lear BC, Landgraf M, Yusibova GL, Zhou J, Riley KM, Patel NH, Jaynes JB. Even-skipped, acting as a repressor, regulates axonal projections in Drosophila. Development. 2003 Nov; 130(22):5385-400. PMID: 13129849.
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    26. Kobayashi M, Fujioka M, Tolkunova EN, Deka D, Abu-Shaar M, Mann RS, Jaynes JB. Engrailed cooperates with extradenticle and homothorax to repress target genes in Drosophila. Development. 2003 Feb; 130(4):741-51. PMID: 12506004.
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    27. Han Z, Fujioka M, Su M, Liu M, Jaynes JB, Bodmer R. Transcriptional integration of competence modulated by mutual repression generates cell-type specificity within the cardiogenic mesoderm. Dev Biol. 2002 Dec 15; 252(2):225-40. PMID: 12482712.
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    28. Fujioka M, Yusibova GL, Patel NH, Brown SJ, Jaynes JB. The repressor activity of Even-skipped is highly conserved, and is sufficient to activate engrailed and to regulate both the spacing and stability of parasegment boundaries. Development. 2002 Oct; 129(19):4411-21. PMID: 12223400.
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    29. Americo J, Whiteley M, Brown JL, Fujioka M, Jaynes JB, Kassis JA. A complex array of DNA-binding proteins required for pairing-sensitive silencing by a polycomb group response element from the Drosophila engrailed gene. Genetics. 2002 Apr; 160(4):1561-71. PMID: 11973310.
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    30. Srinivasula SM, Datta P, Kobayashi M, Wu JW, Fujioka M, Hegde R, Zhang Z, Mukattash R, Fernandes-Alnemri T, Shi Y, Jaynes JB, Alnemri ES. sickle, a novel Drosophila death gene in the reaper/hid/grim region, encodes an IAP-inhibitory protein. Curr Biol. 2002 Jan 22; 12(2):125-30. PMID: 11818063.
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