Emergence of the ZNF675 Gene During Primate Evolution–Influenced Human Neurodevelopment Through Changing HES1 Autoregulation

• Published in: Journal of comparative neurology (1911) 2024-07, Vol.532 (7), p.e25648-n/a
• Main Authors: Lodewijk, Gerrald A., Geus, Matthijs, Guimarães, Rita L. F. P., Jacobs, Frank M. J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors - genetics; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors - metabolism; Biological Evolution; Brain; brain disorder; Chromosome 19; Copy number; DNA Copy Number Variations - genetics; Epigenetics; Evolutionary genetics; Gene deletion; Gene duplication; Gene regulation; Gene silencing; Genes; genomic evolution; Homeostasis - genetics; Homeostasis - physiology; Humans; KRAB zinc‐finger genes; Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors - genetics; Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors - metabolism; Mice; Monkeys & apes; Neural stem cells; Neurodevelopment; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Neurological diseases; notch signaling; Organoids; Phenotypes; Primates - genetics; Repressors; Transcription Factor HES-1 - genetics; Transcription Factor HES-1 - metabolism; Transcription factors; Zinc finger proteins
• ISSN: 0021-9967; 1096-9861; 1096-9861
• DOI: 10.1002/cne.25648

ABSTRACT In this study, we investigated recurrent copy number variations (CNVs) in the 19p12 locus, which are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. The two genes in this locus, ZNF675 and ZNF681, arose via gene duplication in primates, and their presence in several pathological CNVs in the human population suggests that either or both of these genes are required for normal human brain development. ZNF675 and ZNF681 are members of the Krüppel‐associated box zinc finger (KZNF) protein family, a class of transcriptional repressors important for epigenetic silencing of specific genomic regions. About 170 primate‐specific KZNFs are present in the human genome. Although KZNFs are primarily associated with repressing retrotransposon‐derived DNA, evidence is emerging that they can be co‐opted for other gene regulatory processes. We show that genetic deletion of ZNF675 causes developmental defects in cortical organoids, and our data suggest that part of the observed neurodevelopmental phenotype is mediated by a gene regulatory role of ZNF675 on the promoter of the neurodevelopmental gene Hes family BHLH transcription factor 1 (HES1). We also find evidence for the recently evolved regulation of genes involved in neurological disorders, microcephalin 1 and sestrin 3. We show that ZNF675 interferes with HES1 auto‐inhibition, a process essential for the maintenance of neural progenitors. As a striking example of how some KZNFs have integrated into preexisting gene expression networks, these findings suggest the emergence of ZNF675 has caused a change in the balance of HES1 autoregulation. The association of ZNF675 CNV with human developmental disorders and ZNF675‐mediated regulation of neurodevelopmental genes suggests that it evolved into an important factor for human brain development. During primate evolution, structural changes in ZNF675 drove its ability to repress a primate‐specific class of transposable elements (TEs) as part of the evolutionary arms race between ZNF genes and TEs. As an evolutionary by‐stander effect, ZNF675 also became important for the expression of key neurodevelopmental genes, thereby changing the human neurodevelopmental gene regulatory program.