Century-old chromatin architecture revealed in formalin-fixed vertebrates

Erin E. Hahn, Jiri Stiller, Marina R. Alexander, Alicia Grealy, Jennifer M. Taylor, Nicola Jackson, Celine H. Frere and Clare E. Holleley ()
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Erin E. Hahn: Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation
Jiri Stiller: Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation
Marina R. Alexander: Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation
Alicia Grealy: Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation
Jennifer M. Taylor: Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation
Nicola Jackson: University of Queensland
Celine H. Frere: University of Queensland
Clare E. Holleley: Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract Gene expression is regulated by changes in chromatin architecture intrinsic to cellular differentiation and as an active response to environmental stimuli. Chromatin dynamics are a major driver of phenotypic diversity, regulation of development, and manifestation of disease. Remarkably, we know little about the evolutionary dynamics of chromatin reorganisation through time, data essential to characterise the impact of environmental stress during the ongoing biodiversity extinction crisis (20th–21st century). Linking the disparate fields of chromatin biology and museum science through their common use of the preservative formaldehyde (a constituent of formalin), we have generated historical chromatin profiles in museum specimens up to 117 years old. Historical chromatin profiles are reproducible, tissue-specific, sex-specific, and environmental condition-dependent in vertebrate specimens. Additionally, we show that over-fixation modulates differential chromatin accessibility to enable semi-quantitative estimates of relative gene expression in vertebrates and a yeast model. Our approach transforms formalin-fixed biological collections into an accurate, comprehensive, and global record of environmental impact on gene expression and phenotype.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50668-4

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