SMYD5 is a regulator of the mild hypothermia response [RNA-Seq]

Organisms have homeostatic mechanisms to respond to cold temperature to ensure survival including the activation of the mammalian neuroprotective mild hypothermia response (MHR) at 32°C. Utilizing a forward CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis screen, we identify the histone lysine methyltransferase SMYD5 as an epigenetic gatekeeper of the MHR. SMYD5 represses the key MHR gene SP1 at euthermia but not at 32°C. This repression is mirrored by temperature-dependent levels of H3K36me3 at the SP1-locus and globally indicating that the mammalian MHR is regulated at the level of histone modifications. We identified additional SMYD5-temperature dependent genes suggesting a broader MHR-related role for SMYD5. Our study provides an example of how the epigenetic machinery integrates environmental cues into the genetic circuitry of mammalian cells and suggests novel therapeutic avenues for neuroprotection after catastrophic events. Overall design: The purpose of doing an RNASeq on mouse Neural progenitor cells from cortex was to extend the list of gene transcripts known to react to the mild hypothermic response. The purpose of doing an RNASeq on cortical and hippocampal cells from neonatal P10 mice exposed to hypoxic injury in vivo after euthermic and hypothermic (32°C) treatment was to extend the list of gene transcripts known to react to the mild hypothermic response.