Topoisomerase IIA in Adult NSCs Regulates SVZ Neurogenesis by Transcriptional Activation of Usp37 (ChIP-Seq)

Topoisomerase IIA (TOP2a) has been traditionally known as an important nuclear enzyme that resolves entanglements and relieves torsional stress of DNA double strands. However, little is known about its function in genomic transcriptional regulation, especially during adult neurogenesis. Here, we show that TOP2a is preferentially expressed in neurogenic niches in the brain of adult mice, such as the subventricular zone (SVZ). Conditional knockout of Top2a in adult neural stem cells (NSCs) in the SVZ significantly inhibits their self-renewal and proliferation and ultimately reduces neurogenesis. To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms by which TOP2a regulates adult NSCs, we perform RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-Seq) and identify ubiquitin-specific proteases 37 (Usp37) as a direct TOP2a target gene. Importantly, overexpression of Usp37 is sufficient to rescue the impaired self-renewal ability of adult NSCs caused by Top2a knockdown. Taken together, our proof-of-principle study illustrates a TOP2a/Usp37-mediated novel molecular mechanism of adult neurogenesis, which will significantly expand our understanding of the function of topoisomerase in adult brain. Overall design: Chromatin IP was performed with TOP2a antibodies in adult NSCs followed by high throughput sequencing