Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41641702›Full record

ArticleNucleic acids research2026

Loss of SETDB1-mediated H3K9me3 in human neural progenitor cells leads to transcriptional activation of L1 retrotransposons.

Ofelia Karlsson, Ninoslav Pandiloski, Vivien Horvath, Anita Adami, Raquel Garza, Pia A Johansson, Jenny G Johansson, Christopher H Douse, Johan Jakobsson

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nucleic acids research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Ofelia KarlssonLaboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, Lund 221 84, Sweden.
Ninoslav PandiloskiLaboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, Lund 221 84, Sweden.
Vivien HorvathLaboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, Lund 221 84, Sweden.
Anita AdamiLaboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, Lund 221 84, Sweden.
Raquel GarzaLaboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, Lund 221 84, Sweden.
Pia A JohanssonLaboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, Lund 221 84, Sweden.
Jenny G JohanssonLaboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, Lund 221 84, Sweden.
Christopher H DouseLaboratory of Epigenetics and Chromatin Dynamics, Department Of Experimental Medical Science and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, Lund 221 84, Sweden.
Johan JakobssonLaboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Experimental Medical Science and Lund Stem Cell Center, BMC A11, Lund University, Lund 221 84, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0003-0669-7673

Funding

BarncancerfondenCancerfonden 222185Chan Zuckerberg Initiative DAFOlle Engqvists stiftelse 218-0090Swedish Brain Foundation FO2023-0232Swedish Government Initiative for Strategic Research Areas (MultiPark & StemTherapy) 2023-331773Swedish research councilSwedish Research Council 2021-03494Swedish Research Council 2022-00673Swedish Society for Medical Research S19-0100
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Heterochromatin is characterized by an inaccessibility to the transcriptional machinery and is associated with the histone mark H3K9me3. However, studying the functional consequences of heterochromatin loss in human cells has been challenging. Here, we used CRISPRi-mediated silencing of the histone methyltransferase SETDB1 to remove H3K9me3 heterochromatin in human neural progenitor cells. Despite a major loss of H3K9me3 peaks resulting in genome-wide reorganization of heterochromatin domains, silencing of SETDB1 had a limited effect on cell viability. Cells remained proliferative and expressed appropriate marker genes. We found that a key event following the loss of SETDB1-mediated H3K9me3 was the expression of evolutionarily young L1 retrotransposons. Derepression of L1s was associated with a loss of CpG DNA methylation at their promoters, suggesting that deposition of H3K9me3 at the L1 promoter is required to maintain DNA methylation. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that loss of H3K9me3 in human neural somatic cells transcriptionally activates evolutionary young L1 retrotransposons.

Indexed as

Histone-Lysine N-MethyltransferaseHistonesLong Interspersed Nucleotide ElementsNeural Stem CellsRetroelementsTranscriptional ActivationDNA MethylationGene SilencingHeterochromatinHumansPromoter Regions, GeneticHeterochromatinHistone-Lysine N-MethyltransferaseHistonesRetroelementsSETDB1 protein, human

Identifiers

PMID41641702
PMCPMC12873604

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.