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Hu M, Ge J, Jiang Y, Sun X, Guo D, Gu Y. Advances and perspectives in genetic expression and operation for the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2024; 9:618-626. [PMID: 38784195 PMCID: PMC11109602 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2024.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The utilization of industrial biomanufacturing has emerged as a viable and sustainable alternative to fossil-based resources for producing functional chemicals. Moreover, advancements in synthetic biology have created new opportunities for the development of innovative cell factories. Notably, Yarrowia lipolytica, an oleaginous yeast that is generally regarded as safe, possesses several advantageous characteristics, including the ability to utilize inexpensive renewable carbon sources, well-established genetic backgrounds, and mature genetic manipulation methods. Consequently, there is increasing interest in manipulating the metabolism of this yeast to enhance its potential as a biomanufacturing platform. Here, we reviewed the latest developments in genetic expression strategies and manipulation tools related to Y. lipolytica, particularly focusing on gene expression, chromosomal operation, CRISPR-based tool, and dynamic biosensors. The purpose of this review is to serve as a valuable reference for those interested in the development of a Y. lipolytica microbial factory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengchen Hu
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Jianyue Ge
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yaru Jiang
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Xiaoman Sun
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Dongshen Guo
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yang Gu
- School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
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2
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Geisberg JV, Moqtaderi Z, Struhl K. Chromatin regulates alternative polyadenylation via the RNA polymerase II elongation rate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2405827121. [PMID: 38748572 PMCID: PMC11127049 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2405827121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The RNA polymerase II (Pol II) elongation rate influences poly(A) site selection, with slow and fast Pol II derivatives causing upstream and downstream shifts, respectively, in poly(A) site utilization. In yeast, depletion of either of the histone chaperones FACT or Spt6 causes an upstream shift of poly(A) site use that strongly resembles the poly(A) profiles of slow Pol II mutant strains. Like slow Pol II mutant strains, FACT- and Spt6-depleted cells exhibit Pol II processivity defects, indicating that both Spt6 and FACT stimulate the Pol II elongation rate. Poly(A) profiles of some genes show atypical downstream shifts; this subset of genes overlaps well for FACT- or Spt6-depleted strains but is different from the atypical genes in Pol II speed mutant strains. In contrast, depletion of histone H3 or H4 causes a downstream shift of poly(A) sites for most genes, indicating that nucleosomes inhibit the Pol II elongation rate in vivo. Thus, chromatin-based control of the Pol II elongation rate is a potential mechanism, distinct from direct effects on the cleavage/polyadenylation machinery, to regulate alternative polyadenylation in response to genetic or environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph V. Geisberg
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Zarmik Moqtaderi
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Kevin Struhl
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
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3
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Musaev D, Abdelmessih M, Vejnar CE, Yartseva V, Weiss LA, Strayer EC, Takacs CM, Giraldez AJ. UPF1 regulates mRNA stability by sensing poorly translated coding sequences. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114074. [PMID: 38625794 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Post-transcriptional mRNA regulation shapes gene expression, yet how cis-elements and mRNA translation interface to regulate mRNA stability is poorly understood. We find that the strength of translation initiation, upstream open reading frame (uORF) content, codon optimality, AU-rich elements, microRNA binding sites, and open reading frame (ORF) length function combinatorially to regulate mRNA stability. Machine-learning analysis identifies ORF length as the most important conserved feature regulating mRNA decay. We find that Upf1 binds poorly translated and untranslated ORFs, which are associated with a higher decay rate, including mRNAs with uORFs and those with exposed ORFs after stop codons. Our study emphasizes Upf1's converging role in surveilling mRNAs with exposed ORFs that are poorly translated, such as mRNAs with long ORFs, ORF-like 3' UTRs, and mRNAs containing uORFs. We propose that Upf1 regulation of poorly/untranslated ORFs provides a unifying mechanism of surveillance in regulating mRNA stability and homeostasis in an exon-junction complex (EJC)-independent nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) pathway that we term ORF-mediated decay (OMD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Damir Musaev
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Mario Abdelmessih
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; AstraZeneca, Waltham, MA 02451, USA
| | - Charles E Vejnar
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Valeria Yartseva
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Kenai Therapeutics, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Linnea A Weiss
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Ethan C Strayer
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Carter M Takacs
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; University of New Haven, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
| | - Antonio J Giraldez
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Yale Cancer Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
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4
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Awah CU, Sun Mun J, Paragodaarachchi A, Boylu B, Nzegwu M, Matsui H, Ogunwobi O. Nanocage-incorporated engineered destabilized 3'UTR ARE of ERBB2 inhibits tumor growth and liver and lung metastasis in EGFR T790M osimertinib- and trastuzumab-resistant and ERBB2-expressing NSCLC via the reduction of ERBB2. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1344852. [PMID: 38699639 PMCID: PMC11063227 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1344852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) caused more deaths in 2017 than breast cancer, prostate, and brain cancers combined. This is primarily due to their aggressive metastatic nature, leading to more fatal rates of cancer patients. Despite this condition, there are no clinically approved drugs that can target metastasis. The NSCLC with EGFR T790M-overexpressing HER2 shows the resistance to osimertinib and trastuzumab starting 10-18 months after the therapy, and thus prospects are grim to these patients. To target the recalcitrant ERBB2 driver oncogene, we developed two engineered destabilizing 3'UTR ERBB2 constructs that degrade the endogenous ERBB2 transcript and proteins by overwriting the encoded endogenous ERBB2 mRNA with the destabilizing message. When iron oxide nanocages (IO nanocages) were used as vehicles to deliver them to tumors and whole tissues in mice bearing tumors, it was well tolerated and safe and caused no genome rearrangement whereas they were integrated into genome deserts (non-coding regions). We achieved significant reduction of the primary tumor volume with desARE3'UTRERBB2-30, achieving 50% complete tumor lysis and inhibiting 60%-80% of liver metastasis, hepatomegaly, and 90% of lung metastasis, through ERBB2 downregulation. These constructs were distributed robustly into tumors, livers, lungs, kidneys, and spleen and mildly in the brain and not in the heart. They caused no abnormality in both short- and long-term administrations as well as in healthy mice. In summary, we accomplished significant breakthrough for the therapeutics of intractable lung cancer patients whose cancers become resistant and metastasize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chidiebere U. Awah
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College of The City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
- Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Joo Sun Mun
- Department of Chemistry, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Aloka Paragodaarachchi
- Department of Chemistry, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
- Ph.D. Program in Biochemistry, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Baris Boylu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College of The City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Martin Nzegwu
- Department of Pathology, University of Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Hiroshi Matsui
- Department of Chemistry, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
- Ph.D. Program in Biochemistry, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
- Ph.D. Program in Chemistry, The Graduate Center of City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Olorunseun Ogunwobi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College of The City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
- Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
- Hunter College for Cancer Health Disparities Research, Hunter College of The City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
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Ren X, Liu M, Yue M, Zeng W, Zhou S, Zhou J, Xu S. Metabolic Pathway Coupled with Fermentation Process Optimization for High-Level Production of Retinol in Yarrowia lipolytica. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2024; 72:8664-8673. [PMID: 38564669 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c00377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Retinol is a lipid-soluble form of vitamin A that is crucial for human visual and immune functions. The production of retinol through microbial fermentation has been the focus of recent exploration. However, the obtained titer remains limited and the product is often a mixture of retinal, retinol, and retinoic acid, necessitating purification. To achieve efficient biosynthesis of retinol in Yarrowia lipolytica, we improved the metabolic flux of β-carotene to provide sufficient precursors for retinol in this study. Coupled with the optimization of the expression level of β-carotene 15,15'-dioxygenase, de novo production of retinol was achieved. Furthermore, Tween 80 was used as an extractant and butylated hydroxytoluene as an antioxidant to extract intracellular retinol and prevent retinol oxidation, respectively. This strategy significantly increased the level of retinol production. By optimizing the enzymes converting retinal to retinol, the proportion of extracellular retinol in the produced retinoids reached 100%, totaling 1042.3 mg/L. Finally, total retinol production reached 5.4 g/L through fed-batch fermentation in a 5 L bioreactor, comprising 4.2 g/L extracellular retinol and 1.2 g/L intracellular retinol. This achievement represents the highest reported titer so far and advances the industrial production of retinol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuefeng Ren
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Food Synthetic Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Mengsu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Food Synthetic Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Mingyu Yue
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Food Synthetic Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Weizhu Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Food Synthetic Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Food Synthetic Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Shenghu Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Jingwen Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Food Synthetic Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Food Synthetic Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Sha Xu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Food Synthetic Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
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Dayeh DM, Cika J, Moon Y, Henderson S, Di Grandi D, Fu Y, Muthusamy K, Palackal N, Ihnat PM, Pyles EA. Comprehensive chromatographic assessment of forced degraded in vitro transcribed mRNA. J Chromatogr A 2024; 1722:464885. [PMID: 38631223 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.464885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Heightened interest in messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics has accelerated the need for analytical methodologies that facilitate the production of supplies for clinical trials. Forced degradation studies are routinely conducted to provide an understanding of potential weak spots in the molecule that are exploited by stresses encountered during bulk purification, production, shipment, and storage. Consequently, temperature fluctuations and excursions are often experienced during these unit operations and may accelerate mRNA degradation. Here, we present a concise panel of chromatography-based stability-indicating assays for evaluating thermally stressed in vitro transcribed (IVT) mRNA as part of a forced degradation study. We found that addition of EDTA to the mRNAs prior to heat exposure reduced the extent of degradation, suggesting that transcripts may be fragmenting via a divalent metal-ion mediated pathway. Trace divalent metal contamination that can accelerate RNA instability is likely carried over from upstream steps. We demonstrate the application of these methods to evaluate the critical quality attributes (CQAs) of mRNAs as well as to detect intrinsic process- and product-related impurities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M Dayeh
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, United States
| | - Jaclyn Cika
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, United States
| | - Youmi Moon
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, United States
| | - Steven Henderson
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, United States
| | - Deanna Di Grandi
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, United States
| | - Yue Fu
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, United States.
| | - Kathir Muthusamy
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, United States.
| | - Nisha Palackal
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, United States
| | - Peter M Ihnat
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, United States
| | - Erica A Pyles
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, United States
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Ghimire P, Motamedi M, Joh R. Mathematical model for the role of multiple pericentromeric repeats on heterochromatin assembly. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1012027. [PMID: 38598558 PMCID: PMC11034663 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Although the length and constituting sequences for pericentromeric repeats are highly variable across eukaryotes, the presence of multiple pericentromeric repeats is one of the conserved features of the eukaryotic chromosomes. Pericentromeric heterochromatin is often misregulated in human diseases, with the expansion of pericentromeric repeats in human solid cancers. In this article, we have developed a mathematical model of the RNAi-dependent methylation of H3K9 in the pericentromeric region of fission yeast. Our model, which takes copy number as an explicit parameter, predicts that the pericentromere is silenced only if there are many copies of repeats. It becomes bistable or desilenced if the copy number of repeats is reduced. This suggests that the copy number of pericentromeric repeats alone can determine the fate of heterochromatin silencing in fission yeast. Through sensitivity analysis, we identified parameters that favor bistability and desilencing. Stochastic simulation shows that faster cell division and noise favor the desilenced state. These results show the unexpected role of pericentromeric repeat copy number in gene silencing and provide a quantitative basis for how the copy number allows or protects repetitive and unique parts of the genome from heterochromatin silencing, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puranjan Ghimire
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Mo Motamedi
- Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Richard Joh
- Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
- Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond Virginia, United States of America
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Struhl K. How is polyadenylation restricted to 3'-untranslated regions? Yeast 2024; 41:186-191. [PMID: 38041485 PMCID: PMC11001523 DOI: 10.1002/yea.3915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Polyadenylation occurs at numerous sites within 3'-untranslated regions (3'-UTRs) but rarely within coding regions. How does Pol II travel through long coding regions without generating poly(A) sites, yet then permits promiscuous polyadenylation once it reaches the 3'-UTR? The cleavage/polyadenylation (CpA) machinery preferentially associates with 3'-UTRs, but it is unknown how its recruitment is restricted to 3'-UTRs during Pol II elongation. Unlike coding regions, 3'-UTRs have long AT-rich stretches of DNA that may be important for restricting polyadenylation to 3'-UTRs. Recognition of the 3'-UTR could occur at the DNA (AT-rich), RNA (AU-rich), or RNA:DNA hybrid (rU:dA- and/or rA:dT-rich) level. Based on the nucleic acid critical for 3'-UTR recognition, there are three classes of models, not mutually exclusive, for how the CpA machinery is selectively recruited to 3'-UTRs, thereby restricting where polyadenylation occurs: (1) RNA-based models suggest that the CpA complex directly (or indirectly through one or more intermediary proteins) binds long AU-rich stretches that are exposed after Pol II passes through these regions. (2) DNA-based models suggest that the AT-rich sequence affects nucleosome depletion or the elongating Pol II machinery, resulting in dissociation of some elongation factors and subsequent recruitment of the CpA machinery. (3) RNA:DNA hybrid models suggest that preferential destabilization of the Pol II elongation complex at rU:dA- and/or rA:dT-rich duplexes bridging the nucleotide addition and RNA exit sites permits preferential association of the CpA machinery with 3'-UTRs. Experiments to provide evidence for one or more of these models are suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Struhl
- Dept. Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
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Kim D, Hwang CY, Cho KH. The fitness trade-off between growth and stress resistance determines the phenotypic landscape. BMC Biol 2024; 22:62. [PMID: 38475791 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01856-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A central challenge in biology is to discover a principle that determines individual phenotypic differences within a species. The growth rate is particularly important for a unicellular organism, and the growth rate under a certain condition is negatively associated with that of another condition, termed fitness trade-off. Therefore, there should exist a common molecular mechanism that regulates multiple growth rates under various conditions, but most studies so far have focused on discovering those genes associated with growth rates under a specific condition. RESULTS In this study, we found that there exists a recurrent gene expression signature whose expression levels are related to the fitness trade-off between growth preference and stress resistance across various yeast strains and multiple conditions. We further found that the genomic variation of stress-response, ribosomal, and cell cycle regulators are potential causal genes that determine the sensitivity between growth and survival. Intriguingly, we further observed that the same principle holds for human cells using anticancer drug sensitivities across multiple cancer cell lines. CONCLUSIONS Together, we suggest that the fitness trade-off is an evolutionary trait that determines individual growth phenotype within a species. By using this trait, we can possibly overcome anticancer drug resistance in cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongsan Kim
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Chae Young Hwang
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwang-Hyun Cho
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291 Daehak-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
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10
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Teli BB, Nagar P, Priyadarshini Y, Poonia P, Natarajan K. A CUG codon-adapted anchor-away toolkit for functional analysis of genes in Candida albicans. mSphere 2024; 9:e0070323. [PMID: 38251906 PMCID: PMC10900876 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00703-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Promoter shutoff of essential genes in the diploid Candida albicans has often been insufficient to create tight, conditional null alleles due to leaky expression and has been a stumbling block in pathogenesis research. Moreover, homozygous deletion of non-essential genes has often been problematic due to the frequent aneuploidy in the mutant strains. Rapid, conditional depletion of essential genes by the anchor-away strategy has been successfully employed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other model organisms. Here, rapamycin mediates the dimerization of human FK506-binding protein (FKBP12) and FKBP12-rapamycin-binding (FRB) domain-containing target protein, resulting in relocalization to altered sub-cellular locations. In this work, we used the ribosomal protein Rpl13 as the anchor and took two nuclear proteins as targets to construct a set of mutants in a proof-of-principle approach. We first constructed a rapamycin-resistant C. albicans strain by introducing a dominant mutation in the CaTOR1 gene and a homozygous deletion of RBP1, the ortholog of FKBP12, a primary target of rapamycin. The FKBP12 and the FRB coding sequences were then CUG codon-adapted for C. albicans by site-directed mutagenesis. Anchor-away strains expressing the essential TBP1 gene or the non-essential SPT8 gene as FRB fusions were constructed. We found that rapamycin caused rapid cessation of growth of the TBP-AA strain within 15 minutes and the SPT8-AA strain phenocopied the constitutive filamentous phenotype of the spt8Δ/spt8Δ mutant. Thus, the anchor-away toolbox for C. albicans developed here can be employed for genome-wide analysis to identify gene function in a rapid and reliable manner, further accelerating anti-fungal drug development in C. albicans. IMPORTANCE Molecular genetic studies thus far have identified ~27% open-reading frames as being essential for the vegetative growth of Candida albicans in rich medium out of a total 6,198 haploid set of open reading frames. However, a major limitation has been to construct rapid conditional alleles of essential C. albicans genes with near quantitative depletion of encoded proteins. Here, we have developed a toolbox for rapid and conditional depletion of genes that would aid studies of gene function of both essential and non-essential genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basharat Bashir Teli
- Laboratory of Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Priyanka Nagar
- Laboratory of Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Yumnam Priyadarshini
- Laboratory of Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Poonam Poonia
- Laboratory of Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Krishnamurthy Natarajan
- Laboratory of Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
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Zhang T, Li C, Zhu J, Li Y, Wang Z, Tong CY, Xi Y, Han Y, Koiwa H, Peng X, Zhang X. Structured 3' UTRs destabilize mRNAs in plants. Genome Biol 2024; 25:54. [PMID: 38388963 PMCID: PMC10885604 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03186-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND RNA secondary structure (RSS) can influence the regulation of transcription, RNA processing, and protein synthesis, among other processes. 3' untranslated regions (3' UTRs) of mRNA also hold the key for many aspects of gene regulation. However, there are often contradictory results regarding the roles of RSS in 3' UTRs in gene expression in different organisms and/or contexts. RESULTS Here, we incidentally observe that the primary substrate of miR159a (pri-miR159a), when embedded in a 3' UTR, could promote mRNA accumulation. The enhanced expression is attributed to the earlier polyadenylation of the transcript within the hybrid pri-miR159a-3' UTR and, resultantly, a poorly structured 3' UTR. RNA decay assays indicate that poorly structured 3' UTRs could promote mRNA stability, whereas highly structured 3' UTRs destabilize mRNA in vivo. Genome-wide DMS-MaPseq also reveals the prevailing inverse relationship between 3' UTRs' RSS and transcript accumulation in the transcriptomes of Arabidopsis, rice, and even human. Mechanistically, transcripts with highly structured 3' UTRs are preferentially degraded by 3'-5' exoribonuclease SOV and 5'-3' exoribonuclease XRN4, leading to decreased expression in Arabidopsis. Finally, we engineer different structured 3' UTRs to an endogenous FT gene and alter the FT-regulated flowering time in Arabidopsis. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that highly structured 3' UTRs typically cause reduced accumulation of the harbored transcripts in Arabidopsis. This pattern extends to rice and even mammals. Furthermore, our study provides a new strategy of engineering the 3' UTRs' RSS to modify plant traits in agricultural production and mRNA stability in biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianru Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
- Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Changhao Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Jiaying Zhu
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
| | - Yanjun Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
- State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Institute of Plant Virology, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China
| | - Zhiye Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Chun-Yip Tong
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Yu Xi
- Department of Medical Physiology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Yi Han
- National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistence Breeding, School of Life Sciences, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
| | - Hisashi Koiwa
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Xu Peng
- Department of Medical Physiology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Xiuren Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
- Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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12
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Yang H, Song C, Liu C, Wang P. Synthetic Biology Tools for Engineering Aspergillus oryzae. J Fungi (Basel) 2024; 10:34. [PMID: 38248944 PMCID: PMC10817548 DOI: 10.3390/jof10010034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
For more than a thousand years, Aspergillus oryzae has been used in traditional culinary industries, including for food fermentation, brewing, and flavoring. In recent years, A. oryzae has been extensively used in deciphering the pathways of natural product synthesis and value-added compound bioproduction. Moreover, it is increasingly being used in modern biotechnology industries, such as for the production of enzymes and recombinant proteins. The investigation of A. oryzae has been significantly accelerated through the successive application of a diverse array of synthetic biology techniques and methodologies. In this review, the advancements in biological tools for the synthesis of A. oryzae, including DNA assembly technologies, gene expression regulatory elements, and genome editing systems, are discussed. Additionally, the challenges associated with the heterologous expression of A. oryzae are addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Yang
- School of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- Key Laboratory for Enzyme and Enzyme-Like Material Engineering of Heilongjiang, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Chaonan Song
- School of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- Key Laboratory for Enzyme and Enzyme-Like Material Engineering of Heilongjiang, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Chengwei Liu
- School of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- Key Laboratory for Enzyme and Enzyme-Like Material Engineering of Heilongjiang, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Pengchao Wang
- School of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- Key Laboratory for Enzyme and Enzyme-Like Material Engineering of Heilongjiang, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
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13
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Carrion SA, Michal JJ, Jiang Z. Alternative Transcripts Diversify Genome Function for Phenome Relevance to Health and Diseases. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:2051. [PMID: 38002994 PMCID: PMC10671453 DOI: 10.3390/genes14112051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Manipulation using alternative exon splicing (AES), alternative transcription start (ATS), and alternative polyadenylation (APA) sites are key to transcript diversity underlying health and disease. All three are pervasive in organisms, present in at least 50% of human protein-coding genes. In fact, ATS and APA site use has the highest impact on protein identity, with their ability to alter which first and last exons are utilized as well as impacting stability and translation efficiency. These RNA variants have been shown to be highly specific, both in tissue type and stage, with demonstrated importance to cell proliferation, differentiation and the transition from fetal to adult cells. While alternative exon splicing has a limited effect on protein identity, its ubiquity highlights the importance of these minor alterations, which can alter other features such as localization. The three processes are also highly interwoven, with overlapping, complementary, and competing factors, RNA polymerase II and its CTD (C-terminal domain) chief among them. Their role in development means dysregulation leads to a wide variety of disorders and cancers, with some forms of disease disproportionately affected by specific mechanisms (AES, ATS, or APA). Challenges associated with the genome-wide profiling of RNA variants and their potential solutions are also discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Zhihua Jiang
- Department of Animal Sciences and Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7620, USA; (S.A.C.); (J.J.M.)
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14
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Zanin O, Eastham M, Winczura K, Ashe M, Martinez-Nunez RT, Hebenstreit D, Grzechnik P. Ceg1 depletion reveals mechanisms governing degradation of non-capped RNAs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1112. [PMID: 37919390 PMCID: PMC10622555 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05495-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Most functional eukaryotic mRNAs contain a 5' 7-methylguanosine (m7G) cap. Although capping is essential for many biological processes including mRNA processing, export and translation, the fate of uncapped transcripts has not been studied extensively. Here, we employed fast nuclear depletion of the capping enzymes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to uncover the turnover of the transcripts that failed to be capped. We show that although the degradation of cap-deficient mRNA is dominant, the levels of hundreds of non-capped mRNAs increase upon depletion of the capping enzymes. Overall, the abundance of non-capped mRNAs is inversely correlated to the expression levels, altogether resembling the effects observed in cells lacking the cytoplasmic 5'-3' exonuclease Xrn1 and indicating differential degradation fates of non-capped mRNAs. The inactivation of the nuclear 5'-3' exonuclease Rat1 does not rescue the non-capped mRNA levels indicating that Rat1 is not involved in their degradation and consequently, the lack of the capping does not affect the distribution of RNA Polymerase II on the chromatin. Our data indicate that the cap presence is essential to initiate the Xrn1-dependent degradation of mRNAs underpinning the role of 5' cap in the Xrn1-dependent buffering of the cellular mRNA levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onofrio Zanin
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
- School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Matthew Eastham
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Function, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Kinga Winczura
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Function, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Mark Ashe
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Function, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Rocio T Martinez-Nunez
- School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | | | - Pawel Grzechnik
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Function, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK.
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15
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Khitun A, Brion C, Moqtaderi Z, Geisberg JV, Churchman LS, Struhl K. Elongation rate of RNA polymerase II affects pausing patterns across 3' UTRs. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105289. [PMID: 37748648 PMCID: PMC10598743 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Yeast mRNAs are polyadenylated at multiple sites in their 3' untranslated regions (3' UTRs), and poly(A) site usage is regulated by the rate of transcriptional elongation by RNA polymerase II (Pol II). Slow Pol II derivatives favor upstream poly(A) sites, and fast Pol II derivatives favor downstream poly(A) sites. Transcriptional elongation and polyadenylation are linked at the nucleotide level, presumably reflecting Pol II dwell time at each residue that influences the level of polyadenylation. Here, we investigate the effect of Pol II elongation rate on pausing patterns and the relationship between Pol II pause sites and poly(A) sites within 3' UTRs. Mutations that affect Pol II elongation rate alter sequence preferences at pause sites within 3' UTRs, and pausing preferences differ between 3' UTRs and coding regions. In addition, sequences immediately flanking the pause sites show preferences that are largely independent of Pol II speed. In wild-type cells, poly(A) sites are preferentially located < 50 nucleotides upstream from Pol II pause sites, but this spatial relationship is diminished in cells harboring Pol II speed mutants. Based on a random forest classifier, Pol II pause sites are modestly predicted by the distance to poly(A) sites but are better predicted by the chromatin landscape in Pol II speed derivatives. Transcriptional regulatory proteins can influence the relationship between Pol II pausing and polyadenylation but in a manner distinct from Pol II elongation rate derivatives. These results indicate a complex relationship between Pol II pausing and polyadenylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Khitun
- Departments of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Christian Brion
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Zarmik Moqtaderi
- Departments of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joseph V Geisberg
- Departments of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Kevin Struhl
- Departments of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
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16
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Mansouri-Noori F, Pircher A, Bilodeau D, Siniavskaia L, Grigull J, Rissland OS, Bayfield MA. The LARP1 homolog Slr1p controls the stability and expression of proto-5'TOP mRNAs in fission yeast. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113226. [PMID: 37851576 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in higher eukaryotes that encode proteins important for the assembly of the translational apparatus (e.g., ribosomal proteins) often harbor a pyrimidine-rich motif at the extreme 5' end known as a 5' terminal oligopyrimidine (5'TOP) sequence. Members of the La-related protein 1 (LARP1) family control 5'TOP expression through a conserved DM15 motif, but the mechanism is not well understood. 5'TOP motifs have not been described in many lower organisms, and fission yeast harbors a LARP1 homolog that also lacks a DM15 motif. In this work, we show that the fission yeast LARP1 homolog, Slr1p, controls the translation and stability of mRNAs encoding proteins analogous to 5'TOP mRNAs in higher eukaryotes, which we thus refer to as proto-5'TOPs. Our data suggest that the LARP1 DM15 motif and the mRNA 5'TOP motif may be features that were scaffolded over a more fundamental mechanism of LARP1-associated control of gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Danielle Bilodeau
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | | | - Jörg Grigull
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - Olivia S Rissland
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
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17
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Stroup EK, Ji Z. Delineating yeast cleavage and polyadenylation signals using deep learning. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.10.561764. [PMID: 37873420 PMCID: PMC10592759 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.10.561764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
3'-end cleavage and polyadenylation is an essential process for eukaryotic mRNA maturation. In yeast species, the polyadenylation signals that recruit the processing machinery are degenerate and remain poorly characterized compared to well-defined regulatory elements in mammals. Especially, recent deep sequencing experiments showed extensive cleavage heterogeneity for some mRNAs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and uncovered the polyA motif differences between S. cerevisiae vs. Schizosaccharomyces pombe . The findings raised the fundamental question of how polyadenylation signals are formed in yeast. Here we addressed this question by developing deep learning models to deconvolute degenerate cis -regulatory elements and quantify their positional importance in mediating yeast polyA site formation, cleavage heterogeneity, and strength. In S. cerevisiae , cleavage heterogeneity is promoted by the depletion of U-rich elements around polyA sites as well as multiple occurrences of upstream UA-rich elements. Sites with high cleavage heterogeneity show overall lower strength. The site strength and tandem site distances modulate alternative polyadenylation (APA) under the diauxic stress. Finally, we developed a deep learning model to reveal the distinct motif configuration of S. pombe polyA sites which show more precise cleavage than S. cerevisiae . Altogether, our deep learning models provide unprecedented insights into polyA site formation across yeast species.
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18
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Jackson CA, Beheler-Amass M, Tjärnberg A, Suresh I, Hickey ASM, Bonneau R, Gresham D. Simultaneous estimation of gene regulatory network structure and RNA kinetics from single cell gene expression. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.21.558277. [PMID: 37790443 PMCID: PMC10542544 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.21.558277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Cells respond to environmental and developmental stimuli by remodeling their transcriptomes through regulation of both mRNA transcription and mRNA decay. A central goal of biology is identifying the global set of regulatory relationships between factors that control mRNA production and degradation and their target transcripts and construct a predictive model of gene expression. Regulatory relationships are typically identified using transcriptome measurements and causal inference algorithms. RNA kinetic parameters are determined experimentally by employing run-on or metabolic labeling (e.g. 4-thiouracil) methods that allow transcription and decay rates to be separately measured. Here, we develop a deep learning model, trained with single-cell RNA-seq data, that both infers causal regulatory relationships and estimates RNA kinetic parameters. The resulting in silico model predicts future gene expression states and can be perturbed to simulate the effect of transcription factor changes. We acquired model training data by sequencing the transcriptomes of 175,000 individual Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells that were subject to an external perturbation and continuously sampled over a one hour period. The rate of change for each transcript was calculated on a per-cell basis to estimate RNA velocity. We then trained a deep learning model with transcriptome and RNA velocity data to calculate time-dependent estimates of mRNA production and decay rates. By separating RNA velocity into transcription and decay rates, we show that rapamycin treatment causes existing ribosomal protein transcripts to be rapidly destabilized, while production of new transcripts gradually slows over the course of an hour. The neural network framework we present is designed to explicitly model causal regulatory relationships between transcription factors and their genes, and shows superior performance to existing models on the basis of recovery of known regulatory relationships. We validated the predictive power of the model by perturbing transcription factors in silico and comparing transcriptome-wide effects with experimental data. Our study represents the first step in constructing a complete, predictive, biophysical model of gene expression regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A Jackson
- Center For Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Maggie Beheler-Amass
- Center For Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Andreas Tjärnberg
- Center For Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ina Suresh
- Center For Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Angela Shang-mei Hickey
- Center For Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - David Gresham
- Center For Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
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19
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Awah CU, Glemaud Y, Levine F, Yang K, Ansary A, Dong F, Ash L, Zhang J, Ogunwobi OO. Destabilized 3'UTR elements therapeutically degrade ERBB2 mRNA in drug-resistant ERBB2+ cancer models. Front Genet 2023; 14:1184600. [PMID: 37359373 PMCID: PMC10287955 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1184600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast, lung, and colorectal cancer resistance to molecular targeted therapy is a major challenge that unfavorably impacts clinical outcomes leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths annually. In ERBB2+ cancers regardless of the tissue of origin, many ERBB2+ cancers are resistant to ERBB2-targeted therapy. We discovered that ERBB2+ cancer cells are enriched with poly U sequences on their 3'UTR which are mRNA-stabilizing sequences. We developed a novel technology, in which we engineered these ERBB2 mRNA-stabilizing sequences to unstable forms that successfully overwrote and outcompeted the endogenous ERBB2 mRNA-encoded message and degraded ERBB2 transcripts which led to the loss of the protein across multiple cancer cell types both in the wildtype and drug-resistance settings in vitro and in vivo, offering a unique safe novel modality to control ERBB2 mRNA and other pervasive oncogenic signals where current targeted therapies fail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chidiebere U Awah
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College of The City University of New York, New York City, NY, United States
- Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Yana Glemaud
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College of The City University of New York, New York City, NY, United States
| | - Fayola Levine
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College of The City University of New York, New York City, NY, United States
- Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kiseok Yang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College of The City University of New York, New York City, NY, United States
| | - Afrin Ansary
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College of The City University of New York, New York City, NY, United States
| | - Fu Dong
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College of The City University of New York, New York City, NY, United States
| | - Leonard Ash
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College of The City University of New York, New York City, NY, United States
| | - Junfei Zhang
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Department of System Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Olorunseun O Ogunwobi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College of The City University of New York, New York City, NY, United States
- Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
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20
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Gau BC, Dawdy AW, Wang HL, Bare B, Castaneda CH, Friese OV, Thompson MS, Lerch TF, Cirelli DJ, Rouse JC. Oligonucleotide mapping via mass spectrometry to enable comprehensive primary structure characterization of an mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9038. [PMID: 37270636 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36193-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Oligonucleotide mapping via liquid chromatography with UV detection coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-UV-MS/MS) was recently developed to support development of Comirnaty, the world's first commercial mRNA vaccine which immunizes against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Analogous to peptide mapping of therapeutic protein modalities, oligonucleotide mapping described here provides direct primary structure characterization of mRNA, through enzymatic digestion, accurate mass determinations, and optimized collisionally-induced fragmentation. Sample preparation for oligonucleotide mapping is a rapid, one-pot, one-enzyme digestion. The digest is analyzed via LC-MS/MS with an extended gradient and resulting data analysis employs semi-automated software. In a single method, oligonucleotide mapping readouts include a highly reproducible and completely annotated UV chromatogram with 100% maximum sequence coverage, and a microheterogeneity assessment of 5' terminus capping and 3' terminus poly(A)-tail length. Oligonucleotide mapping was pivotal to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of mRNA vaccines by providing: confirmation of construct identity and primary structure and assessment of product comparability following manufacturing process changes. More broadly, this technique may be used to directly interrogate the primary structure of RNA molecules in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian C Gau
- BioTherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pfizer Inc, Chesterfield, MO, USA.
| | - Andrew W Dawdy
- BioTherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pfizer Inc, Chesterfield, MO, USA.
| | - Hanliu Leah Wang
- BioTherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pfizer Inc, Chesterfield, MO, USA
| | - Bradley Bare
- BioTherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pfizer Inc, Chesterfield, MO, USA
| | - Carlos H Castaneda
- BioTherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pfizer Inc, Chesterfield, MO, USA
| | - Olga V Friese
- BioTherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pfizer Inc, Chesterfield, MO, USA
| | | | - Thomas F Lerch
- BioTherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pfizer Inc, Chesterfield, MO, USA
| | - David J Cirelli
- BioTherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pfizer Inc, Andover, MA, USA
| | - Jason C Rouse
- BioTherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pfizer Inc, Andover, MA, USA
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21
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Aubé S, Nielly-Thibault L, Landry CR. Evolutionary trade-off and mutational bias could favor transcriptional over translational divergence within paralog pairs. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010756. [PMID: 37235586 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
How changes in the different steps of protein synthesis-transcription, translation and degradation-contribute to differences of protein abundance among genes is not fully understood. There is however accumulating evidence that transcriptional divergence might have a prominent role. Here, we show that yeast paralogous genes are more divergent in transcription than in translation. We explore two causal mechanisms for this predominance of transcriptional divergence: an evolutionary trade-off between the precision and economy of gene expression and a larger mutational target size for transcription. Performing simulations within a minimal model of post-duplication evolution, we find that both mechanisms are consistent with the observed divergence patterns. We also investigate how additional properties of the effects of mutations on gene expression, such as their asymmetry and correlation across levels of regulation, can shape the evolution of paralogs. Our results highlight the importance of fully characterizing the distributions of mutational effects on transcription and translation. They also show how general trade-offs in cellular processes and mutation bias can have far-reaching evolutionary impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Aubé
- Département de biochimie, de microbiologie et de bio-informatique, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
- PROTEO, Le regroupement québécois de recherche sur la fonction, l'ingénierie et les applications des protéines, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
- Centre de Recherche en Données Massives, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Lou Nielly-Thibault
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
- PROTEO, Le regroupement québécois de recherche sur la fonction, l'ingénierie et les applications des protéines, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
- Centre de Recherche en Données Massives, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
- Département de biologie, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Christian R Landry
- Département de biochimie, de microbiologie et de bio-informatique, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
- PROTEO, Le regroupement québécois de recherche sur la fonction, l'ingénierie et les applications des protéines, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
- Centre de Recherche en Données Massives, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
- Département de biologie, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
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Sosa-Carrillo S, Galez H, Napolitano S, Bertaux F, Batt G. Maximizing protein production by keeping cells at optimal secretory stress levels using real-time control approaches. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3028. [PMID: 37231013 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38807-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Optimizing the production of recombinant proteins is a problem of major industrial and pharmaceutical importance. Secretion of the protein by the host cell considerably simplifies downstream purification processes. However, for many proteins, this is also the limiting production step. Current solutions involve extensive engineering of the chassis cell to facilitate protein trafficking and limit protein degradation triggered by excessive secretion-associated stress. Here, we propose instead a regulation-based strategy in which induction is dynamically adjusted to an optimal strength based on the current stress level of the cells. Using a small collection of hard-to-secrete proteins, a bioreactor-based platform with automated cytometry measurements, and a systematic assay to quantify secreted protein levels, we demonstrate that the secretion sweet spot is indicated by the appearance of a subpopulation of cells that accumulate high amounts of proteins, decrease growth, and face significant stress, that is, experience a secretion burnout. In these cells, adaptations capabilities are overwhelmed by a too strong production. Using these notions, we show for a single-chain antibody variable fragment that secretion levels can be improved by 70% by dynamically keeping the cell population at optimal stress levels using real-time closed-loop control.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Henri Galez
- Institut Pasteur, Inria, Université Paris Cité, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Sara Napolitano
- Institut Pasteur, Inria, Université Paris Cité, 75015, Paris, France
| | - François Bertaux
- Institut Pasteur, Inria, Université Paris Cité, 75015, Paris, France
- Lesaffre International, 101 rue de Menin, Marcq-en-Baroeul, France
| | - Gregory Batt
- Institut Pasteur, Inria, Université Paris Cité, 75015, Paris, France.
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23
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Geisberg JV, Moqtaderi Z, Struhl K. Condition-specific 3' mRNA isoform half-lives and stability elements in yeast. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2301117120. [PMID: 37094136 PMCID: PMC10161003 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2301117120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Alternative polyadenylation generates numerous 3' mRNA isoforms that can differ in their stability, structure, and function. These isoforms can be used to map mRNA stabilizing and destabilizing elements within 3' untranslated regions (3'UTRs). Here, we examine how environmental conditions affect 3' mRNA isoform turnover and structure in yeast cells on a transcriptome scale. Isoform stability broadly increases when cells grow more slowly, with relative half-lives of most isoforms being well correlated across multiple conditions. Surprisingly, dimethyl sulfate probing reveals that individual 3' isoforms have similar structures across different conditions, in contrast to the extensive structural differences that can exist between closely related isoforms in an individual condition. Unexpectedly, most mRNA stabilizing and destabilizing elements function only in a single growth condition. The genes associated with some classes of condition-specific stability elements are enriched for different functional categories, suggesting that regulated mRNA stability might contribute to adaptation to different growth environments. Condition-specific stability elements do not result in corresponding condition-specific changes in steady-state mRNA isoform levels. This observation is consistent with a compensatory mechanism between polyadenylation and stability, and it suggests that condition-specific mRNA stability elements might largely reflect condition-specific regulation of mRNA 3' end formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph V. Geisberg
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Zarmik Moqtaderi
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Kevin Struhl
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
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24
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Masamha CP. The emerging roles of CFIm25 (NUDT21/CPSF5) in human biology and disease. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2023; 14:e1757. [PMID: 35965101 PMCID: PMC9925614 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The mammalian cleavage factor I subunit CFIm25 (NUDT21) binds to the UGUA sequences of precursor RNAs. Traditionally, CFIm25 is known to facilitate 3' end formation of pre-mRNAs resulting in the formation of polyadenylated transcripts. Recent studies suggest that CFIm25 may be involved in the cyclization and hence generation of circular RNAs (circRNAs) that contain UGUA motifs. These circRNAs act as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) that disrupt the ceRNA-miRNA-mRNA axis. Other emerging roles of CFIm25 include regulating both alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation (APA). APA generates different sized transcripts that may code for different proteins, or more commonly transcripts that code for the same protein but differ in the length and sequence content of their 3' UTRs (3' UTR-APA). CFIm25 mediated global changes in 3' UTR-APA affect human physiology including spermatogenesis and the determination of cell fate. Deregulation of CFIm25 and changes in 3' UTR-APA have been implicated in several human diseases including cancer. In many cancers, CFIm25 acts as a tumor suppressor. However, there are some cancers where CFIm25 has the opposite effect. Alterations in CFIm25-driven 3' UTR-APA may also play a role in neural dysfunction and fibrosis. CFIm25 mediated 3' UTR-APA changes can be used to generate specific signatures that can be used as potential biomarkers in development and disease. Due to the emerging role of CFIm25 as a regulator of the aforementioned RNA processing events, modulation of CFIm25 levels may be a novel viable therapeutic approach. This article is categorized under: RNA Processing > 3' End Processing RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chioniso Patience Masamha
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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25
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Wang T, Ye W, Zhang J, Li H, Zeng W, Zhu S, Ji G, Wu X, Ma L. Alternative 3'-untranslated regions regulate high-salt tolerance of Spartina alterniflora. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 191:2570-2587. [PMID: 36682816 PMCID: PMC10069910 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
High-salt stress continues to challenge the growth and survival of many plants. Alternative polyadenylation (APA) produces mRNAs with different 3'-untranslated regions (3' UTRs) to regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. However, the roles of alternative 3' UTRs in response to salt stress remain elusive. Here, we report the function of alternative 3' UTRs in response to high-salt stress in S. alterniflora (Spartina alterniflora), a monocotyledonous halophyte tolerant of high-salt environments. We found that high-salt stress induced global APA dynamics, and ∼42% of APA genes responded to salt stress. High-salt stress led to 3' UTR lengthening of 207 transcripts through increasing the usage of distal poly(A) sites. Transcripts with alternative 3' UTRs were mainly enriched in salt stress-related ion transporters. Alternative 3' UTRs of HIGH-AFFINITY K+ TRANSPORTER 1 (SaHKT1) increased RNA stability and protein synthesis in vivo. Regulatory AU-rich elements were identified in alternative 3' UTRs, boosting the protein level of SaHKT1. RNAi-knock-down experiments revealed that the biogenesis of 3' UTR lengthening in SaHKT1 was controlled by the poly(A) factor CLEAVAGE AND POLYADENYLATION SPECIFICITY FACTOR 30 (SaCPSF30). Over-expression of SaHKT1 with an alternative 3' UTR in rice (Oryza sativa) protoplasts increased mRNA accumulation of salt-tolerance genes in an AU-rich element-dependent manner. These results suggest that mRNA 3' UTR lengthening is a potential mechanism in response to high-salt stress. These results also reveal complex regulatory roles of alternative 3' UTRs coupling APA and regulatory elements at the post-transcriptional level in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taotao Wang
- College of Forestry, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, School of Future Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Wenbin Ye
- Department of Automation, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Jiaxiang Zhang
- College of Forestry, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, School of Future Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Han Li
- College of Forestry, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, School of Future Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Weike Zeng
- College of Forestry, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, School of Future Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Sheng Zhu
- Department of Automation, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Guoli Ji
- Department of Automation, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Xiaohui Wu
- Pasteurien College, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, China
| | - Liuyin Ma
- College of Forestry, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, School of Future Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
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26
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Alternative Polyadenylation Is a Novel Strategy for the Regulation of Gene Expression in Response to Stresses in Plants. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054727. [PMID: 36902157 PMCID: PMC10003127 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Precursor message RNA requires processing to generate mature RNA. Cleavage and polyadenylation at the 3'-end in the maturation of mRNA is one of key processing steps in eukaryotes. The polyadenylation (poly(A)) tail of mRNA is an essential feature that is required to mediate its nuclear export, stability, translation efficiency, and subcellular localization. Most genes have at least two mRNA isoforms via alternative splicing (AS) or alternative polyadenylation (APA), which increases the diversity of transcriptome and proteome. However, most previous studies have focused on the role of alternative splicing on the regulation of gene expression. In this review, we summarize the recent advances concerning APA in the regulation of gene expression and in response to stresses in plants. We also discuss the mechanisms for the regulation of APA for plants in the adaptation to stress responses, and suggest that APA is a novel strategy for the adaptation to environmental changes and response to stresses in plants.
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27
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von der Haar T, Mulroney TE, Hedayioglu F, Kurusamy S, Rust M, Lilley KS, Thaventhiran JE, Willis AE, Smales CM. Translation of in vitro-transcribed RNA therapeutics. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1128067. [PMID: 36845540 PMCID: PMC9943971 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1128067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
In vitro transcribed, modified messenger RNAs (IVTmRNAs) have been used to vaccinate billions of individuals against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and are currently being developed for many additional therapeutic applications. IVTmRNAs must be translated into proteins with therapeutic activity by the same cellular machinery that also translates native endogenous transcripts. However, different genesis pathways and routes of entry into target cells as well as the presence of modified nucleotides mean that the way in which IVTmRNAs engage with the translational machinery, and the efficiency with which they are being translated, differs from native mRNAs. This review summarises our current knowledge of commonalities and differences in translation between IVTmRNAs and cellular mRNAs, which is key for the development of future design strategies that can generate IVTmRNAs with improved activity in therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias von der Haar
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas E. Mulroney
- MRC Toxicology Unit, Gleeson Building, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Fabio Hedayioglu
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Sathishkumar Kurusamy
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Rust
- MRC Toxicology Unit, Gleeson Building, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Kathryn S. Lilley
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - James E. Thaventhiran
- MRC Toxicology Unit, Gleeson Building, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Anne E. Willis
- MRC Toxicology Unit, Gleeson Building, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - C. Mark Smales
- School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
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28
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Yuan Y, Gao F, Chang Y, Zhao Q, He X. Advances of mRNA vaccine in tumor: a maze of opportunities and challenges. Biomark Res 2023; 11:6. [PMID: 36650562 PMCID: PMC9845107 DOI: 10.1186/s40364-023-00449-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
High-frequency mutations in tumor genomes could be exploited as an asset for developing tumor vaccines. In recent years, with the tremendous breakthrough in genomics, intelligence algorithm, and in-depth insight of tumor immunology, it has become possible to rapidly target genomic alterations in tumor cell and rationally select vaccine targets. Among a variety of candidate vaccine platforms, the early application of mRNA was limited by instability low efficiency and excessive immunogenicity until the successful development of mRNA vaccines against SARS-COV-2 broken of technical bottleneck in vaccine preparation, allowing tumor mRNA vaccines to be prepared rapidly in an economical way with good performance of stability and efficiency. In this review, we systematically summarized the classification and characteristics of tumor antigens, the general process and methods for screening neoantigens, the strategies of vaccine preparations and advances in clinical trials, as well as presented the main challenges in the current mRNA tumor vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Yuan
- grid.413247.70000 0004 1808 0969Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China ,grid.412793.a0000 0004 1799 5032Department of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Fan Gao
- grid.413247.70000 0004 1808 0969Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China ,grid.412793.a0000 0004 1799 5032Department of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ying Chang
- grid.413247.70000 0004 1808 0969Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China ,grid.413247.70000 0004 1808 0969Hubei Clinical Center and Key Laboratory of Intestinal and Colorectal Diseases, Wuhan, China
| | - Qiu Zhao
- grid.413247.70000 0004 1808 0969Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China ,grid.413247.70000 0004 1808 0969Hubei Clinical Center and Key Laboratory of Intestinal and Colorectal Diseases, Wuhan, China
| | - Xingxing He
- grid.413247.70000 0004 1808 0969Department of Gastroenterology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China ,grid.412793.a0000 0004 1799 5032Department of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China ,grid.413247.70000 0004 1808 0969Hubei Clinical Center and Key Laboratory of Intestinal and Colorectal Diseases, Wuhan, China
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29
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Vijjamarri AK, Niu X, Vandermeulen MD, Onu C, Zhang F, Qiu H, Gupta N, Gaikwad S, Greenberg ML, Cullen PJ, Lin Z, Hinnebusch AG. Decapping factor Dcp2 controls mRNA abundance and translation to adjust metabolism and filamentation to nutrient availability. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.05.522830. [PMID: 36711592 PMCID: PMC9881900 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.05.522830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Degradation of most yeast mRNAs involves decapping by Dcp1/Dcp2. DEAD-box protein Dhh1 has been implicated as an activator of decapping, in coupling codon non-optimality to enhanced degradation, and as a translational repressor, but its functions in cells are incompletely understood. RNA-Seq analyses coupled with CAGE sequencing of all capped mRNAs revealed increased abundance of hundreds of mRNAs in dcp2 Δ cells that appears to result directly from impaired decapping rather than elevated transcription, which was confirmed by ChIP-Seq analysis of RNA Polymerase II occupancies genome-wide. Interestingly, only a subset of mRNAs requires Dhh1 for targeting by Dcp2, and also generally requires the other decapping activators Pat1, Lsm2, Edc3 or Scd6; whereas most of the remaining transcripts utilize NMD factors for Dcp2-mediated turnover. Neither inefficient translation initiation nor stalled elongation appears to be a major driver of Dhh1-enhanced mRNA degradation. Surprisingly, ribosome profiling revealed that dcp2 Δ confers widespread changes in relative TEs that generally favor well-translated mRNAs. Because ribosome biogenesis is reduced while capped mRNA abundance is increased by dcp2 Δ, we propose that an increased ratio of mRNA to ribosomes increases competition among mRNAs for limiting ribosomes to favor efficiently translated mRNAs in dcp2 Δ cells. Interestingly, genes involved in respiration or utilization of alternative carbon or nitrogen sources are derepressed, and both mitochondrial function and cell filamentation (a strategy for nutrient foraging) are elevated by dcp2 Δ, suggesting that mRNA decapping sculpts gene expression post-transcriptionally to fine-tune metabolic pathways and morphological transitions according to nutrient availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anil Kumar Vijjamarri
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Xiao Niu
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO
| | | | - Chisom Onu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
| | - Fan Zhang
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Hongfang Qiu
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Neha Gupta
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Swati Gaikwad
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | | | - Paul J Cullen
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
| | - Zhenguo Lin
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Alan G Hinnebusch
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
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30
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Mola S, Beauchamp C, Boucher G, Lesage S, Karaky M, Goyette P, Foisy S, Rioux JD. Identifying transcript-level differential expression in primary human immune cells. Mol Immunol 2023; 153:181-193. [PMID: 36527757 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2022.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Multipotential hematopoietic stem cells differentiate into a wide variety of immune cells with a diversity of functions, including the ability to respond to a variety of stimuli. Importantly, numerous studies have demonstrated the importance of gene transcription in defining cell identity and functions. While these studies have primarily been performed at the level of the gene, it is known that key immune genes such as CD44 and CD45 generate multiple different transcripts that are differentially expressed across different immune cells, and that encode proteins with different sequences and functions. Prior genomic surveys have shown that the mechanisms for generating diversity in expressed transcripts (alternate splicing, alternate transcription start sites, etc.) are very active in immune cells, but have been lacking in terms of identifying genes with multiple transcripts, that are differentially expressed, and likely to affect cell functions. METHODS We first identified the set of genes that had at least two transcripts expressed in our RNA sequencing dataset generated from purified populations of neutrophils, monocytes and five lymphocyte populations (B, NK, γδ T, CD4 + T and CD8 + T) from twelve healthy donors. Next, we developed a heuristic approach to identify genes where two or more transcripts have distinct expression patterns across lymphoid and/or myeloid populations. We then focused our annotation and interpretation on differentially expressed transcripts that affect the coding sequence. This process was repeated to identify transcripts that were differentially expressed between monocytes and populations of macrophages and LPS-stimulated macrophages derived from these monocytes in vitro. RESULTS We found that over 55 % of genes had two or more expressed transcripts, with an average ∼3 transcripts per gene, and that 70 % of these had at least two of the transcripts that encoded proteins with different sequences. As expected, we identified a complex pattern of differential expression for multiple transcripts encoding the CD45 transmembrane protein, but we also found similar evidence for ten other genes (CD300A, FYB1, GPI, LITAF, PSMA1, PTMA, RPL32, SEPTIN9, SH3BP2, SH3KBP1) when comparing the expression patterns of transcripts within myeloid and lymphoid cells. We also identified five genes with differentially expressed transcripts associated with the transition from monocytes to macrophages (FNBP1, KLF6, and SEPTIN9) or between macrophages and LPS-stimulated macrophages (CD44, OAZ2, and SEPTIN9). For the most part, we found that the different transcripts of these genes are expected to impact specific biological functions, for example the different transcripts of SEPTIN9 likely regulate the cytoskeleton in immune cells via their interactions with actins filaments and microtubules. CONCLUSIONS This analytic approach successfully identified multi-transcript genes that are differentially expressed across immune cells and could be applied to other transcriptomic data. DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Researchers can request access to the individual-level data from the current study by contacting the Montreal Heart Institute ethics committee at the following institutional email address: cer.icm@icm-mhi.org.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saraï Mola
- Centre de recherche, Institut de cardiologie de Montréal, 5000 Rue Bélanger, Montréal, Québec H1T 1C8, Canada; Département de biochimie et médecine moléculaire, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Roger-Gaudry, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada.
| | - Claudine Beauchamp
- Centre de recherche, Institut de cardiologie de Montréal, 5000 Rue Bélanger, Montréal, Québec H1T 1C8, Canada.
| | - Gabrielle Boucher
- Centre de recherche, Institut de cardiologie de Montréal, 5000 Rue Bélanger, Montréal, Québec H1T 1C8, Canada.
| | - Sylvie Lesage
- Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, 5415 boul. De l'Assomption, Montréal, Québec H1T 2M4, Canada; Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada.
| | - Mohamad Karaky
- Centre de recherche, Institut de cardiologie de Montréal, 5000 Rue Bélanger, Montréal, Québec H1T 1C8, Canada.
| | - Philippe Goyette
- Centre de recherche, Institut de cardiologie de Montréal, 5000 Rue Bélanger, Montréal, Québec H1T 1C8, Canada.
| | - Sylvain Foisy
- Centre de recherche, Institut de cardiologie de Montréal, 5000 Rue Bélanger, Montréal, Québec H1T 1C8, Canada.
| | - John D Rioux
- Centre de recherche, Institut de cardiologie de Montréal, 5000 Rue Bélanger, Montréal, Québec H1T 1C8, Canada; Département de biochimie et médecine moléculaire, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Roger-Gaudry, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada; Département de médecine, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Roger-Gaudry, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada.
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31
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Parab L, Pal S, Dhar R. Transcription factor binding process is the primary driver of noise in gene expression. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010535. [PMID: 36508455 PMCID: PMC9779669 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Noise in expression of individual genes gives rise to variations in activity of cellular pathways and generates heterogeneity in cellular phenotypes. Phenotypic heterogeneity has important implications for antibiotic persistence, mutation penetrance, cancer growth and therapy resistance. Specific molecular features such as the presence of the TATA box sequence and the promoter nucleosome occupancy have been associated with noise. However, the relative importance of these features in noise regulation is unclear and how well these features can predict noise has not yet been assessed. Here through an integrated statistical model of gene expression noise in yeast we found that the number of regulating transcription factors (TFs) of a gene was a key predictor of noise, whereas presence of the TATA box and the promoter nucleosome occupancy had poor predictive power. With an increase in the number of regulatory TFs, there was a rise in the number of cooperatively binding TFs. In addition, an increased number of regulatory TFs meant more overlaps in TF binding sites, resulting in competition between TFs for binding to the same region of the promoter. Through modeling of TF binding to promoter and application of stochastic simulations, we demonstrated that competition and cooperation among TFs could increase noise. Thus, our work uncovers a process of noise regulation that arises out of the dynamics of gene regulation and is not dependent on any specific transcription factor or specific promoter sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lavisha Parab
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India
- Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Sampriti Pal
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India
| | - Riddhiman Dhar
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India
- * E-mail:
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32
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Chen H, Haddadi N, Zhu X, Hatoum D, Chen S, Nassif NT, Lin Y, McGowan EM. Expression Profile of Sphingosine Kinase 1 Isoforms in Human Cancer Tissues and Cells: Importance and Clinical Relevance of the Neglected 1b-Isoform. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2022; 2022:2250407. [PMID: 36532885 PMCID: PMC9750787 DOI: 10.1155/2022/2250407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Overexpression of sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) is casually associated with many types of cancer, and inhibitors of SphK1 sensitize tumors to chemotherapy. SphK1 is expressed as two major isoforms, SphK1a and SphK1b. To date, no information has been reported on the SphK1 isoform expression profile and its clinical relevance. OBJECTIVE The objective is to examine the expression profile of the SphK1a and SPhK1b isoforms in human cancer and noncancer tissues and cell lines and explore their clinical relevance. METHODS We used PCR to qualitatively examine the expression profile of these two isoforms in breast, liver, and prostate cancer tissues plus paired adjacent tissues and in 11 cancer and normal cell lines (breast, cervical, bone, prostate, colon, brain, mesothelioma tumor and benign, and human kidney cells). RESULTS We found that SphK1a was ubiquitously expressed in all cancer cells and tissues tested; in contrast, SphK1b was only expressed in selective cell types in breast, prostate, and lung cancer. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that SphK1a is important for generic SphK1/S1P functions, and SphK1b mediates specialized and/or unique pathways in a specific type of tissue and could be a biomarker for cancer. This discovery is important for future SphK1-related cancer research and may have clinical implications in drug development associated with SphK1-directed cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongjie Chen
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Nahal Haddadi
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, NSW, Australia
| | - Xiaofeng Zhu
- Department of Transplant Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Diana Hatoum
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, NSW, Australia
- Public Health and College of Arts and Sciences, Phoenicia University, Daoudiye, Lebanon
| | - Size Chen
- Central Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Esophageal Cancer Precision Therapy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Najah T. Nassif
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, NSW, Australia
| | - Yiguang Lin
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, NSW, Australia
- Central Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Eileen M. McGowan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, NSW, Australia
- Central Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Esophageal Cancer Precision Therapy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
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33
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Bensidoun P, Reiter T, Montpetit B, Zenklusen D, Oeffinger M. Nuclear mRNA metabolism drives selective basket assembly on a subset of nuclear pore complexes in budding yeast. Mol Cell 2022; 82:3856-3871.e6. [PMID: 36220102 PMCID: PMC10300651 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
To determine which transcripts should reach the cytoplasm for translation, eukaryotic cells have established mechanisms to regulate selective mRNA export through the nuclear pore complex (NPC). The nuclear basket, a substructure of the NPC protruding into the nucleoplasm, is thought to function as a stable platform where mRNA-protein complexes (mRNPs) are rearranged and undergo quality control prior to export, ensuring that only mature mRNAs reach the cytoplasm. Here, we use proteomic, genetic, live-cell, and single-molecule resolution microscopy approaches in budding yeast to demonstrate that basket formation is dependent on RNA polymerase II transcription and subsequent mRNP processing. We further show that while all NPCs can bind Mlp1, baskets assemble only on a subset of nucleoplasmic NPCs, and these basket-containing NPCs associate a distinct protein and RNA interactome. Taken together, our data point toward NPC heterogeneity and an RNA-dependent mechanism for functionalization of NPCs in budding yeast through nuclear basket assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Bensidoun
- Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, QC, Canada; Département de biochimie et médecine moléculaire, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Taylor Reiter
- Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Ben Montpetit
- Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Daniel Zenklusen
- Département de biochimie et médecine moléculaire, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
| | - Marlene Oeffinger
- Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, QC, Canada; Département de biochimie et médecine moléculaire, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada; Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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34
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Lui KH, Geisberg JV, Moqtaderi Z, Struhl K. 3' Untranslated Regions Are Modular Entities That Determine Polyadenylation Profiles. Mol Cell Biol 2022; 42:e0024422. [PMID: 35972270 PMCID: PMC9476944 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.00244-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The 3' ends of eukaryotic mRNAs are generated by cleavage of nascent transcripts followed by polyadenylation, which occurs at numerous sites within 3' untranslated regions (3' UTRs) but rarely within coding regions. An individual gene can yield many 3'-mRNA isoforms with distinct half-lives. We dissect the relative contributions of protein-coding sequences (open reading frames [ORFs]) and 3' UTRs to polyadenylation profiles in yeast. ORF-deleted derivatives often display strongly decreased mRNA levels, indicating that ORFs contribute to overall mRNA stability. Poly(A) profiles, and hence relative isoform half-lives, of most (9 of 10) ORF-deleted derivatives are very similar to their wild-type counterparts. Similarly, in-frame insertion of a large protein-coding fragment between the ORF and 3' UTR has minimal effect on the poly(A) profile in all 15 cases tested. Last, reciprocal ORF/3'-UTR chimeric genes indicate that the poly(A) profile is determined by the 3' UTR. Thus, 3' UTRs are self-contained modular entities sufficient to determine poly(A) profiles and relative 3'-isoform half-lives. In the one atypical instance, ORF deletion causes an upstream shift of poly(A) sites, likely because juxtaposition of an unusually high AT-rich stretch directs polyadenylation closely downstream. This suggests that long AT-rich stretches, which are not encountered until after coding regions, are important for restricting polyadenylation to 3' UTRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Hin Lui
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joseph V. Geisberg
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Zarmik Moqtaderi
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kevin Struhl
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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35
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Esposito E, Weidemann DE, Rogers JM, Morton CM, Baybay EK, Chen J, Hauf S. Mitotic checkpoint gene expression is tuned by codon usage bias. EMBO J 2022; 41:e107896. [PMID: 35811551 PMCID: PMC9340482 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2021107896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The mitotic checkpoint (also called spindle assembly checkpoint, SAC) is a signaling pathway that safeguards proper chromosome segregation. Correct functioning of the SAC depends on adequate protein concentrations and appropriate stoichiometries between SAC proteins. Yet very little is known about the regulation of SAC gene expression. Here, we show in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe that a combination of short mRNA half-lives and long protein half-lives supports stable SAC protein levels. For the SAC genes mad2+ and mad3+ , their short mRNA half-lives are caused, in part, by a high frequency of nonoptimal codons. In contrast, mad1+ mRNA has a short half-life despite a higher frequency of optimal codons, and despite the lack of known RNA-destabilizing motifs. Hence, different SAC genes employ different strategies of expression. We further show that Mad1 homodimers form co-translationally, which may necessitate a certain codon usage pattern. Taken together, we propose that the codon usage of SAC genes is fine-tuned to ensure proper SAC function. Our work shines light on gene expression features that promote spindle assembly checkpoint function and suggests that synonymous mutations may weaken the checkpoint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Esposito
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Douglas E Weidemann
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Jessie M Rogers
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Claire M Morton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Erod Keaton Baybay
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Jing Chen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Silke Hauf
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
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36
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Alalam H, Zepeda-Martínez JA, Sunnerhagen P. Global SLAM-seq for accurate mRNA decay determination and identification of NMD targets. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2022; 28:905-915. [PMID: 35296539 PMCID: PMC9074897 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079077.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Gene expression analysis requires accurate measurements of global RNA degradation rates, earlier problematic with methods disruptive to cell physiology. Recently, metabolic RNA labeling emerged as an efficient and minimally invasive technique applied in mammalian cells. Here, we have adapted SH-linked alkylation for the metabolic sequencing of RNA (SLAM-seq) for a global mRNA stability study in yeast using 4-thiouracil pulse-chase labeling. We assign high-confidence half-life estimates for 67.5% of expressed ORFs, and measure a median half-life of 9.4 min. For mRNAs where half-life estimates exist in the literature, their ranking order was in good agreement with previous data, indicating that SLAM-seq efficiently classifies stable and unstable transcripts. We then leveraged our yeast protocol to identify targets of the nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) pathway by measuring the change in RNA half-lives, instead of steady-state RNA level changes. With SLAM-seq, we assign 580 transcripts as putative NMD targets, based on their measured half-lives in wild-type and upf3Δ mutants. We find 225 novel targets, and observe a strong agreement with previous reports of NMD targets, 61.2% of our candidates being identified in previous studies. This indicates that SLAM-seq is a simpler and more economic method for global quantification of mRNA half-lives. Our adaptation for yeast yielded global quantitative measures of the NMD effect on transcript half-lives, high correlation with RNA half-lives measured previously with more technically challenging protocols, and identification of novel NMD regulated transcripts that escaped prior detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Alalam
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, Lundberg Laboratory, University of Gothenburg, S-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | | | - Per Sunnerhagen
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, Lundberg Laboratory, University of Gothenburg, S-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
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37
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Georgakopoulos-Soares I, Parada GE, Hemberg M. Secondary structures in RNA synthesis, splicing and translation. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:2871-2884. [PMID: 35765654 PMCID: PMC9198270 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.05.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Even though the functional role of mRNA molecules is primarily decided by the nucleotide sequence, several properties are determined by secondary structure conformations. Examples of secondary structures include long range interactions, hairpins, R-loops and G-quadruplexes and they are formed through interactions of non-adjacent nucleotides. Here, we discuss advances in our understanding of how secondary structures can impact RNA synthesis, splicing, translation and mRNA half-life. During RNA synthesis, secondary structures determine RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) speed, thereby influencing splicing. Splicing is also determined by RNA binding proteins and their binding rates are modulated by secondary structures. For the initiation of translation, secondary structures can control the choice of translation start site. Here, we highlight the mechanisms by which secondary structures modulate these processes, discuss advances in technologies to detect and study them systematically, and consider the roles of RNA secondary structures in disease.
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38
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Faucillion ML, Johansson AM, Larsson J. Modulation of RNA stability regulates gene expression in two opposite ways: through buffering of RNA levels upon global perturbations and by supporting adapted differential expression. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:4372-4388. [PMID: 35390159 PMCID: PMC9071389 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The steady state levels of RNAs, often referred to as expression levels, result from a well-balanced combination of RNA transcription and decay. Alterations in RNA levels will therefore result from tight regulation of transcription rates, decay rates or both. Here, we explore the role of RNA stability in achieving balanced gene expression and present genome-wide RNA stabilities in Drosophila melanogaster male and female cells as well as male cells depleted of proteins essential for dosage compensation. We identify two distinct RNA-stability mediated responses involved in regulation of gene expression. The first of these responds to acute and global changes in transcription and thus counteracts potentially harmful gene mis-expression by shifting the RNA stability in the direction opposite to the transcriptional change. The second response enhances inter-individual differential gene expression by adjusting the RNA stability in the same direction as a transcriptional change. Both mechanisms are global, act on housekeeping as well as non-housekeeping genes and were observed in both flies and mammals. Additionally, we show that, in contrast to mammals, modulation of RNA stability does not detectably contribute to dosage compensation of the sex-chromosomes in D. melanogaster.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jan Larsson
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
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39
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Solayman M, Litfin T, Singh J, Paliwal K, Zhou Y, Zhan J. Probing RNA structures and functions by solvent accessibility: an overview from experimental and computational perspectives. Brief Bioinform 2022; 23:6554125. [PMID: 35348613 PMCID: PMC9116373 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbac112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Characterizing RNA structures and functions have mostly been focused on 2D, secondary and 3D, tertiary structures. Recent advances in experimental and computational techniques for probing or predicting RNA solvent accessibility make this 1D representation of tertiary structures an increasingly attractive feature to explore. Here, we provide a survey of these recent developments, which indicate the emergence of solvent accessibility as a simple 1D property, adding to secondary and tertiary structures for investigating complex structure–function relations of RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Solayman
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Parklands Dr. Southport, QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Thomas Litfin
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Parklands Dr. Southport, QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Jaswinder Singh
- Signal Processing Laboratory, School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia
| | - Kuldip Paliwal
- Signal Processing Laboratory, School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia
| | - Yaoqi Zhou
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Parklands Dr. Southport, QLD 4222, Australia.,Institute for Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China.,Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jian Zhan
- Institute for Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China
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40
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Baron Y, Sens J, Lange L, Nassauer L, Klatt D, Hoffmann D, Kleppa MJ, Barbosa PV, Keisker M, Steinberg V, Suerth JD, Vondran FWR, Meyer J, Morgan M, Schambach A, Galla M. Improved alpharetrovirus-based Gag.MS2 particles for efficient and transient delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 into target cells. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2022; 27:810-823. [PMID: 35141043 PMCID: PMC8801357 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2021.12.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
DNA-modifying technologies, such as the CRISPR-Cas9 system, are promising tools in the field of gene and cell therapies. However, high and prolonged expression of DNA-modifying enzymes may cause cytotoxic and genotoxic side effects and is therefore unwanted in therapeutic approaches. Consequently, development of new and potent short-term delivery methods is of utmost importance. Recently, we developed non-integrating gammaretrovirus- and MS2 bacteriophage-based Gag.MS2 (g.Gag.MS2) particles for transient transfer of non-retroviral CRISPR-Cas9 RNA into target cells. In the present study, we further improved the technique by transferring the system to the alpharetroviral vector platform (a.Gag.MS2), which significantly increased CRISPR-Cas9 delivery into target cells and allowed efficient targeted knockout of endogenous TP53/Trp53 genes in primary murine fibroblasts as well as primary human fibroblasts, hepatocytes, and cord-blood-derived CD34+ stem and progenitor cells. Strikingly, co-packaging of Cas9 mRNA and multiple single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) into a.Gag.MS2 chimera displayed efficient targeted knockout of up to three genes. Co-transfection of single-stranded DNA donor oligonucleotides during CRISPR-Cas9 particle production generated all-in-one particles, which mediated up to 12.5% of homology-directed repair in primary cell cultures. In summary, optimized a.Gag.MS2 particles represent a versatile tool for short-term delivery of DNA-modifying enzymes into a variety of target cells, including primary murine and human cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Baron
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Johanna Sens
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Lucas Lange
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Larissa Nassauer
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Denise Klatt
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Dirk Hoffmann
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Marc-Jens Kleppa
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Philippe Vollmer Barbosa
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany.,Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Maximilian Keisker
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Viviane Steinberg
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Julia D Suerth
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Florian W R Vondran
- ReMediES, Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany.,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hannover-Braunschweig, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Johann Meyer
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Michael Morgan
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Axel Schambach
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Melanie Galla
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
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41
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Nelson JW, Randolph PB, Shen SP, Everette KA, Chen PJ, Anzalone AV, An M, Newby GA, Chen JC, Hsu A, Liu DR. Engineered pegRNAs improve prime editing efficiency. Nat Biotechnol 2022; 40:402-410. [PMID: 34608327 PMCID: PMC8930418 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-021-01039-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 256] [Impact Index Per Article: 128.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Prime editing enables the installation of virtually any combination of point mutations, small insertions or small deletions in the DNA of living cells. A prime editing guide RNA (pegRNA) directs the prime editor protein to the targeted locus and also encodes the desired edit. Here we show that degradation of the 3' region of the pegRNA that contains the reverse transcriptase template and the primer binding site can poison the activity of prime editing systems, impeding editing efficiency. We incorporated structured RNA motifs to the 3' terminus of pegRNAs that enhance their stability and prevent degradation of the 3' extension. The resulting engineered pegRNAs (epegRNAs) improve prime editing efficiency 3-4-fold in HeLa, U2OS and K562 cells and in primary human fibroblasts without increasing off-target editing activity. We optimized the choice of 3' structural motif and developed pegLIT, a computational tool to identify non-interfering nucleotide linkers between pegRNAs and 3' motifs. Finally, we showed that epegRNAs enhance the efficiency of the installation or correction of disease-relevant mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- James W Nelson
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Peyton B Randolph
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Simon P Shen
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kelcee A Everette
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Peter J Chen
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Andrew V Anzalone
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Meirui An
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Gregory A Newby
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jonathan C Chen
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alvin Hsu
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - David R Liu
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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42
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Roles of mRNA poly(A) tails in regulation of eukaryotic gene expression. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2022; 23:93-106. [PMID: 34594027 PMCID: PMC7614307 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-021-00417-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 69.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In eukaryotes, poly(A) tails are present on almost every mRNA. Early experiments led to the hypothesis that poly(A) tails and the cytoplasmic polyadenylate-binding protein (PABPC) promote translation and prevent mRNA degradation, but the details remained unclear. More recent data suggest that the role of poly(A) tails is much more complex: poly(A)-binding protein can stimulate poly(A) tail removal (deadenylation) and the poly(A) tails of stable, highly translated mRNAs at steady state are much shorter than expected. Furthermore, the rate of translation elongation affects deadenylation. Consequently, the interplay between poly(A) tails, PABPC, translation and mRNA decay has a major role in gene regulation. In this Review, we discuss recent work that is revolutionizing our understanding of the roles of poly(A) tails in the cytoplasm. Specifically, we discuss the roles of poly(A) tails in translation and control of mRNA stability and how poly(A) tails are removed by exonucleases (deadenylases), including CCR4-NOT and PAN2-PAN3. We also discuss how deadenylation rate is determined, the integration of deadenylation with other cellular processes and the function of PABPC. We conclude with an outlook for the future of research in this field.
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43
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Moqtaderi Z, Geisberg JV, Struhl K. A compensatory link between cleavage/polyadenylation and mRNA turnover regulates steady-state mRNA levels in yeast. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2121488119. [PMID: 35058367 PMCID: PMC8794773 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2121488119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells have compensatory mechanisms to coordinate the rates of major biological processes, thereby permitting growth in a wide variety of conditions. Here, we uncover a compensatory link between cleavage/polyadenylation in the nucleus and messenger RNA (mRNA) turnover in the cytoplasm. On a global basis, same-gene 3' mRNA isoforms with twofold or greater differences in half-lives have steady-state mRNA levels that differ by significantly less than a factor of 2. In addition, increased efficiency of cleavage/polyadenylation at a specific site is associated with reduced stability of the corresponding 3' mRNA isoform. This inverse relationship between cleavage/polyadenylation and mRNA isoform half-life reduces the variability in the steady-state levels of mRNA isoforms, and it occurs in all four growth conditions tested. These observations suggest that during cleavage/polyadenylation in the nucleus, mRNA isoforms are marked in a manner that persists upon translocation to the cytoplasm and affects the activity of mRNA degradation machinery, thus influencing mRNA stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zarmik Moqtaderi
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Joseph V Geisberg
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Kevin Struhl
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
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Loïodice I, Garnier M, Nikolov I, Taddei A. An Inducible System for Silencing Establishment Reveals a Stepwise Mechanism in Which Anchoring at the Nuclear Periphery Precedes Heterochromatin Formation. Cells 2021; 10:cells10112810. [PMID: 34831033 PMCID: PMC8616196 DOI: 10.3390/cells10112810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
In eukaryotic cells, silent chromatin is mainly found at the nuclear periphery forming subnuclear compartments that favor silencing establishment. Here, we set up an inducible system to monitor silencing establishment at an ectopic locus in relation with its subnuclear localization in budding yeast. We previously showed that introducing LacI bound lacO arrays in proximity to gene flanked by HML silencers favors the recruitment of the yeast silencing complex SIR at this locus, leading to its silencing and anchoring at the nuclear periphery. Using an inducible version of this system, we show that silencing establishment is a stepwise process occurring over several cell cycles, with the progressive recruitment of the SIR complex. In contrast, we observed a rapid, SIR-independent perinuclear anchoring, induced by the high amount of LacI binding at the lacO array leading to nucleosome eviction at this array and to the phosphorylation of H2A in the neighboring nucleosomes by Mec1 kinase. While the initial phosphorylation of H2A (H2A-P) and perinuclear anchoring are independent of the SIR complex, its latter recruitment stabilizes H2A-P and reinforces the perinuclear anchoring. Finally, we showed that Sir3 spreading stabilizes nucleosomes and limits the access of specific DNA-binding protein to DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Loïodice
- Nuclear Dynamics Unit, CNRS, Institut Curie, PSL University, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France; (I.L.); (M.G.); (I.N.)
| | - Mickael Garnier
- Nuclear Dynamics Unit, CNRS, Institut Curie, PSL University, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France; (I.L.); (M.G.); (I.N.)
| | - Ivaylo Nikolov
- Nuclear Dynamics Unit, CNRS, Institut Curie, PSL University, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France; (I.L.); (M.G.); (I.N.)
| | - Angela Taddei
- Nuclear Dynamics Unit, CNRS, Institut Curie, PSL University, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France; (I.L.); (M.G.); (I.N.)
- Cogitamus Laboratory, F-75005 Paris, France
- Correspondence:
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45
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Savinov A, Brandsen BM, Angell BE, Cuperus JT, Fields S. Effects of sequence motifs in the yeast 3' untranslated region determined from massively parallel assays of random sequences. Genome Biol 2021; 22:293. [PMID: 34663436 PMCID: PMC8522215 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-021-02509-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The 3' untranslated region (UTR) plays critical roles in determining the level of gene expression through effects on activities such as mRNA stability and translation. Functional elements within this region have largely been identified through analyses of native genes, which contain multiple co-evolved sequence features. RESULTS To explore the effects of 3' UTR sequence elements outside of native sequence contexts, we analyze hundreds of thousands of random 50-mers inserted into the 3' UTR of a reporter gene in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We determine relative protein expression levels from the fitness of transformants in a growth selection. We find that the consensus 3' UTR efficiency element significantly boosts expression, independent of sequence context; on the other hand, the consensus positioning element has only a small effect on expression. Some sequence motifs that are binding sites for Puf proteins substantially increase expression in the library, despite these proteins generally being associated with post-transcriptional downregulation of native mRNAs. Our measurements also allow a systematic examination of the effects of point mutations within efficiency element motifs across diverse sequence backgrounds. These mutational scans reveal the relative in vivo importance of individual bases in the efficiency element, which likely reflects their roles in binding the Hrp1 protein involved in cleavage and polyadenylation. CONCLUSIONS The regulatory effects of some 3' UTR sequence features, like the efficiency element, are consistent regardless of sequence context. In contrast, the consequences of other 3' UTR features appear to be strongly dependent on their evolved context within native genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Savinov
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355065, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Present address: Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Benjamin M Brandsen
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355065, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, 68178, USA
| | - Brooke E Angell
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355065, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Present address: Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Graduate Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Josh T Cuperus
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355065, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
| | - Stanley Fields
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355065, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Box 357720, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
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46
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Bhagwat M, Nagar S, Kaur P, Mehta R, Vancurova I, Vancura A. Replication stress inhibits synthesis of histone mRNAs in yeast by removing Spt10p and Spt21p from the histone promoters. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:101246. [PMID: 34582893 PMCID: PMC8551654 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Proliferating cells coordinate histone and DNA synthesis to maintain correct stoichiometry for chromatin assembly. Histone mRNA levels must be repressed when DNA replication is inhibited to prevent toxicity and genome instability due to free non-chromatinized histone proteins. In mammalian cells, replication stress triggers degradation of histone mRNAs, but it is unclear if this mechanism is conserved from other species. The aim of this study was to identify the histone mRNA decay pathway in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and determine the mechanism by which DNA replication stress represses histone mRNAs. Using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and chromatin immunoprecipitation–quantitative PCR, we show here that histone mRNAs can be degraded by both 5′ → 3′ and 3′ → 5′ pathways; however, replication stress does not trigger decay of histone mRNA in yeast. Rather, replication stress inhibits transcription of histone genes by removing the histone gene–specific transcription factors Spt10p and Spt21p from histone promoters, leading to disassembly of the preinitiation complexes and eviction of RNA Pol II from histone genes by a mechanism facilitated by checkpoint kinase Rad53p and histone chaperone Asf1p. In contrast, replication stress does not remove SCB-binding factor transcription complex, another activator of histone genes, from the histone promoters, suggesting that Spt10p and Spt21p have unique roles in the transcriptional downregulation of histone genes during replication stress. Together, our data show that, unlike in mammalian cells, replication stress in yeast does not trigger decay of histone mRNAs but inhibits histone transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhura Bhagwat
- Department of Biological Sciences, St John's University, Queens, New York, USA
| | - Shreya Nagar
- Department of Biological Sciences, St John's University, Queens, New York, USA
| | - Pritpal Kaur
- Department of Biological Sciences, St John's University, Queens, New York, USA
| | - Riddhi Mehta
- Department of Biological Sciences, St John's University, Queens, New York, USA
| | - Ivana Vancurova
- Department of Biological Sciences, St John's University, Queens, New York, USA
| | - Ales Vancura
- Department of Biological Sciences, St John's University, Queens, New York, USA.
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Benda M, Woelfel S, Faßhauer P, Gunka K, Klumpp S, Poehlein A, Kálalová D, Šanderová H, Daniel R, Krásný L, Stülke J. Quasi-essentiality of RNase Y in Bacillus subtilis is caused by its critical role in the control of mRNA homeostasis. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:7088-7102. [PMID: 34157109 PMCID: PMC8266666 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA turnover is essential in all domains of life. The endonuclease RNase Y (rny) is one of the key components involved in RNA metabolism of the model organism Bacillus subtilis. Essentiality of RNase Y has been a matter of discussion, since deletion of the rny gene is possible, but leads to severe phenotypic effects. In this work, we demonstrate that the rny mutant strain rapidly evolves suppressor mutations to at least partially alleviate these defects. All suppressor mutants had acquired a duplication of an about 60 kb long genomic region encompassing genes for all three core subunits of the RNA polymerase—α, β, β′. When the duplication of the RNA polymerase genes was prevented by relocation of the rpoA gene in the B. subtilis genome, all suppressor mutants carried distinct single point mutations in evolutionary conserved regions of genes coding either for the β or β’ subunits of the RNA polymerase that were not tolerated by wild type bacteria. In vitro transcription assays with the mutated polymerase variants showed a severe decrease in transcription efficiency. Altogether, our results suggest a tight cooperation between RNase Y and the RNA polymerase to establish an optimal RNA homeostasis in B. subtilis cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Benda
- Department of General Microbiology, GZMB, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Simon Woelfel
- Department of General Microbiology, GZMB, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Patrick Faßhauer
- Department of General Microbiology, GZMB, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Katrin Gunka
- Department of General Microbiology, GZMB, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Klumpp
- Institute for the Dynamics of Complex Systems, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Anja Poehlein
- Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology & Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, GZMB, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Debora Kálalová
- Laboratory of Microbial Genetics and Gene Expression, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Šanderová
- Laboratory of Microbial Genetics and Gene Expression, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology & Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, GZMB, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Libor Krásný
- Laboratory of Microbial Genetics and Gene Expression, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jörg Stülke
- Department of General Microbiology, GZMB, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Andjus S, Morillon A, Wery M. From Yeast to Mammals, the Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay as a Master Regulator of Long Non-Coding RNAs Functional Trajectory. Noncoding RNA 2021; 7:ncrna7030044. [PMID: 34449682 PMCID: PMC8395947 DOI: 10.3390/ncrna7030044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay (NMD) has been classically viewed as a translation-dependent RNA surveillance pathway degrading aberrant mRNAs containing premature stop codons. However, it is now clear that mRNA quality control represents only one face of the multiple functions of NMD. Indeed, NMD also regulates the physiological expression of normal mRNAs, and more surprisingly, of long non-coding (lnc)RNAs. Here, we review the different mechanisms of NMD activation in yeast and mammals, and we discuss the molecular bases of the NMD sensitivity of lncRNAs, considering the functional roles of NMD and of translation in the metabolism of these transcripts. In this regard, we describe several examples of functional micropeptides produced from lncRNAs. We propose that translation and NMD provide potent means to regulate the expression of lncRNAs, which might be critical for the cell to respond to environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Andjus
- ncRNA, Epigenetic and Genome Fluidity, Institut Curie, PSL University, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR3244, 26 Rue d’Ulm, CEDEX 05, F-75248 Paris, France;
| | - Antonin Morillon
- ncRNA, Epigenetic and Genome Fluidity, Institut Curie, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR3244, 26 Rue d’Ulm, CEDEX 05, F-75248 Paris, France
- Correspondence: (A.M.); (M.W.)
| | - Maxime Wery
- ncRNA, Epigenetic and Genome Fluidity, Institut Curie, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR3244, 26 Rue d’Ulm, CEDEX 05, F-75248 Paris, France
- Correspondence: (A.M.); (M.W.)
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49
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Binzel DW, Li X, Burns N, Khan E, Lee WJ, Chen LC, Ellipilli S, Miles W, Ho YS, Guo P. Thermostability, Tunability, and Tenacity of RNA as Rubbery Anionic Polymeric Materials in Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine-Specific Cancer Targeting with Undetectable Toxicity. Chem Rev 2021; 121:7398-7467. [PMID: 34038115 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
RNA nanotechnology is the bottom-up self-assembly of nanometer-scale architectures, resembling LEGOs, composed mainly of RNA. The ideal building material should be (1) versatile and controllable in shape and stoichiometry, (2) spontaneously self-assemble, and (3) thermodynamically, chemically, and enzymatically stable with a long shelf life. RNA building blocks exhibit each of the above. RNA is a polynucleic acid, making it a polymer, and its negative-charge prevents nonspecific binding to negatively charged cell membranes. The thermostability makes it suitable for logic gates, resistive memory, sensor set-ups, and NEM devices. RNA can be designed and manipulated with a level of simplicity of DNA while displaying versatile structure and enzyme activity of proteins. RNA can fold into single-stranded loops or bulges to serve as mounting dovetails for intermolecular or domain interactions without external linking dowels. RNA nanoparticles display rubber- and amoeba-like properties and are stretchable and shrinkable through multiple repeats, leading to enhanced tumor targeting and fast renal excretion to reduce toxicities. It was predicted in 2014 that RNA would be the third milestone in pharmaceutical drug development. The recent approval of several RNA drugs and COVID-19 mRNA vaccines by FDA suggests that this milestone is being realized. Here, we review the unique properties of RNA nanotechnology, summarize its recent advancements, describe its distinct attributes inside or outside the body and discuss potential applications in nanotechnology, medicine, and material science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W Binzel
- Center for RNA Nanobiotechnology and Nanomedicine, College of Pharmacy, Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, James Comprehensive Cancer Center, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Xin Li
- Center for RNA Nanobiotechnology and Nanomedicine, College of Pharmacy, Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, James Comprehensive Cancer Center, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Nicolas Burns
- Center for RNA Nanobiotechnology and Nanomedicine, College of Pharmacy, Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, James Comprehensive Cancer Center, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Eshan Khan
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, College of Medicine, Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Wen-Jui Lee
- TMU Research Center of Cancer Translational Medicine, School of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medical Science and Technology, Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Li-Ching Chen
- TMU Research Center of Cancer Translational Medicine, School of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medical Science and Technology, Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Satheesh Ellipilli
- Center for RNA Nanobiotechnology and Nanomedicine, College of Pharmacy, Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, James Comprehensive Cancer Center, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Wayne Miles
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, College of Medicine, Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Yuan Soon Ho
- TMU Research Center of Cancer Translational Medicine, School of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medical Science and Technology, Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Peixuan Guo
- Center for RNA Nanobiotechnology and Nanomedicine, College of Pharmacy, Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, James Comprehensive Cancer Center, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
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50
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Ogorodnikov A, Danckwardt S. TRENDseq-A highly multiplexed high throughput RNA 3' end sequencing for mapping alternative polyadenylation. Methods Enzymol 2021; 655:37-72. [PMID: 34183130 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2021.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is a widespread and highly dynamic mechanism of gene regulation. It affects more than 70% of all genes, resulting in transcript isoforms with distinct 3' end termini. APA thereby considerably expands the diversity of the transcriptome 3' end (TREND). This leads to mRNA isoforms with profoundly different physiological effects, by affecting protein output, production of distinct protein isoforms, or modulating protein localization. APA is globally regulated in various conditions, including developmental and adaptive programs. Since perturbations of APA can disrupt biological processes, ultimately resulting in most devastating disorders, querying the APA landscape is crucial to decipher underlying mechanisms, resulting consequences and potential diagnostic and therapeutic implications. Here we provide a detailed step-by-step protocol for TRENDseq, a method for transcriptome-wide high-throughput sequencing of polyadenylated RNA 3' ends in a highly multiplexed fashion. TRENDseq exploits linear amplification of the starting material to improve sensitivity while significantly reducing the amount of input material. It thereby represents a powerful tool to study APA in numerous experimental set-ups and/or limited human samples in a highly multiplexed and reproducible manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Ogorodnikov
- Posttranscriptional Gene Regulation, University Medical Centre Mainz, Mainz, Germany; Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Centre Mainz, Mainz, Germany; Centre for Thrombosis and Hemostasis (CTH), University Medical Centre Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sven Danckwardt
- Posttranscriptional Gene Regulation, University Medical Centre Mainz, Mainz, Germany; Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Centre Mainz, Mainz, Germany; Centre for Thrombosis and Hemostasis (CTH), University Medical Centre Mainz, Mainz, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Berlin, Germany.
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