1
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Koralewska N, Corradi E, Milewski MC, Masante L, Szczepanska A, Kierzek R, Figlerowicz M, Baudet ML, Kurzynska-Kokorniak A. Short 2'-O-methyl/LNA oligomers as highly-selective inhibitors of miRNA production in vitro and in vivo. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:5804-5824. [PMID: 38676942 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae284] [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: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) that share identical or near-identical sequences constitute miRNA families and are predicted to act redundantly. Yet recent evidence suggests that members of the same miRNA family with high sequence similarity might have different roles and that this functional divergence might be rooted in their precursors' sequence. Current knock-down strategies such as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) or miRNA sponges cannot distinguish between identical or near identical miRNAs originating from different precursors to allow exploring unique functions of these miRNAs. We here develop a novel strategy based on short 2'-OMe/LNA-modified oligonucleotides to selectively target specific precursor molecules and ablate the production of individual members of miRNA families in vitro and in vivo. Leveraging the highly conserved Xenopus miR-181a family as proof-of-concept, we demonstrate that 2'-OMe/LNA-ASOs targeting the apical region of pre-miRNAs achieve precursor-selective inhibition of mature miRNA-5p production. Furthermore, we extend the applicability of our approach to the human miR-16 family, illustrating its universality in targeting precursors generating identical miRNAs. Overall, our strategy enables efficient manipulation of miRNA expression, offering a powerful tool to dissect the functions of identical or highly similar miRNAs derived from different precursors within miRNA families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Koralewska
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan 61-704, Poland
| | - Eloina Corradi
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento 38123, Italy
| | - Marek C Milewski
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan 61-704, Poland
| | - Linda Masante
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento 38123, Italy
| | - Agnieszka Szczepanska
- Department of Ribonucleoprotein Biochemistry, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan 61-704, Poland
| | - Ryszard Kierzek
- Department of Structural Chemistry and Biology of Nucleic Acids, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan 61-704, Poland
| | - Marek Figlerowicz
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan 61-704, Poland
| | - Marie-Laure Baudet
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento 38123, Italy
| | - Anna Kurzynska-Kokorniak
- Department of Ribonucleoprotein Biochemistry, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan 61-704, Poland
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2
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Verheyden NA, Klostermann M, Brüggemann M, Steede HM, Scholz A, Amr S, Lichtenthaeler C, Münch C, Schmid T, Zarnack K, Krueger A. A high-resolution map of functional miR-181 response elements in the thymus reveals the role of coding sequence targeting and an alternative seed match. Nucleic Acids Res 2024:gkae416. [PMID: 38783381 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are critical post-transcriptional regulators in many biological processes. They act by guiding RNA-induced silencing complexes to miRNA response elements (MREs) in target mRNAs, inducing translational inhibition and/or mRNA degradation. Functional MREs are expected to predominantly occur in the 3' untranslated region and involve perfect base-pairing of the miRNA seed. Here, we generate a high-resolution map of miR-181a/b-1 (miR-181) MREs to define the targeting rules of miR-181 in developing murine T cells. By combining a multi-omics approach with computational high-resolution analyses, we uncover novel miR-181 targets and demonstrate that miR-181 acts predominantly through RNA destabilization. Importantly, we discover an alternative seed match and identify a distinct set of targets with repeat elements in the coding sequence which are targeted by miR-181 and mediate translational inhibition. In conclusion, deep profiling of MREs in primary cells is critical to expand physiologically relevant targetomes and establish context-dependent miRNA targeting rules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikita A Verheyden
- Molecular Immunology, Justus Liebig University Gießen, 35392 Gießen, Germany
| | - Melina Klostermann
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences & Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Mirko Brüggemann
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences & Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Hanna M Steede
- Molecular Immunology, Justus Liebig University Gießen, 35392 Gießen, Germany
| | - Anica Scholz
- Institute of Biochemistry I, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Shady Amr
- Institute of Biochemistry II, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Chiara Lichtenthaeler
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Christian Münch
- Institute of Biochemistry II, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Tobias Schmid
- Institute of Biochemistry I, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Kathi Zarnack
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences & Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Andreas Krueger
- Molecular Immunology, Justus Liebig University Gießen, 35392 Gießen, Germany
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3
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Ressel S, Kumar S, Bermúdez-Barrientos JR, Gordon K, Lane J, Wu J, Abreu-Goodger C, Schwarze J, Buck A. RNA-RNA interactions between respiratory syncytial virus and miR-26 and miR-27 are associated with regulation of cell cycle and antiviral immunity. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:4872-4888. [PMID: 38412296 PMCID: PMC11109944 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae116] [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: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate nearly all physiological processes but our understanding of exactly how they function remains incomplete, particularly in the context of viral infections. Here, we adapt a biochemical method (CLEAR-CLIP) and analysis pipeline to identify targets of miRNAs in lung cells infected with Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). We show that RSV binds directly to miR-26 and miR-27 through seed pairing and demonstrate that these miRNAs target distinct gene networks associated with cell cycle and metabolism (miR-27) and antiviral immunity (miR-26). Many of the targets are de-repressed upon infection and we show that the miR-27 targets most sensitive to miRNA inhibition are those associated with cell cycle. Finally, we demonstrate that high confidence chimeras map to long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and pseudogenes in transcriptional regulatory regions. We validate that a proportion of miR-27 and Argonaute 2 (AGO2) is nuclear and identify a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) as a miR-27 target that is linked to transcriptional regulation of nearby genes. This work expands the target networks of miR-26 and miR-27 to include direct interactions with RSV and lncRNAs and implicate these miRNAs in regulation of key genes that impact the viral life cycle associated with cell cycle, metabolism, and antiviral immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Ressel
- Institute of Immunology & Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Sujai Kumar
- Institute of Immunology & Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | | | - Katrina Gordon
- Institute of Immunology & Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Julia Lane
- Institute of Immunology & Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Jin Wu
- Janssen Research & Development, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Cei Abreu-Goodger
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Jürgen Schwarze
- Child Life and Health, Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
| | - Amy H Buck
- Institute of Immunology & Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
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4
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Shen Z, Naveed M, Bao J. Untacking small RNA profiling and RNA fragment footprinting: Approaches and challenges in library construction. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2024; 15:e1852. [PMID: 38715192 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Small RNAs (sRNAs) with sizes ranging from 15 to 50 nucleotides (nt) are critical regulators of gene expression control. Prior studies have shown that sRNAs are involved in a broad range of biological processes, such as organ development, tumorigenesis, and epigenomic regulation; however, emerging evidence unveils a hidden layer of diversity and complexity of endogenously encoded sRNAs profile in eukaryotic organisms, including novel types of sRNAs and the previously unknown post-transcriptional RNA modifications. This underscores the importance for accurate, unbiased detection of sRNAs in various cellular contexts. A multitude of high-throughput methods based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) are developed to decipher the sRNA expression and their modifications. Nonetheless, distinct from mRNA sequencing, the data from sRNA sequencing suffer frequent inconsistencies and high variations emanating from the adapter contaminations and RNA modifications, which overall skew the sRNA libraries. Here, we summarize the sRNA-sequencing approaches, and discuss the considerations and challenges for the strategies and methods of sRNA library construction. The pros and cons of sRNA sequencing have significant implications for implementing RNA fragment footprinting approaches, including CLIP-seq and Ribo-seq. We envision that this review can inspire novel improvements in small RNA sequencing and RNA fragment footprinting in future. This article is categorized under: RNA Evolution and Genomics > Computational Analyses of RNA RNA Processing > Processing of Small RNAs Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Biogenesis of Effector Small RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaokang Shen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Reproduction and Genetics, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Muhammad Naveed
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, Anhui, China
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Reproduction and Genetics, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Jianqiang Bao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Reproduction and Genetics, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, Anhui, China
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5
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Hadad E, Rokach L, Veksler-Lublinsky I. Empowering prediction of miRNA-mRNA interactions in species with limited training data through transfer learning. Heliyon 2024; 10:e28000. [PMID: 38560149 PMCID: PMC10981012 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in mRNA regulation. Identifying functionally important mRNA targets of a specific miRNA is essential for uncovering its biological function and assisting miRNA-based drug development. Datasets of high-throughput direct bona fide miRNA-target interactions (MTIs) exist only for a few model organisms, prompting the need for computational prediction. However, the scarcity of data poses a challenge in training accurate machine learning models for MTI prediction. In this study, we explored the potential of transfer learning technique (with ANN and XGB) to address the limited data challenge by leveraging the similarities in interaction rules between species. Furthermore, we introduced a novel approach called TransferSHAP for estimating the feature importance of transfer learning in tabular dataset tasks. We demonstrated that transfer learning improves MTI prediction accuracy for species with limited datasets and identified the specific interaction features the models employed to transfer information across different species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eyal Hadad
- Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, David Ben-Gurion Blvd. 1, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Lior Rokach
- Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, David Ben-Gurion Blvd. 1, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Isana Veksler-Lublinsky
- Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, David Ben-Gurion Blvd. 1, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel
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6
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Wang Y, Tang X, Lu J. Convergent and divergent evolution of microRNA-mediated regulation in metazoans. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:525-545. [PMID: 37987240 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13033] [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: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been studied extensively to understand their roles in gene regulation and evolutionary processes. This review focuses on how miRNA-mediated regulation has evolved in bilaterian animals, highlighting both convergent and divergent evolution. Since animals and plants display significant differences in miRNA biogenesis and target recognition, the 'independent origin' hypothesis proposes that miRNA pathways in these groups independently evolved from the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, leading to modern miRNA repertoires through convergent evolution. However, recent evidence raises the alternative possibility that the miRNA pathway might have already existed in the last common ancestor of eukaryotes, and that the differences in miRNA pathway and miRNA repertoires among animal and plant lineages arise from lineage-specific innovations and losses of miRNA pathways, miRNA acquisition, and loss of miRNAs after eukaryotic divergence. The repertoire of miRNAs has considerably expanded during bilaterian evolution, primarily through de novo creation and duplication processes, generating new miRNAs. Although ancient functionally established miRNAs are rarely lost, many newly emerged miRNAs are transient and lineage specific, following a birth-death evolutionary pattern aligning with the 'out-of-the-testis' and 'transcriptional control' hypotheses. Our focus then shifts to the convergent molecular evolution of miRNAs. We summarize how miRNA clustering and seed mimicry contribute to this phenomenon, and we review how miRNAs from different sources converge to degrade maternal messenger RNAs (mRNAs) during animal development. Additionally, we describe how miRNAs evolve across species due to changes in sequence, seed shifting, arm switching, and spatiotemporal expression patterns, which can result in variations in target sites among orthologous miRNAs across distant strains or species. We also provide a summary of the current understanding regarding how the target sites of orthologous miRNAs can vary across strains or distantly related species. Although many paralogous miRNAs retain their seed or mature sequences after duplication, alterations can occur in the seed or mature sequences or expression patterns of paralogous miRNAs, leading to functional diversification. We discuss our current understanding of the functional divergence between duplicated miRNAs, and illustrate how the functional diversification of duplicated miRNAs impacts target site evolution. By investigating these topics, we aim to enhance our current understanding of the functions and evolutionary dynamics of miRNAs. Additionally, we shed light on the existing challenges in miRNA evolutionary studies, particularly the complexity of deciphering the role of miRNA-mediated regulatory network evolution in shaping gene expression divergence and phenotypic differences among species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yirong Wang
- Bioinformatics Center, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China
| | - Xiaolu Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Jian Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
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7
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Rykova EY, Ershov NI, Degtyareva AO, Bryzgalov LO, Lushnikova EL. The Search for and Functional Analysis of Genetic Variants in microRNA-Binding Sites using Massively Parallel Reporter Assay. Bull Exp Biol Med 2024; 176:595-598. [PMID: 38724816 DOI: 10.1007/s10517-024-06074-3] [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: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
A large-scale search for the genetic variants with a bias in the representation of alleles in transcriptome data (AE SNPs) and the binding sites in microRNA 3'-UTRs was performed and their functional significance was assessed using massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA). Of the 629,559 associated "SNP-gene" pairs (eQTLs) discovered in the human liver tissue according to the GTEx Analysis V8 data, 4394 polymorphic positions in the 3'-UTRs of the genes, which represent the eQTLs for these genes were selected. The TargetScanHuman 7.0 algorithm and PolymiRTS database were searched for the potential microRNA-binding sites. Of the predicted microRNA sites affected by eQTL-SNPs, we selected 51 sites with the best evidence of functionality according to Ago2-CLIP-seq, CLEAR-CLIP, and eCLIP-seq for RNA-binding proteins. For MPRA, a library of the plasmids carrying the main and alternative alleles for each AE SNP (in total, 102 constructs) was created. Allele-specific expression for 6 SNPs was detected by transfection of the HepG2 cell line with the constructed plasmid library and sequencing of target DNA and RNA sequences using the Illumina (MiSeq) platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Yu Rykova
- Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia.
| | - N I Ershov
- Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - A O Degtyareva
- Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - L O Bryzgalov
- Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - E L Lushnikova
- Federal Research Center of Fundamental and Translational Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia
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8
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Diener C, Keller A, Meese E. The miRNA-target interactions: An underestimated intricacy. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:1544-1557. [PMID: 38033323 PMCID: PMC10899768 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play indispensable roles in posttranscriptional gene regulation. Their cellular regulatory impact is determined not solely by their sheer number, which likely amounts to >2000 individual miRNAs in human, than by the regulatory effectiveness of single miRNAs. Although, one begins to develop an understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying miRNA-target interactions (MTIs), the overall knowledge of MTI functionality is still rather patchy. In this critical review, we summarize key features of mammalian MTIs. We especially highlight latest insights on (i) the dynamic make-up of miRNA binding sites including non-canonical binding sites, (ii) the cooperativity between miRNA binding sites, (iii) the adaptivity of MTIs through sequence modifications, (iv) the bearing of intra-cellular miRNA localization changes and (v) the role of cell type and cell status specific miRNA interaction partners. The MTI biology is discussed against the background of state-of-the-art approaches with particular emphasis on experimental strategies for evaluating miRNA functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Diener
- Saarland University (USAAR), Institute of Human Genetics, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Keller
- Saarland University (USAAR), Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS)–Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Saarland University Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Eckart Meese
- Saarland University (USAAR), Institute of Human Genetics, 66421 Homburg, Germany
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9
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Buhagiar AF, Kleaveland B. To kill a microRNA: emerging concepts in target-directed microRNA degradation. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:1558-1574. [PMID: 38224449 PMCID: PMC10899785 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae003] [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: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) guide Argonaute (AGO) proteins to bind mRNA targets. Although most targets are destabilized by miRNA-AGO binding, some targets induce degradation of the miRNA instead. These special targets are also referred to as trigger RNAs. All triggers identified thus far have binding sites with greater complementarity to the miRNA than typical target sites. Target-directed miRNA degradation (TDMD) occurs when trigger RNAs bind the miRNA-AGO complex and recruit the ZSWIM8 E3 ubiquitin ligase, leading to AGO ubiquitination and proteolysis and subsequent miRNA destruction. More than 100 different miRNAs are regulated by ZSWIM8 in bilaterian animals, and hundreds of trigger RNAs have been predicted computationally. Disruption of individual trigger RNAs or ZSWIM8 has uncovered important developmental and physiologic roles for TDMD across a variety of model organisms and cell types. In this review, we highlight recent progress in understanding the mechanistic basis and functions of TDMD, describe common features of trigger RNAs, outline best practices for validating trigger RNAs, and discuss outstanding questions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber F Buhagiar
- Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY10065, USA
| | - Benjamin Kleaveland
- Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY10065, USA
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10
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La Ferlita A, Alaimo S, Nigita G, Distefano R, Beane JD, Tsichlis PN, Ferro A, Croce CM, Pulvirenti A. tRFUniverse: A comprehensive resource for the interactive analyses of tRNA-derived ncRNAs in human cancer. iScience 2024; 27:108810. [PMID: 38303722 PMCID: PMC10831894 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.108810] [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: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
tRNA-derived ncRNAs are a heterogeneous class of non-coding RNAs recently proposed to be active regulators of gene expression and be involved in many diseases, including cancer. Consequently, several online resources on tRNA-derived ncRNAs have been released. Although interesting, such resources present only basic features and do not adequately exploit the wealth of knowledge available about tRNA-derived ncRNAs. Therefore, we introduce tRFUniverse, a novel online resource for the analysis of tRNA-derived ncRNAs in human cancer. tRFUniverse presents an extensive collection of classes of tRNA-derived ncRNAs analyzed across all the TCGA and TARGET tumor cohorts, NCI-60 cell lines, and biological fluids. Moreover, public AGO CLASH/CLIP-Seq data were analyzed to identify the molecular interactions between tRNA-derived ncRNAs and other transcripts. Importantly, tRFUniverse combines in a single resource a comprehensive set of features that we believe may be helpful to investigate the involvement of tRNA-derived ncRNAs in cancer biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro La Ferlita
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Salvatore Alaimo
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Knowmics Lab, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Giovanni Nigita
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Rosario Distefano
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Joal D. Beane
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Philip N. Tsichlis
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Alfredo Ferro
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Knowmics Lab, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Carlo M. Croce
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Alfredo Pulvirenti
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Knowmics Lab, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
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11
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Subramanian M, Mills WT, Paranjpe MD, Onuchukwu US, Inamdar M, Maytin AR, Li X, Pomerantz JL, Meffert MK. Growth-suppressor microRNAs mediate synaptic overgrowth and behavioral deficits in Fragile X mental retardation protein deficiency. iScience 2024; 27:108676. [PMID: 38235335 PMCID: PMC10792201 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Abnormal neuronal and synapse growth is a core pathology resulting from deficiency of the Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), but molecular links underlying the excessive synthesis of key synaptic proteins remain incompletely defined. We find that basal brain levels of the growth suppressor let-7 microRNA (miRNA) family are selectively lowered in FMRP-deficient mice and activity-dependent let-7 downregulation is abrogated. Primary let-7 miRNA transcripts are not altered in FMRP-deficiency and posttranscriptional misregulation occurs downstream of MAPK pathway induction and elevation of Lin28a, a let-7 biogenesis inhibitor. Neonatal restoration of brain let-7 miRNAs corrects hallmarks of FMRP-deficiency, including dendritic spine overgrowth and social and cognitive behavioral deficits, in adult mice. Blockade of MAPK hyperactivation normalizes let-7 miRNA levels in both brain and peripheral blood plasma from Fmr1 KO mice. These results implicate dysregulated let-7 miRNA biogenesis in the pathogenesis of FMRP-deficiency, and highlight let-7 miRNA-based strategies for future biomarker and therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megha Subramanian
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - William T. Mills
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Manish D. Paranjpe
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Uche S. Onuchukwu
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Manasi Inamdar
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Amanda R. Maytin
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Xinbei Li
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Joel L. Pomerantz
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Mollie K. Meffert
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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12
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Skoufos G, Kakoulidis P, Tastsoglou S, Zacharopoulou E, Kotsira V, Miliotis M, Mavromati G, Grigoriadis D, Zioga M, Velli A, Koutou I, Karagkouni D, Stavropoulos S, Kardaras F, Lifousi A, Vavalou E, Ovsepian A, Skoulakis A, Tasoulis S, Georgakopoulos S, Plagianakos V, Hatzigeorgiou A. TarBase-v9.0 extends experimentally supported miRNA-gene interactions to cell-types and virally encoded miRNAs. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:D304-D310. [PMID: 37986224 PMCID: PMC10767993 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1071] [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: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
TarBase is a reference database dedicated to produce, curate and deliver high quality experimentally-supported microRNA (miRNA) targets on protein-coding transcripts. In its latest version (v9.0, https://dianalab.e-ce.uth.gr/tarbasev9), it pushes the envelope by introducing virally-encoded miRNAs, interactions leading to target-directed miRNA degradation (TDMD) events and the largest collection of miRNA-gene interactions to date in a plethora of experimental settings, tissues and cell-types. It catalogues ∼6 million entries, comprising ∼2 million unique miRNA-gene pairs, supported by 37 experimental (high- and low-yield) protocols in 172 tissues and cell-types. Interactions are annotated with rich metadata including information on genes/transcripts, miRNAs, samples, experimental contexts and publications, while millions of miRNA-binding locations are also provided at cell-type resolution. A completely re-designed interface with state-of-the-art web technologies, incorporates more features, and allows flexible and ingenious use. The new interface provides the capability to design sophisticated queries with numerous filtering criteria including cell lines, experimental conditions, cell types, experimental methods, species and/or tissues of interest. Additionally, a plethora of fine-tuning capacities have been integrated to the platform, offering the refinement of the returned interactions based on miRNA confidence and expression levels, while boundless local retrieval of the offered interactions and metadata is enabled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgos Skoufos
- DIANA-Lab, Dept. of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
- Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens11521, Greece
| | - Panos Kakoulidis
- Dept. of Informatics and Telecommunications, National and Kapodistrian Univ. of Athens, Athens, Greece
- Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527Athens, Greece
| | - Spyros Tastsoglou
- DIANA-Lab, Dept. of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
- Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens11521, Greece
| | - Elissavet Zacharopoulou
- DIANA-Lab, Dept. of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
- Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens11521, Greece
| | - Vasiliki Kotsira
- DIANA-Lab, Dept. of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
- Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens11521, Greece
| | - Marios Miliotis
- DIANA-Lab, Dept. of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
- Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens11521, Greece
| | - Galatea Mavromati
- DIANA-Lab, Dept. of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
| | - Dimitris Grigoriadis
- DIANA-Lab, Dept. of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
| | - Maria Zioga
- DIANA-Lab, Dept. of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
| | - Angeliki Velli
- DIANA-Lab, Dept. of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
| | - Ioanna Koutou
- DIANA-Lab, Dept. of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
| | - Dimitra Karagkouni
- DIANA-Lab, Dept. of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
- Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens11521, Greece
| | - Steve Stavropoulos
- Department of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
| | - Filippos S Kardaras
- DIANA-Lab, Dept. of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
- Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens11521, Greece
| | - Anna Lifousi
- Technical University of Denmark – Department of Health Technology, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Eustathia Vavalou
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784Athens, Greece
| | - Armen Ovsepian
- DIANA-Lab, Dept. of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
- Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens11521, Greece
| | - Anargyros Skoulakis
- DIANA-Lab, Dept. of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
- Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens11521, Greece
| | - Sotiris K Tasoulis
- Department of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
| | | | - Vassilis P Plagianakos
- Department of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
| | - Artemis G Hatzigeorgiou
- DIANA-Lab, Dept. of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
- Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens11521, Greece
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13
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Hejret V, Varadarajan NM, Klimentova E, Gresova K, Giassa IC, Vanacova S, Alexiou P. Analysis of chimeric reads characterises the diverse targetome of AGO2-mediated regulation. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22895. [PMID: 38129478 PMCID: PMC10739727 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49757-z] [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: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Argonaute proteins are instrumental in regulating RNA stability and translation. AGO2, the major mammalian Argonaute protein, is known to primarily associate with microRNAs, a family of small RNA 'guide' sequences, and identifies its targets primarily via a 'seed' mediated partial complementarity process. Despite numerous studies, a definitive experimental dataset of AGO2 'guide'-'target' interactions remains elusive. Our study employs two experimental methods-AGO2 CLASH and AGO2 eCLIP, to generate thousands of AGO2 target sites verified by chimeric reads. These chimeric reads contain both the AGO2 loaded small RNA 'guide' and the target sequence, providing a robust resource for modeling AGO2 binding preferences. Our novel analysis pipeline reveals thousands of AGO2 target sites driven by microRNAs and a significant number of AGO2 'guides' derived from fragments of other small RNAs such as tRNAs, YRNAs, snoRNAs, rRNAs, and more. We utilize convolutional neural networks to train machine learning models that accurately predict the binding potential for each 'guide' class and experimentally validate several interactions. In conclusion, our comprehensive analysis of the AGO2 targetome broadens our understanding of its 'guide' repertoire and potential function in development and disease. Moreover, we offer practical bioinformatic tools for future experiments and the prediction of AGO2 targets. All data and code from this study are freely available at https://github.com/ML-Bioinfo-CEITEC/HybriDetector/ .
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaclav Hejret
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Masaryk University, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Nandan Mysore Varadarajan
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Masaryk University, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Klimentova
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Masaryk University, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Katarina Gresova
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ilektra-Chara Giassa
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Stepanka Vanacova
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Panagiotis Alexiou
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic.
- Department of Applied Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malta, Msida, MSD 2080, Malta.
- Centre for Molecular Medicine & Biobanking, University of Malta, Msida, MSD 2080, Malta.
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14
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Stribling D, Gay LA, Renne R. Hybkit: a Python API and command-line toolkit for hybrid sequence data from chimeric RNA methods. Bioinformatics 2023; 39:btad721. [PMID: 38006335 PMCID: PMC10701094 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btad721] [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: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY Experimental methods using microRNA/target ligation have recently provided significant insights into microRNA functioning through generation of chimeric (hybrid) RNA sequences. Here, we introduce Hybkit, a Python3 API, and command-line toolkit for analysis of hybrid sequence data in the "hyb" file format to enable customizable evaluation and annotation of hybrid characteristics. The Hybkit API includes a suite of python objects for developing custom analyses of hybrid data as well as miRNA-specific analysis methods, built-in plotting of analysis results, and incorporation of predicted miRNA/target interactions in Vienna format. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION Hybkit is provided free and open source under the GNU GPL license at github.com/RenneLab/hybkit and archived on Zenodo (doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7834299). Hybkit distributions are also provided via PyPI (pypi.org/project/hybkit), Conda (bioconda.github.io/recipes/hybkit/README.html), and Docker (quay.io/repository/biocontainers/hybkit).
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Stribling
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, United States
- UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, United States
- UF Health Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, United States
| | - Lauren A Gay
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, United States
| | - Rolf Renne
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, United States
- UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, United States
- UF Health Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, United States
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15
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Sone H, Lee TJ, Lee BR, Heo D, Oh S, Kwon SH. MicroRNA-mediated attenuation of branched-chain amino acid catabolism promotes ferroptosis in chronic kidney disease. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7814. [PMID: 38016961 PMCID: PMC10684653 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43529-z] [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: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic kidney disease can develop from kidney injury incident to chemotherapy with cisplatin, which complicates the prognosis of cancer patients. MicroRNAs regulate gene expression by pairing with specific sets of messenger RNAs. Therefore, elucidating direct physical interactions between microRNAs and their target messenger RNAs can help decipher crucial biological processes associated with cisplatin-induced kidney injury. Through intermolecular ligation and transcriptome-wide sequencing, we here identify direct pairs of microRNAs and their target messenger RNAs in the kidney of male mice injured by cisplatin. We find that a group of cisplatin-induced microRNAs can target select messenger RNAs that affect the mitochondrial metabolic pathways in the injured kidney. Specifically, a cisplatin-induced microRNA, miR-429-3p, suppresses the pathway that catabolizes branched-chain amino acids in the proximal tubule, leading to cell death dependent on lipid peroxidation, called ferroptosis. Identification of miRNA-429-3p-mediated ferroptosis stimulation suggests therapeutic potential for modulating the branched-chain amino acid pathway in ameliorating cisplatin-induced kidney injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisakatsu Sone
- Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA
| | - Tae Jin Lee
- Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, 30912, USA
| | - Byung Rho Lee
- Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA
| | - Dan Heo
- Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA
| | - Sekyung Oh
- Department of Medical Science, Catholic Kwandong University College of Medicine, Incheon, 22711, South Korea
| | - Sang-Ho Kwon
- Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA.
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16
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Kosek DM, Banijamali E, Becker W, Petzold K, Andersson E. Efficient 3'-pairing renders microRNA targeting less sensitive to mRNA seed accessibility. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:11162-11177. [PMID: 37819016 PMCID: PMC10639062 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad795] [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: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression by binding to specific sites in mRNAs. Site recognition is primarily mediated by the seed region (nucleotides g2-g8 in the miRNA), but pairing beyond the seed (3'-pairing) is important for some miRNA:target interactions. Here, we use SHAPE, luciferase reporter assays and transcriptomics analyses to study the combined effect of 3'-pairing and secondary structures in mRNAs on repression efficiency. Using the interaction between miR-34a and its SIRT1 binding site as a model, we provide structural and functional evidence that 3'-pairing can compensate for low seed-binding site accessibility, enabling repression of sites that would otherwise be ineffective. We show that miRNA 3'-pairing regions can productively base-pair with nucleotides far upstream of the seed-binding site and that both hairpins and unstructured bulges within the target site are tolerated. We use SHAPE to show that sequences that overcome inaccessible seed-binding sites by strong 3'-pairing adopt the predicted structures and corroborate the model using luciferase assays and high-throughput modelling of 8177 3'-UTR targets for six miRNAs. Finally, we demonstrate that PHB2, a target of miR-141, is an inaccessible target rescued by efficient 3'-pairing. We propose that these results could refine predictions of effective target sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Kosek
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institute, Biomedicum 9B, Solnavägen 9, 17177Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elnaz Banijamali
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Biomedicum 9B, Solnavägen 9, 17177Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Walter Becker
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Biomedicum 9B, Solnavägen 9, 17177Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Katja Petzold
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Biomedicum 9B, Solnavägen 9, 17177Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Biomedical Centre D9:3, Husargatan 3, 752 37 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Emma R Andersson
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institute, Biomedicum 9B, Solnavägen 9, 17177Stockholm, Sweden
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17
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Akins RB, Ostberg K, Cherlin T, Tsiouplis NJ, Loher P, Rigoutsos I. The Typical tRNA Co-Expresses Multiple 5' tRNA Halves Whose Sequences and Abundances Depend on Isodecoder and Isoacceptor and Change with Tissue Type, Cell Type, and Disease. Noncoding RNA 2023; 9:69. [PMID: 37987365 PMCID: PMC10660753 DOI: 10.3390/ncrna9060069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Transfer RNA-derived fragments (tRFs) are noncoding RNAs that arise from either mature transfer RNAs (tRNAs) or their precursors. One important category of tRFs comprises the tRNA halves, which are generated through cleavage at the anticodon. A given tRNA typically gives rise to several co-expressed 5'-tRNA halves (5'-tRHs) that differ in the location of their 3' ends. These 5'-tRHs, even though distinct, have traditionally been treated as indistinguishable from one another due to their near-identical sequences and lengths. We focused on co-expressed 5'-tRHs that arise from the same tRNA and systematically examined their exact sequences and abundances across 10 different human tissues. To this end, we manually curated and analyzed several hundred human RNA-seq datasets from NCBI's Sequence Run Archive (SRA). We grouped datasets from the same tissue into their own collection and examined each group separately. We found that a given tRNA produces different groups of co-expressed 5'-tRHs in different tissues, different cell lines, and different diseases. Importantly, the co-expressed 5'-tRHs differ in their sequences, absolute abundances, and relative abundances, even among tRNAs with near-identical sequences from the same isodecoder or isoacceptor group. The findings suggest that co-expressed 5'-tRHs that are produced from the same tRNA or closely related tRNAs have distinct, context-dependent roles. Moreover, our analyses show that cell lines modeling the same tissue type and disease may not be interchangeable when it comes to experimenting with tRFs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Isidore Rigoutsos
- Computational Medical Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
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18
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Nersisyan S, Montenont E, Loher P, Middleton EA, Campbell R, Bray P, Rigoutsos I. Characterization of all small RNAs in and comparisons across cultured megakaryocytes and platelets of healthy individuals and COVID-19 patients. J Thromb Haemost 2023; 21:3252-3267. [PMID: 37558133 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtha.2023.07.028] [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: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The small noncoding RNAs (sncRNAs) in megakaryocytes (MKs) and platelets are not well characterized. Neither is the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the sncRNAs of platelets. OBJECTIVES To investigate the sorting of MK sncRNAs into platelets, and the differences in the platelet sncRNAomes of healthy donors (HDs) and COVID-19 patients. METHODS We comprehensively profiled sncRNAs from MKs cultured from cord blood-derived CD34+ cells, platelets from HDs, and platelets from patients with moderate and severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. We also comprehensively profiled Argonaute (AGO)-bound sncRNAs from the cultured MKs. RESULTS We characterized the sncRNAs in MKs and platelets and can account for ∼95% of all sequenced reads. We found that MKs primarily comprise microRNA isoforms (isomiRs), tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs), rRNA-derived fragments (rRFs), and Y RNA-derived fragments (yRFs) in comparable abundances. The platelets of HDs showed a skewed distribution by comparison: 56.7% of all sncRNAs are yRFs, 34.4% are isomiRs, and <2.0% are tRFs and rRFs. Most isomiRs in MKs and platelets are either noncanonical, nontemplated, or both. When comparing MKs and platelets from HDs, we found numerous isomiRs, tRFs, rRFs, and yRFs showing opposite enrichments or depletions, including molecules from the same parental miRNA arm, tRNA, rRNA, or Y RNA. The sncRNAome of platelets from patients with COVID-19 is skewed compared to that of HDs with only 19.8% of all sncRNAs now being yRFs, isomiRs increasing to 63.6%, and tRFs and rRFs more than tripling their presence to 6.1%. CONCLUSION The sncRNAomes of MKs and platelets are very rich and more complex than it has been believed. The evidence suggests complex mechanisms that sort MK sncRNAs into platelets. SARS-CoV-2 infection acutely alters the contents of platelets by changing the relative proportions of their sncRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stepan Nersisyan
- Computational Medicine Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Emilie Montenont
- University of Utah Molecular Medicine Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Phillipe Loher
- Computational Medicine Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Middleton
- University of Utah Molecular Medicine Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Robert Campbell
- University of Utah Molecular Medicine Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Division of General Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Paul Bray
- University of Utah Molecular Medicine Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Division of Hematology and Hematologic Malignancies, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Isidore Rigoutsos
- Computational Medicine Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
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19
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Chipman LB, Luc S, Nicastro IA, Hulahan JJ, Dann DC, Bodas DM, Pasquinelli AE. Expression, not sequence, distinguishes miR-238 from its miR-239ab sister miRNAs in promoting longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1011055. [PMID: 38011256 PMCID: PMC10703411 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011055] [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: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression by base-pairing to target sequences in messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and recruiting factors that induce translational repression and mRNA decay. In animals, nucleotides 2-8 at the 5' end of the miRNA, called the seed region, are often necessary and sometimes sufficient for functional target interactions. MiRNAs that contain identical seed sequences are grouped into families where individual members have the potential to share targets and act redundantly. A rare exception seemed to be the miR-238/239ab family in Caenorhabditis elegans, as previous work indicated that loss of miR-238 reduced lifespan while deletion of the miR-239ab locus resulted in enhanced longevity and thermal stress resistance. Here, we re-examined these potentially opposing roles using new strains that individually disrupt each miRNA sister. We confirmed that loss of miR-238 is associated with a shortened lifespan but could detect no longevity or stress phenotypes in animals lacking miR-239a or miR-239b, individually or in combination. Additionally, dozens of genes were mis-regulated in miR-238 mutants but almost no gene expression changes were detected in either miR-239a or miR-239b mutants compared to wild type animals. We present evidence that the lack of redundancy between miR-238 and miR-239ab is independent of their sequence differences; miR-239a or miR-239b could substitute for the longevity role of miR-238 when expressed from the miR-238 locus. Altogether, these studies disqualify miR-239ab as negative regulators of aging and demonstrate that expression, not sequence, dictates the specific role of miR-238 in promoting longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura B. Chipman
- Molecular Biology Department, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - San Luc
- Molecular Biology Department, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Ian A. Nicastro
- Molecular Biology Department, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Jesse J. Hulahan
- Molecular Biology Department, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Delaney C. Dann
- Molecular Biology Department, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Devavrat M. Bodas
- Molecular Biology Department, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Amy E. Pasquinelli
- Molecular Biology Department, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
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20
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Taylor SR, Kobayashi M, Vilella A, Tiwari D, Zolboot N, Du JX, Spencer KR, Hartzell A, Girgiss C, Abaci YT, Shao Y, De Sanctis C, Bellenchi GC, Darnell RB, Gross C, Zoli M, Berg DK, Lippi G. MicroRNA-218 instructs proper assembly of hippocampal networks. eLife 2023; 12:e82729. [PMID: 37862092 PMCID: PMC10637775 DOI: 10.7554/elife.82729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The assembly of the mammalian brain is orchestrated by temporally coordinated waves of gene expression. Post-transcriptional regulation by microRNAs (miRNAs) is a key aspect of this program. Indeed, deletion of neuron-enriched miRNAs induces strong developmental phenotypes, and miRNA levels are altered in patients with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, the mechanisms used by miRNAs to instruct brain development remain largely unexplored. Here, we identified miR-218 as a critical regulator of hippocampal assembly. MiR-218 is highly expressed in the hippocampus and enriched in both excitatory principal neurons (PNs) and GABAergic inhibitory interneurons (INs). Early life inhibition of miR-218 results in an adult brain with a predisposition to seizures. Changes in gene expression in the absence of miR-218 suggest that network assembly is impaired. Indeed, we find that miR-218 inhibition results in the disruption of early depolarizing GABAergic signaling, structural defects in dendritic spines, and altered intrinsic membrane excitability. Conditional knockout of Mir218-2 in INs, but not PNs, is sufficient to recapitulate long-term instability. Finally, de-repressing Kif21b and Syt13, two miR-218 targets, phenocopies the effects on early synchronous network activity induced by miR-218 inhibition. Taken together, the data suggest that miR-218 orchestrates formative events in PNs and INs to produce stable networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth R Taylor
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
| | - Mariko Kobayashi
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-oncology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Antonietta Vilella
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences; Center for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology (CfNN), University of Modena and Reggio EmiliaModenaItaly
| | - Durgesh Tiwari
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of MedicineCincinnatiUnited States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of MedicineCincinnatiUnited States
| | - Norjin Zolboot
- Department of Neuroscience, Scripps Research InstituteLa JollaUnited States
| | - Jessica X Du
- Department of Neuroscience, Scripps Research InstituteLa JollaUnited States
| | - Kathryn R Spencer
- Department of Neuroscience, Scripps Research InstituteLa JollaUnited States
| | - Andrea Hartzell
- Department of Neuroscience, Scripps Research InstituteLa JollaUnited States
| | - Carol Girgiss
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
| | - Yusuf T Abaci
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
| | - Yufeng Shao
- Department of Neuroscience, Scripps Research InstituteLa JollaUnited States
| | | | - Gian Carlo Bellenchi
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics A Buzzati-TraversoNaplesItaly
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa LuciaRomeItaly
| | - Robert B Darnell
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-oncology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Christina Gross
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of MedicineCincinnatiUnited States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of MedicineCincinnatiUnited States
| | - Michele Zoli
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences; Center for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology (CfNN), University of Modena and Reggio EmiliaModenaItaly
| | - Darwin K Berg
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
| | - Giordano Lippi
- Department of Neuroscience, Scripps Research InstituteLa JollaUnited States
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21
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Sapkota S, Pillman K, Dredge B, Liu D, Bracken J, Kachooei S, Chereda B, Gregory P, Bracken C, Goodall G. On the rules of engagement for microRNAs targeting protein coding regions. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:9938-9951. [PMID: 37522357 PMCID: PMC10570018 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
MiRNAs post-transcriptionally repress gene expression by binding to mRNA 3'UTRs, but the extent to which they act through protein coding regions (CDS regions) is less well established. MiRNA interaction studies show a substantial proportion of binding occurs in CDS regions, however sequencing studies show much weaker effects on mRNA levels than from 3'UTR interactions, presumably due to competition from the translating ribosome. Consequently, most target prediction algorithms consider only 3'UTR interactions. However, the consequences of CDS interactions may have been underestimated, with the reporting of a novel mode of miRNA-CDS interaction requiring base pairing of the miRNA 3' end, but not the canonical seed site, leading to repression of translation with little effect on mRNA turnover. Using extensive reporter, western blotting and bioinformatic analyses, we confirm that miRNAs can indeed suppress genes through CDS-interaction in special circumstances. However, in contrast to that previously reported, we find repression requires extensive base-pairing, including of the canonical seed, but does not strictly require base pairing of the 3' miRNA terminus and is mediated through reducing mRNA levels. We conclude that suppression of endogenous genes can occur through miRNAs binding to CDS, but the requirement for extensive base-pairing likely limits the regulatory impacts to modest effects on a small subset of targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil Sapkota
- Centre for Cancer Biology, an alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Katherine A Pillman
- Centre for Cancer Biology, an alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
- ACRF Cancer Genomics Facility, Centre for Cancer Biology, SA Pathology, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - B Kate Dredge
- Centre for Cancer Biology, an alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Dawei Liu
- Centre for Cancer Biology, an alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Julie M Bracken
- Centre for Cancer Biology, an alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Saba Ataei Kachooei
- Centre for Cancer Biology, an alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Bradley Chereda
- Centre for Cancer Biology, an alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Philip A Gregory
- Centre for Cancer Biology, an alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Cameron P Bracken
- Centre for Cancer Biology, an alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Adelaide
| | - Gregory J Goodall
- Centre for Cancer Biology, an alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Adelaide
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22
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Sako H, Youssef M, Elisseeva O, Akimoto T, Suzuki K, Ushida T, Yamamoto T. microRNAs slow translating ribosomes to prevent protein misfolding in eukaryotes. EMBO J 2023; 42:e112469. [PMID: 37492926 PMCID: PMC10505912 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2022112469] [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: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Slower translation rates reduce protein misfolding. Such reductions in speed can be mediated by the presence of non-optimal codons, which allow time for proper folding to occur. Although this phenomenon is conserved from bacteria to humans, it is not known whether there are additional eukaryote-specific mechanisms which act in the same way. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), not present in prokaryotes, target both coding sequences (CDS) and 3' untranslated regions (UTR). Given their low suppressive efficiency, it has been unclear why miRNAs are equally likely to bind to a CDS. Here, we show that miRNAs transiently stall translating ribosomes, preventing protein misfolding with little negative effect on protein abundance. We first analyzed ribosome profiles and miRNA binding sites to examine whether miRNAs stall ribosomes. Furthermore, either global or specific miRNA deficiency accelerated ribosomes and induced aggregation of a misfolding-prone polypeptide reporter. These defects were rescued by slowing ribosomes using non-cleaving shRNAs as miRNA mimics. We finally show that proinsulin misfolding, associated with type II diabetes, was resolved by non-cleaving shRNAs. Our findings provide a eukaryote-specific mechanism of co-translational protein folding and a previously unknown mechanism of action to target protein misfolding diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroaki Sako
- Cell Signal UnitOkinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST)OkinawaJapan
| | - Mohieldin Youssef
- Cell Signal UnitOkinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST)OkinawaJapan
| | - Olga Elisseeva
- Cell Signal UnitOkinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST)OkinawaJapan
| | | | | | - Takashi Ushida
- Department of Mechanical EngineeringThe University of TokyoTokyoJapan
| | - Tadashi Yamamoto
- Cell Signal UnitOkinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST)OkinawaJapan
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23
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Graham A. Modulation of the Cellular microRNA Landscape: Contribution to the Protective Effects of High-Density Lipoproteins (HDL). BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1232. [PMID: 37759631 PMCID: PMC10526091 DOI: 10.3390/biology12091232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
High-density lipoproteins (HDL) play an established role in protecting against cellular dysfunction in a variety of different disease contexts; however, harnessing this therapeutic potential has proved challenging due to the heterogeneous and relative instability of this lipoprotein and its variable cargo molecules. The purpose of this study is to examine the contribution of microRNA (miRNA; miR) sequences, either delivered directly or modulated endogenously, to these protective functions. This narrative review introduces the complex cargo carried by HDL, the protective functions associated with this lipoprotein, and the factors governing biogenesis, export and the uptake of microRNA. The possible mechanisms by which HDL can modulate the cellular miRNA landscape are considered, and the impact of key sequences modified by HDL is explored in diseases such as inflammation and immunity, wound healing, angiogenesis, dyslipidaemia, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease, potentially offering new routes for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annette Graham
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, School of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow G4 0BA, UK
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24
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Purkayastha A, Roy A, Bharadaj S, Bharadaj SK, Chakraborty S. Turning off a few overexpressed genes in prostate cancer with microRNAs using a 7mer-seed match model. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:10335-10364. [PMID: 37273107 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-04910-z] [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: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This research aims to identify the miRNAs that could target the genes overexpressed in prostate cancer so that miRNA-based therapeutics could be developed. METHODS A 7mer-m8 model of microRNA targeting was utilized in order to analyse the relationship between microRNAs and overexpressed genes. The efficiency of miRNA binding was investigated using various parameters namely free energy (AMFE), GC and GC3 content, translation efficiency, cosine similarity metric, mRNA stability, free energy of RNA duplex, and base compositional difference. BLAST2GO software was used to elucidate the functional roles of the genes overexpressed in prostate cancer. RESULTS The current research reveals that the coding sequences of the genes were found targeted with multiple miRNAs. For instance, the HPN gene was targeted by the microRNA miR-4279 at two distinct sites i.e. 263-278 and 746-761 in the coding sequence. In the present study, it was observed that the target region of the genes exhibited a comparatively high GC and GC3 contents in comparison to the flanking regions. A low translational rate and weak relationship between RSCU and tRNA were obtained which may be due to the absence of optimal codons. CONCLUSION In this study, we have uncovered the human miRNAs that have potential for binding to the coding sequences of 14 most overexpressed genes in prostate cancer and thereby could silence those genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arpita Purkayastha
- Department of Biotechnology, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, 788011, India
| | - Aparajita Roy
- Department of Biotechnology, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, 788011, India
| | - Stella Bharadaj
- Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Silchar, Assam, 788014, India
| | | | - Supriyo Chakraborty
- Department of Biotechnology, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, 788011, India.
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25
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Eom S, Peak J, Park J, Ahn SH, Cho YK, Jeong Y, Lee HS, Lee J, Ignatova E, Lee SE, Hong Y, Gu D, Kim GWD, Lee DC, Hahm JY, Jeong J, Choi D, Jang ES, Chi SW. Widespread 8-oxoguanine modifications of miRNA seeds differentially regulate redox-dependent cancer development. Nat Cell Biol 2023; 25:1369-1383. [PMID: 37696949 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-023-01209-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Oxidative stress contributes to tumourigenesis by altering gene expression. One accompanying modification, 8-oxoguanine (o8G) can change RNA-RNA interactions via o8G•A base pairing, but its regulatory roles remain elusive. Here, on the basis of o8G-induced guanine-to-thymine (o8G > T) variations featured in sequencing, we discovered widespread position-specific o8Gs in tumour microRNAs, preferentially oxidized towards 5' end seed regions (positions 2-8) with clustered sequence patterns and clinically associated with patients in lower-grade gliomas and liver hepatocellular carcinoma. We validated that o8G at position 4 of miR-124 (4o8G-miR-124) and 4o8G-let-7 suppress lower-grade gliomas, whereas 3o8G-miR-122 and 4o8G-let-7 promote malignancy of liver hepatocellular carcinoma by redirecting the target transcriptome to oncogenic regulatory pathways. Stepwise oxidation from tumour-promoting 3o8G-miR-122 to tumour-suppressing 2,3o8G-miR-122 occurs and its specific modulation in mouse liver effectively attenuates diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. These findings provide resources and insights into epitranscriptional o8G regulation of microRNA functions, reprogrammed by redox changes, implicating its control for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangkyeong Eom
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jongjin Peak
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jongyeun Park
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Seung Hyun Ahn
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - You Kyung Cho
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Yeahji Jeong
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hye-Sook Lee
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jung Lee
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | | | - Sung Eun Lee
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
- Division of Life Sciences, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Yunji Hong
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Dowoon Gu
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Geun-Woo D Kim
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Dong Chan Lee
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Ja Young Hahm
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jaemin Jeong
- Department of Surgery, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Dongho Choi
- Department of Surgery, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Eun-Sook Jang
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sung Wook Chi
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
- Division of Life Sciences, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
- Medicinal Materials Research Center, Biomedical Research Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, Korea.
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26
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Gouzouasis V, Tastsoglou S, Giannakakis A, Hatzigeorgiou AG. Virus-Derived Small RNAs and microRNAs in Health and Disease. Annu Rev Biomed Data Sci 2023; 6:275-298. [PMID: 37159873 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biodatasci-122220-111429] [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] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNAs that can regulate all steps of gene expression (induction, transcription, and translation). Several virus families, primarily double-stranded DNA viruses, encode small RNAs (sRNAs), including miRNAs. These virus-derived miRNAs (v-miRNAs) help the virus evade the host's innate and adaptive immune system and maintain an environment of chronic latent infection. In this review, the functions of the sRNA-mediated virus-host interactions are highlighted, delineating their implication in chronic stress, inflammation, immunopathology, and disease. We provide insights into the latest viral RNA-based research-in silico approaches for functional characterization of v-miRNAs and other RNA types. The latest research can assist toward the identification of therapeutic targets to combat viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasileios Gouzouasis
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Department of Immunology, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
- DIANA-Lab, Department of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece;
- DIANA-Lab, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
| | - Spyros Tastsoglou
- DIANA-Lab, Department of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece;
- DIANA-Lab, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
| | - Antonis Giannakakis
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
- University Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health and Precision Medicine, UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Artemis G Hatzigeorgiou
- DIANA-Lab, Department of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece;
- DIANA-Lab, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
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27
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Lausten MA, Boman BM. A Review of IsomiRs in Colorectal Cancer. Noncoding RNA 2023; 9:34. [PMID: 37368334 DOI: 10.3390/ncrna9030034] [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: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
As advancements in sequencing technology rapidly continue to develop, a new classification of microRNAs has occurred with the discovery of isomiRs, which are relatively common microRNAs with sequence variations compared to their established template microRNAs. This review article seeks to compile all known information about isomiRs in colorectal cancer (CRC), which has not, to our knowledge, been gathered previously to any great extent. A brief overview is given of the history of microRNAs, their implications in colon cancer, the canonical pathway of biogenesis and isomiR classification. This is followed by a comprehensive review of the literature that is available on microRNA isoforms in CRC. The information on isomiRs presented herein shows that isomiRs hold great promise for translation into new diagnostics and therapeutics in clinical medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly A Lausten
- Cawley Center for Translational Cancer Research, Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute, Newark, DE 19713, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19713, USA
| | - Bruce M Boman
- Cawley Center for Translational Cancer Research, Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute, Newark, DE 19713, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19713, USA
- Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
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28
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Kobayashi M, Wakaguri H, Shimizu M, Higasa K, Matsuda F, Honjo T. Ago2 and a miRNA reduce Topoisomerase 1 for enhancing DNA cleavage in antibody diversification by activation-induced cytidine deaminase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2216918120. [PMID: 37094168 PMCID: PMC10161001 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2216918120] [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: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is the essential enzyme for imprinting immunological memory through class switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM) of the immunoglobulin (Ig) gene. AID-dependent reduction of Topoisomerase 1 (Top1) promotes DNA cleavage that occurs upon Ig gene diversification, whereas the mechanism behind AID-induced Top1 reduction remains unclear. Here, we clarified the contribution of the microRNA-Ago2 complex in AID-dependent Top1 decrease. Ago2 binds to Top1 3'UTR with two regions of AID-dependent Ago2-binding sites (5'- and 3'dABs). Top1 3'UTR knockout (3'UTRKO) in B lymphoma cells leads to decreases in DNA break efficiency in the IgH gene accompanied by a reduction in CSR and SHM frequencies. Furthermore, AID-dependent Top1 protein reduction and Ago2-binding to Top1 mRNA are down-regulated in 3'UTRKO cells. Top1 mRNA in the highly translated fractions of the sucrose gradient is decreased in an AID-dependent and Top1 3'UTR-mediated manner, resulting in a decrease in Top1 protein synthesis. Both AID and Ago2 localize in the mRNA-binding protein fractions and they interact with each other. Furthermore, we found some candidate miRNAs which possibly bind to 5'- and 3'dAB in Top1 mRNA. Among them, miR-92a-3p knockdown induces the phenotypes of 3'UTRKO cells to wild-type cells whereas it does not impact on 3'UTRKO cells. Taken together, the Ago2-miR-92a-3p complex will be recruited to Top1 3'UTR in an AID-dependent manner and posttranscriptionally reduces Top1 protein synthesis. These consequences cause the increase in a non-B-DNA structure, enhance DNA cleavage by Top1 in the Ig gene and contribute to immunological memory formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maki Kobayashi
- Immunology and Genomic Medicine, Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto606-8501, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Wakaguri
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto606-8501, Japan
| | - Masakazu Shimizu
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto606-8501, Japan
| | - Koichiro Higasa
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto606-8501, Japan
| | - Fumihiko Matsuda
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto606-8501, Japan
| | - Tasuku Honjo
- Immunology and Genomic Medicine, Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto606-8501, Japan
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29
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Fossat N, Lundsgaard EA, Costa R, Rivera-Rangel LR, Nielsen L, Mikkelsen LS, Ramirez S, Bukh J, Scheel TKH. Identification of the viral and cellular microRNA interactomes during SARS-CoV-2 infection. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112282. [PMID: 36961814 PMCID: PMC9995319 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has had a tremendous impact worldwide. Mapping virus-host interactions is critical to understand disease progression. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important RNA regulators, but their interaction with SARS-CoV-2 RNA was not experimentally investigated. Here, using Argonaute (AGO) cross-linking immunoprecipitation combined with RNA proximity ligation (CLEAR-CLIP), we provide unbiased mapping of SARS-CoV-2/miRNA interactions. We identified six main regions on the viral RNA bound primarily by one specific miRNA. Targeted mutagenesis and AGO1-3 knockdown demonstrated that these interactions are not critical for virus production. Moreover, we identified perturbed regulation of cellular miRNA interactions during infection, including non-compensated viral sequestration of the miR-15 family. Transcriptome analysis further showed that mRNAs targeted by this miRNA family are derepressed. This work delineates the interphase between miRNA regulation and SARS-CoV-2 infection and further contributes to deciphering the full molecular interactome of this virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Fossat
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Emma A Lundsgaard
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rui Costa
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lizandro R Rivera-Rangel
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Louise Nielsen
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lotte S Mikkelsen
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Santseharay Ramirez
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Troels K H Scheel
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, The Rockefeller University, New York, 10065 NY, USA.
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30
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Homberg N, Galvão Ferrarini M, Gaspin C, Sagot MF. MicroRNA Target Identification: Revisiting Accessibility and Seed Anchoring. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14030664. [PMID: 36980936 PMCID: PMC10048102 DOI: 10.3390/genes14030664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
By pairing to messenger RNAs (mRNAs for short), microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression in animals and plants. Accurately identifying which mRNAs interact with a given miRNA and the precise location of the interaction sites is crucial to reaching a more complete view of the regulatory network of an organism. Only a few experimental approaches, however, allow the identification of both within a single experiment. Computational predictions of miRNA–mRNA interactions thus remain generally the first step used, despite their drawback of a high rate of false-positive predictions. The major computational approaches available rely on a diversity of features, among which anchoring the miRNA seed and measuring mRNA accessibility are the key ones, with the first being universally used, while the use of the second remains controversial. Revisiting the importance of each is the aim of this paper, which uses Cross-Linking, Ligation, And Sequencing of Hybrids (CLASH) datasets to achieve this goal. Contrary to what might be expected, the results are more ambiguous regarding the use of the seed match as a feature, while accessibility appears to be a feature worth considering, indicating that, at least under some conditions, it may favour anchoring by miRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Homberg
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Université de Lyon, CNRS, UMR5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
- INRIA Lyon Centre, 69100 Villeurbanne, France
- UR0875 MIAT, INRAE, Université de Toulouse, 31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Mariana Galvão Ferrarini
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Université de Lyon, CNRS, UMR5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
- INRIA Lyon Centre, 69100 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Christine Gaspin
- UR0875 MIAT, INRAE, Université de Toulouse, 31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France
- Correspondence: (C.G.); (M.-F.S.)
| | - Marie-France Sagot
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Université de Lyon, CNRS, UMR5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
- INRIA Lyon Centre, 69100 Villeurbanne, France
- Correspondence: (C.G.); (M.-F.S.)
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31
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Serine 970 of RNA helicase MOV10 is phosphorylated and controls unfolding activity and fate of mRNAs targeted for AGO2-mediated silencing. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:104577. [PMID: 36871759 PMCID: PMC10070924 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104577] [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: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023] Open
Abstract
MOV10 is an RNA helicase that is required for organismal development and is highly expressed in postnatal brain. MOV10 was identified as an AGO2 associated protein that is also necessary for AGO2-mediated silencing. AGO2 is the primary effector of the miRNA pathway. MOV10 has been shown to be ubiquitinated, leading to its degradation and release from bound mRNAs but no other post-translational modifications with functional implications have been described. Using mass spectrometry, we show that MOV10 is phosphorylated in cells at the C-terminus, specifically at serine 970 (S970). Substitution of S970 to phospho-mimic aspartic acid (S970D) blocked unfolding of an RNA G-quadruplex, similar to when the helicase domain was mutated (K531A). In contrast, the alanine substitution (S970A) of MOV10 unfolded the model RNA G-quadruplex. To examine its role in cells, our RNA-seq analysis showed that the expression of S970D causes decreased expression of MOV10 enhanced Cross-Linking Immunoprecipitation (eCLIP) targets compared to WT. Introduction of S970A had an intermediate effect, suggesting that S970 was protective of mRNAs. In whole cell extracts, MOV10 and its substitutions bound AGO2 comparably; however, knockdown of AGO2 abrogated the S970D-induced mRNA degradation. Thus, MOV10 activity protects mRNA from AGO2; phosphorylation of S970 restricts this activity resulting in AGO2-mediated mRNA degradation. S970 is positioned C-terminal to the defined MOV10-AGO2 interaction site and is proximal to a disordered region that likely modulates AGO2 interaction with target mRNAs upon phosphorylation. In summary, we provide evidence for a model whereby MOV10 phosphorylation facilitates AGO2 association with the 3'UTR of translating mRNAs that leads to their degradation.
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Using Attribution Sequence Alignment to Interpret Deep Learning Models for miRNA Binding Site Prediction. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12030369. [PMID: 36979061 PMCID: PMC10045089 DOI: 10.3390/biology12030369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that play a central role in the post-transcriptional regulation of biological processes. miRNAs regulate transcripts through direct binding involving the Argonaute protein family. The exact rules of binding are not known, and several in silico miRNA target prediction methods have been developed to date. Deep learning has recently revolutionized miRNA target prediction. However, the higher predictive power comes with a decreased ability to interpret increasingly complex models. Here, we present a novel interpretation technique, called attribution sequence alignment, for miRNA target site prediction models that can interpret such deep learning models on a two-dimensional representation of miRNA and putative target sequence. Our method produces a human readable visual representation of miRNA:target interactions and can be used as a proxy for the further interpretation of biological concepts learned by the neural network. We demonstrate applications of this method in the clustering of experimental data into binding classes, as well as using the method to narrow down predicted miRNA binding sites on long transcript sequences. Importantly, the presented method works with any neural network model trained on a two-dimensional representation of interactions and can be easily extended to further domains such as protein–protein interactions.
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Transcriptome-Wide Analysis of microRNA-mRNA Correlations in Tissue Identifies microRNA Targeting Determinants. Noncoding RNA 2023; 9:ncrna9010015. [PMID: 36827548 PMCID: PMC9958706 DOI: 10.3390/ncrna9010015] [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: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs are small RNAs that regulate gene expression through complementary base pairing with their target mRNAs. A substantial understanding of microRNA target recognition and repression mechanisms has been reached using diverse empirical and bioinformatic approaches, primarily in vitro biochemical or cell culture perturbation settings. We sought to determine if rules of microRNA target efficacy could be inferred from extensive gene expression data of human tissues. A transcriptome-wide assessment of all the microRNA-mRNA canonical interactions' efficacy was performed using a normalized Spearman correlation (Z-score) between the abundance of the transcripts in the PRAD-TCGA dataset tissues (RNA-seq mRNAs and small RNA-seq for microRNAs, 546 samples). Using the Z-score of correlation as a surrogate marker of microRNA target efficacy, we confirmed hallmarks of microRNAs, such as repression of their targets, the hierarchy of preference for gene regions (3'UTR > CDS > 5'UTR), and seed length (6 mer < 7 mer < 8 mer), as well as the contribution of the 3'-supplementary pairing at nucleotides 13-16 of the microRNA. Interactions mediated by 6 mer + supplementary showed similar inferred repression as 7 mer sites, suggesting that the 6 mer + supplementary sites may be relevant in vivo. However, aggregated 7 mer-A1 seeds appear more repressive than 7 mer-m8 seeds, while similar when pairing possibilities at the 3'-supplementary sites. We then examined the 3'-supplementary pairing using 39 microRNAs with Z-score-inferred repressive 3'-supplementary interactions. The approach was sensitive to the offset of the bridge between seed and 3'-supplementary pairing sites, and the pattern of offset-associated repression found supports previous findings. The 39 microRNAs with effective repressive 3'supplementary sites show low GC content at positions 13-16. Our study suggests that the transcriptome-wide analysis of microRNA-mRNA correlations may uncover hints of microRNA targeting determinants. Finally, we provide a bioinformatic tool to identify microRNA-mRNA candidate interactions based on the sequence complementarity of the seed and 3'-supplementary regions.
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Jiang X, Liu S, Fu YR, Liu XJ, Li XJ, Yang B, Jiang HF, Shen ZZ, Alemu EA, Vazquez P, Tang Y, Kaarbø M, McVoy MA, Rayner S, Luo MH. Human cytomegalovirus infection perturbs neural progenitor cell fate via the expression of viral microRNAs. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e28574. [PMID: 36772841 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28574] [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: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) preferentially targets neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in congenitally infected fetal brains, inducing neurodevelopmental disorders. While HCMV expresses several microRNAs (miRNAs) during infection, their roles in NPC infection are unclear. Here, we characterized expression of cellular and viral miRNAs in HCMV-infected NPCs during early infection by microarray and identified seven differentially expressed cellular miRNAs and six significantly upregulated HCMV miRNAs. Deep learning approaches were used to identify potential targets of significantly upregulated HCMV miRNAs against differentially expressed cellular messenger RNA (mRNAs), and the associations with miRNA-mRNA expression changes were observed. Gene ontology enrichment analysis indicated cellular gene targets were significantly enriched in pathways involved in neurodevelopment and cell-cycle processes. Viral modulation of selected miRNAs and cellular gene targets involved in neurodevelopmental processes were further validated by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Finally, a predicted 3' untranslated region target site of hcmv-miR-US25-1 in Jag1, a factor important for neurogenesis, was confirmed by mutagenesis. Reduction of Jag1 RNA and protein levels in NPCs was observed in response to transient expression of hcmv-miR-US25-1. A hcmv-miR-US25-1 mutant virus (ΔmiR-US25) displayed limited ability to downregulate Jag1 mRNA levels and protein levels during the early infection stage compared with the wild type virus. Our collective experimental and computational investigation of miRNAs and cellular mRNAs expression in HCMV-infected NPCs yields new insights into the roles of viral miRNAs in regulating NPC fate and their contributions to HCMV neuropathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Jiang
- Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Center, Guangdong, China.,Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Siqing Liu
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ya-Ru Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Institute of Surface Analysis and Chemical Biology, University of Jinan, Jinan, China
| | - Xi-Juan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao-Jun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bo Yang
- Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Center, Guangdong, China.,State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Hai-Fei Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zhang-Zhou Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory for Kidney Disease Pathogenesis and Intervention, Hubei Polytechnic University, Medical School, Huangshi, China
| | | | - Pavel Vazquez
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Yaping Tang
- Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Center, Guangdong, China
| | - Mari Kaarbø
- Department of Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Michael A McVoy
- Department of Pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Simon Rayner
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Min-Hua Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Multiple Copies of microRNA Binding Sites in Long 3'UTR Variants Regulate Axonal Translation. Cells 2023; 12:cells12020233. [PMID: 36672174 PMCID: PMC9856650 DOI: 10.3390/cells12020233] [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: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Rapid responses to changes within subcellular compartments of highly polarized cells, such as neuron axons, depend on local translation and post-transcriptional regulation. The mechanism by which microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate this process is not fully understood. Here, using live cell imaging and RNA sequencing analysis, we demonstrated how miRNAs can differentially control hundreds of transcripts at the subcellular level. We demonstrated that the seed match length of the miRNA target-sequence regulates both mRNA stability and protein translation rates. While longer seed matches have an increased inhibitory effect, transcriptome analysis did not reveal differences in seed match length between axonal and somata mRNAs of motor neurons. However, mRNA variants with longer 3'UTR are enriched in axons and contain multiple repeats of specific miRNA target sequences. Finally, we demonstrated that the long 3'UTR mRNA variant of the motor protein Kif5b is enriched explicitly in motor neuron axons and contains multiple sequence repeats for binding miR-129-5p. This subsequently results in the differential post-transcriptional regulation of kif5b and its synthesis in axons. Thus, we suggest that the number of miRNA binding sites at the 3'UTR of the mRNA, rather than the miRNA seed match length, regulates the axonal transcriptome.
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36
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Li X, Jin DS, Eadara S, Caterina MJ, Meffert MK. Regulation by noncoding RNAs of local translation, injury responses, and pain in the peripheral nervous system. NEUROBIOLOGY OF PAIN (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2023; 13:100119. [PMID: 36798094 PMCID: PMC9926024 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynpai.2023.100119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Neuropathic pain is a chronic condition arising from damage to somatosensory pathways that results in pathological hypersensitivity. Persistent pain can be viewed as a consequence of maladaptive plasticity which, like most enduring forms of cellular plasticity, requires altered expression of specific gene programs. Control of gene expression at the level of protein synthesis is broadly utilized to directly modulate changes in activity and responsiveness in nociceptive pathways and provides an effective mechanism for compartmentalized regulation of the proteome in peripheral nerves through local translation. Levels of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are commonly impacted by peripheral nerve injury leading to persistent pain. NcRNAs exert spatiotemporal regulation of local proteomes and affect signaling cascades supporting altered sensory responses that contribute to hyperalgesia. This review discusses ncRNAs found in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) that are dysregulated following nerve injury and the current understanding of their roles in pathophysiological pain-related responses including neuroimmune interactions, neuronal survival and axon regeneration, Schwann cell dedifferentiation and proliferation, intercellular communication, and the generation of ectopic action potentials in primary afferents. We review progress in the field beyond cataloging, with a focus on the relevant target transcripts and mechanisms underlying pain modulation by ncRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinbei Li
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, United States
| | - Daniel S. Jin
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, United States
| | - Sreenivas Eadara
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, United States
| | - Michael J. Caterina
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, United States
- Department of Neurosurgery and Neurosurgery Pain Research Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, United States
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, United States
| | - Mollie K. Meffert
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, United States
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, United States
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Thomas KT, Vermare A, Egleston SO, Wang YD, Mishra A, Lin T, Peng J, Zakharenko SS. MicroRNA 3' ends shorten during adolescent brain maturation. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1168695. [PMID: 37122627 PMCID: PMC10140418 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1168695] [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: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNA (miRNA) dysregulation is well-documented in psychiatric disease, but miRNA dynamics remain poorly understood during adolescent and early adult brain maturation, when symptoms often first appear. Here, we use RNA sequencing to examine miRNAs and their mRNA targets in cortex and hippocampus from early-, mid-, and late-adolescent and adult mice. Furthermore, we use quantitative proteomics by tandem mass tag mass spectrometry (TMT-MS) to examine protein dynamics in cortex from the same subjects. We found that ~25% of miRNAs' 3' ends shorten with age due to increased 3' trimming and decreased U tailing. Particularly, shorter but functionally competent isoforms (isomiRs) of miR-338-3p increase up to 10-fold during adolescence and only in brain. MiRNAs that undergo 3' shortening exhibit stronger negative correlations with targets that decrease with age and stronger positive correlations with targets that increase with age, than miRNAs with stable 3' ends. Increased 3' shortening with age was also observed in available mouse and human miRNA-seq data sets, and stronger correlations between miRNAs that undergo shortening and their mRNA targets were observed in two of the three available data sets. We conclude that age-associated miRNA 3' shortening is a well-conserved feature of postnatal brain maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen T. Thomas
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Anaïs Vermare
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Suzannah O. Egleston
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Yong-Dong Wang
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Ashutosh Mishra
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Tong Lin
- Department of Biostatistics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Junmin Peng
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Stanislav S. Zakharenko
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
- *Correspondence: Stanislav S. Zakharenko,
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38
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Small RNA Targets: Advances in Prediction Tools and High-Throughput Profiling. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11121798. [PMID: 36552307 PMCID: PMC9775672 DOI: 10.3390/biology11121798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an abundant class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. They are suggested to be involved in most biological processes of the cell primarily by targeting messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for cleavage or translational repression. Their binding to their target sites is mediated by the Argonaute (AGO) family of proteins. Thus, miRNA target prediction is pivotal for research and clinical applications. Moreover, transfer-RNA-derived fragments (tRFs) and other types of small RNAs have been found to be potent regulators of Ago-mediated gene expression. Their role in mRNA regulation is still to be fully elucidated, and advancements in the computational prediction of their targets are in their infancy. To shed light on these complex RNA-RNA interactions, the availability of good quality high-throughput data and reliable computational methods is of utmost importance. Even though the arsenal of computational approaches in the field has been enriched in the last decade, there is still a degree of discrepancy between the results they yield. This review offers an overview of the relevant advancements in the field of bioinformatics and machine learning and summarizes the key strategies utilized for small RNA target prediction. Furthermore, we report the recent development of high-throughput sequencing technologies, and explore the role of non-miRNA AGO driver sequences.
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39
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miRBind: A Deep Learning Method for miRNA Binding Classification. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13122323. [PMID: 36553590 PMCID: PMC9777820 DOI: 10.3390/genes13122323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The binding of microRNAs (miRNAs) to their target sites is a complex process, mediated by the Argonaute (Ago) family of proteins. The prediction of miRNA:target site binding is an important first step for any miRNA target prediction algorithm. To date, the potential for miRNA:target site binding is evaluated using either co-folding free energy measures or heuristic approaches, based on the identification of binding 'seeds', i.e., continuous stretches of binding corresponding to specific parts of the miRNA. The limitations of both these families of methods have produced generations of miRNA target prediction algorithms that are primarily focused on 'canonical' seed targets, even though unbiased experimental methods have shown that only approximately half of in vivo miRNA targets are 'canonical'. Herein, we present miRBind, a deep learning method and web server that can be used to accurately predict the potential of miRNA:target site binding. We trained our method using seed-agnostic experimental data and show that our method outperforms both seed-based approaches and co-fold free energy approaches. The full code for the development of miRBind and a freely accessible web server are freely available.
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40
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Studying miRNA-mRNA Interactions: An Optimized CLIP-Protocol for Endogenous Ago2-Protein. Methods Protoc 2022; 5:mps5060096. [PMID: 36548138 PMCID: PMC9781880 DOI: 10.3390/mps5060096] [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: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcriptome-wide analysis of RNA-binding partners is commonly achieved using UV crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (CLIP). Individual-nucleotide-resolution CLIP (iCLIP)enables identification of the specific position of the protein-RNA interaction. In addition to RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), microRNA (miRNA)-mRNA interactions also play a crucial role in the regulation of gene expression. Argonaute-2 (Ago2) mediates miRNA binding to a multitude of mRNA target sites, enabling the identification of miRNA-mRNA interactions by employing modified Ago2-CLIP protocols. Here, we describe an Ago2-specific CLIP protocol optimized for the use of small quantities of cell material, targeting endogenous Ago2 while avoiding possible methodological biases such as metabolic labeling or Ago2 overexpression and applying the latest advances in CLIP library preparation, the iCLIP2 protocol. In particular, we focus on the optimization of lysis conditions and improved radioactive labeling of the 5' end of the miRNA.
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41
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Xu T, Li LX, Jia Y, Wu Q, Zhu W, Xu Z, Zheng B, Lu X. One microRNA has the potential to target whole viral mRNAs in a given human coronavirus. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1035044. [PMID: 36439806 PMCID: PMC9686371 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1035044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can repress viral replication by targeting viral messenger RNA (mRNA), which makes them potential antiviral agents. The antiviral effects of miRNAs on infectious viruses have been explored extensively; however, recent studies mainly considered the action modes of miRNAs, neglecting another key factor, the molecular biology of viruses, which may be particularly important in the study of miRNA actions against a given virus. In this paper, the action modes of miRNAs and the molecular biology of viruses are jointly considered for the first time and based on the reported roles of miRNAs on viruses and human coronaviruses (HCoVs) molecular biology, the general and specific interaction modes of miRNAs-HCoVs are systematically reviewed. It was found that HCoVs transcriptome is a nested set of subgenomic mRNAs, sharing the same 5' leader, 3' untranslated region (UTR) and open reading frame (ORF). For a given HCoV, one certain miRNA with a target site in the 5' leader or 3' UTR has the potential to target all viral mRNAs, indicating tremendous antiviral effects against HCoVs. However, for the shared ORFs, some parts are untranslatable attributed to the translation pattern of HCoVs mRNA, and it is unknown whether the base pairing between the untranslated ORFs and miRNAs plays a regulatory effect on the local mRNAs where the untranslated ORFs are located; therefore, the regulatory effects of miRNAs with targets within the shared ORFs are complicated and need to be confirmed. Collectively, miRNAs may bepromising antiviral agents against HCoVs due to their intrinsically nested set of mRNAs, and some gaps are waiting to be filled. In this review, insight is provided into the exploration of miRNAs that can interrupt HCoVs infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tielong Xu
- Evidence-Based Medicine Research Center Department, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China
| | - Long-xue Li
- Laboratory Animal Science and Technology Center, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China
| | - Yao Jia
- Evidence-Based Medicine Research Center Department, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China
| | - Qingni Wu
- Evidence-Based Medicine Research Center Department, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China
| | - Weifeng Zhu
- Evidence-Based Medicine Research Center Department, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China
| | - Zhou Xu
- Evidence-Based Medicine Research Center Department, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China
| | - Bin Zheng
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Xuexin Lu
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
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42
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Mills WT, Eadara S, Jaffe AE, Meffert MK. SCRAP: a bioinformatic pipeline for the analysis of small chimeric RNA-seq data. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2022; 29:rna.079240.122. [PMID: 36316086 PMCID: PMC9808574 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079240.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) that function in post-transcriptional gene regulation through imperfect base pairing with mRNA targets which results in inhibition of translation and typically destabilization of bound transcripts. Sequence-based algorithms historically used to predict miRNA targets face inherent challenges in reliably reflecting in vivo interactions. Recent strategies have directly profiled miRNA-target interactions by crosslinking and ligation of sncRNAs to their targets within the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), followed by high throughput sequencing of the chimeric sncRNA:target RNAs. Despite the strength of these direct profiling approaches, standardized pipelines for effectively analyzing the resulting chimeric sncRNA:target RNA sequencing data are not readily available. Here we present SCRAP, a robust Small Chimeric RNA Analysis Pipeline for the bioinformatic processing of chimeric sncRNA:target RNA sequencing data. SCRAP consists of two parts, each of which are specifically optimized for the distinctive characteristics of chimeric small RNA sequencing reads: first, read processing and alignment and second, peak calling and annotation. We apply SCRAP to benchmark chimeric sncRNA:target RNA sequencing datasets generated by distinct molecular approaches, and compare SCRAP to existing chimeric RNA analysis pipelines. SCRAP has minimal hardware requirements, is cross-platform, and contains extensive annotation to broaden accessibility for processing small chimeric RNA sequencing data and enable insights about the targets of small non-coding RNAs in regulating diverse biological systems.
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Distefano R, Tomasello L, Rampioni Vinciguerra GL, Gasparini P, Xiang Y, Bagnoli M, Marceca GP, Fadda P, Laganà A, Acunzo M, Ma Q, Nigita G, Croce CM. Pan-Cancer Analysis of Canonical and Modified miRNAs Enhances the Resolution of the Functional miRNAome in Cancer. Cancer Res 2022; 82:3687-3700. [PMID: 36040379 PMCID: PMC9574374 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-22-0240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Epitranscriptomic studies of miRNAs have added a new layer of complexity to the cancer field. Although there is fast-growing interest in adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) miRNA editing and alternative cleavage that shifts miRNA isoforms, simultaneous evaluation of both modifications in cancer is still missing. Here, we concurrently profiled multiple miRNA modification types, including A-to-I miRNA editing and shifted miRNA isoforms, in >13,000 adult and pediatric tumor samples across 38 distinct cancer cohorts from The Cancer Genome Atlas and The Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments data sets. The differences between canonical miRNAs and the wider miRNAome in terms of expression, clustering, dysregulation, and prognostic standpoint were investigated. The combination of canonical miRNAs and modified miRNAs boosted the quality of clustering results, outlining unique clinicopathologic features among cohorts. Certain modified miRNAs showed opposite expression from their canonical counterparts in cancer, potentially impacting their targets and function. Finally, a shifted and edited miRNA isoform was experimentally validated to directly bind and suppress a unique target. These findings outline the importance of going beyond the well-established paradigm of one mature miRNA per miRNA arm to elucidate novel mechanisms related to cancer progression. SIGNIFICANCE Modified miRNAs may act as cancer biomarkers and function as allies or antagonists of their canonical counterparts in gene regulation, suggesting the concurrent consideration of canonical and modified miRNAs can boost patient stratification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosario Distefano
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Luisa Tomasello
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Gian Luca Rampioni Vinciguerra
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
- Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Rome “Sapienza,” Santo Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Pierluigi Gasparini
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Yujia Xiang
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Marina Bagnoli
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori (INT), Milan, Italy
| | - Gioacchino P. Marceca
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Paolo Fadda
- Genomics Shared Resource, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Alessandro Laganà
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Mario Acunzo
- Division of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
| | - Qin Ma
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Giovanni Nigita
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Carlo M. Croce
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
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44
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The miR-17-92 cluster: Yin and Yang in human cancers. Cancer Treat Res Commun 2022; 33:100647. [PMID: 36327576 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctarc.2022.100647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs which modulate gene expression via multiple post-transcriptional mechanisms. They are involved in a variety of biological processes, including cell proliferation, metastasis, metabolism, tumorigenesis, and apoptosis. Dysregulation of miRNA expression has been implicated in human cancers, and they may also serve as biomarkers of disease progression and prognosis. The miR-17-92 cluster is one of the most widely studied miRNA clusters, which was initially reported as an oncogene, but was later reported to exhibit tumour suppressive effects in some human cancers. This review summarizes the recent progress and context-dependant role of this cluster in various cancers. We summarize the known mechanisms which regulate miR-17-92 expression and molecular pathways that are in turn controlled by it. We discuss examples where it acts as an oncogene or a tumour suppressor along with key targets affecting hallmarks of cancer. We discuss how cellular contexts regulate the biological effects of miR-17-92. The plausible mechanisms of its paradoxical roles are explained, and mechanisms are described that may contribute to cell fate regulation by miR-17-92. Further, we discuss recently developed strategies to target miR-17-92 cluster in human cancers. MiR-17-92 may serve as a potential biomarker for prognosis and response to therapy as well as a target for cancer prevention and therapeutics.
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45
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Rinaldi S, Colombo G, Paladino A. The dynamics of t1 adenosine binding on human Argonaute 2: Understanding recognition with conformational selection. Protein Sci 2022; 31:e4377. [PMID: 35900022 PMCID: PMC9278005 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The control of expression in genetic regulation is a fundamental process for cell life. In RNA‐mediated silencing, human Argonaute‐2 protein (hAgo2) uses sequence information encoded in small RNAs (guide) to identify complementary sites in messenger RNAs (target) for repression. The specificity of this molecular recognition lies at the basis of the mechanisms that control the expression of thousands of genes, which necessarily requires a fine tuning of complex events. Among these, the binding of the first nucleotide of the target RNA (t1) is emerging as an important modulator of hAgo2‐mediated machinery. Using atomistic molecular dynamics‐derived analyses, we address the mechanism behind t1‐dependent regulation and study the impact of different t1 nucleotides (t1A, t1C, t1G, t1U) on the conformational dynamics of both hAgo2 and guide–target RNAs. Only when an adenine is found at this position, t1 directly interacts with a specific hAgo2 binding pocket, favoring the stabilization of target binding. Our findings show that hAgo2 exploits a dynamic recognition mechanism of the t1‐target thanks to a modulation of RNA conformations. Here, t1‐adenine is the only nucleobase endowed with a dual binding mode: a T‐shape and a co‐planar conformation, respectively, orthogonal and parallel to the following base‐pairs of guide–target duplex. This triggers a composite set of molecular interactions that stabilizes distinctive conformational ensembles. Our comparative analyses show characteristic traits of local and global dynamic interplay between hAgo2 and the RNA molecules and highlight how t1A binding acts as a molecular switch for target recognition and complex stabilization. Implications for future mechanistic studies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Rinaldi
- CNR‐ Institute of Chemistry of OrganoMetallic Compounds (ICCOM) Sesto Fiorentino (FI) Italy
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46
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Single-molecule FRET uncovers hidden conformations and dynamics of human Argonaute 2. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3825. [PMID: 35780145 PMCID: PMC9250533 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31480-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Human Argonaute 2 (hAgo2) constitutes the functional core of the RNA interference pathway. Guide RNAs direct hAgo2 to target mRNAs, which ultimately leads to hAgo2-mediated mRNA degradation or translational inhibition. Here, we combine site-specifically labeled hAgo2 with time-resolved single-molecule FRET measurements to monitor conformational states and dynamics of hAgo2 and hAgo2-RNA complexes in solution that remained elusive so far. We observe dynamic anchoring and release of the guide’s 3’-end from the PAZ domain during the stepwise target loading process even with a fully complementary target. We find differences in structure and dynamic behavior between partially and fully paired canonical hAgo2-guide/target complexes and the miRNA processing complex formed by hAgo2 and pre-miRNA451. Furthermore, we detect a hitherto unknown conformation of hAgo2-guide/target complexes that poises them for target-directed miRNA degradation. Taken together, our results show how the conformational flexibility of hAgo2-RNA complexes determines function and the fate of the ribonucleoprotein particle. Single-molecule FRET measurements provide detailed insights into the conformational states and dynamics of human Argonaute 2 that are required for its function at the core of the eukaryotic RNA silencing pathway.
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47
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Talukder A, Zhang W, Li X, Hu H. A deep learning method for miRNA/isomiR target detection. Sci Rep 2022; 12:10618. [PMID: 35739186 PMCID: PMC9226005 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14890-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate identification of microRNA (miRNA) targets at base-pair resolution has been an open problem for over a decade. The recent discovery of miRNA isoforms (isomiRs) adds more complexity to this problem. Despite the existence of many methods, none considers isomiRs, and their performance is still suboptimal. We hypothesize that by taking the isomiR–mRNA interactions into account and applying a deep learning model to study miRNA–mRNA interaction features, we may improve the accuracy of miRNA target predictions. We developed a deep learning tool called DMISO to capture the intricate features of miRNA/isomiR–mRNA interactions. Based on tenfold cross-validation, DMISO showed high precision (95%) and recall (90%). Evaluated on three independent datasets, DMISO had superior performance to five tools, including three popular conventional tools and two recently developed deep learning-based tools. By applying two popular feature interpretation strategies, we demonstrated the importance of the miRNA regions other than their seeds and the potential contribution of the RNA-binding motifs within miRNAs/isomiRs and mRNAs to the miRNA/isomiR–mRNA interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amlan Talukder
- Department of Computer Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA
| | - Wencai Zhang
- Burnett School of Biomedical Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA
| | - Xiaoman Li
- Burnett School of Biomedical Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA.
| | - Haiyan Hu
- Department of Computer Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA. .,Genomics and Bioinformatics Cluster, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA.
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48
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Stein CS, McLendon JM, Witmer NH, Boudreau RL. Modulation of miR-181 influences dopaminergic neuronal degeneration in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2022; 28:1-15. [PMID: 35280925 PMCID: PMC8899134 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2022.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is caused by the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Although PD pathogenesis is not fully understood, studies implicate perturbations in gene regulation, mitochondrial function, and neuronal activity. MicroRNAs (miRs) are small gene regulatory RNAs that inhibit diverse subsets of target mRNAs, and several studies have noted miR expression alterations in PD brains. For example, miR-181a is abundant in the brain and is increased in PD patient brain samples; however, the disease relevance of this remains unclear. Here, we show that miR-181 target mRNAs are broadly downregulated in aging and PD brains. To address whether the miR-181 family plays a role in PD pathogenesis, we generated adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) to overexpress and inhibit the miR-181 isoforms. After co-injection with AAV overexpressing alpha-synuclein (aSyn) into mouse SN (PD model), we found that moderate miR-181a/b overexpression exacerbated aSyn-induced DA neuronal loss, whereas miR-181 inhibition was neuroprotective relative to controls (GFP alone and/or scrambled RNA). Also, prolonged miR-181 overexpression in SN alone elicited measurable neurotoxicity that is coincident with an increased immune response. mRNA-seq analyses revealed that miR-181a/b inhibits genes involved in synaptic transmission, neurite outgrowth, and mitochondrial respiration, along with several genes having known protective roles and genetic links in PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colleen S. Stein
- Department of Internal Medicine, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, Abboud Cardiovascular Research Center, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Jared M. McLendon
- Department of Internal Medicine, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, Abboud Cardiovascular Research Center, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Nathan H. Witmer
- Program in Molecular Medicine, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Ryan L. Boudreau
- Department of Internal Medicine, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, Abboud Cardiovascular Research Center, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Program in Molecular Medicine, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
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49
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Bibel B, Elkayam E, Silletti S, Komives EA, Joshua-Tor L. Target binding triggers hierarchical phosphorylation of human Argonaute-2 to promote target release. eLife 2022; 11:76908. [PMID: 35638597 PMCID: PMC9154749 DOI: 10.7554/elife.76908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Argonaute (Ago) proteins play a central role in post-transcriptional gene regulation through RNA interference (RNAi). Agos bind small RNAs (sRNAs) including small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) to form the functional core of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). The sRNA is used as a guide to target mRNAs containing either partially or fully complementary sequences, ultimately leading to downregulation of the corresponding proteins. It was previously shown that the kinase CK1α phosphorylates a cluster of residues in the eukaryotic insertion (EI) of Ago, leading to the alleviation of miRNA-mediated repression through an undetermined mechanism. We show that binding of miRNA-loaded human Ago2 to target RNA with complementarity to the seed and 3’ supplementary regions of the miRNA primes the EI for hierarchical phosphorylation by CK1α. The added negative charges electrostatically promote target release, freeing Ago to seek out additional targets once it is dephosphorylated. The high conservation of potential phosphosites in the EI suggests that such a regulatory strategy may be a shared mechanism for regulating miRNA-mediated repression. Proteins are the chemical ‘workhorses’ of the cell: some help maintain a cell’s shape or structure, while others carry out the chemical reactions necessary for life. Organisms therefore need to keep tight control over the production of proteins in their cells, so that the right amount of each protein is made at the right time, in the right place. Instructions for making new proteins are encoded in a type of molecule called messenger RNA. Each messenger RNA contains the instructions for one protein, which are then ‘read’ and carried out by special cellular machinery called ribosomes. The cell can control how much protein it produces by regulating both the levels of different messenger RNA and the amount of protein ribosomes are allowed to make from those instructions. The main way to regulate the levels of messenger RNA is through their transcription from the genome. However, this needs fine tuning. Cells can do this in a highly specific way using molecules called microRNAs. A microRNA works by directing a protein called Argonaute to the messenger RNA that it targets. Once Argonaute arrives, it can call in additional ‘helper proteins’ to shut down, or reduce, protein production from that messenger RNA, or alternatively to break down the messenger RNA altogether. Cells can use an enzyme called CK1α to attach bulky chemical groups onto a specific part of the Argonaute protein, in a reaction termed phosphorylation. The ability to carry out this reaction (and to reverse it) also seems to be important for microRNAs to do their job properly, but why has remained unknown. Bibel et al. wanted to determine what triggers CK1α to phosphorylate Argonaute, and how this affects interactions between microRNAs, Argonaute and their target messenger RNAs. A series of ‘test tube’ experiments looked at the interaction between purified CK1α and Argonaute under different conditions. These demonstrated that CK1α could only carry out its phosphorylation reaction when Argonaute was already interacting with a microRNA and its corresponding messenger RNA. Further measurements revealed that phosphorylation of Argonaute made it detach from the messenger RNA more quickly. This suggests that phosphorylation might be a way to let Argonaute seek out new messenger RNAs after blocking protein production at its first ‘target’. These results shed new light on a fundamental mechanism that cells use to control protein production. Bibel et al. propose that this mechanism may be shared across many different species and could one day help guide the development of new medical therapies based on microRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brianna Bibel
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory School of Biological Sciences
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, W. M. Keck Structural Biology Laboratory
| | - Elad Elkayam
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, W. M. Keck Structural Biology Laboratory
| | - Steve Silletti
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego
| | - Elizabeth A Komives
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego
| | - Leemor Joshua-Tor
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory School of Biological Sciences
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, W. M. Keck Structural Biology Laboratory
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50
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Desrochers GF, Filip R, Bastianelli M, Stern T, Pezacki JP. microRNA-27b regulates hepatic lipase enzyme LIPC and reduces triglyceride degradation during hepatitis C virus infection. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:101983. [PMID: 35483451 PMCID: PMC9163519 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
miRNAs are short, noncoding RNAs that negatively and specifically regulate protein expression, the cumulative effects of which can result in broad changes to cell systems and architecture. The miRNA miR-27b is known to regulate lipid regulatory pathways in the human liver and is also induced by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, the functional targets of miR-27b are not well established. Herein, an activity-based protein profiling method using a serine hydrolase probe, coupled with stable isotope labeling and mass spectrometry identified direct and indirect targets of miR-27b. The hepatic lipase C (LIPC) stood out as both highly dependent on miR-27b and as a major modulator of lipid pathway misregulation. Modulation of miR-27b using both exogenous miRNA mimics and inhibitors demonstrated that transcription factors Jun, PPARα, and HNF4α, all of which also influence LIPC levels and activity, are regulated by miR-27b. LIPC was furthermore shown to affect the progress of the life cycle of HCV and to decrease levels of intracellular triglycerides, upon which HCV is known to depend. In summary, this work has demonstrated that miR-27b mediates HCV infection by downregulating LIPC, thereby reducing triglyceride degradation, which in turn increases cellular lipid levels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Roxana Filip
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Micheal Bastianelli
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Tiffany Stern
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - John Paul Pezacki
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
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