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Valyaeva AA, Sheval EV. Nonspecific Interactions in Transcription Regulation and Organization of Transcriptional Condensates. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2024; 89:688-700. [PMID: 38831505 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297924040084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Eukaryotic cells are characterized by a high degree of compartmentalization of their internal contents, which ensures precise and controlled regulation of intracellular processes. During many processes, including different stages of transcription, dynamic membraneless compartments termed biomolecular condensates are formed. Transcription condensates contain various transcription factors and RNA polymerase and are formed by high- and low-specificity interactions between the proteins, DNA, and nearby RNA. This review discusses recent data demonstrating important role of nonspecific multivalent protein-protein and RNA-protein interactions in organization and regulation of transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna A Valyaeva
- Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Eugene V Sheval
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
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2
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Hall Hickman A, Jenner RG. Apparent RNA bridging between PRC2 and chromatin is an artifact of non-specific chromatin precipitation upon RNA degradation. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113856. [PMID: 38416641 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) modifies chromatin to maintain repression of genes specific for other cell lineages. In vitro, RNA inhibits PRC2 activity, but the effect of RNA on PRC2 in cells is less clear, with studies concluding that RNA either antagonizes or promotes PRC2 chromatin association. The addition of RNase A to chromatin immunoprecipitation reactions has been reported to reduce detection of PRC2 target sites, suggesting the existence of RNA bridges connecting PRC2 to chromatin. Here, we show that the apparent loss of PRC2 chromatin association after RNase A treatment is due to non-specific chromatin precipitation. RNA degradation precipitates chromatin out of solution, thereby masking enrichment of specific DNA sequences in chromatin immunoprecipitation reactions. Maintaining chromatin solubility by the addition of poly-L-glutamic acid rescues detection of PRC2 chromatin occupancy upon RNA degradation. These findings undermine support for the model that RNA bridges PRC2 and chromatin in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Hall Hickman
- UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; CRUK City of London Centre, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Richard G Jenner
- UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; CRUK City of London Centre, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
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3
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Ramirez D, B Chuong E, D Dowell R. Nascent transcription upon interferon-α2 stimulation on human and rhesus macaque lymphoblastoid cell lines. BMC Res Notes 2023; 16:292. [PMID: 37885027 PMCID: PMC10604760 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-023-06465-1] [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: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The interferon-triggered innate immune response has been observed to be under strong diversifying selection to counteract the many pathogens hosts have to defend against. In particular, rewiring of gene transcription regulation allows organisms to rapidly acquire new phenotypes by removing and adding genes into the innate immune gene network. Dissecting the molecular processes by which this rewiring takes place, either by changing the DNA regulatory elements or by changing the activity of the regulators across species, is key to better understand this evolutionary process. DATA DESCRIPTION To better comprehend the evolutionary dynamics that have occurred in the initial transcriptional response to interferon in primates, we present Precision Run-On (PRO-seq) datasets made after 1 h of interferon-α2 stimulation on human and rhesus macaque lymphoblastoid cell lines. Further, we tested the difference between using either species' cognate interferon versus using the other orthologous interferon to account for any potential impacts in the interaction of the orthologous interferons with their cellular membrane receptors. This data provides insights into the regulatory mechanisms that drive species-specific responses to environmental perturbations, such as the one driven by the interactions of pathogens and their hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Ramirez
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Edward B Chuong
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Robin D Dowell
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
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4
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Hamilton DJ, Hein AE, Wuttke DS, Batey RT. The DNA binding high mobility group box protein family functionally binds RNA. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2023; 14:e1778. [PMID: 36646476 PMCID: PMC10349909 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1778] [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: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Nucleic acid binding proteins regulate transcription, splicing, RNA stability, RNA localization, and translation, together tailoring gene expression in response to stimuli. Upon discovery, these proteins are typically classified as either DNA or RNA binding as defined by their in vivo functions; however, recent evidence suggests dual DNA and RNA binding by many of these proteins. High mobility group box (HMGB) proteins have a DNA binding HMGB domain, act as transcription factors and chromatin remodeling proteins, and are increasingly understood to interact with RNA as means to regulate gene expression. Herein, multiple layers of evidence that the HMGB family are dual DNA and RNA binding proteins is comprehensively reviewed. For example, HMGB proteins directly interact with RNA in vitro and in vivo, are localized to RNP granules involved in RNA processing, and their protein interactors are enriched in RNA binding proteins involved in RNA metabolism. Importantly, in cell-based systems, HMGB-RNA interactions facilitate protein-protein interactions, impact splicing outcomes, and modify HMGB protein genomic or cellular localization. Misregulation of these HMGB-RNA interactions are also likely involved in human disease. This review brings to light that as a family, HMGB proteins are likely to bind RNA which is essential to HMGB protein biology. This article is categorized under: RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Recognition RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > RNA-Protein Complexes RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Interactions: Functional Implications.
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5
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LaMarca EA, Saito A, Plaza-Jennings A, Espeso-Gil S, Hellmich A, Fernando MB, Javidfar B, Liao W, Estill M, Townsley K, Florio A, Ethridge JE, Do C, Tycko B, Shen L, Kamiya A, Tsankova NM, Brennand KJ, Akbarian S. R-loop landscapes in the developing human brain are linked to neural differentiation and cell-type specific transcription. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.18.549494. [PMID: 37503149 PMCID: PMC10370098 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.18.549494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Here, we construct genome-scale maps for R-loops, three-stranded nucleic acid structures comprised of a DNA/RNA hybrid and a displaced single strand of DNA, in the proliferative and differentiated zones of the human prenatal brain. We show that R-loops are abundant in the progenitor-rich germinal matrix, with preferential formation at promoters slated for upregulated expression at later stages of differentiation, including numerous neurodevelopmental risk genes. RNase H1-mediated contraction of the genomic R-loop space in neural progenitors shifted differentiation toward the neuronal lineage and was associated with transcriptomic alterations and defective functional and structural neuronal connectivity in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, R-loops are important for fine-tuning differentiation-sensitive gene expression programs of neural progenitor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A LaMarca
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Department of Genetics and Genomics, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Atsushi Saito
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Amara Plaza-Jennings
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Sergio Espeso-Gil
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Allyse Hellmich
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Michael B Fernando
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Department of Genetics and Genomics, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Behnam Javidfar
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Will Liao
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY 10013, USA
| | - Molly Estill
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Kayla Townsley
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Department of Genetics and Genomics, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Anna Florio
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - James E Ethridge
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Catherine Do
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, 111 Ideation Way, Nutley, NJ 07110, USA
| | - Benjamin Tycko
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, 111 Ideation Way, Nutley, NJ 07110, USA
| | - Li Shen
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Atsushi Kamiya
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Nadejda M Tsankova
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Kristen J Brennand
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Department of Genetics and Genomics, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Current affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Schahram Akbarian
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
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6
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Marquardt S, Petrillo E, Manavella PA. Cotranscriptional RNA processing and modification in plants. THE PLANT CELL 2023; 35:1654-1670. [PMID: 36259932 PMCID: PMC10226594 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koac309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The activities of RNA polymerases shape the epigenetic landscape of genomes with profound consequences for genome integrity and gene expression. A fundamental event during the regulation of eukaryotic gene expression is the coordination between transcription and RNA processing. Most primary RNAs mature through various RNA processing and modification events to become fully functional. While pioneering results positioned RNA maturation steps after transcription ends, the coupling between the maturation of diverse RNA species and their transcription is becoming increasingly evident in plants. In this review, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the crosstalk between RNA Polymerase II, IV, and V transcription and nascent RNA processing of both coding and noncoding RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Marquardt
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Ezequiel Petrillo
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE-CONICET-UBA), Buenos Aires, C1428EHA, Argentina
| | - Pablo A Manavella
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Cátedra de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe 3000, Argentina
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7
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Tang J, Wang X, Xiao D, Liu S, Tao Y. The chromatin-associated RNAs in gene regulation and cancer. Mol Cancer 2023; 22:27. [PMID: 36750826 PMCID: PMC9903551 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-023-01724-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic genomes are prevalently transcribed into many types of RNAs that translate into proteins or execute gene regulatory functions. Many RNAs associate with chromatin directly or indirectly and are called chromatin-associated RNAs (caRNAs). To date, caRNAs have been found to be involved in gene and transcriptional regulation through multiple mechanisms and have important roles in different types of cancers. In this review, we first present different categories of caRNAs and the modes of interaction between caRNAs and chromatin. We then detail the mechanisms of chromatin-associated nascent RNAs, chromatin-associated noncoding RNAs and emerging m6A on caRNAs in transcription and gene regulation. Finally, we discuss the roles of caRNAs in cancer as well as epigenetic and epitranscriptomic mechanisms contributing to cancer, which could provide insights into the relationship between different caRNAs and cancer, as well as tumor treatment and intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Tang
- grid.216417.70000 0001 0379 7164Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078 Hunan China ,grid.216417.70000 0001 0379 7164Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion (Ministry of Education), NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis (Central South University), Cancer Research Institute and School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078 Hunan China
| | - Xiang Wang
- grid.216417.70000 0001 0379 7164Department of Thoracic Surgery, Hunan Key Laboratory of Early Diagnosis and Precision Therapy in Lung Cancer, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011 China
| | - Desheng Xiao
- Department of Pathology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.
| | - Shuang Liu
- Department of Oncology, Institute of Medical Sciences, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.
| | - Yongguang Tao
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China. .,Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion (Ministry of Education), NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis (Central South University), Cancer Research Institute and School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China. .,Department of Thoracic Surgery, Hunan Key Laboratory of Early Diagnosis and Precision Therapy in Lung Cancer, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, China. .,Department of Pathology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.
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8
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Messina G, Celauro E, Marsano RM, Prozzillo Y, Dimitri P. Epigenetic Silencing of P-Element Reporter Genes Induced by Transcriptionally Active Domains of Constitutive Heterochromatin in Drosophila melanogaster. Genes (Basel) 2022; 14:genes14010012. [PMID: 36672753 PMCID: PMC9858095 DOI: 10.3390/genes14010012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Reporter genes inserted via P-element integration into different locations of the Drosophila melanogaster genome have been routinely used to monitor the functional state of chromatin domains. It is commonly thought that P-element-derived reporter genes are subjected to position effect variegation (PEV) when transposed into constitutive heterochromatin because they acquire heterochromatin-like epigenetic modifications that promote silencing. However, sequencing and annotation of the D. melanogaster genome have shown that constitutive heterochromatin is a genetically and molecularly heterogeneous compartment. In fact, in addition to repetitive DNAs, it harbors hundreds of functional genes, together accounting for a significant fraction of its entire genomic territory. Notably, most of these genes are actively transcribed in different developmental stages and tissues, irrespective of their location in heterochromatin. An open question in the genetic and molecular studies on PEV in D. melanogaster is whether functional heterochromatin domains, i.e., heterochromatin harboring active genes, are able to silence reporter genes therein transposed or, on the contrary, can drive their expression. In this work, we provide experimental evidence showing that strong silencing of the Pw+ reporters is induced even when they are integrated within or near actively transcribed loci in the pericentric regions of chromosome 2. Interestingly, some Pw+ reporters were found insensitive to the action of a known PEV suppressor. Two of them are inserted within Yeti, a gene expressed in the deep heterochromatin of chromosome 2 which carries active chromatin marks. The difference sensitivity to suppressors-exhibited Pw+ reporters supports the view that different epigenetic regulators or mechanisms control different regions of heterochromatin. Together, our results suggest that there may be more complexity regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying PEV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Messina
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Emanuele Celauro
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | | | - Yuri Prozzillo
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Patrizio Dimitri
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185 Roma, Italy
- Correspondence:
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9
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Liang Y, Xu H, Cheng T, Fu Y, Huang H, Qian W, Wang J, Zhou Y, Qian P, Yin Y, Xu P, Zou W, Chen B. Gene activation guided by nascent RNA-bound transcription factors. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7329. [PMID: 36443367 PMCID: PMC9705438 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35041-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Technologies for gene activation are valuable tools for the study of gene functions and have a wide range of potential applications in bioengineering and medicine. In contrast to existing methods based on recruiting transcriptional modulators via DNA-binding proteins, we developed a strategy termed Narta (nascent RNA-guided transcriptional activation) to achieve gene activation by recruiting artificial transcription factors (aTFs) to transcription sites through nascent RNAs of the target gene. Using Narta, we demonstrate robust activation of a broad range of exogenous and endogenous genes in various cell types, including zebrafish embryos, mouse and human cells. Importantly, the activation is reversible, tunable and specific. Moreover, Narta provides better activation potency of some expressed genes than CRISPRa and, when used in combination with CRISPRa, has an enhancing effect on gene activation. Quantitative imaging illustrated that nascent RNA-directed aTFs could induce the high-density assembly of coactivators at transcription sites, which may explain the larger transcriptional burst size induced by Narta. Overall, our work expands the gene activation toolbox for biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liang
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Cell Biology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China ,grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XLiangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haiyue Xu
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Cell Biology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China ,grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XLiangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tao Cheng
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XWomen’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yujuan Fu
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Cell Biology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hanwei Huang
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Cell Biology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wenchang Qian
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XCenter of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Junyan Wang
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Cell Biology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuenan Zhou
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Pengxu Qian
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XCenter of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yafei Yin
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Pengfei Xu
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XWomen’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wei Zou
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XThe Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu, China ,grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XInsititute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Baohui Chen
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XDepartment of Cell Biology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China ,grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XLiangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China ,grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XInstitute of Hematology, Zhejiang University & Zhejiang Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunotherapy, Hangzhou, China ,grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XZhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Genetic & Developmental Disorders, Hangzhou, China
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10
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Wang G, Ye H, Wang X, Liu B. Polycomb repressive complex 2 controls cardiac cell fate decision via interacting with RNA: Promiscuously or well-ordered. Front Genet 2022; 13:1011228. [PMID: 36313464 PMCID: PMC9614146 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1011228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The epigenetic landscape determines cell fate during heart development. Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) mediates histone methyltransferase activity during cardiac cell differentiation. The PRC2 complex contains the proteins embryonic ectoderm development (EED), suppressor of zeste (SUZ12), the chromatin assembly factor 1 (CAF1) histone-binding proteins RBBP4 and RBBP7, and the histone methyltransferase called enhancer of zeste (EZH2 or EZH1), which incorporates the Su(var)3-9, Enhancer-of-zeste, Trithorax (SET) domain. Cardiac PRC2-deficient mice display lethal congenital heart malformations. The dynamic process of cardiac cell fate decisions is controlled by PRC2 and the PRC2-mediated epigenetic landscape. Although specific individual long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) including Braveheart were widely reported to regulate the recruitments of PRC2 to their specific targets, a promiscuous RNA binding profile by PRC2 was also identified to play an essential role in cardiac cell fate decision. In this review, we focus on RNA-mediated PRC2 recruitment machinery in the process of cardiac cell fate decisions. The roles of individual lncRNAs which recruit PRC2, as well as promiscuous RNA binding by PRC2 in heart development are summarized. Since the binding priority of RNAs with different primary and secondary structures differs in its affinity to PRC2, the competitive relationship between individual lncRNAs binding and promiscuous RNA binding by PRC2 may be important for understanding the machinery by which biding of individual lncRNA and promiscuous RNA by PRC2 coordinately control the well-ordered dynamic cardiac cell lineage differentiation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Wang
- Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Heng Ye
- Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Xuchao Wang
- Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- School of Pharmacy, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Binbin Liu
- Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- *Correspondence: Binbin Liu,
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11
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Abstract
Gene transcription does not only require writers of active histone modifications; on-site opposition by erasers is essential for many genes. Here, we propose the concept of dynamic opposition of histone modifications to explain this conundrum. We highlight the requirement of HDACs for acetylation balance at superenhancers, and the requirement of KDM5A for H4K3me3 recycling at highly active gene promoters. We propose that histone post-translational modifications regulate charge balance for biomolecular condensate formation and nucleosome turnover and form a short-term memory that informs lock-and-step checkpoints for chromatin engagement by RNA polymerase II.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana María Garzón-Porras
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Emma Chory
- Media Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Berkley E. Gryder
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
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12
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Shao W, Bi X, Pan Y, Gao B, Wu J, Yin Y, Liu Z, Peng M, Zhang W, Jiang X, Ren W, Xu Y, Wu Z, Wang K, Zhan G, Lu JY, Han X, Li T, Wang J, Li G, Deng H, Li B, Shen X. Phase separation of RNA-binding protein promotes polymerase binding and transcription. Nat Chem Biol 2022; 18:70-80. [PMID: 34916619 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-021-00904-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
An RNA-involved phase-separation model has been proposed for transcription control. However, the molecular links that connect RNA to the transcription machinery remain missing. Here we find that RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) constitute half of the chromatin proteome in embryonic stem cells (ESCs), some being colocalized with RNA polymerase (Pol) II at promoters and enhancers. Biochemical analyses of representative RBPs show that the paraspeckle protein PSPC1 inhibits the RNA-induced premature release of Pol II, and makes use of RNA as multivalent molecules to enhance the formation of transcription condensates and subsequent phosphorylation and release of Pol II. This synergistic interplay enhances polymerase engagement and activity via the RNA-binding and phase-separation activities of PSPC1. In ESCs, auxin-induced acute degradation of PSPC1 leads to genome-wide defects in Pol II binding and nascent transcription. We propose that promoter-associated RNAs and their binding proteins synergize the phase separation of polymerase condensates to promote active transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Shao
- School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University; Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xianju Bi
- School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University; Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yixuan Pan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Tumor Microenvironment and Inflammation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Boyang Gao
- School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University; Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jun Wu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Tumor Microenvironment and Inflammation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yafei Yin
- School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University; Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhimin Liu
- School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University; Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mengyuan Peng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Tumor Microenvironment and Inflammation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenhao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xu Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Wenlin Ren
- School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University; Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yanhui Xu
- School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University; Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhongyang Wu
- School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University; Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kaili Wang
- School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University; Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ge Zhan
- School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University; Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - J Yuyang Lu
- School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University; Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xue Han
- School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University; Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tong Li
- School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University; Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jianlong Wang
- Department of Medicine, Columbia Center for Human Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Guohong Li
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haiteng Deng
- Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Bing Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Tumor Microenvironment and Inflammation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Xiaohua Shen
- School of Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University; Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China.
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13
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Kretschmer M, Gapp K. Deciphering the RNA universe in sperm in its role as a vertical information carrier. ENVIRONMENTAL EPIGENETICS 2022; 8:dvac011. [PMID: 35633894 PMCID: PMC9134061 DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvac011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The inheritance of neurophysiologic and neuropsychologic complex diseases can only partly be explained by the Mendelian concept of genetic inheritance. Previous research showed that both psychological disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder and metabolic diseases are more prevalent in the progeny of affected parents. This could suggest an epigenetic mode of transmission. Human studies give first insight into the scope of intergenerational influence of stressors but are limited in exploring the underlying mechanisms. Animal models have elucidated the mechanistic underpinnings of epigenetic transmission. In this review, we summarize progress on the mechanisms of paternal intergenerational transmission by means of sperm RNA in mouse models. We discuss relevant details for the modelling of RNA-mediated transmission, point towards currently unanswered questions and propose experimental considerations for tackling these questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Kretschmer
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Centre Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Katharina Gapp
- *Correspondence address. Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Y36 M 12, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich 8057, Switzerland. Tel: +0041 44 633 85 89; E-mail:
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14
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Skalska L, Begley V, Beltran M, Lukauskas S, Khandelwal G, Faull P, Bhamra A, Tavares M, Wellman R, Tvardovskiy A, Foster BM, Ruiz de Los Mozos I, Herrero J, Surinova S, Snijders AP, Bartke T, Jenner RG. Nascent RNA antagonizes the interaction of a set of regulatory proteins with chromatin. Mol Cell 2021; 81:2944-2959.e10. [PMID: 34166609 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
A number of regulatory factors are recruited to chromatin by specialized RNAs. Whether RNA has a more general role in regulating the interaction of proteins with chromatin has not been determined. We used proteomics methods to measure the global impact of nascent RNA on chromatin in embryonic stem cells. Surprisingly, we found that nascent RNA primarily antagonized the interaction of chromatin modifiers and transcriptional regulators with chromatin. Transcriptional inhibition and RNA degradation induced recruitment of a set of transcriptional regulators, chromatin modifiers, nucleosome remodelers, and regulators of higher-order structure. RNA directly bound to factors, including BAF, NuRD, EHMT1, and INO80 and inhibited their interaction with nucleosomes. The transcriptional elongation factor P-TEFb directly bound pre-mRNA, and its recruitment to chromatin upon Pol II inhibition was regulated by the 7SK ribonucleoprotein complex. We postulate that by antagonizing the interaction of regulatory proteins with chromatin, nascent RNA links transcriptional output with chromatin composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenka Skalska
- UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Victoria Begley
- UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Manuel Beltran
- UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Saulius Lukauskas
- Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
| | - Garima Khandelwal
- UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Peter Faull
- The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Amandeep Bhamra
- Proteomics Research Translational Technology Platform, UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Manuel Tavares
- UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Rachel Wellman
- UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Andrey Tvardovskiy
- Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
| | - Benjamin M Foster
- Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
| | - Igor Ruiz de Los Mozos
- The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK; Institute of Neurology, UCL, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Javier Herrero
- UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Silvia Surinova
- Proteomics Research Translational Technology Platform, UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | | | - Till Bartke
- Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
| | - Richard G Jenner
- UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London WC1E 6BT, UK.
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15
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Agostini F, Zagalak J, Attig J, Ule J, Luscombe NM. Intergenic RNA mainly derives from nascent transcripts of known genes. Genome Biol 2021; 22:136. [PMID: 33952325 PMCID: PMC8097831 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-021-02350-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Eukaryotic genomes undergo pervasive transcription, leading to the production of many types of stable and unstable RNAs. Transcription is not restricted to regions with annotated gene features but includes almost any genomic context. Currently, the source and function of most RNAs originating from intergenic regions in the human genome remain unclear. RESULTS We hypothesize that many intergenic RNAs can be ascribed to the presence of as-yet unannotated genes or the "fuzzy" transcription of known genes that extends beyond the annotated boundaries. To elucidate the contributions of these two sources, we assemble a dataset of more than 2.5 billion publicly available RNA-seq reads across 5 human cell lines and multiple cellular compartments to annotate transcriptional units in the human genome. About 80% of transcripts from unannotated intergenic regions can be attributed to the fuzzy transcription of existing genes; the remaining transcripts originate mainly from putative long non-coding RNA loci that are rarely spliced. We validate the transcriptional activity of these intergenic RNAs using independent measurements, including transcriptional start sites, chromatin signatures, and genomic occupancies of RNA polymerase II in various phosphorylation states. We also analyze the nuclear localization and sensitivities of intergenic transcripts to nucleases to illustrate that they tend to be rapidly degraded either on-chromatin by XRN2 or off-chromatin by the exosome. CONCLUSIONS We provide a curated atlas of intergenic RNAs that distinguishes between alternative processing of well-annotated genes from independent transcriptional units based on the combined analysis of chromatin signatures, nuclear RNA localization, and degradation pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julian Zagalak
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Jan Attig
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Jernej Ule
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Nicholas M Luscombe
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
- UCL Genetics Institute, Department of Genetics, Environment and Evolution, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
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16
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Willbanks A, Wood S, Cheng JX. RNA Epigenetics: Fine-Tuning Chromatin Plasticity and Transcriptional Regulation, and the Implications in Human Diseases. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12050627. [PMID: 33922187 PMCID: PMC8145807 DOI: 10.3390/genes12050627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chromatin structure plays an essential role in eukaryotic gene expression and cell identity. Traditionally, DNA and histone modifications have been the focus of chromatin regulation; however, recent molecular and imaging studies have revealed an intimate connection between RNA epigenetics and chromatin structure. Accumulating evidence suggests that RNA serves as the interplay between chromatin and the transcription and splicing machineries within the cell. Additionally, epigenetic modifications of nascent RNAs fine-tune these interactions to regulate gene expression at the co- and post-transcriptional levels in normal cell development and human diseases. This review will provide an overview of recent advances in the emerging field of RNA epigenetics, specifically the role of RNA modifications and RNA modifying proteins in chromatin remodeling, transcription activation and RNA processing, as well as translational implications in human diseases.
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17
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Veenstra TD. Omics in Systems Biology: Current Progress and Future Outlook. Proteomics 2021; 21:e2000235. [PMID: 33320441 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.202000235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Biological research has undergone tremendous changes over the past three decades. Research used to almost exclusively focus on a single aspect of a single molecule per experiment. Modern technologies have enabled thousands of molecules to be simultaneously analyzed and the way that these molecules influence each other to be discerned. The change is so dramatic that it has given rise to a whole new descriptive suffix (i.e., omics) to describe these fields of study. While genomics was arguably the initial driver of this new trend, it quickly spread to other biological entities resulting in the creation of transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, etc. The development of these "big four omics" created a wave of other omic fields, such as epigenomics, glycomics, lipidomics, microbiomics, and even foodomics; all with the purpose of comprehensively studying all the molecular entities or processes within their respective domain. The large number of omic fields that are invented even led to the term "panomics" as a way to classify them all under one category. Ultimately, all of these omic fields are setting the foundation for developing systems biology; in which the focus will be on determining the complex interactions that occur within biological systems.
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18
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Xu B, Mei J, Ji W, Bian Z, Jiao J, Sun J, Shao J. LncRNA SNHG3, a potential oncogene in human cancers. Cancer Cell Int 2020; 20:536. [PMID: 33292213 PMCID: PMC7640707 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-020-01608-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are composed of > 200 nucleotides; they lack the ability to encode proteins but play important roles in a variety of human tumors. A large number of studies have shown that dysregulated expression of lncRNAs is related to tumor oncogenesis and progression. Emerging evidence shows that SNHG3 is a novel oncogenic lncRNA that is abnormally expressed in various tumors, including osteosarcoma, liver cancer, lung cancer, etc. SNHG3 primarily competes as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) that targets tumor suppressor microRNAs (miRNAs) and ceRNA mechanisms that regulate biological processes of tumors. In addition, abnormal expression of SNHG3 is significantly correlated with patient clinical features. Upregulation of SNHG3 contributes to biological functions, including tumor cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT. Therefore, SNHG3 may represent a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, as well as a novel therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Wuxi People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, No. 299 Qing Yang Road, Wuxi, 214023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jie Mei
- Department of Oncology, Wuxi People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, P. R. China
| | - Wei Ji
- Department of Neurosurgery, Wuxi People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, No. 299 Qing Yang Road, Wuxi, 214023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zheng Bian
- Department of Neurosurgery, Wuxi People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, No. 299 Qing Yang Road, Wuxi, 214023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jiantong Jiao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Wuxi People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, No. 299 Qing Yang Road, Wuxi, 214023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jun Sun
- Department of Neurosurgery, Wuxi People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, No. 299 Qing Yang Road, Wuxi, 214023, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Junfei Shao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Wuxi People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, No. 299 Qing Yang Road, Wuxi, 214023, Jiangsu, China.
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19
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Thakur J, Henikoff S. Architectural RNA in chromatin organization. Biochem Soc Trans 2020; 48:1967-1978. [PMID: 32897323 PMCID: PMC7609026 DOI: 10.1042/bst20191226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
RNA plays a well-established architectural role in the formation of membraneless interchromatin nuclear bodies. However, a less well-known role of RNA is in organizing chromatin, whereby specific RNAs have been found to recruit chromatin modifier proteins. Whether or not RNA can act as an architectural molecule for chromatin remains unclear, partly because dissecting the architectural role of RNA from its regulatory role remains challenging. Studies that have addressed RNA's architectural role in chromatin organization rely on in situ RNA depletion using Ribonuclease A (RNase A) and suggest that RNA plays a major direct architectural role in chromatin organization. In this review, we will discuss these findings, candidate chromatin architectural long non-coding RNAs and possible mechanisms by which RNA, along with RNA binding proteins might be mediating chromatin organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jitendra Thakur
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, U.S.A
| | - Steven Henikoff
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, U.S.A
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, U.S.A
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20
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Joynt AT, Evans TA, Pellicore MJ, Davis-Marcisak EF, Aksit MA, Eastman AC, Patel SU, Paul KC, Osorio DL, Bowling AD, Cotton CU, Raraigh KS, West NE, Merlo CA, Cutting GR, Sharma N. Evaluation of both exonic and intronic variants for effects on RNA splicing allows for accurate assessment of the effectiveness of precision therapies. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1009100. [PMID: 33085659 PMCID: PMC7605713 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Elucidating the functional consequence of molecular defects underlying genetic diseases enables appropriate design of therapeutic options. Treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF) is an exemplar of this paradigm as the development of CFTR modulator therapies has allowed for targeted and effective treatment of individuals harboring specific genetic variants. However, the mechanism of these drugs limits effectiveness to particular classes of variants that allow production of CFTR protein. Thus, assessment of the molecular mechanism of individual variants is imperative for proper assignment of these precision therapies. This is particularly important when considering variants that affect pre-mRNA splicing, thus limiting success of the existing protein-targeted therapies. Variants affecting splicing can occur throughout exons and introns and the complexity of the process of splicing lends itself to a variety of outcomes, both at the RNA and protein levels, further complicating assessment of disease liability and modulator response. To investigate the scope of this challenge, we evaluated splicing and downstream effects of 52 naturally occurring CFTR variants (exonic = 15, intronic = 37). Expression of constructs containing select CFTR intronic sequences and complete CFTR exonic sequences in cell line models allowed for assessment of RNA and protein-level effects on an allele by allele basis. Characterization of primary nasal epithelial cells obtained from individuals harboring splice variants corroborated in vitro data. Notably, we identified exonic variants that result in complete missplicing and thus a lack of modulator response (e.g. c.2908G>A, c.523A>G), as well as intronic variants that respond to modulators due to the presence of residual normally spliced transcript (e.g. c.4242+2T>C, c.3717+40A>G). Overall, our data reveals diverse molecular outcomes amongst both exonic and intronic variants emphasizing the need to delineate RNA, protein, and functional effects of each variant in order to accurately assign precision therapies. Genetic variants that impact pre-mRNA splicing are a common cause of genetic disease and have varying downstream molecular consequences. As a result, precision therapies that function at the protein level are not always effective for these variants and thus careful assessment is necessary. Here we evaluate RNA-level effects of 52 variants in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene and show that study of splicing and its consequences allows for more accurate assignment of precision therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anya T. Joynt
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Taylor A. Evans
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Matthew J. Pellicore
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Emily F. Davis-Marcisak
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Melis A. Aksit
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Alice C. Eastman
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Shivani U. Patel
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kathleen C. Paul
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Derek L. Osorio
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Alyssa D. Bowling
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Calvin U. Cotton
- Departments of Pediatrics, Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Karen S. Raraigh
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Natalie E. West
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Christian A. Merlo
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Garry R. Cutting
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (GRC); (NS)
| | - Neeraj Sharma
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (GRC); (NS)
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21
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Abstract
Protein-RNA interactions have crucial roles in various cellular activities, which, when dysregulated, can lead to a range of human diseases. The identification of small molecules that target the interaction between RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and RNA is progressing rapidly and represents a novel strategy for the discovery of chemical probes that facilitate understanding of the cellular functions of RBPs and of therapeutic agents with new mechanisms of action. In this Review, I present a current overview of targeting emerging RBPs using small-molecule inhibitors and recent progress in this burgeoning field. Small-molecule inhibitors that were reported for three representative emerging classes of RBPs, the microRNA-binding protein LIN28, the single-stranded or double-stranded RNA-binding Toll-like receptors and the CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins, are highlighted from a medicinal-chemistry and chemical-biology perspective. However, although this field is burgeoning, challenges remain in the discovery and characterization of small-molecule inhibitors of RBPs.
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22
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Kainov YA, Makeyev EV. A transcriptome-wide antitermination mechanism sustaining identity of embryonic stem cells. Nat Commun 2020; 11:361. [PMID: 31953406 PMCID: PMC6969169 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-14204-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic gene expression relies on extensive crosstalk between transcription and RNA processing. Changes in this composite regulation network may provide an important means for shaping cell type-specific transcriptomes. Here we show that the RNA-associated protein Srrt/Ars2 sustains embryonic stem cell (ESC) identity by preventing premature termination of numerous transcripts at cryptic cleavage/polyadenylation sites in first introns. Srrt interacts with the nuclear cap-binding complex and facilitates recruitment of the spliceosome component U1 snRNP to cognate intronic positions. At least in some cases, U1 recruited in this manner inhibits downstream cleavage/polyadenylation events through a splicing-independent mechanism called telescripting. We further provide evidence that the naturally high expression of Srrt in ESCs offsets deleterious effects of retrotransposable sequences accumulating in its targets. Our work identifies Srrt as a molecular guardian of the pluripotent cell state. Besides its role in splicing, U1 snRNP can suppress pre-mRNA cleavage and polyadenylation. The authors show that the nuclear cap-binding complex component Srrt/Ars2 maintains embryonic stem cell identity by promoting U1 recruitment to first introns and preventing premature termination of multiple transcripts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaroslav A Kainov
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Eugene V Makeyev
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK.
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23
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Chen JY, Lim DH, Fu XD. Mechanistic Dissection of RNA-Binding Proteins in Regulated Gene Expression at Chromatin Levels. COLD SPRING HARBOR SYMPOSIA ON QUANTITATIVE BIOLOGY 2020; 84:55-66. [PMID: 31900328 PMCID: PMC7332398 DOI: 10.1101/sqb.2019.84.039222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Eukaryotic genomes are known to prevalently transcribe diverse classes of RNAs, virtually all of which, including nascent RNAs from protein-coding genes, are now recognized to have regulatory functions in gene expression, suggesting that RNAs are both the products and the regulators of gene expression. Their functions must enlist specific RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) to execute their regulatory activities, and recent evidence suggests that nearly all biochemically defined chromatin regions in the human genome, whether defined for gene activation or silencing, have the involvement of specific RBPs. Interestingly, the boundary between RNA- and DNA-binding proteins is also melting, as many DNA-binding proteins traditionally studied in the context of transcription are able to bind RNAs, some of which may simultaneously bind both DNA and RNA to facilitate network interactions in three-dimensional (3D) genome. In this review, we focus on RBPs that function at chromatin levels, with particular emphasis on their mechanisms of action in regulated gene expression, which is intended to facilitate future functional and mechanistic dissection of chromatin-associated RBPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Yu Chen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Institute of Genomic Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Do-Hwan Lim
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Institute of Genomic Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Xiang-Dong Fu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Institute of Genomic Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
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24
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Hou Y, Zhang R, Sun X. Enhancer LncRNAs Influence Chromatin Interactions in Different Ways. Front Genet 2019; 10:936. [PMID: 31681405 PMCID: PMC6807612 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
More than 98% of the human genome does not encode proteins, and the vast majority of the noncoding regions have not been well studied. Some of these regions contain enhancers and functional non-coding RNAs. Previous research suggested that enhancer transcripts could be potent independent indicators of enhancer activity, and some enhancer lncRNAs (elncRNAs) have been proven to play critical roles in gene regulation. Here, we identified enhancer–promoter interactions from high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) data. We found that elncRNAs were highly enriched surrounding chromatin loop anchors. Additionally, the interaction frequency of elncRNA-associated enhancer–promoter pairs was significantly higher than the interaction frequency of other enhancer–promoter pairs, suggesting that elncRNAs may reinforce the interactions between enhancers and promoters. We also found that elncRNA expression levels were positively correlated with the interaction frequency of enhancer–promoter pairs. The promoters interacting with elncRNA-associated enhancers were rich in RNA polymerase II and YY1 transcription factor binding sites. We clustered enhancer–promoter pairs into different groups to reflect the different ways in which elncRNAs could influence enhancer–promoter pairs. Interestingly, G-quadruplexes were found to potentially mediate some enhancer–promoter interaction pairs, and the interaction frequency of these pairs was significantly higher than that of other enhancer–promoter pairs. We also found that the G-quadruplexes on enhancers were highly related to the expression of elncRNAs. G-quadruplexes located in the promoters of elncRNAs led to high expression of elncRNAs, whereas G-quadruplexes located in the gene bodies of elncRNAs generally resulted in low expression of elncRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Rongxin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
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25
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Yousefi H, Maheronnaghsh M, Molaei F, Mashouri L, Reza Aref A, Momeny M, Alahari SK. Long noncoding RNAs and exosomal lncRNAs: classification, and mechanisms in breast cancer metastasis and drug resistance. Oncogene 2019; 39:953-974. [PMID: 31601996 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-019-1040-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common cancer, and the second cause of cancer-related deaths (after lung cancer) among women. Developing tumor metastasis and invasion is the most important cause of death in breast cancer patients. Several key factors participate in breast cancer metastasis including long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). lncRNAs are a category of cellular RNAs that are longer than 200 nucleotides in length. Accumulating evidence suggests that lncRNAs have the potential to be promising diagnostic, prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in breast cancer. Understanding the role of lncRNAs and their mechanisms of functions might help to further discovery of breast cancer biological characteristics. In this review, we discuss physiological functions, epigenetic regulation, transcriptional regulation of lncRNAs, and their important role in tumor progression and metastasis. Some lncRNAs function as oncogenes and some function as tumor suppressors. Interestingly, recent reports depict that hypomethylation of promoters of lncRNAs play a pivotal role in cancer progression, suggesting the importance of epigenetic regulation. Furthermore, we discuss the role of lncRNAs in exosomes and their function in drug resistance, and therapeutic importance of exosomal lncRNAs in cancer biology. In summary, lncRNAs have a great potential to consider them as novel prognostic biomarkers as well as new therapeutic targets in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Yousefi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, LSUHSC, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Maryam Maheronnaghsh
- Department of Medical Genetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Molaei
- Medical Genetics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Ladan Mashouri
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Amir Reza Aref
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Majid Momeny
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Suresh K Alahari
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, LSUHSC, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
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26
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Beltran M, Tavares M, Justin N, Khandelwal G, Ambrose J, Foster BM, Worlock KB, Tvardovskiy A, Kunzelmann S, Herrero J, Bartke T, Gamblin SJ, Wilson JR, Jenner RG. G-tract RNA removes Polycomb repressive complex 2 from genes. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2019; 26:899-909. [PMID: 31548724 PMCID: PMC6778522 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-019-0293-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) maintains repression of cell type-specific genes but also associates with genes ectopically in cancer. While it is currently unknown how PRC2 is removed from genes, such knowledge would be useful for the targeted reversal of deleterious PRC2 recruitment events. Here, we show that G-tract RNA specifically removes PRC2 from genes in human and mouse cells. PRC2 preferentially binds G-tracts within nascent pre-mRNAs, especially within predicted G-quadruplex structures. G-quadruplex RNA evicts the PRC2 catalytic core from the substrate nucleosome. PRC2 transfers from chromatin to RNA upon gene activation and chromatin-associated G-tract RNA removes PRC2, leading to H3K27me3 depletion from genes. Targeting G-tract RNA to the tumor suppressor gene CDKN2A in malignant rhabdoid tumor cells reactivates the gene and induces senescence. These data support a model in which pre-mRNA evicts PRC2 during gene activation and provides the means to selectively remove PRC2 from specific genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Beltran
- UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - Manuel Tavares
- UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | | | - Garima Khandelwal
- UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - John Ambrose
- UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London, UK.,Genomics England, London, UK
| | - Benjamin M Foster
- Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Kaylee B Worlock
- UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - Andrey Tvardovskiy
- Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | | | - Javier Herrero
- UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - Till Bartke
- Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | | | | | - Richard G Jenner
- UCL Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK UCL Centre, University College London (UCL), London, UK.
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27
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Abstract
Mammalian genomes are extensively transcribed, which produces a large number of both coding and non-coding transcripts. Various RNAs are physically associated with chromatin, through being either retained in cis at their site of transcription or recruited in trans to other genomic regions. Driven by recent technological innovations for detecting chromatin-associated RNAs, diverse roles are being revealed for these RNAs and associated RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in gene regulation and genome function. Such functions include locus-specific roles in gene activation and silencing, as well as emerging roles in higher-order genome organization, such as involvement in long-range enhancer-promoter interactions, transcription hubs, heterochromatin, nuclear bodies and phase transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Li
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Xiang-Dong Fu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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28
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Stark R, Grzelak M, Hadfield J. RNA sequencing: the teenage years. Nat Rev Genet 2019; 20:631-656. [DOI: 10.1038/s41576-019-0150-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 679] [Impact Index Per Article: 135.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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29
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Bi X, Xu Y, Li T, Li X, Li W, Shao W, Wang K, Zhan G, Wu Z, Liu W, Lu JY, Wang L, Zhao J, Wu J, Na J, Li G, Li P, Shen X. RNA Targets Ribogenesis Factor WDR43 to Chromatin for Transcription and Pluripotency Control. Mol Cell 2019; 75:102-116.e9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2019.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Revised: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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30
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Pervouchine DD. Circular exonic RNAs: When RNA structure meets topology. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2019; 1862:194384. [PMID: 31102674 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2019.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Revised: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Although RNA circularization was first documented in the 1990s, the extent to which it occurs was not known until recent advances in high-throughput sequencing enabled the widespread identification of circular RNAs (circRNAs). Despite this, many aspects of circRNA biogenesis, structure, and function yet remain obscure. This review focuses on circular exonic RNAs, a subclass of circRNAs that are generated through backsplicing. Here, I hypothesize that RNA secondary structure can be the common factor that promotes both exon skipping and spliceosomal RNA circularization, and that backsplicing of double-stranded regions could generate topologically linked circRNA molecules. CircRNAs manifest themselves by the presence of tail-to-head exon junctions, which were previously attributed to post-transcriptional exon permutation and repetition. I revisit these observations and argue that backsplicing does not automatically imply RNA circularization because tail-to-head exon junctions give only local information about transcript architecture and, therefore, they are in principle insufficient to determine globally circular topology. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: RNA structure and splicing regulation edited by Francisco Baralle, Ravindra Singh and Stefan Stamm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitri D Pervouchine
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, 3 Nobel St, Moscow 143026, Russia; Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Moscow State University, Leninskiye Gory 1-73, Moscow 119234, Russia.
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31
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Bugai A, Quaresma AJC, Friedel CC, Lenasi T, Düster R, Sibley CR, Fujinaga K, Kukanja P, Hennig T, Blasius M, Geyer M, Ule J, Dölken L, Barborič M. P-TEFb Activation by RBM7 Shapes a Pro-survival Transcriptional Response to Genotoxic Stress. Mol Cell 2019; 74:254-267.e10. [PMID: 30824372 PMCID: PMC6482433 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2019.01.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Revised: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
DNA damage response (DDR) involves dramatic transcriptional alterations, the mechanisms of which remain ill defined. Here, we show that following genotoxic stress, the RNA-binding motif protein 7 (RBM7) stimulates RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription and promotes cell viability by activating the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb) via its release from the inhibitory 7SK small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (7SK snRNP). This is mediated by activation of p38MAPK, which triggers enhanced binding of RBM7 with core subunits of 7SK snRNP. In turn, P-TEFb relocates to chromatin to induce transcription of short units, including key DDR genes and multiple classes of non-coding RNAs. Critically, interfering with the axis of RBM7 and P-TEFb provokes cellular hypersensitivity to DNA-damage-inducing agents due to activation of apoptosis. Our work uncovers the importance of stress-dependent stimulation of Pol II pause release, which enables a pro-survival transcriptional response that is crucial for cell fate upon genotoxic insult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrii Bugai
- Department of Biochemistry and Developmental Biology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Alexandre J C Quaresma
- Department of Biochemistry and Developmental Biology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Caroline C Friedel
- Institute for Informatics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80333 Munich, Germany
| | - Tina Lenasi
- Department of Biochemistry and Developmental Biology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Robert Düster
- Institute of Structural Biology, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Christopher R Sibley
- Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK; MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Koh Fujinaga
- Departments of Medicine, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Petra Kukanja
- Department of Biochemistry and Developmental Biology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Thomas Hennig
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, University of Würzburg, 97078 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Melanie Blasius
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Matthias Geyer
- Institute of Structural Biology, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Jernej Ule
- MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK; Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK; The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Lars Dölken
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, University of Würzburg, 97078 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Matjaž Barborič
- Department of Biochemistry and Developmental Biology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland.
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32
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Cejas RB, Lorenz V, Garay YC, Irazoqui FJ. Biosynthesis of O-N-acetylgalactosamine glycans in the human cell nucleus. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:2997-3011. [PMID: 30591584 PMCID: PMC6398145 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.005524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Revised: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological functions of nuclear proteins are regulated by post-translational modifications (PTMs) that modulate gene expression and cellular physiology. However, the role of O-linked glycosylation (O-GalNAc) as a PTM of nuclear proteins in the human cell has not been previously reported. Here, we examined in detail the initiation of O-GalNAc glycan biosynthesis, representing a novel PTM of nuclear proteins in the nucleus of human cells, with an emphasis on HeLa cells. Using soluble nuclear fractions from purified nuclei, enzymatic assays, fluorescence microscopy, affinity chromatography, MS, and FRET analyses, we identified all factors required for biosynthesis of O-GalNAc glycans in nuclei: the donor substrate (UDP-GalNAc), nuclear polypeptide GalNAc -transferase activity, and a GalNAc transferase (polypeptide GalNAc-T3). Moreover, we identified O-GalNAc glycosylated proteins in the nucleus and present solid evidence for O-GalNAc glycan synthesis in this organelle. The demonstration of O-GalNAc glycosylation of nuclear proteins in mammalian cells reported here has important implications for cell and chemical biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romina B Cejas
- From the Centro de Investigaciones en Química Biológica de Córdoba, CIQUIBIC, CONICET, and Departamento de Química Biológica Ranwel Caputto, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Ciudad Universitaria, X5000HUA Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Virginia Lorenz
- From the Centro de Investigaciones en Química Biológica de Córdoba, CIQUIBIC, CONICET, and Departamento de Química Biológica Ranwel Caputto, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Ciudad Universitaria, X5000HUA Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Yohana C Garay
- From the Centro de Investigaciones en Química Biológica de Córdoba, CIQUIBIC, CONICET, and Departamento de Química Biológica Ranwel Caputto, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Ciudad Universitaria, X5000HUA Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Fernando J Irazoqui
- From the Centro de Investigaciones en Química Biológica de Córdoba, CIQUIBIC, CONICET, and Departamento de Química Biológica Ranwel Caputto, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Ciudad Universitaria, X5000HUA Córdoba, Argentina
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33
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Stable Intronic Sequence RNAs (sisRNAs): An Expanding Universe. Trends Biochem Sci 2018; 44:258-272. [PMID: 30391089 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2018.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Intronic sequences are often regarded as 'nonsense' transcripts that are rapidly degraded. We highlight here recent studies on intronic sequences that play regulatory roles as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) which are classified as sisRNAs. Interestingly, sisRNAs come in different forms and are produced via a variety of ways. They regulate genes at the DNA, RNA, and protein levels, and frequently engage in autoregulatory feedback loops to ensure cellular homeostasis under normal and stress conditions. Future directions, evolutionary insights, and potential implications of dysregulated sisRNAs are also discussed, especially in relation to human pathogenesis.
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34
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Ibrahim MM, Karabacak A, Glahs A, Kolundzic E, Hirsekorn A, Carda A, Tursun B, Zinzen RP, Lacadie SA, Ohler U. Determinants of promoter and enhancer transcription directionality in metazoans. Nat Commun 2018; 9:4472. [PMID: 30367057 PMCID: PMC6203779 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06962-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Divergent transcription from promoters and enhancers is pervasive in many species, but it remains unclear if it is a general feature of all eukaryotic cis regulatory elements. To address this, here we define cis regulatory elements in C. elegans, D. melanogaster and H. sapiens and investigate the determinants of their transcription directionality. In all three species, we find that divergent transcription is initiated from two separate core promoter sequences and promoter regions display competition between histone modifications on the + 1 and −1 nucleosomes. In contrast, promoter directionality, sequence composition surrounding promoters, and positional enrichment of chromatin states, are different across species. Integrative models of H3K4me3 levels and core promoter sequence are highly predictive of promoter and enhancer directionality and support two directional classes, skewed and balanced. The relative importance of features to these models are clearly distinct for promoters and enhancers. Differences in regulatory architecture within and between metazoans are therefore abundant, arguing against a unified eukaryotic model. Divergent transcription from promoters and enhancers occurs in many species, but it is unclear if it is a general feature of all eukaryotic cis regulatory elements. Here the authors define cis regulatory elements in worms, flies, and human; and identify several differences in regulatory architecture among metazoans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud M Ibrahim
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Biology, Humboldt Universitaet zu Berlin, 10115, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Nephrology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelstraat 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Aslihan Karabacak
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Biology, Humboldt Universitaet zu Berlin, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexander Glahs
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Biology, Humboldt Universitaet zu Berlin, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ena Kolundzic
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Biology, Humboldt Universitaet zu Berlin, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - Antje Hirsekorn
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexa Carda
- Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, 27710, NC, USA
| | - Baris Tursun
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert P Zinzen
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Scott A Lacadie
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125, Berlin, Germany. .,Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, 10178, Germany.
| | - Uwe Ohler
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125, Berlin, Germany. .,Department of Biology, Humboldt Universitaet zu Berlin, 10115, Berlin, Germany. .,Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, 27710, NC, USA. .,Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, 10178, Germany.
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35
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Balas MM, Johnson AM. Exploring the mechanisms behind long noncoding RNAs and cancer. Noncoding RNA Res 2018; 3:108-117. [PMID: 30175284 PMCID: PMC6114262 DOI: 10.1016/j.ncrna.2018.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 185] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past decade, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as significant players in gene regulation. They are often differentially expressed and widely-associated with a majority of cancer types. The aberrant expression of these transcripts has been linked to tumorigenesis, metastasis, cancer stage progression and patient survival. Despite their apparent link to cancer, it has been challenging to gain a mechanistic understanding of how they contribute to cancer, partially due the difficulty in discriminating functional RNAs from other noncoding transcription events. However, there are several well-studied lncRNAs where specific mechanisms have been more clearly defined, leading to new discoveries into how these RNAs function. One major observation that has come to light is the context-dependence of lncRNA mechanisms, where they often have unique function in specific cell types and environment. Here, we review the molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs with a focus on cancer pathways, illustrating a few informative examples. Together, this type of detailed insight will lead to a greater understanding of the potential for the application of lncRNAs as targets of cancer therapies and diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maggie M. Balas
- Molecular Biology Program, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus 12801 East 17th Ave., Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus 12801 East 17th Ave., Aurora, CO, United States
- RNA Bioscience Initiative, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus 12801 East 17th Ave., Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Aaron M. Johnson
- Molecular Biology Program, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus 12801 East 17th Ave., Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus 12801 East 17th Ave., Aurora, CO, United States
- RNA Bioscience Initiative, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus 12801 East 17th Ave., Aurora, CO, United States
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36
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Andreassi C, Crerar H, Riccio A. Post-transcriptional Processing of mRNA in Neurons: The Vestiges of the RNA World Drive Transcriptome Diversity. Front Mol Neurosci 2018; 11:304. [PMID: 30210293 PMCID: PMC6121099 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons are morphologically complex cells that rely on the compartmentalization of protein expression to develop and maintain their extraordinary cytoarchitecture. This formidable task is achieved, at least in part, by targeting mRNA to subcellular compartments where they are rapidly translated. mRNA transcripts are the conveyor of genetic information from DNA to the translational machinery, however, they are also endowed with additional functions linked to both the coding sequence (open reading frame, or ORF) and the flanking 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs), that may harbor coding-independent functions. In this review, we will highlight recent evidences supporting new coding-dependent and -independent functions of mRNA and discuss how nuclear and cytoplasmic post-transcriptional modifications of mRNA contribute to localization and translation in mammalian cells with specific emphasis on neurons. We also describe recently developed techniques that can be employed to study RNA dynamics at subcellular level in eukaryotic cells in developing and regenerating neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catia Andreassi
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hamish Crerar
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Antonella Riccio
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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37
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Targeting G-quadruplex DNA as cognitive function therapy for ATR-X syndrome. Nat Med 2018; 24:802-813. [DOI: 10.1038/s41591-018-0018-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Kelley DR, Reshef YA, Bileschi M, Belanger D, McLean CY, Snoek J. Sequential regulatory activity prediction across chromosomes with convolutional neural networks. Genome Res 2018; 28:739-750. [PMID: 29588361 PMCID: PMC5932613 DOI: 10.1101/gr.227819.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 214] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Models for predicting phenotypic outcomes from genotypes have important applications to understanding genomic function and improving human health. Here, we develop a machine-learning system to predict cell-type-specific epigenetic and transcriptional profiles in large mammalian genomes from DNA sequence alone. By use of convolutional neural networks, this system identifies promoters and distal regulatory elements and synthesizes their content to make effective gene expression predictions. We show that model predictions for the influence of genomic variants on gene expression align well to causal variants underlying eQTLs in human populations and can be useful for generating mechanistic hypotheses to enable fine mapping of disease loci.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yakir A Reshef
- Department of Computer Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jasper Snoek
- Google Brain, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
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Amaral PP, Leonardi T, Han N, Viré E, Gascoigne DK, Arias-Carrasco R, Büscher M, Pandolfini L, Zhang A, Pluchino S, Maracaja-Coutinho V, Nakaya HI, Hemberg M, Shiekhattar R, Enright AJ, Kouzarides T. Genomic positional conservation identifies topological anchor point RNAs linked to developmental loci. Genome Biol 2018; 19:32. [PMID: 29540241 PMCID: PMC5853149 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-018-1405-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The mammalian genome is transcribed into large numbers of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), but the definition of functional lncRNA groups has proven difficult, partly due to their low sequence conservation and lack of identified shared properties. Here we consider promoter conservation and positional conservation as indicators of functional commonality. RESULTS We identify 665 conserved lncRNA promoters in mouse and human that are preserved in genomic position relative to orthologous coding genes. These positionally conserved lncRNA genes are primarily associated with developmental transcription factor loci with which they are coexpressed in a tissue-specific manner. Over half of positionally conserved RNAs in this set are linked to chromatin organization structures, overlapping binding sites for the CTCF chromatin organiser and located at chromatin loop anchor points and borders of topologically associating domains (TADs). We define these RNAs as topological anchor point RNAs (tapRNAs). Characterization of these noncoding RNAs and their associated coding genes shows that they are functionally connected: they regulate each other's expression and influence the metastatic phenotype of cancer cells in vitro in a similar fashion. Furthermore, we find that tapRNAs contain conserved sequence domains that are enriched in motifs for zinc finger domain-containing RNA-binding proteins and transcription factors, whose binding sites are found mutated in cancers. CONCLUSIONS This work leverages positional conservation to identify lncRNAs with potential importance in genome organization, development and disease. The evidence that many developmental transcription factors are physically and functionally connected to lncRNAs represents an exciting stepping-stone to further our understanding of genome regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo P. Amaral
- The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN UK
| | - Tommaso Leonardi
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Namshik Han
- The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN UK
- Present address: The Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN UK
| | - Emmanuelle Viré
- Present address: MRC Prion Unit, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square House, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG UK
| | - Dennis K. Gascoigne
- The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN UK
| | - Raúl Arias-Carrasco
- Centro de Genómica y Bioinformática, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile
| | - Magdalena Büscher
- The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN UK
| | - Luca Pandolfini
- The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN UK
| | - Anda Zhang
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Human Genetics, Biomedical Research Building, Miami, FL 33136 USA
| | - Stefano Pluchino
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Vinicius Maracaja-Coutinho
- Centro de Genómica y Bioinformática, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile
- Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Helder I. Nakaya
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 580, São Paulo, 05508 Brazil
| | - Martin Hemberg
- The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN UK
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SA UK
| | - Ramin Shiekhattar
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Human Genetics, Biomedical Research Building, Miami, FL 33136 USA
| | - Anton J. Enright
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QP UK
| | - Tony Kouzarides
- The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN UK
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Alteration of Epigenetic Regulation by Long Noncoding RNAs in Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19020570. [PMID: 29443889 PMCID: PMC5855792 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19020570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Revised: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators of the epigenetic status of the human genome. Besides their participation to normal physiology, lncRNA expression and function have been already associated to many diseases, including cancer. By interacting with epigenetic regulators and by controlling chromatin topology, their misregulation may result in an aberrant regulation of gene expression that may contribute to tumorigenesis. Here, we review the functional role and mechanisms of action of lncRNAs implicated in the aberrant epigenetic regulation that has characterized cancer development and progression.
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41
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Tycko J, Van MV, Elowitz MB, Bintu L. Advancing towards a global mammalian gene regulation model through single-cell analysis and synthetic biology. CURRENT OPINION IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobme.2017.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Auboeuf D. Alternative mRNA processing sites decrease genetic variability while increasing functional diversity. Transcription 2017; 9:75-87. [PMID: 29099315 PMCID: PMC5834221 DOI: 10.1080/21541264.2017.1373891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent large-scale RNA sequencing efforts have revealed the extensive diversity of mRNA molecules produced from most eukaryotic coding genes, which arises from the usage of alternative, cryptic or non-canonical splicing and intronic polyadenylation sites. The prevailing view regarding the tremendous diversity of coding gene transcripts is that mRNA processing is a flexible and more-or-less noisy process leading to a diversity of proteins on which natural selection can act depending on protein-mediated cellular functions. However, this concept raises two main questions. First, do alternative mRNA processing pathways have a role other than generating mRNA and protein diversity? Second, is the cellular function of mRNA variants restricted to the biogenesis of functional protein isoforms? Here, I propose that the co-transcriptional use of alternative mRNA processing sites allows first, the resolution of co-transcriptional biophysical constraints that may otherwise result in DNA instability, and second, increases the diversity of cellular functions of mRNAs in a manner that is not restricted to protein synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Didier Auboeuf
- a Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell , 46 Allée d'Italie Site Jacques Monod, Lyon , France
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Genome-scale activation screen identifies a lncRNA locus regulating a gene neighbourhood. Nature 2017; 548:343-346. [PMID: 28792927 DOI: 10.1038/nature23451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 287] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Mammalian genomes contain thousands of loci that transcribe long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), some of which are known to carry out critical roles in diverse cellular processes through a variety of mechanisms. Although some lncRNA loci encode RNAs that act non-locally (in trans), there is emerging evidence that many lncRNA loci act locally (in cis) to regulate the expression of nearby genes-for example, through functions of the lncRNA promoter, transcription, or transcript itself. Despite their potentially important roles, it remains challenging to identify functional lncRNA loci and distinguish among these and other mechanisms. Here, to address these challenges, we developed a genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 activation screen that targets more than 10,000 lncRNA transcriptional start sites to identify noncoding loci that influence a phenotype of interest. We found 11 lncRNA loci that, upon recruitment of an activator, mediate resistance to BRAF inhibitors in human melanoma cells. Most candidate loci appear to regulate nearby genes. Detailed analysis of one candidate, termed EMICERI, revealed that its transcriptional activation resulted in dosage-dependent activation of four neighbouring protein-coding genes, one of which confers the resistance phenotype. Our screening and characterization approach provides a CRISPR toolkit with which to systematically discover the functions of noncoding loci and elucidate their diverse roles in gene regulation and cellular function.
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Sayou C, Millán-Zambrano G, Santos-Rosa H, Petfalski E, Robson S, Houseley J, Kouzarides T, Tollervey D. RNA Binding by Histone Methyltransferases Set1 and Set2. Mol Cell Biol 2017; 37:e00165-17. [PMID: 28483910 PMCID: PMC5492175 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.00165-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2017] [Revised: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Histone methylation at H3K4 and H3K36 is commonly associated with genes actively transcribed by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) and is catalyzed by Saccharomyces cerevisiae Set1 and Set2, respectively. Here we report that both methyltransferases can be UV cross-linked to RNA in vivo High-throughput sequencing of the bound RNAs revealed strong Set1 enrichment near the transcription start site, whereas Set2 was distributed along pre-mRNAs. A subset of transcripts showed notably high enrichment for Set1 or Set2 binding relative to RNAPII, suggesting functional posttranscriptional interactions. In particular, Set1 was strongly bound to the SET1 mRNA, Ty1 retrotransposons, and noncoding RNAs from the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) intergenic spacers, consistent with its previously reported silencing roles. Set1 lacking RNA recognition motif 2 (RRM2) showed reduced in vivo cross-linking to RNA and reduced chromatin occupancy. In addition, levels of H3K4 trimethylation were decreased, whereas levels of dimethylation were increased. We conclude that RNA binding by Set1 contributes to both chromatin association and methyltransferase activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Sayou
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Gonzalo Millán-Zambrano
- Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Helena Santos-Rosa
- Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Elisabeth Petfalski
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Samuel Robson
- Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Houseley
- Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Tony Kouzarides
- Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - David Tollervey
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
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