1
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Lee YH, Hass EP, Campodonico W, Lee YK, Lasda E, Shah J, Rinn J, Hwang T. Massively parallel dissection of RNA in RNA-protein interactions in vivo. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:e48. [PMID: 38726866 PMCID: PMC11162807 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Many of the biological functions performed by RNA are mediated by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), and understanding the molecular basis of these interactions is fundamental to biology. Here, we present massively parallel RNA assay combined with immunoprecipitation (MPRNA-IP) for in vivo high-throughput dissection of RNA-protein interactions and describe statistical models for identifying RNA domains and parsing the structural contributions of RNA. By using custom pools of tens of thousands of RNA sequences containing systematically designed truncations and mutations, MPRNA-IP is able to identify RNA domains, sequences, and secondary structures necessary and sufficient for protein binding in a single experiment. We show that this approach is successful for multiple RNAs of interest, including the long noncoding RNA NORAD, bacteriophage MS2 RNA, and human telomerase RNA, and we use it to interrogate the hitherto unknown sequence or structural RNA-binding preferences of the DNA-looping factor CTCF. By integrating systematic mutation analysis with crosslinking immunoprecipitation, MPRNA-IP provides a novel high-throughput way to elucidate RNA-based mechanisms behind RNA-protein interactions in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Hsuan Lee
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Evan P Hass
- Department of Biochemistry and BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Will Campodonico
- Department of Biochemistry and BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Yong Kyu Lee
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Erika Lasda
- Department of Biochemistry and BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Jaynish S Shah
- Department of Biochemistry and BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - John L Rinn
- Department of Biochemistry and BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Taeyoung Hwang
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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2
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Mitra R, Cohen AS, Rohs R. RNAscape: geometric mapping and customizable visualization of RNA structure. Nucleic Acids Res 2024:gkae269. [PMID: 38630617 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Analyzing and visualizing the tertiary structure and complex interactions of RNA is essential for being able to mechanistically decipher their molecular functions in vivo. Secondary structure visualization software can portray many aspects of RNA; however, these layouts are often unable to preserve topological correspondence since they do not consider tertiary interactions between different regions of an RNA molecule. Likewise, quaternary interactions between two or more interacting RNA molecules are not considered in secondary structure visualization tools. The RNAscape webserver produces visualizations that can preserve topological correspondence while remaining both visually intuitive and structurally insightful. RNAscape achieves this by designing a mathematical structural mapping algorithm which prioritizes the helical segments, reflecting their tertiary organization. Non-helical segments are mapped in a way that minimizes structural clutter. RNAscape runs a plotting script that is designed to generate publication-quality images. RNAscape natively supports non-standard nucleotides, multiple base-pairing annotation styles and requires no programming experience. RNAscape can also be used to analyze RNA/DNA hybrid structures and DNA topologies, including G-quadruplexes. Users can upload their own three-dimensional structures or enter a Protein Data Bank (PDB) ID of an existing structure. The RNAscape webserver allows users to customize visualizations through various settings as desired. URL: https://rnascape.usc.edu/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raktim Mitra
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Ari S Cohen
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Remo Rohs
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
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3
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Bhatt U, Cucchiarini A, Luo Y, Evans CW, Mergny JL, Iyer KS, Smith NM. Preferential formation of Z-RNA over intercalated motifs in long noncoding RNA. Genome Res 2024; 34:217-230. [PMID: 38355305 PMCID: PMC10984386 DOI: 10.1101/gr.278236.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Secondary structure is a principal determinant of lncRNA function, predominantly regarding scaffold formation and interfaces with target molecules. Noncanonical secondary structures that form in nucleic acids have known roles in regulating gene expression and include G-quadruplexes (G4s), intercalated motifs (iMs), and R-loops (RLs). In this paper, we used the computational tools G4-iM Grinder and QmRLFS-finder to predict the formation of each of these structures throughout the lncRNA transcriptome in comparison to protein-coding transcripts. The importance of the predicted structures in lncRNAs in biological contexts was assessed by combining our results with publicly available lncRNA tissue expression data followed by pathway analysis. The formation of predicted G4 (pG4) and iM (piM) structures in select lncRNA sequences was confirmed in vitro using biophysical experiments under near-physiological conditions. We find that the majority of the tested pG4s form highly stable G4 structures, and identify many previously unreported G4s in biologically important lncRNAs. In contrast, none of the piM sequences are able to form iM structures, consistent with the idea that RNA is unable to form stable iMs. Unexpectedly, these C-rich sequences instead form Z-RNA structures, which have not been previously observed in regions containing cytosine repeats and represent an interesting and underexplored target for protein-RNA interactions. Our results highlight the prevalence and potential structure-associated functions of noncanonical secondary structures in lncRNAs, and show G4 and Z-RNA structure formation in many lncRNA sequences for the first time, furthering the understanding of the structure-function relationship in lncRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uditi Bhatt
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Anne Cucchiarini
- Laboratoire d'Optique et Biosciences, École Polytechnique, CNRS, INSERM, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Yu Luo
- Laboratoire d'Optique et Biosciences, École Polytechnique, CNRS, INSERM, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - Cameron W Evans
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Jean-Louis Mergny
- Laboratoire d'Optique et Biosciences, École Polytechnique, CNRS, INSERM, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - K Swaminathan Iyer
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Nicole M Smith
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia;
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4
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Coan M, Haefliger S, Ounzain S, Johnson R. Targeting and engineering long non-coding RNAs for cancer therapy. Nat Rev Genet 2024:10.1038/s41576-024-00693-2. [PMID: 38424237 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-024-00693-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
RNA therapeutics (RNATx) aim to treat diseases, including cancer, by targeting or employing RNA molecules for therapeutic purposes. Amongst the most promising targets are long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which regulate oncogenic molecular networks in a cell type-restricted manner. lncRNAs are distinct from protein-coding genes in important ways that increase their therapeutic potential yet also present hurdles to conventional clinical development. Advances in genome editing, oligonucleotide chemistry, multi-omics and RNA engineering are paving the way for efficient and cost-effective lncRNA-focused drug discovery pipelines. In this Review, we present the emerging field of lncRNA therapeutics for oncology, with emphasis on the unique strengths and challenges of lncRNAs within the broader RNATx framework. We outline the necessary steps for lncRNA therapeutics to deliver effective, durable, tolerable and personalized treatments for cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Coan
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Conway Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Simon Haefliger
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Rory Johnson
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
- Conway Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
- FutureNeuro, SFI Research Centre for Chronic and Rare Neurological Diseases, Dublin, Ireland.
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5
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Backofen R, Gorodkin J, Hofacker IL, Stadler PF. Comparative RNA Genomics. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2802:347-393. [PMID: 38819565 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3838-5_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Over the last quarter of a century it has become clear that RNA is much more than just a boring intermediate in protein expression. Ancient RNAs still appear in the core information metabolism and comprise a surprisingly large component in bacterial gene regulation. A common theme with these types of mostly small RNAs is their reliance of conserved secondary structures. Large-scale sequencing projects, on the other hand, have profoundly changed our understanding of eukaryotic genomes. Pervasively transcribed, they give rise to a plethora of large and evolutionarily extremely flexible non-coding RNAs that exert a vastly diverse array of molecule functions. In this chapter we provide a-necessarily incomplete-overview of the current state of comparative analysis of non-coding RNAs, emphasizing computational approaches as a means to gain a global picture of the modern RNA world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rolf Backofen
- Bioinformatics Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Center for Non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Jan Gorodkin
- Center for Non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Ivo L Hofacker
- Institute for Theoretical Chemistry, University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology research group, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Center for Non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Peter F Stadler
- Bioinformatics Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
- Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
- Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
- Universidad National de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
- Institute for Theoretical Chemistry, University of Vienna, Wien, Austria.
- Center for Non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA.
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6
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Zhu WS, Litterman AJ, Sekhon HS, Kageyama R, Arce MM, Taylor KE, Zhao W, Criswell LA, Zaitlen N, Erle DJ, Ansel KM. GCLiPP: global crosslinking and protein purification method for constructing high-resolution occupancy maps for RNA binding proteins. Genome Biol 2023; 24:281. [PMID: 38062486 PMCID: PMC10701951 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-03125-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
GCLiPP is a global RNA interactome capture method that detects RNA-binding protein (RBP) occupancy transcriptome-wide. GCLiPP maps RBP-occupied sites at a higher resolution than phase separation-based techniques. GCLiPP sequence tags correspond with known RBP binding sites and are enriched for sites detected by RBP-specific crosslinking immunoprecipitation (CLIP) for abundant cytosolic RBPs. Comparison of human Jurkat T cells and mouse primary T cells uncovers shared peaks of GCLiPP signal across homologous regions of human and mouse 3' UTRs, including a conserved mRNA-destabilizing cis-regulatory element. GCLiPP signal overlapping with immune-related SNPs uncovers stabilizing cis-regulatory regions in CD5, STAT6, and IKZF1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wandi S Zhu
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology and Sandler Asthma Basic Research Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Adam J Litterman
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology and Sandler Asthma Basic Research Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Harshaan S Sekhon
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology and Sandler Asthma Basic Research Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Robin Kageyama
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology and Sandler Asthma Basic Research Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Maya M Arce
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology and Sandler Asthma Basic Research Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kimberly E Taylor
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
- Russell/Engleman Rheumatology Research Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
| | - Wenxue Zhao
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
- Lung Biology Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
- School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, People's Republic of China
| | - Lindsey A Criswell
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
- Russell/Engleman Rheumatology Research Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
| | - Noah Zaitlen
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
- Lung Biology Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
| | - David J Erle
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
- Lung Biology Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
| | - K Mark Ansel
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology and Sandler Asthma Basic Research Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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7
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Zhu H, Luo H, Chang R, Yang Y, Liu D, Ji Y, Qin H, Rong H, Yin J. Protein-based delivery systems for RNA delivery. J Control Release 2023; 363:253-274. [PMID: 37741460 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.09.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
RNA-based therapeutics have emerged as promising approaches to modulate gene expression and generate therapeutic proteins or antigens capable of inducing immune responses to treat a variety of diseases, such as infectious diseases, cancers, immunologic disorders, and genetic disorders. However, the efficient delivery of RNA molecules into cells poses significant challenges due to their large molecular weight, negative charge, and susceptibility to degradation by RNase enzymes. To overcome these obstacles, viral and non-viral vectors have been developed, including lipid nanoparticles, viral vectors, proteins, dendritic macromolecules, among others. Among these carriers, protein-based delivery systems have garnered considerable attention due to their potential to address specific issues associated with nanoparticle-based systems, such as liver accumulation and immunogenicity. This review provides an overview of currently marketed RNA drugs, underscores the significance of RNA delivery vector development, delineates the essential characteristics of an ideal RNA delivery vector, and introduces existing protein carriers for RNA delivery. By offering valuable insights, this review aims to serve as a reference for the future development of protein-based delivery vectors for RNA therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haichao Zhu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Hong Luo
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Ruilong Chang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yifan Yang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Dingkang Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yue Ji
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Hai Qin
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital Guizhou Hospital, No. 206, Sixian Street, Baiyun District, Guiyang City 550014, Guizhou Province, China.
| | - Haibo Rong
- Jiangsu Cancer Hospital & Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research & The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
| | - Jun Yin
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Druggability of Biopharmaceuticals and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
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8
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Mo ZW, Peng YM, Zhang YX, Li Y, Kang BA, Chen YT, Li L, Sorci-Thomas MG, Lin YJ, Cao Y, Chen S, Liu ZL, Gao JJ, Huang ZP, Zhou JG, Wang M, Chang GQ, Deng MJ, Liu YJ, Ma ZS, Hu ZJ, Dong YG, Ou ZJ, Ou JS. High-density lipoprotein regulates angiogenesis by long non-coding RNA HDRACA. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:299. [PMID: 37574469 PMCID: PMC10423722 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01558-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Normal high-density lipoprotein (nHDL) can induce angiogenesis in healthy individuals. However, HDL from patients with coronary artery disease undergoes various modifications, becomes dysfunctional (dHDL), and loses its ability to promote angiogenesis. Here, we identified a long non-coding RNA, HDRACA, that is involved in the regulation of angiogenesis by HDL. In this study, we showed that nHDL downregulates the expression of HDRACA in endothelial cells by activating WW domain-containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 2, which catalyzes the ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of its transcription factor, Kruppel-like factor 5, via sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor 1. In contrast, dHDL with lower levels of S1P than nHDL were much less effective in decreasing the expression of HDRACA. HDRACA was able to bind to Ras-interacting protein 1 (RAIN) to hinder the interaction between RAIN and vigilin, which led to an increase in the binding between the vigilin protein and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) mRNA, resulting in a decrease in the expression of PCNA and inhibition of angiogenesis. The expression of human HDRACA in a hindlimb ischemia mouse model inhibited the recovery of angiogenesis. Taken together, these findings suggest that HDRACA is involved in the HDL regulation of angiogenesis, which nHDL inhibits the expression of HDRACA to induce angiogenesis, and that dHDL is much less effective in inhibiting HDRACA expression, which provides an explanation for the decreased ability of dHDL to stimulate angiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Wei Mo
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Diseases Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
- Division of Vascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yue-Ming Peng
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Diseases Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yi-Xin Zhang
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
- Division of Hypertension and Vascular Diseases, Department of Cardiology, Heart Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yan Li
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Diseases Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bi-Ang Kang
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Diseases Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ya-Ting Chen
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Diseases Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
| | - Le Li
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Diseases Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
| | | | - Yi-Jun Lin
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Diseases Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yang Cao
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Diseases Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
| | - Si Chen
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Diseases Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ze-Long Liu
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Diseases Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jian-Jun Gao
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Diseases Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhan-Peng Huang
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
- Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Cardiology, Heart Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jia-Guo Zhou
- Department of Pharmacology, Cardiac and Cerebral Vascular Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mian Wang
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
- Division of Vascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guang-Qi Chang
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
- Division of Vascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Meng-Jie Deng
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Diseases Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu-Jia Liu
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Diseases Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhen-Sheng Ma
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Diseases Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zuo-Jun Hu
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
- Division of Vascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu-Gang Dong
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Cardiology, Heart Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhi-Jun Ou
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China.
- Division of Hypertension and Vascular Diseases, Department of Cardiology, Heart Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Jing-Song Ou
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Diseases Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, Guangzhou, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, P.R. China.
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9
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Esposito R, Lanzós A, Uroda T, Ramnarayanan S, Büchi I, Polidori T, Guillen-Ramirez H, Mihaljevic A, Merlin BM, Mela L, Zoni E, Hovhannisyan L, McCluggage F, Medo M, Basile G, Meise DF, Zwyssig S, Wenger C, Schwarz K, Vancura A, Bosch-Guiteras N, Andrades Á, Tham AM, Roemmele M, Medina PP, Ochsenbein AF, Riether C, Kruithof-de Julio M, Zimmer Y, Medová M, Stroka D, Fox A, Johnson R. Tumour mutations in long noncoding RNAs enhance cell fitness. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3342. [PMID: 37291246 PMCID: PMC10250536 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39160-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are linked to cancer via pathogenic changes in their expression levels. Yet, it remains unclear whether lncRNAs can also impact tumour cell fitness via function-altering somatic "driver" mutations. To search for such driver-lncRNAs, we here perform a genome-wide analysis of fitness-altering single nucleotide variants (SNVs) across a cohort of 2583 primary and 3527 metastatic tumours. The resulting 54 mutated and positively-selected lncRNAs are significantly enriched for previously-reported cancer genes and a range of clinical and genomic features. A number of these lncRNAs promote tumour cell proliferation when overexpressed in in vitro models. Our results also highlight a dense SNV hotspot in the widely-studied NEAT1 oncogene. To directly evaluate the functional significance of NEAT1 SNVs, we use in cellulo mutagenesis to introduce tumour-like mutations in the gene and observe a significant and reproducible increase in cell fitness, both in vitro and in a mouse model. Mechanistic studies reveal that SNVs remodel the NEAT1 ribonucleoprotein and boost subnuclear paraspeckles. In summary, this work demonstrates the utility of driver analysis for mapping cancer-promoting lncRNAs, and provides experimental evidence that somatic mutations can act through lncRNAs to enhance pathological cancer cell fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Esposito
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland.
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati-Traverso", CNR, 80131, Naples, Italy.
| | - Andrés Lanzós
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tina Uroda
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
- Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
| | - Sunandini Ramnarayanan
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
- Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
- The SFI Centre for Research Training in Genomics Data Science, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Isabel Büchi
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Taisia Polidori
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Hugo Guillen-Ramirez
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
- Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
| | - Ante Mihaljevic
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Bernard Mefi Merlin
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lia Mela
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Eugenio Zoni
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Urology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lusine Hovhannisyan
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Finn McCluggage
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
- School of Human Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Matúš Medo
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Giulia Basile
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Dominik F Meise
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Zwyssig
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Corina Wenger
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Kyriakos Schwarz
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Adrienne Vancura
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Núria Bosch-Guiteras
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Álvaro Andrades
- GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research, Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, Granada, 18016, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria, Granada, 18014, Spain
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, University of Granada, Granada, 18071, Spain
| | - Ai Ming Tham
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
- Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland
| | - Michaela Roemmele
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Pedro P Medina
- GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research, Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, Granada, 18016, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria, Granada, 18014, Spain
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, University of Granada, Granada, 18071, Spain
| | - Adrian F Ochsenbein
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Carsten Riether
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marianna Kruithof-de Julio
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Urology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Yitzhak Zimmer
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michaela Medová
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Deborah Stroka
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Archa Fox
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
- School of Human Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Rory Johnson
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008, Bern, Switzerland.
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland.
- Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland.
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10
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Mattick JS, Amaral PP, Carninci P, Carpenter S, Chang HY, Chen LL, Chen R, Dean C, Dinger ME, Fitzgerald KA, Gingeras TR, Guttman M, Hirose T, Huarte M, Johnson R, Kanduri C, Kapranov P, Lawrence JB, Lee JT, Mendell JT, Mercer TR, Moore KJ, Nakagawa S, Rinn JL, Spector DL, Ulitsky I, Wan Y, Wilusz JE, Wu M. Long non-coding RNAs: definitions, functions, challenges and recommendations. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2023; 24:430-447. [PMID: 36596869 PMCID: PMC10213152 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-022-00566-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 339] [Impact Index Per Article: 339.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Genes specifying long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) occupy a large fraction of the genomes of complex organisms. The term 'lncRNAs' encompasses RNA polymerase I (Pol I), Pol II and Pol III transcribed RNAs, and RNAs from processed introns. The various functions of lncRNAs and their many isoforms and interleaved relationships with other genes make lncRNA classification and annotation difficult. Most lncRNAs evolve more rapidly than protein-coding sequences, are cell type specific and regulate many aspects of cell differentiation and development and other physiological processes. Many lncRNAs associate with chromatin-modifying complexes, are transcribed from enhancers and nucleate phase separation of nuclear condensates and domains, indicating an intimate link between lncRNA expression and the spatial control of gene expression during development. lncRNAs also have important roles in the cytoplasm and beyond, including in the regulation of translation, metabolism and signalling. lncRNAs often have a modular structure and are rich in repeats, which are increasingly being shown to be relevant to their function. In this Consensus Statement, we address the definition and nomenclature of lncRNAs and their conservation, expression, phenotypic visibility, structure and functions. We also discuss research challenges and provide recommendations to advance the understanding of the roles of lncRNAs in development, cell biology and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- John S Mattick
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- UNSW RNA Institute, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - Paulo P Amaral
- INSPER Institute of Education and Research, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Piero Carninci
- RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- Human Technopole, Milan, Italy
| | - Susan Carpenter
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Howard Y Chang
- Center for Personal Dynamics Regulomes, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Ling-Ling Chen
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Runsheng Chen
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Caroline Dean
- John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | - Marcel E Dinger
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- UNSW RNA Institute, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Katherine A Fitzgerald
- Division of Innate Immunity, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | | | - Mitchell Guttman
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Tetsuro Hirose
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Maite Huarte
- Department of Gene Therapy and Regulation of Gene Expression, Center for Applied Medical Research, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Institute of Health Research of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Rory Johnson
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Chandrasekhar Kanduri
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Philipp Kapranov
- Institute of Genomics, School of Medicine, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, China
| | - Jeanne B Lawrence
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Jeannie T Lee
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joshua T Mendell
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Timothy R Mercer
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Kathryn J Moore
- Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- RNA Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - John L Rinn
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - David L Spector
- Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbour, NY, USA
| | - Igor Ulitsky
- Department of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yue Wan
- Laboratory of RNA Genomics and Structure, Genome Institute of Singapore, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biochemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jeremy E Wilusz
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Therapeutic Innovation Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mian Wu
- Translational Research Institute, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Academy of Medical Science, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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11
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Lin BC, Katneni U, Jankowska KI, Meyer D, Kimchi-Sarfaty C. In silico methods for predicting functional synonymous variants. Genome Biol 2023; 24:126. [PMID: 37217943 PMCID: PMC10204308 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-02966-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Single nucleotide variants (SNVs) contribute to human genomic diversity. Synonymous SNVs are previously considered to be "silent," but mounting evidence has revealed that these variants can cause RNA and protein changes and are implicated in over 85 human diseases and cancers. Recent improvements in computational platforms have led to the development of numerous machine-learning tools, which can be used to advance synonymous SNV research. In this review, we discuss tools that should be used to investigate synonymous variants. We provide supportive examples from seminal studies that demonstrate how these tools have driven new discoveries of functional synonymous SNVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian C Lin
- Hemostasis Branch 1, Division of Hemostasis, Office of Plasma Protein Therapeutics CMC, Office of Therapeutic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US FDA, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Upendra Katneni
- Hemostasis Branch 1, Division of Hemostasis, Office of Plasma Protein Therapeutics CMC, Office of Therapeutic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US FDA, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Katarzyna I Jankowska
- Hemostasis Branch 1, Division of Hemostasis, Office of Plasma Protein Therapeutics CMC, Office of Therapeutic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US FDA, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Douglas Meyer
- Hemostasis Branch 1, Division of Hemostasis, Office of Plasma Protein Therapeutics CMC, Office of Therapeutic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US FDA, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Chava Kimchi-Sarfaty
- Hemostasis Branch 1, Division of Hemostasis, Office of Plasma Protein Therapeutics CMC, Office of Therapeutic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US FDA, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
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12
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McGregor LA, Zhu B, Goetz AM, Sczepanski JT. Thymine DNA Glycosylase is an RNA-Binding Protein with High Selectivity for G-Rich Sequences. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:104590. [PMID: 36889585 PMCID: PMC10124917 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) is a multifaceted enzyme involved in several critical biological pathways, including transcriptional activation, DNA demethylation, and DNA repair. Recent studies have established regulatory relationships between TDG and RNA, but the molecular interactions underlying these relationships is poorly understood. Herein, we now demonstrate that TDG binds directly to RNA with nanomolar affinity. Using synthetic oligonucleotides of defined length and sequence, we show that TDG has a strong preference for binding G-rich sequences in single-stranded RNA but binds weakly to single-stranded DNA and duplex RNA. TDG also binds tightly to endogenous RNA sequences. Studies with truncated proteins indicate that TDG binds RNA primarily through its structured catalytic domain and that its disordered C-terminal domain plays a key role in regulating TDG's affinity and selectivity for RNA. Finally, we show that RNA competes with DNA for binding to TDG, resulting in inhibition of TDG-mediated excision in the presence of RNA. Together, this work provides support for and insights into a mechanism wherein TDG-mediated processes (e.g., DNA demethylation) are regulated through the direct interactions of TDG with RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A McGregor
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843, USA
| | - Baiyu Zhu
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843, USA
| | - Allison M Goetz
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843, USA
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13
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Corsi GI, Gadekar VP, Haukedal H, Doncheva NT, Anthon C, Ambardar S, Palakodeti D, Hyttel P, Freude K, Seemann SE, Gorodkin J. The transcriptomic landscape of neurons carrying PSEN1 mutations reveals changes in extracellular matrix components and non-coding gene expression. Neurobiol Dis 2023; 178:105980. [PMID: 36572121 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and irreversible brain disorder, which can occur either sporadically, due to a complex combination of environmental, genetic, and epigenetic factors, or because of rare genetic variants in specific genes (familial AD, or fAD). A key hallmark of AD is the accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) and Tau hyperphosphorylated tangles in the brain, but the underlying pathomechanisms and interdependencies remain poorly understood. Here, we identify and characterise gene expression changes related to two fAD mutations (A79V and L150P) in the Presenilin-1 (PSEN1) gene. We do this by comparing the transcriptomes of glutamatergic forebrain neurons derived from fAD-mutant human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and their individual isogenic controls generated via precision CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. Our analysis of Poly(A) RNA-seq data detects 1111 differentially expressed coding and non-coding genes significantly altered in fAD. Functional characterisation and pathway analysis of these genes reveal profound expression changes in constituents of the extracellular matrix, important to maintain the morphology, structural integrity, and plasticity of neurons, and in genes involved in calcium homeostasis and mitochondrial oxidative stress. Furthermore, by analysing total RNA-seq data we reveal that 30 out of 31 differentially expressed circular RNA genes are significantly upregulated in the fAD lines, and that these may contribute to the observed protein-coding gene expression changes. The results presented in this study contribute to a better understanding of the cellular mechanisms impacted in AD neurons, ultimately leading to neuronal damage and death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia I Corsi
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg 1871, Denmark; Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg 1870, Denmark
| | - Veerendra P Gadekar
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg 1871, Denmark; Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg 1870, Denmark
| | - Henriette Haukedal
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg 1870, Denmark
| | - Nadezhda T Doncheva
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg 1871, Denmark; Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg 1870, Denmark; Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Christian Anthon
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg 1871, Denmark; Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg 1870, Denmark
| | - Sheetal Ambardar
- Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore 560065, India; School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir 180001, India
| | - Dasaradhi Palakodeti
- Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Poul Hyttel
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg 1870, Denmark
| | - Kristine Freude
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg 1870, Denmark
| | - Stefan E Seemann
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg 1871, Denmark; Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg 1870, Denmark
| | - Jan Gorodkin
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg 1871, Denmark; Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg 1870, Denmark.
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14
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Devi MP, Dasgupta M, Mohanty S, Sharma SK, Hegde V, Roy SS, Renadevan R, Kumar KB, Patel HK, Sahoo MR. DNA Barcoding and ITS2 Secondary Structure Predictions in Taro ( Colocasia esculenta L. Schott) from the North Eastern Hill Region of India. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13122294. [PMID: 36553561 PMCID: PMC9778394 DOI: 10.3390/genes13122294] [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: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Taro (Colocasia esculenta L. Schott, Araceae), an ancient root and tuber crop, is highly polygenic, polyphyletic, and polygeographic in nature, which leads to its rapid genetic erosion. To prevent the perceived loss of taro diversity, species discrimination and genetic conservation of promising taro genotypes need special attention. Reports on genetic discrimination of taro at its center of origin are still untapped. We performed DNA barcoding of twenty promising genotypes of taro indigenous to the northeastern hill region of India, deploying two chloroplast-plastid genes, matK and rbcL, and the ribosomal nuclear gene ITS2. The secondary structure of ITS2 was determined and molecular phylogeny was performed to assess genetic discrimination among the taro genotypes. The matK and rbcL genes were highly efficient (>90%) in amplification and sequencing. However, the ITS2 barcode region achieved significant discrimination among the tested taro genotypes. All the taro genotypes displayed most similar sequences at the conserved matK and rbcL loci. However, distinct sequence lengths were observed in the ITS2 barcode region, revealing accurate discriminations among the genotypes. Multiple barcode markers are unrelated to one another and change independently, providing different estimations of heritable traits and genetic lineages; thus, they are advantageous over a single locus in genetic discrimination studies. A dynamic programming algorithm that used base-pairing interactions within a single nucleic acid polymer or between two polymers transformed the secondary structures into the symbol code data to predict seven different minimum free energy secondary structures. Our analysis strengthens the potential of the ITS2 gene as a potent DNA barcode candidate in the prediction of a valuable secondary structure that would help in genetic discrimination between the genotypes while augmenting future breeding strategies in taro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayengbam Premi Devi
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Imphal 795004, India
- College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University (CAU-Imphal), Kyrdemkulai 793105, India
| | - Madhumita Dasgupta
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Imphal 795004, India
| | - Sansuta Mohanty
- Central Horticultural Experiment Station, ICAR–Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bhubaneswar 751019, India
| | - Susheel Kumar Sharma
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Imphal 795004, India
- ICAR—Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110012, India
| | - Vivek Hegde
- ICAR—Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram 695017, India
- ICAR—Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru 560089, India
| | - Subhra Saikat Roy
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Imphal 795004, India
| | - Rennya Renadevan
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad 570007, India
| | | | - Hitendra Kumar Patel
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad 570007, India
- Correspondence: (H.K.P.); (M.R.S.); Tel.: +91-674-247-1867 (M.R.S.); Fax: +91-674-247-1712 (M.R.S.)
| | - Manas Ranjan Sahoo
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Imphal 795004, India
- Central Horticultural Experiment Station, ICAR–Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bhubaneswar 751019, India
- Correspondence: (H.K.P.); (M.R.S.); Tel.: +91-674-247-1867 (M.R.S.); Fax: +91-674-247-1712 (M.R.S.)
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15
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Navigating the Multiverse of Antisense RNAs: The Transcription- and RNA-Dependent Dimension. Noncoding RNA 2022; 8:ncrna8060074. [PMID: 36412909 PMCID: PMC9680235 DOI: 10.3390/ncrna8060074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence accumulated over the past decades shows that the number of identified antisense transcripts is continuously increasing, promoting them from transcriptional noise to real genes with specific functions. Indeed, recent studies have begun to unravel the complexity of the antisense RNA (asRNA) world, starting from the multidimensional mechanisms that they can exert in physiological and pathological conditions. In this review, we discuss the multiverse of the molecular functions of asRNAs, describing their action through transcription-dependent and RNA-dependent mechanisms. Then, we report the workflow and methodologies to study and functionally characterize single asRNA candidates.
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16
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Kapral TH, Farnhammer F, Zhao W, Lu ZJ, Zagrovic B. Widespread autogenous mRNA-protein interactions detected by CLIP-seq. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:9984-9999. [PMID: 36107779 PMCID: PMC9508846 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Autogenous interactions between mRNAs and the proteins they encode are implicated in cellular feedback-loop regulation, but their extent and mechanistic foundation are unclear. It was recently hypothesized that such interactions may be common, reflecting the role of intrinsic nucleobase-amino acid affinities in shaping the genetic code's structure. Here we analyze a comprehensive set of CLIP-seq experiments involving multiple protocols and report on widespread autogenous interactions across different organisms. Specifically, 230 of 341 (67%) studied RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) interact with their own mRNAs, with a heavy enrichment among high-confidence hits and a preference for coding sequence binding. We account for different confounding variables, including physical (overexpression and proximity during translation), methodological (difference in CLIP protocols, peak callers and cell types) and statistical (treatment of null backgrounds). In particular, we demonstrate a high statistical significance of autogenous interactions by sampling null distributions of fixed-margin interaction matrices. Furthermore, we study the dependence of autogenous binding on the presence of RNA-binding motifs and structured domains in RBPs. Finally, we show that intrinsic nucleobase-amino acid affinities favor co-aligned binding between mRNA coding regions and the proteins they encode. Our results suggest a central role for autogenous interactions in RBP regulation and support the possibility of a fundamental connection between coding and binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas H Kapral
- Departmet of Structural and Computational Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, A-1030, Austria,Vienna BioCenter PhD Program, Doctoral School of the University of Vienna and Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, A-1030, Austria
| | - Fiona Farnhammer
- Departmet of Structural and Computational Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, A-1030, Austria,Division of Metabolism, University Children's Hospital Zurich and Children's Research Center, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8032, Switzerland,Division of Oncology, University Children's Hospital Zurich and Children's Research Center, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8032, Switzerland
| | - Weihao Zhao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Zhi J Lu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Bojan Zagrovic
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +43 1 4277 52271; Fax: +43 1 4277 9522;
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17
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Esposito R, Polidori T, Meise DF, Pulido-Quetglas C, Chouvardas P, Forster S, Schaerer P, Kobel A, Schlatter J, Kerkhof E, Roemmele M, Rice ES, Zhu L, Lanzós A, Guillen-Ramirez HA, Basile G, Carrozzo I, Vancura A, Ullrich S, Andrades A, Harvey D, Medina PP, Ma PC, Haefliger S, Wang X, Martinez I, Ochsenbein AF, Riether C, Johnson R. Multi-hallmark long noncoding RNA maps reveal non-small cell lung cancer vulnerabilities. CELL GENOMICS 2022; 2:100171. [PMID: 36778670 PMCID: PMC9903773 DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2022.100171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are widely dysregulated in cancer, yet their functional roles in cancer hallmarks remain unclear. We employ pooled CRISPR deletion to perturb 831 lncRNAs detected in KRAS-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and measure their contribution to proliferation, chemoresistance, and migration across two cell backgrounds. Integrative analysis of these data outperforms conventional "dropout" screens in identifying cancer genes while prioritizing disease-relevant lncRNAs with pleiotropic and background-independent roles. Altogether, 80 high-confidence oncogenic lncRNAs are active in NSCLC, which tend to be amplified and overexpressed in tumors. A follow-up antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) screen shortlisted two candidates, Cancer Hallmarks in Lung LncRNA 1 (CHiLL1) and GCAWKR, whose knockdown consistently suppressed cancer hallmarks in two- and three-dimension tumor models. Molecular phenotyping reveals that CHiLL1 and GCAWKR control cellular-level phenotypes via distinct transcriptional networks. This work reveals a multi-dimensional functional lncRNA landscape underlying NSCLC that contains potential therapeutic vulnerabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Esposito
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland,Institute of Genetics and Biophysics “Adriano Buzzati-Traverso” CNR, Naples 80131, Italy
| | - Taisia Polidori
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland,Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
| | - Dominik F. Meise
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland
| | - Carlos Pulido-Quetglas
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland,Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
| | - Panagiotis Chouvardas
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Forster
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland
| | - Paulina Schaerer
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Kobel
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland
| | - Juliette Schlatter
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland
| | - Erik Kerkhof
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland
| | - Michaela Roemmele
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland
| | - Emily S. Rice
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Lina Zhu
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong,Tung Biomedical Sciences Centre, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong,Key Laboratory of Biochip Technology, Biotech and Health Centre, Shenzhen Research Institute, City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Andrés Lanzós
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland,Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
| | - Hugo A. Guillen-Ramirez
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland,School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin D04 V1W8, Ireland,Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin D04 V1W8, Ireland
| | - Giulia Basile
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland
| | - Irene Carrozzo
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland
| | - Adrienne Vancura
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian Ullrich
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Catalonia 08003, Spain
| | - Alvaro Andrades
- GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research, Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, Granada 18016, Spain,Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria, Granada 18014, Spain,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, University of Granada, Granada 18071, Spain
| | - Dylan Harvey
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin D04 V1W8, Ireland
| | - Pedro P. Medina
- GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research, Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, Granada 18016, Spain,Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria, Granada 18014, Spain,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, University of Granada, Granada 18071, Spain
| | | | - Simon Haefliger
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Ivan Martinez
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Adrian F. Ochsenbein
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland
| | - Carsten Riether
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland
| | - Rory Johnson
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern 3010 Switzerland,Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland,School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin D04 V1W8, Ireland,Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin D04 V1W8, Ireland,Corresponding author
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18
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Ross CJ, Ulitsky I. Discovering functional motifs in long noncoding RNAs. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2022; 13:e1708. [PMID: 34981665 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are products of pervasive transcription that closely resemble messenger RNAs on the molecular level, yet function through largely unknown modes of action. The current model is that the function of lncRNAs often relies on specific, typically short, conserved elements, connected by linkers in which specific sequences and/or structures are less important. This notion has fueled the development of both computational and experimental methods focused on the discovery of functional elements within lncRNA genes, based on diverse signals such as evolutionary conservation, predicted structural elements, or the ability to rescue loss-of-function phenotypes. In this review, we outline the main challenges that the different methods need to overcome, describe the recently developed approaches, and discuss their respective limitations. This article is categorized under: RNA Evolution and Genomics > Computational Analyses of RNA RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Interactions: Functional Implications Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Regulatory RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Jane Ross
- Biological Regulation and Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Igor Ulitsky
- Biological Regulation and Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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19
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Peltier DC, Roberts A, Reddy P. LNCing RNA to immunity. Trends Immunol 2022; 43:478-495. [DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2022.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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20
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Seemann SE, Mirza AH, Bang-Berthelsen CH, Garde C, Christensen-Dalsgaard M, Workman CT, Pociot F, Tommerup N, Gorodkin J, Ruzzo WL. OUP accepted manuscript. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:2452-2463. [PMID: 35188540 PMCID: PMC8934657 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Accelerated evolution of any portion of the genome is of significant interest, potentially signaling positive selection of phenotypic traits and adaptation. Accelerated evolution remains understudied for structured RNAs, despite the fact that an RNA’s structure is often key to its function. RNA structures are typically characterized by compensatory (structure-preserving) basepair changes that are unexpected given the underlying sequence variation, i.e., they have evolved through negative selection on structure. We address the question of how fast the primary sequence of an RNA can change through evolution while conserving its structure. Specifically, we consider predicted and known structures in vertebrate genomes. After careful control of false discovery rates, we obtain 13 de novo structures (and three known Rfam structures) that we predict to have rapidly evolving sequences—defined as structures where the primary sequences of human and mouse have diverged at least twice as fast (1.5 times for Rfam) as nearby neutrally evolving sequences. Two of the three known structures function in translation inhibition related to infection and immune response. We conclude that rapid sequence divergence does not preclude RNA structure conservation in vertebrates, although these events are relatively rare.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aashiq H Mirza
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health (RTH), University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Claus H Bang-Berthelsen
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health (RTH), University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Christian Garde
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health (RTH), University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Christopher T Workman
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health (RTH), University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Center for Biological Sequence Analysis, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
| | - Flemming Pociot
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health (RTH), University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Niels Tommerup
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health (RTH), University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (ICMM), University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jan Gorodkin
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health (RTH), University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Walter L Ruzzo
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health (RTH), University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Computer Science and Engineering and Genome Sciences, University of Washington, USA
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, USA
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21
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Decoding LncRNAs. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13112643. [PMID: 34072257 PMCID: PMC8199187 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13112643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been considered as unimportant additions to the transcriptome. Yet, in light of numerous studies, it has become clear that ncRNAs play important roles in development, health and disease. Long-ignored, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), ncRNAs made of more than 200 nucleotides have gained attention due to their involvement as drivers or suppressors of a myriad of tumours. The detailed understanding of some of their functions, structures and interactomes has been the result of interdisciplinary efforts, as in many cases, new methods need to be created or adapted to characterise these molecules. Unlike most reviews on lncRNAs, we summarize the achievements on lncRNA studies by taking into consideration the approaches for identification of lncRNA functions, interactomes, and structural arrangements. We also provide information about the recent data on the involvement of lncRNAs in diseases and present applications of these molecules, especially in medicine.
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22
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Bhattacharya A, Champramary S, Tripathi T, Thakur D, Ioshikhes I, Singh SK, Nandi S. Identification of the conserved long non-coding RNAs in myogenesis. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:336. [PMID: 33971818 PMCID: PMC8112034 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07615-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Our understanding of genome regulation is ever-evolving with the continuous discovery of new modes of gene regulation, and transcriptomic studies of mammalian genomes have revealed the presence of a considerable population of non-coding RNA molecules among the transcripts expressed. One such non-coding RNA molecule is long non-coding RNA (lncRNA). However, the function of lncRNAs in gene regulation is not well understood; moreover, finding conserved lncRNA across species is a challenging task. Therefore, we propose a novel approach to identify conserved lncRNAs and functionally annotate these molecules. RESULTS In this study, we exploited existing myogenic transcriptome data and identified conserved lncRNAs in mice and humans. We identified the lncRNAs expressing differentially between the early and later stages of muscle development. Differential expression of these lncRNAs was confirmed experimentally in cultured mouse muscle C2C12 cells. We utilized the three-dimensional architecture of the genome and identified topologically associated domains for these lncRNAs. Additionally, we correlated the expression of genes in domains for functional annotation of these trans-lncRNAs in myogenesis. Using this approach, we identified conserved lncRNAs in myogenesis and functionally annotated them. CONCLUSIONS With this novel approach, we identified the conserved lncRNAs in myogenesis in humans and mice and functionally annotated them. The method identified a large number of lncRNAs are involved in myogenesis. Further studies are required to investigate the reason for the conservation of the lncRNAs in human and mouse while their sequences are dissimilar. Our approach can be used to identify novel lncRNAs conserved in different species and functionally annotated them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anupam Bhattacharya
- Division of Life Sciences, Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Vigyan Path, Paschim Boragaon, Garchuk, Guwahati, Assam, India
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Cotton University, Panbazar, Guwahati, Assam, India
| | - Simang Champramary
- University of Szeged Faculty of Science and Informatics, Szeged, 6720, Hungary
- Functional Genomics and Bionformatics, University of Sopron, Sopron, Hungary
| | - Tanya Tripathi
- Stem Cell & Cell Culture Lab, Centre For Advanced Research (CFAR), King George's Medical University, Lucknow, UP, India
| | - Debajit Thakur
- Division of Life Sciences, Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Vigyan Path, Paschim Boragaon, Garchuk, Guwahati, Assam, India
| | - Ilya Ioshikhes
- Ottawa Institute of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (OICBB), Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology (OISB), Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology (BMI),Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Satyendra Kumar Singh
- Stem Cell & Cell Culture Lab, Centre For Advanced Research (CFAR), King George's Medical University, Lucknow, UP, India
| | - Soumyadeep Nandi
- Data Sciences and Computational Biology Centre, Amity Institute of Integrative Sciences and Health, Amity University Haryana, Gurugram, Manesar, 122413, Haryana, India.
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23
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Comparative genomics in the search for conserved long noncoding RNAs. Essays Biochem 2021; 65:741-749. [PMID: 33885137 PMCID: PMC8564735 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20200069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as prominent regulators of gene expression in eukaryotes. The identification of lncRNA orthologs is essential in efforts to decipher their roles across model organisms, as homologous genes tend to have similar molecular and biological functions. The relatively high sequence plasticity of lncRNA genes compared with protein-coding genes, makes the identification of their orthologs a challenging task. This is why comparative genomics of lncRNAs requires the development of specific and, sometimes, complex approaches. Here, we briefly review current advancements and challenges associated with four levels of lncRNA conservation: genomic sequences, splicing signals, secondary structures and syntenic transcription.
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24
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Tassinari M, Richter SN, Gandellini P. Biological relevance and therapeutic potential of G-quadruplex structures in the human noncoding transcriptome. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:3617-3633. [PMID: 33721024 PMCID: PMC8053107 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Noncoding RNAs are functional transcripts that are not translated into proteins. They represent the largest portion of the human transcriptome and have been shown to regulate gene expression networks in both physiological and pathological cell conditions. Research in this field has made remarkable progress in the comprehension of how aberrations in noncoding RNA drive relevant disease-associated phenotypes; however, the biological role and mechanism of action of several noncoding RNAs still need full understanding. Besides fulfilling its function through sequence-based mechanisms, RNA can form complex secondary and tertiary structures which allow non-canonical interactions with proteins and/or other nucleic acids. In this context, the presence of G-quadruplexes in microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs is increasingly being reported. This evidence suggests a role for RNA G-quadruplexes in controlling microRNA biogenesis and mediating noncoding RNA interaction with biological partners, thus ultimately regulating gene expression. Here, we review the state of the art of G-quadruplexes in the noncoding transcriptome, with their structural and functional characterization. In light of the existence and further possible development of G-quadruplex binders that modulate G-quadruplex conformation and protein interactions, we also discuss the therapeutic potential of G-quadruplexes as targets to interfere with disease-associated noncoding RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Tassinari
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via G. Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Sara N Richter
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, via A. Gabelli 63, 35121 Padova, Italy
| | - Paolo Gandellini
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via G. Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
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25
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Gaither JBS, Lammi GE, Li JL, Gordon DM, Kuck HC, Kelly BJ, Fitch JR, White P. Synonymous variants that disrupt messenger RNA structure are significantly constrained in the human population. Gigascience 2021; 10:6211353. [PMID: 33822938 PMCID: PMC8023685 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giab023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The role of synonymous single-nucleotide variants in human health and disease is poorly understood, yet evidence suggests that this class of “silent” genetic variation plays multiple regulatory roles in both transcription and translation. One mechanism by which synonymous codons direct and modulate the translational process is through alteration of the elaborate structure formed by single-stranded mRNA molecules. While tools to computationally predict the effect of non-synonymous variants on protein structure are plentiful, analogous tools to systematically assess how synonymous variants might disrupt mRNA structure are lacking. Results We developed novel software using a parallel processing framework for large-scale generation of secondary RNA structures and folding statistics for the transcriptome of any species. Focusing our analysis on the human transcriptome, we calculated 5 billion RNA-folding statistics for 469 million single-nucleotide variants in 45,800 transcripts. By considering the impact of all possible synonymous variants globally, we discover that synonymous variants predicted to disrupt mRNA structure have significantly lower rates of incidence in the human population. Conclusions These findings support the hypothesis that synonymous variants may play a role in genetic disorders due to their effects on mRNA structure. To evaluate the potential pathogenic impact of synonymous variants, we provide RNA stability, edge distance, and diversity metrics for every nucleotide in the human transcriptome and introduce a “Structural Predictivity Index” (SPI) to quantify structural constraint operating on any synonymous variant. Because no single RNA-folding metric can capture the diversity of mechanisms by which a variant could alter secondary mRNA structure, we generated a SUmmarized RNA Folding (SURF) metric to provide a single measurement to predict the impact of secondary structure altering variants in human genetic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey B S Gaither
- Computational Genomics Group, The Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, 575 Children's Crossroad, Columbus, OH 43215, USA
| | - Grant E Lammi
- Computational Genomics Group, The Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, 575 Children's Crossroad, Columbus, OH 43215, USA
| | - James L Li
- Computational Genomics Group, The Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, 575 Children's Crossroad, Columbus, OH 43215, USA
| | - David M Gordon
- Computational Genomics Group, The Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, 575 Children's Crossroad, Columbus, OH 43215, USA
| | - Harkness C Kuck
- Computational Genomics Group, The Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, 575 Children's Crossroad, Columbus, OH 43215, USA
| | - Benjamin J Kelly
- Computational Genomics Group, The Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, 575 Children's Crossroad, Columbus, OH 43215, USA
| | - James R Fitch
- Computational Genomics Group, The Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, 575 Children's Crossroad, Columbus, OH 43215, USA
| | - Peter White
- Computational Genomics Group, The Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, 575 Children's Crossroad, Columbus, OH 43215, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, 370 W. 9th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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26
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Hou L, Xie J, Wu Y, Wang J, Duan A, Ao Y, Liu X, Yu X, Yan H, Perreault J, Li S. Identification of 11 candidate structured noncoding RNA motifs in humans by comparative genomics. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:164. [PMID: 33750298 PMCID: PMC7941889 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07474-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Only 1.5% of the human genome encodes proteins, while large part of the remaining encodes noncoding RNAs (ncRNA). Many ncRNAs form structures and perform many important functions. Accurately identifying structured ncRNAs in the human genome and discovering their biological functions remain a major challenge. Results Here, we have established a pipeline (CM-line) with the following features for analyzing the large genomes of humans and other animals. First, we selected species with larger genetic distances to facilitate the discovery of covariations and compatible mutations. Second, we used CMfinder, which can generate useful alignments even with low sequence conservation. Third, we removed repetitive sequences and known structured ncRNAs to reduce the workload of CMfinder. Fourth, we used Infernal to find more representatives and refine the structure. We reported 11 classes of structured ncRNA candidates with significant covariations in humans. Functional analysis showed that these ncRNAs may have variable functions. Some may regulate circadian clock genes through poly (A) signals (PAS); some may regulate the elongation factor (EEF1A) and the T-cell receptor signaling pathway by cooperating with RNA binding proteins. Conclusions By searching for important features of RNA structure from large genomes, the CM-line has revealed the existence of a variety of novel structured ncRNAs. Functional analysis suggests that some newly discovered ncRNA motifs may have biological functions. The pipeline we have established for the discovery of structured ncRNAs and the identification of their functions can also be applied to analyze other large genomes. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-021-07474-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijuan Hou
- Medical School, Molecular Medicine Engineering and Research Center of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Molecular Diagnosis of Fujian Universities, Institute of Genomics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, 361021, P. R. China
| | - Jin Xie
- Medical School, Molecular Medicine Engineering and Research Center of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Molecular Diagnosis of Fujian Universities, Institute of Genomics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, 361021, P. R. China
| | - Yaoyao Wu
- Medical School, Molecular Medicine Engineering and Research Center of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Molecular Diagnosis of Fujian Universities, Institute of Genomics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, 361021, P. R. China
| | - Jiaojiao Wang
- Medical School, Molecular Medicine Engineering and Research Center of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Molecular Diagnosis of Fujian Universities, Institute of Genomics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, 361021, P. R. China
| | - Anqi Duan
- Medical School, Molecular Medicine Engineering and Research Center of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Molecular Diagnosis of Fujian Universities, Institute of Genomics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, 361021, P. R. China
| | - Yaqi Ao
- Medical School, Molecular Medicine Engineering and Research Center of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Molecular Diagnosis of Fujian Universities, Institute of Genomics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, 361021, P. R. China
| | - Xuejiao Liu
- Medical School, Molecular Medicine Engineering and Research Center of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Molecular Diagnosis of Fujian Universities, Institute of Genomics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, 361021, P. R. China
| | - Xinmei Yu
- Medical School, Molecular Medicine Engineering and Research Center of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Molecular Diagnosis of Fujian Universities, Institute of Genomics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, 361021, P. R. China
| | - Hui Yan
- Medical School, Molecular Medicine Engineering and Research Center of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Molecular Diagnosis of Fujian Universities, Institute of Genomics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, 361021, P. R. China
| | - Jonathan Perreault
- INRS - Institut Armand-Frappier, 531 boul des Prairies, Laval, Québec, H7V1B7, Canada
| | - Sanshu Li
- Medical School, Molecular Medicine Engineering and Research Center of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Molecular Diagnosis of Fujian Universities, Institute of Genomics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, 361021, P. R. China.
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Sweeney BA, Petrov AI, Ribas CE, Finn RD, Bateman A, Szymanski M, Karlowski WM, Seemann SE, Gorodkin J, Cannone JJ, Gutell RR, Kay S, Marygold S, dos Santos G, Frankish A, Mudge JM, Barshir R, Fishilevich S, Chan PP, Lowe TM, Seal R, Bruford E, Panni S, Porras P, Karagkouni D, Hatzigeorgiou AG, Ma L, Zhang Z, Volders PJ, Mestdagh P, Griffiths-Jones S, Fromm B, Peterson KJ, Kalvari I, Nawrocki EP, Petrov AS, Weng S, Bouchard-Bourelle P, Scott M, Lui LM, Hoksza D, Lovering RC, Kramarz B, Mani P, Ramachandran S, Weinberg Z. RNAcentral 2021: secondary structure integration, improved sequence search and new member databases. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:D212-D220. [PMID: 33106848 PMCID: PMC7779037 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
RNAcentral is a comprehensive database of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) sequences that provides a single access point to 44 RNA resources and >18 million ncRNA sequences from a wide range of organisms and RNA types. RNAcentral now also includes secondary (2D) structure information for >13 million sequences, making RNAcentral the world's largest RNA 2D structure database. The 2D diagrams are displayed using R2DT, a new 2D structure visualization method that uses consistent, reproducible and recognizable layouts for related RNAs. The sequence similarity search has been updated with a faster interface featuring facets for filtering search results by RNA type, organism, source database or any keyword. This sequence search tool is available as a reusable web component, and has been integrated into several RNAcentral member databases, including Rfam, miRBase and snoDB. To allow for a more fine-grained assignment of RNA types and subtypes, all RNAcentral sequences have been annotated with Sequence Ontology terms. The RNAcentral database continues to grow and provide a central data resource for the RNA community. RNAcentral is freely available at https://rnacentral.org.
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28
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Armaos A, Zacco E, Sanchez de Groot N, Tartaglia GG. RNA-protein interactions: Central players in coordination of regulatory networks. Bioessays 2020; 43:e2000118. [PMID: 33284474 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202000118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Changes in the abundance of protein and RNA molecules can impair the formation of complexes in the cell leading to toxicity and death. Here we exploit the information contained in protein, RNA and DNA interaction networks to provide a comprehensive view of the regulation layers controlling the concentration-dependent formation of assemblies in the cell. We present the emerging concept that RNAs can act as scaffolds to promote the formation ribonucleoprotein complexes and coordinate the post-transcriptional layer of gene regulation. We describe the structural and interaction network properties that characterize the ability of protein and RNA molecules to interact and phase separate in liquid-like compartments. Finally, we show that presence of structurally disordered regions in proteins correlate with the propensity to undergo liquid-to-solid phase transitions and cause human diseases. Also see the video abstract here https://youtu.be/kfpqibsNfS0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandros Armaos
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.,Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Elsa Zacco
- Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Natalia Sanchez de Groot
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.,Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.,Department of Biology 'Charles Darwin', Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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29
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Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently been discovered and are increasingly recognized as vital components of modern molecular biology. Accumulating evidence shows that lncRNAs have emerged as important mediators in diverse biological processes such as cell differentiation, pluripotency, and tumorigenesis, while the function of lncRNAs in the field of normal and malignant hematopoiesis remains to be further elucidated. Here, we widely reviewed recent advances and summarize the characteristics and basic mechanisms of lncRNAs and keep abreast of developments of lncRNAs within the field of normal and malignant hematopoiesis. Based on gene regulatory networks at different levels of lncRNAs participation, lncRNAs have been shown to regulate gene expression from epigenetics, transcription and post transcription. The expression of lncRNAs is highly cell-specific and critical for the development and activation of hematopoiesis. Moreover, we also summarized the role of lncRNAs involved in hematological malignancies in recent years. LncRNAs have been found to play an emerging role in normal and malignant hematopoiesis, which may provide novel ideas for the diagnosis and therapeutic targets of hematological diseases in the foreseeable future.
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30
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Zhang W, Tian W, Gao Z, Wang G, Zhao H. Phylogenetic Utility of rRNA ITS2 Sequence-Structure under Functional Constraint. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21176395. [PMID: 32899108 PMCID: PMC7504139 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21176395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The crucial function of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region in ribosome biogenesis depends on its secondary and tertiary structures. Despite rapidly evolving, ITS2 is under evolutionary constraints to maintain the specific secondary structures that provide functionality. A link between function, structure and evolution could contribute an understanding to each other and recently has created a growing point of sequence-structure phylogeny of ITS2. Here we briefly review the current knowledge of ITS2 processing in ribosome biogenesis, focusing on the conservative characteristics of ITS2 secondary structure, including structure form, structural motifs, cleavage sites, and base-pair interactions. We then review the phylogenetic implications and applications of this structure information, including structure-guiding sequence alignment, base-pair mutation model, and species distinguishing. We give the rationale for why incorporating structure information into tree construction could improve reliability and accuracy, and some perspectives of bioinformatics coding that allow for a meaningful evolutionary character to be extracted. In sum, this review of the integration of function, structure and evolution of ITS2 will expand the traditional sequence-based ITS2 phylogeny and thus contributes to the tree of life. The generality of ITS2 characteristics may also inspire phylogenetic use of other similar structural regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhang
- Marine College, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China; (Z.G.); (G.W.); (H.Z.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-631-5688-303
| | - Wen Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Ballast Water Research, Comprehensive Technical Service Center of Jiangyin Customs, Jiangyin 214440, China;
| | - Zhipeng Gao
- Marine College, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China; (Z.G.); (G.W.); (H.Z.)
| | - Guoli Wang
- Marine College, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China; (Z.G.); (G.W.); (H.Z.)
| | - Hong Zhao
- Marine College, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China; (Z.G.); (G.W.); (H.Z.)
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31
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Corona-Gomez JA, Garcia-Lopez IJ, Stadler PF, Fernandez-Valverde SL. Splicing conservation signals in plant long noncoding RNAs. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2020; 26:784-793. [PMID: 32241834 PMCID: PMC7297117 DOI: 10.1261/rna.074393.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 03/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently emerged as prominent regulators of gene expression in eukaryotes. LncRNAs often drive the modification and maintenance of gene activation or gene silencing states via chromatin conformation rearrangements. In plants, lncRNAs have been shown to participate in gene regulation, and are essential to processes such as vernalization and photomorphogenesis. Despite their prominent functions, only over a dozen lncRNAs have been experimentally and functionally characterized. Similar to its animal counterparts, the rates of sequence divergence are much higher in plant lncRNAs than in protein coding mRNAs, making it difficult to identify lncRNA conservation using traditional sequence comparison methods. Beyond this, little is known about the evolutionary patterns of lncRNAs in plants. Here, we characterized the splicing conservation of lncRNAs in Brassicaceae. We generated a whole-genome alignment of 16 Brassica species and used it to identify synthenic lncRNA orthologs. Using a scoring system trained on transcriptomes from A. thaliana and B. oleracea, we identified splice sites across the whole alignment and measured their conservation. Our analysis revealed that 17.9% (112/627) of all intergenic lncRNAs display splicing conservation in at least one exon, an estimate that is substantially higher than previous estimates of lncRNA conservation in this group. Our findings agree with similar studies in vertebrates, demonstrating that splicing conservation can be evidence of stabilizing selection. We provide conclusive evidence for the existence of evolutionary deeply conserved lncRNAs in plants and describe a generally applicable computational workflow to identify functional lncRNAs in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Peter F Stadler
- Bioinformatics Group, Department of Computer Science, University Leipzig, D-04107 Leipzig, Germany
- Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics, University Leipzig, D-04107 Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Theoretical Chemistry, University of Vienna, A-1090 Wien, Austria
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, 11001 Sede Bogotá, Colombia
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501, USA
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32
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Zhao Y, Teng H, Yao F, Yap S, Sun Y, Ma L. Challenges and Strategies in Ascribing Functions to Long Noncoding RNAs. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12061458. [PMID: 32503290 PMCID: PMC7352683 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12061458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2020] [Revised: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in many physiological and pathological processes, such as development, aging, immunity, and cancer. Mechanistically, lncRNAs exert their functions through interaction with proteins, genomic DNA, and other RNA, leading to transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, either in cis or in trans; it is often difficult to distinguish between these two regulatory mechanisms. A variety of approaches, including RNA interference, antisense oligonucleotides, CRISPR-based methods, and genetically engineered mouse models, have yielded abundant information about lncRNA functions and underlying mechanisms, albeit with many discrepancies. In this review, we elaborate on the challenges in ascribing functions to lncRNAs based on the features of lncRNAs, including the genomic location, copy number, domain structure, subcellular localization, stability, evolution, and expression pattern. We also describe a framework for the investigation of lncRNA functions and mechanisms of action. Rigorous characterization of cancer-implicated lncRNAs is critical for the identification of bona fide anticancer targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhao
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Y.Z.); (H.T.); (F.Y.); (S.Y.)
| | - Hongqi Teng
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Y.Z.); (H.T.); (F.Y.); (S.Y.)
| | - Fan Yao
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Y.Z.); (H.T.); (F.Y.); (S.Y.)
| | - Shannon Yap
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Y.Z.); (H.T.); (F.Y.); (S.Y.)
| | - Yutong Sun
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
| | - Li Ma
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Y.Z.); (H.T.); (F.Y.); (S.Y.)
- UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-713-792-6590
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33
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Hecker N, Hiller M. A genome alignment of 120 mammals highlights ultraconserved element variability and placenta-associated enhancers. Gigascience 2020; 9:giz159. [PMID: 31899510 PMCID: PMC6941714 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giz159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Revised: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Multiple alignments of mammalian genomes have been the basis of many comparative genomic studies aiming at annotating genes, detecting regions under evolutionary constraint, and studying genome evolution. A key factor that affects the power of comparative analyses is the number of species included in a genome alignment. RESULTS To utilize the increased number of sequenced genomes and to provide an accessible resource for genomic studies, we generated a mammalian genome alignment comprising 120 species. We used this alignment and the CESAR method to provide protein-coding gene annotations for 119 non-human mammals. Furthermore, we illustrate the utility of this alignment by 2 exemplary analyses. First, we quantified how variable ultraconserved elements (UCEs) are among placental mammals. Leveraging the high taxonomic coverage in our alignment, we estimate that UCEs contain on average 4.7%-15.6% variable alignment columns. Furthermore, we show that the center regions of UCEs are generally most constrained. Second, we identified enhancer sequences that are only conserved in placental mammals. We found that these enhancers are significantly associated with placenta-related genes, suggesting that some of these enhancers may be involved in the evolution of placental mammal-specific aspects of the placenta. CONCLUSION The 120-mammal alignment and all other data are available for analysis and visualization in a genome browser at https://genome-public.pks.mpg.de/and for download at https://bds.mpi-cbg.de/hillerlab/120MammalAlignment/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolai Hecker
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstr. 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Noethnitzer Str. 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany
- Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Pfotenhauerstr. 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Michael Hiller
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstr. 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Noethnitzer Str. 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany
- Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Pfotenhauerstr. 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany
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34
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Miladi M, Sokhoyan E, Houwaart T, Heyne S, Costa F, Grüning B, Backofen R. GraphClust2: Annotation and discovery of structured RNAs with scalable and accessible integrative clustering. Gigascience 2019; 8:giz150. [PMID: 31808801 PMCID: PMC6897289 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giz150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND RNA plays essential roles in all known forms of life. Clustering RNA sequences with common sequence and structure is an essential step towards studying RNA function. With the advent of high-throughput sequencing techniques, experimental and genomic data are expanding to complement the predictive methods. However, the existing methods do not effectively utilize and cope with the immense amount of data becoming available. RESULTS Hundreds of thousands of non-coding RNAs have been detected; however, their annotation is lagging behind. Here we present GraphClust2, a comprehensive approach for scalable clustering of RNAs based on sequence and structural similarities. GraphClust2 bridges the gap between high-throughput sequencing and structural RNA analysis and provides an integrative solution by incorporating diverse experimental and genomic data in an accessible manner via the Galaxy framework. GraphClust2 can efficiently cluster and annotate large datasets of RNAs and supports structure-probing data. We demonstrate that the annotation performance of clustering functional RNAs can be considerably improved. Furthermore, an off-the-shelf procedure is introduced for identifying locally conserved structure candidates in long RNAs. We suggest the presence and the sparseness of phylogenetically conserved local structures for a collection of long non-coding RNAs. CONCLUSIONS By clustering data from 2 cross-linking immunoprecipitation experiments, we demonstrate the benefits of GraphClust2 for motif discovery under the presence of biological and methodological biases. Finally, we uncover prominent targets of double-stranded RNA binding protein Roquin-1, such as BCOR's 3' untranslated region that contains multiple binding stem-loops that are evolutionary conserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milad Miladi
- Bioinformatics Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Freiburg, Georges-Koehler-Allee 106, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Eteri Sokhoyan
- Bioinformatics Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Freiburg, Georges-Koehler-Allee 106, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Torsten Houwaart
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, University of Dusseldorf, Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Dusseldorf, Germany
| | - Steffen Heyne
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Stuebeweg 51, 79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Fabrizio Costa
- Department of Computer Science, University of Exeter, North Park Road, EX4 4QF Exeter, UK
| | - Björn Grüning
- Bioinformatics Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Freiburg, Georges-Koehler-Allee 106, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
- ZBSA Centre for Biological Systems Analysis, University of Freiburg, Hauptstr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Rolf Backofen
- Bioinformatics Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Freiburg, Georges-Koehler-Allee 106, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
- ZBSA Centre for Biological Systems Analysis, University of Freiburg, Hauptstr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
- Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestr. 18, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
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35
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Sanchez de Groot N, Armaos A, Graña-Montes R, Alriquet M, Calloni G, Vabulas RM, Tartaglia GG. RNA structure drives interaction with proteins. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3246. [PMID: 31324771 PMCID: PMC6642211 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10923-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The combination of high-throughput sequencing and in vivo crosslinking approaches leads to the progressive uncovering of the complex interdependence between cellular transcriptome and proteome. Yet, the molecular determinants governing interactions in protein-RNA networks are not well understood. Here we investigated the relationship between the structure of an RNA and its ability to interact with proteins. Analysing in silico, in vitro and in vivo experiments, we find that the amount of double-stranded regions in an RNA correlates with the number of protein contacts. This relationship -which we call structure-driven protein interactivity- allows classification of RNA types, plays a role in gene regulation and could have implications for the formation of phase-separated ribonucleoprotein assemblies. We validate our hypothesis by showing that a highly structured RNA can rearrange the composition of a protein aggregate. We report that the tendency of proteins to phase-separate is reduced by interactions with specific RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Sanchez de Groot
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alexandros Armaos
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ricardo Graña-Montes
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Marion Alriquet
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Giulia Calloni
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - R Martin Vabulas
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. .,Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain. .,ICREA 23 Passeig Lluis Companys 08010 and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003, Barcelona, Spain. .,Department of Biology 'Charles Darwin', Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, Rome, 00185, Italy. .,Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163, Genoa, Italy.
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36
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Abstract
RNA performs and regulates a diverse range of cellular processes, with new functional roles being uncovered at a rapid pace. Interest is growing in how these functions are linked to RNA structures that form in the complex cellular environment. A growing suite of technologies that use advances in RNA structural probes, high-throughput sequencing and new computational approaches to interrogate RNA structure at unprecedented throughput are beginning to provide insights into RNA structures at new spatial, temporal and cellular scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric J Strobel
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Angela M Yu
- Tri-Institutional Training Program in Computational Biology and Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Julius B Lucks
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
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37
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Abstract
Gene maps, or annotations, enable us to navigate the functional landscape of our genome. They are a resource upon which virtually all studies depend, from single-gene to genome-wide scales and from basic molecular biology to medical genetics. Yet present-day annotations suffer from trade-offs between quality and size, with serious but often unappreciated consequences for downstream studies. This is particularly true for long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which are poorly characterized compared to protein-coding genes. Long-read sequencing technologies promise to improve current annotations, paving the way towards a complete annotation of lncRNAs expressed throughout a human lifetime.
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38
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Chen JL, Moss WN, Spencer A, Zhang P, Childs-Disney JL, Disney MD. The RNA encoding the microtubule-associated protein tau has extensive structure that affects its biology. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0219210. [PMID: 31291322 PMCID: PMC6619747 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies are neurodegenerative diseases that affect millions of people worldwide including those with Alzheimer’s disease. While many efforts have focused on understanding the role of tau protein in neurodegeneration, there has been little done to systematically analyze and study the structures within tau’s encoding RNA and their connection to disease pathology. Knowledge of RNA structure can provide insights into disease mechanisms and how to affect protein production for therapeutic benefit. Using computational methods based on thermodynamic stability and evolutionary conservation, we identified structures throughout the tau pre-mRNA, especially at exon-intron junctions and within the 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs). In particular, structures were identified at twenty exon-intron junctions. The 5′ UTR contains one structured region, which lies within a known internal ribosome entry site. The 3′ UTR contains eight structured regions, including one that contains a polyadenylation signal. A series of functional experiments were carried out to assess the effects of mutations associated with mis-regulation of alternative splicing of exon 10 and to identify regions of the 3′ UTR that contain cis-regulatory elements. These studies defined novel structural regions within the mRNA that affect stability and pre-mRNA splicing and may lead to new therapeutic targets for treating tau-associated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan L. Chen
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
| | - Walter N. Moss
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Adam Spencer
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
| | - Peiyuan Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
| | - Jessica L. Childs-Disney
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
| | - Matthew D. Disney
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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He F, Wei R, Zhou Z, Huang L, Wang Y, Tang J, Zou Y, Shi L, Gu X, Davis MJ, Su Z. Integrative Analysis of Somatic Mutations in Non-coding Regions Altering RNA Secondary Structures in Cancer Genomes. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8205. [PMID: 31160636 PMCID: PMC6546760 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44489-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA secondary structure may influence many cellular processes, including RNA processing, stability, localization, and translation. Single-nucleotide variations (SNVs) that alter RNA secondary structure, referred to as riboSNitches, are potentially causative of human diseases, especially in untranslated regions (UTRs) and noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). The functions of somatic mutations that act as riboSNitches in cancer development remain poorly understood. In this study, we developed a computational pipeline called SNIPER (riboSNitch-enriched or depleted elements in cancer genomes), which employs MeanDiff and EucDiff to detect riboSNitches and then identifies riboSNitch-enriched or riboSNitch-depleted non-coding elements across tumors. SNIPER is available at github: https://github.com/suzhixi/SNIPER/. We found that riboSNitches were more likely to be pathogenic. Moreover, we predicted several UTRs and lncRNAs (long non-coding RNA) that significantly enriched or depleted riboSNitches in cancer genomes, indicative of potential cancer driver or essential noncoding elements. Our study highlights the possibly neglected importance of RNA secondary structure in cancer genomes and provides a new strategy to identify new cancer-associated genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Funan He
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Ran Wei
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Zhan Zhou
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis and Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Leihuan Huang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Yinan Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Jie Tang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Yangyun Zou
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Leming Shi
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.,Shanghai Cancer Center and Cancer Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xun Gu
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, 50011, USA
| | - Melissa J Davis
- Bioinformatics Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Zhixi Su
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China. .,Singlera Genomics Inc, Shanghai, China.
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Hardwick SA, Bassett SD, Kaczorowski D, Blackburn J, Barton K, Bartonicek N, Carswell SL, Tilgner HU, Loy C, Halliday G, Mercer TR, Smith MA, Mattick JS. Targeted, High-Resolution RNA Sequencing of Non-coding Genomic Regions Associated With Neuropsychiatric Functions. Front Genet 2019; 10:309. [PMID: 31031799 PMCID: PMC6473190 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The human brain is one of the last frontiers of biomedical research. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have succeeded in identifying thousands of haplotype blocks associated with a range of neuropsychiatric traits, including disorders such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. However, the majority of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that mark these haplotype blocks fall within non-coding regions of the genome, hindering their functional validation. While some of these GWAS loci may contain cis-acting regulatory DNA elements such as enhancers, we hypothesized that many are also transcribed into non-coding RNAs that are missing from publicly available transcriptome annotations. Here, we use targeted RNA capture ('RNA CaptureSeq') in combination with nanopore long-read cDNA sequencing to transcriptionally profile 1,023 haplotype blocks across the genome containing non-coding GWAS SNPs associated with neuropsychiatric traits, using post-mortem human brain tissue from three neurologically healthy donors. We find that the majority (62%) of targeted haplotype blocks, including 13% of intergenic blocks, are transcribed into novel, multi-exonic RNAs, most of which are not yet recorded in GENCODE annotations. We validated our findings with short-read RNA-seq, providing orthogonal confirmation of novel splice junctions and enabling a quantitative assessment of the long-read assemblies. Many novel transcripts are supported by independent evidence of transcription including cap analysis of gene expression (CAGE) data and epigenetic marks, and some show signs of potential functional roles. We present these transcriptomes as a preliminary atlas of non-coding transcription in human brain that can be used to connect neurological phenotypes with gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon A. Hardwick
- Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
- Brain and Mind Research Institute and Center for Neurogenetics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Samuel D. Bassett
- Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Dominik Kaczorowski
- Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - James Blackburn
- Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Kirston Barton
- Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - Nenad Bartonicek
- Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Shaun L. Carswell
- Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - Hagen U. Tilgner
- Brain and Mind Research Institute and Center for Neurogenetics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Clement Loy
- Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
- Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Glenda Halliday
- Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Tim R. Mercer
- Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
- Altius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Martin A. Smith
- Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - John S. Mattick
- Genomics and Epigenetics Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
- Green Templeton College, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Precise small-molecule cleavage of an r(CUG) repeat expansion in a myotonic dystrophy mouse model. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:7799-7804. [PMID: 30926669 PMCID: PMC6475439 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1901484116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of small-molecule lead medicines that potently and specifically modulate RNA function is challenging. We designed a small molecule that cleaves r(CUG)exp, the RNA repeat expansion that causes myotonic dystrophy type 1. In cells and in an animal model, the small-molecule cleaver specifically recognizes the 3-dimensional structure of r(CUG)exp, cleaving it more selectively among transcripts containing short, nonpathogenic r(CUG) repeats than an oligonucleotide that recognizes RNA sequence via Watson-Crick base pairing. The small molecule broadly relieves disease-associated phenotype in a mouse model. Thus, small molecules that recognize and cleave RNA structures should be considered a therapeutic strategy for targeting RNA in vivo. Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is an incurable neuromuscular disorder caused by an expanded CTG repeat that is transcribed into r(CUG)exp. The RNA repeat expansion sequesters regulatory proteins such as Muscleblind-like protein 1 (MBNL1), which causes pre-mRNA splicing defects. The disease-causing r(CUG)exp has been targeted by antisense oligonucleotides, CRISPR-based approaches, and RNA-targeting small molecules. Herein, we describe a designer small molecule, Cugamycin, that recognizes the structure of r(CUG)exp and cleaves it in both DM1 patient-derived myotubes and a DM1 mouse model, leaving short repeats of r(CUG) untouched. In contrast, oligonucleotides that recognize r(CUG) sequence rather than structure cleave both long and short r(CUG)-containing transcripts. Transcriptomic, histological, and phenotypic studies demonstrate that Cugamycin broadly and specifically relieves DM1-associated defects in vivo without detectable off-targets. Thus, small molecules that bind and cleave RNA have utility as lead chemical probes and medicines and can selectively target disease-causing RNA structures to broadly improve defects in preclinical animal models.
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Walter Costa MB, Höner Zu Siederdissen C, Dunjić M, Stadler PF, Nowick K. SSS-test: a novel test for detecting positive selection on RNA secondary structure. BMC Bioinformatics 2019; 20:151. [PMID: 30898084 PMCID: PMC6429701 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-019-2711-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in regulating gene expression and are thus important for determining phenotypes. Most attempts to measure selection in lncRNAs have focused on the primary sequence. The majority of small RNAs and at least some parts of lncRNAs must fold into specific structures to perform their biological function. Comprehensive assessments of selection acting on RNAs therefore must also encompass structure. Selection pressures acting on the structure of non-coding genes can be detected within multiple sequence alignments. Approaches of this type, however, have so far focused on negative selection. Thus, a computational method for identifying ncRNAs under positive selection is needed. Results We introduce the SSS-test (test for Selection on Secondary Structure) to identify positive selection and thus adaptive evolution. Benchmarks with biological as well as synthetic controls yield coherent signals for both negative and positive selection, demonstrating the functionality of the test. A survey of a lncRNA collection comprising 15,443 families resulted in 110 candidates that appear to be under positive selection in human. In 26 lncRNAs that have been associated with psychiatric disorders we identified local structures that have signs of positive selection in the human lineage. Conclusions It is feasible to assay positive selection acting on RNA secondary structures on a genome-wide scale. The detection of human-specific positive selection in lncRNAs associated with cognitive disorder provides a set of candidate genes for further experimental testing and may provide insights into the evolution of cognitive abilities in humans. Availability The SSS-test and related software is available at: https://github.com/waltercostamb/SSS-test. The databases used in this work are available at: http://www.bioinf.uni-leipzig.de/Software/SSS-test/. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12859-019-2711-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Beatriz Walter Costa
- Embrapa Agroenergia, Parque Estação Biológica (PqEB), Asa Norte, Brasília, DF, 70770-901, Brazil. .,Bioinformatics Group, Department of Computer Science, and Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstraße 16-18, Leipzig, 04107, Germany.
| | - Christian Höner Zu Siederdissen
- Bioinformatics Group, Department of Computer Science, and Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstraße 16-18, Leipzig, 04107, Germany
| | - Marko Dunjić
- Human Biology Group, Institute for Biology, Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Freie Universitaet Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany.,Center for Human Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 16, PO box 43, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia
| | - Peter F Stadler
- Bioinformatics Group, Department of Computer Science, and Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstraße 16-18, Leipzig, 04107, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig & Competence Center for Scalable Data Services and Solutions Dresden-Leipzig & Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, University Leipzig, Leipzig, 04107, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, Inselstraße 22, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Department of Theoretical Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, Vienna, A-1090, Austria.,Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 3, Frederiksberg C, DK-1870, Denmark.,Faculdad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Ciudad Universitaria, Bogotá, D.C., COL-111321, Colombia.,Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Rd., Santa Fe, NM87501, USA
| | - Katja Nowick
- Human Biology Group, Institute for Biology, Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Freie Universitaet Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany. .,TFome Research Group, Bioinformatics Group, Interdisciplinary Center of Bioinformatics, Department of Computer Science, University of Leipzig, Härtelstraße 16-18, Leipzig, 04107, Germany. .,Paul-Flechsig-Institute for Brain Research, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 19. Haus C, Leipzig, 04103, Germany. .,Bioinformatics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Animal Science, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstraße 13, Stuttgart, 70593, Germany.
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Pegueroles C, Iraola-Guzmán S, Chorostecki U, Ksiezopolska E, Saus E, Gabaldón T. Transcriptomic analyses reveal groups of co-expressed, syntenic lncRNAs in four species of the genus Caenorhabditis. RNA Biol 2019; 16:320-329. [PMID: 30691342 PMCID: PMC6380332 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2019.1572438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Revised: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a heterogeneous class of genes that do not code for proteins. Since lncRNAs (or a fraction thereof) are expected to be functional, many efforts have been dedicated to catalog lncRNAs in numerous organisms, but our knowledge of lncRNAs in non vertebrate species remains very limited. Here, we annotated lncRNAs using transcriptomic data from the same larval stage of four Caenorhabditis species. The number of annotated lncRNAs in self-fertile nematodes was lower than in out-crossing species. We used a combination of approaches to identify putatively homologous lncRNAs: synteny, sequence conservation, and structural conservation. We classified a total of 1,532 out of 7,635 genes from the four species into families of lncRNAs with conserved synteny and expression at the larval stage, suggesting that a large fraction of the predicted lncRNAs may be species specific. Despite both sequence and local secondary structure seem to be poorly conserved, sequences within families frequently shared BLASTn hits and short sequence motifs, which were more likely to be unpaired in the predicted structures. We provide the first multi-species catalog of lncRNAs in nematodes and identify groups of lncRNAs with conserved synteny and expression, that share exposed motifs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinta Pegueroles
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Susana Iraola-Guzmán
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Uciel Chorostecki
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ewa Ksiezopolska
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ester Saus
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Toni Gabaldón
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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Agirre X, Meydan C, Jiang Y, Garate L, Doane AS, Li Z, Verma A, Paiva B, Martín-Subero JI, Elemento O, Mason CE, Prosper F, Melnick A. Long non-coding RNAs discriminate the stages and gene regulatory states of human humoral immune response. Nat Commun 2019; 10:821. [PMID: 30778059 PMCID: PMC6379396 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08679-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
lncRNAs make up a majority of the human transcriptome and have key regulatory functions. Here we perform unbiased de novo annotation of transcripts expressed during the human humoral immune response to find 30% of the human genome transcribed during this process, yet 58% of these transcripts manifest striking differential expression, indicating an lncRNA phylogenetic relationship among cell types that is more robust than that of coding genes. We provide an atlas of lncRNAs in naive and GC B-cells that indicates their partition into ten functionally categories based on chromatin features, DNase hypersensitivity and transcription factor localization, defining lncRNAs classes such as enhancer-RNAs (eRNA), bivalent-lncRNAs, and CTCF-associated, among others. Specifically, eRNAs are transcribed in 8.6% of regular enhancers and 36.5% of super enhancers, and are associated with coding genes that participate in critical immune regulatory pathways, while plasma cells have uniquely high levels of circular-RNAs accounted for by and reflecting the combinatorial clonal state of the Immunoglobulin loci. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) constitute a large fraction of human transcriptome, and are reported, individually, for context-specific regulatory functions. Here the authors expand our understanding by providing a systemic, unbiased annotation of lncRNA to establish an atlas of lncRNA landscape during the induction of human humoral immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xabier Agirre
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA. .,Division of Hemato-Oncology, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, IDISNA, Ciberonc, Pamplona, 31008, Spain.
| | - Cem Meydan
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA.,The Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Yanwen Jiang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Leire Garate
- Division of Hemato-Oncology, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, IDISNA, Ciberonc, Pamplona, 31008, Spain.,Department of Hematology, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, IDISNA, Pamplona, 31008, Spain
| | - Ashley S Doane
- The Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Zhuoning Li
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Akanksha Verma
- The Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Bruno Paiva
- Division of Hemato-Oncology, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, IDISNA, Ciberonc, Pamplona, 31008, Spain
| | - José I Martín-Subero
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomédiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08036, Spain
| | - Olivier Elemento
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA.,The Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Christopher E Mason
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA. .,The Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA. .,The Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA.
| | - Felipe Prosper
- Division of Hemato-Oncology, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, IDISNA, Ciberonc, Pamplona, 31008, Spain. .,Department of Hematology, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, IDISNA, Pamplona, 31008, Spain.
| | - Ari Melnick
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA.
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Carlevaro-Fita J, Polidori T, Das M, Navarro C, Zoller TI, Johnson R. Ancient exapted transposable elements promote nuclear enrichment of human long noncoding RNAs. Genome Res 2019. [PMID: 30587508 DOI: 10.1101/gr.229922.117.freely] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/24/2023]
Abstract
The sequence domains underlying long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) activities, including their characteristic nuclear enrichment, remain largely unknown. It has been proposed that these domains can originate from neofunctionalized fragments of transposable elements (TEs), otherwise known as RIDLs (repeat insertion domains of lncRNA), although just a handful have been identified. It is challenging to distinguish functional RIDL instances against a numerous genomic background of neutrally evolving TEs. We here show evidence that a subset of TE types experience evolutionary selection in the context of lncRNA exons. Together these comprise an enrichment group of 5374 TE fragments in 3566 loci. Their host lncRNAs tend to be functionally validated and associated with disease. This RIDL group was used to explore the relationship between TEs and lncRNA subcellular localization. By using global localization data from 10 human cell lines, we uncover a dose-dependent relationship between nuclear/cytoplasmic distribution and evolutionarily conserved L2b, MIRb, and MIRc elements. This is observed in multiple cell types and is unaffected by confounders of transcript length or expression. Experimental validation with engineered transgenes shows that these TEs drive nuclear enrichment in a natural sequence context. Together these data reveal a role for TEs in regulating the subcellular localization of lncRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Carlevaro-Fita
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, University Hospital and University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Taisia Polidori
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, University Hospital and University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Monalisa Das
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, University Hospital and University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Carmen Navarro
- Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Tatjana I Zoller
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, University Hospital and University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Rory Johnson
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, University Hospital and University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
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Evolutionary Patterns of Non-Coding RNA in Cardiovascular Biology. Noncoding RNA 2019; 5:ncrna5010015. [PMID: 30709035 PMCID: PMC6468844 DOI: 10.3390/ncrna5010015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 01/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) affect the heart and the vascular system with a high prevalence and place a huge burden on society as well as the healthcare system. These complex diseases are often the result of multiple genetic and environmental risk factors and pose a great challenge to understanding their etiology and consequences. With the advent of next generation sequencing, many non-coding RNA transcripts, especially long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), have been linked to the pathogenesis of CVD. Despite increasing evidence, the proper functional characterization of most of these molecules is still lacking. The exploration of conservation of sequences across related species has been used to functionally annotate protein coding genes. In contrast, the rapid evolutionary turnover and weak sequence conservation of lncRNAs make it difficult to characterize functional homologs for these sequences. Recent studies have tried to explore other dimensions of interspecies conservation to elucidate the functional role of these novel transcripts. In this review, we summarize various methodologies adopted to explore the evolutionary conservation of cardiovascular non-coding RNAs at sequence, secondary structure, syntenic, and expression level.
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Eiberg H, Mikkelsen AF, Bak M, Tommerup N, Lund AM, Wenzel A, Sabarinathan R, Gorodkin J, Bang-Berthelsen CH, Hansen L. A splice-site variant in the lncRNA gene RP1-140A9.1 cosegregates in the large Volkmann cataract family. Mol Vis 2019; 25:1-11. [PMID: 30820140 PMCID: PMC6377377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose To identify the mutation for Volkmann cataract (CTRCT8) at 1p36.33. Methods The genes in the candidate region 1p36.33 were Sanger and parallel deep sequenced, and informative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified for linkage analysis. Expression analysis with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of the candidate gene was performed using RNA from different human tissues. Quantitative transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis of the GNB1 gene was performed in affected and healthy individuals. Bioinformatic analysis of the linkage regions including the candidate gene was performed. Results Linkage analysis of the 1p36.33 CCV locus applying new marker systems obtained with Sanger and deep sequencing reduced the candidate locus from 2.1 Mb to 0.389 Mb flanked by the markers STS-22AC and rs549772338 and resulted in an logarithm of the odds (LOD) score of Z = 21.67. The identified mutation, rs763295804, affects the donor splice site in the long non-coding RNA gene RP1-140A9.1 (ENSG00000231050). The gene including splice-site junctions is conserved in primates but not in other mammalian genomes, and two alternative transcripts were shown with RT-PCR. One of these transcripts represented a lens cell-specific transcript. Meta-analysis of the Cross-Linking-Immuno-Precipitation sequencing (CLIP-Seq) data suggested the RNA binding protein (RBP) eIF4AIII is an active counterpart for RP1-140A9.1, and several miRNA and transcription factors binding sites were predicted in the proximity of the mutation. ENCODE DNase I hypersensitivity and histone methylation and acetylation data suggest the genomic region may have regulatory functions. Conclusions The mutation in RP1-140A9.1 suggests the long non-coding RNA as the candidate cataract gene associated with the autosomal dominant inherited congenital cataract from CCV. The mutation has the potential to destroy exon/intron splicing of both transcripts of RP1-140A9.1. Sanger and massive deep resequencing of the linkage region failed to identify alternative candidates suggesting the mutation in RP1-140A9.1 is causative for the CCV phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Eiberg
- RCLINK, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Annemette F. Mikkelsen
- RCLINK, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Mads Bak
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Niels Tommerup
- Wilhelm Johansen Centre for Functional Genome Research, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark,Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Allan M. Lund
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anne Wenzel
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Radhakrishnan Sabarinathan
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Jan Gorodkin
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Claus H. Bang-Berthelsen
- Research Group for Microbial Biotechnology and Biorefining, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Lars Hansen
- Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark
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Carlevaro-Fita J, Polidori T, Das M, Navarro C, Zoller TI, Johnson R. Ancient exapted transposable elements promote nuclear enrichment of human long noncoding RNAs. Genome Res 2018; 29:208-222. [PMID: 30587508 PMCID: PMC6360812 DOI: 10.1101/gr.229922.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The sequence domains underlying long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) activities, including their characteristic nuclear enrichment, remain largely unknown. It has been proposed that these domains can originate from neofunctionalized fragments of transposable elements (TEs), otherwise known as RIDLs (repeat insertion domains of lncRNA), although just a handful have been identified. It is challenging to distinguish functional RIDL instances against a numerous genomic background of neutrally evolving TEs. We here show evidence that a subset of TE types experience evolutionary selection in the context of lncRNA exons. Together these comprise an enrichment group of 5374 TE fragments in 3566 loci. Their host lncRNAs tend to be functionally validated and associated with disease. This RIDL group was used to explore the relationship between TEs and lncRNA subcellular localization. By using global localization data from 10 human cell lines, we uncover a dose-dependent relationship between nuclear/cytoplasmic distribution and evolutionarily conserved L2b, MIRb, and MIRc elements. This is observed in multiple cell types and is unaffected by confounders of transcript length or expression. Experimental validation with engineered transgenes shows that these TEs drive nuclear enrichment in a natural sequence context. Together these data reveal a role for TEs in regulating the subcellular localization of lncRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Carlevaro-Fita
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, University Hospital and University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.,Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Taisia Polidori
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, University Hospital and University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.,Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Monalisa Das
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, University Hospital and University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Carmen Navarro
- Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Tatjana I Zoller
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, University Hospital and University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Rory Johnson
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, University Hospital and University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
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Kirsch R, Seemann SE, Ruzzo WL, Cohen SM, Stadler PF, Gorodkin J. Identification and characterization of novel conserved RNA structures in Drosophila. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:899. [PMID: 30537930 PMCID: PMC6288889 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-5234-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Comparative genomics approaches have facilitated the discovery of many novel non-coding and structured RNAs (ncRNAs). The increasing availability of related genomes now makes it possible to systematically search for compensatory base changes - and thus for conserved secondary structures - even in genomic regions that are poorly alignable in the primary sequence. The wealth of available transcriptome data can add valuable insight into expression and possible function for new ncRNA candidates. Earlier work identifying ncRNAs in Drosophila melanogaster made use of sequence-based alignments and employed a sliding window approach, inevitably biasing identification toward RNAs encoded in the more conserved parts of the genome. RESULTS To search for conserved RNA structures (CRSs) that may not be highly conserved in sequence and to assess the expression of CRSs, we conducted a genome-wide structural alignment screen of 27 insect genomes including D. melanogaster and integrated this with an extensive set of tiling array data. The structural alignment screen revealed ∼30,000 novel candidate CRSs at an estimated false discovery rate of less than 10%. With more than one quarter of all individual CRS motifs showing sequence identities below 60%, the predicted CRSs largely complement the findings of sliding window approaches applied previously. While a sixth of the CRSs were ubiquitously expressed, we found that most were expressed in specific developmental stages or cell lines. Notably, most statistically significant enrichment of CRSs were observed in pupae, mainly in exons of untranslated regions, promotors, enhancers, and long ncRNAs. Interestingly, cell lines were found to express a different set of CRSs than were found in vivo. Only a small fraction of intergenic CRSs were co-expressed with the adjacent protein coding genes, which suggests that most intergenic CRSs are independent genetic units. CONCLUSIONS This study provides a more comprehensive view of the ncRNA transcriptome in fly as well as evidence for differential expression of CRSs during development and in cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Kirsch
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 3, Frederiksberg C, DK-1870 Denmark
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Science, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 3, Frederiksberg C, DK-1870 Denmark
- Bioinformatics Group, Department of Computer Science, and Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstraße 16–18, Leipzig, D-04107 Germany
| | - Stefan E. Seemann
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 3, Frederiksberg C, DK-1870 Denmark
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Science, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 3, Frederiksberg C, DK-1870 Denmark
| | - Walter L. Ruzzo
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 3, Frederiksberg C, DK-1870 Denmark
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Box 352350, Seattle, 98195-2350 WA USA
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355065, Seattle, 98195-5065 WA USA
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave. N., Seattle, 98109-1024 WA USA
| | - Stephen M. Cohen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3, Copenhagen N, DK-2200 Denmark
| | - Peter F. Stadler
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 3, Frederiksberg C, DK-1870 Denmark
- Bioinformatics Group, Department of Computer Science, and Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstraße 16–18, Leipzig, D-04107 Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, Inselstraße 22, Leipzig, D-04103 Germany
- Faculdad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Ciudad Universitaria, Bogotá, COL-111321 D.C. Colombia
- Department of Theoretical Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, Vienna, A-1090 Austria
- Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Rd., Santa Fe, NM87501 USA
| | - Jan Gorodkin
- Center for non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 3, Frederiksberg C, DK-1870 Denmark
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Science, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 3, Frederiksberg C, DK-1870 Denmark
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The emerging role of lncRNAs in inflammatory bowel disease. Exp Mol Med 2018; 50:1-14. [PMID: 30523244 PMCID: PMC6283835 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-018-0188-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Revised: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Dysregulation of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) expression is linked to the development of various diseases. Recently, an emerging body of evidence has indicated that lncRNAs play important roles in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative Colitis (UC). In IBD, lncRNAs have been shown to be involved in diverse processes, including the regulation of intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis, association with lipid metabolism, and cell–cell interactions, thereby enhancing inflammation and the functional regulation of regulatory T cells. In this review, we aim to summarize the current knowledge regarding the role of lncRNAs in IBD and highlight potential avenues for future investigation. We also collate potentially immune-relevant, IBD-associated lncRNAs identified through a built-by association analysis with respect to their neighboring protein-coding genes within IBD-susceptible loci. We further underscore their importance by highlighting their enrichment for various aspects of immune system regulation, including antigen processing/presentation, immune cell proliferation and differentiation, and chronic inflammatory responses. Finally, we summarize the potential of lncRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers in IBD. Studying long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) may improve diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). These RNAs are found between genes in DNA regions previously thought to be “junk,” and have recently been shown to be important in development of various diseases. IBD, which includes both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, damages the digestive tract lining, causing pain and chronic diarrhea. A better understanding of IBD’s complex causes is needed to identify more effective treatments. Flemming Pociot at the Steno Diabetes Center in Gentofte, Denmark, and co-workers reviewed recent research linking lncRNAs and IBD. They discuss how lncRNAs’ roles in immunity and inflammation influence IBD development, describing how particular lncRNAs are related to IBD. Promising avenues for further research are highlighted, including the use of lncRNAs as biomarkers of IBD, which can be difficult to diagnose.
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