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Hong M, Zhou X, Zeng C, Xu D, Xu T, Liao S, Wang K, Zhu C, Shan G, Huang X, Chen X, Feng X, Guang S. Nucleolar stress induces nucleolar stress body formation via the NOSR-1/NUMR-1 axis in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7256. [PMID: 39179648 PMCID: PMC11343841 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51693-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Environmental stimuli not only alter gene expression profiles but also induce structural changes in cells. How distinct nuclear bodies respond to cellular stress is poorly understood. Here, we identify a subnuclear organelle named the nucleolar stress body (NoSB), the formation of which is induced by the inhibition of rRNA transcription or inactivation of rRNA processing and maturation in C. elegans. NoSB does not colocalize with other previously described subnuclear organelles. We conduct forward genetic screening and identify a bZIP transcription factor, named nucleolar stress response-1 (NOSR-1), that is required for NoSB formation. The inhibition of rRNA transcription or inactivation of rRNA processing and maturation increases nosr-1 expression. By using transcriptome analysis of wild-type animals subjected to different nucleolar stress conditions and nosr-1 mutants, we identify that the SR-like protein NUMR-1 (nuclear localized metal responsive) is the target of NOSR-1. Interestingly, NUMR-1 is a component of NoSB and itself per se is required for the formation of NoSB. We conclude that the NOSR-1/NUMR-1 axis likely responds to nucleolar stress and mediates downstream stress-responsive transcription programs and subnuclear morphology alterations in C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minjie Hong
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Xiaotian Zhou
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Chenming Zeng
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Demin Xu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Ting Xu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Shimiao Liao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Ke Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Chengming Zhu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Ge Shan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Xinya Huang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China.
| | - Xiangyang Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China.
| | - Xuezhu Feng
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
| | - Shouhong Guang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China.
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Confino S, Wexler Y, Medvetzky A, Elazary Y, Ben-Moshe Z, Reiter J, Dor T, Edvardson S, Prag G, Harel T, Gothilf Y. A deleterious variant of INTS1 leads to disrupted sleep-wake cycles. Dis Model Mech 2024; 17:dmm050746. [PMID: 39189071 PMCID: PMC11381918 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.050746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Sleep disturbances are common among children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we report a syndrome characterized by prenatal microcephaly, intellectual disability and severe disruption of sleep-wake cycles in a consanguineous family. Exome sequencing revealed homozygous variants (c.5224G>A and c.6506G>T) leading to the missense mutations E1742K and G2169V in integrator complex subunit 1 (INTS1), the core subunit of the Integrator complex. Conservation and structural analyses suggest that G2169V has a minor impact on the structure and function of the complex, while E1742K significantly alters a negatively charged conserved patch on the surface of the protein. The severe sleep-wake cycles disruption in human carriers highlights a new aspect of Integrator complex impairment. To further study INTS1 pathogenicity, we generated Ints1-deficient zebrafish lines. Mutant zebrafish larvae displayed abnormal circadian rhythms of locomotor activity and sleep, as is the case with the affected humans. Furthermore, Ints1-deficent larvae exhibited elevated levels of dopamine β-hydroxylase (dbh) mRNA in the locus coeruleus, a wakefulness-inducing brainstem center. Altogether, these findings suggest a significant, likely indirect, effect of INTS1 and the Integrator complex on maintaining circadian rhythms of locomotor activity and sleep homeostasis across vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shir Confino
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Yair Wexler
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Adar Medvetzky
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Yotam Elazary
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Zohar Ben-Moshe
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Joel Reiter
- Pediatric Pulmonary & Sleep Unit, Hadassah Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Talya Dor
- ALYN - Children and Adolescent Rehabilitation Center, Jerusalem 9109002, Israel
| | - Simon Edvardson
- ALYN - Children and Adolescent Rehabilitation Center, Jerusalem 9109002, Israel
| | - Gali Prag
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Tamar Harel
- Department of Genetics, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
| | - Yoav Gothilf
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
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Abraham E, Athapaththu AMGK, Atanasova KR, Chen QY, Corcoran TJ, Piloto J, Wu CW, Ratnayake R, Luesch H, Choe KP. Chemical Genetics in C. elegans Identifies Anticancer Mycotoxins Chaetocin and Chetomin as Potent Inducers of a Nuclear Metal Homeostasis Response. ACS Chem Biol 2024; 19:1180-1193. [PMID: 38652683 PMCID: PMC11102292 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.4c00131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
C. elegans numr-1/2 (nuclear-localized metal-responsive) is an identical gene pair encoding a nuclear protein previously shown to be activated by cadmium and disruption of the integrator RNA metabolism complex. We took a chemical genetic approach to further characterize regulation of this novel metal response by screening 41,716 compounds and extracts for numr-1p::GFP activation. The most potent activator was chaetocin, a fungal 3,6-epidithiodiketopiperazine (ETP) with promising anticancer activity. Chaetocin activates numr-1/2 strongly in the alimentary canal but is distinct from metal exposure, because it represses canonical cadmium-responsive metallothionine genes. Chaetocin has diverse targets in cancer cells including thioredoxin reductase, histone lysine methyltransferase, and acetyltransferase p300/CBP; further work is needed to identify the mechanism in C. elegans as genetic disruption and RNAi screening of homologues did not induce numr-1/2 in the alimentary canal and chaetocin did not affect markers of integrator dysfunction. We demonstrate that disulfides in chaetocin and chetomin, a dimeric ETP analog, are required to induce numr-1/2. ETP monomer gliotoxin, despite possessing a disulfide linkage, had almost no effect on numr-1/2, suggesting a dimer requirement. Chetomin inhibits C. elegans growth at low micromolar levels, and loss of numr-1/2 increases sensitivity; C. elegans and Chaetomiaceae fungi inhabit similar environments raising the possibility that numr-1/2 functions as a defense mechanism. There is no direct orthologue of numr-1/2 in humans, but RNaseq suggests that chaetocin affects expression of cellular processes linked to stress response and metal homeostasis in colorectal cancer cells. Our results reveal interactions between metal response gene regulation and ETPs and identify a potential mechanism of resistance to this versatile class of preclinical compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elijah Abraham
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | | | - Kalina R. Atanasova
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
- Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
| | - Qi-Yin Chen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
- Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
| | - Taylor J. Corcoran
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
- Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
| | - Juan Piloto
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Cheng-Wei Wu
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S&N 5B4 Canada
| | - Ranjala Ratnayake
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
- Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
| | - Hendrik Luesch
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
- Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
| | - Keith P. Choe
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
- Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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4
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Waddell BM, Wu CW. A role for the C. elegans Argonaute protein CSR-1 in small nuclear RNA 3' processing. PLoS Genet 2024; 20:e1011284. [PMID: 38743783 PMCID: PMC11125478 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The Integrator is a multi-subunit protein complex that catalyzes the maturation of snRNA transcripts via 3' cleavage, a step required for snRNA incorporation with snRNP for spliceosome biogenesis. Here we developed a GFP based in vivo snRNA misprocessing reporter as a readout of Integrator function and performed a genome-wide RNAi screen for Integrator regulators. We found that loss of the Argonaute encoding csr-1 gene resulted in widespread 3' misprocessing of snRNA transcripts that is accompanied by a significant increase in alternative splicing. Loss of the csr-1 gene down-regulates the germline expression of Integrator subunits 4 and 6 and is accompanied by a reduced protein translation efficiency of multiple Integrator catalytic and non-catalytic subunits. Through isoform and motif mutant analysis, we determined that CSR-1's effect on snRNA processing is dependent on its catalytic slicer activity but does not involve the CSR-1a isoform. Moreover, mRNA-sequencing revealed high similarity in the transcriptome profile between csr-1 and Integrator subunit knockdown via RNAi. Together, our findings reveal CSR-1 as a new regulator of the Integrator complex and implicate a novel role of this Argonaute protein in snRNA 3' processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon M. Waddell
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Cheng-Wei Wu
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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5
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Huynh D, Wu CW. Identification of pararosaniline as a modifier of RNA splicing in Caenorhabditis elegans. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad241. [PMID: 37852248 PMCID: PMC10700105 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Posttranscriptional splicing of premessenger RNA (mRNA) is an evolutionarily conserved eukaryotic process for producing mature mRNA that is translated into proteins. Accurate splicing is necessary for normal growth and development, and aberrant splicing is increasingly evident in various human pathologies. To study environmental factors that influence RNA splicing, we employed a fluorescent Caenorhabditis elegans in vivo splicing reporter as a biomarker for splicing fidelity to screen against the US EPA ToxCast chemical library. We identified pararosaniline hydrochloride as a strong modifier of RNA splicing. Through gene expression analysis, we found that pararosaniline activates the oxidative stress response and alters the expression of key RNA splicing regulator genes. Physiological assays show that pararosaniline is deleterious to C. elegans development, reproduction, and aging. Through a targeted RNAi screen, we found that inhibiting protein translation can reverse pararosaniline's effect on the splicing reporter and provide significant protection against long-term pararosaniline toxicity. Together, this study reveals a new chemical modifier of RNA splicing and describes translation inhibition as a genetic mechanism to provide resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan Huynh
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Cheng-Wei Wu
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B3, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada
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6
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Welsh SA, Gardini A. Genomic regulation of transcription and RNA processing by the multitasking Integrator complex. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2023; 24:204-220. [PMID: 36180603 PMCID: PMC9974566 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-022-00534-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In higher eukaryotes, fine-tuned activation of protein-coding genes and many non-coding RNAs pivots around the regulated activity of RNA polymerase II (Pol II). The Integrator complex is the only Pol II-associated large multiprotein complex that is metazoan specific, and has therefore been understudied for years. Integrator comprises at least 14 subunits, which are grouped into distinct functional modules. The phosphodiesterase activity of the core catalytic module is co-transcriptionally directed against several RNA species, including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), U small nuclear RNAs (U snRNAs), PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), enhancer RNAs and nascent pre-mRNAs. Processing of non-coding RNAs by Integrator is essential for their biogenesis, and at protein-coding genes, Integrator is a key modulator of Pol II promoter-proximal pausing and transcript elongation. Recent studies have identified an Integrator-specific serine/threonine-protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) module, which targets Pol II and other components of the basal transcription machinery. In this Review, we discuss how the activity of Integrator regulates transcription, RNA processing, chromatin landscape and DNA repair. We also discuss the diverse roles of Integrator in development and tumorigenesis.
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7
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Tabarraei H, Waddell BM, Raymond K, Murray SM, Wang Y, Choe KP, Wu CW. CCR4-NOT subunit CCF-1/CNOT7 promotes transcriptional activation to multiple stress responses in Caenorhabditis elegans. Aging Cell 2023; 22:e13795. [PMID: 36797658 PMCID: PMC10086529 DOI: 10.1111/acel.13795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
CCR4-NOT is a versatile eukaryotic protein complex that controls multiple steps in gene expression regulation from synthesis to decay. In yeast, CCR4-NOT has been implicated in stress response regulation, though this function in other organisms remains unclear. In a genome-wide RNAi screen, we identified a subunit of the CCR4-NOT complex, ccf-1, as a requirement for the C. elegans transcriptional response to cadmium and acrylamide stress. Using whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing, we show that the knockdown of ccf-1 attenuates the activation of a broad range of stress-protective genes in response to cadmium and acrylamide, including those encoding heat shock proteins and xenobiotic detoxification. Consistently, survival assays show that the knockdown of ccf-1 decreases C. elegans stress resistance and normal lifespan. A yeast 2-hybrid screen using a CCF-1 bait identified the homeobox transcription factor PAL-1 as a physical interactor. Knockdown of pal-1 inhibits the activation of ccf-1 dependent stress genes and reduces C. elegans stress resistance. Gene expression analysis reveals that knockdown of ccf-1 and pal-1 attenuates the activation of elt-2 and elt-3 under stress that encode master transcriptional co-regulators of stress response in the C. elegans, and that overexpression of ELT-2 can suppress ccf-1's requirement for gene transcription in a stress-dependent manner. Our findings reveal a new role for CCR4-NOT in the environmental stress response and define its role in stress resistance and longevity in C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadi Tabarraei
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Brandon M Waddell
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Kelly Raymond
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Sydney M Murray
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Keith P Choe
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Cheng-Wei Wu
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.,Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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8
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Liudkovska V, Krawczyk PS, Brouze A, Gumińska N, Wegierski T, Cysewski D, Mackiewicz Z, Ewbank JJ, Drabikowski K, Mroczek S, Dziembowski A. TENT5 cytoplasmic noncanonical poly(A) polymerases regulate the innate immune response in animals. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eadd9468. [PMID: 36383655 PMCID: PMC9668313 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add9468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Innate immunity is the first line of host defense against pathogens. Here, through global transcriptome and proteome analyses, we uncover that newly described cytoplasmic poly(A) polymerase TENT-5 (terminal nucleotidyltransferase 5) enhances the expression of secreted innate immunity effector proteins in Caenorhabditis elegans. Direct RNA sequencing revealed that multiple mRNAs with signal peptide-encoding sequences have shorter poly(A) tails in tent-5-deficient worms. Those mRNAs are translated at the endoplasmic reticulum where a fraction of TENT-5 is present, implying that they represent its direct substrates. Loss of tent-5 makes worms more susceptible to bacterial infection. Notably, the role of TENT-5 in innate immunity is evolutionarily conserved. Its orthologs, TENT5A and TENT5C, are expressed in macrophages and induced during their activation. Analysis of macrophages devoid of TENT5A/C revealed their role in the regulation of secreted proteins involved in defense response. In summary, our study reveals cytoplasmic polyadenylation to be a previously unknown component of the posttranscriptional regulation of innate immunity in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladyslava Liudkovska
- Laboratory of RNA Biology, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Trojdena 4, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
- Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Paweł S Krawczyk
- Laboratory of RNA Biology, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Trojdena 4, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Brouze
- Laboratory of RNA Biology, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Trojdena 4, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
- Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Natalia Gumińska
- Laboratory of RNA Biology, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Trojdena 4, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Tomasz Wegierski
- Laboratory of RNA Biology, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Trojdena 4, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Dominik Cysewski
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Zuzanna Mackiewicz
- Laboratory of RNA Biology, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Trojdena 4, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jonathan J Ewbank
- Aix Marseille University, INSERM, CNRS, CIML, Turing Centre for Living Systems, Marseille, France
| | - Krzysztof Drabikowski
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Seweryn Mroczek
- Laboratory of RNA Biology, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Trojdena 4, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
- Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Andrzej Dziembowski
- Laboratory of RNA Biology, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Trojdena 4, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
- Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
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9
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Piloto JH, Rodriguez M, Choe KP. Sexual dimorphism in Caenorhabditis elegans stress resistance. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0272452. [PMID: 35951614 PMCID: PMC9371273 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272452] [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: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Physiological responses to the environment, disease, and aging vary by sex in many animals, but mechanisms of dimorphism have only recently begun to receive careful attention. The genetic model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has well-defined mechanisms of stress response, aging, and sexual differentiation. C. elegans has males, but the vast majority of research only uses hermaphrodites. We found that males of the standard N2 laboratory strain were more resistant to hyperosmolarity, heat, and a natural pro-oxidant than hermaphrodites when in mixed-sex groups. Resistance to heat and pro-oxidant were also male-biased in three genetically and geographically diverse C. elegans strains consistent with a species-wide dimorphism that is not specific to domestication. N2 males were also more resistant to heat and pro-oxidant when keep individually indicating that differences in resistance do not require interactions between worms. We found that males induce canonical stress response genes by similar degrees and in similar tissues as hermaphrodites suggesting the importance of other mechanisms. We find that resistance to heat and pro-oxidant are influenced by the sex differentiation transcription factor TRA-1 suggesting that downstream organ differentiation pathways establish differences in stress resistance. Environmental stress influences survival in natural environments, degenerative disease, and aging. Understanding mechanisms of stress response dimorphism can therefore provide insights into sex-specific population dynamics, disease, and longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan H. Piloto
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Michael Rodriguez
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Keith P. Choe
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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10
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Chomyshen SC, Tabarraei H, Wu CW. Translational suppression via IFG-1/eIF4G inhibits stress-induced RNA alternative splicing in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2022; 221:iyac075. [PMID: 35536193 PMCID: PMC9252287 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyac075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Splicing of precursor mRNA is an essential process for dividing cells, and splicing defects have been linked to aging and various chronic diseases. Environmental stress has recently been shown to modify alternative splicing, and molecular mechanisms that influence stress-induced alternative splicing remain unclear. Using an in vivo RNA splicing reporter, we performed a genome-wide RNAi screen in Caenorhabditis elegans and found that protein translation suppression via silencing of the conserved eukaryotic initiation factor 4G (IFG-1/eIF4G) inhibits cadmium-induced alternative splicing. Transcriptome analysis of an ifg-1-deficient mutant revealed an overall decrease in intronic and intergenic reads and prevented cadmium-induced alternative splicing compared to the wild type. We found that the ifg-1 mutant up-regulates >80 RNA splicing regulatory genes controlled by the TGF-β transcription factor SMA-2. The extended lifespan of the ifg-1 mutant is partially reduced upon sma-2 depletion and completely nullified when core spliceosome genes including snr-1, snr-2, and uaf-2 are knocked down. Depletion of snr-1 and snr-2 also diminished the enhanced cadmium resistance of the ifg-1 mutant. Together, these data describe a molecular mechanism through which translation suppression inhibits stress-induced alternative splicing and demonstrate an essential role for RNA splicing in promoting longevity and stress resistance in a translation-compromised mutant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha C Chomyshen
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Hadi Tabarraei
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Cheng-Wei Wu
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B3, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada
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11
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Comfort JJ, Chomyshen SC, Waddell BM, Tabarraei H, Wu CW. Molecular characterization of ethyl carbamate toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Toxicol Rep 2022; 9:619-627. [PMID: 35399212 PMCID: PMC8990054 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2022.03.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Ethyl carbamate is a common contaminant prevalent in fermented food with probable carcinogenic effects in animals. To date, other toxicological properties of ethyl carbamate are not well characterized. Using the genetic model Caenorhabditis elegans, we found that chronic exposure to ethyl carbamate during larval development impedes growth while exposure during adulthood inhibits reproduction, shortens lifespan, and promotes degeneration to dopaminergic neurons. Through whole-transcriptome RNA-sequencing, we found that ethyl carbamate invokes a widespread transcriptomic response inducing the differential expression of > 4,000 genes by at least 2-fold. Functional analysis of RNA-sequencing data revealed that up-regulated genes enrich to various neuron regulatory processes and xenobiotic defense. Gene expression analysis confirms that various genes encoding antioxidant enzymes and those functioning within phase I and II detoxification responses along with ABC transporters are highly up-regulated after ethyl carbamate exposure, suggesting the onset of oxidative stress. Overall, these findings report new toxicological properties of chronic ethyl carbamate exposure and provide new insights on its effects on transcriptome regulation in the C. elegans model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan J. Comfort
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Samantha C. Chomyshen
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Brandon M. Waddell
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Hadi Tabarraei
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Cheng-Wei Wu
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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12
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Zhang WH, Koyuncu S, Vilchez D. Insights Into the Links Between Proteostasis and Aging From C. elegans. FRONTIERS IN AGING 2022; 3:854157. [PMID: 35821832 PMCID: PMC9261386 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2022.854157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
Protein homeostasis (proteostasis) is maintained by a tightly regulated and interconnected network of biological pathways, preventing the accumulation and aggregation of damaged or misfolded proteins. Thus, the proteostasis network is essential to ensure organism longevity and health, while proteostasis failure contributes to the development of aging and age-related diseases that involve protein aggregation. The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans has proved invaluable for the study of proteostasis in the context of aging, longevity and disease, with a number of pivotal discoveries attributable to the use of this organism. In this review, we discuss prominent findings from C. elegans across the many key aspects of the proteostasis network, within the context of aging and disease. These studies collectively highlight numerous promising therapeutic targets, which may 1 day facilitate the development of interventions to delay aging and prevent age-associated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Hongyu Zhang
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Seda Koyuncu
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - David Vilchez
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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13
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Shafer CM, Tseng A, Allard P, McEvoy MM. Strength of Cu-efflux response in E. coli coordinates metal resistance in C. elegans and contributes to the severity of environmental toxicity. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:101060. [PMID: 34375643 PMCID: PMC8424214 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Without effective homeostatic systems in place, excess copper (Cu) is universally toxic to organisms. While increased utilization of anthropogenic Cu in the environment has driven the diversification of Cu-resistance systems within enterobacteria, little research has focused on how this change in bacterial architecture impacts host organisms that need to maintain their own Cu homeostasis. Therefore, we utilized a simplified host–microbe system to determine whether the efficiency of one bacterial Cu-resistance system, increasing Cu-efflux capacity via the ubiquitous CusRS two-component system, contributes to the availability and subsequent toxicity of Cu in host Caenorhabditis elegans nematode. We found that a fully functional Cu-efflux system in bacteria increased the severity of Cu toxicity in host nematodes without increasing the C. elegans Cu-body burden. Instead, increased Cu toxicity in the host was associated with reduced expression of a protective metal stress-response gene, numr-1, in the posterior pharynx of nematodes where pharyngeal grinding breaks apart ingested bacteria before passing into the digestive tract. The spatial localization of numr-1 transgene activation and loss of bacterially dependent Cu-resistance in nematodes without an effective numr-1 response support the hypothesis that numr-1 is responsive to the bacterial Cu-efflux capacity. We propose that the bacterial Cu-efflux capacity acts as a robust spatial determinant for a host’s response to chronic Cu stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine M Shafer
- Molecular Toxicology Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Ashley Tseng
- Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Patrick Allard
- Molecular Toxicology Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
| | - Megan M McEvoy
- Molecular Toxicology Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics. University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
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14
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Kirstein N, Gomes Dos Santos H, Blumenthal E, Shiekhattar R. The Integrator complex at the crossroad of coding and noncoding RNA. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2020; 70:37-43. [PMID: 33340967 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2020.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Genomic transcription is fundamental to all organisms. In metazoans, the Integrator complex is required for endonucleolytic processing of noncoding RNAs, regulation of RNA polymerase II pause-release, and premature transcription attenuation at coding genes. Recent insights into the structural composition and evolution of Integrator subunits have informed our understanding of its biochemical functionality. Moreover, studies in multiple model organisms point to an essential function of Integrator in signaling response and cellular development, highlighting a key role in neuronal differentiation. Indeed, alterations in Integrator complex subunits have been identified in patients with neurodevelopmental diseases and cancer. Taken together, we propose that Integrator is a central regulator of transcriptional processes and that its evolution reflects genomic complexity in regulatory elements and chromatin architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Kirstein
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Human Genetics, Biomedical Research Building, Room 719, 1501 NW 10th Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Helena Gomes Dos Santos
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Human Genetics, Biomedical Research Building, Room 719, 1501 NW 10th Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Ezra Blumenthal
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Human Genetics, Biomedical Research Building, Room 719, 1501 NW 10th Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Ramin Shiekhattar
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Human Genetics, Biomedical Research Building, Room 719, 1501 NW 10th Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
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15
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Mendoza-Figueroa MS, Tatomer DC, Wilusz JE. The Integrator Complex in Transcription and Development. Trends Biochem Sci 2020; 45:923-934. [PMID: 32800671 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2020.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The Integrator complex is conserved across metazoans and controls the fate of many nascent RNAs transcribed by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). Among the 14 subunits of Integrator is an RNA endonuclease that is crucial for the biogenesis of small nuclear RNAs and enhancer RNAs. Integrator is further employed to trigger premature transcription termination at many protein-coding genes, thereby attenuating gene expression. Integrator thus helps to shape the transcriptome and ensure that genes can be robustly induced when needed. The molecular functions of Integrator subunits beyond the RNA endonuclease remain poorly understood, but some can act independently of the multisubunit complex. We highlight recent molecular insights into Integrator and propose how misregulation of this complex may lead to developmental defects and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Saraí Mendoza-Figueroa
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Deirdre C Tatomer
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jeremy E Wilusz
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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16
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Wimberly K, Choe KP. Gel-free genotyping of deletion alleles in Caenorhabditis elegans with real-time PCR. MICROPUBLICATION BIOLOGY 2020; 2020:10.17912/micropub.biology.000274. [PMID: 32666047 PMCID: PMC7354062 DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.000274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Keon Wimberly
- Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Keith P Choe
- Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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17
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Kew C, Huang W, Fischer J, Ganesan R, Robinson N, Antebi A. Evolutionarily conserved regulation of immunity by the splicing factor RNP-6/PUF60. eLife 2020; 9:57591. [PMID: 32538777 PMCID: PMC7332298 DOI: 10.7554/elife.57591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Splicing is a vital cellular process that modulates important aspects of animal physiology, yet roles in regulating innate immunity are relatively unexplored. From genetic screens in C. elegans, we identified splicing factor RNP-6/PUF60 whose activity suppresses immunity, but promotes longevity, suggesting a tradeoff between these processes. Bacterial pathogen exposure affects gene expression and splicing in a rnp-6 dependent manner, and rnp-6 gain and loss-of-function activities reveal an active role in immune regulation. Another longevity promoting splicing factor, SFA-1, similarly exerts an immuno-suppressive effect, working downstream or parallel to RNP-6. RNP-6 acts through TIR-1/PMK-1/MAPK signaling to modulate immunity. The mammalian homolog, PUF60, also displays anti-inflammatory properties, and its levels swiftly decrease after bacterial infection in mammalian cells, implying a role in the host response. Altogether our findings demonstrate an evolutionarily conserved modulation of immunity by specific components of the splicing machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Kew
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
| | - Wenming Huang
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
| | - Julia Fischer
- Department I of Internal Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Cologne, Germany
| | - Raja Ganesan
- Cellular-Stress and Immune Response Laboratory, Centre for Cancer Biology, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Nirmal Robinson
- Cellular-Stress and Immune Response Laboratory, Centre for Cancer Biology, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Adam Antebi
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany.,Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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18
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Oshiquiri LH, Gomes SL, Georg RC. Blastocladiella emersonii spliceosome is regulated in response to the splicing inhibition caused by the metals cadmium, cobalt and manganese. Fungal Biol 2020; 124:468-474. [PMID: 32389309 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2020.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Blastocladiella emersonii is an aquatic fungus of the phylum Blastocladiomycota, localized near the base of the fungal tree. Previous studies have shown that B. emersonii responds to heat shock and cadmium exposure inducing the transcription of a high number of genes. EST sequencing from heat shocked and cadmium exposed B. emersonii cells has shown that exposure to cadmium causes strong splicing inhibition. Despite the knowledge about splicing inhibition by cadmium, it is still unclear if other metal contaminants can cause the same response. In the present study, we have demonstrated that the effect of cadmium exposure on splicing inhibition is much stronger than that of other divalent metals such as cobalt and manganese. Data presented here also indicate that intron retention occurs randomly among the fungal transcripts, as verified by analyzing differently affected transcripts. In addition, we identified in the genome of B. emersonii the genes encoding the snRNA splicing components U1, U2, U4, U5 and U6 and observed that spliceosome snRNAs are upregulated in the presence of metals, in particular snRNA U1 in cells under cadmium exposure. This observation suggests that snRNA upregulation might be a defense of the fungal cell against the metal stress condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Letícia Harumi Oshiquiri
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Suely Lopes Gomes
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Raphaela Castro Georg
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
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19
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Shomer N, Kadhim AZ, Grants JM, Cheng X, Alhusari D, Bhanshali F, Poon AFY, Lee MYY, Muhuri A, Park JI, Shih J, Lee D, Lee SJV, Lynn FC, Taubert S. Mediator subunit MDT-15/MED15 and Nuclear Receptor HIZR-1/HNF4 cooperate to regulate toxic metal stress responses in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1008508. [PMID: 31815936 PMCID: PMC6922464 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Zinc is essential for cellular functions as it is a catalytic and structural component of many proteins. In contrast, cadmium is not required in biological systems and is toxic. Zinc and cadmium levels are closely monitored and regulated as their excess causes cell stress. To maintain homeostasis, organisms induce metal detoxification gene programs through stress responsive transcriptional regulatory complexes. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the MDT-15 subunit of the evolutionarily conserved Mediator transcriptional coregulator is required to induce genes upon exposure to excess zinc and cadmium. However, the regulatory partners of MDT-15 in this response, its role in cellular and physiological stress adaptation, and the putative role for mammalian MED15 in the metal stress responses remain unknown. Here, we show that MDT-15 interacts physically and functionally with the Nuclear Hormone Receptor HIZR-1 to promote molecular, cellular, and organismal adaptation to cadmium and excess zinc. Using gain- and loss-of-function mutants and qRT-PCR and reporter analysis, we find that mdt-15 and hizr-1 cooperate to induce zinc and cadmium responsive genes. Moreover, the two proteins interact physically in yeast-two-hybrid assays and this interaction is enhanced by the addition of zinc or cadmium, the former a known ligand of HIZR-1. Functionally, mdt-15 and hizr-1 mutants show defective storage of excess zinc in the gut and are hypersensitive to zinc-induced reductions in egg-laying. Furthermore, mdt-15 but not hizr-1 mutants are hypersensitive to cadmium-induced reductions in egg-laying, suggesting potential divergence of regulatory pathways. Lastly, mammalian MDT-15 orthologs bind genomic regulatory regions of metallothionein and zinc transporter genes in a cadmium and zinc-stimulated fashion, and human MED15 is required to induce a metallothionein gene in lung adenocarcinoma cells exposed to cadmium. Collectively, our data show that mdt-15 and hizr-1 cooperate to regulate cadmium detoxification and zinc storage and that this mechanism is at least partially conserved in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Shomer
- Graduate Program in Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Alexandre Zacharie Kadhim
- Graduate Program in Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jennifer Margaret Grants
- Graduate Program in Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Xuanjin Cheng
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Deema Alhusari
- Graduate Program in Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Forum Bhanshali
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Amy Fong-Yuk Poon
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michelle Ying Ya Lee
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Anik Muhuri
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jung In Park
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - James Shih
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Dongyeop Lee
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, South Korea
| | - Seung-Jae V. Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Francis Christopher Lynn
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Surgery, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Stefan Taubert
- Graduate Program in Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- * E-mail:
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20
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Wu CW, Wimberly K, Pietras A, Dodd W, Atlas MB, Choe KP. RNA processing errors triggered by cadmium and integrator complex disruption are signals for environmental stress. BMC Biol 2019; 17:56. [PMID: 31311534 PMCID: PMC6631800 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-019-0675-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adaptive responses to stress are essential for cell and organismal survival. In metazoans, little is known about the impact of environmental stress on RNA homeostasis. RESULTS By studying the regulation of a cadmium-induced gene named numr-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans, we discovered that disruption of RNA processing acts as a signal for environmental stress. We find that NUMR-1 contains motifs common to RNA splicing factors and influences RNA splicing in vivo. A genome-wide screen reveals that numr-1 is strongly and specifically induced by silencing of genes that function in basal RNA metabolism including subunits of the metazoan integrator complex. Human integrator processes snRNAs for functioning with splicing factors, and we find that silencing of C. elegans integrator subunits disrupts snRNA processing, causes aberrant pre-mRNA splicing, and induces the heat shock response. Cadmium, which also strongly induces numr-1, has similar effects on RNA and the heat shock response. Lastly, we find that heat shock factor-1 is required for full numr-1 induction by cadmium. CONCLUSION Our results are consistent with a model in which disruption of integrator processing of RNA acts as a molecular damage signal initiating an adaptive stress response mediated by heat shock factor-1. When numr-1 is induced via this pathway in C. elegans, its function in RNA metabolism may allow it to mitigate further damage and thereby promote tolerance to cadmium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Wei Wu
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada.
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B3, Canada.
| | - Keon Wimberly
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Adele Pietras
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - William Dodd
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - M Blake Atlas
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Keith P Choe
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
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