"NAD-capQ" detection and quantitation of NAD caps

Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) as a non-canonical RNA cap: Mechanisms, functions, and emerging insights

Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), a versatile metabolic cofactor, is emerging as an important non-canonical RNA cap across various life domains. This review explores FAD's dual role as a coenzyme and an RNA modifier, focusing on its incorporation as a 5' cap structure during transcription initiation and its subsequent implications for RNA metabolism and cellular functions. A comprehensive view of the mechanisms underlying FAD capping and decapping is presented, highlighting key enzymes that play a role in these processes. FAD-capped RNA is shown to play critical roles in viral replication, as demonstrated in the Hepatitis C virus, where FAD capping supports cellular immune evasion. Analytical techniques, including mass spectrometry and innovative sequencing methodologies, have advanced our understanding of the flavin cap, enabling its identification and quantification in different biological systems. This review underscores the significance of FAD-RNA capping as a novel regulatory mechanism, proposes innovative methodologies for its study, and emphasizes its potential therapeutic applications in viral and cellular biology.

The Mysterious World of Non-Canonical Caps - What We Know and Why We Need New Sequencing Techniques

It was long believed that viral and eukaryotic mRNA molecules are capped at their 5' end solely by the N7-methylguanosine cap, which regulates various aspects of the RNA life cycle, from its biogenesis to its decay. However, the recent discovery of a variety of non-canonical RNA caps derived from metabolites and cofactors - such as NAD, FAD, CoA, UDP-glucose, UDP-N-acetylglucosamine, and dinucleoside polyphosphates - has expanded the known repertoire of RNA modifications. These non-canonical caps are found across all domains of life and can impact multiple aspects of RNA metabolism, including stability, translation initiation, and cellular stress responses. The study of these modifications has been facilitated by sophisticated methodologies such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, which have unveiled their presence in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. The identification of these novel RNA caps highlights the need for advanced sequencing techniques to characterize the specific RNA types bearing these modifications and understand their roles in cellular processes. Unravelling the biological role of non-canonical RNA caps will provide insights into their contributions to gene expression, cellular adaptation, and evolutionary diversity. This review emphasizes the importance of these technological advancements in uncovering the complete spectrum of RNA modifications and their implications for living systems.

Stochastic nature and physiological implications of 5'-NAD RNA cap in bacteria

RNA 5'-modification with NAD+/NADH (oxidized/reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) has been found in bacteria, eukaryotes and viruses. 5'-NAD is incorporated into RNA by RNA polymerases (RNAPs) during the initiation of synthesis. It is unknown (i) which factors and physiological conditions permit substantial NAD incorporation into RNA in vivo and (ii) how 5'-NAD impacts gene expression and the fate of RNA in bacteria. Here we show in Escherichia coli that RNA NADylation is stimulated by low cellular concentration of the competing substrate ATP, and by weakening ATP contacts with RNAP active site. Additionally, RNA NADylation may be influenced by DNA supercoiling. RNA NADylation does not interfere with posttranscriptional RNA processing by major ribonuclease RNase E. It does not impact the base-pairing between RNAI, the repressor of plasmid replication, and its antisense target, RNAII. Leaderless NADylated model mRNA cI-lacZ is recognized by the 70S ribosome and is translated with the same efficiency as triphosphorylated cI-lacZ mRNA. Translation exposes the 5'-NAD of this mRNA to de-capping by NudC enzyme. We suggest that NADylated mRNAs are rapidly degraded, consistent with their low abundance in published datasets. Furthermore, we observed that ppGpp inhibits NudC de-capping activity, contributing to the growth phase-dependency of NADylated RNA levels.

Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain-containing proteins have NAD-RNA decapping activity

The occurrence of NAD+ as a non-canonical RNA cap has been demonstrated in diverse organisms. TIR domain-containing proteins present in all kingdoms of life act in defense responses and can have NADase activity that hydrolyzes NAD+. Here, we show that TIR domain-containing proteins from several bacterial and one archaeal species can remove the NAM moiety from NAD-capped RNAs (NAD-RNAs). We demonstrate that the deNAMing activity of AbTir (from Acinetobacter baumannii) on NAD-RNA specifically produces a cyclic ADPR-RNA, which can be further decapped in vitro by known decapping enzymes. Heterologous expression of the wild-type but not a catalytic mutant AbTir in E. coli suppressed cell propagation and reduced the levels of NAD-RNAs from a subset of genes before cellular NAD+ levels are impacted. Collectively, the in vitro and in vivo analyses demonstrate that TIR domain-containing proteins can function as a deNAMing enzyme of NAD-RNAs, raising the possibility of TIR domain proteins acting in gene expression regulation.

Post-transcriptional capping generates coenzyme A-linked RNA

NAD can be inserted co-transcriptionally via non-canonical initiation to form NAD-RNA. However, that mechanism is unlikely for CoA-linked RNAs due to low intracellular concentration of the required initiator nucleotide, 3'-dephospho-CoA (dpCoA). We report here that phosphopantetheine adenylyltransferase (PPAT), an enzyme of CoA biosynthetic pathway, accepts RNA transcripts as its acceptor substrate and transfers 4'-phosphopantetheine to yield CoA-RNA post-transcriptionally. Synthetic natural (RNAI) and small artificial RNAs were used to identify the features of RNA that are needed for it to serve as PPAT substrate. RNAs with 4-10 unpaired nucleotides at the 5' terminus served as PPAT substrates, but RNAs having <4 unpaired nucleotides did not undergo capping. No capping was observed when the +1A was changed to G or when 5' triphosphate was removed by RNA pyrophosphohydrolase (RppH), suggesting the enzyme recognizes pppA-RNA as an ATP analog. PPAT binding affinities were equivalent for transcripts with +1A, +1 G, or 5'OH (+1A), indicating that productive enzymatic recognition is driven more by local positioning effects than by overall binding affinity. Capping rates were independent of the number of unpaired nucleotides in the range of 4-10 nucleotides. Capping was strongly inhibited by ATP, reducing CoA-RNA production ~70% when equimolar ATP and substrate RNA were present. Dual bacterial expression of candidate RNAs with different 5' structures followed by CoA-RNA CaptureSeq revealed 12-fold enrichment of the better PPAT substrate, consistent with in vivo CoA-capping of RNA transcripts by PPAT. These results suggest post-transcriptional RNA capping as a possible mechanism for the biogenesis of CoA-RNAs in bacteria.

Future Perspectives for the Identification and Sequencing of Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide-Capped RNAs

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is composed primarily of four canonical building blocks. In addition, more than 170 modifications contribute to its stability and function. Metabolites like nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) were found to function as 5'-cap structures of RNA, just like 7-methylguanosine (m7G). The identification of NAD-capped RNA sequences was first made possible by NAD captureSeq, a multistep protocol for the specific targeting, purification, and sequencing of NAD-capped RNAs, developed in the authors' laboratory in the year 2015. In recent years, a number of NAD-RNA identification protocols have been developed by researchers around the world. They have enabled the discovery and identification of NAD-RNAs in bacteria, archaea, yeast, plants, mice, and human cells, and they play a key role in studying the biological functions of NAD capping. We introduce the four parameters of yield, specificity, evaluability, and throughput and describe to the reader how an ideal NAD-RNA identification protocol would perform in each of these disciplines. These parameters are further used to describe and analyze existing protocols that follow two general methodologies: the capture approach and the decapping approach. Capture protocols introduce an exogenous moiety into the NAD-cap structure in order to either specifically purify or sequence NAD-capped RNAs. In decapping protocols, the NAD cap is digested to 5'-monophosphate RNA, which is then specifically targeted and sequenced. Both approaches, as well as the different protocols within them, have advantages and challenges that we evaluate based on the aforementioned parameters. In addition, we suggest improvements in order to meet the future needs of research on NAD-modified RNAs, which is beginning to emerge in the area of cell-type specific samples. A limiting factor of the capture approach is the need for large amounts of input RNA. Here we see a high potential for innovation within the key targeting step: The enzymatic modification reaction of the NAD-cap structure catalyzed by ADP-ribosyl cyclase (ADPRC) is a major contributor to the parameters of yield and specificity but has mostly seen minor changes since the pioneering protocol of NAD captureSeq and needs to be more stringently analyzed. The major challenge of the decapping approach remains the specificity of the decapping enzymes, many of which act on a variety of 5'-cap structures. Exploration of new decapping enzymes or engineering of already known enzymes could lead to improvements in NAD-specific protocols. The use of a curated set of decapping enzymes in a combinatorial approach could allow for the simultaneous detection of multiple 5'-caps. The throughput of both approaches could be greatly improved by early sample pooling. We propose that this could be achieved by introducing a barcode RNA sequence before or immediately after the NAD-RNA targeting steps. With increased processing capacity and a potential decrease in the cost per sample, protocols will gain the potential to analyze large numbers of samples from different growth conditions and treatments. This will support the search for biological roles of NAD-capped RNAs in all types of organisms.

Interplay between bacterial 5'-NAD-RNA decapping hydrolase NudC and DEAD-box RNA helicase CsdA in stress responses

IMPORTANCE

Non-canonical 5'-caps removing RNA hydrolase NudC, along with stress-responsive RNA helicase CsdA, is crucial for 5'-NAD-RNA decapping and bacterial movement.

A systems-level mass spectrometry-based technique for accurate and sensitive quantification of the RNA cap epitranscriptome

Chemical modifications of transcripts with a 5' cap occur in all organisms and function in many aspects of RNA metabolism. To facilitate analysis of RNA caps, we developed a systems-level mass spectrometry-based technique, CapQuant, for accurate and sensitive quantification of the cap epitranscriptome. The protocol includes the addition of stable isotope-labeled cap nucleotides (CNs) to RNA, enzymatic hydrolysis of endogenous RNA to release CNs, and off-line enrichment of CNs by ion-pairing high-pressure liquid chromatography, followed by a 17 min chromatography-coupled tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry run for the identification and quantification of individual CNs. The total time required for the protocol can be up to 7 d. In this approach, 26 CNs can be quantified in eukaryotic poly(A)-tailed RNA, bacterial total RNA and viral RNA. This protocol can be modified to analyze other types of RNA and RNA from in vitro sources. CapQuant stands out from other methods in terms of superior specificity, sensitivity and accuracy, and it is not limited to individual caps nor does it require radiolabeling. Thanks to its unique capability of accurately and sensitively quantifying RNA caps on a systems level, CapQuant can reveal both the RNA cap landscape and the transcription start site distribution of capped RNA in a broad range of settings.

NAD-capped RNAs - a redox cofactor meets RNA

RNA modifications immensely expand the diversity of the transcriptome, thereby influencing the function, localization, and stability of RNA. One prominent example of an RNA modification is the eukaryotic cap located at the 5' terminus of mRNAs. Interestingly, the redox cofactor NAD can be incorporated into RNA by RNA polymerase in vitro. The existence of NAD-modified RNAs in vivo was confirmed using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS). In the past few years novel technologies and methods have characterized NAD as a cap-like RNA structure and enabled the investigation of NAD-capped RNAs (NAD-RNAs) in a physiological context. We highlight the identification of NAD-RNAs as well as the regulation and functions of this epitranscriptomic mark in all domains of life.

Noncanonical metabolite RNA caps: Classification, quantification, (de)capping, and function

The 5' cap of eukaryotic mRNA is a hallmark for cellular functions from mRNA stability to translation. However, the discovery of novel 5'-terminal RNA caps derived from cellular metabolites has challenged this long-standing singularity in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Reminiscent of the 7-methylguanosine (m7G) cap structure, these noncanonical caps originate from abundant coenzymes such as NAD, FAD, or CoA and from metabolites like dinucleoside polyphosphates (NpnN). As of now, the significance of noncanonical RNA caps is elusive: they differ for individual transcripts, occur in distinct types of RNA, and change in response to environmental stimuli. A thorough comparison of their prevalence, quantity, and characteristics is indispensable to define the distinct classes of metabolite-capped RNAs. This is achieved by a structured analysis of all present studies covering functional, quantitative, and sequencing data which help to uncover their biological impact. The biosynthetic strategies of noncanonical RNA capping and the elaborate decapping machinery reveal the regulation and turnover of metabolite-capped RNAs. With noncanonical capping being a universal and ancient phenomenon, organisms have developed diverging strategies to adapt metabolite-derived caps to their metabolic needs, but ultimately to establish noncanonical RNA caps as another intriguing layer of RNA regulation. This article is categorized under: RNA Processing &gt; Capping and 5' End Modifications RNA Turnover and Surveillance &gt; Turnover/Surveillance Mechanisms RNA Turnover and Surveillance &gt; Regulation of RNA Stability.

Staphylococcus aureus Small RNAs Possess Dephospho-CoA 5′-Caps, but No CoAlation Marks

Novel features of coenzyme A (CoA) and its precursor, 3′-dephospho-CoA (dpCoA), recently became evident. dpCoA was found to attach to 5′-ends of small ribonucleic acids (dpCoA-RNAs) in two bacterial species (Escherichia coli and Streptomyces venezuelae). Furthermore, CoA serves, in addition to its well-established coenzymatic roles, as a ubiquitous posttranslational protein modification (‘CoAlation’), thought to prevent the irreversible oxidation of cysteines. Here, we first identified and quantified dpCoA-RNAs in the small RNA fraction of the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, using a newly developed enzymatic assay. We found that the amount of dpCoA caps was similar to that of the other two bacteria. We furthermore tested the hypothesis that, in the environment of a cell, the free thiol of the dpCoA-RNAs, as well as other sulfur-containing RNA modifications, may be oxidized by disulfide bond formation, e.g., with CoA. While we could not find evidence for such an ‘RNA CoAlation’, we observed that CoA disulfide reductase, the enzyme responsible for reducing CoA homodisulfides in S. aureus, did efficiently reduce several synthetic dpCoA-RNA disulfides to dpCoA-RNAs in vitro. This activity may imply a role in reversing RNA CoAlation.

Recent insights into noncanonical 5' capping and decapping of RNA

The 5' N⁷-methylguanosine cap is a critical modification for mRNAs and many other RNAs in eukaryotic cells. Recent studies have uncovered an RNA 5' capping quality surveillance mechanism, with DXO/Rai1 decapping enzymes removing incomplete caps and enabling the degradation of the RNAs, in a process we also refer to as "no-cap decay." It has also been discovered recently that RNAs in eukaryotes, bacteria, and archaea can have noncanonical caps (NCCs), which are mostly derived from metabolites and cofactors such as NAD, FAD, dephospho-CoA, UDP-glucose, UDP-N-acetylglucosamine, and dinucleotide polyphosphates. These NCCs can affect RNA stability, mitochondrial functions, and possibly mRNA translation. The DXO/Rai1 enzymes and selected Nudix (nucleotide diphosphate linked to X) hydrolases have been shown to remove NCCs from RNAs through their deNADding, deFADding, deCoAping, and related activities, permitting the degradation of the RNAs. In this review, we summarize the recent discoveries made in this exciting new area of RNA biology.

Xrn1 is a deNADding enzyme modulating mitochondrial NAD-capped RNA

The existence of non-canonical nicotinamide adenine diphosphate (NAD) 5′-end capped RNAs is now well established. Nevertheless, the biological function of this nucleotide metabolite cap remains elusive. Here, we show that the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cytoplasmic 5′-end exoribonuclease Xrn1 is also a NAD cap decapping (deNADding) enzyme that releases intact NAD and subsequently degrades the RNA. The significance of Xrn1 deNADding is evident in a deNADding deficient Xrn1 mutant that predominantly still retains its 5′-monophosphate exonuclease activity. This mutant reveals Xrn1 deNADding is necessary for normal growth on non-fermenting sugar and is involved in modulating mitochondrial NAD-capped RNA levels and may influence intramitochondrial NAD levels. Our findings uncover a contribution of mitochondrial NAD-capped RNAs in overall NAD regulation with the deNADding activity of Xrn1 fulfilling a central role.

The cytoplasmic Xrn1 protein has long been established as the predominate 5′ to 3′ exoribonuclease that cleaves RNAs with an unprotected 5′ monophosphate end. Here the authors demonstrate Xrn1 can also degrade RNAs harboring the noncanonical nicotinamide adenine diphosphate (NAD) 5′ cap by removing the NAD cap and degrading the RNA.

5´XP sRNA-seq: efficient identification of transcripts with and without 5´ phosphorylation reveals evolutionary conserved small RNA

Small RNA (sRNA) sequencing has been critical for our understanding of many cellular processes, including gene regulation. Nonetheless, the varying biochemical properties of sRNA, such as 5´ nucleotide modifications, make many sRNA subspecies incompatible with common protocols for sRNA sequencing. Here we describe 5XP-seq that outlines a novel strategy that captures a more complete picture of sRNA. By tagging 5´P sRNA during library preparation, 5XP-seq combines an open approach that includes all types of 5'-terminal modifications (5´X), with a selective approach for 5-phosphorylated sRNA (5´P). We show that 5XP-seq not only enriches phosphorylated miRNA and piRNA but successfully discriminates these sRNA from all other sRNA species. We further demonstrate the importance of this strategy by successful inter-species validation of sRNAs that would have otherwise failed, including human to insect translation of several tRNA (tRFs) and rRNA (rRFs) fragments. By combining 5´ insensitive library strategies with 5´ sensitive tagging, we have successfully tackled an intrinsic bias in modern sRNA sequencing that will help us reveal the true complexity and the evolutionary significance of the sRNA world.

Shaping the Bacterial Epitranscriptome-5'-Terminal and Internal RNA Modifications

All domains of life utilize a diverse set of modified ribonucleotides that can impact the sequence, structure, function, stability, and the fate of RNAs, as well as their interactions with other molecules. Today, more than 160 different RNA modifications are known that decorate the RNA at the 5'-terminus or internal RNA positions. The boost of next-generation sequencing technologies sets the foundation to identify and study the functional role of RNA modifications. The recent advances in the field of RNA modifications reveal a novel regulatory layer between RNA modifications and proteins, which is central to developing a novel concept called "epitranscriptomics." The majority of RNA modifications studies focus on the eukaryotic epitranscriptome. In contrast, RNA modifications in prokaryotes are poorly characterized. This review outlines the current knowledge of the prokaryotic epitranscriptome focusing on mRNA modifications. Here, it is described that several internal and 5'-terminal RNA modifications either present or likely present in prokaryotic mRNA. Thereby, the individual techniques to identify these epitranscriptomic modifications, their writers, readers and erasers, and their proposed functions are explored. Besides that, still unanswered questions in the field of prokaryotic epitranscriptomics are pointed out, and its future perspectives in the dawn of next-generation sequencing technologies are outlined.

The expanding field of non-canonical RNA capping: new enzymes and mechanisms

Recent years witnessed the discovery of ubiquitous and diverse 5'-end RNA cap-like modifications in prokaryotes as well as in eukaryotes. These non-canonical caps include metabolic cofactors, such as NAD⁺/NADH, FAD, cell wall precursors UDP-GlcNAc, alarmones, e.g. dinucleotides polyphosphates, ADP-ribose and potentially other nucleoside derivatives. They are installed at the 5' position of RNA via template-dependent incorporation of nucleotide analogues as an initiation substrate by RNA polymerases. However, the discovery of NAD-capped processed RNAs in human cells suggests the existence of alternative post-transcriptional NC capping pathways. In this review, we compiled growing evidence for a number of these other mechanisms which produce various non-canonically capped RNAs and a growing repertoire of capping small molecules. Enzymes shown to be involved are ADP-ribose polymerases, glycohydrolases and tRNA synthetases, and may potentially include RNA 3'-phosphate cyclases, tRNA guanylyl transferases, RNA ligases and ribozymes. An emerging rich variety of capping molecules and enzymes suggests an unrecognized level of complexity of RNA metabolism.

Effects of mRNA Modifications on Translation: An Overview

The mRNA epitranscriptome imparts diversity to gene expression by installing chemical modifications. Advances in detection methods have identified chemical modifications in eukaryotic, bacterial, and viral messenger RNAs (mRNAs). The biological functions of modifications in mRNAs still remain to be understood. Chemical modifications are introduced in synthetic mRNAs meant for therapeutic applications to maximize expression from the synthetic mRNAs and to evade the host immune response. This overview provides a background of chemical modifications found in mRNAs, with an emphasis on pseudouridine and its known effects on the mRNA life cycle, its potential applications in synthetic mRNA, and the methods used to assess its effects on mRNA translation.

Extensive 5'-surveillance guards against non-canonical NAD-caps of nuclear mRNAs in yeast

The ubiquitous redox coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) acts as a non-canonical cap structure on prokaryotic and eukaryotic ribonucleic acids. Here we find that in budding yeast, NAD-RNAs are abundant (>1400 species), short (<170 nt), and mostly correspond to mRNA 5′-ends. The modification percentage of transcripts is low (<5%). NAD incorporation occurs mainly during transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II, which uses distinct promoters with a YAAG core motif for this purpose. Most NAD-RNAs are 3′-truncated. At least three decapping enzymes, Rai1, Dxo1, and Npy1, guard against NAD-RNA at different cellular locations, targeting overlapping transcript populations. NAD-mRNAs are not translatable in vitro. Our work indicates that in budding yeast, most of the NAD incorporation into RNA seems to be disadvantageous to the cell, which has evolved a diverse surveillance machinery to prematurely terminate, decap and reject NAD-RNAs.

NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) acts as a non-canonical RNA cap structure in bacteria and eukaryotes. Here the authors demonstrate the whole landscape of budding yeast NAD-RNAs which are subject to diverse surveillance pathways, suggesting that NAD caps in budding yeast are mostly dysfunctional.

DXO/Rai1 enzymes remove 5'-end FAD and dephospho-CoA caps on RNAs

In eukaryotes, the DXO/Rai1 enzymes can eliminate most of the incomplete and non-canonical NAD caps through their decapping, deNADding and pyrophosphohydrolase activities. Here, we report that these enzymes can also remove FAD and dephospho-CoA (dpCoA) non-canonical caps from RNA, and we have named these activities deFADding and deCoAping. The crystal structures of mammalian DXO with 3′-FADP or CoA and fission yeast Rai1 with 3′-FADP provide elegant insight to these activities. FAD and CoA are accommodated in the DXO/Rai1 active site by adopting folded conformations. The flavin of FAD and the pantetheine group of CoA contact the same region at the bottom of the active site tunnel, which undergoes conformational changes to accommodate the different cap moieties. We have developed FAD-capQ to detect and quantify FAD-capped RNAs and determined that FAD caps are present on short RNAs (with less than ∼200 nucleotides) in human cells and that these RNAs are stabilized in the absence of DXO.

NAD tagSeq for transcriptome-wide identification and characterization of NAD+-capped RNAs

Several noncanonical initial nucleotides (NCINs) have been found to cap RNAs and possibly regulate RNA stability, transcription and translation. NAD⁺ is one of the NCINs that has recently been discovered to cap RNAs in a wide range of species. Identification of the NAD⁺-capped RNAs (NAD-RNAs) could help to unveil the cap-mediated regulation mechanisms. We previously reported a method termed NAD tagSeq for genome-wide analysis of NAD-RNAs. NAD tagSeq is based on the previously published NAD captureSeq protocol, which applies an enzymatic reaction and a click chemistry reaction to label NAD-RNAs with biotin followed by enrichment with streptavidin resin and identification by RNA sequencing. In the current NAD tagSeq method, NAD-RNAs are labeled with a synthetic RNA tag and identified by direct RNA sequencing based on Oxford Nanopore technology. Compared to NAD captureSeq, NAD tagSeq provides a simpler procedure for direct sequencing of NAD-RNAs and noncapped RNAs and affords information on the whole sequence organization of NAD-RNAs and the ratio of NAD-RNAs to total transcripts. Furthermore, NAD-RNAs can be enriched by hybridizing a complementary DNA probe to the RNA tag, thus increasing the sequencing coverage of NAD-RNAs. The strategy of tagging RNAs with a synthetic RNA tag and identifying them by direct RNA sequencing might be employed in analyzing other NCIN-capped RNAs. The experimental procedure of NAD tagSeq, including RNA extraction, RNA tagging and direct RNA sequencing, takes ~5 d, and initial data analysis can be completed within 2 d.

Mammalian Nudix proteins cleave nucleotide metabolite caps on RNAs

We recently reported the presence of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-capped RNAs in mammalian cells and a role for DXO and the Nudix hydrolase Nudt12 in decapping NAD-capped RNAs (deNADding) in cells. Analysis of 5'caps has revealed that in addition to NAD, mammalian RNAs also contain other metabolite caps including flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and dephosphoCoA (dpCoA). In the present study we systematically screened all mammalian Nudix proteins for their potential deNADing, FAD cap decapping (deFADding) and dpCoA cap decapping (deCoAping) activity. We demonstrate that Nudt16 is a novel deNADding enzyme in mammalian cells. Additionally, we identified seven Nudix proteins-Nudt2, Nudt7, Nudt8, Nudt12, Nudt15, Nudt16 and Nudt19, to possess deCoAping activity in vitro. Moreover, our screening revealed that both mammalian Nudt2 and Nudt16 hydrolyze FAD-capped RNAs in vitro with Nudt16 regulating levels of FAD-capped RNAs in cells. All decapping activities identified hydrolyze the metabolite cap substrate within the diphosphate linkage. Crystal structure of human Nudt16 in complex with FAD at 2.7 Å resolution provide molecular insights into the binding and metal-coordinated hydrolysis of FAD by Nudt16. In summary, our study identifies novel cellular deNADding and deFADding enzymes and establishes a foundation for the selective functionality of the Nudix decapping enzymes on non-canonical metabolite caps.

Arabidopsis DXO1 possesses deNADding and exonuclease activities and its mutation affects defense-related and photosynthetic gene expression

RNA capping and decapping tightly coordinate with transcription, translation, and RNA decay to regulate gene expression. Proteins in the DXO/Rai1 family have been implicated in mRNA decapping and decay, and mammalian DXO was recently found to also function as a decapping enzyme for NAD⁺ -capped RNAs (NAD-RNA). The Arabidopsis genome contains a single gene encoding a DXO/Rai1 protein, AtDXO1. Here we show that AtDXO1 possesses both NAD-RNA decapping activity and 5'-3' exonuclease activity but does not hydrolyze the m⁷ G cap. The atdxo1 mutation increased the stability of NAD-RNAs and led to pleiotropic phenotypes, including severe growth retardation, pale color, and multiple developmental defects. Transcriptome profiling analysis showed that the atdxo1 mutation resulted in upregulation of defense-related genes but downregulation of photosynthesis-related genes. The autoimmunity phenotype of the mutant could be suppressed by either eds1 or npr1 mutation. However, the various phenotypes associated with the atdxo1 mutant could be complemented by an enzymatically inactive AtDXO1. The atdxo1 mutation apparently enhances post-transcriptional gene silencing by elevating levels of siRNAs. Our study indicates that AtDXO1 regulates gene expression in various biological and physiological processes through its pleiotropic molecular functions in mediating RNA processing and decay.

NAD Analogs in Aid of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) serves as an essential redox co-factor and mediator of multiple biological processes. Besides its well-established role in electron transfer reactions, NAD serves as a substrate for other biotransformations, which, at the molecular level, can be classified as protein post-translational modifications (protein deacylation, mono-, and polyADP-ribosylation) and formation of signaling molecules (e.g., cyclic ADP ribose). These biochemical reactions control many crucial biological processes, such as cellular signaling and recognition, DNA repair and epigenetic modifications, stress response, immune response, aging and senescence, and many others. However, the links between the biological effects and underlying molecular processes are often poorly understood. Moreover, NAD has recently been found to tag the 5′-ends of some cellular RNAs, but the function of these NAD-capped RNAs remains largely unrevealed. Synthetic NAD analogs are invaluable molecular tools to detect, monitor, structurally investigate, and modulate activity of NAD-related enzymes and biological processes in order to aid their deeper understanding. Here, we review the recent advances in the design and development of NAD analogs as probes for various cellular NAD-related enzymes, enzymatic inhibitors with anticancer or antimicrobial therapeutic potential, and other NAD-related chemical biology tools. We focus on research papers published within the last 10 years.

Quantifying the RNA cap epitranscriptome reveals novel caps in cellular and viral RNA

Chemical modification of transcripts with 5' caps occurs in all organisms. Here, we report a systems-level mass spectrometry-based technique, CapQuant, for quantitative analysis of an organism's cap epitranscriptome. The method was piloted with 21 canonical caps-m7GpppN, m7GpppNm, GpppN, GpppNm, and m2,2,7GpppG-and 5 'metabolite' caps-NAD, FAD, UDP-Glc, UDP-GlcNAc, and dpCoA. Applying CapQuant to RNA from purified dengue virus, Escherichia coli, yeast, mouse tissues, and human cells, we discovered new cap structures in humans and mice (FAD, UDP-Glc, UDP-GlcNAc, and m7Gpppm6A), cell- and tissue-specific variations in cap methylation, and high proportions of caps lacking 2'-O-methylation (m7Gpppm6A in mammals, m7GpppA in dengue virus). While substantial Dimroth-induced loss of m1A and m1Am arose with specific RNA processing conditions, human lymphoblast cells showed no detectable m1A or m1Am in caps. CapQuant accurately captured the preference for purine nucleotides at eukaryotic transcription start sites and the correlation between metabolite levels and metabolite caps.

NAD+-capped RNAs are widespread in the Arabidopsis transcriptome and can probably be translated

As the most common RNA cap in eukaryotes, the 7-methylguanosine (m⁷G) cap impacts nearly all processes that a messenger RNA undergoes, such as splicing, polyadenylation, nuclear export, translation, and degradation. The metabolite and redox agent, nicotinamide adenine diphosphate (NAD⁺), can be used as an initiating nucleotide in RNA synthesis to result in NAD⁺-capped RNAs. Such RNAs have been identified in bacteria, yeast, and human cells, but it is not known whether they exist in plant transcriptomes. The functions of the NAD⁺ cap in RNA metabolism or translation are still poorly understood. Here, through NAD captureSeq, we show that NAD⁺-capped RNAs are widespread in Arabidopsis thaliana NAD⁺-capped RNAs are predominantly messenger RNAs encoded by the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, but not the chloroplast genome. NAD⁺-capped transcripts from the nuclear genome appear to be spliced and polyadenylated. Furthermore, although NAD⁺-capped transcripts constitute a small proportion of the total transcript pool from any gene, they are enriched in the polysomal fraction and associate with translating ribosomes. Our findings implicate the existence of as yet unknown mechanisms whereby the RNA NAD⁺ cap interfaces with RNA metabolic processes as well as translation initiation. More importantly, our findings suggest that cellular metabolic and/or redox states may influence, or be regulated by, mRNA NAD⁺ capping.

Structural and mechanistic basis of mammalian Nudt12 RNA deNADding

We recently demonstrated mammalian cells harbor NAD-capped mRNAs that are hydrolyzed by the DXO deNADding enzyme. Here we report the Nudix protein Nudt12 is a second mammalian deNADding enzyme structurally and mechanistically distinct from DXO and targeting different RNAs. Crystal structure of mouse Nudt12 in complex with the deNADding product AMP and three Mg²⁺ ions at 1.6 Å resolution provides exquisite insights into the molecular basis of the deNADding activity within the NAD pyrophosphate. Disruption of the Nudt12 gene stabilizes transfected NAD-capped RNA in cells and its endogenous NAD-capped mRNA targets are enriched in those encoding proteins involved in cellular energetics. Furthermore, exposure of cells to nutrient or environmental stress manifests changes in NAD-capped RNA levels that are selectively responsive to Nudt12 or DXO respectively, indicating an association of deNADding to cellular metabolism.

mRNA cap regulation in mammalian cell function and fate

In this review we explore the regulation of mRNA cap formation and its impact on mammalian cells. The mRNA cap is a highly methylated modification of the 5' end of RNA pol II-transcribed RNA. It protects RNA from degradation, recruits complexes involved in RNA processing, export and translation initiation, and marks cellular mRNA as "self" to avoid recognition by the innate immune system. The mRNA cap can be viewed as a unique mark which selects RNA pol II transcripts for specific processing and translation. Over recent years, examples of regulation of mRNA cap formation have emerged, induced by oncogenes, developmental pathways and during the cell cycle. These signalling pathways regulate the rate and extent of mRNA cap formation, resulting in changes in gene expression, cell physiology and cell function.

Nicotinamide-Containing Di- and Trinucleotides as Chemical Tools for Studies of NAD-Capped RNAs

We report the chemical synthesis of a set of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) cap analogues containing chemical modifications that reduce their susceptibility to NAD-RNA-degrading enzymes. These analogues can be incorporated into transcripts in a similar way as NAD. Biochemical characterization of RNAs carrying these caps with DXO, NudC, and Nudt12 enzymes led to the identification of compounds that can be instrumental in unraveling so far unaddressed biological aspects of NAD-RNAs.