Ocular A-to-I RNA editing signatures associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection

Ophthalmic manifestations have recently been observed in acute and post-acute complications of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our precious study has shown that host RNA editing is linked to RNA viral infection, yet ocular adenosine to inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing during SARS-CoV-2 infection remains uninvestigated in COVID-19. Herein we used an epitranscriptomic pipeline to analyze 37 samples and investigate A-to-I editing associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, in five ocular tissue types including the conjunctiva, limbus, cornea, sclera, and retinal organoids. Our results revealed dramatically altered A-to-I RNA editing across the five ocular tissues. Notably, the transcriptome-wide average level of RNA editing was increased in the cornea but generally decreased in the other four ocular tissues. Functional enrichment analysis showed that differential RNA editing (DRE) was mainly in genes related to ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolic process, transcriptional regulation, and RNA splicing. In addition to tissue-specific RNA editing found in each tissue, common RNA editing was observed across different tissues, especially in the innate antiviral immune gene MAVS and the E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase MDM2. Analysis in retinal organoids further revealed highly dynamic RNA editing alterations over time during SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our study thus suggested the potential role played by RNA editing in ophthalmic manifestations of COVID-19, and highlighted its potential transcriptome impact, especially on innate immunity.

Emerging roles of RNA ac4C modification and NAT10 in mammalian development and human diseases

RNA ac4C modification is a novel and rare chemical modification observed in mRNA. Traditional biochemical studies had primarily associated ac4C modification with tRNA and rRNA until in 2018, Arango D et al. first reported the presence of ac4C modification on mRNA and demonstrated its critical role in mRNA stability and translation regulation. Furthermore, they established that the ac4C modification on mRNA is mediated by the classical N-acetyltransferase NAT10. Subsequent studies have underscored the essential implications of NAT10 and mRNA ac4C modification across both physiological and pathological regulatory processes. In this review, we aimed to explore the discovery history of RNA ac4C modification, its detection methods, and its regulatory mechanisms in disease and physiological development. We offer a forward-looking examination and discourse concerning the employment of RNA ac4C modification as a prospective therapeutic strategy across diverse diseases. Furthermore, we comprehensively summarize the functions and mechanisms of NAT10 in gene expression regulation and pathogenesis independent of RNA ac4C modification.

Cancer metastasis under the magnifying glass of epigenetics and epitranscriptomics

Most of the cancer-associated mortality and morbidity can be attributed to metastasis. The role of epigenetic and epitranscriptomic alterations in cancer origin and progression has been extensively demonstrated during the last years. Both regulations share similar mechanisms driven by DNA or RNA modifiers, namely writers, readers, and erasers; enzymes responsible of respectively introducing, recognizing, or removing the epigenetic or epitranscriptomic modifications. Epigenetic regulation is achieved by DNA methylation, histone modifications, non-coding RNAs, chromatin accessibility, and enhancer reprogramming. In parallel, regulation at RNA level, named epitranscriptomic, is driven by a wide diversity of chemical modifications in mostly all RNA molecules. These two-layer regulatory mechanisms are finely controlled in normal tissue, and dysregulations are associated with every hallmark of human cancer. In this review, we provide an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding epigenetic and epitranscriptomic alterations governing tumor metastasis, and compare pathways regulated at DNA or RNA levels to shed light on a possible epi-crosstalk in cancer metastasis. A deeper understanding on these mechanisms could have important clinical implications for the prevention of advanced malignancies and the management of the disseminated diseases. Additionally, as these epi-alterations can potentially be reversed by small molecules or inhibitors against epi-modifiers, novel therapeutic alternatives could be envisioned.

YTHDC1 regulates distinct post-integration steps of HIV-1 replication and is important for viral infectivity

BACKGROUND

The recent discovery of the role of m6A methylation in the regulation of HIV-1 replication unveiled a novel layer of regulation for HIV gene expression. This epitranscriptomic modification of HIV-1 RNAs is under the dynamic control of specific writers and erasers. In addition, cytoplasmic readers of the m6A mark are recruited to the modified viral RNAs and regulate HIV-1 replication. Yet, little is known about the effects of m6A writers and readers on the biogenesis of HIV-1 RNAs.

RESULTS

We showed that the METTL3/14 m6A methyltransferase complex and the m6A YTHDF2 cytoplasmic writer down regulates the abundance of HIV-1 RNAs in infected cells. We also identified the m6A nuclear writer YTHDC1 as a novel regulator of HIV-1 transcripts. In HIV-1 producer cells, we showed that knocking down YTHDC1 increases the levels of unspliced and incompletely spliced HIV-1 RNAs, while levels of multiply spliced transcripts remained unaffected. In addition, we observed that depletion of YTHDC1 has no effect on the nuclear cytoplasmic distribution of viral transcripts. YTHDC1 binds specifically to HIV-1 transcripts in a METTL3-dependent manner. Knocking down YTHDC1 reduces the expression of Env and Vpu viral proteins in producer cells and leads to the incorporation of unprocessed Env gp160 in virus particles, resulting in the decrease of their infectivity.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that, by controlling HIV-1 RNA biogenesis and protein expression, the m6A nuclear reader YTHDC1 is required for efficient production of infectious viral particles.

S-adenosylmethionine-dependent methyltransferase inhibitor DZNep blocks transcription and translation of SARS-CoV-2 genome with a low tendency to select for drug-resistant viral variants

We report the in vitro antiviral activity of DZNep (3-Deazaneplanocin A; an inhibitor of S-adenosylmethionine-dependent methyltransferase) against SARS-CoV-2, besides demonstrating its protective efficacy against lethal infection of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV, a member of the Coronaviridae family). DZNep treatment resulted in reduced synthesis of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and proteins without affecting other steps of viral life cycle. We demonstrated that deposition of N6-methyl adenosine (m6A) in SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the infected cells recruits heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNPA1), an RNA binding protein which serves as a m6A reader. DZNep inhibited the recruitment of hnRNPA1 at m6A-modified SARS-CoV-2 RNA which eventually suppressed the synthesis of the viral genome. In addition, m6A-marked RNA and hnRNPA1 interaction was also shown to regulate early translation to replication switch of SARS-CoV-2 genome. Furthermore, abrogation of methylation by DZNep also resulted in defective synthesis of the 5’ cap of viral RNA, thereby resulting in its failure to interact with eIF4E (a cap-binding protein), eventually leading to a decreased synthesis of viral proteins. Most importantly, DZNep-resistant mutants could not be observed upon long-term sequential passage of SARS-CoV-2 in cell culture. In summary, we report the novel role of methylation in the life cycle of SARS-CoV-2 and propose that targeting the methylome using DZNep could be of significant therapeutic value against SARS-CoV-2 infection.