1
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Kwok van der Giezen F, Honkanen S, Colas des Francs-Small C, Bond C, Small I. Applications of Synthetic Pentatricopeptide Repeat Proteins. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 65:503-515. [PMID: 38035801 PMCID: PMC11094755 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcad150] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
RNA-binding proteins play integral roles in the regulation of essential processes in cells and as such are attractive targets for engineering to manipulate gene expression at the RNA level. Expression of transcripts in chloroplasts and mitochondria is heavily regulated by pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins. The diverse roles of PPR proteins and their naturally modular architecture make them ideal candidates for engineering. Synthetic PPR proteins are showing great potential to become valuable tools for controlling the expression of plastid and mitochondrial transcripts. In this review, by 'synthetic', we mean both rationally modified natural PPR proteins and completely novel proteins designed using the principles learned from their natural counterparts. We focus on the many different applications of synthetic PPR proteins, covering both their use in basic research to learn more about protein-RNA interactions and their use to achieve specific outcomes in RNA processing and the control of gene expression. We describe the challenges associated with the design, construction and deployment of synthetic PPR proteins and provide perspectives on how they might be assembled and used in future biotechnology applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farley Kwok van der Giezen
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Suvi Honkanen
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Catherine Colas des Francs-Small
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Charles Bond
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Ian Small
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
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2
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Nishikawa S, Watanabe H, Terasaka N, Katoh T, Fujishima K. De Novo Single-Stranded RNA-Binding Peptides Discovered by Codon-Restricted mRNA Display. Biomacromolecules 2024; 25:355-365. [PMID: 38051119 PMCID: PMC10777347 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c01024] [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: 09/24/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
RNA-binding proteins participate in diverse cellular processes, including DNA repair, post-transcriptional modification, and cancer progression through their interactions with RNAs, making them attractive for biotechnological applications. While nature provides an array of naturally occurring RNA-binding proteins, developing de novo RNA-binding peptides remains challenging. In particular, tailoring peptides to target single-stranded RNA with low complexity is difficult due to the inherent structural flexibility of RNA molecules. Here, we developed a codon-restricted mRNA display and identified multiple de novo peptides from a peptide library that bind to poly(C) and poly(A) RNA with KDs ranging from micromolar to submicromolar concentrations. One of the newly identified peptides is capable of binding to the cytosine-rich sequences of the oncogenic Cdk6 3'UTR RNA and MYU lncRNA, with affinity comparable to that of the endogenous binding protein. Hence, we present a novel platform for discovering de novo single-stranded RNA-binding peptides that offer promising avenues for regulating RNA functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shota Nishikawa
- Earth-Life
Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- School
of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute
of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Hidenori Watanabe
- Earth-Life
Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Naohiro Terasaka
- Earth-Life
Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Takayuki Katoh
- Department
of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Kosuke Fujishima
- Earth-Life
Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Graduate
School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Fujisawa 252-0882, Japan
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3
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Ping N, Hara-Kuge S, Yagi Y, Kazama T, Nakamura T. Translational enhancement of target endogenous mRNA in mammalian cells using programmable RNA-binding pentatricopeptide repeat proteins. Sci Rep 2024; 14:251. [PMID: 38167853 PMCID: PMC10762265 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50776-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: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Programmable protein scaffolds are invaluable in the development of genome engineering tools. The pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein is an attractive platform for RNA manipulation because of its programmable RNA-binding selectivity, which is determined by the combination of amino acid species at three specific sites in the PPR motif. Translation is a key RNA regulatory step that determines the final gene expression level and is involved in various human diseases. In this study, designer PPR protein was used to develop a translational enhancement technique by fusion with the translation initiation factor eIF4G. The results showed that the PPR-eIF4G fusion protein could activate the translation of endogenous c-Myc and p53 mRNAs and control cell fate, indicating that PPR-based translational enhancement is a versatile technique applicable to various endogenous mRNAs in mammalian cells. In addition, the translational enhancement was dependent on both the target position and presence of eIF4G, suggesting the presence of an unknown translation activation mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Ping
- Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 812-8581, Japan
| | - Sayuri Hara-Kuge
- Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 812-8581, Japan
| | | | - Tomohiko Kazama
- Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 812-8581, Japan
| | - Takahiro Nakamura
- Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 812-8581, Japan.
- EditForce, Inc., Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
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4
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Eguchi M, Yoshimura H, Ueda Y, Ozawa T. Split Luciferase-Fragment Reconstitution for Unveiling RNA Localization and Dynamics in Live Cells. ACS Sens 2023; 8:4055-4063. [PMID: 37889477 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.3c01080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
The intracellular distribution and dynamics of RNAs play pivotal roles in various physiological phenomena. The ability to monitor the amount and localization of endogenous RNAs in living cells allows for elucidating the mechanisms of various intracellular events. Protein-based fluorescent RNA probes are now widely used to visualize and analyze RNAs in living cells. However, continuously monitoring the temporal changes in RNA localization and dynamics in living cells is challenging. In this study, we developed a bioluminescent probe for spatiotemporal monitoring of RNAs in living cells by using a split-luciferase reconstitution technique. The probe consists of split fragments of a bioluminescent protein, NanoLuc, connected with RNA-binding protein domains generated from a custom-made mutation of a PUM-HD. The probe showed rapid luminescence intensity changes in response to an increase or decrease in the amount of a target RNA in vitro. In live-cell imaging, temporal alteration of the intracellular distribution of endogenous β-actin mRNA was visualized in response to extracellular stimulation. Furthermore, the application of the probe to the visualization of the specific localization of β-actin mRNA in primary hippocampal neurons was conducted. These results demonstrate the capability of the bioluminescent RNA probe to monitor the changes in localization, dynamics, and the amount of target RNA in living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masatoshi Eguchi
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hideaki Yoshimura
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yoshibumi Ueda
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Takeaki Ozawa
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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5
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Pfeiffer LS, Stafforst T. Precision RNA base editing with engineered and endogenous effectors. Nat Biotechnol 2023; 41:1526-1542. [PMID: 37735261 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-01927-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
RNA base editing refers to the rewriting of genetic information within an intact RNA molecule and serves various functions, such as evasion of the endogenous immune system and regulation of protein function. To achieve this, certain enzymes have been discovered in human cells that catalyze the conversion of one nucleobase into another. This natural process could be exploited to manipulate and recode any base in a target transcript. In contrast to DNA base editing, analogous changes introduced in RNA are not permanent or inheritable but rather allow reversible and doseable effects that appeal to various therapeutic applications. The current practice of RNA base editing involves the deamination of adenosines and cytidines, which are converted to inosines and uridines, respectively. In this Review, we summarize current site-directed RNA base-editing strategies and highlight recent achievements to improve editing efficiency, precision, codon-targeting scope and in vivo delivery into disease-relevant tissues. Besides engineered editing effectors, we focus on strategies to harness endogenous adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADAR) enzymes and discuss limitations and future perspectives to apply the tools in basic research and as a therapeutic modality. We expect the field to realize the first RNA base-editing drug soon, likely on a well-defined genetic disease. However, the long-term challenge will be to carve out the sweet spot of the technology where its unique ability is exploited to modulate signaling cues, metabolism or other clinically relevant processes in a safe and doseable manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura S Pfeiffer
- Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thorsten Stafforst
- Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Gene and RNA Therapy Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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6
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Ormazábal A, Carletti MS, Saldaño TE, Gonzalez Buitron M, Marchetti J, Palopoli N, Bateman A. Expanding the repertoire of human tandem repeat RNA-binding proteins. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0290890. [PMID: 37729217 PMCID: PMC10511089 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein regions consisting of arrays of tandem repeats are known to bind other molecular partners, including nucleic acid molecules. Although the interactions between repeat proteins and DNA are already widely explored, studies characterising tandem repeat RNA-binding proteins are lacking. We performed a large-scale analysis of human proteins devoted to expanding the knowledge about tandem repeat proteins experimentally reported as RNA-binding molecules. This work is timely because of the release of a full set of accurate structural models for the human proteome amenable to repeat detection using structural methods. The main goal of our analysis was to build a comprehensive set of human RNA-binding proteins that contain repeats at the sequence or structure level. Our results showed that the combination of sequence and structural methods finds significantly more tandem repeat proteins than either method alone. We identified 219 tandem repeat proteins that bind RNA molecules and characterised the overlap between repeat regions and RNA-binding regions as a first step towards assessing their functional relationship. We observed differences in the characteristics of repeat regions predicted by sequence-based or structure-based methods in terms of their sequence composition, their functions and their protein domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustín Ormazábal
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Godoy Cruz, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Matías Sebastián Carletti
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Godoy Cruz, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Tadeo Enrique Saldaño
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Godoy Cruz, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Azul, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Martín Gonzalez Buitron
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Godoy Cruz, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Julia Marchetti
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Nicolas Palopoli
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Godoy Cruz, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alex Bateman
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
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7
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Abstract
Cardiovascular disease still remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Current pharmacological or interventional treatments help to tackle symptoms and even reduce mortality, but cardiovascular disease cases continue to rise. The emergence of novel therapeutic strategies that precisely and efficiently combat cardiovascular disease is therefore deemed more essential than ever. RNA editing, the cell-intrinsic deamination of adenosine or cytidine RNA residues, changes the molecular identity of edited nucleotides, severely altering the fate of RNA molecules involved in key biological processes. The most common type of RNA editing is the deamination of adenosine residue to inosine (A-to-I), which is catalysed by adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs). Recent efforts have convincingly liaised RNA editing-based mechanisms to the pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system. In this review, we will briefly introduce the basic concepts of the RNA editing field of research. We will particularly focus our discussion on the therapeutic exploitation of RNA editing as a novel therapeutic tool as well as the future perspectives for its use in cardiovascular disease treatment.
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8
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Yu L, Marchisio MA. CRISPR-associated type V proteins as a tool for controlling mRNA stability in S. cerevisiae synthetic gene circuits. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:1473-1487. [PMID: 36651298 PMCID: PMC9943656 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Type V-A CRISPR-(d)Cas system has been used in multiplex genome editing and transcription regulation in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. However, mRNA degradation through the endonuclease activity of Cas12a has never been studied. In this work, we present an efficient and powerful tool to induce mRNA degradation in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae via the catalytic activity of (d)Cas12a on pre-crRNA structure. Our results point out that dFnCas12a, (d)LbCas12a, denAsCas12a and two variants (which carry either NLSs or NESs) perform significant mRNA degradation upon insertion of pre-crRNA fragments into the 5'- or 3' UTR of the target mRNA. The tool worked well with two more Cas12 proteins-(d)MbCas12a and Casϕ2-whereas failed by using type VI LwaCas13a, which further highlights the great potential of type V-A Cas proteins in yeast. We applied our tool to the construction of Boolean NOT, NAND, and IMPLY gates, whose logic operations are fully based on the control of the degradation of the mRNA encoding for a reporter protein. Compared to other methods for the regulation of mRNA stability in yeast synthetic gene circuits (such as RNAi and riboswitches/ribozymes), our system is far easier to engineer and ensure very high performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lifang Yu
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, 300072 Tianjin, China
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9
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McDowell R, Small I, Bond CS. Synthetic PPR proteins as tools for sequence-specific targeting of RNA. Methods 2022; 208:19-26. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2022.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
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10
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Construction of a Versatile, Programmable RNA-Binding Protein Using Designer PPR Proteins and Its Application for Splicing Control in Mammalian Cells. Cells 2022; 11:cells11223529. [PMID: 36428958 PMCID: PMC9688318 DOI: 10.3390/cells11223529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
RNAs play many essential roles in gene expression and are involved in various human diseases. Although genome editing technologies have been established, the engineering of sequence-specific RNA-binding proteins that manipulate particular cellular RNA molecules is immature, in contrast to nucleotide-based RNA manipulation technology, such as siRNA- and RNA-targeting CRISPR/Cas. Here, we demonstrate a versatile RNA manipulation technology using pentatricopeptide-repeat (PPR)-motif-containing proteins. First, we developed a rapid construction and evaluation method for PPR-based designer sequence-specific RNA-binding proteins. This system has enabled the steady construction of dozens of functional designer PPR proteins targeting long 18 nt RNA, which targets a single specific RNA in the mammalian transcriptome. Furthermore, the cellular functionality of the designer PPR proteins was first demonstrated by the control of alternative splicing of either a reporter gene or an endogenous CHK1 mRNA. Our results present a versatile protein-based RNA manipulation technology using PPR proteins that facilitates the understanding of unknown RNA functions and the creation of gene circuits and has potential for use in future therapeutics.
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11
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Han W, Huang W, Wei T, Ye Y, Mao M, Wang Z. Programmable RNA base editing with a single gRNA-free enzyme. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:9580-9595. [PMID: 36029126 PMCID: PMC9458445 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Programmable RNA editing enables rewriting gene expression without changing genome sequences. Current tools for specific RNA editing dependent on the assembly of guide RNA into an RNA/protein complex, causing delivery barrier and low editing efficiency. We report a new gRNA-free system, RNA editing with individual RNA-binding enzyme (REWIRE), to perform precise base editing with a single engineered protein. This artificial enzyme contains a human-originated programmable PUF domain to specifically recognize RNAs and different deaminase domains to achieve efficient A-to-I or C-to-U editing, which achieved 60-80% editing rate in human cells, with a few non-specific editing sites in the targeted region and a low level off-target effect globally. The RNA-binding domain in REWIREs was further optimized to improve editing efficiency and minimize off-target effects. We applied the REWIREs to correct disease-associated mutations and achieve both types of base editing in mice. As a single-component system originated from human proteins, REWIRE presents a precise and efficient RNA editing platform with broad applicability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjian Han
- Bio-Med Big Data Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wendi Huang
- Bio-Med Big Data Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Tong Wei
- Bio-Med Big Data Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yanwen Ye
- Bio-Med Big Data Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Miaowei Mao
- Bio-Med Big Data Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Zefeng Wang
- Bio-Med Big Data Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
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12
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Rösner L, Reichert D, Rau K, Muthmann N, Rentmeister A. Sequence-specific targeting of RNA. Methods 2022; 205:73-82. [PMID: 35764247 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2022.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-transcriptional modifications play an important role in several processes, including translation, splicing, and RNA degradation in eukaryotic cells. To investigate the function of specific modifications it is of high interest to develop tools for sequence-specific RNA-targeting. This work focuses on two abundant modifications of eukaryotic mRNA, namely methylation of the guanine-N7 position of the 5'-cap and internal N6-methyladenosine (m6A). We describe the sequence-specific targeting of model RNA transcripts via RNA-binding proteins, such as nuclease-deficient RNA-targeting Cas9 (RCas9) and the Pumilio homology domain (PumHD) fused to two different effector enzymes, the dioxygenase FTO and the guanine-N7 methyltransferase Ecm1. With this tool, we were able to install and remove the methylation at the respective positions with high specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Rösner
- University of Münster, Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, Corrensstraße 36, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Dennis Reichert
- University of Münster, Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, Corrensstraße 36, 48149 Münster, Germany; Cells in Motion Interfaculty Center, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Kristina Rau
- University of Münster, Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, Corrensstraße 36, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Nils Muthmann
- University of Münster, Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, Corrensstraße 36, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Andrea Rentmeister
- University of Münster, Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, Corrensstraße 36, 48149 Münster, Germany; Cells in Motion Interfaculty Center, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
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13
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Imanishi M. Mechanisms and Strategies for Determining m 6 A RNA Modification Sites by Natural and Engineered m 6 A Effector Proteins. Chem Asian J 2022; 17:e202200367. [PMID: 35750635 DOI: 10.1002/asia.202200367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
N6 -Methyladenosine (m6 A) is the most common internal RNA modification in the consensus sequence of 5'-RRACH-3'. The methyl mark is added by writer proteins (METTL3/METTL14 metyltransferase complex) and removed by eraser proteins (m6 A demethylases; FTO and ALKBH5). Recognition of this methyl mark by m6 A reader proteins leads to changes in RNA metabolism. How the writer and eraser proteins determine their targets is not well-understood, despite the importance of this information in understanding the regulatory mechanisms and physiological roles of m6 A. However, approaches for targeted manipulation of the methylation state at specific sites are being developed. In this review, I summarize the recent findings on the mechanisms of target identification of m6 A regulatory proteins, as well as recent approaches for targeted m6 A modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miki Imanishi
- Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto, 611-0011, Japan
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14
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Xie VC, Styles MJ, Dickinson BC. Methods for the directed evolution of biomolecular interactions. Trends Biochem Sci 2022; 47:403-416. [PMID: 35427479 PMCID: PMC9022280 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2022.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Noncovalent interactions between biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids coordinate all cellular processes through changes in proximity. Tools that perturb these interactions are and will continue to be highly valuable for basic and translational scientific endeavors. By taking cues from natural systems, such as the adaptive immune system, we can design directed evolution platforms that can generate proteins that bind to biomolecules of interest. In recent years, the platforms used to direct the evolution of biomolecular binders have greatly expanded the range of types of interactions one can evolve. Herein, we review recent advances in methods to evolve protein-protein, protein-RNA, and protein-DNA interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew J Styles
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Bryan C Dickinson
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
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15
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Raven SA, Payne B, Bruce M, Filipovska A, Rackham O. In silico evolution of nucleic acid-binding proteins from a nonfunctional scaffold. Nat Chem Biol 2022; 18:403-411. [PMID: 35210620 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-022-00967-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Directed evolution emulates the process of natural selection to produce proteins with improved or altered functions. These approaches have proven to be very powerful but are technically challenging and particularly time and resource intensive. To bypass these limitations, we constructed a system to perform the entire process of directed evolution in silico. We employed iterative computational cycles of mutation and evaluation to predict mutations that confer high-affinity binding activities for DNA and RNA to an initial de novo designed protein with no inherent function. Beneficial mutations revealed modes of nucleic acid recognition not previously observed in natural proteins, highlighting the ability of computational directed evolution to access new molecular functions. Furthermore, the process by which new functions were obtained closely resembles natural evolution and can provide insights into the contributions of mutation rate, population size and selective pressure on functionalization of macromolecules in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A Raven
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia.,University of Western Australia Centre for Medical Research, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Blake Payne
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia.,University of Western Australia Centre for Medical Research, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Mitchell Bruce
- Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Aleksandra Filipovska
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia.,University of Western Australia Centre for Medical Research, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia.,School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.,Telethon Kids Institute, Northern Entrance, Perth Children's Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Oliver Rackham
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia. .,Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia. .,Telethon Kids Institute, Northern Entrance, Perth Children's Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia. .,Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia.
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16
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Bernath-Levin K, Schmidberger J, Honkanen S, Gutmann B, Sun YK, Pullakhandam A, Colas des Francs-Small C, Bond CS, Small I. Cofactor-independent RNA editing by a synthetic S-type PPR protein. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2022; 7:ysab034. [PMID: 35128071 PMCID: PMC8809517 DOI: 10.1093/synbio/ysab034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins are RNA-binding proteins that are attractive tools for RNA processing in synthetic biology applications given their modular structure and ease of design. Several distinct types of motifs have been described from natural PPR proteins, but almost all work so far with synthetic PPR proteins has focused on the most widespread P-type motifs. We have investigated synthetic PPR proteins based on tandem repeats of the more compact S-type PPR motif found in plant organellar RNA editing factors and particularly prevalent in the lycophyte Selaginella. With the aid of a novel plate-based screening method, we show that synthetic S-type PPR proteins are easy to design and bind with high affinity and specificity and are functional in a wide range of pH, salt and temperature conditions. We find that they outperform a synthetic P-type PPR scaffold in many situations. We designed an S-type editing factor to edit an RNA target in E. coli and demonstrate that it edits effectively without requiring any additional cofactors to be added to the system. These qualities make S-type PPR scaffolds ideal for developing new RNA processing tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalia Bernath-Levin
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Jason Schmidberger
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Suvi Honkanen
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Bernard Gutmann
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Yueming Kelly Sun
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Anuradha Pullakhandam
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Catherine Colas des Francs-Small
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Charles S Bond
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
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17
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Nakamura K, Nakao T, Mori T, Ohno S, Fujita Y, Masaoka K, Sakabayashi K, Mori K, Tobimatsu T, Sera T. Necessity of Flanking Repeats R1' and R8' of Human Pumilio1 Protein for RNA Binding. Biochemistry 2021; 60:3007-3015. [PMID: 34541851 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Human Pumilio (hPUM) is a structurally well-analyzed RNA-binding protein that has been used recently for artificial RNA binding. Structural analysis revealed that amino acids at positions 12, 13, and 16 in the repeats from R1 to R8 each contact one specific RNA base in the eight-nucleotide RNA target. The functions of the N- and C-terminal flanking repeats R1' and R8', however, remain unclear. Here, we report how the repeats contribute to overall RNA binding. We first prepared three mutants in which R1' and/or R8' were deleted and then analyzed RNA binding using gel shift assays. The assays showed that all deletion mutants bound to their target less than the original hPUM, but that R1' contributed more than R8', unlike Drosophila PUM. We next investigated which amino acid residues of R1' or R8' were responsible for RNA binding. With detailed analysis of the protein tertiary structure, we found a hydrophobic core in each of the repeats. We therefore mutated all hydrophobic amino residues in each core to alanine. The gel shift assays with the resulting mutants revealed that both hydrophobic cores contributed to the RNA binding: especially the hydrophobic core of R1' had a significant influence. In the present study, we demonstrated that the flanking R1' and R8' repeats are indispensable for RNA binding of hPUM and suggest that hydrophobic R1'-R1 interactions may stabilize the whole hPUM structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kento Nakamura
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Taishu Nakao
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Tomoaki Mori
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Serika Ohno
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Yusuke Fujita
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Keisuke Masaoka
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Kazuki Sakabayashi
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Koichi Mori
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Takamasa Tobimatsu
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Takashi Sera
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
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18
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Zhou W, Melamed D, Banyai G, Meyer C, Tuschl T, Wickens M, Cao J, Fields S. Expanding the binding specificity for RNA recognition by a PUF domain. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5107. [PMID: 34429425 PMCID: PMC8384837 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25433-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to design a protein to bind specifically to a target RNA enables numerous applications, with the modular architecture of the PUF domain lending itself to new RNA-binding specificities. For each repeat of the Pumilio-1 PUF domain, we generate a library that contains the 8,000 possible combinations of amino acid substitutions at residues critical for RNA contact. We carry out yeast three-hybrid selections with each library against the RNA recognition sequence for Pumilio-1, with any possible base present at the position recognized by the randomized repeat. We use sequencing to score the binding of each variant, identifying many variants with highly repeat-specific interactions. From these data, we generate an RNA binding code specific to each repeat and base. We use this code to design PUF domains against 16 RNAs, and find that some of these domains recognize RNAs with two, three or four changes from the wild type sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhou
- grid.34477.330000000122986657Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA ,grid.34477.330000000122986657Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA ,grid.134907.80000 0001 2166 1519The Rockefeller University, New York, NY USA
| | - Daniel Melamed
- grid.34477.330000000122986657Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA ,grid.18098.380000 0004 1937 0562Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel ,grid.18098.380000 0004 1937 0562Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Gabor Banyai
- grid.134907.80000 0001 2166 1519The Rockefeller University, New York, NY USA
| | - Cindy Meyer
- grid.134907.80000 0001 2166 1519The Rockefeller University, New York, NY USA
| | - Thomas Tuschl
- grid.134907.80000 0001 2166 1519The Rockefeller University, New York, NY USA
| | - Marvin Wickens
- grid.14003.360000 0001 2167 3675Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
| | - Junyue Cao
- grid.134907.80000 0001 2166 1519The Rockefeller University, New York, NY USA
| | - Stanley Fields
- grid.34477.330000000122986657Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA ,grid.34477.330000000122986657Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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19
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Abstract
The imaging of chromatin, genomic loci, RNAs, and proteins is very important to study their localization, interaction, and coordinated regulation. Recently, several clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) based imaging methods have been established. The refurbished tool kits utilizing deactivated Cas9 (dCas9) and dCas13 have been established to develop applications of CRISPR-Cas technology beyond genome editing. Here, we review recent advancements in CRISPR-based methods that enable efficient imaging and visualization of chromatin, genomic loci, RNAs, and proteins. RNA aptamers, Pumilio, SuperNova tagging system, molecular beacons, halotag, bimolecular fluorescence complementation, RNA-guided endonuclease in situ labeling, and oligonucleotide-based imaging methods utilizing fluorescent proteins, organic dyes, or quantum dots have been developed to achieve improved fluorescence and signal-to-noise ratio for the imaging of chromatin or genomic loci. RNA-guided RNA targeting CRISPR systems (CRISPR/dCas13) and gene knock-in strategies based on CRISPR/Cas9 mediated site-specific cleavage and DNA repair mechanisms have been employed for efficient RNA and protein imaging, respectively. A few CRISPR-Cas-based methods to investigate the coordinated regulation of DNA-protein, DNA-RNA, or RNA-protein interactions for understanding chromatin dynamics, transcription, and protein function are also available. Overall, the CRISPR-based methods offer a significant improvement in elucidating chromatin organization and dynamics, RNA visualization, and protein imaging. The current and future advancements in CRISPR-based imaging techniques can revolutionize genome biology research for various applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikram Singh
- School of Computational & Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Mukesh Jain
- School of Computational & Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
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20
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Rombouts S, Nollmann M. RNA imaging in bacteria. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2021; 45:5917984. [PMID: 33016325 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuaa051] [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: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The spatiotemporal regulation of gene expression plays an essential role in many biological processes. Recently, several imaging-based RNA labeling and detection methods, both in fixed and live cells, were developed and now enable the study of transcript abundance, localization and dynamics. Here, we review the main single-cell techniques for RNA visualization with fluorescence microscopy and describe their applications in bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Rombouts
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale, CNRS UMR 5048, INSERM U1054, Université de Montpellier, 60 Rue de Navacelles, 34090, Montpellier, France
| | - Marcelo Nollmann
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale, CNRS UMR 5048, INSERM U1054, Université de Montpellier, 60 Rue de Navacelles, 34090, Montpellier, France
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21
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Duan N, Arroyo M, Deng W, Cardoso MC, Leonhardt H. Visualization and characterization of RNA-protein interactions in living cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:e107. [PMID: 34313753 PMCID: PMC8501972 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA–protein interactions are the structural and functional basis of significant numbers of RNA molecules. RNA–protein interaction assays though, still mainly depend on biochemical tests in vitro. Here, we establish a convenient and reliable RNA fluorescent three-hybrid (rF3H) method to detect/interrogate the interactions between RNAs and proteins in cells. A GFP tagged highly specific RNA trap is constructed to anchor the RNA of interest to an artificial or natural subcellular structure, and RNA–protein interactions can be detected and visualized by the enrichment of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) at these structures. Different RNA trapping systems are developed and detection of RNA–protein complexes at multiple subcellular structures are assayed. With this new toolset, interactions between proteins and mRNA or noncoding RNAs are characterized, including the interaction between a long noncoding RNA and an epigenetic modulator. Our approach provides a flexible and reliable method for the characterization of RNA–protein interactions in living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ningjun Duan
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich 81377, Germany.,Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Maria Arroyo
- Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt 64287, Germany
| | - Wen Deng
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich 81377, Germany.,College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - M Cristina Cardoso
- Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt 64287, Germany
| | - Heinrich Leonhardt
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich 81377, Germany
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22
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Bedi K, Magnuson BR, Narayanan I, Paulsen M, Wilson TE, Ljungman M. Co-transcriptional splicing efficiencies differ within genes and between cell types. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2021; 27:rna.078662.120. [PMID: 33975916 PMCID: PMC8208053 DOI: 10.1261/rna.078662.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Pre-mRNA splicing is carried out by the spliceosome and involves splice site recognition, removal of introns, and ligation of exons. Components of the spliceosome have been shown to interact with the elongating RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) which is thought to allow splicing to occur concurrently with transcription. However, little is known about the regulation and efficiency of co-transcriptional splicing in human cells. In this study, we used Bru-seq and BruChase-seq to determine the co-transcriptional splicing efficiencies of 17,000 introns expressed across 6 human cell lines. We found that less than half of all introns across these 6 cell lines were co-transcriptionally spliced. Splicing efficiencies for individual introns showed variations across cell lines, suggesting that splicing may be regulated in a cell-type specific manner. Moreover, the splicing efficiency of introns varied within genes. The efficiency of co-transcriptional splicing did not correlate with gene length, intron position, splice site strengths, or the intron/neighboring exons GC content. However, we identified binding signals from multiple RNA binding proteins (RBPs) that correlated with splicing efficiency, including core spliceosomal machinery components-such as SF3B4, U2AF1 and U2AF2 showing higher binding signals in poorly spliced introns. In addition, multiple RBPs, such as BUD13, PUM1 and SND1, showed preferential binding in exons that flank introns with high splicing efficiencies. The nascent RNA splicing patterns presented here across multiple cell types add to our understanding of the complexity in RNA splicing, wherein RNA-binding proteins may play important roles in determining splicing outcomes in a cell type- and intron-specific manner.
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23
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Schwartz JL, Jones KL, Yeo GW. Repeat RNA expansion disorders of the nervous system: post-transcriptional mechanisms and therapeutic strategies. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2020; 56:31-53. [PMID: 33172304 PMCID: PMC8192115 DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2020.1841726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Dozens of incurable neurological disorders result from expansion of short repeat sequences in both coding and non-coding regions of the transcriptome. Short repeat expansions underlie microsatellite repeat expansion (MRE) disorders including myotonic dystrophy (DM1, CUG50–3,500 in DMPK; DM2, CCTG75–11,000 in ZNF9), fragile X tremor ataxia syndrome (FXTAS, CGG50–200 in FMR1), spinal bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA, CAG40–55 in AR), Huntington’s disease (HD, CAG36–121 in HTT), C9ORF72-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)/frontotemporal dementia (FTD and C9-ALS/FTD, GGGGCC in C9ORF72), and many others, like ataxias. Recent research has highlighted several mechanisms that may contribute to pathology in this heterogeneous class of neurological MRE disorders – bidirectional transcription, intranuclear RNA foci, and repeat associated non-AUG (RAN) translation – which are the subject of this review. Additionally, many MRE disorders share similar underlying molecular pathologies that have been recently targeted in experimental and preclinical contexts. We discuss the therapeutic potential of versatile therapeutic strategies that may selectively target disrupted RNA-based processes and may be readily adaptable for the treatment of multiple MRE disorders. Collectively, the strategies under consideration for treatment of multiple MRE disorders include reducing levels of toxic RNA, preventing RNA foci formation, and eliminating the downstream cellular toxicity associated with peptide repeats produced by RAN translation. While treatments are still lacking for the majority of MRE disorders, several promising therapeutic strategies have emerged and will be evaluated within this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua L Schwartz
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Krysten Leigh Jones
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Gene W Yeo
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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24
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Effective RNA Regulation by Combination of Multiple Programmable RNA-Binding Proteins. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/app10196803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
RNAs play important roles in gene expression through translation and RNA splicing. Regulation of specific RNAs is useful to understand and manipulate specific transcripts. Pumilio and fem-3 mRNA-binding factor (PUF) proteins, programmable RNA-binding proteins, are promising tools for regulating specific RNAs by fusing them with various functional domains. The key question is: How can PUF-based molecular tools efficiently regulate RNA functions? Here, we show that the combination of multiple PUF proteins, compared to using a single PUF protein, targeting independent RNA sequences at the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of a target transcript caused cooperative effects to regulate the function of the target RNA by luciferase reporter assays. It is worth noting that a higher efficacy was achieved with smaller amounts of each PUF expression vector introduced into the cells compared to using a single PUF protein. This strategy not only efficiently regulates target RNA functions but would also be effective in reducing off-target effects due to the low doses of each expression vector.
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25
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Criscuolo S, Gatti Iou M, Merolla A, Maragliano L, Cesca F, Benfenati F. Engineering REST-Specific Synthetic PUF Proteins to Control Neuronal Gene Expression: A Combined Experimental and Computational Study. ACS Synth Biol 2020; 9:2039-2054. [PMID: 32678979 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Regulation of gene transcription is an essential mechanism for differentiation and adaptation of organisms. A key actor in this regulation process is the repressor element 1 (RE1)-silencing transcription factor (REST), a transcriptional repressor that controls more than 2000 putative target genes, most of which are neuron-specific. With the purpose of modulating REST expression, we exploited synthetic, ad hoc designed, RNA binding proteins (RBPs) able to specifically target and dock to REST mRNA. Among the various families of RBPs, we focused on the Pumilio and FBF (PUF) proteins, present in all eukaryotic organisms and controlling a variety of cellular functions. Here, a combined experimental and computational approach was used to design and test 8- and 16-repeat PUF proteins specific for REST mRNA. We explored the conformational properties and atomic features of the PUF-RNA recognition code by Molecular Dynamics simulations. Biochemical assays revealed that the 8- and 16-repeat PUF-based variants specifically bind the endogenous REST mRNA without affecting its translational regulation. The data also indicate a key role of stacking residues in determining the binding specificity. The newly characterized REST-specific PUF-based constructs act as excellent RNA-binding modules and represent a versatile and functional platform to specifically target REST mRNA and modulate its endogenous expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Criscuolo
- Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova 16132, Italy
| | - Mahad Gatti Iou
- Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova 16132, Italy
| | - Assunta Merolla
- Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova 16132, Italy
- University of Genova, Genova 16132, Italy
| | - Luca Maragliano
- Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova 16132, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova 16132, Italy
| | - Fabrizia Cesca
- Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova 16132, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste 34127, Italy
| | - Fabio Benfenati
- Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova 16132, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova 16132, Italy
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26
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Joshna CR, Saha P, Atugala D, Chua G, Muench DG. Plant PUF RNA-binding proteins: A wealth of diversity for post-transcriptional gene regulation. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2020; 297:110505. [PMID: 32563454 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2020.110505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
PUF proteins are a conserved group of sequence-specific RNA-binding proteins that typically function to negatively regulate mRNA stability and translation. PUFs are well characterized at the molecular, structural and functional levels in Drosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans, budding yeast and human systems. Although usually encoded by small gene families, PUFs are over-represented in the plant genome, with up to 36 genes identified in a single species. PUF gene expansion in plants has resulted in extensive variability in gene expression patterns, diversity in predicted RNA-binding domain structure, and novel combinations of key amino acids involved in modular nucleotide binding. Reports on the characterization of plant PUF structure and function continue to expand, and include RNA target identification, subcellular distribution, crystal structure, and molecular mechanisms. Arabidopsis PUF mutant analysis has provided insight into biological function, and has identified roles related to development and environmental stress tolerance. The diversity of plant PUFs implies an extensive role for this family of proteins in post-transcriptional gene regulation. This diversity also holds the potential for providing novel RNA-binding domains that could be engineered to produce designer PUFs to alter the metabolism of target RNAs in the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris R Joshna
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N1N4, Canada
| | - Pritha Saha
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N1N4, Canada
| | - Dilini Atugala
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N1N4, Canada
| | - Gordon Chua
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N1N4, Canada
| | - Douglas G Muench
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N1N4, Canada.
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27
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Najdrová V, Stairs CW, Vinopalová M, Voleman L, Doležal P. The evolution of the Puf superfamily of proteins across the tree of eukaryotes. BMC Biol 2020; 18:77. [PMID: 32605621 PMCID: PMC7325665 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-00814-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Eukaryotic gene expression is controlled by a number of RNA-binding proteins (RBP), such as the proteins from the Puf (Pumilio and FBF) superfamily (PufSF). These proteins bind to RNA via multiple Puf repeat domains, each of which specifically recognizes a single RNA base. Recently, three diversified PufSF proteins have been described in model organisms, each of which is responsible for the maturation of ribosomal RNA or the translational regulation of mRNAs; however, less is known about the role of these proteins across eukaryotic diversity. RESULTS Here, we investigated the distribution and function of PufSF RBPs in the tree of eukaryotes. We determined that the following PufSF proteins are universally conserved across eukaryotes and can be broadly classified into three groups: (i) Nop9 orthologues, which participate in the nucleolar processing of immature 18S rRNA; (ii) 'classical' Pufs, which control the translation of mRNA; and (iii) PUM3 orthologues, which are involved in the maturation of 7S rRNA. In nearly all eukaryotes, the rRNA maturation proteins, Nop9 and PUM3, are retained as a single copy, while mRNA effectors ('classical' Pufs) underwent multiple lineage-specific expansions. We propose that the variation in number of 'classical' Pufs relates to the size of the transcriptome and thus the potential mRNA targets. We further distinguished full set of PufSF proteins in divergent metamonad Giardia intestinalis and initiated their cellular and biochemical characterization. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA) already contained all three types of PufSF proteins and that 'classical' Pufs then underwent lineage-specific expansions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimíra Najdrová
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Průmyslová 595, 252 50, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Courtney W Stairs
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, SE-75123, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Martina Vinopalová
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Průmyslová 595, 252 50, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Luboš Voleman
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Průmyslová 595, 252 50, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Doležal
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Průmyslová 595, 252 50, Vestec, Czech Republic.
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28
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Tietz KT, Gallagher TL, Mannings MC, Morrow ZT, Derr NL, Amacher SL. Pumilio response and AU-rich elements drive rapid decay of Pnrc2-regulated cyclic gene transcripts. Dev Biol 2020; 462:129-140. [PMID: 32246943 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Vertebrate segmentation is regulated by the segmentation clock, a biological oscillator that controls periodic formation of somites, or embryonic segments, which give rise to many mesodermal tissue types. This molecular oscillator generates cyclic gene expression with the same periodicity as somite formation in the presomitic mesoderm (PSM), an area of mesenchymal cells that give rise to mature somites. Molecular components of the clock include the Hes/her family of genes that encode transcriptional repressors, but additional genes cycle. Cyclic gene transcripts are cleared rapidly, and clearance depends upon the pnrc2 (proline-rich nuclear receptor co-activator 2) gene that encodes an mRNA decay adaptor. Previously, we showed that the her1 3'UTR confers instability to otherwise stable transcripts in a Pnrc2-dependent manner, however, the molecular mechanism(s) by which cyclic gene transcripts are cleared remained largely unknown. To identify features of the her1 3'UTR that are critical for Pnrc2-mediated decay, we developed an array of transgenic inducible reporter lines carrying different regions of the 3'UTR. We find that the terminal 179 nucleotides (nts) of the her1 3'UTR are necessary and sufficient to confer rapid instability. Additionally, we show that the 3'UTR of another cyclic gene, deltaC (dlc), also confers Pnrc2-dependent instability. Motif analysis reveals that both her1 and dlc 3'UTRs contain terminally-located Pumilio response elements (PREs) and AU-rich elements (AREs), and we show that the PRE and ARE in the last 179 nts of the her1 3'UTR drive rapid turnover of reporter mRNA. Finally, we show that mutation of Pnrc2 residues and domains that are known to facilitate interaction of human PNRC2 with decay factors DCP1A and UPF1 reduce the ability of Pnrc2 to restore normal cyclic gene expression in pnrc2 mutant embryos. Our findings suggest that Pnrc2 interacts with decay machinery components and cooperates with Pumilio (Pum) proteins and ARE-binding proteins to promote rapid turnover of cyclic gene transcripts during somitogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiel T Tietz
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA; Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA; Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Thomas L Gallagher
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA; Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Monica C Mannings
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA; Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA; Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Zachary T Morrow
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Nicolas L Derr
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Sharon L Amacher
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA; Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA; Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA; Center for Muscle Health and Neuromuscular Disorders, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
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Smargon AA, Shi YJ, Yeo GW. RNA-targeting CRISPR systems from metagenomic discovery to transcriptomic engineering. Nat Cell Biol 2020; 22:143-150. [PMID: 32015437 PMCID: PMC8008746 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-019-0454-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Deployment of RNA-guided DNA endonuclease CRISPR-Cas technology has led to radical advances in biology. As the functional diversity of CRISPR-Cas and parallel systems is further explored, RNA manipulation is emerging as a powerful mode of CRISPR-based engineering. In this Perspective, we chart progress in the RNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas (RCas) field and illustrate how continuing evolution in scientific discovery translates into applications for RNA biology and insights into mysteries, obstacles, and alternative technologies that lie ahead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron A Smargon
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Yilan J Shi
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Gene W Yeo
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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Kopniczky MB, Canavan C, McClymont DW, Crone MA, Suckling L, Goetzmann B, Siciliano V, MacDonald JT, Jensen K, Freemont PS. Cell-Free Protein Synthesis as a Prototyping Platform for Mammalian Synthetic Biology. ACS Synth Biol 2020; 9:144-156. [PMID: 31899623 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The field of mammalian synthetic biology is expanding quickly, and technologies for engineering large synthetic gene circuits are increasingly accessible. However, for mammalian cell engineering, traditional tissue culture methods are slow and cumbersome, and are not suited for high-throughput characterization measurements. Here we have utilized mammalian cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) assays using HeLa cell extracts and liquid handling automation as an alternative to tissue culture and flow cytometry-based measurements. Our CFPS assays take a few hours, and we have established optimized protocols for small-volume reactions using automated acoustic liquid handling technology. As a proof-of-concept, we characterized diverse types of genetic regulation in CFPS, including T7 constitutive promoter variants, internal ribosomal entry sites (IRES) constitutive translation-initiation sequence variants, CRISPR/dCas9-mediated transcription repression, and L7Ae-mediated translation repression. Our data shows simple regulatory elements for use in mammalian cells can be quickly prototyped in a CFPS model system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margarita B. Kopniczky
- Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Caoimhe Canavan
- Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - David W. McClymont
- Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- London Biofoundry, Imperial College Translation & Innovation Hub, White City Campus, 80 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, U.K
| | - Michael A. Crone
- Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- UK Dementia Research Institute Care Research and Technology Centre, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, U.K
| | - Lorna Suckling
- London Biofoundry, Imperial College Translation & Innovation Hub, White City Campus, 80 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, U.K
| | - Bruno Goetzmann
- Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Velia Siciliano
- Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - James T. MacDonald
- Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Kirsten Jensen
- Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- London Biofoundry, Imperial College Translation & Innovation Hub, White City Campus, 80 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, U.K
- UK Dementia Research Institute Care Research and Technology Centre, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, U.K
| | - Paul S. Freemont
- Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- London Biofoundry, Imperial College Translation & Innovation Hub, White City Campus, 80 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, U.K
- UK Dementia Research Institute Care Research and Technology Centre, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, U.K
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32
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Shinoda K, Suda A, Otonari K, Futaki S, Imanishi M. Programmable RNA methylation and demethylation using PUF RNA binding proteins. Chem Commun (Camb) 2020; 56:1365-1368. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cc09298f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
A new method manipulating local RNA methylation was developed by fusing the programmable RNA binding protein and the m6A demethylase or methyltransferase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kouki Shinoda
- Institute for Chemical Research
- Kyoto University
- Kyoto 611-0011
- Japan
| | - Akiyo Suda
- Institute for Chemical Research
- Kyoto University
- Kyoto 611-0011
- Japan
| | - Kenko Otonari
- Institute for Chemical Research
- Kyoto University
- Kyoto 611-0011
- Japan
| | - Shiroh Futaki
- Institute for Chemical Research
- Kyoto University
- Kyoto 611-0011
- Japan
| | - Miki Imanishi
- Institute for Chemical Research
- Kyoto University
- Kyoto 611-0011
- Japan
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33
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Kilchert C, Sträßer K, Kunetsky V, Änkö ML. From parts lists to functional significance-RNA-protein interactions in gene regulation. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2019; 11:e1582. [PMID: 31883228 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2019] [Revised: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Hundreds of canonical RNA binding proteins facilitate diverse and essential RNA processing steps in cells forming a central regulatory point in gene expression. However, recent discoveries including the identification of a large number of noncanonical proteins bound to RNA have changed our view on RNA-protein interactions merely as necessary steps in RNA biogenesis. As the list of proteins interacting with RNA has expanded, so has the scope of regulation through RNA-protein interactions. In addition to facilitating RNA metabolism, RNA binding proteins help to form subcellular structures and membraneless organelles, and provide means to recruit components of macromolecular complexes to their sites of action. Moreover, RNA-protein interactions are not static in cells but the ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes are highly dynamic in response to cellular cues. The identification of novel proteins in complex with RNA and ways cells use these interactions to control cellular functions continues to broaden the scope of RNA regulation in cells and the current challenge is to move from cataloguing the components of RNPs into assigning them functions. This will not only facilitate our understanding of cellular homeostasis but may bring in key insights into human disease conditions where RNP components play a central role. This review brings together the classical view of regulation accomplished through RNA-protein interactions with the novel insights gained from the identification of RNA binding interactomes. We discuss the challenges in combining molecular mechanism with cellular functions on the journey towards a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory functions of RNA-protein interactions in cells. This article is categorized under: RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Interactions: Functional Implications aRNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > RNA-Protein Complexes RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia Kilchert
- Institute of Biochemistry, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Katja Sträßer
- Institute of Biochemistry, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Vladislav Kunetsky
- Institute of Biochemistry, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Minna-Liisa Änkö
- Centre for Reproductive Health and Centre for Cancer Research, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Molecular and Translational Science, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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34
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35
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Wallis CP, Scott LH, Filipovska A, Rackham O. Manipulating and elucidating mitochondrial gene expression with engineered proteins. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 375:20190185. [PMID: 31787043 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many conventional, modern genome engineering tools cannot be used to study mitochondrial genetics due to the unusual structure and physiology of the mitochondrial genome. Here, we review a number of newly developed, synthetic biology-based approaches for altering levels of mutant mammalian mitochondrial DNA and mitochondrial RNAs, including transcription activator-like effector nucleases, zinc finger nucleases and engineered RNA-binding proteins. These approaches allow researchers to manipulate and visualize mitochondrial processes and may provide future therapeutics. This article is part of the theme issue 'Linking the mitochondrial genotype to phenotype: a complex endeavour'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher P Wallis
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia.,The University of Western Australia Centre for Medical Research, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Louis H Scott
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia.,The University of Western Australia Centre for Medical Research, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Aleksandra Filipovska
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia.,The University of Western Australia Centre for Medical Research, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.,School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Oliver Rackham
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia.,School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia 6102, Australia.,Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia 6102, Australia
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36
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Pei Y, Lu M. Programmable RNA manipulation in living cells. Cell Mol Life Sci 2019; 76:4861-4867. [PMID: 31367845 PMCID: PMC11105762 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03252-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Revised: 06/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
RNAs are responsible for mediating genetic information flow within the cell. RNA splicing, modification, trafficking, translation, and stability are all controlled at the transcript level. However, biological tools to study and manipulate them in a programmable fashion are currently limited. In this review, we summarize recent advances regarding available RNA-targeting systems discovered so far, including CRISPR-based technologies-Cas9 and Cas13, and programmable RNA-binding proteins-PUF and PPR. These tools allow transcript-specific manipulation in gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Pei
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mingxing Lu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, 31 To Yuen Street, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong.
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37
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Shotwell CR, Cleary JD, Berglund JA. The potential of engineered eukaryotic RNA-binding proteins as molecular tools and therapeutics. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2019; 11:e1573. [PMID: 31680457 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Revised: 09/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Eukaroytic RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) recognize and process RNAs through recognition of their sequence motifs via RNA-binding domains (RBDs). RBPs usually consist of one or more RBDs and can include additional functional domains that modify or cleave RNA. Engineered RBPs have been used to answer basic biology questions, control gene expression, locate viral RNA in vivo, as well as many other tasks. Given the growing number of diseases associated with RNA and RBPs, engineered RBPs also have the potential to serve as therapeutics. This review provides an in depth description of recent advances in engineered RBPs and discusses opportunities and challenges in the field. This article is categorized under: RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Recognition RNA Methods > RNA Nanotechnology RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl R Shotwell
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - John D Cleary
- RNA Institute, University at Albany, Albany, New York
| | - J Andrew Berglund
- Department of Biological Sciences and RNA Institute, University at Albany, Albany, New York
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38
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Vos PD, Leedman PJ, Filipovska A, Rackham O. Modulation of miRNA function by natural and synthetic RNA-binding proteins in cancer. Cell Mol Life Sci 2019; 76:3745-3752. [PMID: 31165201 PMCID: PMC11105495 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03163-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) are the most important regulators of mRNA stability and translation in eukaryotic cells; however, the complex interplay between these systems is only now coming to light. RBPs and miRNAs regulate a unique set of targets in either a positive or negative manner and their regulation is mainly opposed to each other on overlapping targets. In some cases, the levels of RBPs or miRNAs regulate the cellular levels of one another and decreased levels of either results in changes in translation of their targets. There is growing evidence that these regulatory circuits are crucial in the development and progression of cancer; however, the rules underlying synergism and antagonism between miRNAs and RNA-binding proteins remain unclear. Synthetic biology seeks to develop artificial systems to better understand their natural counterparts and to develop new, useful technologies for manipulation of gene expression at the RNA level. The recent development of artificial RNA-binding proteins promises to enable a much greater understanding of the importance of the functional interactions between RNA-binding proteins and miRNAs, as well as enabling their manipulation for therapeutic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal D Vos
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia
- Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia
- School of Molecular and Chemical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Peter J Leedman
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia
- Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia
- Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Aleksandra Filipovska
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia
- Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia
- School of Molecular and Chemical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Oliver Rackham
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia.
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia.
- Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia.
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39
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Dedow LK, Bailey-Serres J. Searching for a Match: Structure, Function and Application of Sequence-Specific RNA-Binding Proteins. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 60:1927-1938. [PMID: 31329953 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcz072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Plants encode over 1800 RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) that modulate a myriad of steps in gene regulation from chromatin organization to translation, yet only a small number of these proteins and their target transcripts have been functionally characterized. Two classes of eukaryotic RBPs, pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) and pumilio/fem-3 binding factors (PUF), recognize and bind to specific sequential RNA sequences through protein-RNA interactions. These modular proteins possess helical structural units containing key residues with high affinity for specific nucleotides, whose sequential order determines binding to a specific target RNA sequence. PPR proteins are nucleus-encoded, but largely regulate post-transcriptional gene regulation within plastids and mitochondria, including splicing, translation and RNA editing. Plant PUFs are involved in gene regulatory processes within the cell nucleus and cytoplasm. The modular structures of PPRs and PUFs that determine sequence specificity has facilitated identification of their RNA targets and biological functions. The protein-based RNA-targeting of PPRs and PUFs contrasts to the prokaryotic cluster regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated proteins (Cas) that target RNAs in prokaryotes. Together the PPR, PUF and CRISPR-Cas systems provide varied opportunities for RNA-targeted engineering applications.
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40
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Zhang Y, Lu C. The Enigmatic Roles of PPR-SMR Proteins in Plants. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2019; 6:1900361. [PMID: 31380188 PMCID: PMC6662315 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201900361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Revised: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein family, with more than 400 members, is one of the largest and most diverse protein families in land plants. A small subset of PPR proteins contain a C-terminal small MutS-related (SMR) domain. Although there are relatively few PPR-SMR proteins, they play essential roles in embryo development, chloroplast biogenesis and gene expression, and plastid-to-nucleus retrograde signaling. Here, recent advances in understanding the roles of PPR-SMR proteins and the SMR domain based on a combination of genetic, biochemical, and physiological analyses are described. In addition, the potential of the PPR-SMR protein SOT1 to serve as a tool for RNA manipulation is highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop BiologyCollege of Life SciencesShandong Agricultural UniversityTaianShandong271018P. R. China
| | - Congming Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop BiologyCollege of Life SciencesShandong Agricultural UniversityTaianShandong271018P. R. China
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41
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Jarmoskaite I, Denny SK, Vaidyanathan PP, Becker WR, Andreasson JOL, Layton CJ, Kappel K, Shivashankar V, Sreenivasan R, Das R, Greenleaf WJ, Herschlag D. A Quantitative and Predictive Model for RNA Binding by Human Pumilio Proteins. Mol Cell 2019; 74:966-981.e18. [PMID: 31078383 DOI: 10.1101/403006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Revised: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
High-throughput methodologies have enabled routine generation of RNA target sets and sequence motifs for RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). Nevertheless, quantitative approaches are needed to capture the landscape of RNA-RBP interactions responsible for cellular regulation. We have used the RNA-MaP platform to directly measure equilibrium binding for thousands of designed RNAs and to construct a predictive model for RNA recognition by the human Pumilio proteins PUM1 and PUM2. Despite prior findings of linear sequence motifs, our measurements revealed widespread residue flipping and instances of positional coupling. Application of our thermodynamic model to published in vivo crosslinking data reveals quantitative agreement between predicted affinities and in vivo occupancies. Our analyses suggest a thermodynamically driven, continuous Pumilio-binding landscape that is negligibly affected by RNA structure or kinetic factors, such as displacement by ribosomes. This work provides a quantitative foundation for dissecting the cellular behavior of RBPs and cellular features that impact their occupancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inga Jarmoskaite
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Sarah K Denny
- Biophysics Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Scribe Therapeutics, Berkeley, CA, 94704, USA
| | | | - Winston R Becker
- Biophysics Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Johan O L Andreasson
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Curtis J Layton
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Kalli Kappel
- Biophysics Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | | | - Raashi Sreenivasan
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Rhiju Das
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - William J Greenleaf
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Daniel Herschlag
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; ChEM-H Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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42
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Wang F, Wang L, Zou X, Duan S, Li Z, Deng Z, Luo J, Lee SY, Chen S. Advances in CRISPR-Cas systems for RNA targeting, tracking and editing. Biotechnol Adv 2019; 37:708-729. [PMID: 30926472 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2019.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) systems, especially type II (Cas9) systems, have been widely used in gene/genome targeting. Modifications of Cas9 enable these systems to become platforms for precise DNA manipulations. However, the utilization of CRISPR-Cas systems in RNA targeting remains preliminary. The discovery of type VI CRISPR-Cas systems (Cas13) shed light on RNA-guided RNA targeting. Cas13d, the smallest Cas13 protein, with a length of only ~930 amino acids, is a promising platform for RNA targeting compatible with viral delivery systems. Much effort has also been made to develop Cas9, Cas13a and Cas13b applications for RNA-guided RNA targeting. The discovery of new RNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas systems as well as the development of RNA-targeting platforms with Cas9 and Cas13 will promote RNA-targeting technology substantially. Here, we review new advances in RNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas systems as well as advances in applications of these systems in RNA targeting, tracking and editing. We also compare these Cas protein-based technologies with traditional technologies for RNA targeting, tracking and editing. Finally, we discuss remaining questions and prospects for the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, Brain Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China; Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, Hubei, China
| | - Lianrong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, Brain Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China; Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, Hubei, China
| | - Xuan Zou
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, Brain Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 Plus Program), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Yuseong-gu, 34141 Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Suling Duan
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, Brain Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China
| | - Zhiqiang Li
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, Brain Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China
| | - Zixin Deng
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, Brain Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China
| | - Jie Luo
- Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, Hubei, China
| | - Sang Yup Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 Plus Program), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Yuseong-gu, 34141 Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
| | - Shi Chen
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, Brain Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China; Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, Hubei, China.
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Bhat VD, McCann KL, Wang Y, Fonseca DR, Shukla T, Alexander JC, Qiu C, Wickens M, Lo TW, Tanaka Hall TM, Campbell ZT. Engineering a conserved RNA regulatory protein repurposes its biological function in vivo. eLife 2019; 8:43788. [PMID: 30652968 PMCID: PMC6351103 DOI: 10.7554/elife.43788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
PUF (PUmilio/FBF) RNA-binding proteins recognize distinct elements. In C. elegans, PUF-8 binds to an 8-nt motif and restricts proliferation in the germline. Conversely, FBF-2 recognizes a 9-nt element and promotes mitosis. To understand how motif divergence relates to biological function, we first determined a crystal structure of PUF-8. Comparison of this structure to that of FBF-2 revealed a major difference in a central repeat. We devised a modified yeast 3-hybrid screen to identify mutations that confer recognition of an 8-nt element to FBF-2. We identified several such mutants and validated structurally and biochemically their binding to 8-nt RNA elements. Using genome engineering, we generated a mutant animal with a substitution in FBF-2 that confers preferential binding to the PUF-8 element. The mutant largely rescued overproliferation in animals that spontaneously generate tumors in the absence of puf-8. This work highlights the critical role of motif length in the specification of biological function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vandita D Bhat
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas Dallas, Richardson, United States
| | - Kathleen L McCann
- Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, United States
| | - Yeming Wang
- Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, United States
| | | | - Tarjani Shukla
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas Dallas, Richardson, United States
| | | | - Chen Qiu
- Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, United States
| | - Marv Wickens
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
| | - Te-Wen Lo
- Department of Biology, Ithaca College, Ithaca, United States
| | - Traci M Tanaka Hall
- Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, United States
| | - Zachary T Campbell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas Dallas, Richardson, United States
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Mao M, Hu Y, Yang Y, Qian Y, Wei H, Fan W, Yang Y, Li X, Wang Z. Modeling and Predicting the Activities of Trans-Acting Splicing Factors with Machine Learning. Cell Syst 2018; 7:510-520.e4. [PMID: 30414922 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2018.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2017] [Revised: 05/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) is generally regulated by trans-splicing factors that specifically bind to cis-elements in pre-mRNAs. The human genome encodes ∼1,500 RNA binding proteins (RBPs) that potentially regulate AS, yet their functions remain largely unknown. To explore their potential activities, we fused the putative functional domains of RBPs to a sequence-specific RNA-binding domain and systemically analyzed how these engineered factors affect splicing. We discovered that ∼80% of low-complexity domains in endogenous RBPs displayed distinct context-dependent activities in regulating splicing, indicating that AS is under more extensive regulation than previously expected. We developed a machine learning approach to classify and predict the activities of RBPs based on their sequence compositions and further validated this model using endogenous RBPs and synthetic polypeptides. These results represent a systematic inspection, modeling, prediction, and validation of how RBP sequences affect their activities in controlling splicing, paving the way for de novo engineering of artificial splicing factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miaowei Mao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; Signal Transduction Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Yue Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Yun Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Yajie Qian
- Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Huanhuan Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Wei Fan
- Signal Transduction Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Yi Yang
- Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Xiaoling Li
- Signal Transduction Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Zefeng Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
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45
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Goldstrohm AC, Hall TMT, McKenney KM. Post-transcriptional Regulatory Functions of Mammalian Pumilio Proteins. Trends Genet 2018; 34:972-990. [PMID: 30316580 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2018.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Revised: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian Pumilio proteins, PUM1 and PUM2, are members of the PUF family of sequence-specific RNA-binding proteins. In this review, we explore their mechanisms, regulatory networks, biological functions, and relevance to diseases. Pumilio proteins bind an extensive network of mRNAs and repress protein expression by inhibiting translation and promoting mRNA decay. Opposingly, in certain contexts, they can activate protein expression. Pumilio proteins also regulate noncoding (nc)RNAs. The ncRNA, ncRNA activated by DNA damage (NORAD), can in turn modulate Pumilio activity. Genetic analysis provides new insights into Pumilio protein function. They are essential for growth and development. They control diverse processes, including stem cell fate, and neurological functions, such as behavior and memory formation. Novel findings show that their dysfunction contributes to neurodegeneration, epilepsy, movement disorders, intellectual disability, infertility, and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron C Goldstrohm
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
| | - Traci M Tanaka Hall
- Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Katherine M McKenney
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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46
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Wallis CP, Richman TR, Filipovska A, Rackham O. Tighter Ligand Binding Can Compensate for Impaired Stability of an RNA-Binding Protein. ACS Chem Biol 2018; 13:1499-1505. [PMID: 29808990 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.8b00424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
It has been widely shown that ligand-binding residues, by virtue of their orientation, charge, and solvent exposure, often have a net destabilizing effect on proteins that is offset by stability conferring residues elsewhere in the protein. This structure-function trade-off can constrain possible adaptive evolutionary changes of function and may hamper protein engineering efforts to design proteins with new functions. Here, we present evidence from a large randomized mutant library screen that, in the case of PUF RNA-binding proteins, this structural relationship may be inverted and that active-site mutations that increase protein activity are also able to compensate for impaired stability. We show that certain mutations in RNA-protein binding residues are not necessarily destabilizing and that increased ligand-binding can rescue an insoluble, unstable PUF protein. We hypothesize that these mutations restabilize the protein via thermodynamic coupling of protein folding and RNA binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher P. Wallis
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands 6009, Australia
| | - Tara R. Richman
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands 6009, Australia
| | - Aleksandra Filipovska
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands 6009, Australia
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia
| | - Oliver Rackham
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands 6009, Australia
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia
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47
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Zhao YY, Mao MW, Zhang WJ, Wang J, Li HT, Yang Y, Wang Z, Wu JW. Expanding RNA binding specificity and affinity of engineered PUF domains. Nucleic Acids Res 2018; 46:4771-4782. [PMID: 29490074 PMCID: PMC5961129 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Revised: 02/08/2018] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Specific manipulation of RNA is necessary for the research in biotechnology and medicine. The RNA-binding domains of Pumilio/fem-3 mRNA binding factors (PUF domains) are programmable RNA binding scaffolds used to engineer artificial proteins that specifically modulate RNAs. However, the native PUF domains generally recognize 8-nt RNAs, limiting their applications. Here, we modify the PUF domain of human Pumilio1 to engineer PUFs that recognize RNA targets of different length. The engineered PUFs bind to their RNA targets specifically and PUFs with more repeats have higher binding affinity than the canonical eight-repeat domains; however, the binding affinity reaches the peak at those with 9 and 10 repeats. Structural analysis on PUF with nine repeats reveals a higher degree of curvature, and the RNA binding unexpectedly and dramatically opens the curved structure. Investigation of the residues positioned in between two RNA bases demonstrates that tyrosine and arginine have favored stacking interactions. Further tests on the availability of the engineered PUFs in vitro and in splicing function assays indicate that our engineered PUFs bind RNA targets with high affinity in a programmable way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang-Yang Zhao
- Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Miao-Wei Mao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute of Computational Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biological Science, Shanghai 200031, China
- Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Wen-Jing Zhang
- Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116044, China
| | - Jue Wang
- Institute of Molecular Enzymology, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Hai-Tao Li
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Zefeng Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute of Computational Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biological Science, Shanghai 200031, China
- Enzerna Biosciences, Inc., 125 South Road, 925B Kenan Labs, CB#3266, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jia-Wei Wu
- Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Institute of Molecular Enzymology, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
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48
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A modified yeast three-hybrid system enabling both positive and negative selections. Biotechnol Lett 2018; 40:1127-1134. [DOI: 10.1007/s10529-018-2567-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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49
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Cawez F, Duray E, Hu Y, Vandenameele J, Romão E, Vincke C, Dumoulin M, Galleni M, Muyldermans S, Vandevenne M. Combinatorial Design of a Nanobody that Specifically Targets Structured RNAs. J Mol Biol 2018; 430:1652-1670. [PMID: 29654796 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2018.03.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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50
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Wang X, Liu D, Huang HZ, Wang ZH, Hou TY, Yang X, Pang P, Wei N, Zhou YF, Dupras MJ, Calon F, Wang YT, Man HY, Chen JG, Wang JZ, Hébert SS, Lu Y, Zhu LQ. A Novel MicroRNA-124/PTPN1 Signal Pathway Mediates Synaptic and Memory Deficits in Alzheimer's Disease. Biol Psychiatry 2018; 83:395-405. [PMID: 28965984 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2016] [Revised: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 07/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Synaptic loss is an early pathological event in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but its underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important modulators of synaptic function and memory. METHODS We used miRNA array and quantitative polymerase chain reaction to examine the alteration of miRNAs in AD mice and patients as well as the Morris water maze to evaluate learning and memory in the mice. We also used adeno-associated virus or lentivirus to introduce tyrosine-protein phosphatase non-receptor type 1 (PTPN1) expression of silencing RNAs. Long-term potentiation and Golgi staining were used to evaluate the synaptic function and structure. We designed a peptide to interrupt miR-124/PTPN1 interaction. RESULTS Here we report that neuronal miR-124 is dramatically increased in the hippocampus of Tg2576 mice, a recognized AD mouse model. Similar changes were observed in specific brain regions of affected AD individuals. We further identified PTPN1 as a direct target of miR-124. Overexpression of miR-124 or knockdown of PTPN1 recapitulated AD-like phenotypes in mice, including deficits in synaptic transmission and plasticity as well as memory by impairing the glutamate receptor 2 membrane insertion. Most importantly, rebuilding the miR-124/PTPN1 pathway by suppression of miR-124, overexpression of PTPN1, or application of a peptide that disrupts the miR-124/PTPN1 interaction could restore synaptic failure and memory deficits. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these results identified the miR-124/PTPN1 pathway as a critical mediator of synaptic dysfunction and memory loss in AD, and the miR-124/PTPN1 pathway could be considered as a promising novel therapeutic target for AD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiong Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Lab of Neurological Disorder of Education Ministry, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China; Sino-Canada Collaborative Platform on Molecular Biology of Neurological Disease, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China
| | - Dan Liu
- Department of Genetics, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China; Sino-Canada Collaborative Platform on Molecular Biology of Neurological Disease, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China
| | - He-Zhou Huang
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Lab of Neurological Disorder of Education Ministry, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China; Sino-Canada Collaborative Platform on Molecular Biology of Neurological Disease, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China
| | - Zhi-Hao Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Lab of Neurological Disorder of Education Ministry, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China
| | - Tong-Yao Hou
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Lab of Neurological Disorder of Education Ministry, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China; Sino-Canada Collaborative Platform on Molecular Biology of Neurological Disease, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China
| | - Xin Yang
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Lab of Neurological Disorder of Education Ministry, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China
| | - Pei Pang
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Lab of Neurological Disorder of Education Ministry, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China
| | - Na Wei
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Lab of Neurological Disorder of Education Ministry, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China
| | - Ya-Fan Zhou
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Lab of Neurological Disorder of Education Ministry, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China
| | - Marie-Josée Dupras
- Sino-Canada Collaborative Platform on Molecular Biology of Neurological Disease, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China; Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec, Canada
| | - Frédéric Calon
- Sino-Canada Collaborative Platform on Molecular Biology of Neurological Disease, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China; Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec, Canada
| | - Yu-Tian Wang
- Brain Research Centre and Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Heng-Ye Man
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jian-Guo Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China
| | - Jian-Zhi Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Lab of Neurological Disorder of Education Ministry, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China
| | - Sébastien S Hébert
- Sino-Canada Collaborative Platform on Molecular Biology of Neurological Disease, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China; Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec, Canada; Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, Québec City, Québec, Canada
| | - Youming Lu
- Department of Physiology, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China; Sino-Canada Collaborative Platform on Molecular Biology of Neurological Disease, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China; Institute of Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China
| | - Ling-Qiang Zhu
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Lab of Neurological Disorder of Education Ministry, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China; Sino-Canada Collaborative Platform on Molecular Biology of Neurological Disease, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China; Institute of Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P. R. China.
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