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Abstract
The term “prion” was originally coined to describe the proteinaceous infectious agents involved in mammalian neurological disorders. More recently, a prion has been defined as a nonchromosomal, protein-based genetic element that is capable of converting the copies of its own benign variant into the prion form, with the new phenotypic effects that can be transmitted through the cytoplasm. Some prions are toxic to the cell, are able to aggregate and/or form amyloid structures, and may be infectious in the wild, but none of those traits are seen as an integral property of all prions. The term “prion” was originally coined to describe the proteinaceous infectious agents involved in mammalian neurological disorders. More recently, a prion has been defined as a nonchromosomal, protein-based genetic element that is capable of converting the copies of its own benign variant into the prion form, with the new phenotypic effects that can be transmitted through the cytoplasm. Some prions are toxic to the cell, are able to aggregate and/or form amyloid structures, and may be infectious in the wild, but none of those traits are seen as an integral property of all prions. We propose that the definition of prion should be expanded, to include the inducible transmissible entities undergoing autocatalytic conversion and consisting of RNA rather than protein. We show that when seen in this framework, some naturally occurring RNAs, including ribozymes, riboswitches, viroids, viroid-like retroelements, and PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), possess several of the characteristic properties of prions.
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Dixson JD, Azad RK. Prions: Roles in Development and Adaptive Evolution. J Mol Evol 2020; 88:427-434. [PMID: 32388713 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-020-09944-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Prions are often considered as anomalous proteins associated primarily with disease rather than as a fundamental source of diversity within biological proteomes. Whereas this longstanding viewpoint has its genesis in the discovery of the original namesake prions as causative agents of several complex diseases, the underlying assumption of a strict disease basis for prions could not be further from the truth. Prions and the spectrum of functions they comprise, likely represent one of the largest paradigm shifts concerning molecular-encoded phenotypic diversity since identification of DNA as the principle molecule of heredity. The ability of prions to recruit similar proteins to alternate conformations may engender a reservoir of diversity supplementing the genetic diversity resulting from stochastic mutations of DNA and subsequent natural selection. Here we present several currently known prions and how many of their functions as well as modes of transmission are intricately linked to adaptation from an evolutionary perspective. Further, the stability of some prion conformations across generations indicates that heritable prion-based adaptation is a reality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie D Dixson
- Department of Biological Sciences and BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, 76203, USA
| | - Rajeev K Azad
- Department of Biological Sciences and BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, 76203, USA.
- Department of Mathematics, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, 76203, USA.
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Bruzzone L, Argüelles C, Sanial M, Miled S, Alvisi G, Gonçalves-Antunes M, Qasrawi F, Holmgren RA, Smibert CA, Lipshitz HD, Boccaccio GL, Plessis A, Bécam I. Regulation of the RNA-binding protein Smaug by the GPCR Smoothened via the kinase Fused. EMBO Rep 2020; 21:e48425. [PMID: 32383557 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201948425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Revised: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
From fly to mammals, the Smaug/Samd4 family of prion-like RNA-binding proteins control gene expression by destabilizing and/or repressing the translation of numerous target transcripts. However, the regulation of its activity remains poorly understood. We show that Smaug's protein levels and mRNA repressive activity are downregulated by Hedgehog signaling in tissue culture cells. These effects rely on the interaction of Smaug with the G-protein coupled receptor Smoothened, which promotes the phosphorylation of Smaug by recruiting the kinase Fused. The activation of Fused and its binding to Smaug are sufficient to suppress its ability to form cytosolic bodies and to antagonize its negative effects on endogenous targets. Importantly, we demonstrate in vivo that HH reduces the levels of smaug mRNA and increases the level of several mRNAs downregulated by Smaug. Finally, we show that Smaug acts as a positive regulator of Hedgehog signaling during wing morphogenesis. These data constitute the first evidence for a post-translational regulation of Smaug and reveal that the fate of several mRNAs bound to Smaug is modulated by a major signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Bruzzone
- CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | | | - Matthieu Sanial
- CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Samia Miled
- CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Giorgia Alvisi
- CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | | | - Fairouz Qasrawi
- CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Robert A Holmgren
- Department of Mol. Biosci., Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Craig A Smibert
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Howard D Lipshitz
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Graciela L Boccaccio
- Fundación Instituto Leloir, Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas Buenos Aires-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Anne Plessis
- CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Bécam
- CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris, Paris, France
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Harvey ZH, Chakravarty AK, Futia RA, Jarosz DF. A Prion Epigenetic Switch Establishes an Active Chromatin State. Cell 2020; 180:928-940.e14. [PMID: 32109413 PMCID: PMC7195540 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Covalent modifications to histones are essential for development, establishing distinct and functional chromatin domains from a common genetic sequence. Whereas repressed chromatin is robustly inherited, no mechanism that facilitates inheritance of an activated domain has been described. Here, we report that the Set3C histone deacetylase scaffold Snt1 can act as a prion that drives the emergence and transgenerational inheritance of an activated chromatin state. This prion, which we term [ESI+] for expressed sub-telomeric information, is triggered by transient Snt1 phosphorylation upon cell cycle arrest. Once engaged, the prion reshapes the activity of Snt1 and the Set3C complex, recruiting RNA pol II and interfering with Rap1 binding to activate genes in otherwise repressed sub-telomeric domains. This transcriptional state confers broad resistance to environmental stress, including antifungal drugs. Altogether, our results establish a robust means by which a prion can facilitate inheritance of an activated chromatin state to provide adaptive benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary H Harvey
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Anupam K Chakravarty
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Raymond A Futia
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Daniel F Jarosz
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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