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Zucchelli S, Fedele S, Vatta P, Calligaris R, Heutink P, Rizzu P, Itoh M, Persichetti F, Santoro C, Kawaji H, Lassmann T, Hayashizaki Y, Carninci P, Forrest ARR, Gustincich S. Antisense Transcription in Loci Associated to Hereditary Neurodegenerative Diseases. Mol Neurobiol 2019; 56:5392-5415. [PMID: 30610612 PMCID: PMC6614138 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-018-1465-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Natural antisense transcripts are common features of mammalian genes providing additional regulatory layers of gene expression. A comprehensive description of antisense transcription in loci associated to familial neurodegenerative diseases may identify key players in gene regulation and provide tools for manipulating gene expression. We take advantage of the FANTOM5 sequencing datasets that represent the largest collection to date of genome-wide promoter usage in almost 2000 human samples. Transcription start sites (TSSs) are mapped at high resolution by the use of a modified protocol of cap analysis of gene expression (CAGE) for high-throughput single molecule next-generation sequencing with Helicos (hCAGE). Here we present the analysis of antisense transcription at 17 loci associated to hereditary Alzheimer’s disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and Huntington’s disease. We focused our analysis on libraries derived from brain tissues and primary cells. We also screened libraries from total blood and blood cell populations in the quest for peripheral biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases. We identified 63 robust promoters in antisense orientation to genes associated to familial neurodegeneration. When applying a less stringent cutoff, this number increases to over 400. A subset of these promoters represents alternative TSSs for 24 FANTOM5 annotated long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) genes, in antisense orientation to 13 of the loci analyzed here, while the remaining contribute to the expression of additional transcript variants. Intersection with GWAS studies, sample ontology, and dynamic expression reveals association to specific genetic traits as well as cell and tissue types, not limited to neurodegenerative diseases. Antisense transcription was validated for a subset of genes, including those encoding for Microtubule-Associated Protein Tau, α-synuclein, Parkinsonism-associated deglycase DJ-1, and Leucin-Rich Repeat Kinase 2. This work provides evidence for the existence of additional regulatory mechanisms of the expression of neurodegenerative disease-causing genes by previously not-annotated and/or not-validated antisense long noncoding RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Zucchelli
- Area of Neuroscience, SISSA, Trieste, Italy
- Department of Health Sciences and Interdisciplinary Research Center of Autoimmune Diseases (IRCAD), University of Piemonte Orientale (UPO), Novara, Italy
| | | | - Paolo Vatta
- Area of Neuroscience, SISSA, Trieste, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
| | - Raffaella Calligaris
- Area of Neuroscience, SISSA, Trieste, Italy
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Clinical Neurology Unit, Cattinara University Hospital, Trieste, Italy
| | - Peter Heutink
- Section Medical Genomics, Department of Clinical Genetics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Genome Biology of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Deutsches Zentrum fur Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Standort, Tübingen, Germany
- Division of Genomic Technologies, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, Yokohama, Japan
- RIKEN Omics Science Center, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Patrizia Rizzu
- Section Medical Genomics, Department of Clinical Genetics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Applied Genomics for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Deutsches Zentrum fur Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Standort, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Masayoshi Itoh
- Division of Genomic Technologies, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, Yokohama, Japan
- RIKEN Omics Science Center, Yokohama, Japan
- RIKEN Preventive Medicine and Diagnosis Innovation Program, Wakō, Japan
| | - Francesca Persichetti
- Department of Health Sciences and Interdisciplinary Research Center of Autoimmune Diseases (IRCAD), University of Piemonte Orientale (UPO), Novara, Italy
| | - Claudio Santoro
- Department of Health Sciences and Interdisciplinary Research Center of Autoimmune Diseases (IRCAD), University of Piemonte Orientale (UPO), Novara, Italy
| | - Hideya Kawaji
- Division of Genomic Technologies, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, Yokohama, Japan
- RIKEN Omics Science Center, Yokohama, Japan
- RIKEN Preventive Medicine and Diagnosis Innovation Program, Wakō, Japan
- Preventive Medicine and Applied Genomics Unit, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Timo Lassmann
- Division of Genomic Technologies, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, Yokohama, Japan
- RIKEN Omics Science Center, Yokohama, Japan
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, 100 Roberts Road, Subiaco, WA 6008 Australia
- Laboratory for Applied Computational Genomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Yoshihide Hayashizaki
- RIKEN Omics Science Center, Yokohama, Japan
- RIKEN Preventive Medicine and Diagnosis Innovation Program, Wakō, Japan
| | - Piero Carninci
- Division of Genomic Technologies, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, Yokohama, Japan
- RIKEN Omics Science Center, Yokohama, Japan
- Laboratory for Transcriptome Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Alistair R. R. Forrest
- Division of Genomic Technologies, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, Yokohama, Japan
- RIKEN Omics Science Center, Yokohama, Japan
- Laboratory for Genome Information Analysis, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | | | - Stefano Gustincich
- Area of Neuroscience, SISSA, Trieste, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
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Neueder A. RNA-Mediated Disease Mechanisms in Neurodegenerative Disorders. J Mol Biol 2018; 431:1780-1791. [PMID: 30597161 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2018.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
RNA is accurately entangled in virtually all pathways that maintain cellular homeostasis. To name but a few, RNA is the "messenger" between DNA encoded information and the resulting proteins. Furthermore, RNAs regulate diverse processes by forming DNA::RNA or RNA::RNA interactions. Finally, RNA itself can be the scaffold for ribonucleoprotein complexes, for example, ribosomes or cellular bodies. Consequently, disruption of any of these processes can lead to disease. This review describes known and emerging RNA-based disease mechanisms like interference with regular splicing, the anomalous appearance of RNA-protein complexes and uncommon RNA species, as well as non-canonical translation. Due to the complexity and entanglement of the above-mentioned pathways, only few drugs are available that target RNA-based disease mechanisms. However, advances in our understanding how RNA is involved in and modulates cellular homeostasis might pave the way to novel treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Neueder
- Experimental Neurology, Department of Neurology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
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53
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Mikaeili H, Sandi M, Bayot A, Al-Mahdawi S, Pook MA. FAST-1 antisense RNA epigenetically alters FXN expression. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17217. [PMID: 30464193 PMCID: PMC6249312 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35639-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is a multisystem genetic disorder caused by GAA repeat expansion mutations within the FXN gene, resulting in heterochromatin formation and deficiency of frataxin protein. Elevated levels of the FXN antisense transcript (FAST-1) have previously been detected in FRDA. To investigate the effects of FAST-1 on the FXN gene expression, we first stably overexpressed FAST-1 in non-FRDA cell lines and then we knocked down FAST-1 in FRDA fibroblast cells. We observed decreased FXN expression in each FAST-1 overexpressing cell type compared to control cells. We also found that FAST-1 overexpression is associated with both CCCTC-Binding Factor (CTCF) depletion and heterochromatin formation at the 5'UTR of the FXN gene. We further showed that knocking down FAST-1 in FRDA fibroblast cells significantly increased FXN expression. Our results indicate that FAST-1 can act in trans in a similar manner to the cis-acting FAST-1 overexpression that has previously been identified in FRDA fibroblasts. The effects of stably transfected FAST-1 expression on CTCF occupancy and heterochromatin formation at the FXN locus suggest a direct role for FAST-1 in the FRDA molecular disease mechanism. Our findings also support the hypothesis that inhibition of FAST-1 may be a potential approach for FRDA therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hajar Mikaeili
- Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, and Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health & Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom
| | - Madhavi Sandi
- Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, and Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health & Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom
| | - Aurélien Bayot
- Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, and Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health & Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom
- Mitochondrial Biology Group, CNRS UMR 3691, Departement of Cell Biology and Infection, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Sahar Al-Mahdawi
- Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, and Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health & Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom
| | - Mark A Pook
- Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, and Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health & Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom.
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54
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Chanda K, Das S, Chakraborty J, Bucha S, Maitra A, Chatterjee R, Mukhopadhyay D, Bhattacharyya NP. Altered Levels of Long NcRNAs Meg3 and Neat1 in Cell And Animal Models Of Huntington's Disease. RNA Biol 2018; 15:1348-1363. [PMID: 30321100 PMCID: PMC6284602 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2018.1534524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Altered expression levels of protein-coding genes and microRNAs have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease (HD). The involvement of other ncRNAs, especially long ncRNAs (lncRNA), is being realized recently and the related knowledge is still rudimentary. Using small RNA sequencing and PCR arrays we observed perturbations in the levels of 12 ncRNAs in HD mouse brain, eight of which had human homologs. Of these, Meg3, Neat1, and Xist showed a consistent and significant increase in HD cell and animal models. Transient knock-down of Meg3 and Neat1 in cell models of HD led to a significant decrease of aggregates formed by mutant huntingtin and downregulation of the endogenous Tp53 expression. Understanding Meg3 and Neat1 functions in the context of HD pathogenesis is likely to open up new strategies to control the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaushik Chanda
- Biophysics and Structural Genomics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, HBNI, Kolkata, India
| | - Srijit Das
- Crystallography and Molecular Biology Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, HBNI, Kolkata, India
| | - Joyeeta Chakraborty
- Human Genetics Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Sudha Bucha
- Crystallography and Molecular Biology Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, HBNI, Kolkata, India
| | - Arindam Maitra
- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, P.O. N.S.S., Kalyani, West Bengal, India
| | | | - Debashis Mukhopadhyay
- Biophysics and Structural Genomics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, HBNI, Kolkata, India
| | - Nitai P Bhattacharyya
- Crystallography and Molecular Biology Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, HBNI, Kolkata, India
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55
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Wei CW, Luo T, Zou SS, Wu AS. The Role of Long Noncoding RNAs in Central Nervous System and Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:175. [PMID: 30323747 PMCID: PMC6172704 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) refer to a group of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) that has a transcript of more than 200 nucleotides in length in eukaryotic cells. The lncRNAs regulate gene expression at epigenetic, transcriptional, and post-transcriptional levels by multiple action modes. In this review, we describe the diverse roles reported for lncRNAs, and discuss how they could mechanistically be involved in the development of central nervous system (CNS) and neurodegenerative diseases. Further studies on the function of lncRNAs and their mechanism will help deepen our understanding of the development, function, and diseases of the CNS, and provide new ideas for the design and development of some therapeutic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Wei Wei
- Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ting Luo
- Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Shan-Shan Zou
- Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - An-Shi Wu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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56
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57
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Neueder A, Bates GP. RNA Related Pathology in Huntington's Disease. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2018; 1049:85-101. [PMID: 29427099 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-71779-1_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
This chapter summarises research investigating the expression of huntingtin sense and anti-sense transcripts, the effect of the mutation on huntingtin processing as well as the more global effect of the mutation on the coding and non-coding transcriptomes. The huntingtin gene is ubiquitously expressed, although expression levels vary between tissues and cell types. A SNP that affects NF-ĸB binding in the huntingtin promoter modulates the expression level of huntingtin transcripts and is associated with the age of disease onset. Incomplete splicing between exon 1 and exon 2 has been shown to result in the expression of a small polyadenylated mRNA that encodes the highly pathogenic exon 1 huntingtin protein. This occurs in a CAG-repeat length dependent manner in all full-length mouse models of HD as well as HD patient post-mortem brains and fibroblasts. An antisense transcript to huntingtin is generated that contains a CUG repeat that is expanded in HD patients. In myotonic dystrophy, expanded CUG repeats form RNA foci in cell nuclei that bind specific proteins (e.g. MBL1). Short, pure CAG RNAs of approximately 21 nucleotides that have been processed by DICER can inhibit the translation of other CAG repeat containing mRNAs. The HD mutation affects the transcriptome at the level of mRNA expression, splicing and the expression of non-coding RNAs. Finally, expanded repetitive stretched of nucleotides can lead to RAN translation, in which the ribosome translates from the expanded repeat in all possible reading frames, producing proteins with various poly-amino acid tracts. The extent to which these events contribute to HD pathogenesis is largely unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Neueder
- Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Gillian P Bates
- Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
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58
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Rudich P, Lamitina T. Models and mechanisms of repeat expansion disorders: a worm's eye view. J Genet 2018; 97:665-677. [PMID: 30027902 PMCID: PMC6482835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The inappropriate genetic expansion of various repetitive DNA sequences underlies over 20 distinct inherited diseases. The genetic context of these repeats in exons, introns and untranslated regions has played a major role in thinking about the mechanisms by which various repeat expansions might cause disease. Repeat expansions in exons are thought to give rise to expanded toxic protein repeats (i.e. polyQ). Repeat expansions in introns and UTRs (i.e. FXTAS) are thought to produce aberrant repeat-bearing RNAs that interact with and sequester a wide variety of essential proteins, resulting in cellular toxicity. However, a new phenomenon termed 'repeat-associated nonAUG dependent (RAN) translation' paints a new and unifying picture of how distinct repeat expansion-bearing RNAs might act as substrates for this noncanonical form of translation, leading to the production of a wide range of repeat sequence-specific-encoded toxic proteins. Here, we review how the model system Caenorhabditis elegans has been utilized to model many repeat disorders and discuss how RAN translation could be a previously unappreciated contributor to the toxicity associated with these different models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paige Rudich
- Graduate Program in Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA.
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59
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Wanowska E, Kubiak MR, Rosikiewicz W, Makałowska I, Szcześniak MW. Natural antisense transcripts in diseases: From modes of action to targeted therapies. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2018; 9:e1461. [PMID: 29341438 PMCID: PMC5838512 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Revised: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Antisense transcription is a widespread phenomenon in mammalian genomes, leading to production of RNAs molecules referred to as natural antisense transcripts (NATs). NATs apply diverse transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms to carry out a wide variety of biological roles that are important for the normal functioning of living cells, but their dysfunctions can be associated with human diseases. In this review, we attempt to provide a molecular basis for the involvement of NATs in the etiology of human disorders such as cancers and neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. We also discuss the pros and cons of oligonucleotide-based therapies targeted against NATs, and we comment on state-of-the-art progress in this promising area of clinical research. WIREs RNA 2018, 9:e1461. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1461 This article is categorized under: RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Regulatory RNAs RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Small Molecule-RNA Interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elżbieta Wanowska
- Institute of Antropology, Laboratory of Integrative GenomicsAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznanPoland
| | - Magdalena Regina Kubiak
- Institute of Antropology, Laboratory of Integrative GenomicsAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznanPoland
| | - Wojciech Rosikiewicz
- Institute of Antropology, Laboratory of Integrative GenomicsAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznanPoland
| | - Izabela Makałowska
- Institute of Antropology, Laboratory of Integrative GenomicsAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznanPoland
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60
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Martí E. RNA toxicity induced by expanded CAG repeats in Huntington's disease. Brain Pathol 2018; 26:779-786. [PMID: 27529325 DOI: 10.1111/bpa.12427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) belongs to the group of inherited polyglutamine (PolyQ) diseases caused by an expanded CAG repeat in the coding region of the Huntingtin (HTT) gene that results in an elongated polyQ stretch. Abnormal function and aggregation of the mutant protein has been typically delineated as the main molecular cause underlying disease development. However, the most recent advances have revealed novel pathogenic pathways directly dependent on an RNA toxic gain-of-function. Expanded CAG repeats within exon 1 of the HTT mRNA induce toxicity through mechanisms involving, at least in part, gene expression perturbations. This has important implications not only for basic and translational research in HD, but also for other types of diseases carrying the expanded CAG in other genes, which likely share pathogenic aspects. Here I will review the evidence and mechanisms underlying RNA toxicity in CAG repeat expansions, with particular focus on HD. These comprise abnormal subcellular localization of the transcripts containing the expanded CAG repeats; sequestration of several types of proteins by the expanded CAG repeat which results in defects of alternative splicing events and gene expression; and aberrant biogenesis and detrimental activity of small CAG repeated RNAs (sCAG) that produce altered gene silencing. Although these altered pathways have been detected in HD models, their contribution to disease development and progress requires further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eulàlia Martí
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, 08003, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.,Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mediques (IMIM), Barcelona, 08003, Spain.,Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
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61
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Pathogenic insights from Huntington's disease-like 2 and other Huntington's disease genocopies. Curr Opin Neurol 2018; 29:743-748. [PMID: 27749395 DOI: 10.1097/wco.0000000000000386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Huntington's disease-like 2 (HDL2) is a rare, progressive, autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder that genetically, clinically, and pathologically closely resembles Huntington's disease. We review HDL2 pathogenic mechanisms and examine the implications of these mechanisms for Huntington's disease and related diseases. RECENT FINDINGS HDL2 is caused by a CTG/CAG repeat expansion in junctophilin-3. Available data from cell and animal models and human brain suggest that HDL2 is a complex disease in which transcripts and proteins expressed bidirectionally from the junctophilin-3 locus contribute to pathogenesis through both gain-and loss-of-function mechanisms. Recent advances indicate that the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease is equally complex, despite the emphasis on toxic gain-of-function properties of the mutant huntingtin protein. SUMMARY Studies examining in parallel the genetic, clinical, neuropathological, and mechanistic similarities between Huntington's disease and HDL2 have begun to identify points of convergence between the pathogenic pathways of the two diseases. Comparisons to other diseases that are phenotypically or genetically related to Huntington's disease and HDL2 will likely reveal additional common pathways. The ultimate goal is to identify shared therapeutic targets and eventually develop therapies that may, at least in part, be effective across multiple similar rare diseases, an essential approach given the scarcity of resources for basic and translational research.
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62
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Long Non-coding RNAs, Novel Culprits, or Bodyguards in Neurodegenerative Diseases. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2017; 10:269-276. [PMID: 29499939 PMCID: PMC5787881 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2017.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2017] [Revised: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a kind of non-coding RNA (ncRNA), with a length of 200 nt to 100 kb, that lacks a significant open reading frame (ORF) encoding a protein. lncRNAs are widely implicated in various physiological and pathological processes, such as epigenetic regulation, cell cycle regulation, cell differentiation regulation, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases, through their interactions with chromatin, protein, and other RNAs. Numerous studies have suggested that lncRNAs are closely linked with the occurrence and development of a variety of diseases, especially neurodegenerative diseases, of which the etiologies are complicated and the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Determining the roles of lncRNA in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases will not only deepen understanding of the physiological and pathological processes that occur in those diseases but also provide new ideas and solutions for their diagnosis and prevention. This review aims to highlight the progress of lncRNA research in the pathological and behavioral changes of neurodegenerative diseases. Specifically, we focus on how lncRNA dysfunctions are involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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63
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Zaghloul EM, Gissberg O, Moreno PMD, Siggens L, Hällbrink M, Jørgensen AS, Ekwall K, Zain R, Wengel J, Lundin KE, Smith CIE. CTG repeat-targeting oligonucleotides for down-regulating Huntingtin expression. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:5153-5169. [PMID: 28334749 PMCID: PMC5435994 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal, neurodegenerative disorder in which patients suffer from mobility, psychological and cognitive impairments. Existing therapeutics are only symptomatic and do not significantly alter the disease progression or increase life expectancy. HD is caused by expansion of the CAG trinucleotide repeat region in exon 1 of the Huntingtin gene (HTT), leading to the formation of mutant HTT transcripts (muHTT). The toxic gain-of-function of muHTT protein is a major cause of the disease. In addition, it has been suggested that the muHTT transcript contributes to the toxicity. Thus, reduction of both muHTT mRNA and protein levels would ideally be the most useful therapeutic option. We herein present a novel strategy for HD treatment using oligonucleotides (ONs) directly targeting the HTT trinucleotide repeat DNA. A partial, but significant and potentially long-term, HTT knock-down of both mRNA and protein was successfully achieved. Diminished phosphorylation of HTT gene-associated RNA-polymerase II is demonstrated, suggestive of reduced transcription downstream the ON-targeted repeat. Different backbone chemistries were found to have a strong impact on the ON efficiency. We also successfully use different delivery vehicles as well as naked uptake of the ONs, demonstrating versatility and possibly providing insights for in vivo applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eman M Zaghloul
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Research Center, Karolinska Institutet, SE-141 86 Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, El-Khartoum square, Azareeta, 21 521 Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Olof Gissberg
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Research Center, Karolinska Institutet, SE-141 86 Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pedro M D Moreno
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Research Center, Karolinska Institutet, SE-141 86 Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.,Instituto de Engenharia Biomédica, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
| | - Lee Siggens
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden, SE-141 86, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mattias Hällbrink
- Department of Neurochemistry, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna S Jørgensen
- Department of Physics and Chemistry, Nucleic Acid Centre University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense, Denmark
| | - Karl Ekwall
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden, SE-141 86, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rula Zain
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Research Center, Karolinska Institutet, SE-141 86 Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Centre for Rare Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jesper Wengel
- Department of Physics and Chemistry, Nucleic Acid Centre University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense, Denmark
| | - Karin E Lundin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Research Center, Karolinska Institutet, SE-141 86 Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - C I Edvard Smith
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Research Center, Karolinska Institutet, SE-141 86 Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
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Rohilla KJ, Gagnon KT. RNA biology of disease-associated microsatellite repeat expansions. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2017; 5:63. [PMID: 28851463 PMCID: PMC5574247 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-017-0468-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Microsatellites, or simple tandem repeat sequences, occur naturally in the human genome and have important roles in genome evolution and function. However, the expansion of microsatellites is associated with over two dozen neurological diseases. A common denominator among the majority of these disorders is the expression of expanded tandem repeat-containing RNA, referred to as xtrRNA in this review, which can mediate molecular disease pathology in multiple ways. This review focuses on the potential impact that simple tandem repeat expansions can have on the biology and metabolism of RNA that contain them and underscores important gaps in understanding. Merging the molecular biology of repeat expansion disorders with the current understanding of RNA biology, including splicing, transcription, transport, turnover and translation, will help clarify mechanisms of disease and improve therapeutic development.
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Abstract
The emerging complexity of the transcriptional landscape poses great challenges to our conventional preconceptions of how the genome regulates brain function and dysfunction. Non-protein-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) confer a high level of intricate and dynamic regulation of various molecular processes in the CNS and they have been implicated in neurodevelopment and brain ageing, as well as in synapse function and cognitive performance, in both health and disease. ncRNA-mediated processes may be involved in various aspects of the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. Understanding these events may help to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Here, we provide an overview of the complex mechanisms that are affected by the diverse ncRNA classes that have been implicated in neurodegeneration.
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66
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Kim C, Kang D, Lee EK, Lee JS. Long Noncoding RNAs and RNA-Binding Proteins in Oxidative Stress, Cellular Senescence, and Age-Related Diseases. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2017; 2017:2062384. [PMID: 28811863 PMCID: PMC5547732 DOI: 10.1155/2017/2062384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Revised: 04/27/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cellular senescence is a complex biological process that leads to irreversible cell-cycle arrest. Various extrinsic and intrinsic insults are associated with the onset of cellular senescence and frequently accompany genomic or epigenomic alterations. Cellular senescence is believed to contribute to tumor suppression, immune response, and tissue repair as well as aging and age-related diseases. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are >200 nucleotides long, poorly conserved, and transcribed in a manner similar to that of mRNAs. They are tightly regulated during various cellular and physiological processes. Although many lncRNAs and their functional roles are still undescribed, the importance of lncRNAs in a variety of biological processes is widely recognized. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) have a pivotal role in posttranscriptional regulation as well as in mRNA transport, storage, turnover, and translation. RBPs interact with mRNAs, other RBPs, and noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) including lncRNAs, and they are involved in the regulation of a broad spectrum of cellular processes. Like other cell fate regulators, lncRNAs and RBPs, separately or cooperatively, are implicated in initiation and maintenance of cellular senescence, aging, and age-related diseases. Here, we review the current understanding of both lncRNAs and RBPs and their association with oxidative stress, senescence, and age-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chongtae Kim
- Department of Biochemistry, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea
| | - Donghee Kang
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Hypoxia-Related Disease Research Center, Inha University College of Medicine, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Kyung Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae-Seon Lee
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Hypoxia-Related Disease Research Center, Inha University College of Medicine, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
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67
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Quan Z, Zheng D, Qing H. Regulatory Roles of Long Non-Coding RNAs in the Central Nervous System and Associated Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Cell Neurosci 2017; 11:175. [PMID: 28713244 PMCID: PMC5491930 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2017.00175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2017] [Accepted: 06/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulating studies have revealed that the human genome encodes tens of thousands of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which participate in multiple biological networks modulating gene expression via transcriptional, post-transcriptional and epigenetic regulation. Strikingly, a large fraction of tissue-specific lncRNAs are expressed in the Central Nervous System (CNS) with precisely regulated temporal and spatial expression patterns. These brain-specific lncRNAs are also featured with the cell-type specificity, the highest signals of evolutionary conservation, and their preferential location adjacent to brain-expressed protein-coding genes. Mounting evidence has indicated dysregulation or mutations in lncRNA gene loci are associated with a variety of CNS-associated neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's diseases, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and others. However, how lncRNAs contribute to these disorders remains to be further explored and studied. In this review article, we systematically and comprehensively summarize the current studies of lncRNAs, demonstrate the specificity of lncRNAs expressed in the brain, their functions during neural development and expression profiles in major cell types of the CNS, highlight the regulatory mechanisms of several studied lncRNAs that may play essential roles in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases, and discuss the current challenges and future perspectives of lncRNA studies involved in neurodegenerative and other diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenzhen Quan
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of TechnologyBeijing, China
| | - Da Zheng
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of TechnologyBeijing, China
| | - Hong Qing
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of TechnologyBeijing, China
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68
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Li PP, Sun X, Xia G, Arbez N, Paul S, Zhu S, Peng HB, Ross CA, Koeppen AH, Margolis RL, Pulst SM, Ashizawa T, Rudnicki DD. ATXN2-AS, a gene antisense to ATXN2, is associated with spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Ann Neurol 2017; 80:600-15. [PMID: 27531668 DOI: 10.1002/ana.24761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Revised: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 08/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the gene ataxin-2 (ATXN2). ATXN2 intermediate-length CAG expansions were identified as a risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The ATXN2 CAG repeat is translated into polyglutamine, and SCA2 pathogenesis has been thought to derive from ATXN2 protein containing an expanded polyglutamine tract. However, recent evidence of bidirectional transcription at multiple CAG/CTG disease loci has led us to test whether additional mechanisms of pathogenesis may contribute to SCA2. METHODS In this work, using human postmortem tissue, various cell models, and animal models, we provide the first evidence that an antisense transcript at the SCA2 locus contributes to SCA2 pathogenesis. RESULTS We demonstrate the expression of a transcript, containing the repeat as a CUG tract, derived from a gene (ATXN2-AS) directly antisense to ATXN2. ATXN2-AS transcripts with normal and expanded CUG repeats are expressed in human postmortem SCA2 brains, human SCA2 fibroblasts, induced SCA2 pluripotent stem cells, SCA2 neural stem cells, and lymphoblastoid lines containing an expanded ATXN2 allele associated with ALS. ATXN2-AS transcripts with a CUG repeat expansion are toxic in an SCA2 cell model and form RNA foci in SCA2 cerebellar Purkinje cells. Finally, we detected missplicing of amyloid beta precursor protein and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1 in SCA2 brains, consistent with findings in other diseases characterized by RNA-mediated pathogenesis. INTERPRETATION These results suggest that ATXN2-AS has a role in SCA2 and possibly ALS pathogenesis, and may therefore provide a novel therapeutic target for these diseases. Ann Neurol 2016;80:600-615.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan P Li
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Xin Sun
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.,Research and Neurology Services, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Albany, NY
| | - Guangbin Xia
- Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Nicolas Arbez
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Sharan Paul
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Shanshan Zhu
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - H Benjamin Peng
- Division of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
| | - Christopher A Ross
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.,Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.,Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.,Program of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Arnulf H Koeppen
- Research and Neurology Services, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Albany, NY.,Department of Neurology and Pathology, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY
| | - Russell L Margolis
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.,Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.,Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.,Program of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Stefan M Pulst
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Tetsuo Ashizawa
- Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Dobrila D Rudnicki
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. .,Program of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
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Cambon K, Zimmer V, Martineau S, Gaillard MC, Jarrige M, Bugi A, Miniarikova J, Rey M, Hassig R, Dufour N, Auregan G, Hantraye P, Perrier AL, Déglon N. Preclinical Evaluation of a Lentiviral Vector for Huntingtin Silencing. MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2017; 5:259-276. [PMID: 28603746 PMCID: PMC5453866 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2017.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Accepted: 05/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder resulting from a polyglutamine expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) protein. There is currently no cure for this disease, but recent studies suggest that RNAi to downregulate the expression of both normal and mutant HTT is a promising therapeutic approach. We previously developed a small hairpin RNA (shRNA), vectorized in an HIV-1-derived lentiviral vector (LV), that reduced pathology in an HD rodent model. Here, we modified this vector for preclinical development by using a tat-independent third-generation LV (pCCL) backbone and removing the original reporter genes. We demonstrate that this novel vector efficiently downregulated HTT expression in vitro in striatal neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of HD patients. It reduced two major pathological HD hallmarks while triggering a minimal inflammatory response, up to 6 weeks after injection, when administered by stereotaxic surgery in the striatum of an in vivo rodent HD model. Further assessment of this shRNA vector in vitro showed proper processing by the endogenous silencing machinery, and we analyzed gene expression changes to identify potential off-targets. These preclinical data suggest that this new shRNA vector fulfills primary biosafety and efficiency requirements for further development in the clinic as a cure for HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Cambon
- CEA, DRF, Institute of Biology Francois Jacob, Molecular Imaging Research Center, F-92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
- CNRS, CEA, Paris-Sud University, University Paris-Saclay, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory (UMR9199), F-92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Virginie Zimmer
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Research Center, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sylvain Martineau
- CEA, DRF, Institute of Biology Francois Jacob, Molecular Imaging Research Center, F-92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
- CNRS, CEA, Paris-Sud University, University Paris-Saclay, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory (UMR9199), F-92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Marie-Claude Gaillard
- CEA, DRF, Institute of Biology Francois Jacob, Molecular Imaging Research Center, F-92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
- CNRS, CEA, Paris-Sud University, University Paris-Saclay, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory (UMR9199), F-92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Margot Jarrige
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale UMR861, I-Stem, AFM, 91100 Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- UEVE UMR861, I-STEM, AFM, 91100 Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- CECS, I-STEM, AFM, 91100 Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Aurore Bugi
- CECS, I-STEM, AFM, 91100 Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Jana Miniarikova
- Department of Research & Development, uniQure, 1105 Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Maria Rey
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Research Center, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Raymonde Hassig
- CEA, DRF, Institute of Biology Francois Jacob, Molecular Imaging Research Center, F-92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
- CNRS, CEA, Paris-Sud University, University Paris-Saclay, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory (UMR9199), F-92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Noelle Dufour
- CEA, DRF, Institute of Biology Francois Jacob, Molecular Imaging Research Center, F-92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
- CNRS, CEA, Paris-Sud University, University Paris-Saclay, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory (UMR9199), F-92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Gwenaelle Auregan
- CEA, DRF, Institute of Biology Francois Jacob, Molecular Imaging Research Center, F-92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
- CNRS, CEA, Paris-Sud University, University Paris-Saclay, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory (UMR9199), F-92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Philippe Hantraye
- CEA, DRF, Institute of Biology Francois Jacob, Molecular Imaging Research Center, F-92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
- CNRS, CEA, Paris-Sud University, University Paris-Saclay, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory (UMR9199), F-92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Anselme L. Perrier
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale UMR861, I-Stem, AFM, 91100 Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- UEVE UMR861, I-STEM, AFM, 91100 Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Nicole Déglon
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Research Center, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Corresponding author: Nicole Déglon, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies (LNCM), Pavillon 3, Avenue de Beaumont, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Ventola GMM, Noviello TMR, D'Aniello S, Spagnuolo A, Ceccarelli M, Cerulo L. Identification of long non-coding transcripts with feature selection: a comparative study. BMC Bioinformatics 2017; 18:187. [PMID: 28335739 PMCID: PMC5364679 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-017-1594-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The unveiling of long non-coding RNAs as important gene regulators in many biological contexts has increased the demand for efficient and robust computational methods to identify novel long non-coding RNAs from transcripts assembled with high throughput RNA-seq data. Several classes of sequence-based features have been proposed to distinguish between coding and non-coding transcripts. Among them, open reading frame, conservation scores, nucleotide arrangements, and RNA secondary structure have been used with success in literature to recognize intergenic long non-coding RNAs, a particular subclass of non-coding RNAs. Results In this paper we perform a systematic assessment of a wide collection of features extracted from sequence data. We use most of the features proposed in the literature, and we include, as a novel set of features, the occurrence of repeats contained in transposable elements. The aim is to detect signatures (groups of features) able to distinguish long non-coding transcripts from other classes, both protein-coding and non-coding. We evaluate different feature selection algorithms, test for signature stability, and evaluate the prediction ability of a signature with a machine learning algorithm. The study reveals different signatures in human, mouse, and zebrafish, highlighting that some features are shared among species, while others tend to be species-specific. Compared to coding potential tools and similar supervised approaches, including novel signatures, such as those identified here, in a machine learning algorithm improves the prediction performance, in terms of area under precision and recall curve, by 1 to 24%, depending on the species and on the signature. Conclusions Understanding which features are best suited for the prediction of long non-coding RNAs allows for the development of more effective automatic annotation pipelines especially relevant for poorly annotated genomes, such as zebrafish. We provide a web tool that recognizes novel long non-coding RNAs with the obtained signatures from fasta and gtf formats. The tool is available at the following url: http://www.bioinformatics-sannio.org/software/. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12859-017-1594-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna M M Ventola
- Department of Science and Technology, University of Sannio, via Port'Arsa, 11, Benevento, 82100, Italy.,BioGeM, Institute of Genetic Research "Gaetano Salvatore", c.da Camporeale, Ariano Irpino (AV), 83031, Italy
| | - Teresa M R Noviello
- Department of Science and Technology, University of Sannio, via Port'Arsa, 11, Benevento, 82100, Italy.,BioGeM, Institute of Genetic Research "Gaetano Salvatore", c.da Camporeale, Ariano Irpino (AV), 83031, Italy
| | - Salvatore D'Aniello
- Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Napoli, 80121, Italy
| | - Antonietta Spagnuolo
- Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Napoli, 80121, Italy
| | - Michele Ceccarelli
- Department of Science and Technology, University of Sannio, via Port'Arsa, 11, Benevento, 82100, Italy
| | - Luigi Cerulo
- Department of Science and Technology, University of Sannio, via Port'Arsa, 11, Benevento, 82100, Italy. .,BioGeM, Institute of Genetic Research "Gaetano Salvatore", c.da Camporeale, Ariano Irpino (AV), 83031, Italy.
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71
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Zhang N, Ashizawa T. RNA toxicity and foci formation in microsatellite expansion diseases. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2017; 44:17-29. [PMID: 28208060 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2017.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
More than 30 incurable neurological and neuromuscular diseases are caused by simple microsatellite expansions consisted of 3-6 nucleotides. These repeats can occur in non-coding regions and often result in a dominantly inherited disease phenotype that is characteristic of a toxic RNA gain-of-function. The expanded RNA adopts unusual secondary structures, sequesters various RNA binding proteins to form insoluble nuclear foci, and causes cellular defects at a multisystem level. Nuclear foci are dynamic in size, shape and colocalization of RNA binding proteins in different expansion diseases and tissue types. This review sets to provide new insights into the disease mechanisms of RNA toxicity and foci modulation, in light of recent advancement on bi-directional transcription, antisense RNA, repeat-associated non-ATG translation and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Zhang
- Neurosciences Research Program, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, United States; Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Tetsuo Ashizawa
- Neurosciences Research Program, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, United States.
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Developmental pruning of excitatory synaptic inputs to parvalbumin interneurons in monkey prefrontal cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E629-E637. [PMID: 28074037 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1610077114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Working memory requires efficient excitatory drive to parvalbumin-positive (PV) interneurons in the primate dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Developmental pruning eliminates superfluous excitatory inputs, suggesting that working memory maturation during adolescence requires pruning of excitatory inputs to PV interneurons. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that excitatory synapses on PV interneurons are pruned during adolescence. The density of excitatory synapses, defined by overlapping vesicular glutamate transporter 1-positive (VGlut1+) and postsynaptic density 95-positive (PSD95+) puncta, on PV interneurons was lower in postpubertal relative to prepubertal monkeys. In contrast, puncta levels of VGlut1 and PSD95 proteins were higher in postpubertal monkeys and positively predicted activity-dependent PV levels, suggesting a greater strength of the remaining synapses after pruning. Because excitatory synapse number on PV interneurons is regulated by erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 4 (ErbB4), whose function is influenced by alternative splicing, we tested the hypothesis that pruning of excitatory synapses on PV interneurons is associated with developmental shifts in ErbB4 expression and/or splicing. Pan-ErbB4 expression did not change, whereas the minor-to-major splice variant ratios increased with age. In cell culture, the major, but not the minor, variant increased excitatory synapse number on PV interneurons and displayed greater kinase activity than the minor variant, suggesting that the effect of ErbB4 signaling in PV interneurons is mediated by alternative splicing. Supporting this interpretation, in monkey DLPFC, higher minor-to-major variant ratios predicted lower PSD95+ puncta density on PV interneurons. Together, our findings suggest that ErbB4 splicing may regulate the pruning of excitatory synapses on PV interneurons during adolescence.
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Ross CA, Kronenbuerger M, Duan W, Margolis RL. Mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in Huntington disease: applications to novel disease-modifying therapies. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2017; 144:15-28. [PMID: 28947113 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-801893-4.00002-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The CAG repeat expansion mutation that causes Huntington Disease (HD) was discovered more than 20 years ago, yet no treatment has yet been developed to stop the relentless course of the disease. Nonetheless, substantial progress has been made in understanding HD pathogenesis. We review insights that have been gleaned from HD genetics, metabolism, and pathology; HD mouse and cell models; the structure, function and post-translational modification of normal and mutant huntingtin (htt) protein; gene expression profiles in HD cells and tissue; the neurotoxicy of mutant htt RNA; and the expression of an antisense transcript from the HD locus. We conclude that rationale therapeutics for HD is within sight, though many questions remain to be answered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A Ross
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; Departments of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.
| | - Martin Kronenbuerger
- Division of Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Wenzhen Duan
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; Translational Neurobiology Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Russell L Margolis
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; Translational Neurobiology Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; Laboratory of Genetic Neurobiology and Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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74
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Strategies to identify natural antisense transcripts. Biochimie 2017; 132:131-151. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2016.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 11/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a genetic, fatal autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder typically occurring in midlife with symptoms ranging from chorea, to dementia, to personality disturbances (Philos Trans R Soc Lond Ser B Biol Sci 354:957-961, 1999). HD is inherited in a dominant fashion, and the underlying mutation in all cases is a CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion within exon 1 of the HD gene (Cell 72:971-983, 1993). The expanded CAG repeat, translated into a lengthened glutamine tract at the amino terminus of the huntingtin protein, affects its structural properties and functional activities. The effects are pleiotropic, as huntingtin is broadly expressed in different cellular compartments (i.e., cytosol, nucleus, mitochondria) as well as in all cell types of the body at all developmental stages, such that HD pathogenesis likely starts at conception and is a lifelong process (Front Neurosci 9:509, 2015). The rate-limiting mechanism(s) of neurodegeneration in HD still remains elusive: many different processes are commonly disrupted in HD cell lines and animal models, as well as in HD patient cells (Eur J Neurosci 27:2803-2820, 2008); however, epigenetic-chromatin deregulation, as determined by the analysis of DNA methylation, histone modifications, and noncoding RNAs, has now become a prevailing feature. Thus, the overarching goal of this chapter is to discuss the current status of the literature, reviewing how an aberrant epigenetic landscape can contribute to altered gene expression and neuronal dysfunction in HD.
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Skov M, Dirksen RT. Trojan triplets: RNA-based pathomechanisms for muscle dysfunction in Huntington's disease. J Gen Physiol 2016; 149:49-53. [PMID: 27940949 PMCID: PMC5217092 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201611728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Skov
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Robert T Dirksen
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642
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Ratovitski T, Chaerkady R, Kammers K, Stewart JC, Zavala A, Pletnikova O, Troncoso JC, Rudnicki DD, Margolis RL, Cole RN, Ross CA. Quantitative Proteomic Analysis Reveals Similarities between Huntington's Disease (HD) and Huntington's Disease-Like 2 (HDL2) Human Brains. J Proteome Res 2016; 15:3266-83. [PMID: 27486686 PMCID: PMC5555151 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.6b00448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The pathogenesis of HD and HDL2, similar progressive neurodegenerative disorders caused by expansion mutations, remains incompletely understood. No systematic quantitative proteomics studies, assessing global changes in HD or HDL2 human brain, were reported. To address this deficit, we used a stable isotope labeling-based approach to quantify the changes in protein abundances in the cortex of 12 HD and 12 control cases and, separately, of 6 HDL2 and 6 control cases. The quality of the tissues was assessed to minimize variability due to post mortem autolysis. We applied a robust median sweep algorithm to quantify protein abundance and performed statistical inference using moderated test statistics. 1211 proteins showed statistically significant fold changes between HD and control tissues; the differences in selected proteins were verified by Western blotting. Differentially abundant proteins were enriched in cellular pathways previously implicated in HD, including Rho-mediated, actin cytoskeleton and integrin signaling, mitochondrial dysfunction, endocytosis, axonal guidance, DNA/RNA processing, and protein transport. The abundance of 717 proteins significantly differed between control and HDL2 brain. Comparative analysis of the disease-associated changes in the HD and HDL2 proteomes revealed that similar pathways were altered, suggesting the commonality of pathogenesis between the two disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Ratovitski
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, CMSC 8-121, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, United States
| | - Raghothama Chaerkady
- Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility, Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 733 North Broadway Street, Suite 371 BRB, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Kai Kammers
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Jacqueline C. Stewart
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, CMSC 8-121, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, United States
| | - Anialak Zavala
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, CMSC 8-121, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, United States
| | - Olga Pletnikova
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, United States
| | - Juan C. Troncoso
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, United States
| | - Dobrila D. Rudnicki
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, CMSC 8-121, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, United States
| | - Russell L. Margolis
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, CMSC 8-121, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, United States
- Department of Neurology and Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, United States
| | - Robert N. Cole
- Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility, Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 733 North Broadway Street, Suite 371 BRB, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Christopher A. Ross
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, CMSC 8-121, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, United States
- Department of Neurology and Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, United States
- Departments of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, United States
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79
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Altered Expression of the Long Noncoding RNA NEAT1 in Huntington's Disease. Mol Neurobiol 2016; 54:1577-1586. [PMID: 27221610 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-016-9928-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 05/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease caused by cytosine-adenine-guanine trinucleotide repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene. Growing evidence supports the regulatory functions of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the disease process, but little is known about the association between lncRNAs and neuronal death in HD. Here, we evaluated the altered expression profiles of lncRNA in HD by using microarrays. Among dysregulated lncRNAs, we focused on the upregulation of nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1). Quantitative PCR analysis validated increased NEAT1 levels in the R6/2 mouse brain as well as the human HD postmortem brain. To determine the biological effects of NEAT1 on neuronal survival, neuro2A cells were transfected with the NEAT1 short isoform vector and were subjected to H2O2-induced injury. Subsequently, NEAT1-transfected cells showed increased viability under oxidative stress. Our observations support the notion that NEAT1 upregulation in HD contributes to the neuroprotective mechanism against neuronal injury rather than the pathological process underlying neurodegeneration in HD.
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80
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Hsiao J, Yuan TY, Tsai MS, Lu CY, Lin YC, Lee ML, Lin SW, Chang FC, Liu Pimentel H, Olive C, Coito C, Shen G, Young M, Thorne T, Lawrence M, Magistri M, Faghihi MA, Khorkova O, Wahlestedt C. Upregulation of Haploinsufficient Gene Expression in the Brain by Targeting a Long Non-coding RNA Improves Seizure Phenotype in a Model of Dravet Syndrome. EBioMedicine 2016; 9:257-277. [PMID: 27333023 PMCID: PMC4972487 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2016.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2016] [Revised: 05/02/2016] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Dravet syndrome is a devastating genetic brain disorder caused by heterozygous loss-of-function mutation in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene SCN1A. There are currently no treatments, but the upregulation of SCN1A healthy allele represents an appealing therapeutic strategy. In this study we identified a novel, evolutionary conserved mechanism controlling the expression of SCN1A that is mediated by an antisense non-coding RNA (SCN1ANAT). Using oligonucleotide-based compounds (AntagoNATs) targeting SCN1ANAT we were able to induce specific upregulation of SCN1A both in vitro and in vivo, in the brain of Dravet knock-in mouse model and a non-human primate. AntagoNAT-mediated upregulation of Scn1a in postnatal Dravet mice led to significant improvements in seizure phenotype and excitability of hippocampal interneurons. These results further elucidate the pathophysiology of Dravet syndrome and outline a possible new approach for the treatment of this and other genetic disorders with similar etiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Hsiao
- OPKO Health Inc., 10320 USA Today Way, Miramar, FL 33025, USA
| | - T Y Yuan
- OPKO Health Inc., 10320 USA Today Way, Miramar, FL 33025, USA
| | - M S Tsai
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Medical Biotechnology, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 1, Jen-Ai Rd., Taipei 100, Taiwan
| | - C Y Lu
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Y C Lin
- OPKO Health Inc., 10320 USA Today Way, Miramar, FL 33025, USA
| | - M L Lee
- Dep. Clinical Laboratory Science and Medical Biotechnology, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - S W Lin
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Medical Biotechnology, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 1, Jen-Ai Rd., Taipei 100, Taiwan; Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 7, Chung-Shan S. Rd., Taipei 100, Taiwan; Center for Genomic Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 7, Chung-Shan S. Rd., Taipei 100, Taiwan
| | - F C Chang
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 1, Jen-Ai Rd., Taipei 100, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - H Liu Pimentel
- OPKO Health Inc., 10320 USA Today Way, Miramar, FL 33025, USA
| | - C Olive
- OPKO Health Inc., 10320 USA Today Way, Miramar, FL 33025, USA
| | - C Coito
- OPKO Health Inc., 10320 USA Today Way, Miramar, FL 33025, USA
| | - G Shen
- OPKO Health Inc., 10320 USA Today Way, Miramar, FL 33025, USA
| | - M Young
- OPKO Health Inc., 10320 USA Today Way, Miramar, FL 33025, USA
| | - T Thorne
- OPKO Health Inc., 10320 USA Today Way, Miramar, FL 33025, USA
| | - M Lawrence
- RxGen, 100 Deepwood Drive, Hamden, CT 06517, USA
| | - M Magistri
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1501 NW 10th Avenue, Miami 33136, FL, USA
| | - M A Faghihi
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1501 NW 10th Avenue, Miami 33136, FL, USA
| | - O Khorkova
- OPKO Health Inc., 10320 USA Today Way, Miramar, FL 33025, USA
| | - C Wahlestedt
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1501 NW 10th Avenue, Miami 33136, FL, USA.
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81
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The expanding biology of the C9orf72 nucleotide repeat expansion in neurodegenerative disease. Nat Rev Neurosci 2016; 17:383-95. [PMID: 27150398 DOI: 10.1038/nrn.2016.38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
A nucleotide repeat expansion (NRE) within the chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) gene was the first of this type of mutation to be linked to multiple neurological conditions, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. The pathogenic mechanisms through which the C9orf72 NRE contributes to these disorders include loss of C9orf72 function and gain-of-function mechanisms of C9orf72 driven by toxic RNA and protein species encoded by the NRE. These mechanisms have been linked to several cellular defects - including nucleocytoplasmic trafficking deficits and nuclear stress - that have been observed in both patients and animal models.
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82
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Chatterjee N, Lin Y, Wilson JH. Mismatch repair enhances convergent transcription-induced cell death at trinucleotide repeats by activating ATR. DNA Repair (Amst) 2016; 42:26-32. [PMID: 27131875 DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2016.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2016] [Revised: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 03/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Trinucleotide repeat (TNR) expansion beyond a certain threshold results in some 20 incurable neurodegenerative disorders where disease anticipation positively correlates with repeat length. Long TNRs typically display a bias toward further expansion during germinal transmission from parents to offspring, and then are highly unstable in somatic tissues of affected individuals. Understanding mechanisms of TNR instability will provide insights into disease pathogenesis. Previously, we showed that enhanced convergent transcription at long CAG repeat tracks induces TNR instability and cell death via ATR activation. Components of TC-NER (transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair) and RNaseH enzymes that resolve RNA/DNA hybrids oppose cell death, whereas the MSH2 component of MMR (mismatch repair) enhances cell death. The exact role of the MMR pathway during convergent transcription-induced cell death at CAG repeats is not well understood. In this study, we show that siRNA knockdowns of MMR components-MSH2, MSH3, MLHI, PMS2, and PCNA-reduce DNA toxicity. Furthermore, knockdown of MSH2, MLH1, and PMS2 significantly reduces the frequency of ATR foci formation. These observations suggest that MMR proteins activate DNA toxicity by modulating ATR foci formation during convergent transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nimrat Chatterjee
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Yunfu Lin
- Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Smithville, TX 78957, USA
| | - John H Wilson
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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83
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Rizzu P, Blauwendraat C, Heetveld S, Lynes EM, Castillo-Lizardo M, Dhingra A, Pyz E, Hobert M, Synofzik M, Simón-Sánchez J, Francescatto M, Heutink P. C9orf72 is differentially expressed in the central nervous system and myeloid cells and consistently reduced in C9orf72, MAPT and GRN mutation carriers. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2016; 4:37. [PMID: 27079381 PMCID: PMC4832459 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-016-0306-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2016] [Accepted: 03/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A non-coding hexanucleotide repeat expansion (HRE) in C9orf72 is a common cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) acting through a loss of function mechanism due to haploinsufficiency of C9orf72 or a gain of function mediated by aggregates of bidirectionally transcribed HRE-RNAs translated into di-peptide repeat (DPR) proteins. To fully understand regulation of C9orf72 expression we surveyed the C9orf72 locus using Cap Analysis of Gene Expression sequence data (CAGEseq). We observed C9orf72 was generally lowly expressed with the exception of a subset of myeloid cells, particularly CD14+ monocytes that showed up to seven fold higher expression as compared to central nervous system (CNS) and other tissues. The expression profile at the C9orf72 locus showed a complex architecture with differential expression of the transcription start sites (TSSs) for the annotated C9orf72 transcripts between myeloid and CNS tissues suggesting cell and/or tissue specific functions. We further detected novel TSSs in both the sense and antisense strand at the C9orf72 locus and confirmed their existence in brain tissues and CD14+ monocytes. Interestingly, our experiments showed a consistent decrease of C9orf72 coding transcripts not only in brain tissue and monocytes from C9orf72-HRE patients, but also in brains from MAPT and GRN mutation carriers together with an increase in antisense transcripts suggesting these could play a role in regulation of C9orf72. We found that the non-HRE related expression changes cannot be explained by promoter methylation but by the presence of the C9orf72-HRE risk haplotype and unknown functional interactions between C9orf72, MAPT and GRN.
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84
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Kour S, Rath PC. Long noncoding RNAs in aging and age-related diseases. Ageing Res Rev 2016; 26:1-21. [PMID: 26655093 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2015.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2015] [Revised: 11/08/2015] [Accepted: 12/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Aging is the universal, intrinsic, genetically-controlled, evolutionarily-conserved and time-dependent intricate biological process characterised by the cumulative decline in the physiological functions and their coordination in an organism after the attainment of adulthood resulting in the imbalance of neurological, immunological and metabolic functions of the body. Various biological processes and mechanisms along with altered levels of mRNAs and proteins have been reported to be involved in the progression of aging. It is one of the major risk factors in the patho-physiology of various diseases and disorders. Recently, the discovery of pervasive transcription of a vast pool of heterogeneous regulatory noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including small ncRNAs (sncRNAs) and long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), in the mammalian genome have provided an alternative way to study and explore the missing links in the aging process, its mechanism(s) and related diseases in a whole new dimension. The involvement of small noncoding RNAs in aging and age-related diseases have been extensively studied and recently reviewed. However, lncRNAs, whose function is far less explored in relation to aging, have emerged as a class of major regulators of genomic functions. Here, we have described some examples of known as well as novel lncRNAs that have been implicated in the progression of the aging process and age-related diseases. This may further stimulate research on noncoding RNAs and the aging process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sukhleen Kour
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Pramod C Rath
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India.
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85
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Bañez-Coronel M, Ayhan F, Tarabochia AD, Zu T, Perez BA, Tusi SK, Pletnikova O, Borchelt DR, Ross CA, Margolis RL, Yachnis AT, Troncoso JC, Ranum LPW. RAN Translation in Huntington Disease. Neuron 2016; 88:667-77. [PMID: 26590344 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.10.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 252] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2015] [Revised: 09/05/2015] [Accepted: 10/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is caused by a CAG ⋅ CTG expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. While most research has focused on the HTT polyGln-expansion protein, we demonstrate that four additional, novel, homopolymeric expansion proteins (polyAla, polySer, polyLeu, and polyCys) accumulate in HD human brains. These sense and antisense repeat-associated non-ATG (RAN) translation proteins accumulate most abundantly in brain regions with neuronal loss, microglial activation and apoptosis, including caudate/putamen, white matter, and, in juvenile-onset cases, also the cerebellum. RAN protein accumulation and aggregation are length dependent, and individual RAN proteins are toxic to neural cells independent of RNA effects. These data suggest RAN proteins contribute to HD and that therapeutic strategies targeting both sense and antisense genes may be required for efficacy in HD patients. This is the first demonstration that RAN proteins are expressed across an expansion located in an open reading frame and suggests RAN translation may also contribute to other polyglutamine diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Bañez-Coronel
- Center for NeuroGenetics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Fatma Ayhan
- Center for NeuroGenetics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Alex D Tarabochia
- Center for NeuroGenetics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Tao Zu
- Center for NeuroGenetics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Barbara A Perez
- Center for NeuroGenetics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Solaleh Khoramian Tusi
- Center for NeuroGenetics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Olga Pletnikova
- Department of Pathology, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - David R Borchelt
- Center for NeuroGenetics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Christopher A Ross
- Division of Neurobiology, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Psychiatry, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neurology, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Pharmacology, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neuroscience, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Baltimore Huntington's Disease Center, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Russell L Margolis
- Division of Neurobiology, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Psychiatry, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neurology, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neuroscience, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Baltimore Huntington's Disease Center, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Anthony T Yachnis
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Juan C Troncoso
- Department of Pathology, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Neurology, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Laura P W Ranum
- Center for NeuroGenetics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
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86
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Age-Related Expression of a Repeat-Rich Intergenic Long Noncoding RNA in the Rat Brain. Mol Neurobiol 2016; 54:639-660. [DOI: 10.1007/s12035-015-9634-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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87
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The Antisense Transcriptome and the Human Brain. J Mol Neurosci 2015; 58:1-15. [PMID: 26697858 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-015-0694-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The transcriptome of a cell is made up of a varied array of RNA species, including protein-coding RNAs, long non-coding RNAs, short non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs. The cellular transcriptome is dynamic and can change depending on environmental factors, disease state and cellular context. The human brain has perhaps the most diverse transcriptome profile that is enriched for many species of RNA, including antisense transcripts. Antisense transcripts are produced when both the plus and minus strand of the DNA helix are transcribed at a particular locus. This results in an RNA transcript that has a partial or complete overlap with an intronic or exonic region of the sense transcript. While antisense transcription is known to occur at some level in most organisms, this review focuses specifically on antisense transcription in the brain and how regulation of genes by antisense transcripts can contribute to functional aspects of the healthy and diseased brain. First, we discuss different techniques that can be used in the identification and quantification of antisense transcripts. This is followed by examples of antisense transcription and modes of regulatory function that have been identified in the brain.
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88
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Aprea J, Calegari F. Long non-coding RNAs in corticogenesis: deciphering the non-coding code of the brain. EMBO J 2015; 34:2865-84. [PMID: 26516210 DOI: 10.15252/embj.201592655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence on the role of long non-coding (lnc) RNAs has been accumulating over decades, but it has been only recently that advances in sequencing technologies have allowed the field to fully appreciate their abundance and diversity. Despite this, only a handful of lncRNAs have been phenotypically or mechanistically studied. Moreover, novel lncRNAs and new classes of RNAs are being discovered at growing pace, suggesting that this class of molecules may have functions as diverse as protein-coding genes. Interestingly, the brain is the organ where lncRNAs have the most peculiar features including the highest number of lncRNAs that are expressed, proportion of tissue-specific lncRNAs and highest signals of evolutionary conservation. In this work, we critically review the current knowledge about the steps that have led to the identification of the non-coding transcriptome including the general features of lncRNAs in different contexts in terms of both their genomic organisation, evolutionary origin, patterns of expression, and function in the developing and adult mammalian brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julieta Aprea
- DFG-Research Center and Cluster of Excellence for Regenerative Therapies, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Federico Calegari
- DFG-Research Center and Cluster of Excellence for Regenerative Therapies, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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89
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A pathophysiological view of the long non-coding RNA world. Oncotarget 2015; 5:10976-96. [PMID: 25428918 PMCID: PMC4294373 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.2770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2014] [Accepted: 11/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Because cells are constantly exposed to micro-environmental changes, they require the ability to adapt to maintain a dynamic equilibrium. Proteins are considered critical for the regulation of gene expression, which is a fundamental process in determining the cellular responses to stimuli. Recently, revolutionary findings in RNA research and the advent of high-throughput genomic technologies have revealed a pervasive transcription of the human genome, which generates many long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) whose roles are largely undefined. However, there is evidence that lncRNAs are involved in several cellular physiological processes such as adaptation to stresses, cell differentiation, maintenance of pluripotency and apoptosis. The correct balance of lncRNA levels is crucial for the maintenance of cellular equilibrium, and the dysregulation of lncRNA expression is linked to many disorders; certain transcripts are useful prognostic markers for some of these pathologies. This review revisits the classic concept of cellular homeostasis from the perspective of lncRNAs specifically to understand how this novel class of molecules contributes to cellular balance and how its dysregulated expression can lead to the onset of pathologies such as cancer.
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90
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Sun X, Li PP, Zhu S, Cohen R, Marque LO, Ross CA, Pulst SM, Chan HYE, Margolis RL, Rudnicki DD. Nuclear retention of full-length HTT RNA is mediated by splicing factors MBNL1 and U2AF65. Sci Rep 2015. [PMID: 26218986 PMCID: PMC4517393 DOI: 10.1038/srep12521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. Recent evidence suggests that HD is a consequence of multimodal, non-mutually exclusive mechanisms of pathogenesis that involve both HTT protein- and HTT RNA-triggered mechanisms. Here we provide further evidence for the role of expanded HTT (expHTT) RNA in HD by demonstrating that a fragment of expHTT is cytotoxic in the absence of any translation and that the extent of cytotoxicity is similar to the cytotoxicity of an expHTT protein fragment encoded by a transcript of similar length and with a similar repeat size. In addition, full-length (FL) expHTT is retained in the nucleus. Overexpression of the splicing factor muscleblind-like 1 (MBNL1) increases nuclear retention of expHTT and decreases the expression of expHTT protein in the cytosol. The splicing and nuclear export factor U2AF65 has the opposite effect, decreasing expHTT nuclear retention and increasing expression of expHTT protein. This suggests that MBNL1 and U2AF65 play a role in nuclear export of expHTT RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Sun
- 1] Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Neurobiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA [2] Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Pan P Li
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Neurobiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Shanshan Zhu
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Neurobiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Rachael Cohen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Neurobiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Leonard O Marque
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Neurobiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Christopher A Ross
- 1] Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Neurobiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA [2] Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA [3] Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA [4] Program of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Stefan M Pulst
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Ho Yin Edwin Chan
- Laboratory of Drosophila Research, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Russell L Margolis
- 1] Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Neurobiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA [2] Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA [3] Program of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Dobrila D Rudnicki
- 1] Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Neurobiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA [2] Program of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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91
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Kocerha J, Dwivedi Y, Brennand KJ. Noncoding RNAs and neurobehavioral mechanisms in psychiatric disease. Mol Psychiatry 2015; 20:677-684. [PMID: 25824307 PMCID: PMC4440836 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2015.30] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2014] [Revised: 01/20/2015] [Accepted: 01/26/2015] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The human genome project has revolutionized our understanding of the underlying mechanisms in psychiatric disease. It is now abundantly clear that neurobehavioral phenotypes are epigenetically controlled by noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). The microRNA (miRNA) class of ncRNAs are ubiquitously expressed throughout the brain and govern all major neuronal pathways. The attractive therapeutic potential of miRNAs is underscored by their pleiotropic capacities, putatively targeting multiple pathways within a single neuron. Many psychiatric diseases stem from a multifactorial origin, thus conventional drug targeting of single proteins may not prove most effective. In this exciting post-genome sequencing era, many new epigenetic targets are emerging for therapeutic investigation. Here we review the reported roles of miRNAs, as well as other ncRNA classes, in the pathology of psychiatric disorders; there are both common and unique ncRNA mechanisms that influence the various diagnoses. Collectively, these potent epigenetic regulators may clarify the disrupted signaling networks in psychiatric phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jannet Kocerha
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia Southern University, PO Box 8064, Statesboro, GA 30460, USA
| | - Yogesh Dwivedi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 2nd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294-0017
| | - Kristen J Brennand
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1425 Madison Ave, 9-20B New York, NY 10029, USA
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92
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C9orf72 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia: gain or loss of function? Curr Opin Neurol 2015; 27:515-23. [PMID: 25188012 PMCID: PMC4165481 DOI: 10.1097/wco.0000000000000130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Purpose of review The molecular mechanisms that underlie chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72)-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia are rapidly emerging. Two potential disease mechanisms have been postulated – gain or loss of function. We provide an overview of recent advances that support or oppose gain-of-function and loss-of-function mechanisms. Recent findings Since the discovery that a noncoding repeat expansion in C9orf72 was responsible for chromosome 9-linked amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia in 2011, a plethora of studies have investigated clinical, pathological and mechanistic aspects of the disease. Loss of function is supported by reduced levels of C9orf72 in patient brain and functional work, revealing a role of the C9orf72 protein in endocytic and autophagic pathways and motor function. Gain of function is supported by the presence in patient brain of both repeat RNA and protein aggregates. Repeat RNA aggregates termed RNA foci, a hallmark of noncoding repeat expansion diseases, have been shown to sequester proteins involved in RNA splicing, editing, nuclear export and nucleolar function. Repeat-associated non-ATG dependent translation gives rise to toxic dipeptide repeat proteins that form inclusions in patient tissue. Antisense oligonucleotides targeting C9orf72 have shown promise for combating gain-of-function toxicity. Summary Rapid progress is being made towards understanding this common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. Overall, the weight of data currently sits in favour of gain of function as the most important disease mechanism, which has important implications for the development of effective and targeted therapies.
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93
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Abstract
Approximately 40 human diseases are associated with expansion of repeat sequences. These expansions can reside within coding or non-coding parts of the genes, affecting the host gene function. The presence of such expansions results in the production of toxic RNA and/or protein or causes transcriptional repression and silencing of the host gene. Although the molecular mechanisms of expansion diseases are not well understood, mounting evidence suggests that transcription through expanded repeats plays an essential role in disease pathology. The presence of an expansion can affect RNA polymerase transcription, leading to dysregulation of transcription-associated processes, such as RNA splicing, formation of RNA/DNA hybrids (R-loops), production of antisense, short non-coding and bidirectional RNA transcripts. In the present review, we summarize current advances in this field and discuss possible roles of transcriptional defects in disease pathology.
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94
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Evers MM, Schut MH, Pepers BA, Atalar M, van Belzen MJ, Faull RL, Roos RA, van Roon-Mom WMC. Making (anti-) sense out of huntingtin levels in Huntington disease. Mol Neurodegener 2015; 10:21. [PMID: 25928884 PMCID: PMC4411791 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-015-0018-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2014] [Accepted: 04/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Huntington disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by motor, psychiatric and cognitive symptoms. HD is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the first exon of the HTT gene, resulting in an expanded polyglutamine tract at the N-terminus of the huntingtin protein. Typical disease onset is around mid-life (adult-onset HD) whereas onset below 21 years is classified as juvenile HD. While much research has been done on the underlying HD disease mechanisms, little is known about regulation and expression levels of huntingtin RNA and protein. Results In this study we used 15 human post-mortem HD brain samples to investigate the expression of wild-type and mutant huntingtin mRNA and protein. In adult-onset HD brain samples, there was a small but significantly lower expression of mutant huntingtin mRNA compared to wild-type huntingtin mRNA, while wild-type and mutant huntingtin protein expression levels did not differ significantly. Juvenile HD subjects did show a lower expression of mutant huntingtin protein compared to wild-type huntingtin protein. Our results in HD brain and fibroblasts suggest that protein aggregation does not affect levels of huntingtin RNA and protein. Additionally, we did not find any evidence for a reduced expression of huntingtin antisense in fibroblasts derived from a homozygous HD patient. Conclusions We found small differences in allelic huntingtin mRNA levels in adult-onset HD brain, with significantly lower mutant huntingtin mRNA levels. Wild-type and mutant huntingtin protein were not significantly different in adult-onset HD brain samples. Conversely, in juvenile HD brain samples mutant huntingtin protein levels were lower compared with wild-type huntingtin, showing subtle differences between juvenile HD and adult-onset HD. Since most HD model systems harbor juvenile repeat expansions, our results suggest caution with the interpretation of huntingtin mRNA and protein studies using HD cell and animal models with such long repeats. Furthermore, our huntingtin antisense results in homozygous HD cells do not support reduced huntingtin antisense expression due to an expanded CAG repeat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melvin M Evers
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, Leiden, 2333, ZA, the Netherlands.
| | - Menno H Schut
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, Leiden, 2333, ZA, the Netherlands.
| | - Barry A Pepers
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, Leiden, 2333, ZA, the Netherlands.
| | | | - Martine J van Belzen
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Richard Lm Faull
- Centre for Brain Research and Department of Anatomy with Radiology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - Raymund Ac Roos
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Willeke M C van Roon-Mom
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, Leiden, 2333, ZA, the Netherlands.
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95
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Carrieri C, Forrest ARR, Santoro C, Persichetti F, Carninci P, Zucchelli S, Gustincich S. Expression analysis of the long non-coding RNA antisense to Uchl1 (AS Uchl1) during dopaminergic cells' differentiation in vitro and in neurochemical models of Parkinson's disease. Front Cell Neurosci 2015; 9:114. [PMID: 25883552 PMCID: PMC4381646 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 03/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Antisense (AS) transcripts are RNA molecules that are transcribed from the opposite strand to sense (S) genes forming S/AS pairs. The most prominent configuration is when a lncRNA is antisense to a protein coding gene. Increasing evidences prove that antisense transcription may control sense gene expression acting at distinct regulatory levels. However, its contribution to brain function and neurodegenerative diseases remains unclear. We have recently identified AS Uchl1 as an antisense to the mouse Ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (Uchl1) gene (AS Uchl1), the synthenic locus of UCHL1/PARK5. This is mutated in rare cases of early-onset familial Parkinson's Disease (PD) and loss of UCHL1 activity has been reported in many neurodegenerative diseases. Importantly, manipulation of UchL1 expression has been proposed as tool for therapeutic intervention. AS Uchl1 induces UchL1 expression by increasing its translation. It is the representative member of SINEUPs (SINEB2 sequence to UP-regulate translation), a new functional class of natural antisense lncRNAs that activate translation of their sense genes. Here we take advantage of FANTOM5 dataset to identify the transcription start sites associated to S/AS pair at Uchl1 locus. We show that AS Uchl1 expression is under the regulation of Nurr1, a major transcription factor involved in dopaminergic cells' differentiation and maintenance. Furthermore, AS Uch1 RNA levels are strongly down-regulated in neurochemical models of PD in vitro and in vivo. This work positions AS Uchl1 RNA as a component of Nurr1-dependent gene network and target of cellular stress extending our understanding on the role of antisense transcription in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Carrieri
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) Trieste, Italy
| | - Alistair R R Forrest
- Division of Genomic Technologies, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies Yokohama, Japan
| | - Claudio Santoro
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Universita' del Piemonte Orientale Novara, Italy
| | - Francesca Persichetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Universita' del Piemonte Orientale Novara, Italy
| | - Piero Carninci
- Division of Genomic Technologies, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies Yokohama, Japan
| | - Silvia Zucchelli
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) Trieste, Italy ; Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Universita' del Piemonte Orientale Novara, Italy
| | - Stefano Gustincich
- Area of Neuroscience, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) Trieste, Italy
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96
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Striatal long noncoding RNA Abhd11os is neuroprotective against an N-terminal fragment of mutant huntingtin in vivo. Neurobiol Aging 2014; 36:1601.e7-16. [PMID: 25619660 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2014.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2014] [Revised: 10/28/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
A large number of gene products that are enriched in the striatum have ill-defined functions, although they may have key roles in age-dependent neurodegenerative diseases affecting the striatum, especially Huntington disease (HD). In the present study, we focused on Abhd11os, (called ABHD11-AS1 in human) which is a putative long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) whose expression is enriched in the mouse striatum. We confirm that despite the presence of 2 small open reading frames (ORFs) in its sequence, Abhd11os is not translated into a detectable peptide in living cells. We demonstrate that Abhd11os levels are markedly reduced in different mouse models of HD. We performed in vivo experiments in mice using lentiviral vectors encoding either Abhd11os or a small hairpin RNA targeting Abhd11os. Results show that Abhd11os overexpression produces neuroprotection against an N-terminal fragment of mutant huntingtin, whereas Abhd11os knockdown is protoxic. These novel results indicate that the loss lncRNA Abhd11os likely contribute to striatal vulnerability in HD. Our study emphasizes that lncRNA may play crucial roles in neurodegenerative diseases.
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97
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Avitabile C, Cimmino A, Romanelli A. Oligonucleotide analogues as modulators of the expression and function of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs): emerging therapeutics applications. J Med Chem 2014; 57:10220-40. [PMID: 25280271 DOI: 10.1021/jm5006594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
ncRNAs are emerging as key regulators of physiological and pathological processes and therefore have been identified as pharmacological targets and as markers for some diseases. Oligonucleotide analogues represent so far the most widely employed tool for the modulation of the expression of ncRNAs. In this perspective we briefly describe most of the known classes of ncRNAs and then we discuss the design and the applications of oligonucleotide analogues for their targeting. The effects of modifications of the chemical structure of the oligonucleotides on properties such as the binding affinity toward targets and off targets, and the stability to degradation and their biological effects (when known) are discussed. Examples of molecules currently used in clinical trials are also reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Concetta Avitabile
- Università di Napoli "Federico II" , Dipartimento di Farmacia, via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Napoli, Italy
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98
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Convergent transcription through microsatellite repeat tracts induces cell death. Mol Biol Rep 2014; 41:5627-34. [PMID: 25012912 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-014-3432-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2013] [Accepted: 05/24/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Microsatellite sequences, composed of short tandem repeats and randomly distributed in human genome, can become unstable during various DNA metabolic processes. Expansions of CAG, GAA, CGG and CCTG repeats located in specific genes are responsible for several human disorders. It is known that a major percentage of human genes simultaneously express both sense and antisense transcripts. Recently, we reported that convergent transcription through a CAG95 tract in human cells leads to cell cycle arrest as well as robust apoptosis. In this study, we studied the effects of convergent transcription through other types of repeats, using cell lines that contain substrates with inducible sense and antisense transcription through CGG66, GAA102, or CCTG134 tracts. We found that convergent transcription through all these repeats inhibits cell growth and induces cell death, though more moderately than convergent transcription through a CAG tract. These results suggest that convergent transcription through various types of tandem repeats represent a novel type of stress to cells.
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99
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Sun X, Marque LO, Cordner Z, Pruitt JL, Bhat M, Li PP, Kannan G, Ladenheim EE, Moran TH, Margolis RL, Rudnicki DD. Phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers suppress mutant huntingtin expression and attenuate neurotoxicity. Hum Mol Genet 2014; 23:6302-17. [PMID: 25035419 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddu349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. Disease pathogenesis derives, at least in part, from the long polyglutamine tract encoded by mutant HTT. Therefore, considerable effort has been dedicated to the development of therapeutic strategies that significantly reduce the expression of the mutant HTT protein. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) targeted to the CAG repeat region of HTT transcripts have been of particular interest due to their potential capacity to discriminate between normal and mutant HTT transcripts. Here, we focus on phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs), ASOs that are especially stable, highly soluble and non-toxic. We designed three PMOs to selectively target expanded CAG repeat tracts (CTG22, CTG25 and CTG28), and two PMOs to selectively target sequences flanking the HTT CAG repeat (HTTex1a and HTTex1b). In HD patient-derived fibroblasts with expanded alleles containing 44, 77 or 109 CAG repeats, HTTex1a and HTTex1b were effective in suppressing the expression of mutant and non-mutant transcripts. CTGn PMOs also suppressed HTT expression, with the extent of suppression and the specificity for mutant transcripts dependent on the length of the targeted CAG repeat and on the CTG repeat length and concentration of the PMO. PMO CTG25 reduced HTT-induced cytotoxicity in vitro and suppressed mutant HTT expression in vivo in the N171-82Q transgenic mouse model. Finally, CTG28 reduced mutant HTT expression and improved the phenotype of Hdh(Q7/Q150) knock-in HD mice. These data demonstrate the potential of PMOs as an approach to suppressing the expression of mutant HTT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Sun
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
| | - Leonard O Marque
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
| | - Zachary Cordner
- Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
| | - Jennifer L Pruitt
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
| | - Manik Bhat
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
| | - Pan P Li
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
| | - Geetha Kannan
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
| | - Ellen E Ladenheim
- Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
| | - Timothy H Moran
- Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
| | - Russell L Margolis
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Neurology, and Program of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Dobrila D Rudnicki
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Program of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
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100
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Brain-specific noncoding RNAs are likely to originate in repeats and may play a role in up-regulating genes in cis. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2014; 54:331-7. [PMID: 24993078 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2014.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2014] [Revised: 06/01/2014] [Accepted: 06/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The mouse and human brain express a large number of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). Some of these are known to participate in neural progenitor cell fate determination, cell differentiation, neuronal and synaptic plasticity and transposable elements derived ncRNAs contribute to somatic variation. Dysregulation of specific long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) has been shown in neuro-developmental and neuro-degenerative diseases thus highlighting the importance of lncRNAs in brain function. Even though it is known that lncRNAs are expressed in cells at low levels in a tissue-specific manner, bioinformatics analyses of brain-specific ncRNAs has not been performed. We analyzed previously published custom microarray ncRNA expression data generated from twelve human tissues to identify tissue-specific ncRNAs. We find that among the 12 tissues studied, brain has the largest number of ncRNAs. Our analyses show that genes in the vicinity of brain-specific ncRNAs are significantly up regulated in the brain. Investigations of repeat representation show that brain-specific ncRNAs are significantly more likely to originate in repeat regions especially DNA/TcMar-Tigger compared with non-tissue-specific ncRNAs. We find SINE/Alus depleted from brain-specific dataset when compared with non-tissue-specific ncRNAs. Our data provide a bioinformatics comparison between brain-specific and non tissue-specific ncRNAs. This article is part of a Directed Issue entitled: The Non-coding RNA Revolution.
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