51
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Pellizza L, Smal C, Rodrigo G, Arán M. Codon usage clusters correlation: towards protein solubility prediction in heterologous expression systems in E. coli. Sci Rep 2018; 8:10618. [PMID: 30006617 PMCID: PMC6045634 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29035-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Production of soluble recombinant proteins is crucial to the development of industry and basic research. However, the aggregation due to the incorrect folding of the nascent polypeptides is still a mayor bottleneck. Understanding the factors governing protein solubility is important to grasp the underlying mechanisms and improve the design of recombinant proteins. Here we show a quantitative study of the expression and solubility of a set of proteins from Bizionia argentinensis. Through the analysis of different features known to modulate protein production, we defined two parameters based on the %MinMax algorithm to compare codon usage clusters between the host and the target genes. We demonstrate that the absolute difference between all %MinMax frequencies of the host and the target gene is significantly negatively correlated with protein expression levels. But most importantly, a strong positive correlation between solubility and the degree of conservation of codons usage clusters is observed for two independent datasets. Moreover, we evince that this correlation is higher in codon usage clusters involved in less compact protein secondary structure regions. Our results provide important tools for protein design and support the notion that codon usage may dictate translation rate and modulate co-translational folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Pellizza
- Laboratory of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Fundación Instituto Leloir, IIBBA-CONICET, Av. Patricias Argentinas 435, C1405BWE, CABA, Argentina
| | - Clara Smal
- Laboratory of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Fundación Instituto Leloir, IIBBA-CONICET, Av. Patricias Argentinas 435, C1405BWE, CABA, Argentina
| | - Guido Rodrigo
- Laboratory of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Fundación Instituto Leloir, IIBBA-CONICET, Av. Patricias Argentinas 435, C1405BWE, CABA, Argentina
| | - Martín Arán
- Laboratory of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Fundación Instituto Leloir, IIBBA-CONICET, Av. Patricias Argentinas 435, C1405BWE, CABA, Argentina.
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52
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Chen S, Li K, Cao W, Wang J, Zhao T, Huan Q, Yang YF, Wu S, Qian W. Codon-Resolution Analysis Reveals a Direct and Context-Dependent Impact of Individual Synonymous Mutations on mRNA Level. Mol Biol Evol 2018; 34:2944-2958. [PMID: 28961875 PMCID: PMC5850819 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Codon usage bias (CUB) refers to the observation that synonymous codons are not used equally frequently in a genome. CUB is stronger in more highly expressed genes, a phenomenon commonly explained by stronger natural selection on translational accuracy and/or efficiency among these genes. Nevertheless, this phenomenon could also occur if CUB regulates gene expression at the mRNA level, a hypothesis that has not been tested until recently. Here, we attempt to quantify the impact of synonymous mutations on mRNA level in yeast using 3,556 synonymous variants of a heterologous gene encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) and 523 synonymous variants of an endogenous gene TDH3. We found that mRNA level was positively correlated with CUB among these synonymous variants, demonstrating a direct role of CUB in regulating transcript concentration, likely via regulating mRNA degradation rate, as our additional experiments suggested. More importantly, we quantified the effects of individual synonymous mutations on mRNA level and found them dependent on 1) CUB and 2) mRNA secondary structure, both in proximal sequence contexts. Our study reveals the pleiotropic effects of synonymous codon usage and provides an additional explanation for the well-known correlation between CUB and gene expression level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Genetic Network Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ke Li
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Genetic Network Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenqing Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Genetic Network Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jia Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Genetic Network Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, Beijing, China
| | - Tong Zhao
- Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qing Huan
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Genetic Network Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu-Fei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Genetic Network Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shaohuan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Genetic Network Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenfeng Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Genetic Network Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, Beijing, China
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53
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Zhou Z, Dang Y, Zhou M, Yuan H, Liu Y. Codon usage biases co-evolve with transcription termination machinery to suppress premature cleavage and polyadenylation. eLife 2018; 7:33569. [PMID: 29547124 PMCID: PMC5869017 DOI: 10.7554/elife.33569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Codon usage biases are found in all genomes and influence protein expression levels. The codon usage effect on protein expression was thought to be mainly due to its impact on translation. Here, we show that transcription termination is an important driving force for codon usage bias in eukaryotes. Using Neurospora crassa as a model organism, we demonstrated that introduction of rare codons results in premature transcription termination (PTT) within open reading frames and abolishment of full-length mRNA. PTT is a wide-spread phenomenon in Neurospora, and there is a strong negative correlation between codon usage bias and PTT events. Rare codons lead to the formation of putative poly(A) signals and PTT. A similar role for codon usage bias was also observed in mouse cells. Together, these results suggest that codon usage biases co-evolve with the transcription termination machinery to suppress premature termination of transcription and thus allow for optimal gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhipeng Zhou
- Department of Physiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
| | - Yunkun Dang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.,Center for Life Science, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Mian Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Haiyan Yuan
- Department of Physiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
| | - Yi Liu
- Department of Physiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
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54
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Mauro VP, Chappell SA. Considerations in the Use of Codon Optimization for Recombinant Protein Expression. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1850:275-288. [PMID: 30242693 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-8730-6_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Codon optimization is a gene engineering approach that is commonly used for enhancing recombinant protein expression. This approach is possible because (1) degeneracy of the genetic code enables most amino acids to be encoded by multiple codons and (2) different mRNAs encoding the same protein can vary dramatically in the amount of protein expressed. However, because codon optimization potentially disrupts overlapping information encoded in mRNA coding regions, protein structure and function may be altered. This chapter discusses the use of codon optimization for various applications in mammalian cells as well as potential consequences, so that informed decisions can be made on the appropriateness of using this approach in each case.
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55
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Zhao F, Yu CH, Liu Y. Codon usage regulates protein structure and function by affecting translation elongation speed in Drosophila cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:8484-8492. [PMID: 28582582 PMCID: PMC5737824 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Codon usage biases are found in all eukaryotic and prokaryotic genomes and have been proposed to regulate different aspects of translation process. Codon optimality has been shown to regulate translation elongation speed in fungal systems, but its effect on translation elongation speed in animal systems is not clear. In this study, we used a Drosophila cell-free translation system to directly compare the velocity of mRNA translation elongation. Our results demonstrate that optimal synonymous codons speed up translation elongation while non-optimal codons slow down translation. In addition, codon usage regulates ribosome movement and stalling on mRNA during translation. Finally, we show that codon usage affects protein structure and function in vitro and in Drosophila cells. Together, these results suggest that the effect of codon usage on translation elongation speed is a conserved mechanism from fungi to animals that can affect protein folding in eukaryotic organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangzhou Zhao
- Department of Physiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Chien-Hung Yu
- Department of Physiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Yi Liu
- Department of Physiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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56
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Hanson G, Coller J. Codon optimality, bias and usage in translation and mRNA decay. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2017; 19:20-30. [PMID: 29018283 DOI: 10.1038/nrm.2017.91] [Citation(s) in RCA: 424] [Impact Index Per Article: 60.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The advent of ribosome profiling and other tools to probe mRNA translation has revealed that codon bias - the uneven use of synonymous codons in the transcriptome - serves as a secondary genetic code: a code that guides the efficiency of protein production, the fidelity of translation and the metabolism of mRNAs. Recent advancements in our understanding of mRNA decay have revealed a tight coupling between ribosome dynamics and the stability of mRNA transcripts; this coupling integrates codon bias into the concept of codon optimality, or the effects that specific codons and tRNA concentrations have on the efficiency and fidelity of the translation machinery. In this Review, we first discuss the evidence for codon-dependent effects on translation, beginning with the basic mechanisms through which translation perturbation can affect translation efficiency, protein folding and transcript stability. We then discuss how codon effects are leveraged by the cell to tailor the proteome to maintain homeostasis, execute specific gene expression programmes of growth or differentiation and optimize the efficiency of protein production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin Hanson
- Center for RNA Science and Therapeutics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
| | - Jeff Coller
- Center for RNA Science and Therapeutics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
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57
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Marín M, Fernández-Calero T, Ehrlich R. Protein folding and tRNA biology. Biophys Rev 2017; 9:573-588. [PMID: 28944442 PMCID: PMC5662057 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-017-0322-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Polypeptides can fold into tertiary structures while they are synthesized by the ribosome. In addition to the amino acid sequence, protein folding is determined by several factors within the cell. Among others, the folding pathway of a nascent polypeptide can be affected by transient interactions with other proteins, ligands, or the ribosome, as well as by the translocation through membrane pores. Particularly, the translation machinery and the population of tRNA under different physiological or adaptive responses can dramatically affect protein folding. This review summarizes the scientific evidence describing the role of translation kinetics and tRNA populations on protein folding and addresses current efforts to better understand tRNA biology. It is organized into three main parts, which are focused on: (i) protein folding in the cellular context; (ii) tRNA biology and the complexity of the tRNA population; and (iii) available methods and technical challenges in the characterization of tRNA pools. In this manner, this work illustrates the ways by which functional properties of proteins may be modulated by cellular tRNA populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónica Marín
- Biochemistry-Molecular Biology Section, Cellular and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Tamara Fernández-Calero
- Biochemistry-Molecular Biology Section, Cellular and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
- Bioinformatics Unit, Institut Pasteur Montevideo, Mataojo 2020, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Ricardo Ehrlich
- Biochemistry-Molecular Biology Section, Cellular and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
- Institut Pasteur Montevideo, Mataojo 2020, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
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58
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Abstract
Based on the Shannon's information communication theory, information amount of the entire length of a polymeric macromolecule can be calculated in bits through adding the entropies of each building block. Proteins, DNA and RNA are such macromolecules. When only the building blocks' variation is considered as the source of entropy, there is seemingly lower information in case of the protein if this approach is applied directly on a protein of specific size and the coding sequence size of the mRNA corresponding to the particular length of the protein. This decrease in the information amount seems contradictory but this apparent conflict is resolved by considering the conformational variations in proteins as a new variable in the calculation and balancing the approximated entropy of the coding part of the mRNA and the protein. Probabilities can change therefore we also assigned hypothetical probabilities to the conformational states, which represent the uneven distribution as the time spent in one conformation, providing the probability of the presence in either or one of the possible conformations. Results that are obtained by using hypothetical probabilities are in line with the experimental values of variations in the conformational-state of protein populations. This equalization approach has further biological relevance that it compensates for the degeneracy in the codon usage during protein translation and it leads to the conclusion that the alphabet size for the protein is rather optimal for the proper protein functioning within the thermodynamic milieu of the cell. The findings were also discussed in relation to the codon bias and have implications in relation to the codon evolution concept. Eventually, this work brings the fields of protein structural studies and molecular protein translation processes together with a novel approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Adiguzel
- Biophysics Department, School of Medicine, Istanbul Kemerburgaz University, Istanbul, Turkey.
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59
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Fu J, Murphy KA, Zhou M, Li YH, Lam VH, Tabuloc CA, Chiu JC, Liu Y. Codon usage affects the structure and function of the Drosophila circadian clock protein PERIOD. Genes Dev 2017; 30:1761-75. [PMID: 27542830 PMCID: PMC5002980 DOI: 10.1101/gad.281030.116] [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: 03/16/2016] [Accepted: 07/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Fu et al. show that Drosophila period (dper) codon usage is important for circadian clock function. Codon optimization of dper resulted in conformational changes of dPER protein, altered dPER phosphorylation profile and stability, and impaired dPER function in the circadian negative feedback loop, which manifests into changes in molecular rhythmicity and abnormal circadian behavioral output. Codon usage bias is a universal feature of all genomes, but its in vivo biological functions in animal systems are not clear. To investigate the in vivo role of codon usage in animals, we took advantage of the sensitivity and robustness of the Drosophila circadian system. By codon-optimizing parts of Drosophila period (dper), a core clock gene that encodes a critical component of the circadian oscillator, we showed that dper codon usage is important for circadian clock function. Codon optimization of dper resulted in conformational changes of the dPER protein, altered dPER phosphorylation profile and stability, and impaired dPER function in the circadian negative feedback loop, which manifests into changes in molecular rhythmicity and abnormal circadian behavioral output. This study provides an in vivo example that demonstrates the role of codon usage in determining protein structure and function in an animal system. These results suggest a universal mechanism in eukaryotes that uses a codon usage “code” within genetic codons to regulate cotranslational protein folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Fu
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
| | - Katherine A Murphy
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California at Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Mian Zhou
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA; School of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Ying H Li
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California at Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Vu H Lam
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California at Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Christine A Tabuloc
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California at Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Joanna C Chiu
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California at Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Yi Liu
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
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60
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Chaney JL, Steele A, Carmichael R, Rodriguez A, Specht AT, Ngo K, Li J, Emrich S, Clark PL. Widespread position-specific conservation of synonymous rare codons within coding sequences. PLoS Comput Biol 2017; 13:e1005531. [PMID: 28475588 PMCID: PMC5438181 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2016] [Revised: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Synonymous rare codons are considered to be sub-optimal for gene expression because they are translated more slowly than common codons. Yet surprisingly, many protein coding sequences include large clusters of synonymous rare codons. Rare codons at the 5’ terminus of coding sequences have been shown to increase translational efficiency. Although a general functional role for synonymous rare codons farther within coding sequences has not yet been established, several recent reports have identified rare-to-common synonymous codon substitutions that impair folding of the encoded protein. Here we test the hypothesis that although the usage frequencies of synonymous codons change from organism to organism, codon rarity will be conserved at specific positions in a set of homologous coding sequences, for example to tune translation rate without altering a protein sequence. Such conservation of rarity–rather than specific codon identity–could coordinate co-translational folding of the encoded protein. We demonstrate that many rare codon cluster positions are indeed conserved within homologous coding sequences across diverse eukaryotic, bacterial, and archaeal species, suggesting they result from positive selection and have a functional role. Most conserved rare codon clusters occur within rather than between conserved protein domains, challenging the view that their primary function is to facilitate co-translational folding after synthesis of an autonomous structural unit. Instead, many conserved rare codon clusters separate smaller protein structural motifs within structural domains. These smaller motifs typically fold faster than an entire domain, on a time scale more consistent with translation rate modulation by synonymous codon usage. While proteins with conserved rare codon clusters are structurally and functionally diverse, they are enriched in functions associated with organism growth and development, suggesting an important role for synonymous codon usage in organism physiology. The identification of conserved rare codon clusters advances our understanding of distinct, functional roles for otherwise synonymous codons and enables experimental testing of the impact of synonymous codon usage on the production of functional proteins. Proteins are long linear polymers that must fold into complex three-dimensional shapes in order to carry out their cellular functions. Every protein is synthesized by the ribosome, which decodes each trinucleotide codon in an mRNA coding sequence in order to select the amino acid residue that will occupy each position in the protein sequence. Most amino acids can be encoded by more than one codon, but these synonymous codons are not used with equal frequency. Rare codons are associated with generally slower rates for protein synthesis, and for this reason have traditionally been considered mildly deleterious for efficient protein production. However, because synonymous codon substitutions do not change the sequence of the encoded protein, the majority view is that they merely reflect genomic ‘background noise’. To the contrary, here we show that the positions of many synonymous rare codons are conserved in mRNA sequences that encode structurally similar proteins from a diverse range of organisms. These results suggest that rare codons have a functional role related to the production of functional proteins, potentially to regulate the rate of protein synthesis and the earliest steps of protein folding, while synthesis is still underway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie L. Chaney
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Aaron Steele
- Department of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Rory Carmichael
- Department of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Anabel Rodriguez
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Alicia T. Specht
- Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics & Statistics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Kim Ngo
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
- Department of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics & Statistics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Scott Emrich
- Department of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
- * E-mail: (PLC); (SE)
| | - Patricia L. Clark
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
- * E-mail: (PLC); (SE)
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61
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Waters AM, Bagni R, Portugal F, Hartley JL. Single Synonymous Mutations in KRAS Cause Transformed Phenotypes in NIH3T3 Cells. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0163272. [PMID: 27684555 PMCID: PMC5042562 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 09/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Synonymous mutations in the KRAS gene are clustered at G12, G13, and G60 in human cancers. We constructed 9 stable NIH3T3 cell lines expressing KRAS, each with one of these synonymous mutations. Compared to the negative control cell line expressing the wild type human KRAS gene, all the synonymous mutant lines expressed more KRAS protein, grew more rapidly and to higher densities, and were more invasive in multiple assays. Three of the cell lines showed dramatic loss of contact inhibition, were more refractile under phase contrast, and their refractility was greatly reduced by treatment with trametinib. Codon usage at these glycines is highly conserved in KRAS compared to HRAS, indicating selective pressure. These transformed phenotypes suggest that synonymous mutations found in driver genes such as KRAS may play a role in human cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M. Waters
- Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
- Biology Department, Catholic University of America, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
| | - Rachel Bagni
- Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Franklin Portugal
- Biology Department, Catholic University of America, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
| | - James L. Hartley
- Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
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62
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Codon usage is an important determinant of gene expression levels largely through its effects on transcription. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:E6117-E6125. [PMID: 27671647 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1606724113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 260] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Codon usage biases are found in all eukaryotic and prokaryotic genomes, and preferred codons are more frequently used in highly expressed genes. The effects of codon usage on gene expression were previously thought to be mainly mediated by its impacts on translation. Here, we show that codon usage strongly correlates with both protein and mRNA levels genome-wide in the filamentous fungus Neurospora Gene codon optimization also results in strong up-regulation of protein and RNA levels, suggesting that codon usage is an important determinant of gene expression. Surprisingly, we found that the impact of codon usage on gene expression results mainly from effects on transcription and is largely independent of mRNA translation and mRNA stability. Furthermore, we show that histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation is one of the mechanisms responsible for the codon usage-mediated transcriptional silencing of some genes with nonoptimal codons. Together, these results uncovered an unexpected important role of codon usage in ORF sequences in determining transcription levels and suggest that codon biases are an adaptation of protein coding sequences to both transcription and translation machineries. Therefore, synonymous codons not only specify protein sequences and translation dynamics, but also help determine gene expression levels.
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63
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Hurley JM, Loros JJ, Dunlap JC. Circadian Oscillators: Around the Transcription-Translation Feedback Loop and on to Output. Trends Biochem Sci 2016; 41:834-846. [PMID: 27498225 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2016.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2016] [Revised: 07/10/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
From cyanobacteria to mammals, organisms have evolved timing mechanisms to adapt to environmental changes in order to optimize survival and improve fitness. To anticipate these regular daily cycles, many organisms manifest ∼24h cell-autonomous oscillations that are sustained by transcription-translation-based or post-transcriptional negative-feedback loops that control a wide range of biological processes. With an eye to identifying emerging common themes among cyanobacterial, fungal, and animal clocks, some major recent developments in the understanding of the mechanisms that regulate these oscillators and their output are discussed. These include roles for antisense transcription, intrinsically disordered proteins, codon bias in clock genes, and a more focused discussion of post-transcriptional and translational regulation as a part of both the oscillator and output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Hurley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA.
| | - Jennifer J Loros
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Jay C Dunlap
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
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64
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Duechler M, Leszczyńska G, Sochacka E, Nawrot B. Nucleoside modifications in the regulation of gene expression: focus on tRNA. Cell Mol Life Sci 2016; 73:3075-95. [PMID: 27094388 PMCID: PMC4951516 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-016-2217-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Revised: 03/25/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Both, DNA and RNA nucleoside modifications contribute to the complex multi-level regulation of gene expression. Modified bases in tRNAs modulate protein translation rates in a highly dynamic manner. Synonymous codons, which differ by the third nucleoside in the triplet but code for the same amino acid, may be utilized at different rates according to codon-anticodon affinity. Nucleoside modifications in the tRNA anticodon loop can favor the interaction with selected codons by stabilizing specific base pairs. Similarly, weakening of base pairing can discriminate against binding to near-cognate codons. mRNAs enriched in favored codons are translated in higher rates constituting a fine-tuning mechanism for protein synthesis. This so-called codon bias establishes a basic protein level, but sometimes it is necessary to further adjust the production rate of a particular protein to actual requirements, brought by, e.g., stages in circadian rhythms, cell cycle progression or exposure to stress. Such an adjustment is realized by the dynamic change of tRNA modifications resulting in the preferential translation of mRNAs coding for example for stress proteins to facilitate cell survival. Furthermore, tRNAs contribute in an entirely different way to another, less specific stress response consisting in modification-dependent tRNA cleavage that contributes to the general down-regulation of protein synthesis. In this review, we summarize control functions of nucleoside modifications in gene regulation with a focus on recent findings on protein synthesis control by tRNA base modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Duechler
- Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sienkiewicza 112, 90-363, Lodz, Poland.
| | - Grażyna Leszczyńska
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Zeromskiego 116, 90-924, Lodz, Poland
| | - Elzbieta Sochacka
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Zeromskiego 116, 90-924, Lodz, Poland
| | - Barbara Nawrot
- Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sienkiewicza 112, 90-363, Lodz, Poland
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A translationally optimized AAV-UGT1A1 vector drives safe and long-lasting correction of Crigler-Najjar syndrome. MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2016; 3:16049. [PMID: 27722180 PMCID: PMC5052023 DOI: 10.1038/mtm.2016.49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2016] [Revised: 06/03/2016] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Crigler-Najjar syndrome is a severe metabolic disease of the liver due to a
reduced activity of the UDP Glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) enzyme. In an
effort to translate to the clinic an adeno-associated virus vector mediated
liver gene transfer approach to treat Crigler-Najjar syndrome, we developed and
optimized a vector expressing the UGT1A1 transgene. For this purpose, we
designed and tested in vitro and in vivo multiple
codon-optimized UGT1A1 transgene cDNAs. We also optimized noncoding sequences in
the transgene expression cassette. Our results indicate that transgene
codon-optimization is a strategy that can improve efficacy of gene transfer but
needs to be carefully tested in vitro and in vivo.
Additionally, while inclusion of introns can enhance gene expression,
optimization of these introns, and in particular removal of cryptic ATGs and
splice sites, is an important maneuver to enhance safety and efficacy of gene
transfer. Finally, using a translationally optimized adeno-associated virus
vector expressing the UGT1A1 transgene, we demonstrated rescue of the phenotype
of Crigler-Najjar syndrome in two animal models of the disease, Gunn rats and
Ugt1a1-/- mice. We also showed long-term (>1 year)
correction of the disease in Gunn rats. These results support further
translation of the approach to humans.
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Satapathy SS, Powdel BR, Buragohain AK, Ray SK. Discrepancy among the synonymous codons with respect to their selection as optimal codon in bacteria. DNA Res 2016; 23:441-449. [PMID: 27426467 PMCID: PMC5066170 DOI: 10.1093/dnares/dsw027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The different triplets encoding the same amino acid, termed as synonymous codons, are not equally abundant in a genome. Factors such as G + C% and tRNA are known to influence their abundance in a genome. However, the order of the nucleotide in each codon per se might also be another factor impacting on its abundance values. Of the synonymous codons for specific amino acids, some are preferentially used in the high expression genes that are referred to as the 'optimal codons' (OCs). In this study, we compared OCs of the 18 amino acids in 221 species of bacteria. It is observed that there is amino acid specific influence for the selection of OCs. There is also influence of phylogeny in the choice of OCs for some amino acids such as Glu, Gln, Lys and Leu. The phenomenon of codon bias is also supported by the comparative studies of the abundance values of the synonymous codons with same G + C. It is likely that the order of the nucleotides in the triplet codon is also perhaps involved in the phenomenon of codon usage bias in organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bhesh Raj Powdel
- Department of Statistics, Darrang College, Tezpur 784001, Assam, India
| | - Alak Kumar Buragohain
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Napaam, Tezpur 784028, Assam, India.,Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh 786004, Assam, India
| | - Suvendra Kumar Ray
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Napaam, Tezpur 784028, Assam, India
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Conrad KS, Hurley JM, Widom J, Ringelberg CS, Loros JJ, Dunlap JC, Crane BR. Structure of the frequency-interacting RNA helicase: a protein interaction hub for the circadian clock. EMBO J 2016; 35:1707-19. [PMID: 27340124 PMCID: PMC4969578 DOI: 10.15252/embj.201694327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 05/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In the Neurospora crassa circadian clock, a protein complex of frequency (FRQ), casein kinase 1a (CK1a), and the FRQ-interacting RNA Helicase (FRH) rhythmically represses gene expression by the white-collar complex (WCC). FRH crystal structures in several conformations and bound to ADP/RNA reveal differences between FRH and the yeast homolog Mtr4 that clarify the distinct role of FRH in the clock. The FRQ-interacting region at the FRH N-terminus has variable structure in the absence of FRQ A known mutation that disrupts circadian rhythms (R806H) resides in a positively charged surface of the KOW domain, far removed from the helicase core. We show that changes to other similarly located residues modulate interactions with the WCC and FRQ A V142G substitution near the N-terminus also alters FRQ and WCC binding to FRH, but produces an unusual short clock period. These data support the assertion that FRH helicase activity does not play an essential role in the clock, but rather FRH acts to mediate contacts among FRQ, CK1a and the WCC through interactions involving its N-terminus and KOW module.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen S Conrad
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | | - Joanne Widom
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | | - Jennifer J Loros
- Department of Biochemistry, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Jay C Dunlap
- Department of Genetics, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Brian R Crane
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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Silent Polymorphisms: Can the tRNA Population Explain Changes in Protein Properties? Life (Basel) 2016; 6:life6010009. [PMID: 26901226 PMCID: PMC4810240 DOI: 10.3390/life6010009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2015] [Revised: 01/26/2016] [Accepted: 02/05/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Silent mutations are being intensively studied. We previously showed that the estrogen receptor alpha Ala87’s synonymous polymorphism affects its functional properties. Whereas a link has been clearly established between the effect of silent mutations, tRNA abundance and protein folding in prokaryotes, this connection remains controversial in eukaryotic systems. Although a synonymous polymorphism can affect mRNA structure or the interaction with specific ligands, it seems that the relative frequencies of isoacceptor tRNAs could play a key role in the protein-folding process, possibly through modulation of translation kinetics. Conformational changes could be subtle but enough to cause alterations in solubility, proteolysis profiles, functional parameters or intracellular targeting. Interestingly, recent advances describe dramatic changes in the tRNA population associated with proliferation, differentiation or response to chemical, physical or biological stress. In addition, several reports reveal changes in tRNAs’ posttranscriptional modifications in different physiological or pathological conditions. In consequence, since changes in the cell state imply quantitative and/or qualitative changes in the tRNA pool, they could increase the likelihood of protein conformational variants, related to a particular codon usage during translation, with consequences of diverse significance. These observations emphasize the importance of genetic code flexibility in the co-translational protein-folding process.
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Direct Lineage Reprogramming Reveals Disease-Specific Phenotypes of Motor Neurons from Human ALS Patients. Cell Rep 2015; 14:115-128. [PMID: 26725112 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Revised: 10/17/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Subtype-specific neurons obtained from adult humans will be critical to modeling neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Here, we show that adult human skin fibroblasts can be directly and efficiently converted into highly pure motor neurons without passing through an induced pluripotent stem cell stage. These adult human induced motor neurons (hiMNs) exhibit the cytological and electrophysiological features of spinal motor neurons and form functional neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) with skeletal muscles. Importantly, hiMNs converted from ALS patient fibroblasts show disease-specific degeneration manifested through poor survival, soma shrinkage, hypoactivity, and an inability to form NMJs. A chemical screen revealed that the degenerative features of ALS hiMNs can be remarkably rescued by the small molecule kenpaullone. Taken together, our results define a direct and efficient strategy to obtain disease-relevant neuronal subtypes from adult human patients and reveal their promising value in disease modeling and drug identification.
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70
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Codon Usage Influences the Local Rate of Translation Elongation to Regulate Co-translational Protein Folding. Mol Cell 2015; 59:744-54. [PMID: 26321254 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2015.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 360] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Revised: 04/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Codon usage bias is a universal feature of eukaryotic and prokaryotic genomes and has been proposed to regulate translation efficiency, accuracy, and protein folding based on the assumption that codon usage affects translation dynamics. The roles of codon usage in translation, however, are not clear and have been challenged by recent ribosome profiling studies. Here we used a Neurospora cell-free translation system to directly monitor the velocity of mRNA translation. We demonstrated that the preferred codons enhance the rate of translation elongation, whereas non-optimal codons slow elongation. Codon usage also controls ribosome traffic on mRNA. These conclusions were supported by ribosome profiling results in vitro and in vivo with template mRNAs designed to increase the signal-to-noise ratio. Finally, we demonstrate that codon usage regulates protein function by affecting co-translational protein folding. These results resolve a long-standing fundamental question and suggest the existence of a codon usage code for protein folding.
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Félez-Sánchez M, Trösemeier JH, Bedhomme S, González-Bravo MI, Kamp C, Bravo IG. Cancer, Warts, or Asymptomatic Infections: Clinical Presentation Matches Codon Usage Preferences in Human Papillomaviruses. Genome Biol Evol 2015; 7:2117-35. [PMID: 26139833 PMCID: PMC4558848 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evv129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Viruses rely completely on the hosts’ machinery for translation of viral transcripts. However, for most viruses infecting humans, codon usage preferences (CUPrefs) do not match those of the host. Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are a showcase to tackle this paradox: they present a large genotypic diversity and a broad range of phenotypic presentations, from asymptomatic infections to productive lesions and cancer. By applying phylogenetic inference and dimensionality reduction methods, we demonstrate first that genes in HPVs are poorly adapted to the average human CUPrefs, the only exception being capsid genes in viruses causing productive lesions. Phylogenetic relationships between HPVs explained only a small proportion of CUPrefs variation. Instead, the most important explanatory factor for viral CUPrefs was infection phenotype, as orthologous genes in viruses with similar clinical presentation displayed similar CUPrefs. Moreover, viral genes with similar spatiotemporal expression patterns also showed similar CUPrefs. Our results suggest that CUPrefs in HPVs reflect either variations in the mutation bias or differential selection pressures depending on the clinical presentation and expression timing. We propose that poor viral CUPrefs may be central to a trade-off between strong viral gene expression and the potential for eliciting protective immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Félez-Sánchez
- Infections and Cancer Laboratory, Catalan Institute of Oncology, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain Virus and Cancer Laboratory. Bellvitge Institute of Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jan-Hendrik Trösemeier
- Molecular Bioinformatics, Institute of Computer Science, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines, Langen, Germany
| | - Stéphanie Bedhomme
- Infections and Cancer Laboratory, Catalan Institute of Oncology, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain Virus and Cancer Laboratory. Bellvitge Institute of Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain Département d'Ecologie Evolutive Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CNRS - UMR 5175, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Christel Kamp
- Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines, Langen, Germany
| | - Ignacio G Bravo
- Infections and Cancer Laboratory, Catalan Institute of Oncology, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain Virus and Cancer Laboratory. Bellvitge Institute of Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
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