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Dickson JR, Kruse C, Montagna DR, Finsen B, Wolfe MS. Alternative polyadenylation and miR-34 family members regulate tau expression. J Neurochem 2013; 127:739-49. [PMID: 24032460 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.12437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2013] [Revised: 08/22/2013] [Accepted: 08/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Tau pathologically aggregates in Alzheimer's disease, and evidence suggests that reducing tau expression may be safe and beneficial for the prevention or treatment of this disease. We sought to examine the role of the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of human tau mRNA in regulating tau expression. Tau expresses two 3'-UTR isoforms, long and short, as a result of alternative polyadenylation. Using luciferase reporter constructs, we found that expression from these isoforms is differentially controlled in human neuroblastoma cell lines M17D and SH-SY5Y. Several microRNAs were computationally identified as candidates that might bind the long, but not short, tau 3'-UTR isoform. A hit from a screen of candidates, miR-34a, was subsequently shown to repress the expression of endogenous tau protein in M17D cells. Conversely, inhibition of endogenously expressed miR-34 family members leads to increased endogenous tau expression. In addition, through an unbiased screen of fragments of the human tau 3'-UTR using a luciferase reporter assay, we identified several other regions in the long tau 3'-UTR isoform that contain regulatory cis-elements. Improved understanding of the regulation of tau expression by its 3'-UTR may ultimately lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. mRNA 3'-untranslated regions (3'-UTR) often regulate transcript stability or translation. Despite the centrality of the tau protein in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, the human tau 3'-UTR has been little studied. This report identifies regions of the tau 3'-UTR that influence expression and shows that microRNA (miR)-34a targets this 3'-UTR to lower expression, which is considered an important therapeutic goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Dickson
- Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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52
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Blech-Hermoni Y, Ladd AN. RNA binding proteins in the regulation of heart development. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2013; 45:2467-78. [PMID: 23973289 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2013.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2013] [Revised: 08/09/2013] [Accepted: 08/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In vivo, RNA molecules are constantly accompanied by RNA binding proteins (RBPs), which are intimately involved in every step of RNA biology, including transcription, editing, splicing, transport and localization, stability, and translation. RBPs therefore have opportunities to shape gene expression at multiple levels. This capacity is particularly important during development, when dynamic chemical and physical changes give rise to complex organs and tissues. This review discusses RBPs in the context of heart development. Since the targets and functions of most RBPs--in the heart and at large--are not fully understood, this review focuses on the expression and roles of RBPs that have been implicated in specific stages of heart development or developmental pathology. RBPs are involved in nearly every stage of cardiogenesis, including the formation, morphogenesis, and maturation of the heart. A fuller understanding of the roles and substrates of these proteins could ultimately provide attractive targets for the design of therapies for congenital heart defects, cardiovascular disease, or cardiac tissue repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yotam Blech-Hermoni
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; Program in Cell Biology, Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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53
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Swist S, Linke WA. Untangling regulatory networks to spot drivers and modulators of cardiac disease. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2013; 63:1-3. [PMID: 23859767 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2013.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2013] [Revised: 07/05/2013] [Accepted: 07/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Swist
- Dept. of Cardiovascular Physiology, Ruhr University Bochum, MA 3/56, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
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54
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The alternative heart: impact of alternative splicing in heart disease. J Cardiovasc Transl Res 2013; 6:945-55. [PMID: 23775418 DOI: 10.1007/s12265-013-9482-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2013] [Accepted: 06/04/2013] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Alternative splicing is the main driver of protein diversity and allows the production of different proteins from each gene in the genome. Changes in exon exclusion, intron retention or the use of alternative splice sites can alter protein structure, localisation, regulation and function. In the heart, alternative splicing of sarcomeric genes, ion channels and cell signalling proteins can lead to cardiomyopathies, arrhythmias and other pathologies. Also, a number of inherited conditions and heart-related diseases develop as a result of mutations affecting splicing. Here, we review the impact that changes in alternative splicing have on individual genes and on whole biological processes associated with heart disease. We also discuss promising therapeutic tools based on the manipulation of alternative splicing.
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55
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Ames EG, Lawson MJ, Mackey AJ, Holmes JW. Sequencing of mRNA identifies re-expression of fetal splice variants in cardiac hypertrophy. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2013; 62:99-107. [PMID: 23688780 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2013.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2012] [Revised: 05/06/2013] [Accepted: 05/09/2013] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Cardiac hypertrophy has been well-characterized at the level of transcription. During cardiac hypertrophy, genes normally expressed primarily during fetal heart development are re-expressed, and this fetal gene program is believed to be a critical component of the hypertrophic process. Recently, alternative splicing of mRNA transcripts has been shown to be temporally regulated during heart development, leading us to consider whether fetal patterns of splicing also reappear during hypertrophy. We hypothesized that patterns of alternative splicing occurring during heart development are recapitulated during cardiac hypertrophy. Here we present a study of isoform expression during pressure-overload cardiac hypertrophy induced by 10 days of transverse aortic constriction (TAC) in rats and in developing fetal rat hearts compared to sham-operated adult rat hearts, using high-throughput sequencing of poly(A) tail mRNA. We find a striking degree of overlap between the isoforms expressed differentially in fetal and pressure-overloaded hearts compared to control: forty-four percent of the isoforms with significantly altered expression in TAC hearts are also expressed at significantly different levels in fetal hearts compared to control (P<0.001). The isoforms that are shared between hypertrophy and fetal heart development are significantly enriched for genes involved in cytoskeletal organization, RNA processing, developmental processes, and metabolic enzymes. Our data strongly support the concept that mRNA splicing patterns normally associated with heart development recur as part of the hypertrophic response to pressure overload. These findings suggest that cardiac hypertrophy shares post-transcriptional as well as transcriptional regulatory mechanisms with fetal heart development.
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Affiliation(s)
- E G Ames
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Health System Box 800759, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
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56
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Alternative cleavage and polyadenylation: the long and short of it. Trends Biochem Sci 2013; 38:312-20. [PMID: 23632313 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2013.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 244] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2010] [Revised: 03/18/2013] [Accepted: 03/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Cleavage and polyadenylation (C/P) of nascent transcripts is essential for maturation of the 3' ends of most eukaryotic mRNAs. Over the past three decades, biochemical studies have elucidated the machinery responsible for the seemingly simple C/P reaction. Recent genomic analyses have indicated that most eukaryotic genes have multiple cleavage and polyadenylation sites (pAs), leading to transcript isoforms with different coding potentials and/or variable 3' untranslated regions (UTRs). As such, alternative cleavage and polyadenylation (APA) is an important layer of gene regulation impacting mRNA metabolism. Here, we review our current understanding of APA and recent progress in this field.
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57
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Dasgupta T, Stillwagon SJ, Ladd AN. Gene expression analyses implicate an alternative splicing program in regulating contractile gene expression and serum response factor activity in mice. PLoS One 2013; 8:e56590. [PMID: 23437181 PMCID: PMC3577904 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0056590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2012] [Accepted: 01/11/2013] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Members of the CUG-BP, Elav-like family (CELF) regulate alternative splicing in the heart. In MHC-CELFΔ transgenic mice, CELF splicing activity is inhibited postnatally in heart muscle via expression of a nuclear dominant negative CELF protein under an α-myosin heavy chain promoter. MHC-CELFΔ mice develop dilated cardiomyopathy characterized by alternative splicing defects, enlarged hearts, and severe contractile dysfunction. In this study, gene expression profiles in the hearts of wild type, high- and low-expressing lines of MHC-CELFΔ mice were compared using microarrays. Gene ontology and pathway analyses identified contraction and calcium signaling as the most affected processes. Network analysis revealed that the serum response factor (SRF) network is highly affected. Downstream targets of SRF were up-regulated in MHC-CELFΔ mice compared to the wild type, suggesting an increase in SRF activity. Although SRF levels remained unchanged, known inhibitors of SRF activity were down-regulated. Conversely, we found that these inhibitors are up-regulated and downstream SRF targets are down-regulated in the hearts of MCKCUG-BP1 mice, which mildly over-express CELF1 in heart and skeletal muscle. This suggests that changes in SRF activity are a consequence of changes in CELF-mediated regulation rather than a secondary result of compensatory pathways in heart failure. In MHC-CELFΔ males, where the phenotype is only partially penetrant, both alternative splicing changes and down-regulation of inhibitors of SRF correlate with the development of cardiomyopathy. Together, these results strongly support a role for CELF-mediated alternative splicing in the regulation of contractile gene expression, achieved in part through modulating the activity of SRF, a key cardiac transcription factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Twishasri Dasgupta
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Samantha J. Stillwagon
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Andrea N. Ladd
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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58
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Abstract
Recent studies have revealed widespread mRNA alternative polyadenylation (APA) in eukaryotes and its dynamic spatial and temporal regulation. APA not only generates proteomic and functional diversity, but also plays important roles in regulating gene expression. Global deregulation of APA has been demonstrated in a variety of human diseases. Recent exciting advances in the field have been made possible in a large part by high throughput analyses using newly developed experimental tools. Here I review the recent progress in global studies of APA and the insights that have emerged from these and other studies that use more conventional methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongsheng Shi
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA.
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59
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Yan L, Park JY, Dillinger JG, De Lorenzo MS, Yuan C, Lai L, Wang C, Ho D, Tian B, Stanley WC, Auwerx J, Vatner DE, Vatner SF. Common mechanisms for calorie restriction and adenylyl cyclase type 5 knockout models of longevity. Aging Cell 2012; 11:1110-20. [PMID: 23020244 DOI: 10.1111/acel.12013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/16/2012] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Adenylyl cyclase type 5 knockout mice (AC5 KO) live longer and are stress resistant, similar to calorie restriction (CR). AC5 KO mice eat more, but actually weigh less and accumulate less fat compared with WT mice. CR applied to AC5 KO results in rapid decrease in body weight, metabolic deterioration, and death. These data suggest that despite restricted food intake in CR, but augmented food intake in AC5 KO, the two models affect longevity and metabolism similarly. To determine shared molecular mechanisms, mRNA expression was examined genome-wide for brain, heart, skeletal muscle, and liver. Significantly more genes were regulated commonly rather than oppositely in all the tissues in both models, indicating commonality between AC5 KO and CR. Gene ontology analysis identified many significantly regulated, tissue-specific pathways shared by the two models, including sensory perception in heart and brain, muscle function in skeletal muscle, and lipid metabolism in liver. Moreover, when comparing gene expression changes in the heart under stress, the glutathione regulatory pathway was consistently upregulated in the longevity models but downregulated with stress. In addition, AC5 and CR shared changes in genes and proteins involved in the regulation of longevity and stress resistance, including Sirt1, ApoD, and olfactory receptors in both young- and intermediate-age mice. Thus, the similarly regulated genes and pathways in AC5 KO and CR mice, particularly related to the metabolic phenotype, suggest a unified theory for longevity and stress resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Yan
- Cardiovascular Research Institute; Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine; University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; New Jersey Medical School; Newark; NJ; 07103; USA
| | - Ji Yeon Park
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; New Jersey Medical School; Newark; NJ; 07103; USA
| | - Jean-Guillaume Dillinger
- Cardiovascular Research Institute; Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine; University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; New Jersey Medical School; Newark; NJ; 07103; USA
| | - Mariana S. De Lorenzo
- Cardiovascular Research Institute; Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine; University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; New Jersey Medical School; Newark; NJ; 07103; USA
| | - Chujun Yuan
- Cardiovascular Research Institute; Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine; University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; New Jersey Medical School; Newark; NJ; 07103; USA
| | - Lo Lai
- Cardiovascular Research Institute; Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine; University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; New Jersey Medical School; Newark; NJ; 07103; USA
| | - Chunbo Wang
- Cardiovascular Research Institute; Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine; University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; New Jersey Medical School; Newark; NJ; 07103; USA
| | - David Ho
- Cardiovascular Research Institute; Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine; University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; New Jersey Medical School; Newark; NJ; 07103; USA
| | - Bin Tian
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; New Jersey Medical School; Newark; NJ; 07103; USA
| | - William C. Stanley
- Division of Cardiology; Department of Medicine; School of Medicine; University of Maryland; Baltimore; MD; 21201; USA
| | - Johan Auwerx
- Laboratory of Integrative and Systems Physiology; Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne; Lausanne; CH-1015; Switzerland
| | - Dorothy E. Vatner
- Cardiovascular Research Institute; Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine; University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; New Jersey Medical School; Newark; NJ; 07103; USA
| | - Stephen F. Vatner
- Cardiovascular Research Institute; Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine; University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; New Jersey Medical School; Newark; NJ; 07103; USA
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60
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Hynes CJ, Clancy JL, Preiss T. miRNAs in cardiac disease: Sitting duck or moving target? IUBMB Life 2012; 64:872-8. [DOI: 10.1002/iub.1082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2012] [Accepted: 08/04/2012] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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61
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Hou J, Kang YJ. Regression of pathological cardiac hypertrophy: signaling pathways and therapeutic targets. Pharmacol Ther 2012; 135:337-54. [PMID: 22750195 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2012.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2012] [Accepted: 06/12/2012] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is a key risk factor for heart failure. It is associated with increased interstitial fibrosis, cell death and cardiac dysfunction. The progression of pathological cardiac hypertrophy has long been considered as irreversible. However, recent clinical observations and experimental studies have produced evidence showing the reversal of pathological cardiac hypertrophy. Left ventricle assist devices used in heart failure patients for bridging to transplantation not only improve peripheral circulation but also often cause reverse remodeling of the geometry and recovery of the function of the heart. Dietary supplementation with physiologically relevant levels of copper can reverse pathological cardiac hypertrophy in mice. Angiogenesis is essential and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a constitutive factor for the regression. The action of VEGF is mediated by VEGF receptor-1, whose activation is linked to cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase-1 (PKG-1) signaling pathways, and inhibition of cyclic GMP degradation leads to regression of pathological cardiac hypertrophy. Most of these pathways are regulated by hypoxia-inducible factor. Potential therapeutic targets for promoting the regression include: promotion of angiogenesis, selective enhancement of VEGF receptor-1 signaling pathways, stimulation of PKG-1 pathways, and sustention of hypoxia-inducible factor transcriptional activity. More exciting insights into the regression of pathological cardiac hypertrophy are emerging. The time of translating the concept of regression of pathological cardiac hypertrophy to clinical practice is coming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianglong Hou
- Regenerative Medicine Research Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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62
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de las Fuentes L, Yang W, Dávila-Román VG, Gu CC. Pathway-based genome-wide association analysis of coronary heart disease identifies biologically important gene sets. Eur J Hum Genet 2012; 20:1168-73. [PMID: 22510845 DOI: 10.1038/ejhg.2012.66] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide association (GWA) studies of complex diseases including coronary heart disease (CHD) challenge investigators attempting to identify relevant genetic variants among hundreds of thousands of markers being tested. A selection strategy based purely on statistical significance will result in many false negative findings after adjustment for multiple testing. Thus, an integrated analysis using information from the learned genetic pathways, molecular functions, and biological processes is desirable. In this study, we applied a customized method, variable set enrichment analysis (VSEA), to the Framingham Heart Study data (404,467 variants, n=6421) to evaluate enrichment of genetic association in 1395 gene sets for their contribution to CHD. We identified 25 gene sets with nominal P<0.01; at least four sets are previously known for their roles in CHD: vascular genesis (GO:0001570), fatty-acid biosynthetic process (GO:0006633), fatty-acid metabolic process (GO:0006631), and glycerolipid metabolic process (GO:0046486). Although the four gene sets include 170 genes, only three of the genes contain a variant ranked among the top 100 in single-variant association tests of the 404,467 variants tested. Significant enrichment for novel gene sets less known for their importance to CHD were also identified: Rac 1 cell-motility signaling pathway (h_rac1 Pathway, P<0.001) and sulfur amino-acid metabolic process (GO:0000096, P<0.001). In summary, we showed that the pathway-based VSEA can help prioritize association signals in GWA studies by identifying biologically plausible targets for downstream searches of genetic variants associated with CHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa de las Fuentes
- Cardiovascular Imaging and Clinical Research Core Laboratory, Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA
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63
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Song HK, Hong SE, Kim T, Kim DH. Deep RNA sequencing reveals novel cardiac transcriptomic signatures for physiological and pathological hypertrophy. PLoS One 2012; 7:e35552. [PMID: 22523601 PMCID: PMC3327670 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0035552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2011] [Accepted: 03/21/2012] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Although both physiological hypertrophy (PHH) and pathological hypertrophy (PAH) of the heart have similar morphological appearances, only PAH leads to fatal heart failure. In the present study, we used RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to determine the transcriptomic signatures for both PHH and PAH. Approximately 13-20 million reads were obtained for both models, among which PAH showed more differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (2,041) than PHH (245). The expression of 417 genes was barely detectable in the normal heart but was suddenly activated in PAH. Among them, Foxm1 and Plk1 are of particular interest, since Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) using DEGs and upstream motif analysis showed that they are essential hub proteins that regulate the expression of downstream proteins associated with PAH. Meanwhile, 52 genes related to collagen, chemokines, and actin showed opposite expression patterns between PHH and PAH. MAZ-binding motifs were enriched in the upstream region of the participating genes. Alternative splicing (AS) of exon variants was also examined using RNA-Seq data for PAH and PHH. We found 317 and 196 exon inclusions and exon exclusions, respectively, for PAH, and 242 and 172 exon inclusions and exclusions, respectively for PHH. The AS pattern was mostly related to gains or losses of domains, changes in activity, and localization of the encoded proteins. The splicing variants of 8 genes (i.e., Fhl1, Rcan1, Ndrg2, Synpo, Ttll1, Cxxc5, Egfl7, and Tmpo) were experimentally confirmed. Multilateral pathway analysis showed that the patterns of quantitative (DEG) and qualitative (AS) changes differ depending on the type of pathway in PAH and PHH. One of the most significant changes in PHH is the severe downregulation of autoimmune pathways accompanied by significant AS. These findings revealed the unique transcriptomic signatures of PAH and PHH and also provided a more comprehensive understanding at both the quantitative and qualitative levels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Do Han Kim
- School of Life Sciences and Systems Biology Research Center, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, Republic of Korea
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64
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Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs of ~22nt in length which are involved in the regulation of gene expression at the posttranscriptional level by degrading their target mRNAs and/or inhibiting their translation. Expressed ubiquitously or in a tissue-specific manner, miRNAs are involved in the regulation of many biological processes such as cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and the maintenance of normal cellular physiology. Many miRNAs are expressed in embryonic, postnatal, and adult hearts. Aberrant expression or genetic deletion of miRNAs is associated with abnormal cardiac cell differentiation, disruption of heart development, and cardiac dysfunction. This chapter will summarize the history, biogenesis, and processing of miRNAs as well as their function in heart development, remodeling, and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramón A Espinoza-Lewis
- Cardiovascular Research Division, Department of Cardiology, Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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