1
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Eren AM, Banfield JF. Modern microbiology: Embracing complexity through integration across scales. Cell 2024; 187:5151-5170. [PMID: 39303684 PMCID: PMC11450119 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.08.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2024] [Revised: 08/14/2024] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 09/22/2024]
Abstract
Microbes were the only form of life on Earth for most of its history, and they still account for the vast majority of life's diversity. They convert rocks to soil, produce much of the oxygen we breathe, remediate our sewage, and sustain agriculture. Microbes are vital to planetary health as they maintain biogeochemical cycles that produce and consume major greenhouse gases and support large food webs. Modern microbiologists analyze nucleic acids, proteins, and metabolites; leverage sophisticated genetic tools, software, and bioinformatic algorithms; and process and integrate complex and heterogeneous datasets so that microbial systems may be harnessed to address contemporary challenges in health, the environment, and basic science. Here, we consider an inevitably incomplete list of emergent themes in our discipline and highlight those that we recognize as the archetypes of its modern era that aim to address the most pressing problems of the 21st century.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Murat Eren
- Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany; Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany; Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany; Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA; Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany.
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA; Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; Department of Environmental Science Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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2
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Zacco E, Broglia L, Kurihara M, Monti M, Gustincich S, Pastore A, Plath K, Nagakawa S, Cerase A, Sanchez de Groot N, Tartaglia GG. RNA: The Unsuspected Conductor in the Orchestra of Macromolecular Crowding. Chem Rev 2024; 124:4734-4777. [PMID: 38579177 PMCID: PMC11046439 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
This comprehensive Review delves into the chemical principles governing RNA-mediated crowding events, commonly referred to as granules or biological condensates. We explore the pivotal role played by RNA sequence, structure, and chemical modifications in these processes, uncovering their correlation with crowding phenomena under physiological conditions. Additionally, we investigate instances where crowding deviates from its intended function, leading to pathological consequences. By deepening our understanding of the delicate balance that governs molecular crowding driven by RNA and its implications for cellular homeostasis, we aim to shed light on this intriguing area of research. Our exploration extends to the methodologies employed to decipher the composition and structural intricacies of RNA granules, offering a comprehensive overview of the techniques used to characterize them, including relevant computational approaches. Through two detailed examples highlighting the significance of noncoding RNAs, NEAT1 and XIST, in the formation of phase-separated assemblies and their influence on the cellular landscape, we emphasize their crucial role in cellular organization and function. By elucidating the chemical underpinnings of RNA-mediated molecular crowding, investigating the role of modifications, structures, and composition of RNA granules, and exploring both physiological and aberrant phase separation phenomena, this Review provides a multifaceted understanding of the intriguing world of RNA-mediated biological condensates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsa Zacco
- RNA
Systems Biology Lab, Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen, 83, 16152 Genova, Italy
| | - Laura Broglia
- RNA
Systems Biology Lab, Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen, 83, 16152 Genova, Italy
| | - Misuzu Kurihara
- RNA
Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan
| | - Michele Monti
- RNA
Systems Biology Lab, Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen, 83, 16152 Genova, Italy
| | - Stefano Gustincich
- Central
RNA Lab, Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen, 83, 16152 Genova, Italy
| | - Annalisa Pastore
- UK
Dementia Research Institute at the Maurice Wohl Institute of King’s
College London, London SE5 9RT, U.K.
| | - Kathrin Plath
- Department
of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School
of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Shinichi Nagakawa
- RNA
Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan
| | - Andrea Cerase
- Blizard
Institute,
Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, U.K.
- Unit
of Cell and developmental Biology, Department of Biology, Università di Pisa, 56123 Pisa, Italy
| | - Natalia Sanchez de Groot
- Unitat
de Bioquímica, Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia
Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de
Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- RNA
Systems Biology Lab, Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen, 83, 16152 Genova, Italy
- Catalan
Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, ICREA, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
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3
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Li S, Zhang Y, Chen J. Backbone interactions and secondary structures in phase separation of disordered proteins. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:319-329. [PMID: 38348795 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are one of the major drivers behind the formation and characteristics of biomolecular condensates. Due to their inherent flexibility, the backbones of IDPs are significantly exposed, rendering them highly influential and susceptible to biomolecular phase separation. In densely packed condensates, exposed backbones have a heightened capacity to interact with neighboring protein chains, which might lead to strong coupling between the secondary structures and phase separation and further modulate the subsequent transitions of the condensates, such as aging and fibrillization. In this mini-review, we provide an overview of backbone-mediated interactions and secondary structures within biomolecular condensates to underscore the importance of protein backbones in phase separation. We further focus on recent advances in experimental techniques and molecular dynamics simulation methods for probing and exploring the roles of backbone interactions and secondary structures in biomolecular phase separation involving IDPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanlong Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, U.S.A
| | - Yumeng Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, U.S.A
| | - Jianhan Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, U.S.A
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4
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Liu C, Mentzelopoulou A, Hatzianestis IH, Tzagkarakis E, Skaltsogiannis V, Ma X, Michalopoulou VA, Romero-Campero FJ, Romero-Losada AB, Sarris PF, Marhavy P, Bölter B, Kanterakis A, Gutierrez-Beltran E, Moschou PN. A proxitome-RNA-capture approach reveals that processing bodies repress coregulated hub genes. THE PLANT CELL 2024; 36:559-584. [PMID: 37971938 PMCID: PMC10896293 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koad288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Cellular condensates are usually ribonucleoprotein assemblies with liquid- or solid-like properties. Because these subcellular structures lack a delineating membrane, determining their compositions is difficult. Here we describe a proximity-biotinylation approach for capturing the RNAs of the condensates known as processing bodies (PBs) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). By combining this approach with RNA detection, in silico, and high-resolution imaging approaches, we studied PBs under normal conditions and heat stress. PBs showed a much more dynamic RNA composition than the total transcriptome. RNAs involved in cell wall development and regeneration, plant hormonal signaling, secondary metabolism/defense, and RNA metabolism were enriched in PBs. RNA-binding proteins and the liquidity of PBs modulated RNA recruitment, while RNAs were frequently recruited together with their encoded proteins. In PBs, RNAs follow distinct fates: in small liquid-like PBs, RNAs get degraded while in more solid-like larger ones, they are stored. PB properties can be regulated by the actin-polymerizing SCAR (suppressor of the cyclic AMP)-WAVE (WASP family verprolin homologous) complex. SCAR/WAVE modulates the shuttling of RNAs between PBs and the translational machinery, thereby adjusting ethylene signaling. In summary, we provide an approach to identify RNAs in condensates that allowed us to reveal a mechanism for regulating RNA fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Liu
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion 70013, Greece
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Uppsala 75007, Sweden
| | - Andriani Mentzelopoulou
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion 70013, Greece
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion 70013, Greece
| | - Ioannis H Hatzianestis
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion 70013, Greece
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion 70013, Greece
| | | | - Vasileios Skaltsogiannis
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion 70013, Greece
| | - Xuemin Ma
- Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå, Sweden
| | - Vassiliki A Michalopoulou
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion 70013, Greece
| | - Francisco J Romero-Campero
- Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, Universidad de Sevilla, Avenida Reina Mercedes s/n, Seville 41012, Spain
- Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, Universidad de Sevilla and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Ana B Romero-Losada
- Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, Universidad de Sevilla, Avenida Reina Mercedes s/n, Seville 41012, Spain
- Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, Universidad de Sevilla and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Panagiotis F Sarris
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion 70013, Greece
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion 70013, Greece
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Peter Marhavy
- Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå, Sweden
| | - Bettina Bölter
- Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Plant Biochemistry, Großhadernerstr. 2-4, Planegg-Martinsried 82152, Germany
| | - Alexandros Kanterakis
- Institute of Computer Science, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Emilio Gutierrez-Beltran
- Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, Universidad de Sevilla and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Seville, Spain
- Departamento de Bioquímica Vegetal y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Panagiotis N Moschou
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion 70013, Greece
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Uppsala 75007, Sweden
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion 70013, Greece
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5
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Rupert J, Monti M, Zacco E, Tartaglia G. RNA sequestration driven by amyloid formation: the alpha synuclein case. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:11466-11478. [PMID: 37870427 PMCID: PMC10681735 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Nucleic acids can act as potent modulators of protein aggregation, and RNA has the ability to either hinder or facilitate protein assembly, depending on the molecular context. In this study, we utilized a computational approach to characterize the physico-chemical properties of regions involved in amyloid aggregation. In various experimental datasets, we observed that while the core is hydrophobic and highly ordered, external regions, which are more disordered, display a distinct tendency to interact with nucleic acids. To validate our predictions, we performed aggregation assays with alpha-synuclein (aS140), a non-nucleic acid-binding amyloidogenic protein, and a mutant truncated at the acidic C-terminus (aS103), which is predicted to have a higher tendency to interact with RNA. For both aS140 and aS103, we observed an acceleration of aggregation upon RNA addition, with a significantly stronger effect for aS103. Due to favorable electrostatics, we noted an enhanced nucleic acid sequestration ability for the aggregated aS103, allowing it to entrap a larger amount of RNA compared to the aggregated wild-type counterpart. Overall, our research suggests that RNA sequestration might be a common phenomenon linked to protein aggregation, constituting a gain-of-function mechanism that warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Rupert
- Centre for Human Technologies (CHT), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Via Enrico Melen, 83, 16152, Genova, Italy
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies ‘Charles Darwin’, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Michele Monti
- Centre for Human Technologies (CHT), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Via Enrico Melen, 83, 16152, Genova, Italy
| | - Elsa Zacco
- Centre for Human Technologies (CHT), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Via Enrico Melen, 83, 16152, Genova, Italy
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Centre for Human Technologies (CHT), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Via Enrico Melen, 83, 16152, Genova, Italy
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies ‘Charles Darwin’, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, ICREA, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain
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6
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Zagrovic B, Adlhart M, Kapral TH. Coding From Binding? Molecular Interactions at the Heart of Translation. Annu Rev Biophys 2023; 52:69-89. [PMID: 36626765 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biophys-090622-102329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The mechanism and the evolution of DNA replication and transcription, the key elements of the central dogma of biology, are fundamentally well explained by the physicochemical complementarity between strands of nucleic acids. However, the determinants that have shaped the third part of the dogma-the process of biological translation and the universal genetic code-remain unclear. We review and seek parallels between different proposals that view the evolution of translation through the prism of weak, noncovalent interactions between biological macromolecules. In particular, we focus on a recent proposal that there exists a hitherto unrecognized complementarity at the heart of biology, that between messenger RNA coding regions and the proteins that they encode, especially if the two are unstructured. Reflecting the idea that the genetic code evolved from intrinsic binding propensities between nucleotides and amino acids, this proposal promises to forge a link between the distant past and the present of biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bojan Zagrovic
- Department of Structural and Computational Biology, Max Perutz Labs & University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria;
| | - Marlene Adlhart
- Department of Structural and Computational Biology, Max Perutz Labs & University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria;
| | - Thomas H Kapral
- Department of Structural and Computational Biology, Max Perutz Labs & University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria;
- Vienna BioCenter PhD Program, Doctoral School of the University of Vienna and Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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7
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Liu AY, Minetti CA, Remeta DP, Breslauer KJ, Chen KY. HSF1, Aging, and Neurodegeneration. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2023; 1409:23-49. [PMID: 35995906 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2022_733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) is a master transcription regulator that mediates the induction of heat shock protein chaperones for quality control (QC) of the proteome and maintenance of proteostasis as a protective mechanism in response to stress. Research in this particular area has accelerated dramatically over the past three decades following successful isolation, cloning, and characterization of HSF1. The intricate multi-protein complexes and transcriptional activation orchestrated by HSF1 are fundamental processes within the cellular QC machinery. Our primary focus is on the regulation and function of HSF1 in aging and neurodegenerative diseases (ND) which represent physiological and pathological states of dysfunction in protein QC. This chapter presents an overview of HSF1 structural, functional, and energetic properties in healthy cells while addressing the deterioration of HSF1 function viz-à-viz age-dependent and neuron-specific vulnerability to ND. We discuss the structural domains of HSF1 with emphasis on the intrinsically disordered regions and note that disease proteins associated with ND are often structurally disordered and exquisitely sensitive to changes in cellular environment as may occur during aging. We propose a hypothesis that age-dependent changes of the intrinsically disordered proteome likely hold answers to understand many of the functional, structural, and organizational changes of proteins and signaling pathways in aging - dysfunction of HSF1 and accumulation of disease protein aggregates in ND included.Structured AbstractsIntroduction: Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) is a master transcription regulator that mediates the induction of heat shock protein chaperones for quality control (QC) of the proteome as a cyto-protective mechanism in response to stress. There is cumulative evidence of age-related deterioration of this QC mechanism that contributes to disease vulnerability. OBJECTIVES Herein we discuss the regulation and function of HSF1 as they relate to the pathophysiological changes of protein quality control in aging and neurodegenerative diseases (ND). METHODS We present an overview of HSF1 structural, functional, and energetic properties in healthy cells while addressing the deterioration of HSF1 function vis-à-vis age-dependent and neuron-specific vulnerability to neurodegenerative diseases. RESULTS We examine the impact of intrinsically disordered regions on the function of HSF1 and note that proteins associated with neurodegeneration are natively unstructured and exquisitely sensitive to changes in cellular environment as may occur during aging. CONCLUSIONS We put forth a hypothesis that age-dependent changes of the intrinsically disordered proteome hold answers to understanding many of the functional, structural, and organizational changes of proteins - dysfunction of HSF1 in aging and appearance of disease protein aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Y Liu
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
| | - Conceição A Minetti
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - David P Remeta
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Kenneth J Breslauer
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Kuang Yu Chen
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
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8
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Di Liegro CM, Schiera G, Schirò G, Di Liegro I. RNA-Binding Proteins as Epigenetic Regulators of Brain Functions and Their Involvement in Neurodegeneration. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232314622. [PMID: 36498959 PMCID: PMC9739182 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232314622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A central aspect of nervous system development and function is the post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA fate, which implies time- and site-dependent translation, in response to cues originating from cell-to-cell crosstalk. Such events are fundamental for the establishment of brain cell asymmetry, as well as of long-lasting modifications of synapses (long-term potentiation: LTP), responsible for learning, memory, and higher cognitive functions. Post-transcriptional regulation is in turn dependent on RNA-binding proteins that, by recognizing and binding brief RNA sequences, base modifications, or secondary/tertiary structures, are able to control maturation, localization, stability, and translation of the transcripts. Notably, most RBPs contain intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) that are thought to be involved in the formation of membrane-less structures, probably due to liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Such structures are evidenced as a variety of granules that contain proteins and different classes of RNAs. The other side of the peculiar properties of IDRs is, however, that, under altered cellular conditions, they are also prone to form aggregates, as observed in neurodegeneration. Interestingly, RBPs, as part of both normal and aggregated complexes, are also able to enter extracellular vesicles (EVs), and in doing so, they can also reach cells other than those that produced them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Maria Di Liegro
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche) (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Gabriella Schiera
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche) (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Schirò
- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (Dipartimento di Biomedicina, Neuroscienze e Diagnostica Avanzata) (Bi.N.D.), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Italia Di Liegro
- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (Dipartimento di Biomedicina, Neuroscienze e Diagnostica Avanzata) (Bi.N.D.), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-091-238-97 (ext. 415/446)
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9
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Interaction preferences between protein side chains and key epigenetic modifications 5-methylcytosine, 5-hydroxymethycytosine and N 6-methyladenine. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19583. [PMID: 36380112 PMCID: PMC9666514 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23585-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Covalent modifications of standard DNA/RNA nucleobases affect epigenetic regulation of gene expression by modulating interactions between nucleic acids and protein readers. We derive here the absolute binding free energies and analyze the binding modalities between key modified nucleobases 5-methylcytosine (5mC), 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and N6-methyladenine (m6A) and all non-prolyl/non-glycyl protein side chains using molecular dynamics simulations and umbrella sampling in both water and methanol, the latter mimicking the low dielectric environment at the dehydrated nucleic-acid/protein interfaces. We verify the derived affinities by comparing against a comprehensive set of high-resolution structures of nucleic-protein complexes involving 5mC. Our analysis identifies protein side chains that are highly tuned for detecting cytosine methylation as a function of the environment and can thus serve as microscopic readers of epigenetic marks. Conversely, we show that the relative ordering of sidechain affinities for 5hmC and m6A does not differ significantly from those for their precursor bases, cytosine and adenine, respectively, especially in the low dielectric environment. For those two modified bases, the effect is more nuanced and manifests itself primarily at the level of absolute changes in the binding free energy. Our results contribute towards establishing a quantitative foundation for understanding, predicting and modulating the interactions between modified nucleic acids and proteins at the atomistic level.
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10
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Demongeot J, Seligmann H. Evolution of small and large ribosomal RNAs from accretion of tRNA subelements. Biosystems 2022; 222:104796. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2022.104796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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11
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Kapral TH, Farnhammer F, Zhao W, Lu ZJ, Zagrovic B. Widespread autogenous mRNA-protein interactions detected by CLIP-seq. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:9984-9999. [PMID: 36107779 PMCID: PMC9508846 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Autogenous interactions between mRNAs and the proteins they encode are implicated in cellular feedback-loop regulation, but their extent and mechanistic foundation are unclear. It was recently hypothesized that such interactions may be common, reflecting the role of intrinsic nucleobase-amino acid affinities in shaping the genetic code's structure. Here we analyze a comprehensive set of CLIP-seq experiments involving multiple protocols and report on widespread autogenous interactions across different organisms. Specifically, 230 of 341 (67%) studied RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) interact with their own mRNAs, with a heavy enrichment among high-confidence hits and a preference for coding sequence binding. We account for different confounding variables, including physical (overexpression and proximity during translation), methodological (difference in CLIP protocols, peak callers and cell types) and statistical (treatment of null backgrounds). In particular, we demonstrate a high statistical significance of autogenous interactions by sampling null distributions of fixed-margin interaction matrices. Furthermore, we study the dependence of autogenous binding on the presence of RNA-binding motifs and structured domains in RBPs. Finally, we show that intrinsic nucleobase-amino acid affinities favor co-aligned binding between mRNA coding regions and the proteins they encode. Our results suggest a central role for autogenous interactions in RBP regulation and support the possibility of a fundamental connection between coding and binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas H Kapral
- Departmet of Structural and Computational Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, A-1030, Austria,Vienna BioCenter PhD Program, Doctoral School of the University of Vienna and Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, A-1030, Austria
| | - Fiona Farnhammer
- Departmet of Structural and Computational Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, A-1030, Austria,Division of Metabolism, University Children's Hospital Zurich and Children's Research Center, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8032, Switzerland,Division of Oncology, University Children's Hospital Zurich and Children's Research Center, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8032, Switzerland
| | - Weihao Zhao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Zhi J Lu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Bojan Zagrovic
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +43 1 4277 52271; Fax: +43 1 4277 9522;
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12
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Van Lindt J, Lazar T, Pakravan D, Demulder M, Meszaros A, Van Den Bosch L, Maes D, Tompa P. F/YGG-motif is an intrinsically disordered nucleic-acid binding motif. RNA Biol 2022; 19:622-635. [PMID: 35491929 PMCID: PMC9067507 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2022.2066336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNP) function in RNA processing, have RNA-recognition motifs (RRMs) and intrinsically disordered, low-complexity domains (LCDs). While RRMs are drivers of RNA binding, there is only limited knowledge about the RNA interaction by the LCD of some hnRNPs. Here, we show that the LCD of hnRNPA2 interacts with RNA via an embedded Tyr/Gly-rich region which is a disordered RNA-binding motif. RNA binding is maintained upon mutating tyrosine residues to phenylalanines, but abrogated by mutating to alanines, thus we term the RNA-binding region ‘F/YGG motif’. The F/YGG motif can bind a broad range of structured (e.g. tRNA) and disordered (e.g. polyA) RNAs, but not rRNA. As the F/YGG otif can also interact with DNA, we consider it a general nucleic acid-binding motif. hnRNPA2 LCD can form dense droplets, by liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS). Their formation is inhibited by RNA binding, which is mitigated by salt and 1,6-hexanediol, suggesting that both electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions feature in the F/YGG motif. The D290V mutant also binds RNA, which interferes with both LLPS and aggregation thereof. We found homologous regions in a broad range of RNA- and DNA-binding proteins in the human proteome, suggesting that the F/YGG motif is a general nucleic acid-interaction motif.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joris Van Lindt
- Center for Structural Biology, VIBVIB-VUB, Brussels, Belgium
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Tamas Lazar
- Center for Structural Biology, VIBVIB-VUB, Brussels, Belgium
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Donya Pakravan
- Center for Brain & Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Manon Demulder
- Center for Structural Biology, VIBVIB-VUB, Brussels, Belgium
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Attila Meszaros
- Center for Structural Biology, VIBVIB-VUB, Brussels, Belgium
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ludo Van Den Bosch
- Center for Brain & Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dominique Maes
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Peter Tompa
- Center for Structural Biology, VIBVIB-VUB, Brussels, Belgium
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
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13
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Ho W, Huang J. The return of the rings: Evolutionary convergence of aromatic residues in the intrinsically disordered regions of RNA-binding proteins for liquid-liquid phase separation. Protein Sci 2022; 31:e4317. [PMID: 35481633 PMCID: PMC9045073 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Aromatic residues appeared relatively late in the evolution of protein sequences to stabilize the globular proteins' folding core and are less in the intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). Recent advances in protein liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) studies have also shown that aromatic residues in IDRs often act as "stickers" to promote multivalent interactions in forming higher-order oligomers. To study how general these structure-promoting residues are in IDRs, we compared levels of sequence disorder in RNA binding proteins (RBPs), which are often found to undergo LLPS, and the human proteome. We found that aromatic residues appear more frequently than expected in the IDRs of RBPs and, through multiple sequence alignment analysis, those aromatic residues are often conserved among chordates. Using TDP-43, FUS, and some other well-studied LLPS proteins as examples, the conserved aromatic residues are important to their LLPS-related functions. These analyses suggest that aromatic residues may have contributed twice to evolution: stabilizing structured proteins and assembling biomolecular condensates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen‐Lin Ho
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Jie‐rong Huang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
- Institute of Biomedical Informatics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
- Department of Life Sciences and Institute of Genome SciencesNational Yang Ming Chiao Tung UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
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14
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Chiu SH, Ho WL, Sun YC, Kuo JC, Huang JR. Phase separation driven by interchangeable properties in the intrinsically disordered regions of protein paralogs. Commun Biol 2022; 5:400. [PMID: 35487971 PMCID: PMC9054762 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03354-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Paralogs, arising from gene duplications, increase the functional diversity of proteins. Protein functions in paralog families have been extensively studied, but little is known about the roles that intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) play in their paralogs. Without a folded structure to restrain them, IDRs mutate more diversely along with evolution. However, how the diversity of IDRs in a paralog family affects their functions is unexplored. Using the RNA-binding protein Musashi family as an example, we applied multiple structural techniques and phylogenetic analysis to show how members in a paralog family have evolved their IDRs to different physicochemical properties but converge to the same function. In this example, the lower prion-like tendency of Musashi-1's IDRs, rather than Musashi-2's, is compensated by its higher α-helical propensity to assist their assembly. Our work suggests that, no matter how diverse they become, IDRs could evolve different traits to a converged function, such as liquid-liquid phase separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Hui Chiu
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, No. 155 Section 2, Li-nong Street, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Lin Ho
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, No. 155 Section 2, Li-nong Street, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yung-Chen Sun
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, No. 155 Section 2, Li-nong Street, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jean-Cheng Kuo
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, No. 155 Section 2, Li-nong Street, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jie-Rong Huang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, No. 155 Section 2, Li-nong Street, Taipei, Taiwan. .,Institute of Biomedical Informatics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, No. 155 Section 2, Li-nong Street, Taipei, Taiwan. .,Department of Life Sciences and Institute of Genome Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, No. 155 Section 2, Li-nong Street, Taipei, Taiwan.
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15
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Adlhart M, Poetsch F, Hlevnjak M, Hoogmoed M, Polyansky A, Zagrovic B. Compositional complementarity between genomic RNA and coat proteins in positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:4054-4067. [PMID: 35357492 PMCID: PMC9023274 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
During packaging in positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) viruses, coat proteins (CPs) interact directly with multiple regions in genomic RNA (gRNA), but the underlying physicochemical principles remain unclear. Here we analyze the high-resolution cryo-EM structure of bacteriophage MS2 and show that the gRNA/CP binding sites, including the known packaging signal, overlap significantly with regions where gRNA nucleobase-density profiles match the corresponding CP nucleobase-affinity profiles. Moreover, we show that the MS2 packaging signal corresponds to the global minimum in gRNA/CP interaction energy in the unstructured state as derived using a linearly additive model and knowledge-based nucleobase/amino-acid affinities. Motivated by this, we predict gRNA/CP interaction sites for a comprehensive set of 1082 +ssRNA viruses. We validate our predictions by comparing them with site-resolved information on gRNA/CP interactions derived in SELEX and CLIP experiments for 10 different viruses. Finally, we show that in experimentally studied systems CPs frequently interact with autologous coding regions in gRNA, in agreement with both predicted interaction energies and a recent proposal that proteins in general tend to interact with own mRNAs, if unstructured. Our results define a self-consistent framework for understanding packaging in +ssRNA viruses and implicate interactions between unstructured gRNA and CPs in the process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Adlhart
- Department of Structural and Computational Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Campus Vienna Biocenter 5, A-1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Florian Poetsch
- Institute for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Center for Medical Research, Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Huemerstraße 3-5, 4020 Linz, Austria
| | - Mario Hlevnjak
- Division of Molecular Genetics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 580, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Megan Hoogmoed
- Department of Structural and Computational Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Campus Vienna Biocenter 5, A-1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anton A Polyansky
- Department of Structural and Computational Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Campus Vienna Biocenter 5, A-1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bojan Zagrovic
- Department of Structural and Computational Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Campus Vienna Biocenter 5, A-1030, Vienna, Austria
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16
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Jacobson KA, Salmaso V, Suresh RR, Tosh DK. Expanding the repertoire of methanocarba nucleosides from purinergic signaling to diverse targets. RSC Med Chem 2021; 12:1808-1825. [PMID: 34825182 PMCID: PMC8597424 DOI: 10.1039/d1md00167a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleoside derivatives are well represented as pharmaceuticals due to their druglike physicochemical properties, and some nucleoside drugs are designed to act on receptors. The purinergic signaling pathways for extracellular nucleosides and nucleotides, consisting of adenosine receptors, P2Y/P2X receptors for nucleotides, and enzymes such as adenosine (ribo)kinase, have been extensively studied. A general modification, i.e. a constrained, bicyclic ring system (bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane, also called methanocarba) substituted in place of a furanose ring, can increase nucleoside/nucleotide potency and/or selectivity at purinergic and antiviral targets and in interactions at diverse and unconventional targets. Compared to other common drug discovery scaffolds containing planar rings, methanocarba nucleosides display greater sp3 character (i.e. more favorable as drug-like molecules) and can manifest as sterically-constrained North (N) or South (S) conformations. Initially weak, off-target interactions of (N)-methanocarba adenosine derivatives were detected as leads that were structurally optimized to enhance activity and selectivity toward target proteins that normally do not recognize nucleosides. By this approach, novel modulators for 5HT2 serotonin and κ-opioid receptors, dopamine (DAT) and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters were found, and previously undetected antiviral activities were revealed. Thus, through methanocarba nucleoside synthesis, structure-activity relationships, and multi-target pharmacology, a robust purinergic receptor scaffold has been repurposed to satisfy the pharmacophoric requirements of various GPCRs, enzymes and transporters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth A Jacobson
- Molecular Recognition Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health Bethesda MD 20892-0810 USA +301 480 8422 +301 496 9024
| | - Veronica Salmaso
- Molecular Recognition Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health Bethesda MD 20892-0810 USA +301 480 8422 +301 496 9024
| | - R Rama Suresh
- Molecular Recognition Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health Bethesda MD 20892-0810 USA +301 480 8422 +301 496 9024
| | - Dilip K Tosh
- Molecular Recognition Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health Bethesda MD 20892-0810 USA +301 480 8422 +301 496 9024
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17
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Largy E, König A, Ghosh A, Ghosh D, Benabou S, Rosu F, Gabelica V. Mass Spectrometry of Nucleic Acid Noncovalent Complexes. Chem Rev 2021; 122:7720-7839. [PMID: 34587741 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Nucleic acids have been among the first targets for antitumor drugs and antibiotics. With the unveiling of new biological roles in regulation of gene expression, specific DNA and RNA structures have become very attractive targets, especially when the corresponding proteins are undruggable. Biophysical assays to assess target structure as well as ligand binding stoichiometry, affinity, specificity, and binding modes are part of the drug development process. Mass spectrometry offers unique advantages as a biophysical method owing to its ability to distinguish each stoichiometry present in a mixture. In addition, advanced mass spectrometry approaches (reactive probing, fragmentation techniques, ion mobility spectrometry, ion spectroscopy) provide more detailed information on the complexes. Here, we review the fundamentals of mass spectrometry and all its particularities when studying noncovalent nucleic acid structures, and then review what has been learned thanks to mass spectrometry on nucleic acid structures, self-assemblies (e.g., duplexes or G-quadruplexes), and their complexes with ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Largy
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, ARNA, UMR 5320, U1212, IECB, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Alexander König
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, ARNA, UMR 5320, U1212, IECB, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Anirban Ghosh
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, ARNA, UMR 5320, U1212, IECB, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Debasmita Ghosh
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, ARNA, UMR 5320, U1212, IECB, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Sanae Benabou
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, ARNA, UMR 5320, U1212, IECB, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Frédéric Rosu
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, IECB, UMS 3033, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Valérie Gabelica
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, ARNA, UMR 5320, U1212, IECB, F-33600 Pessac, France
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18
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Schmidt H, Putnam A, Rasoloson D, Seydoux G. Protein-based condensation mechanisms drive the assembly of RNA-rich P granules. eLife 2021; 10:63698. [PMID: 34106046 PMCID: PMC8238508 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Germ granules are protein-RNA condensates that segregate with the embryonic germline. In Caenorhabditis elegans embryos, germ (P) granule assembly requires MEG-3, an intrinsically disordered protein that forms RNA-rich condensates on the surface of PGL condensates at the core of P granules. MEG-3 is related to the GCNA family and contains an N-terminal disordered region (IDR) and a predicted ordered C-terminus featuring an HMG-like motif (HMGL). We find that MEG-3 is a modular protein that uses its IDR to bind RNA and its C-terminus to drive condensation. The HMGL motif mediates binding to PGL-3 and is required for co-assembly of MEG-3 and PGL-3 condensates in vivo. Mutations in HMGL cause MEG-3 and PGL-3 to form separate condensates that no longer co-segregate to the germline or recruit RNA. Our findings highlight the importance of protein-based condensation mechanisms and condensate-condensate interactions in the assembly of RNA-rich germ granules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Schmidt
- HHMI and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Andrea Putnam
- HHMI and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Dominique Rasoloson
- HHMI and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Geraldine Seydoux
- HHMI and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
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19
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Candelise N, Scaricamazza S, Salvatori I, Ferri A, Valle C, Manganelli V, Garofalo T, Sorice M, Misasi R. Protein Aggregation Landscape in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Clinical Relevance and Future Applications. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22116016. [PMID: 34199513 PMCID: PMC8199687 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22116016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrinsic disorder is a natural feature of polypeptide chains, resulting in the lack of a defined three-dimensional structure. Conformational changes in intrinsically disordered regions of a protein lead to unstable β-sheet enriched intermediates, which are stabilized by intermolecular interactions with other β-sheet enriched molecules, producing stable proteinaceous aggregates. Upon misfolding, several pathways may be undertaken depending on the composition of the amino acidic string and the surrounding environment, leading to different structures. Accumulating evidence is suggesting that the conformational state of a protein may initiate signalling pathways involved both in pathology and physiology. In this review, we will summarize the heterogeneity of structures that are produced from intrinsically disordered protein domains and highlight the routes that lead to the formation of physiological liquid droplets as well as pathogenic aggregates. The most common proteins found in aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases and their structural variability will be addressed. We will further evaluate the clinical relevance and future applications of the study of the structural heterogeneity of protein aggregates, which may aid the understanding of the phenotypic diversity observed in neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niccolò Candelise
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, c/o CERC, 00143 Rome, Italy; (S.S.); (I.S.); (A.F.); (C.V.)
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology, National Research Council, 00133 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-338-891-2668
| | - Silvia Scaricamazza
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, c/o CERC, 00143 Rome, Italy; (S.S.); (I.S.); (A.F.); (C.V.)
| | - Illari Salvatori
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, c/o CERC, 00143 Rome, Italy; (S.S.); (I.S.); (A.F.); (C.V.)
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (T.G.); (M.S.); (R.M.)
| | - Alberto Ferri
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, c/o CERC, 00143 Rome, Italy; (S.S.); (I.S.); (A.F.); (C.V.)
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology, National Research Council, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Cristiana Valle
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, c/o CERC, 00143 Rome, Italy; (S.S.); (I.S.); (A.F.); (C.V.)
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology, National Research Council, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Valeria Manganelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (T.G.); (M.S.); (R.M.)
| | - Tina Garofalo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (T.G.); (M.S.); (R.M.)
| | - Maurizio Sorice
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (T.G.); (M.S.); (R.M.)
| | - Roberta Misasi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (T.G.); (M.S.); (R.M.)
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20
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Reynaud K, Brothers M, Ly M, Ingolia NT. Dynamic post-transcriptional regulation by Mrn1 links cell wall homeostasis to mitochondrial structure and function. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009521. [PMID: 33857138 PMCID: PMC8079021 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The RNA-binding protein Mrn1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae targets over 300 messenger RNAs, including many involved in cell wall biogenesis. The impact of Mrn1 on these target transcripts is not known, however, nor is the cellular role for this regulation. We have shown that Mrn1 represses target mRNAs through the action of its disordered, asparagine-rich amino-terminus. Its endogenous targets include the paralogous SUN domain proteins Nca3 and Uth1, which affect mitochondrial and cell wall structure and function. While loss of MRN1 has no effect on fermentative growth, we found that mrn1Δ yeast adapt more quickly to respiratory conditions. These cells also have enlarged mitochondria in fermentative conditions, mediated in part by dysregulation of NCA3, and this may explain their faster switch to respiration. Our analyses indicated that Mrn1 acts as a hub for integrating cell wall integrity and mitochondrial biosynthesis in a carbon-source responsive manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendra Reynaud
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Molly Brothers
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Michael Ly
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Nicholas T. Ingolia
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
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21
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Abstract
What were the physico-chemical forces that drove the origins of life? We discuss four major prebiotic 'discoveries': persistent sampling of chemical reaction space; sequence-encodable foldable catalysts; assembly of functional pathways; and encapsulation and heritability. We describe how a 'proteins-first' world gives plausible mechanisms. We note the importance of hydrophobic and polar compositions of matter in these advances.
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Affiliation(s)
- K. A. Dill
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
- Department Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - L. Agozzino
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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22
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The search for RNA-binding proteins: a technical and interdisciplinary challenge. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 49:393-403. [PMID: 33492363 PMCID: PMC7925008 DOI: 10.1042/bst20200688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
RNA-binding proteins are customarily regarded as important facilitators of gene expression. In recent years, RNA–protein interactions have also emerged as a pervasive force in the regulation of homeostasis. The compendium of proteins with provable RNA-binding function has swelled from the hundreds to the thousands astride the partnership of mass spectrometry-based proteomics and RNA sequencing. At the foundation of these advances is the adaptation of RNA-centric capture methods that can extract bound protein that has been cross-linked in its native environment. These methods reveal snapshots in time displaying an extensive network of regulation and a wealth of data that can be used for both the discovery of RNA-binding function and the molecular interfaces at which these interactions occur. This review will focus on the impact of these developments on our broader perception of post-transcriptional regulation, and how the technical features of current capture methods, as applied in mammalian systems, create a challenging medium for interpretation by systems biologists and target validation by experimental researchers.
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23
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Kharel P, Becker G, Tsvetkov V, Ivanov P. Properties and biological impact of RNA G-quadruplexes: from order to turmoil and back. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:12534-12555. [PMID: 33264409 PMCID: PMC7736831 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa1126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Guanine-quadruplexes (G4s) are non-canonical four-stranded structures that can be formed in guanine (G) rich nucleic acid sequences. A great number of G-rich sequences capable of forming G4 structures have been described based on in vitro analysis, and evidence supporting their formation in live cells continues to accumulate. While formation of DNA G4s (dG4s) within chromatin in vivo has been supported by different chemical, imaging and genomic approaches, formation of RNA G4s (rG4s) in vivo remains a matter of discussion. Recent data support the dynamic nature of G4 formation in the transcriptome. Such dynamic fluctuation of rG4 folding-unfolding underpins the biological significance of these structures in the regulation of RNA metabolism. Moreover, rG4-mediated functions may ultimately be connected to mechanisms underlying disease pathologies and, potentially, provide novel options for therapeutics. In this framework, we will review the landscape of rG4s within the transcriptome, focus on their potential impact on biological processes, and consider an emerging connection of these functions in human health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prakash Kharel
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Gertraud Becker
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Vladimir Tsvetkov
- Computational Oncology Group, I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow 119146, Russia
- Federal Research and Clinical Center for Physical-Chemical Medicine, Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow 119435, Russia
- A. V. Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117912, Russia
| | - Pavel Ivanov
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Initiative for RNA Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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24
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Chavali SS, Mali SM, Jenkins JL, Fasan R, Wedekind JE. Co-crystal structures of HIV TAR RNA bound to lab-evolved proteins show key roles for arginine relevant to the design of cyclic peptide TAR inhibitors. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:16470-16486. [PMID: 33051202 PMCID: PMC7864049 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.015444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA-protein interfaces control key replication events during the HIV-1 life cycle. The viral trans-activator of transcription (Tat) protein uses an archetypal arginine-rich motif (ARM) to recruit the host positive transcription elongation factor b (pTEFb) complex onto the viral trans-activation response (TAR) RNA, leading to activation of HIV transcription. Efforts to block this interaction have stimulated production of biologics designed to disrupt this essential RNA-protein interface. Here, we present four co-crystal structures of lab-evolved TAR-binding proteins (TBPs) in complex with HIV-1 TAR. Our results reveal that high-affinity binding requires a distinct sequence and spacing of arginines within a specific β2-β3 hairpin loop that arose during selection. Although loops with as many as five arginines were analyzed, only three arginines could bind simultaneously with major-groove guanines. Amino acids that promote backbone interactions within the β2-β3 loop were also observed to be important for high-affinity interactions. Based on structural and affinity analyses, we designed two cyclic peptide mimics of the TAR-binding β2-β3 loop sequences present in two high-affinity TBPs (KD values of 4.2 ± 0.3 and 3.0 ± 0.3 nm). Our efforts yielded low-molecular weight compounds that bind TAR with low micromolar affinity (KD values ranging from 3.6 to 22 μm). Significantly, one cyclic compound within this series blocked binding of the Tat-ARM peptide to TAR in solution assays, whereas its linear counterpart did not. Overall, this work provides insight into protein-mediated TAR recognition and lays the ground for the development of cyclic peptide inhibitors of a vital HIV-1 RNA-protein interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sai Shashank Chavali
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Sachitanand M Mali
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Jermaine L Jenkins
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Rudi Fasan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Joseph E Wedekind
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA.
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25
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Nakamoto MY, Lammer NC, Batey RT, Wuttke DS. hnRNPK recognition of the B motif of Xist and other biological RNAs. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:9320-9335. [PMID: 32813011 PMCID: PMC7498318 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Heterogeneous nuclear ribonuclear protein K (hnRNPK) is an abundant RNA-binding protein crucial for a wide variety of biological processes. While its binding preference for multi-cytosine-patch (C-patch) containing RNA is well documented, examination of binding to known cellular targets that contain C-patches reveals an unexpected breadth of binding affinities. Analysis of in-cell crosslinking data reinforces the notion that simple C-patch preference is not fully predictive of hnRNPK localization within transcripts. The individual RNA-binding domains of hnRNPK work together to interact with RNA tightly, with the KH3 domain being neither necessary nor sufficient for binding. Rather, the RG/RGG domain is implicated in providing essential contributions to RNA-binding, but not DNA-binding, affinity. hnRNPK is essential for X chromosome inactivation, where it interacts with Xist RNA specifically through the Xist B-repeat region. We use this interaction with an RNA motif derived from this B-repeat region to determine the RNA-structure dependence of C-patch recognition. While the location preferences of hnRNPK for C-patches are conformationally restricted within the hairpin, these structural constraints are relieved in the absence of RNA secondary structure. Together, these results illustrate how this multi-domain protein's ability to accommodate and yet discriminate between diverse cellular RNAs allows for its broad cellular functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meagan Y Nakamoto
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0596, USA
| | - Nickolaus C Lammer
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0596, USA
| | - Robert T Batey
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0596, USA
| | - Deborah S Wuttke
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0596, USA
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26
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Boots JL, von Pelchrzim F, Weiss A, Zimmermann B, Friesacher T, Radtke M, Żywicki M, Chen D, Matylla-Kulińska K, Zagrovic B, Schroeder R. RNA polymerase II-binding aptamers in human ACRO1 satellites disrupt transcription in cis. Transcription 2020; 11:217-229. [PMID: 32663063 PMCID: PMC7714431 DOI: 10.1080/21541264.2020.1790990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcription elongation is a highly regulated process affected by many proteins, RNAs and the underlying DNA. Here we show that the nascent RNA can interfere with transcription in human cells, extending our previous findings from bacteria and yeast. We identified a variety of Pol II-binding aptamers (RAPs), prominent in repeat elements such as ACRO1 satellites, LINE1 retrotransposons and CA simple repeats, and also in several protein-coding genes. ACRO1 repeat, when translated in silico, exhibits ~50% identity with the Pol II CTD sequence. Taken together with a recent proposal that proteins in general tend to interact with RNAs similar to their cognate mRNAs, this suggests a mechanism for RAP binding. Using a reporter construct, we show that ACRO1 potently inhibits Pol II elongation in cis. We propose a novel mode of transcriptional regulation in humans, in which the nascent RNA binds Pol II to silence its own expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L. Boots
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Frederike von Pelchrzim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Adam Weiss
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bob Zimmermann
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Theres Friesacher
- Department of Structural and Computational Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Maximilian Radtke
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marek Żywicki
- Department of Computational Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poznan, Poland
| | - Doris Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Katarzyna Matylla-Kulińska
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bojan Zagrovic
- Department of Structural and Computational Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Renée Schroeder
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria,CONTACT Renée Schroeder Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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27
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Chiang WC, Lee MH, Chen TC, Huang JR. Interactions between the Intrinsically Disordered Regions of hnRNP-A2 and TDP-43 Accelerate TDP-43's Conformational Transition. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21165930. [PMID: 32824743 PMCID: PMC7460674 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21165930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Most biological functions involve protein-protein interactions. Our understanding of these interactions is based mainly on those of structured proteins, because encounters between intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) or proteins with intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are much less studied, regardless of the fact that more than half eukaryotic proteins contain IDRs. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are a large family whose members almost all have IDRs in addition to RNA binding domains. These IDRs, having low sequence similarity, interact, but structural details on these interactions are still lacking. Here, using the IDRs of two RBPs (hnRNA-A2 and TDP-43) as a model, we demonstrate that the rate at which TDP-43's IDR undergoes the neurodegenerative disease related α-helix-to-β-sheet transition increases in relation to the amount of hnRNP-A2's IDR that is present. There are more than 1500 RBPs in human cells and most of them have IDRs. RBPs often join the same complexes to regulate genes. In addition to the structured RNA-recognition motifs, our study demonstrates a general mechanism through which RBPs may regulate each other's functions through their IDRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan-Chin Chiang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang-Ming University, No. 155 Section 2, Li-Nong Street, Taipei 11221, Taiwan; (W.-C.C.); (M.-H.L.); (T.-C.C.)
| | - Ming-Hsuan Lee
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang-Ming University, No. 155 Section 2, Li-Nong Street, Taipei 11221, Taiwan; (W.-C.C.); (M.-H.L.); (T.-C.C.)
| | - Tsai-Chen Chen
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang-Ming University, No. 155 Section 2, Li-Nong Street, Taipei 11221, Taiwan; (W.-C.C.); (M.-H.L.); (T.-C.C.)
| | - Jie-rong Huang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang-Ming University, No. 155 Section 2, Li-Nong Street, Taipei 11221, Taiwan; (W.-C.C.); (M.-H.L.); (T.-C.C.)
- Institute of Biomedical Informatics, National Yang-Ming University, No. 155 Section 2, Li-Nong Street, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
- Department of Life Sciences and Institute of Genome Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, No. 155 Section 2, Li-Nong Street, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
- Correspondence:
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28
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Seligmann H. First arrived, first served: competition between codons for codon-amino acid stereochemical interactions determined early genetic code assignments. Naturwissenschaften 2020; 107:20. [PMID: 32367155 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-020-01676-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Stereochemical nucleotide-amino acid interactions, in the form of noncovalent nucleotide-amino acid interactions, potentially produced the genetic code's codon-amino acid assignments. Empirical estimates of single nucleotide-amino acid affinities on surfaces and in solution are used to test whether trinucleotide-amino acid affinities determined genetic code assignments pending the principle "first arrived, first served": presumed early amino acids have greater codon-amino acid affinities than ulterior ones. Here, these single nucleotide affinities are used to approximate all 64 × 20 trinucleotide-amino acid affinities. Analyses show that (1) on surfaces, genetic code codon-amino acid assignments tend to match high affinities for the amino acids that integrated earliest the genetic code (according to Wong's metabolic coevolution hypothesis between nucleotides and amino acids) and (2) in solution, the same principle holds for the anticodon-amino acid assignments. Affinity analyses match best genetic code assignments when assuming that trinucleotides competed for amino acids, rather than amino acids for trinucleotides. Codon-amino acid affinities stick better to genetic code assignments than anticodon-amino acid affinities. Presumably, two independent coding systems, on surfaces and in solution, converged, and formed the current translation system. Proto-translation on surfaces by direct codon-amino acid interactions without tRNA-like adaptors coadapted with a system emerging in solution by proto-tRNA anticodon-amino acid interactions. These systems assigned identical or similar cognates to codons on surfaces and to anticodons in solution. Results indicate that a prebiotic metabolism predated genetic code self-organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hervé Seligmann
- The National Natural History Collections, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel. .,Faculty of Medicine, Université Grenoble Alpes, Laboratory AGEIS EA 7407, Team Tools for e-Gnosis Medical & Labcom CNRS/UGA/OrangeLabs Telecoms4Health, F-38700, La Tronche, France.
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29
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Abstract
Biological phase separation is known to be important for cellular organization, which has recently been extended to a new class of biomolecules that form liquid-like droplets coexisting with the surrounding cellular or extracellular environment. These droplets are termed membraneless organelles, as they lack a dividing lipid membrane, and are formed through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Elucidating the molecular determinants of phase separation is a critical challenge for the field, as we are still at the early stages of understanding how cells may promote and regulate functions that are driven by LLPS. In this review, we discuss the role that disorder, perturbations to molecular interactions resulting from sequence, posttranslational modifications, and various regulatory stimuli play on protein LLPS, with a particular focus on insights that may be obtained from simulation and theory. We finally discuss how these molecular driving forces alter multicomponent phase separation and selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory L Dignon
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, USA;
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA;
| | - Robert B Best
- Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA;
| | - Jeetain Mittal
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, USA;
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30
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Musashi-1: An Example of How Polyalanine Tracts Contribute to Self-Association in the Intrinsically Disordered Regions of RNA-Binding Proteins. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21072289. [PMID: 32225071 PMCID: PMC7177541 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21072289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) have intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) whose biophysical properties have yet to be explored to the same extent as those of the folded RNA interacting domains. These IDRs are essential to the formation of biomolecular condensates, such as stress and RNA granules, but dysregulated assembly can be pathological. Because of their structural heterogeneity, IDRs are best studied by NMR spectroscopy. In this study, we used NMR spectroscopy to investigate the structural propensity and self-association of the IDR of the RBP Musashi-1. We identified two transient α-helical regions (residues ~208–218 and ~270–284 in the IDR, the latter with a polyalanine tract). Strong NMR line broadening in these regions and circular dichroism and micrography data suggest that the two α-helical elements and the hydrophobic residues in between may contribute to the formation of oligomers found in stress granules and implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. Bioinformatics analysis suggests that polyalanine stretches in the IDRs of RBPs may have evolved to promote RBP assembly.
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31
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Abstract
Frameshifts in protein coding sequences are widely perceived as resulting in either nonfunctional or even deleterious protein products. Indeed, frameshifts typically lead to markedly altered protein sequences and premature stop codons. By analyzing complete proteomes from all three domains of life, we demonstrate that, in contrast, several key physicochemical properties of protein sequences exhibit significant robustness against +1 and -1 frameshifts. In particular, we show that hydrophobicity profiles of many protein sequences remain largely invariant upon frameshifting. For example, over 2,900 human proteins exhibit a Pearson's correlation coefficient R between the hydrophobicity profiles of the original and the +1-frameshifted variants greater than 0.7, despite an average sequence identity between the two of only 6.5% in this group. We observe a similar effect for protein sequence profiles of affinity for certain nucleobases as well as protein sequence profiles of intrinsic disorder. Finally, analysis of significance and optimality demonstrates that frameshift stability is embedded in the structure of the universal genetic code and may have contributed to shaping it. Our results suggest that frameshifting may be a powerful evolutionary mechanism for creating new proteins with vastly different sequences, yet similar physicochemical properties to the proteins from which they originate.
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32
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Demongeot J, Seligmann H. Deamination gradients within codons after 1<->2 position swap predict amino acid hydrophobicity and parallel β-sheet conformational preference. Biosystems 2020; 191-192:104116. [PMID: 32081715 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2020.104116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Deaminations C->T and A->G are frequent mutations producing nucleotide content gradients across genomes proportional to singlestrandedness during replication/transcription. Hence, within single codons, deamination risks increase from first to third codon positions, while second codon positions are functionally most crucial. Here genetic codes are analyzed assuming that after anticodons protected codons from deaminations, first and second codon positions swapped (N2N1N3->N1N2N3), with lowest deamination risks for N2 in presumed primitive N2N1N3 codons. N2N1N3, not standard N1N2N3, codon structure minimizes deaminations inversely proportionally to cognate amino acid hydrophobicity and parallel betasheet conformational preference. For N1N2N3, deamination minimization increases with genetic code integration order of cognate amino acids: during the presumed N2N1N3->N1N2N3 codon structure transition, protein synthesis combined direct codon-amino acid interactions for late amino acids and tRNA-based translation for early amino acids. Hence N2N1N3 codons would correspond to tRNA-free translation by spontaneous codon-amino acid affinities, and tRNA-mediated translation presumably caused N2N1N3->N1N2N3 swaps. Results show that rational, not arbitrary rules link codon and amino acid structures. Some analyses detect mitochondrial RNAs and peptides in public data corresponding to systematic position swaps, suggesting occasional swapping polymerase activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacques Demongeot
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Faculty of Medicine, Laboratory AGEIS EA 7407, Team Tools for e-Gnosis Medical, F-38700, La Tronche, France.
| | - Hervé Seligmann
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Faculty of Medicine, Laboratory AGEIS EA 7407, Team Tools for e-Gnosis Medical, F-38700, La Tronche, France; The National Natural History Collections, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91404, Jerusalem, Israel.
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33
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Lee CYS, Putnam A, Lu T, He S, Ouyang JPT, Seydoux G. Recruitment of mRNAs to P granules by condensation with intrinsically-disordered proteins. eLife 2020; 9:e52896. [PMID: 31975687 PMCID: PMC7007223 DOI: 10.7554/elife.52896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA granules are protein/RNA condensates. How specific mRNAs are recruited to cytoplasmic RNA granules is not known. Here, we characterize the transcriptome and assembly of P granules, RNA granules in the C. elegans germ plasm. We find that P granules recruit mRNAs by condensation with the disordered protein MEG-3. MEG-3 traps mRNAs into non-dynamic condensates in vitro and binds to ~500 mRNAs in vivo in a sequence-independent manner that favors embryonic mRNAs with low ribosome coverage. Translational stress causes additional mRNAs to localize to P granules and translational activation correlates with P granule exit for two mRNAs coding for germ cell fate regulators. Localization to P granules is not required for translational repression but is required to enrich mRNAs in the germ lineage for robust germline development. Our observations reveal similarities between P granules and stress granules and identify intrinsically-disordered proteins as drivers of RNA condensation during P granule assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Yung S Lee
- HHMI and Department of Molecular Biology and GeneticsJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Andrea Putnam
- HHMI and Department of Molecular Biology and GeneticsJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Tu Lu
- HHMI and Department of Molecular Biology and GeneticsJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | - ShuaiXin He
- HHMI and Department of Molecular Biology and GeneticsJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical ChemistryJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | - John Paul T Ouyang
- HHMI and Department of Molecular Biology and GeneticsJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Geraldine Seydoux
- HHMI and Department of Molecular Biology and GeneticsJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
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34
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Auboeuf D. Physicochemical Foundations of Life that Direct Evolution: Chance and Natural Selection are not Evolutionary Driving Forces. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10020007. [PMID: 31973071 PMCID: PMC7175370 DOI: 10.3390/life10020007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The current framework of evolutionary theory postulates that evolution relies on random mutations generating a diversity of phenotypes on which natural selection acts. This framework was established using a top-down approach as it originated from Darwinism, which is based on observations made of complex multicellular organisms and, then, modified to fit a DNA-centric view. In this article, it is argued that based on a bottom-up approach starting from the physicochemical properties of nucleic and amino acid polymers, we should reject the facts that (i) natural selection plays a dominant role in evolution and (ii) the probability of mutations is independent of the generated phenotype. It is shown that the adaptation of a phenotype to an environment does not correspond to organism fitness, but rather corresponds to maintaining the genome stability and integrity. In a stable environment, the phenotype maintains the stability of its originating genome and both (genome and phenotype) are reproduced identically. In an unstable environment (i.e., corresponding to variations in physicochemical parameters above a physiological range), the phenotype no longer maintains the stability of its originating genome, but instead influences its variations. Indeed, environment- and cellular-dependent physicochemical parameters define the probability of mutations in terms of frequency, nature, and location in a genome. Evolution is non-deterministic because it relies on probabilistic physicochemical rules, and evolution is driven by a bidirectional interplay between genome and phenotype in which the phenotype ensures the stability of its originating genome in a cellular and environmental physicochemical parameter-depending manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Didier Auboeuf
- Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, 46 Allée d'Italie, Site Jacques Monod, F-69007, Lyon, France
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35
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The Uroboros Theory of Life's Origin: 22-Nucleotide Theoretical Minimal RNA Rings Reflect Evolution of Genetic Code and tRNA-rRNA Translation Machineries. Acta Biotheor 2019; 67:273-297. [PMID: 31388859 DOI: 10.1007/s10441-019-09356-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Theoretical minimal RNA rings attempt to mimick life's primitive RNAs. At most 25 22-nucleotide-long RNA rings code once for each biotic amino acid, a start and a stop codon and form a stem-loop hairpin, resembling consensus tRNAs. We calculated, for each RNA ring's 22 potential splicing positions, similarities of predicted secondary structures with tRNA vs. rRNA secondary structures. Assuming rRNAs partly derived from tRNA accretions, we predict positive associations between relative secondary structure similarities with rRNAs over tRNAs and genetic code integration orders of RNA ring anticodon cognate amino acids. Analyses consider for each secondary structure all nucleotide triplets as potential anticodon. Anticodons for ancient, chemically inert cognate amino acids are most frequent in the 25 RNA rings. For RNA rings with primordial cognate amino acids according to tRNA-homology-derived anticodons, tRNA-homology and coding sequences coincide, these are separate for predicted cognate amino acids that presumably integrated late the genetic code. RNA ring secondary structure similarity with rRNA over tRNA secondary structures associates best with genetic code integration orders of anticodon cognate amino acids when assuming split anticodons (one and two nucleotides at the spliced RNA ring 5' and 3' extremities, respectively), and at predicted anticodon location in the spliced RNA ring's midst. Results confirm RNA ring homologies with tRNAs and CDs, ancestral status of tRNA half genes split at anticodons, the tRNA-rRNA axis of RNA evolution, and that single theoretical minimal RNA rings potentially produce near-complete proto-tRNA sets. Hence genetic code pre-existence determines 25 short circular gene- and tRNA-like RNAs. Accounting for each potential splicing position, each RNA ring potentially translates most amino acids, realistically mimicks evolution of the tRNA-rRNA translation machinery. These RNA rings 'of creation' remind the uroboros' (snake biting its tail) symbolism for creative regeneration.
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36
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37
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Yang J, Gao M, Xiong J, Su Z, Huang Y. Features of molecular recognition of intrinsically disordered proteins via coupled folding and binding. Protein Sci 2019; 28:1952-1965. [PMID: 31441158 PMCID: PMC6798136 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The sequence-structure-function paradigm of proteins has been revolutionized by the discovery of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) or intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). In contrast to traditional ordered proteins, IDPs/IDRs are unstructured under physiological conditions. The absence of well-defined three-dimensional structures in the free state of IDPs/IDRs is fundamental to their function. Folding upon binding is an important mode of molecular recognition for IDPs/IDRs. While great efforts have been devoted to investigating the complex structures and binding kinetics and affinities, our knowledge on the binding mechanisms of IDPs/IDRs remains very limited. Here, we review recent advances on the binding mechanisms of IDPs/IDRs. The structures and kinetic parameters of IDPs/IDRs can vary greatly, and the binding mechanisms can be highly dependent on the structural properties of IDPs/IDRs. IDPs/IDRs can employ various combinations of conformational selection and induced fit in a binding process, which can be templated by the target and/or encoded by the IDP/IDR. Further studies should provide deeper insights into the molecular recognition of IDPs/IDRs and enable the rational design of IDP/IDR binding mechanisms in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- Department of Biological Engineering and Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education)Hubei University of TechnologyWuhanHubeiChina
- Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical SciencesHubei University of TechnologyWuhanHubeiChina
| | - Meng Gao
- Department of Biological Engineering and Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education)Hubei University of TechnologyWuhanHubeiChina
- Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical SciencesHubei University of TechnologyWuhanHubeiChina
| | - Junwen Xiong
- Department of Biological Engineering and Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education)Hubei University of TechnologyWuhanHubeiChina
- Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical SciencesHubei University of TechnologyWuhanHubeiChina
| | - Zhengding Su
- Department of Biological Engineering and Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education)Hubei University of TechnologyWuhanHubeiChina
- Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical SciencesHubei University of TechnologyWuhanHubeiChina
| | - Yongqi Huang
- Department of Biological Engineering and Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education)Hubei University of TechnologyWuhanHubeiChina
- Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical SciencesHubei University of TechnologyWuhanHubeiChina
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38
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Bartonek L, Zagrovic B. VOLPES: an interactive web-based tool for visualizing and comparing physicochemical properties of biological sequences. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:W632-W635. [PMID: 31114895 PMCID: PMC6602475 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The structure, dynamics and, ultimately, biological function of proteins and nucleic acids are determined by the physicochemical properties of their primary sequences. Such properties are frequently captured via one-dimensional profile plots depicting a given physicochemical variable as a function of sequence position. Hydrophobicity, charge or structural disorder in proteins or nucleobase-density in nucleic acids are routinely visualized in this manner to analyze sequences at a glance. Such visualizations, however, are typically created case-by-case in a purely static manner, employ fixed visualization parameters only and do not enable a quantitative comparison between different sequences. Here, we present VOLPES (volpes.univie.ac.at), a user-friendly web server and the corresponding JavaScript library that enable a fully interactive, multifunctional visualization, analysis and comparison of the physicochemical properties of protein and nucleic-acid sequences, allowing unprecedented insight into biological sequence data and creating a starting point for further in-depth exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Bartonek
- Department of Structural and Computational Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Campus Vienna Biocenter 5, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Bojan Zagrovic
- Department of Structural and Computational Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Campus Vienna Biocenter 5, 1030 Vienna, Austria,To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +43 1 4277 52271; Fax: +43 1 4277 9522;
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Demongeot J, Seligmann H. Theoretical minimal RNA rings designed according to coding constraints mimic deamination gradients. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2019; 106:44. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-019-1638-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2018] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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40
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Demongeot J, Seligmann H. Spontaneous evolution of circular codes in theoretical minimal RNA rings. Gene 2019; 705:95-102. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2019.03.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Investigating targets for neuropharmacological intervention by molecular dynamics simulations. Biochem Soc Trans 2019; 47:909-918. [PMID: 31085614 DOI: 10.1042/bst20190048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Medical research has identified over 500 brain disorders. Among these, there are still only very few neuropathologies whose causes are fully understood and, consequently, very few drugs whose mechanism of action is known. No FDA drug has been identified for major neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. We still lack effective treatments and strategies for modulating progression or even early neurodegenerative disease onset diagnostic tools. A great support toward the highly needed identification of neuroactive drugs comes from computer simulation methods and, in particular, from molecular dynamics (MD). This provides insight into structure-function relationship of a target and predicts structure, dynamics and energetics of ligand/target complexes under biologically relevant conditions like temperature and physiological saline concentration. Here, we present examples of the predictive power of MD for neuroactive ligands/target complexes. This brief survey from our own research shows the usefulness of partnerships between academia and industry, and from joint efforts between experimental and theoretical groups.
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Demongeot J, Norris V. Emergence of a "Cyclosome" in a Primitive Network Capable of Building "Infinite" Proteins. Life (Basel) 2019; 9:E51. [PMID: 31216720 PMCID: PMC6617141 DOI: 10.3390/life9020051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Revised: 06/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
We argue for the existence of an RNA sequence, called the AL (for ALpha) sequence, which may have played a role at the origin of life; this role entailed the AL sequence helping generate the first peptide assemblies via a primitive network. These peptide assemblies included "infinite" proteins. The AL sequence was constructed on an economy principle as the smallest RNA ring having one representative of each codon's synonymy class and capable of adopting a non-functional but nevertheless evolutionarily stable hairpin form that resisted denaturation due to environmental changes in pH, hydration, temperature, etc. Long subsequences from the AL ring resemble sequences from tRNAs and 5S rRNAs of numerous species like the proteobacterium, Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Pentameric subsequences from the AL are present more frequently than expected in current genomes, in particular, in genes encoding some of the proteins associated with ribosomes like tRNA synthetases. Such relics may help explain the existence of universal sequences like exon/intron frontier regions, Shine-Dalgarno sequence (present in bacterial and archaeal mRNAs), CRISPR and mitochondrial loop sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacques Demongeot
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Grenoble Alpes, AGEIS EA 7407 Tools for e-Gnosis Medical, 38700 La Tronche, France.
| | - Vic Norris
- Laboratory of Microbiology Signals and Microenvironment, Université de Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan CEDEX, France.
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Demongeot J, Seligmann H. Theoretical minimal RNA rings recapitulate the order of the genetic code's codon-amino acid assignments. J Theor Biol 2019; 471:108-116. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2019.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Demongeot J, Seligmann H. Bias for 3'-Dominant Codon Directional Asymmetry in Theoretical Minimal RNA Rings. J Comput Biol 2019; 26:1003-1012. [PMID: 31120344 DOI: 10.1089/cmb.2018.0256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases ligate tRNAs specifically with their cognate amino acid. These synthetases are among life's earliest proteins, class II tRNA synthetases (cognates A, D, F, G, H, K, N, P, S, and T) presumably preceding class I tRNA synthetases (cognates C, E, I, L, M, Q, R, V, W, and Y). Classification of codons into palindromic (structure XYX), 5'-dominant (YXX), and 3'-dominant (XXY) (Codon Directional Asymmetry [CDA]) shows that class II tRNA synthetases aminoacylate amino acids associated with XXY. Our working hypothesis expects bias for XXY codons in primordial RNAs, such as theoretical minimal RNA rings, designed in silico to mimic life's earliest RNAs. Twenty-five RNA rings have been computed, which code over a minimal length (22 nucleotides) for a start codon, stop codon, and one and only one codon for each of the 20 amino acids, and form stem-loop hairpins preventing degradation; these 25 minimal RNAs are the only ones matching these constraints and they seem homologous to consensus tRNA sequences. This similarity defined candidate RNA ring anticodons and corresponding cognate amino acids. Here, analyses of RNA ring codon contents confirm bias for XXY codons in 13 among 14 RNA rings with unequal XXY and YXX codon numbers. This bias increases with the genetic code integration order of the RNA ring's cognate amino acid across and within tRNA synthetase classes, suggesting that evolutionary processes, and not physicochemical constraints, produced the association between CDA and tRNA synthetase classes. The self-referential hypothesis for genetic code origin, a very complete genetic code evolutionary hypothesis integrating many translational machinery components, predicts best among genetic code evolutionary hypotheses CDA biases in RNA rings. The RNA rings' simple design inadvertently reproduces CDAs predicted by the genetic code's structure, confirming theoretical minimal RNA rings as good proxies for life's earliest RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacques Demongeot
- Laboratory AGEIS EA 7407, Faculty of Medicine, Team Tools for e-Gnosis Medical, Université Grenoble Alpes, La Tronche, France
| | - Hervé Seligmann
- The National Natural History Collections, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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Grimaldi G, Catara G, Palazzo L, Corteggio A, Valente C, Corda D. PARPs and PAR as novel pharmacological targets for the treatment of stress granule-associated disorders. Biochem Pharmacol 2019; 167:64-75. [PMID: 31102582 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2019.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Among the post-translational modifications, ADP-ribosylation has been for long time the least integrated in the scheme of the structural protein modifications affecting physiological functions. In spite of the original findings on bacterial-dependent ADP-ribosylation catalysed by toxins such as cholera and pertussis toxin, only with the discovery of the poly-ADP-ribosyl polymerase (PARP) family the field has finally expanded and the role of ADP-ribosylation has been recognised in both physiological and pathological processes, including cancer, infectious and neurodegenerative diseases. This is now a rapidly expanding field of investigation, centred on the role of the different PARPs and their substrates in various diseases, and on the potential of PARP inhibitors as novel pharmacological tools to be employed in relevant pathological context. In this review we analyse the role that members of the PARP family and poly-ADP-ribose (PAR; the product of PARP1 and PARP5a activity) play in the processes following the exposure of cells to different stresses. The cell response that arises following conditions such as heat, osmotic, oxidative stresses or viral infection relies on the formation of stress granules, which are transient cytoplasmic membrane-less structures, that include untranslated mRNA, specific proteins and PAR, this last one serving as the "collector" of all components (that bind to it in a non-covalent manner). The resulting phenotypes are cells in which translation, intracellular transport or pro-apoptotic pathways are reversibly inhibited, for the time the given stress holds. Interestingly, the formation of defective stress granules has been detected in diverse pathological conditions including neurological disorders and cancer. Analysing the molecular details of stress granule formation under these conditions offers a novel view on the pathogenesis of these diseases and, as a consequence, the possibility of identifying novel drug targets for their treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Grimaldi
- Institute of Protein Biochemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Via Pietro Castellino 111, Naples 80131, Italy.
| | - Giuliana Catara
- Institute of Protein Biochemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Via Pietro Castellino 111, Naples 80131, Italy
| | - Luca Palazzo
- Institute of Protein Biochemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Via Pietro Castellino 111, Naples 80131, Italy
| | - Annunziata Corteggio
- Institute of Protein Biochemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Via Pietro Castellino 111, Naples 80131, Italy
| | - Carmen Valente
- Institute of Protein Biochemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Via Pietro Castellino 111, Naples 80131, Italy
| | - Daniela Corda
- Institute of Protein Biochemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Via Pietro Castellino 111, Naples 80131, Italy.
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Demongeot J, Seligmann H. More Pieces of Ancient than Recent Theoretical Minimal Proto-tRNA-Like RNA Rings in Genes Coding for tRNA Synthetases. J Mol Evol 2019; 87:152-174. [DOI: 10.1007/s00239-019-09892-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Villarreal LP, Witzany G. That is life: communicating RNA networks from viruses and cells in continuous interaction. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1447:5-20. [PMID: 30865312 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Revised: 01/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
All the conserved detailed results of evolution stored in DNA must be read, transcribed, and translated via an RNA-mediated process. This is required for the development and growth of each individual cell. Thus, all known living organisms fundamentally depend on these RNA-mediated processes. In most cases, they are interconnected with other RNAs and their associated protein complexes and function in a strictly coordinated hierarchy of temporal and spatial steps (i.e., an RNA network). Clearly, all cellular life as we know it could not function without these key agents of DNA replication, namely rRNA, tRNA, and mRNA. Thus, any definition of life that lacks RNA functions and their networks misses an essential requirement for RNA agents that inherently regulate and coordinate (communicate to) cells, tissues, organs, and organisms. The precellular evolution of RNAs occurred at the core of the emergence of cellular life and the question remained of how both precellular and cellular levels are interconnected historically and functionally. RNA networks and RNA communication can interconnect these levels. With the reemergence of virology in evolution, it became clear that communicating viruses and subviral infectious genetic parasites are bridging these two levels by invading, integrating, coadapting, exapting, and recombining constituent parts in host genomes for cellular requirements in gene regulation and coordination aims. Therefore, a 21st century understanding of life is of an inherently social process based on communicating RNA networks, in which viruses and cells continuously interact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis P Villarreal
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, California
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Single-Frame, Multiple-Frame and Framing Motifs in Genes. Life (Basel) 2019; 9:life9010018. [PMID: 30744207 PMCID: PMC6463195 DOI: 10.3390/life9010018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2018] [Revised: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We study the distribution of new classes of motifs in genes, a research field that has not been investigated to date. A single-frame motif SF has no trinucleotide in reading frame (frame 0) that occurs in a shifted frame (frame 1 or 2), e.g., the dicodon AAACAA is SF as the trinucleotides AAA and CAA do not occur in a shifted frame. A motif which is not single-frame SF is multiple-frame MF. Several classes of MF motifs are defined and analysed. The distributions of single-frame SF motifs (associated with an unambiguous trinucleotide decoding in the two 5′–3′ and 3′–5′ directions) and 5′ unambiguous motifs 5′U (associated with an unambiguous trinucleotide decoding in the 5′–3′ direction only) are analysed without and with constraints. The constraints studied are: initiation and stop codons, periodic codons {AAA,CCC,GGG,TTT}, antiparallel complementarity and parallel complementarity. Taken together, these results suggest that the complementarity property involved in the antiparallel (DNA double helix, RNA stem) and parallel sequences could also be fundamental for coding genes with an unambiguous trinucleotide decoding in the two 5′–3′ and 3′–5′ directions or the 5′–3′ direction only. Furthermore, the single-frame motifs SF with a property of trinucleotide decoding and the framing motifs F (also called circular code motifs; first introduced by Michel (2012)) with a property of reading frame decoding may have been involved in the early life genes to build the modern genetic code and the extant genes. They could have been involved in the stage without anticodon-amino acid interactions or in the Implicated Site Nucleotides (ISN) of RNA interacting with the amino acids. Finally, the SF and MF dipeptides associated with the SF and MF dicodons, respectively, are studied and their importance for biology and the origin of life discussed.
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Zavolan M, Gerber AP. Mirroring the multifaceted role of
RNA
and its partners in gene expression. FEBS Lett 2018; 592:2825-2827. [DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - André P. Gerber
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences Department of Microbial Sciences School of Biosciences and Medicine University of Surrey Guildford UK
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