Pronounced and extensive microtubule defects in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae DIS3 mutant

DIS3 depletion in multiple myeloma causes extensive perturbation in cell cycle progression and centrosome amplification

DIS3 gene mutations occur in approximately 10% of patients with multiple myeloma (MM); furthermore, DIS3 expression can be affected by monosomy 13 and del(13q), found in roughly 40% of MM cases. Despite the high incidence of DIS3 mutations and deletions, the biological significance of DIS3 and its contribution to MM pathogenesis remain poorly understood. In this study we investigated the functional role of DIS3 in MM, by exploiting a loss-of-function approach in human MM cell lines. We found that DIS3 knockdown inhibits proliferation in MM cell lines and largely affects cell cycle progression of MM plasma cells, ultimately inducing a significant increase in the percentage of cells in the G0/G1 phase and a decrease in the S and G2/M phases. DIS3 plays an important role not only in the control of the MM plasma cell cycle, but also in the centrosome duplication cycle, which are strictly co-regulated in physiological conditions in the G1 phase. Indeed, DIS3 silencing leads to the formation of supernumerary centrosomes accompanied by the assembly of multipolar spindles during mitosis. In MM, centrosome amplification is present in about a third of patients and may represent a mechanism leading to genomic instability. These findings strongly prompt further studies investigating the relevance of DIS3 in the centrosome duplication process. Indeed, a combination of DIS3 defects and deficient spindle-assembly checkpoint can allow cells to progress through the cell cycle without proper chromosome segregation, generating aneuploid cells which ultimately lead to the development of MM.

Landscape of functional interactions of human processive ribonucleases revealed by high-throughput siRNA screenings

Processive exoribonucleases are executors of RNA decay. In humans, their physical but not functional interactions were thoughtfully investigated. Here we have screened cells deficient in DIS3, XRN2, EXOSC10, DIS3L, and DIS3L2 with a custom siRNA library and determined their genetic interactions (GIs) with diverse pathways of RNA metabolism. We uncovered a complex network of positive interactions that buffer alterations in RNA degradation and reveal reciprocal cooperation with genes involved in transcription, RNA export, and splicing. Further, we evaluated the functional distinctness of nuclear DIS3 and cytoplasmic DIS3L using a library of all known genes associated with RNA metabolism. Our analysis revealed that DIS3 mutation suppresses RNA splicing deficiency, while DIS3L GIs disclose the interplay of cytoplasmic RNA degradation with nuclear RNA processing. Finally, genome-wide DIS3 GI map uncovered relations with genes not directly involved in RNA metabolism, like microtubule organization or regulation of telomerase activity.

Exonuclease domain mutants of yeast DIS3 display genome instability

The exosome functions to regulate the cellular transcriptome through RNA biogenesis, surveillance, and decay. Mutations in Dis3, a catalytic subunit of the RNA exosome with separable endonuclease and exonuclease activities, are linked to multiple myeloma. Here we report that a cancer-associated DIS3 allele, dis3^E729K, provides evidence for DIS3 functioning in mitotic fidelity in yeast. This dis3^E729K allele does not induce defects in 7S→5.8S rRNA processing, although it elicits a requirement for P-body function. While it does not significantly influence cell cycle progression alone, the allele reduces the efficiency of cell cycle arrest in strains with defects in kinetochore assembly. Finally, point mutations in the exonuclease domains of yeast Dis3 elicit genome instability phenotypes; however, these DIS3 mutations do not increase DNA damage or RNA processing defects that lead to the accumulation of polyadenylated RNA in the nucleus. These data suggest that specific DIS3 activities support mitotic fidelity in yeast.

The RNA Exosome and Human Disease

The evolutionarily conserved RNA exosome is a multisubunit ribonuclease complex that processes and/or degrades numerous RNAs. Recently, mutations in genes encoding both structural and catalytic subunits of the RNA exosome have been linked to human disease. Mutations in the structural exosome gene EXOSC2 cause a distinct syndrome that includes retinitis pigmentosa, hearing loss, and mild intellectual disability. In contrast, mutations in the structural exosome genes EXOSC3 and EXOSC8 cause pontocerebellar hypoplasia type 1b (PCH1b) and type 1c (PCH1c), respectively, which are related autosomal recessive, neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, mutations in the structural exosome gene EXOSC9 cause a PCH-like disease with cerebellar atrophy and spinal motor neuronopathy. Finally, mutations in the catalytic exosome gene DIS3 have been linked to multiple myeloma, a neoplasm of plasma B cells. How mutations in these RNA exosome genes lead to distinct, tissue-specific diseases is not currently well understood. In this chapter, we examine the role of the RNA exosome complex in human disease and discuss the mechanisms by which mutations in different exosome subunit genes could impair RNA exosome function and give rise to diverse diseases.

Identification of Recessive Lethal Alleles in the Diploid Genome of a Candida albicans Laboratory Strain Unveils a Potential Role of Repetitive Sequences in Buffering Their Deleterious Impact

The heterozygous diploid genome of Candida albicans is highly plastic, with frequent loss of heterozygosity (LOH) events. In the SC5314 laboratory strain, while LOH events are ubiquitous, a chromosome homozygosis bias is observed for certain chromosomes, whereby only one of the two homologs can occur in the homozygous state. This suggests the occurrence of recessive lethal allele(s) (RLA) preventing large-scale LOH events on these chromosomes from being stably maintained. To verify the presence of an RLA on chromosome 7 (Chr7), we utilized a system that allows (i) DNA double-strand break (DSB) induction on Chr7 by the I-SceI endonuclease and (ii) detection of the resulting long-range homozygosis. I-SceI successfully induced a DNA DSB on both Chr7 homologs, generally repaired by gene conversion. Notably, cells homozygous for the right arm of Chr7B were not recovered, confirming the presence of RLA(s) in this region. Genome data mining for RLA candidates identified a premature nonsense-generating single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within the HapB allele of C7_03400c whose Saccharomyces cerevisiae ortholog encodes the essential Mtr4 RNA helicase. Complementation with a wild-type copy of MTR4 rescued cells homozygous for the right arm of Chr7B, demonstrating that the mtr4^K880* RLA is responsible for the Chr7 homozygosis bias in strain SC5314. Furthermore, we observed that the major repeat sequences (MRS) on Chr7 acted as hot spots for interhomolog recombination. Such recombination events provide C. albicans with increased opportunities to survive DNA DSBs whose repair can lead to homozygosis of recessive lethal or deleterious alleles. This might explain the maintenance of MRS in this species.IMPORTANCE Candida albicans is a major fungal pathogen, whose mode of reproduction is mainly clonal. Its genome is highly tolerant to rearrangements, in particular loss of heterozygosity events, known to unmask recessive lethal and deleterious alleles in heterozygous diploid organisms such as C. albicans By combining a site-specific DSB-inducing system and mining genome sequencing data of 182 C. albicans isolates, we were able to ascribe the chromosome 7 homozygosis bias of the C. albicans laboratory strain SC5314 to an heterozygous SNP introducing a premature STOP codon in the MTR4 gene. We have also proposed genome-wide candidates for new recessive lethal alleles. We additionally observed that the major repeat sequences (MRS) on chromosome 7 acted as hot spots for interhomolog recombination. Maintaining MRS in C. albicans could favor haplotype exchange, of vital importance to LOH events, leading to homozygosis of recessive lethal or deleterious alleles that inevitably accumulate upon clonality.

Regulation of cytoplasmic RNA stability: Lessons from Drosophila

The process of RNA degradation is a critical level of regulation contributing to the control of gene expression. In the last two decades a number of studies have shown the specific and targeted nature of RNA decay and its importance in maintaining homeostasis. The key players within the pathways of RNA decay are well conserved with their mutation or disruption resulting in distinct phenotypes as well as human disease. Model organisms including Drosophila melanogaster have played a substantial role in elucidating the mechanisms conferring control over RNA stability. A particular advantage of this model organism is that the functions of ribonucleases can be assessed in the context of natural cells within tissues in addition to individual immortalized cells in culture. Drosophila RNA stability research has demonstrated how the cytoplasmic decay machines, such as the exosome, Dis3L2 and Xrn1, are responsible for regulating specific processes including apoptosis, proliferation, wound healing and fertility. The work discussed here has begun to identify specific mRNA transcripts that appear sensitive to specific decay pathways representing mechanisms through which the ribonucleases control mRNA stability. Drosophila research has also contributed to our knowledge of how specific RNAs are targeted to the ribonucleases including AU rich elements, miRNA targeting and 3' tailing. Increased understanding of these mechanisms is critical to elucidating the control elicited by the cytoplasmic ribonucleases which is relevant to human disease. This article is categorized under: RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Development RNA Turnover and Surveillance > Regulation of RNA Stability RNA Turnover and Surveillance > Turnover/Surveillance Mechanisms.

Loss of the RNA helicase SKIV2L2 impairs mitotic progression and replication-dependent histone mRNA turnover in murine cell lines

RNA surveillance via the nuclear exosome requires cofactors such as the helicase SKIV2L2 to process and degrade certain noncoding RNAs. This research aimed to characterize the phenotype associated with RNAi knockdown of Skiv2l2 in two murine cancer cell lines: Neuro2A and P19. SKIV2L2 depletion in Neuro2A and P19 cells induced changes in gene expression indicative of cell differentiation and reduced cellular proliferation by 30%. Propidium iodide-based cell-cycle analysis of Skiv2l2 knockdown cells revealed defective progression through the G2/M phase and an accumulation of mitotic cells, suggesting SKIV2L2 contributes to mitotic progression. Since SKIV2L2 targets RNAs to the nuclear exosome for processing and degradation, we identified RNA targets elevated in cells depleted of SKIV2L2 that could account for the observed twofold increase in mitotic cells. Skiv2l2 knockdown cells accumulated replication-dependent histone mRNAs, among other RNAs, that could impede mitotic progression and indirectly trigger differentiation.

Functional characterization of a chr13q22.1 pancreatic cancer risk locus reveals long-range interaction and allele-specific effects on DIS3 expression

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified multiple common susceptibility loci for pancreatic cancer. Here we report fine-mapping and functional analysis of one such locus residing in a 610 kb gene desert on chr13q22.1 (marked by rs9543325). The closest candidate genes, KLF5, KLF12, PIBF1, DIS3 and BORA, range in distance from 265-586 kb. Sequencing three sub-regions containing the top ranked SNPs by imputation P-value revealed a 30 bp insertion/deletion (indel) variant that was significantly associated with pancreatic cancer risk (rs386772267, P = 2.30 × 10-11, OR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.15-1.28) and highly correlated to rs9543325 (r2 = 0.97 in the 1000 Genomes EUR population). This indel was the most significant cis-eQTL variant in a set of 222 histologically normal pancreatic tissue samples (β = 0.26, P = 0.004), with the insertion (risk-increasing) allele associated with reduced DIS3 expression. DIS3 encodes a catalytic subunit of the nuclear RNA exosome complex that mediates RNA processing and decay, and is mutated in several cancers. Chromosome conformation capture revealed a long range (570 kb) physical interaction between a sub-region of the risk locus, containing rs386772267, and a region ∼6 kb upstream of DIS3 Finally, repressor regulatory activity and allele-specific protein binding by transcription factors of the TCF/LEF family were observed for the risk-increasing allele of rs386772267, indicating that expression regulation at this risk locus may be influenced by the Wnt signaling pathway. In conclusion, we have identified a putative functional indel variant at chr13q22.1 that associates with decreased DIS3 expression in carriers of pancreatic cancer risk-increasing alleles, and could therefore affect nuclear RNA processing and/or decay.

The 3' to 5' Exoribonuclease DIS3: From Structure and Mechanisms to Biological Functions and Role in Human Disease

DIS3 is a conserved exoribonuclease and catalytic subunit of the exosome, a protein complex involved in the 3' to 5' degradation and processing of both nuclear and cytoplasmic RNA species. Recently, aberrant expression of DIS3 has been found to be implicated in a range of different cancers. Perhaps most striking is the finding that DIS3 is recurrently mutated in 11% of multiple myeloma patients. Much work has been done to elucidate the structural and biochemical characteristics of DIS3, including the mechanistic details of its role as an effector of RNA decay pathways. Nevertheless, we do not understand how DIS3 mutations can lead to cancer. There are a number of studies that pertain to the function of DIS3 at the organismal level. Mutant phenotypes in S. pombe, S. cerevisiae and Drosophila suggest DIS3 homologues have a common role in cell-cycle progression and microtubule assembly. DIS3 has also recently been implicated in antibody diversification of mouse B-cells. This article aims to review current knowledge of the structure, mechanisms and functions of DIS3 as well as highlighting the genetic patterns observed within myeloma patients, in order to yield insight into the putative role of DIS3 mutations in oncogenesis.

The RNA exosome affects iron response and sensitivity to oxidative stress

RNA degradation plays important roles for maintaining temporal control and fidelity of gene expression, as well as processing of transcripts. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae the RNA exosome is a major 3'-to-5' exoribonuclease and also has an endonuclease domain of unknown function. Here we report a physiological role for the exosome in response to a stimulus. We show that inactivating the exoribonuclease active site of Rrp44 up-regulates the iron uptake regulon. This up-regulation is caused by increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the mutant. Elevated ROS also causes hypersensitivity to H2O2, which can be reduced by the addition of iron to H2O2 stressed cells. Finally, we show that the previously characterized slow growth phenotype of rrp44-exo(-) is largely ameliorated during fermentative growth. While the molecular functions of Rrp44 and the RNA exosome have been extensively characterized, our studies characterize how this molecular function affects the physiology of the organism.

Mechanisms of genome instability induced by RNA-processing defects

The role of normal transcription and RNA processing in maintaining genome integrity is becoming increasingly appreciated in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans. Several mutations in RNA biogenesis factors have been implicated in human cancers, but the mechanisms and potential connections to tumor genome instability are not clear. Here, we discuss how RNA-processing defects could destabilize genomes through mutagenic R-loop structures and by altering expression of genes required for genome stability. A compelling body of evidence now suggests that researchers should be directly testing these mechanisms in models of human cancer.

An evolutionarily conserved RNase-based mechanism for repression of transcriptional positive autoregulation

It is known that environmental context influences the degree of regulation at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. However, the principles governing the differential usage and interplay of regulation at these two levels are not clear. Here, we show that the integration of transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms in a characteristic network motif drives efficient environment-dependent state transitions. Through phenotypic screening, systems analysis, and rigorous experimental validation, we discovered an RNase (VNG2099C) in Halobacterium salinarum that is transcriptionally co-regulated with genes of the aerobic physiologic state but acts on transcripts of the anaerobic state. Through modelling and experimentation we show that this arrangement generates an efficient state-transition switch, within which RNase-repression of a transcriptional positive autoregulation (RPAR) loop is critical for shutting down ATP-consuming active potassium uptake to conserve energy required for salinity adaptation under aerobic, high potassium, or dark conditions. Subsequently, we discovered that many Escherichia coli operons with energy-associated functions are also putatively controlled by RPAR indicating that this network motif may have evolved independently in phylogenetically distant organisms. Thus, our data suggest that interplay of transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation in the RPAR motif is a generalized principle for efficient environment-dependent state transitions across prokaryotes.

The RNase II/RNB family of exoribonucleases: putting the 'Dis' in disease

Important findings over the last years have shed new light onto the mechanistic details of RNA degradation by members of the RNase II/RNB family of exoribonucleases. Members of this family have been shown to be involved in growth, normal chloroplast biogenesis, mitotic control and cancer. Recently, different publications have linked human orthologs (Dis3 and Dis3L2) to important human diseases. This article describes the structural and biochemical characteristics of members of this family of enzymes, and the physiological implications that relate them with disease.

Comparison of the yeast and human nuclear exosome complexes

Most RNAs in eukaryotic cells are produced as precursors that undergo processing at the 3' and/or 5' end to generate the mature transcript. In addition, many transcripts are degraded not only as part of normal recycling, but also when recognized as aberrant by the RNA surveillance machinery. The exosome, a conserved multiprotein complex containing two nucleases, is involved in both the 3' processing and the turnover of many RNAs in the cell. A series of factors, including the TRAMP (Trf4-Air2-Mtr4 polyadenylation) complex, Mpp6 and Rrp47, help to define the targets to be processed and/or degraded and assist in exosome function. The majority of the data on the exosome and RNA maturation/decay have been derived from work performed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In the present paper, we provide an overview of the exosome and its role in RNA processing/degradation and discuss important new insights into exosome composition and function in human cells.

The ribonuclease Dis3 is an essential regulator of the developmental transcriptome

Background

Dis3 is ribonuclease that acts directly in the processing, turnover, and surveillance of a large number of distinct RNA species. Evolutionarily conserved from eubacteria to eukaryotes and a crucial component of the RNA processing exosome, Dis3 has been shown to be essential in yeast and fly S2 cells. However, it is not known whether Dis3 has essential functions in a metazoan. This study inquires whether Dis3 is required for Drosophila development and viability and how Dis3 regulates the transcriptome in the developing fly.

Results

Using transgenic flies, we show that Dis3 knock down (Dis3KD) retards growth, induces melanotic tumor formation, and ultimately results in 2^nd instar larval lethality. In order to determine whether Dis3KD fly phenotypes were a consequence of disrupting developmentally regulated RNA turnover, we performed RNA deep sequencing analysis on total RNA isolated from developmentally staged animals. Bioinformatic analysis of transcripts from Dis3KD flies reveals substantial transcriptomic changes, most notably down-regulation in early expressed RNAs. Finally, gene ontology analysis of this early stage shows that Dis3 regulates transcripts related to extracellular structure and remodelling, neurogenesis, and nucleotide metabolism.

Conclusions

We conclude that Dis3 is essential for early Drosophila melanogaster development and has specific and important stage-specific roles in regulating RNA metabolism. In showing for the first time that Dis3 is required for the development of a multicellular organism, our work provides mechanistic insight into how Dis3—either independent of or associated with the RNA processing exosome—participates in cell type-specific RNA turnover in metazoan development.

Dis3- and exosome subunit-responsive 3' mRNA instability elements

Eukaryotic RNA turnover is regulated in part by the exosome, a nuclear and cytoplasmic complex of ribonucleases (RNases) and RNA-binding proteins. The major RNase of the complex is thought to be Dis3, a multi-functional 3'-5' exoribonuclease and endoribonuclease. Although it is known that Dis3 and core exosome subunits are recruited to transcriptionally active genes and to messenger RNA (mRNA) substrates, this recruitment is thought to occur indirectly. We sought to discover cis-acting elements that recruit Dis3 or other exosome subunits. Using a bioinformatic tool called RNA SCOPE to screen the 3' untranslated regions of up-regulated transcripts from our published Dis3 depletion-derived transcriptomic data set, we identified several motifs as candidate instability elements. Secondary screening using a luciferase reporter system revealed that one cassette-harboring four elements-destabilized the reporter transcript. RNAi-based depletion of Dis3, Rrp6, Rrp4, Rrp40, or Rrp46 diminished the efficacy of cassette-mediated destabilization. Truncation analysis of the cassette showed that two exosome subunit-sensitive elements (ESSEs) destabilized the reporter. Point-directed mutagenesis of ESSE abrogated the destabilization effect. An examination of the transcriptomic data from exosome subunit depletion-based microarrays revealed that mRNAs with ESSEs are found in every up-regulated mRNA data set but are underrepresented or missing from the down-regulated data sets. Taken together, our findings imply a potentially novel mechanism of mRNA turnover that involves direct Dis3 and other exosome subunit recruitment to and/or regulation on mRNA substrates.