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Zhai R, Ruan K, Perez GF, Kubat M, Liu J, Hofacker I, Wuchty S. MicroRNA-Mediated Obstruction of Stem-loop Alternative Splicing (MIMOSAS): a global mechanism for the regulation of alternative splicing. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2977025. [PMID: 37546804 PMCID: PMC10402249 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2977025/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
While RNA secondary structures are critical to regulate alternative splicing of long-range pre-mRNA, the factors that modulate RNA structure and interfere with the recognition of the splice sites are largely unknown. Previously, we identified a small, non-coding microRNA that sufficiently affects stable stem structure formation of Nmnat pre-mRNA to regulate the outcomes of alternative splicing. However, the fundamental question remains whether such microRNA-mediated interference with RNA secondary structures is a global molecular mechanism for regulating mRNA splicing. We designed and refined a bioinformatic pipeline to predict candidate microRNAs that potentially interfere with pre-mRNA stem-loop structures, and experimentally verified splicing predictions of three different long-range pre-mRNAs in the Drosophila model system. Specifically, we observed that microRNAs can either disrupt or stabilize stem-loop structures to influence splicing outcomes. Our study suggests that MicroRNA-Mediated Obstruction of Stem-loop Alternative Splicing (MIMOSAS) is a novel regulatory mechanism for the transcriptome-wide regulation of alternative splicing, increases the repertoire of microRNA function and further indicates cellular complexity of post-transcriptional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kai Ruan
- University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine
| | | | | | - Jiaqi Liu
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
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Ruan K, Perez GF, Liu J, Kubat M, Hofacker I, Wuchty S, Zhai RG. MicroRNA-Mediated Obstruction of Stem-loop Alternative Splicing (MIMOSAS): a global mechanism for the regulation of alternative splicing. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.14.536877. [PMID: 37425843 PMCID: PMC10327045 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.14.536877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
While RNA secondary structures are critical to regulate alternative splicing of long-range pre-mRNA, the factors that modulate RNA structure and interfere with the recognition of the splice sites are largely unknown. Previously, we identified a small, non-coding microRNA that sufficiently affects stable stem structure formation of Nmnat pre-mRNA to regulate the outcomes of alternative splicing. However, the fundamental question remains whether such microRNA-mediated interference with RNA secondary structures is a global molecular mechanism for regulating mRNA splicing. We designed and refined a bioinformatic pipeline to predict candidate microRNAs that potentially interfere with pre-mRNA stem-loop structures, and experimentally verified splicing predictions of three different long-range pre-mRNAs in the Drosophila model system. Specifically, we observed that microRNAs can either disrupt or stabilize stem-loop structures to influence splicing outcomes. Our study suggests that MicroRNA-Mediated Obstruction of Stem-loop Alternative Splicing (MIMOSAS) is a novel regulatory mechanism for the transcriptome-wide regulation of alternative splicing, increases the repertoire of microRNA function and further indicates cellular complexity of post-transcriptional regulation. One-Sentence Summary MicroRNA-Mediated Obstruction of Stem-loop Alternative Splicing (MIMOSAS) is a novel regulatory mechanism for the transcriptome-wide regulation of alternative splicing.
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Lu MY, Chtarbanova S. The role of micro RNAs (miRNAs) in the regulation of Drosophila melanogaster's innate immunity. Fly (Austin) 2022; 16:382-396. [PMID: 36412256 PMCID: PMC9683055 DOI: 10.1080/19336934.2022.2149204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs ~19-22 nt long which post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. Their ability to exhibit dynamic expression patterns coupled with their wide variety of targets allows miRNAs to regulate many processes, including the innate immune response of Drosophila melanogaster. Recent studies have identified miRNAs in Drosophila which are differentially expressed during infection with different pathogens as well as miRNAs that may affect immune signalling when differentially expressed. This review provides an overview of miRNAswhich have been identified to play a role in the immune response of Drosophila through targeting of the Toll and IMD signalling pathways and other immune processes. It will also explore the role of miRNAs in fine-tuning the immune response in Drosophila and highlight current gaps in knowledge regarding the role of miRNAs in immunity and areas for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Yang Lu
- Department of Biological Sciences, the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
| | - Stanislava Chtarbanova
- Department of Biological Sciences, the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA,Center for Convergent Bioscience & Medicine, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA,Alabama Life Research Institute, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA,CONTACT Stanislava Chtarbanova Department of Biological Sciences, the University of Alabama, 300, Hackberry Ln, Tuscaloosa, AL-35487, USA
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Mukherjee S, Sokol N. Resources and Methods for the Analysis of MicroRNA Function in Drosophila. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2540:79-92. [PMID: 35980573 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2541-5_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Since the widespread discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) 20 years ago, the Drosophila melanogaster model system has made important contributions to understanding the biology of this class of noncoding RNAs. These contributions are based on the amenability of this model system not only for biochemical analysis but molecular, genetic, and cell biological analyses as well. Nevertheless, while the Drosophila genome is now known to encode 258 miRNA precursors, the function of only a small minority of these have been well characterized. In this review, we summarize the current resources and methods that are available to study miRNA function in Drosophila with a particular focus on the large-scale resources that enable systematic analysis. Application of these methods will accelerate the discovery of ways that miRNAs are embedded into genetic networks that control basic features of metazoan cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicholas Sokol
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.
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Gamez S, Srivastav S, Akbari OS, Lau NC. Diverse Defenses: A Perspective Comparing Dipteran Piwi-piRNA Pathways. Cells 2020; 9:E2180. [PMID: 32992598 PMCID: PMC7601171 DOI: 10.3390/cells9102180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals face the dual threat of virus infections hijacking cellular function and transposons proliferating in germline genomes. For insects, the deeply conserved RNA interference (RNAi) pathways and other chromatin regulators provide an important line of defense against both viruses and transposons. For example, this innate immune system displays adaptiveness to new invasions by generating cognate small RNAs for targeting gene silencing measures against the viral and genomic intruders. However, within the Dipteran clade of insects, Drosophilid fruit flies and Culicids mosquitoes have evolved several unique mechanistic aspects of their RNAi defenses to combat invading transposons and viruses, with the Piwi-piRNA arm of the RNAi pathways showing the greatest degree of novel evolution. Whereas central features of Piwi-piRNA pathways are conserved between Drosophilids and Culicids, multiple lineage-specific innovations have arisen that may reflect distinct genome composition differences and specific ecological and physiological features dividing these two branches of Dipterans. This perspective review focuses on the most recent findings illuminating the Piwi/piRNA pathway distinctions between fruit flies and mosquitoes, and raises open questions that need to be addressed in order to ameliorate human diseases caused by pathogenic viruses that mosquitoes transmit as vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Gamez
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA; (S.G.); (O.S.A.)
| | - Satyam Srivastav
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-2703, USA;
| | - Omar S. Akbari
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA; (S.G.); (O.S.A.)
| | - Nelson C. Lau
- Department of Biochemistry and Genome Science Institute, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
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You L, Bi HL, Wang YH, Li XW, Chen XE, Li ZQ. CRISPR/Cas9-based mutation reveals Argonaute 1 is essential for pigmentation in Ostrinia furnacalis. INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 26:1020-1028. [PMID: 29938905 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 05/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Ostrinia furnacalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is one of the most destructive agricultural pests in Asia. Traditional pest-management methods include sex pheromone capture, transgenic crops that produce Bacillus thuringiensis toxin, and pesticides. Although these strategies control pest populations effectively, they also cause negative side effects, including dramatically increased pesticide resistance, severe pollution, and hazards for human health. Recently developed genome editing tools provide new prospects for pest management and have been successfully used in several species. However, few examples have been reported in the agricultural pest O. furnacalis due to a lack in genomic information. In this report, we identified only one transcript of O. furnacalis Argonaute 1 (OfAgo1) gene from the genome and cloned the open reading frame. OfAgo1 presented the maximum expression at the embryo stage or in the fat body during the larval stages. To understand its function, an OfAgo1 mutant was constructed using the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat/RNA-guided Cas9 nuclease (CRISPR/Cas9). Mutagenesis of OfAgo1 disrupted cuticle pigmentation by down-regulating micro RNAs and pigmentation-related genes. This is the first report for the cloning and functional analysis of OfAgo1, revealing a role of OfAgo1 in cuticle pigmentation. The current report also established a CRISPR/Cas9 system in O. furnacalis, providing a new insight for pest management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lang You
- CAS Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Hong-Lun Bi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yao-Hui Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao-Wei Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xi-En Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhi-Qian Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
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Park J, Zhu Y, Tao X, Brazill JM, Li C, Wuchty S, Zhai RG. MicroRNA miR-1002 Enhances NMNAT-Mediated Stress Response by Modulating Alternative Splicing. iScience 2019; 19:1048-1064. [PMID: 31522116 PMCID: PMC6745518 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.08.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding endogenous regulation of stress resistance and homeostasis maintenance is critical to developing neuroprotective therapies. Nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase (NMNAT) is a conserved essential enzyme that confers extraordinary protection and stress resistance in many neurodegenerative disease models. Drosophila Nmnat is alternatively spliced to two mRNA variants, RA and RB. RB translates to protein isoform PD with robust protective activity and is upregulated upon stress to confer enhanced neuroprotection. The mechanisms regulating the alternative splicing and stress response of NMNAT remain unclear. We have discovered a Drosophila microRNA, dme-miR-1002, which promotes the splicing of NMNAT pre-mRNA to RB by disrupting a pre-mRNA stem-loop structure. NMNAT pre-mRNA is preferentially spliced to RA in basal conditions, whereas miR-1002 enhances NMNAT PD-mediated stress protection by binding via RISC component Argonaute1 to the pre-mRNA, facilitating the splicing switch to RB. These results outline a new process for microRNAs in regulating alternative splicing and modulating stress resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joun Park
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Program in Neuroscience, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Yi Zhu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Program in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Xianzun Tao
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Jennifer M Brazill
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Program in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Chong Li
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Program in Human Genetics and Genomics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Stefan Wuchty
- Department of Computer Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - R Grace Zhai
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Program in Neuroscience, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Program in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Program in Human Genetics and Genomics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
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