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Cui L, Zheng Y, Xu R, Lin Y, Zheng J, Lin P, Guo B, Sun S, Zhao X. Alternative pre-mRNA splicing in stem cell function and therapeutic potential: A critical review of current evidence. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 268:131781. [PMID: 38657924 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131781] [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] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Alternative splicing is a crucial regulator in stem cell biology, intricately influencing the functions of various biological macromolecules, particularly pre-mRNAs and the resultant protein isoforms. This regulatory mechanism is vital in determining stem cell pluripotency, differentiation, and proliferation. Alternative splicing's role in allowing single genes to produce multiple protein isoforms facilitates the proteomic diversity that is essential for stem cells' functional complexity. This review delves into the critical impact of alternative splicing on cellular functions, focusing on its interaction with key macromolecules and how this affects cellular behavior. We critically examine how alternative splicing modulates the function and stability of pre-mRNAs, leading to diverse protein expressions that govern stem cell characteristics, including pluripotency, self-renewal, survival, proliferation, differentiation, aging, migration, somatic reprogramming, and genomic stability. Furthermore, the review discusses the therapeutic potential of targeting alternative splicing-related pathways in disease treatment, particularly focusing on the modulation of RNA and protein interactions. We address the challenges and future prospects in this field, underscoring the need for further exploration to unravel the complex interplay between alternative splicing, RNA, proteins, and stem cell behaviors, which is crucial for advancing our understanding and therapeutic approaches in regenerative medicine and disease treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Cui
- Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, Guangdong, China.
| | - Yucheng Zheng
- Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, Guangdong, China
| | - Rongwei Xu
- Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, Guangdong, China; Hospital of Stomatology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563000, China
| | - Yunfan Lin
- Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, Guangdong, China
| | - Jiarong Zheng
- Department of Dentistry, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Pei Lin
- Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, Guangdong, China
| | - Bing Guo
- Department of Dentistry, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Shuyu Sun
- Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, Guangdong, China
| | - Xinyuan Zhao
- Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, Guangdong, China.
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Janssen BDE, van den Boogaard MJH, Lichtenbelt K, Seaby EG, Stals K, Ellard S, Newbury-Ecob R, Dixit A, Roht L, Pajusalu S, Õunap K, Firth HV, Buckley M, Wilson M, Roscioli T, Tidwell T, Mao R, Ennis S, Holwerda SJ, van Gassen K, van Jaarsveld RH. De novo putative loss-of-function variants in TAF4 are associated with a neuro-developmental disorder. Hum Mutat 2022; 43:1844-1851. [PMID: 35904126 PMCID: PMC10087332 DOI: 10.1002/humu.24444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
TATA-binding protein associated factor 4 (TAF4) is a subunit of the Transcription Factor IID (TFIID) complex, a central player in transcription initiation. Other members of this multimeric complex have been implicated previously as monogenic disease genes in human developmental disorders. TAF4 has not been described to date as a monogenic disease gene. We here present a cohort of eight individuals, each carrying de novo putative loss-of-function (pLoF) variants in TAF4 and expressing phenotypes consistent with a neuro-developmental disorder (NDD). Common features include intellectual disability, abnormal behavior, and facial dysmorphisms. We propose TAF4 as a novel dominant disease gene for NDD, and coin this novel disorder "TAF4-related NDD" (T4NDD). We place T4NDD in the context of other disorders related to TFIID subunits, revealing shared features of T4NDD with other TAF-opathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beau D E Janssen
- Department of Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Klaske Lichtenbelt
- Department of Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Eleanor G Seaby
- Genomic Informatics Group, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Karen Stals
- Exeter Genomic Laboratory, Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, UK
| | - Sian Ellard
- Exeter Genomic Laboratory, Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, UK.,Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK
| | - Ruth Newbury-Ecob
- Clinical Genetics, St Michael's Hospital Bristol, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK
| | - Abhijit Dixit
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Laura Roht
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Tartu University, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Sander Pajusalu
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Tartu University, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Katrin Õunap
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Tartu University, Tartu, Estonia
| | | | - Michael Buckley
- Randwick Genomics laboratory, New South Wales Health Pathology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Meredith Wilson
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Children's Hospital at Westmead, and Discipline of Genomic Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Tony Roscioli
- Randwick Genomics laboratory, New South Wales Health Pathology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Neurosciences Research Australia, University of NSW, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia.,Randwick Genomics laboratory, New South Wales Health Pathology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Rong Mao
- ARUP Laboratories, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.,Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Sarah Ennis
- Genomic Informatics Group, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Sjoerd J Holwerda
- Department of Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Koen van Gassen
- Department of Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Combining exome/genome sequencing with data repository analysis reveals novel gene-disease associations for a wide range of genetic disorders. Genet Med 2021; 23:1551-1568. [PMID: 33875846 PMCID: PMC8354858 DOI: 10.1038/s41436-021-01159-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Within this study, we aimed to discover novel gene-disease associations in patients with no genetic diagnosis after exome/genome sequencing (ES/GS). METHODS We followed two approaches: (1) a patient-centered approach, which after routine diagnostic analysis systematically interrogates variants in genes not yet associated to human diseases; and (2) a gene variant centered approach. For the latter, we focused on de novo variants in patients that presented with neurodevelopmental delay (NDD) and/or intellectual disability (ID), which are the most common reasons for genetic testing referrals. Gene-disease association was assessed using our data repository that combines ES/GS data and Human Phenotype Ontology terms from over 33,000 patients. RESULTS We propose six novel gene-disease associations based on 38 patients with variants in the BLOC1S1, IPO8, MMP15, PLK1, RAP1GDS1, and ZNF699 genes. Furthermore, our results support causality of 31 additional candidate genes that had little published evidence and no registered OMIM phenotype (56 patients). The phenotypes included syndromic/nonsyndromic NDD/ID, oral-facial-digital syndrome, cardiomyopathies, malformation syndrome, short stature, skeletal dysplasia, and ciliary dyskinesia. CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate the value of data repositories which combine clinical and genetic data for discovering and confirming gene-disease associations. Genetic laboratories should be encouraged to pursue such analyses for the benefit of undiagnosed patients and their families.
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Kazantseva J, Sadam H, Neuman T, Palm K. Targeted alternative splicing of TAF4: a new strategy for cell reprogramming. Sci Rep 2016; 6:30852. [PMID: 27499390 PMCID: PMC4976350 DOI: 10.1038/srep30852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Accepted: 07/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Reprogramming of somatic cells has become a versatile tool for biomedical research and for regenerative medicine. In the current study, we show that manipulating alternative splicing (AS) is a highly potent strategy to produce cells for therapeutic applications. We demonstrate that silencing of hTAF4-TAFH activity of TAF4 converts human facial dermal fibroblasts to melanocyte-like (iMel) cells. iMel cells produce melanin and express microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) and its target genes at levels comparable to normal melanocytes. Reprogramming of melanoma cells by manipulation with hTAF4-TAFH activity upon TAFH RNAi enforces cell differentiation towards chondrogenic pathway, whereas ectoptic expression of TAF4 results in enhanced multipotency and neural crest-like features in melanoma cells. In both cell states, iMels and cancer cells, hTAF4-TAFH activity controls migration by supporting E- to N-cadherin switches. From our data, we conclude that targeted splicing of hTAF4-TAFH coordinates AS of other TFIID subunits, underscoring the role of TAF4 in synchronised changes of Pol II complex composition essential for efficient cellular reprogramming. Taken together, targeted AS of TAF4 provides a unique strategy for generation of iMels and recapitulating stages of melanoma progression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Helle Sadam
- Protobios LLC, Tallinn, Estonia.,The Department of Gene Technology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
| | | | - Kaia Palm
- Protobios LLC, Tallinn, Estonia.,The Department of Gene Technology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
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Diversity in TAF proteomics: consequences for cellular differentiation and migration. Int J Mol Sci 2014; 15:16680-97. [PMID: 25244017 PMCID: PMC4200853 DOI: 10.3390/ijms150916680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Revised: 08/25/2014] [Accepted: 08/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Development is a highly controlled process of cell proliferation and differentiation driven by mechanisms of dynamic gene regulation. Specific DNA binding factors for establishing cell- and tissue-specific transcriptional programs have been characterised in different cell and animal models. However, much less is known about the role of “core transcription machinery” during cell differentiation, given that general transcription factors and their spatiotemporally patterned activity govern different aspects of cell function. In this review, we focus on the role of TATA-box associated factor 4 (TAF4) and its functional isoforms generated by alternative splicing in controlling lineage-specific differentiation of normal mesenchymal stem cells and cancer stem cells. In the light of our recent findings, induction, control and maintenance of cell differentiation status implies diversification of the transcription initiation apparatus orchestrated by alternative splicing.
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