1
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Schartl M, Woltering JM, Irisarri I, Du K, Kneitz S, Pippel M, Brown T, Franchini P, Li J, Li M, Adolfi M, Winkler S, de Freitas Sousa J, Chen Z, Jacinto S, Kvon EZ, Correa de Oliveira LR, Monteiro E, Baia Amaral D, Burmester T, Chalopin D, Suh A, Myers E, Simakov O, Schneider I, Meyer A. The genomes of all lungfish inform on genome expansion and tetrapod evolution. Nature 2024; 634:96-103. [PMID: 39143221 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07830-1] [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: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
The genomes of living lungfishes can inform on the molecular-developmental basis of the Devonian sarcopterygian fish-tetrapod transition. We de novo sequenced the genomes of the African (Protopterus annectens) and South American lungfishes (Lepidosiren paradoxa). The Lepidosiren genome (about 91 Gb, roughly 30 times the human genome) is the largest animal genome sequenced so far and more than twice the size of the Australian (Neoceratodus forsteri)1 and African2 lungfishes owing to enlarged intergenic regions and introns with high repeat content (about 90%). All lungfish genomes continue to expand as some transposable elements (TEs) are still active today. In particular, Lepidosiren's genome grew extremely fast during the past 100 million years (Myr), adding the equivalent of one human genome every 10 Myr. This massive genome expansion seems to be related to a reduction of PIWI-interacting RNAs and C2H2 zinc-finger and Krüppel-associated box (KRAB)-domain protein genes that suppress TE expansions. Although TE abundance facilitates chromosomal rearrangements, lungfish chromosomes still conservatively reflect the ur-tetrapod karyotype. Neoceratodus' limb-like fins still resemble those of their extinct relatives and remained phenotypically static for about 100 Myr. We show that the secondary loss of limb-like appendages in the Lepidosiren-Protopterus ancestor was probably due to loss of sonic hedgehog limb-specific enhancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred Schartl
- Developmental Biochemistry, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
- The Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA.
- Research Department for Limnology, University of Innsbruck, Mondsee, Austria.
| | | | - Iker Irisarri
- Centre for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Museum of Nature, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kang Du
- The Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
| | - Susanne Kneitz
- Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Martin Pippel
- Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
- DRESDEN-concept Genome Center (DcGC), Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Thomas Brown
- Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
- DRESDEN-concept Genome Center (DcGC), Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo & Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Paolo Franchini
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Ming Li
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Mateus Adolfi
- Developmental Biochemistry, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Sylke Winkler
- Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | | | - Zhuoxin Chen
- Department of Developmental & Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Sandra Jacinto
- Department of Developmental & Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Evgeny Z Kvon
- Department of Developmental & Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | | | - Erika Monteiro
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | | | | | - Domitille Chalopin
- Institute of Cellular Biochemistry and Genetics, CNRS, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Alexander Suh
- Department of Organismal Biology - Systematic Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala, Sweden
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
- Centre for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Bonn, Germany
| | - Eugene Myers
- Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
- Center of Systems Biology Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Oleg Simakov
- Department for Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Igor Schneider
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | - Axel Meyer
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
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2
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Li Z, Li Z, Zhang Y, Zhou L, Xu Q, Li L, Zeng L, Xue J, Niu H, Zhong J, Yu Q, Li D, Gui M, Huang Y, Tu S, Zhang Z, Song CQ, Wu J, Shen EZ. Mammalian PIWI-piRNA-target complexes reveal features for broad and efficient target silencing. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2024; 31:1222-1231. [PMID: 38658622 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-024-01287-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
The PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway is an adaptive defense system wherein piRNAs guide PIWI family Argonaute proteins to recognize and silence ever-evolving selfish genetic elements and ensure genome integrity. Driven by this intensive host-pathogen arms race, the piRNA pathway and its targeted transposons have coevolved rapidly in a species-specific manner, but how the piRNA pathway adapts specifically to target silencing in mammals remains elusive. Here, we show that mouse MILI and human HILI piRNA-induced silencing complexes (piRISCs) bind and cleave targets more efficiently than their invertebrate counterparts from the sponge Ephydatia fluviatilis. The inherent functional differences comport with structural features identified by cryo-EM studies of piRISCs. In the absence of target, MILI and HILI piRISCs adopt a wider nucleic-acid-binding channel and display an extended prearranged piRNA seed as compared with EfPiwi piRISC, consistent with their ability to capture targets more efficiently than EfPiwi piRISC. In the presence of target, the seed gate-which enforces seed-target fidelity in microRNA RISC-adopts a relaxed state in mammalian piRISC, revealing how MILI and HILI tolerate seed-target mismatches to broaden the target spectrum. A vertebrate-specific lysine distorts the piRNA seed, shifting the trajectory of the piRNA-target duplex out of the central cleft and toward the PAZ lobe. Functional analyses reveal that this lysine promotes target binding and cleavage. Our study therefore provides a molecular basis for the piRNA targeting mechanism in mice and humans, and suggests that mammalian piRNA machinery can achieve broad target silencing using a limited supply of piRNA species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqing Li
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhenzhen Li
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuqi Zhang
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lunni Zhou
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qikui Xu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lili Li
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lin Zeng
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Center for Cognitive Machines and Computational Health (CMaCH), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Junchao Xue
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Huilin Niu
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jing Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qilu Yu
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Dengfeng Li
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
| | - Miao Gui
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Reproductive Dysfunction Management of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yongping Huang
- Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological SciencesChinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Shikui Tu
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Center for Cognitive Machines and Computational Health (CMaCH), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhao Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Chun-Qing Song
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Jianping Wu
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - En-Zhi Shen
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China.
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3
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Izumi N, Shoji K, Negishi L, Tomari Y. The dual role of Spn-E in supporting heterotypic ping-pong piRNA amplification in silkworms. EMBO Rep 2024; 25:2239-2257. [PMID: 38632376 PMCID: PMC11094040 DOI: 10.1038/s44319-024-00137-2] [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: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway plays a crucial role in silencing transposons in the germline. piRNA-guided target cleavage by PIWI proteins triggers the biogenesis of new piRNAs from the cleaved RNA fragments. This process, known as the ping-pong cycle, is mediated by the two PIWI proteins, Siwi and BmAgo3, in silkworms. However, the detailed molecular mechanism of the ping-pong cycle remains largely unclear. Here, we show that Spindle-E (Spn-E), a putative ATP-dependent RNA helicase, is essential for BmAgo3-dependent production of Siwi-bound piRNAs in the ping-pong cycle and that this function of Spn-E requires its ATPase activity. Moreover, Spn-E acts to suppress homotypic Siwi-Siwi ping-pong, but this function of Spn-E is independent of its ATPase activity. These results highlight the dual role of Spn-E in facilitating proper heterotypic ping-pong in silkworms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natsuko Izumi
- Laboratory of RNA Function, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan
| | - Keisuke Shoji
- Laboratory of RNA Function, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan
- Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei-shi, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
| | - Lumi Negishi
- Laboratory of Chromatin Structure and Function, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan
| | - Yukihide Tomari
- Laboratory of RNA Function, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan.
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan.
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4
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Venkei ZG, Gainetdinov I, Bagci A, Starostik MR, Choi CP, Fingerhut JM, Chen P, Balsara C, Whitfield TW, Bell GW, Feng S, Jacobsen SE, Aravin AA, Kim JK, Zamore PD, Yamashita YM. A maternally programmed intergenerational mechanism enables male offspring to make piRNAs from Y-linked precursor RNAs in Drosophila. Nat Cell Biol 2023; 25:1495-1505. [PMID: 37723298 PMCID: PMC10567549 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-023-01227-4] [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: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
In animals, PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) direct PIWI proteins to silence complementary targets such as transposons. In Drosophila and other species with a maternally specified germline, piRNAs deposited in the egg initiate piRNA biogenesis in the progeny. However, Y chromosome loci cannot participate in such a chain of intergenerational inheritance. How then can the biogenesis of Y-linked piRNAs be initiated? Here, using Suppressor of Stellate (Su(Ste)), a Y-linked Drosophila melanogaster piRNA locus as a model, we show that Su(Ste) piRNAs are made in the early male germline via 5'-to-3' phased piRNA biogenesis initiated by maternally deposited 1360/Hoppel transposon piRNAs. Notably, deposition of Su(Ste) piRNAs from XXY mothers obviates the need for phased piRNA biogenesis in sons. Together, our study uncovers a developmentally programmed, intergenerational mechanism that allows fly mothers to protect their sons using a Y-linked piRNA locus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zsolt G Venkei
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ildar Gainetdinov
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Ayca Bagci
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | | | - Charlotte P Choi
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jaclyn M Fingerhut
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Whitehead Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Peiwei Chen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Chiraag Balsara
- Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Troy W Whitfield
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - George W Bell
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Suhua Feng
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Eli and Edyth Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Steven E Jacobsen
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Eli and Edyth Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Alexei A Aravin
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - John K Kim
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Phillip D Zamore
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
| | - Yukiko M Yamashita
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Whitehead Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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5
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van Wolfswinkel JC. Insights in piRNA targeting rules. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2023; 15:e1811. [PMID: 37632327 PMCID: PMC10895071 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) play an important role in the defense against transposons in the germline and stem cells of animals. To what extent other transcripts are also regulated by piRNAs is an ongoing topic of debate. The amount of sequence complementarity between piRNA and target that is required for effective downregulation of the targeted transcript is guiding in this discussion. Over the years, various methods have been applied to infer targeting requirements from the collections of piRNAs and potential target transcripts, and recent structural studies of the PIWI proteins have provided an additional perspective. In this review, I summarize the findings from these studies and propose a set of requirements that can be used to predict targets to the best of our current abilities. This article is categorized under: Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Regulatory RNAs RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Interactions: Functional Implications RNA-Based Catalysis > RNA-Mediated Cleavage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josien C van Wolfswinkel
- Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Stem Cell Biology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for RNA Biology and Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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6
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Gainetdinov I, Vega-Badillo J, Cecchini K, Bagci A, Colpan C, De D, Bailey S, Arif A, Wu PH, MacRae IJ, Zamore PD. Relaxed targeting rules help PIWI proteins silence transposons. Nature 2023:10.1038/s41586-023-06257-4. [PMID: 37344600 PMCID: PMC10338343 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06257-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
In eukaryotes, small RNA guides, such as small interfering RNAs and microRNAs, direct AGO-clade Argonaute proteins to regulate gene expression and defend the genome against external threats. Only animals make a second clade of Argonaute proteins: PIWI proteins. PIWI proteins use PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) to repress complementary transposon transcripts1,2. In theory, transposons could evade silencing through target site mutations that reduce piRNA complementarity. Here we report that, unlike AGO proteins, PIWI proteins efficiently cleave transcripts that are only partially paired to their piRNA guides. Examination of target binding and cleavage by mouse and sponge PIWI proteins revealed that PIWI slicing tolerates mismatches to any target nucleotide, including those flanking the scissile phosphate. Even canonical seed pairing is dispensable for PIWI binding or cleavage, unlike plant and animal AGOs, which require uninterrupted target pairing from the seed to the nucleotides past the scissile bond3,4. PIWI proteins are therefore better equipped than AGO proteins to target newly acquired or rapidly diverging endogenous transposons without recourse to new small RNA guides. Conversely, the minimum requirements for PIWI slicing are sufficient to avoid inadvertent silencing of host RNAs. Our results demonstrate the biological advantage of PIWI over AGO proteins in defending the genome against transposons and suggest an explanation for why the piRNA pathway was retained in animal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ildar Gainetdinov
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
| | - Joel Vega-Badillo
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Katharine Cecchini
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Ayca Bagci
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Cansu Colpan
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Voyager Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Dipayan De
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Shannon Bailey
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Amena Arif
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Beam Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Pei-Hsuan Wu
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ian J MacRae
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Phillip D Zamore
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
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7
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Zhou J, Xie H, Liu J, Huang R, Xiang Y, Tian D, Bian E. PIWI-interacting RNAs: Critical roles and therapeutic targets in cancer. Cancer Lett 2023; 562:216189. [PMID: 37076042 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2023.216189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
P-element-induced wimpy testis (PIWI)-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a novel class of small regulatory RNAs (approximately 24-31 nucleotides in length) that often bind to members of the PIWI protein family. piRNAs regulate transposons in animal germ cells; piRNAs are also specifically expressed in many human tissues and regulate pivotal signaling pathways. Additionally, the abnormal expression of piRNAs and PIWI proteins has been associated with various malignant tumours, and multiple mechanisms of piRNA-mediated target gene dysregulation are involved in tumourigenesis and progression, suggesting that they have the potential to serve as new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for tumours. However, the functions and potential mechanisms of action of piRNAs in cancer have not yet been elucidated. This review summarises the current findings on the biogenesis, function, and mechanisms of piRNAs and PIWI proteins in cancer. We also discuss the clinical significance of piRNAs as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic tools for cancer. Finally, we present some critical questions regarding piRNA research that need to be addressed to provide insight into the future development of the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jialin Zhou
- Department of Clinical Medicine, The Second School of Clinical Medical, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Han Xie
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, Anhui Province, 230601, China; Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, Anhui Province, 230601, China; Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Ruixiang Huang
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, Anhui Province, 230601, China; Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Yufei Xiang
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, Anhui Province, 230601, China; Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Dasheng Tian
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, Anhui Province, 230601, China; Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China.
| | - Erbao Bian
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, Anhui Province, 230601, China; Institute of Orthopaedics, Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China.
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8
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Shoji K, Umemura Y, Katsuma S, Tomari Y. The piRNA cluster torimochi is an expanding transposon in cultured silkworm cells. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010632. [PMID: 36758066 PMCID: PMC9946225 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
PIWI proteins and PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) play a central role in repressing transposable elements in animal germ cells. It is thought that piRNAs are mainly produced from discrete genomic loci named piRNA clusters, which often contain many "dead" transposon remnants from past invasions and have heterochromatic features. In the genome of silkworm ovary-derived cultured cells called BmN4, a well-established model for piRNA research, torimochi was previously annotated as a unique and specialized genomic region that can capture transgenes and produce new piRNAs bearing a trans-silencing activity. However, the sequence identity of torimochi has remained elusive. Here, we carefully characterized torimochi by utilizing the updated silkworm genome sequence and the long-read sequencer MinION. We found that torimochi is in fact a full-length gypsy-like LTR retrotransposon, which is exceptionally active and has massively expanded its copy number in BmN4 cells. Many copies of torimochi in BmN4 cells have features of open chromatin and the ability to produce piRNAs. Therefore, torimochi may represent a young, growing piRNA cluster, which is still "alive" and active in transposition yet capable of trapping other transposable elements to produce de novo piRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Shoji
- Laboratory of RNA Function, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail: (K.S); (Y.T)
| | - Yusuke Umemura
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Susumu Katsuma
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yukihide Tomari
- Laboratory of RNA Function, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail: (K.S); (Y.T)
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9
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Izumi N, Shoji K, Kiuchi T, Katsuma S, Tomari Y. The two Gtsf paralogs in silkworms orthogonally activate their partner PIWI proteins for target cleavage. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2022; 29:rna.079380.122. [PMID: 36319089 PMCID: PMC9808576 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079380.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway is a protection mechanism against transposons in animal germ cells. Most PIWI proteins possess piRNA-guided endonuclease activity, which is critical for silencing transposons and producing new piRNAs. Gametocyte-specific factor 1 (Gtsf1), an evolutionarily conserved zinc finger protein, promotes catalysis by PIWI proteins. Many animals have multiple Gtsf1 paralogs; however, their respective roles in the piRNA pathway are not fully understood. Here, we dissected the roles of Gtsf1 and its paralog Gtsf1-like (Gtsf1L) in the silkworm piRNA pathway. We found that Gtsf1 and Gtsf1L preferentially bind the two silkworm PIWI paralogs, Siwi and BmAgo3, respectively, and facilitate the endonuclease activity of each PIWI protein. This orthogonal activation effect was further supported by specific reduction of BmAgo3-bound Masculinizer piRNA and Siwi-bound Feminizer piRNA, the unique piRNA pair required for silkworm feminization, upon depletion of Gtsf1 and Gtsf1L, respectively. Our results indicate that the two Gtsf paralogs in silkworms activate their respective PIWI partners, thereby facilitating the amplification of piRNAs.
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10
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Galton R, Fejes-Toth K, Bronner ME. Co-option of the piRNA pathway to regulate neural crest specification. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabn1441. [PMID: 35947657 PMCID: PMC9365273 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn1441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Across Metazoa, Piwi proteins play a critical role in protecting the germline genome through piRNA-mediated repression of transposable elements. In vertebrates, activity of Piwi proteins and the piRNA pathway was thought to be gonad specific. Our results reveal the expression of Piwil1 in a vertebrate somatic cell type, the neural crest. Piwil1 is expressed at low levels throughout the chicken neural tube, peaking in neural crest cells just before the specification event that enables epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migration into the periphery. Loss of Piwil1 impedes neural crest specification and emigration. Small RNA sequencing reveals somatic piRNAs with sequence signatures of an active ping-pong loop. RNA-seq and functional experiments identify the transposon-derived gene ERNI as Piwil1's target in the neural crest. ERNI, in turn, suppresses Sox2 to precisely control the timing of neural crest specification and EMT. Our data provide mechanistic insight into a novel function of the piRNA pathway as a regulator of somatic development in a vertebrate species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katalin Fejes-Toth
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Marianne E. Bronner
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
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11
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Unraveling mitochondrial piRNAs in mouse embryonic gonadal cells. Sci Rep 2022; 12:10730. [PMID: 35750721 PMCID: PMC9232517 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14414-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Although mitochondria are widely studied organelles, the recent interest in the role of mitochondrial small noncoding RNAs (sncRNAs), miRNAs, and more recently, piRNAs, is providing new functional perspectives in germ cell development and differentiation. piRNAs (PIWI-interacting RNAs) are single-stranded sncRNAs of mostly about 20-35 nucleotides, generated from the processing of pre-piRNAs. We leverage next-generation sequencing data obtained from mouse primordial germ cells and somatic cells purified from early-differentiating embryonic ovaries and testis from 11.5 to 13.5 days postcoitum. Using bioinformatic tools, we elucidate (i) the origins of piRNAs as transcribed from mitochondrial DNA fragments inserted in the nucleus or from the mitochondrial genome; (ii) their levels of expression; and (iii) their potential roles, as well as their association with genomic regions encoding other sncRNAs (such as tRNAs and rRNAs) and the mitochondrial regulatory region (D-loop). Finally, our results suggest how nucleo-mitochondrial communication, both anterograde and retrograde signaling, may be mediated by mitochondria-associated piRNAs.
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12
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Zhang T, Chen L, Li R, Liu N, Huang X, Wong G. PIWI-interacting RNAs in human diseases: databases and computational models. Brief Bioinform 2022; 23:6603448. [PMID: 35667080 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbac217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are short 21-35 nucleotide molecules that comprise the largest class of non-coding RNAs and found in a large diversity of species including yeast, worms, flies, plants and mammals including humans. The most well-understood function of piRNAs is to monitor and protect the genome from transposons particularly in germline cells. Recent data suggest that piRNAs may have additional functions in somatic cells although they are expressed there in far lower abundance. Compared with microRNAs (miRNAs), piRNAs have more limited bioinformatics resources available. This review collates 39 piRNA specific and non-specific databases and bioinformatics resources, describes and compares their utility and attributes and provides an overview of their place in the field. In addition, we review 33 computational models based upon function: piRNA prediction, transposon element and mRNA-related piRNA prediction, cluster prediction, signature detection, target prediction and disease association. Based on the collection of databases and computational models, we identify trends and potential gaps in tool development. We further analyze the breadth and depth of piRNA data available in public sources, their contribution to specific human diseases, particularly in cancer and neurodegenerative conditions, and highlight a few specific piRNAs that appear to be associated with these diseases. This briefing presents the most recent and comprehensive mapping of piRNA bioinformatics resources including databases, models and tools for disease associations to date. Such a mapping should facilitate and stimulate further research on piRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianjiao Zhang
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau S.A.R. 999078, China
| | - Liang Chen
- Department of Computer Science, School of Engineering, Shantou University, Shantou, China
| | - Rongzhen Li
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau S.A.R. 999078, China
| | - Ning Liu
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau S.A.R. 999078, China
| | - Xiaobing Huang
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau S.A.R. 999078, China
| | - Garry Wong
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau S.A.R. 999078, China
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13
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Bornelöv S, Czech B, Hannon GJ. An evolutionarily conserved stop codon enrichment at the 5' ends of mammalian piRNAs. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2118. [PMID: 35440552 PMCID: PMC9018710 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29787-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are small RNAs required to recognize and silence transposable elements. The 5' ends of mature piRNAs are defined through cleavage of long precursor transcripts, primarily by Zucchini (Zuc). Zuc-dependent cleavage typically occurs immediately upstream of a uridine. However, Zuc lacks sequence preference in vitro, pointing towards additional unknown specificity factors. Here, we examine murine piRNAs and reveal a strong and specific enrichment of three sequences (UAA, UAG, UGA)-corresponding to stop codons-at piRNA 5' ends. Stop codon sequences are also enriched immediately after piRNA processing intermediates, reflecting their Zuc-dependent tail-to-head arrangement. Further analyses reveal that a Zuc in vivo cleavage preference at four sequences (UAA, UAG, UGA, UAC) promotes 5' end stop codons. This observation is conserved across mammals and possibly further. Our work provides new insights into Zuc-dependent cleavage and may point to a previously unrecognized connection between piRNA biogenesis and the translational machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Bornelöv
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, CB2 0RE, UK.
| | - Benjamin Czech
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, CB2 0RE, UK
| | - Gregory J Hannon
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, CB2 0RE, UK.
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14
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Lima JRS, Azevedo-Pinheiro J, Andrade RB, Khayat AS, de Assumpção PP, Ribeiro-dos-Santos Â, Batista dos Santos SE, Moreira FC. Identification and Characterization of Polymorphisms in piRNA Regions. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2022; 44:942-951. [PMID: 35723347 PMCID: PMC8929088 DOI: 10.3390/cimb44020062] [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] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
piRNAs are a class of noncoding RNAs that perform functions in epigenetic regulation and silencing of transposable elements, a mechanism conserved among most mammals. At present, there are more than 30,000 known piRNAs in humans, of which more than 80% are derived from intergenic regions, and approximately 20% are derived from the introns and exons of pre-mRNAs. It was observed that the expression of the piRNA profile is specific in several organs, suggesting that they play functional roles in different tissues. In addition, some studies suggest that changes in regions that encode piRNAs may have an impact on their function. To evaluate the conservation of these regions and explore the existence of a seed region, SNP and INDEL variant rates were investigated in several genomic regions and compared to piRNA region variant rates. Thus, data analysis, data collection, cleaning, treatment, and exploration were implemented using the R programming language with the help of the RStudio platform. We found that piRNA regions are highly conserved after considering INDELs and do not seem to present an identifiable seed region after considering SNPs and INDEL variants. These findings may contribute to future studies attempting to determine how polymorphisms in piRNA regions can impact diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Roberto Sobrinho Lima
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Oncologia (NPO), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oncologia e Ciências Médicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66073-005, PA, Brazil; (J.R.S.L.); (R.B.A.); (A.S.K.); (P.P.d.A.); (Â.R.-d.-S.); (S.E.B.d.S.)
| | - Jhully Azevedo-Pinheiro
- Laboratório de Genética Humana e Médica (LGHM), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, PA, Brazil;
| | - Roberta Borges Andrade
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Oncologia (NPO), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oncologia e Ciências Médicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66073-005, PA, Brazil; (J.R.S.L.); (R.B.A.); (A.S.K.); (P.P.d.A.); (Â.R.-d.-S.); (S.E.B.d.S.)
- Laboratório de Genética Humana e Médica (LGHM), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, PA, Brazil;
| | - André Salim Khayat
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Oncologia (NPO), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oncologia e Ciências Médicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66073-005, PA, Brazil; (J.R.S.L.); (R.B.A.); (A.S.K.); (P.P.d.A.); (Â.R.-d.-S.); (S.E.B.d.S.)
| | - Paulo Pimentel de Assumpção
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Oncologia (NPO), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oncologia e Ciências Médicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66073-005, PA, Brazil; (J.R.S.L.); (R.B.A.); (A.S.K.); (P.P.d.A.); (Â.R.-d.-S.); (S.E.B.d.S.)
| | - Ândrea Ribeiro-dos-Santos
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Oncologia (NPO), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oncologia e Ciências Médicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66073-005, PA, Brazil; (J.R.S.L.); (R.B.A.); (A.S.K.); (P.P.d.A.); (Â.R.-d.-S.); (S.E.B.d.S.)
- Laboratório de Genética Humana e Médica (LGHM), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, PA, Brazil;
| | - Sidney Emanuel Batista dos Santos
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Oncologia (NPO), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oncologia e Ciências Médicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66073-005, PA, Brazil; (J.R.S.L.); (R.B.A.); (A.S.K.); (P.P.d.A.); (Â.R.-d.-S.); (S.E.B.d.S.)
- Laboratório de Genética Humana e Médica (LGHM), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, PA, Brazil;
| | - Fabiano Cordeiro Moreira
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Oncologia (NPO), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oncologia e Ciências Médicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66073-005, PA, Brazil; (J.R.S.L.); (R.B.A.); (A.S.K.); (P.P.d.A.); (Â.R.-d.-S.); (S.E.B.d.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +55-091-98107-0858
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15
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Lee YCG. Synergistic epistasis of the deleterious effects of transposable elements. Genetics 2022; 220:iyab211. [PMID: 34888644 PMCID: PMC9097265 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The replicative nature and generally deleterious effects of transposable elements (TEs) raise an outstanding question about how TE copy number is stably contained in host populations. Classic theoretical analyses predict that, when the decline in fitness due to each additional TE insertion is greater than linear, or when there is synergistic epistasis, selection against TEs can result in a stable equilibrium of TE copy number. While several mechanisms are predicted to yield synergistic deleterious effects of TEs, we lack empirical investigations of the presence of such epistatic interactions. Purifying selection with synergistic epistasis generates repulsion linkage between deleterious alleles. We investigated this population genetic signal in the likely ancestral Drosophila melanogaster population and found evidence supporting the presence of synergistic epistasis among TE insertions, especially TEs expected to exert large fitness impacts. Even though synergistic epistasis of TEs has been predicted to arise through ectopic recombination and TE-mediated epigenetic silencing mechanisms, we only found mixed support for the associated predictions. We observed signals of synergistic epistasis for a large number of TE families, which is consistent with the expectation that such epistatic interaction mainly happens among copies of the same family. Curiously, significant repulsion linkage was also found among TE insertions from different families, suggesting the possibility that synergism of TEs' deleterious fitness effects could arise above the family level and through mechanisms similar to those of simple mutations. Our findings set the stage for investigating the prevalence and importance of epistatic interactions in the evolutionary dynamics of TEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuh Chwen G Lee
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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16
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Hanusek K, Poletajew S, Kryst P, Piekiełko-Witkowska A, Bogusławska J. piRNAs and PIWI Proteins as Diagnostic and Prognostic Markers of Genitourinary Cancers. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12020186. [PMID: 35204687 PMCID: PMC8869487 DOI: 10.3390/biom12020186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
piRNAs (PIWI-interacting RNAs) are small non-coding RNAs capable of regulation of transposon and gene expression. piRNAs utilise multiple mechanisms to affect gene expression, which makes them potentially more powerful regulators than microRNAs. The mechanisms by which piRNAs regulate transposon and gene expression include DNA methylation, histone modifications, and mRNA degradation. Genitourinary cancers (GC) are a large group of neoplasms that differ by their incidence, clinical course, biology, and prognosis for patients. Regardless of the GC type, metastatic disease remains a key therapeutic challenge, largely affecting patients’ survival rates. Recent studies indicate that piRNAs could serve as potentially useful biomarkers allowing for early cancer detection and therapeutic interventions at the stage of non-advanced tumour, improving patient’s outcomes. Furthermore, studies in prostate cancer show that piRNAs contribute to cancer progression by affecting key oncogenic pathways such as PI3K/AKT. Here, we discuss recent findings on biogenesis, mechanisms of action and the role of piRNAs and the associated PIWI proteins in GC. We also present tools that may be useful for studies on the functioning of piRNAs in cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Hanusek
- Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 01-813 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Sławomir Poletajew
- Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, II Department of Urology, 01-813 Warsaw, Poland; (S.P.); (P.K.)
| | - Piotr Kryst
- Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, II Department of Urology, 01-813 Warsaw, Poland; (S.P.); (P.K.)
| | - Agnieszka Piekiełko-Witkowska
- Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 01-813 Warsaw, Poland;
- Correspondence: (A.P.-W.); (J.B.)
| | - Joanna Bogusławska
- Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 01-813 Warsaw, Poland;
- Correspondence: (A.P.-W.); (J.B.)
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17
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Tsuji J, Thomson T, Brown C, Ghosh S, Theurkauf WE, Weng Z, Schwartz LM. Somatic piRNAs and Transposons are Differentially Expressed Coincident with Skeletal Muscle Atrophy and Programmed Cell Death. Front Genet 2022; 12:775369. [PMID: 35003216 PMCID: PMC8730325 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.775369] [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: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are small single-stranded RNAs that can repress transposon expression via epigenetic silencing and transcript degradation. They have been identified predominantly in the ovary and testis, where they serve essential roles in transposon silencing in order to protect the integrity of the genome in the germline. The potential expression of piRNAs in somatic cells has been controversial. In the present study we demonstrate the expression of piRNAs derived from both genic and transposon RNAs in the intersegmental muscles (ISMs) from the tobacco hawkmoth Manduca sexta. These piRNAs are abundantly expressed, ∼27 nt long, map antisense to transposons, are oxidation resistant, exhibit a 5’ uridine bias, and amplify via the canonical ping-pong pathway. An RNA-seq analysis demonstrated that 19 piRNA pathway genes are expressed in the ISMs and are developmentally regulated. The abundance of piRNAs does not change when the muscles initiate developmentally-regulated atrophy, but are repressed coincident with the commitment of the muscles undergo programmed cell death at the end of metamorphosis. This change in piRNA expression is correlated with the repression of several retrotransposons and the induction of specific DNA transposons. The developmentally-regulated changes in the expression of piRNAs, piRNA pathway genes, and transposons are all regulated by 20-hydroxyecdysone, the steroid hormone that controls the timing of ISM death. Taken together, these data provide compelling evidence for the existence of piRNA in somatic tissues and suggest that they may play roles in developmental processes such as programmed cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junko Tsuji
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Travis Thomson
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.,Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Christine Brown
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States
| | - Subhanita Ghosh
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - William E Theurkauf
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Zhiping Weng
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Lawrence M Schwartz
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States
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18
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Haase AD. An introduction to PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) in the context of metazoan small RNA silencing pathways. RNA Biol 2022; 19:1094-1102. [PMID: 36217279 PMCID: PMC9559041 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2022.2132359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
PIWI proteins and their associated PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) constitute a small RNA-based adaptive immune system that restricts the deleterious activity of mobile genetic elements to protect genome integrity. Self/nonself discrimination is at the very core of successful defence and relies on complementary base-pairing in RNA-guided immunity. How the millions of piRNA sequences faithfully discriminate between self and nonself and how they adapt to novel genomic invaders remain key outstanding questions in genome biology. This review aims to introduce principles of piRNA silencing in the context of metazoan small RNA pathways. A distinct feature of piRNAs is their origin from single-stranded instead of double-stranded RNA precursors, and piRNAs require a unique set of processing factors. Novel nucleases, helicases and RNA binding proteins have been identified in piRNA biology, and while we are starting to understand some mechanisms of piRNA biogenesis and function, this diverse and prolific class of small RNAs remains full of surprises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid D. Haase
- National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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19
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Gainetdinov I, Colpan C, Cecchini K, Arif A, Jouravleva K, Albosta P, Vega-Badillo J, Lee Y, Özata DM, Zamore PD. Terminal modification, sequence, length, and PIWI-protein identity determine piRNA stability. Mol Cell 2021; 81:4826-4842.e8. [PMID: 34626567 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
In animals, PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) silence transposons, fight viral infections, and regulate gene expression. piRNA biogenesis concludes with 3' terminal trimming and 2'-O-methylation. Both trimming and methylation influence piRNA stability. Our biochemical data show that multiple mechanisms destabilize unmethylated mouse piRNAs, depending on whether the piRNA 5' or 3' sequence is complementary to a trigger RNA. Unlike target-directed degradation of microRNAs, complementarity-dependent destabilization of piRNAs in mice and flies is blocked by 3' terminal 2'-O-methylation and does not require base pairing to both the piRNA seed and the 3' sequence. In flies, 2'-O-methylation also protects small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) from complementarity-dependent destruction. By contrast, pre-piRNA trimming protects mouse piRNAs from a degradation pathway unaffected by trigger complementarity. In testis lysate and in vivo, internal or 3' terminal uridine- or guanine-rich tracts accelerate pre-piRNA decay. Loss of both trimming and 2'-O-methylation causes the mouse piRNA pathway to collapse, demonstrating that these modifications collaborate to stabilize piRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ildar Gainetdinov
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
| | - Cansu Colpan
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Katharine Cecchini
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Amena Arif
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Karina Jouravleva
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Paul Albosta
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Joel Vega-Badillo
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Yongjin Lee
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Deniz M Özata
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Phillip D Zamore
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
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20
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Morgan M, Kumar L, Li Y, Baptissart M. Post-transcriptional regulation in spermatogenesis: all RNA pathways lead to healthy sperm. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:8049-8071. [PMID: 34748024 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-04012-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Multiple RNA pathways are required to produce functional sperm. Here, we review RNA post-transcriptional regulation during spermatogenesis with particular emphasis on the role of 3' end modifications. From early studies in the 1970s, it became clear that spermiogenesis transcripts could be stored for days only to be translated at advanced stages of spermatid differentiation. The transition between the translationally repressed and active states was observed to correlate with the shortening of the transcripts' poly(A) tail, establishing a link between RNA 3' end metabolism and male germ cell differentiation. Since then, numerous RNA metabolic pathways have been implicated not only in the progression through spermatogenesis, but also in the maintenance of genomic integrity. Recent studies have characterized the elusive 3' biogenesis of Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), identified a critical role for messenger RNA (mRNA) 3' uridylation in meiotic progression, established the mechanisms that destabilize transcripts with long 3' untranslated regions (3'UTRs) in post-mitotic cells, and defined the physiological relevance of RNA exonucleases and deadenylases in male germ cells. In this review, we discuss RNA processing in the male germline in the light of the most recent findings. A brief recollection of different RNA-processing events will aid future studies exploring post-transcriptional regulation in spermatogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Morgan
- Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, NC, 27709, USA.
| | - Lokesh Kumar
- Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, NC, 27709, USA
| | - Yin Li
- Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, NC, 27709, USA
| | - Marine Baptissart
- Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, NC, 27709, USA
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21
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Barreñada O, Larriba E, Brieño-Enriquez MA, Mazo JD. piRNA-IPdb: a PIWI-bound piRNAs database to mining NGS sncRNA data and beyond. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:765. [PMID: 34702185 PMCID: PMC8549166 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-08071-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are an abundant single-stranded type of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs), which initially were discovered in gonadal cells, with a role as defenders of genomic integrity in the germline, acting against the transposable elements. With a regular size range of 21-35 nt, piRNAs are associated with a PIWI-clade of Argonaute family proteins. The most widely accepted mechanisms of biogenesis for piRNAs involve the transcription of longer precursors of RNAs to be processed, by complexes of proteins, to functional size, preferentially accommodating uridine residues at the 5’ end and 3’ methylation to increase the stability of these molecules. piRNAs have also been detected in somatic cells, with diverse potential functions, indicating their high plasticity and pleiotropic activity. Discovered about two decades ago, piRNAs are a large and versatile type of sncRNA and that remain insufficiently identified and analyzed, through next-generation sequencing (NGS), to evaluate their processing, functions, and biogenesis in different cell types and during development. piRNAs’ distinction from other sncRNAs has led to controversial results and interpretation difficulties when using existing databases because of the heterogeneity of the criteria used in making the distinction. Description We present “piRNA-IPdb”, a database based uniquely on datasets obtaining after the defining characteristic of piRNAs: those small RNAs bound to PIWI proteins. We selected and analyzed sequences from piRBase that exclusively cover the binding to PIWI. We pooled a total of 18,821,815 sequences from RNA-seq after immunoprecipitation that included the binding to any of the mouse PIWI proteins (MILI, MIWI, or MIWI2). Conclusions In summary, we present the characteristics and potential use of piRNA-IPdb database for the analysis of bona fide piRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Odei Barreñada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CIB-CSIC), Ramiro de Maeztu, 9, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eduardo Larriba
- Institute of Bioengineering, University "Miguel Hernández", 03202, Elche, Spain
| | - Miguel A Brieño-Enriquez
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Jesús Del Mazo
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CIB-CSIC), Ramiro de Maeztu, 9, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
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22
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Roy M, Viginier B, Mayeux CA, Ratinier M, Fablet M. Infections by Transovarially Transmitted DMelSV in Drosophila Have No Impact on Ovarian Transposable Element Transcripts but Increase Their Amounts in the Soma. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:evab207. [PMID: 34498066 PMCID: PMC8459167 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are genomic parasites, which activity is tightly controlled in germline cells. Using Sindbis virus, it was recently demonstrated that viral infections affect TE transcript amounts in somatic tissues. However, the strongest evolutionary impacts are expected in gonads, because that is where the genomes of the next generations lie. Here, we investigated this aspect using the Drosophila melanogaster Sigma virus. It is particularly relevant in the genome/TE interaction given its tropism to ovaries, which is the organ displaying the more sophisticated TE control pathways. Our results in Drosophila simulans flies allowed us to confirm the existence of a strong homeostasis of the TE transcriptome in ovaries upon infection, which, however, rely on TE-derived small RNA modulations. In addition, we performed a meta-analysis of RNA-seq data and propose that the immune pathway that is triggered upon viral infection determines the direction of TE transcript modulation in somatic tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlène Roy
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558, Villeurbanne, France
- EPHE, PSL Research University, INRA, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, UMR754, IVPC, Lyon, France
| | - Barbara Viginier
- EPHE, PSL Research University, INRA, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, UMR754, IVPC, Lyon, France
| | - Camille A Mayeux
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Maxime Ratinier
- EPHE, PSL Research University, INRA, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, UMR754, IVPC, Lyon, France
| | - Marie Fablet
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558, Villeurbanne, France
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23
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Chen P, Kotov AA, Godneeva BK, Bazylev SS, Olenina LV, Aravin AA. piRNA-mediated gene regulation and adaptation to sex-specific transposon expression in D. melanogaster male germline. Genes Dev 2021; 35:914-935. [PMID: 33985970 PMCID: PMC8168559 DOI: 10.1101/gad.345041.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Small noncoding piRNAs act as sequence-specific guides to repress complementary targets in Metazoa. Prior studies in Drosophila ovaries have demonstrated the function of the piRNA pathway in transposon silencing and therefore genome defense. However, the ability of the piRNA program to respond to different transposon landscapes and the role of piRNAs in regulating host gene expression remain poorly understood. Here, we comprehensively analyzed piRNA expression and defined the repertoire of their targets in Drosophila melanogaster testes. Comparison of piRNA programs between sexes revealed sexual dimorphism in piRNA programs that parallel sex-specific transposon expression. Using a novel bioinformatic pipeline, we identified new piRNA clusters and established complex satellites as dual-strand piRNA clusters. While sharing most piRNA clusters, the two sexes employ them differentially to combat the sex-specific transposon landscape. We found two piRNA clusters that produce piRNAs antisense to four host genes in testis, including CG12717/pirate, a SUMO protease gene. piRNAs encoded on the Y chromosome silence pirate, but not its paralog, to exert sex- and paralog-specific gene regulation. Interestingly, pirate is targeted by endogenous siRNAs in a sibling species, Drosophila mauritiana, suggesting distinct but related silencing strategies invented in recent evolution to regulate a conserved protein-coding gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiwei Chen
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - Alexei A Kotov
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute," Moscow 123182, Russia
| | - Baira K Godneeva
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - Sergei S Bazylev
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute," Moscow 123182, Russia
| | - Ludmila V Olenina
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute," Moscow 123182, Russia
| | - Alexei A Aravin
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
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24
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Ellison CE, Kagda MS, Cao W. Telomeric TART elements target the piRNA machinery in Drosophila. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000689. [PMID: 33347429 PMCID: PMC7785250 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Coevolution between transposable elements (TEs) and their hosts can be antagonistic, where TEs evolve to avoid silencing and the host responds by reestablishing TE suppression, or mutualistic, where TEs are co-opted to benefit their host. The TART-A TE functions as an important component of Drosophila telomeres but has also reportedly inserted into the Drosophila melanogaster nuclear export factor gene nxf2. We find that, rather than inserting into nxf2, TART-A has actually captured a portion of nxf2 sequence. We show that TART-A produces abundant Piwi-interacting small RNAs (piRNAs), some of which are antisense to the nxf2 transcript, and that the TART-like region of nxf2 is evolving rapidly. Furthermore, in D. melanogaster, TART-A is present at higher copy numbers, and nxf2 shows reduced expression, compared to the closely related species Drosophila simulans. We propose that capturing nxf2 sequence allowed TART-A to target the nxf2 gene for piRNA-mediated repression and that these 2 elements are engaged in antagonistic coevolution despite the fact that TART-A is serving a critical role for its host genome. Co-evolution between transposable elements (TEs) and their hosts can be antagonistic, where TEs evolve to avoid silencing and the host responds by re-establishing TE suppression, or mutualistic, where TEs are co-opted to benefit their host. This study shows that a specialized Drosophila retrotransposon that functions as a telomere has captured a portion of a host piRNA gene which may allow it to evade silencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher E. Ellison
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Meenakshi S. Kagda
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Weihuan Cao
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
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25
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Kim IV, Riedelbauch S, Kuhn CD. The piRNA pathway in planarian flatworms: new model, new insights. Biol Chem 2020; 401:1123-1141. [DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2019-0445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are small regulatory RNAs that associate with members of the PIWI clade of the Argonaute superfamily of proteins. piRNAs are predominantly found in animal gonads. There they silence transposable elements (TEs), regulate gene expression and participate in DNA methylation, thus orchestrating proper germline development. Furthermore, PIWI proteins are also indispensable for the maintenance and differentiation capabilities of pluripotent stem cells in free-living invertebrate species with regenerative potential. Thus, PIWI proteins and piRNAs seem to constitute an essential molecular feature of somatic pluripotent stem cells and the germline. In keeping with this hypothesis, both PIWI proteins and piRNAs are enriched in neoblasts, the adult stem cells of planarian flatworms, and their presence is a prerequisite for the proper regeneration and perpetual tissue homeostasis of these animals. The piRNA pathway is required to maintain the unique biology of planarians because, in analogy to the animal germline, planarian piRNAs silence TEs and ensure stable genome inheritance. Moreover, planarian piRNAs also contribute to the degradation of numerous protein-coding transcripts, a function that may be critical for neoblast differentiation. This review gives an overview of the planarian piRNA pathway and of its crucial function in neoblast biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iana V. Kim
- Gene regulation by Non-coding RNA, Elite Network of Bavaria and University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstrasse 30, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Sebastian Riedelbauch
- Gene regulation by Non-coding RNA, Elite Network of Bavaria and University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstrasse 30, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Claus-D. Kuhn
- Gene regulation by Non-coding RNA, Elite Network of Bavaria and University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstrasse 30, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
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26
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Pippadpally S, Venkatesh T. Deciphering piRNA biogenesis through cytoplasmic granules, mitochondria and exosomes. Arch Biochem Biophys 2020; 695:108597. [PMID: 32976825 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2020.108597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
RNA systems biology is marked by a myriad of cellular processes mediated by small and long non-coding RNAs. Small non-coding RNAs include siRNAs (small interfering RNAs), miRNAs (microRNAs), tRFs(tRNA derived fragments), and piRNAs (PIWI-interacting RNAs). piRNAs are vital for the maintenance of the germ-line integrity and repress the transposons either transcriptionally or post-transcriptionally. Studies based on model organisms have shown that defects in the piRNA pathway exhibit impaired gametogenesis and loss of fertility. piRNA biogenesis is marked by transcription of precursor molecules and their subsequent processing in the cytoplasm to generate mature piRNAs. Their biogenesis is unique and complex, which involves non-canonical transcription and self-amplification mechanisms such as the ping-pong cycle. piRNA biogenesis is different in somatic and germ cells and involves the role of cytoplasmic granules in addition to mitochondria. In this review, we discuss the biogenesis and maturation of piRNAs in various cytoplasmic granules such as Yb and nuage bodies. Also, we review the role of P bodies, stress granules, and P granules, and membrane-bound compartments such as mitochondria and exosomes in piRNA biogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srikanth Pippadpally
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Central University of Kerala, Kasargod, 671316, India
| | - Thejaswini Venkatesh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Central University of Kerala, Kasargod, 671316, India.
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27
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Lin Y, Zheng J, Lin D. PIWI-interacting RNAs in human cancer. Semin Cancer Biol 2020; 75:15-28. [PMID: 32877760 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2020.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 08/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
P-element-induced wimpy testis (PIWI) interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a class of small regulatory RNAs mechanistically similar to but much less studied than microRNAs and small interfering RNAs. Today the best understood function of piRNAs is transposon control in animal germ cells, which has earned them the name 'guardians of the germline'. Several molecular/cellular characteristics of piRNAs, including high sequence diversity, lack of secondary structures, and target-oriented generation seem to serve this purpose. Recently, aberrant expressions of piRNAs and PIWI proteins have been implicated in a variety of malignant tumors and associated with cancer hallmarks such as cell proliferation, inhibited apoptosis, invasion, metastasis and increased stemness. Researchers have also demonstrated multiple mechanisms of piRNA-mediated target deregulation associated with cancer initiation, progression or dissemination. We review current research findings on the biogenesis, normal functions and cancer associations of piRNAs, highlighting their potentials as cancer diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic tools. Whenever applicable, we draw connections with other research fields to encourage intercommunity conversations. We also offer recommendations and cautions regarding the general process of cancer-related piRNA studies and the methods/tools used at each step. Finally, we call attention to some issues that, if left unsolved, might impede the future development of this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Lin
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics (ICG), Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center (BIOPIC), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
| | - Jian Zheng
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China and Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, 510060, China
| | - Dongxin Lin
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China and Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, 510060, China; Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
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28
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Conserved Small Nucleotidic Elements at the Origin of Concerted piRNA Biogenesis from Genes and lncRNAs. Cells 2020; 9:cells9061491. [PMID: 32570966 PMCID: PMC7349650 DOI: 10.3390/cells9061491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) target transcripts by sequence complementarity serving as guides for RNA slicing in animal germ cells. The piRNA pathway is increasingly recognized as critical for essential cellular functions such as germline development and reproduction. In the Anopheles gambiae ovary, as much as 11% of piRNAs map to protein-coding genes. Here, we show that ovarian mRNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are processed into piRNAs that can direct other transcripts into the piRNA biogenesis pathway. Targeting piRNAs fuel transcripts either into the ping-pong cycle of piRNA amplification or into the machinery of phased piRNA biogenesis, thereby creating networks of inter-regulating transcripts. RNAs of the same network share related genomic repeats. These repeats give rise to piRNAs, which target other transcripts and lead to a cascade of concerted RNA slicing. While ping-pong networks are based on repeats of several hundred nucleotides, networks that rely on phased piRNA biogenesis operate through short ~40-nucleotides long repeats, which we named snetDNAs. Interestingly, snetDNAs are recurring in evolution from insects to mammals. Our study brings to light a new type of conserved regulatory pathway, the snetDNA-pathway, by which short sequences can include independent genes and lncRNAs in the same biological pathway.
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29
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Venkei ZG, Choi CP, Feng S, Chen C, Jacobsen SE, Kim JK, Yamashita YM. A kinesin Klp10A mediates cell cycle-dependent shuttling of Piwi between nucleus and nuage. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1008648. [PMID: 32168327 PMCID: PMC7094869 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The piRNA pathway protects germline genomes from selfish genetic elements (e.g. transposons) through their transcript cleavage in the cytoplasm and/or their transcriptional silencing in the nucleus. Here, we describe a mechanism by which the nuclear and cytoplasmic arms of the piRNA pathway are linked. We find that during mitosis of Drosophila spermatogonia, nuclear Piwi interacts with nuage, the compartment that mediates the cytoplasmic arm of the piRNA pathway. At the end of mitosis, Piwi leaves nuage to return to the nucleus. Dissociation of Piwi from nuage occurs at the depolymerizing microtubules of the central spindle, mediated by a microtubule-depolymerizing kinesin, Klp10A. Depletion of klp10A delays the return of Piwi to the nucleus and affects piRNA production, suggesting the role of nuclear-cytoplasmic communication in piRNA biogenesis. We propose that cell cycle-dependent communication between the nuclear and cytoplasmic arms of the piRNA pathway may play a previously unappreciated role in piRNA regulation. The piRNA pathway that defends germline from selfish elements operates in two subpathways, one mediated by Piwi in Drosophila to silence transcription of targets in the nucleus and the other mediated by Aub and Ago3 to cleave transcripts of targets in the cytoplasm. How these two subpathways might coordinate with each other, particularly at the cell biological level, remains elusive. This study shows that Piwi interacts with Aub/Ago3 specifically in mitosis in nuage, the organelle that serves as the platform for piRNA cytoplasmic subpathway. Piwi returns to the nucleus at the end of mitosis, and our study suggests that dissociation of Piwi from nuage is facilitated by microtubule depolymerization by a kinesin Klp10A at the central spindle. We propose that cell-cycle-dependent interaction of two piRNA subpathways may play an important role in piRNA production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zsolt G. Venkei
- Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Charlotte P. Choi
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Suhua Feng
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Eli and Edyth Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Cuie Chen
- Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Steven E. Jacobsen
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Eli and Edyth Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - John K. Kim
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Yukiko M. Yamashita
- Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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30
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Karunanithi S, Oruganti V, de Wijn R, Drews F, Cheaib M, Nordström K, Simon M, Schulz MH. Feeding exogenous dsRNA interferes with endogenous sRNA accumulation in Paramecium. DNA Res 2020; 27:5825730. [PMID: 32339224 PMCID: PMC7315353 DOI: 10.1093/dnares/dsaa005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Supply of exogenous dsRNA (exo-dsRNA), either by injection or by feeding, is a fast and powerful alternative to classical knockout studies. The biotechnical potential of feeding techniques is evident from the numerous studies focusing on oral administration of dsRNA to control pests and viral infection in crops/animal farming. We aimed to dissect the direct and indirect effects of exo-dsRNA feeding on the endogenous short interfering RNA (endo-siRNA) populations of the free-living ciliate Paramecium. We introduced dsRNA fragments against Dicer1 (DCR1), involved in RNA interference (RNAi) against exo- and few endo-siRNAs, and an RNAi unrelated gene, ND169. Any feeding, even the control dsRNA, diminishes genome wide the accumulation of endo-siRNAs and mRNAs. This cannot be explained by direct off-target effects and suggests mechanistic overlaps of the exo- and endo-RNAi mechanisms. Nevertheless, we observe a stronger down-regulation of mRNAs in DCR1 feeding compared with ND169 knockdown. This is likely due to the direct involvement of DCR1 in endo-siRNA accumulation. We further observed a cis-regulatory effect on mRNAs that overlap with phased endo-siRNAs. This interference of exo-dsRNA with endo-siRNAs warrants further investigations into secondary effects in target species/consumers, risk assessment of dsRNA feeding applications, and environmental pollution with dsRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sivarajan Karunanithi
- Cluster of Excellence for Multimodal Computing and Interaction, and Department for Computational Biology & Applied Algorithms, Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarland Informatics Campus, Saarbrücken, Germany.,Graduate School of Computer Science, Saarland Informatics Campus, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany.,Institute for Cardiovascular Regeneration, Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Vidya Oruganti
- Cluster of Excellence for Multimodal Computing and Interaction, and Department for Computational Biology & Applied Algorithms, Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarland Informatics Campus, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Raphael de Wijn
- Molecular Cell Dynamics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Franziska Drews
- Molecular Cell Biology and Microbiology, Wuppertal University, Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Miriam Cheaib
- Molecular Cell Dynamics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Karl Nordström
- Genetics/Epigenetics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Martin Simon
- Molecular Cell Dynamics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany.,Molecular Cell Biology and Microbiology, Wuppertal University, Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Marcel H Schulz
- Cluster of Excellence for Multimodal Computing and Interaction, and Department for Computational Biology & Applied Algorithms, Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarland Informatics Campus, Saarbrücken, Germany.,Institute for Cardiovascular Regeneration, Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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31
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Kim IV, Ross EJ, Dietrich S, Döring K, Sánchez Alvarado A, Kuhn CD. Efficient depletion of ribosomal RNA for RNA sequencing in planarians. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:909. [PMID: 31783730 PMCID: PMC6884822 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6292-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The astounding regenerative abilities of planarian flatworms prompt steadily growing interest in examining their molecular foundation. Planarian regeneration was found to require hundreds of genes and is hence a complex process. Thus, RNA interference followed by transcriptome-wide gene expression analysis by RNA-seq is a popular technique to study the impact of any particular planarian gene on regeneration. Typically, the removal of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is the first step of all RNA-seq library preparation protocols. To date, rRNA removal in planarians was primarily achieved by the enrichment of polyadenylated (poly(A)) transcripts. However, to better reflect transcriptome dynamics and to cover also non-poly(A) transcripts, a procedure for the targeted removal of rRNA in planarians is needed. RESULTS In this study, we describe a workflow for the efficient depletion of rRNA in the planarian model species S. mediterranea. Our protocol is based on subtractive hybridization using organism-specific probes. Importantly, the designed probes also deplete rRNA of other freshwater triclad families, a fact that considerably broadens the applicability of our protocol. We tested our approach on total RNA isolated from stem cells (termed neoblasts) of S. mediterranea and compared ribodepleted libraries with publicly available poly(A)-enriched ones. Overall, mRNA levels after ribodepletion were consistent with poly(A) libraries. However, ribodepleted libraries revealed higher transcript levels for transposable elements and histone mRNAs that remained underrepresented in poly(A) libraries. As neoblasts experience high transposon activity this suggests that ribodepleted libraries better reflect the transcriptional dynamics of planarian stem cells. Furthermore, the presented ribodepletion procedure was successfully expanded to the removal of ribosomal RNA from the gram-negative bacterium Salmonella typhimurium. CONCLUSIONS The ribodepletion protocol presented here ensures the efficient rRNA removal from low input total planarian RNA, which can be further processed for RNA-seq applications. Resulting libraries contain less than 2% rRNA. Moreover, for a cost-effective and efficient removal of rRNA prior to sequencing applications our procedure might be adapted to any prokaryotic or eukaryotic species of choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iana V Kim
- Gene regulation by Non-coding RNA, Elite Network of Bavaria and University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstrasse 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany.
| | - Eric J Ross
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 East 50th Street, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 East 50th Street, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
| | - Sascha Dietrich
- Core Unit Systems Medicine, Institute for Molecular Infection Biology, University of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 2, 97080, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Kristina Döring
- Core Unit Systems Medicine, Institute for Molecular Infection Biology, University of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 2, 97080, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 East 50th Street, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 East 50th Street, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
| | - Claus-D Kuhn
- Gene regulation by Non-coding RNA, Elite Network of Bavaria and University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstrasse 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany.
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32
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Kotov AA, Adashev VE, Godneeva BK, Ninova M, Shatskikh AS, Bazylev SS, Aravin AA, Olenina LV. piRNA silencing contributes to interspecies hybrid sterility and reproductive isolation in Drosophila melanogaster. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:4255-4271. [PMID: 30788506 PMCID: PMC6486647 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The piRNA pathway is an adaptive mechanism that maintains genome stability by repression of selfish genomic elements. In the male germline of Drosophila melanogaster repression of Stellate genes by piRNAs generated from Supressor of Stellate (Su(Ste)) locus is required for male fertility, but both Su(Ste) piRNAs and their targets are absent in other Drosophila species. We found that D. melanogaster genome contains multiple X-linked non-coding genomic repeats that have sequence similarity to the protein-coding host gene vasa. In the male germline, these vasa-related AT-chX repeats produce abundant piRNAs that are antisense to vasa; however, vasa mRNA escapes silencing due to imperfect complementarity to AT-chX piRNAs. Unexpectedly, we discovered AT-chX piRNAs target vasa of Drosophila mauritiana in the testes of interspecies hybrids. In the majority of hybrid flies, the testes were strongly reduced in size and germline content. A minority of hybrids maintained wild-type array of premeiotic germ cells in the testes, but in them harmful Stellate genes were derepressed due to the absence of Su(Ste) piRNAs, and meiotic failures were observed. Thus, the piRNA pathway contributes to reproductive isolation between D. melanogaster and closely related species, causing hybrid male sterility via misregulation of two different host protein factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexei A Kotov
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Kurchatov Sq. 2, Moscow, 123182 Russia
| | - Vladimir E Adashev
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Kurchatov Sq. 2, Moscow, 123182 Russia
| | - Baira K Godneeva
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Kurchatov Sq. 2, Moscow, 123182 Russia
| | - Maria Ninova
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, 147-75, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Aleksei S Shatskikh
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Kurchatov Sq. 2, Moscow, 123182 Russia
| | - Sergei S Bazylev
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Kurchatov Sq. 2, Moscow, 123182 Russia
| | - Alexei A Aravin
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Kurchatov Sq. 2, Moscow, 123182 Russia.,California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, 147-75, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Ludmila V Olenina
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Kurchatov Sq. 2, Moscow, 123182 Russia
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33
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Zhang SF, Gao J, Liu CM. The Role of Non-Coding RNAs in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Front Genet 2019; 10:1033. [PMID: 31824553 PMCID: PMC6882276 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.01033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-coding RNAs, a group of ribonucleic acids that are ubiquitous in the body and do not encode proteins, emerge as important regulatory factors in almost all biological processes in the brain. Extensive studies have suggested the involvement of non-coding RNAs in brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders, and dysregulation of non-coding RNAs is associated with abnormal brain development and the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders. Here we provide an overview of the roles and working mechanisms of non-coding RNAs, and discuss potential clinical applications of non-coding RNAs as diagnostic and prognostic markers and as therapeutic targets in neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang-Feng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Jun Gao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medicine Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Chang-Mei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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34
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Tassetto M, Kunitomi M, Whitfield ZJ, Dolan PT, Sánchez-Vargas I, Garcia-Knight M, Ribiero I, Chen T, Olson KE, Andino R. Control of RNA viruses in mosquito cells through the acquisition of vDNA and endogenous viral elements. eLife 2019; 8:41244. [PMID: 31621580 PMCID: PMC6797480 DOI: 10.7554/elife.41244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Aedes aegypti transmit pathogenic arboviruses while the mosquito itself tolerates the infection. We examine a piRNA-based immunity that relies on the acquisition of viral derived cDNA (vDNA) and how this pathway discriminates between self and non-self. The piRNAs derived from these vDNAs are essential for virus control and Piwi4 has a central role in the pathway. Piwi4 binds preferentially to virus-derived piRNAs but not to transposon-targeting piRNAs. Analysis of episomal vDNA from infected cells reveals that vDNA molecules are acquired through a discriminatory process of reverse-transcription and recombination directed by endogenous retrotransposons. Using a high-resolution Ae. aegypti genomic sequence, we found that vDNAs integrated in the host genome as endogenous viral elements (EVEs), produce antisense piRNAs that are preferentially loaded onto Piwi4. Importantly, EVE-derived piRNAs are specifically loaded onto Piwi4 to inhibit virus replication. Thus, Ae. aegypti employs a sophisticated antiviral mechanism that promotes viral persistence and generates long-lasting adaptive immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Tassetto
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Mark Kunitomi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Zachary J Whitfield
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Patrick T Dolan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Irma Sánchez-Vargas
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, United States
| | - Miguel Garcia-Knight
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Isabel Ribiero
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Taotao Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Ken E Olson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, United States
| | - Raul Andino
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
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35
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Kim IV, Duncan EM, Ross EJ, Gorbovytska V, Nowotarski SH, Elliott SA, Sánchez Alvarado A, Kuhn CD. Planarians recruit piRNAs for mRNA turnover in adult stem cells. Genes Dev 2019; 33:1575-1590. [PMID: 31537626 PMCID: PMC6824462 DOI: 10.1101/gad.322776.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In this study, Kim et al. set out to elucidate the molecular details of how PIWI proteins in planarian flatworms contribute to stem cell function and regeneration. Using novel biochemical tools, such as IP-seq, ribodepletion, HITS-CLIP, and SHAPE-MaP, the authors show that PIWI proteins enable planarians to repurpose piRNAs for critical roles in neoblast mRNA turnover. PIWI proteins utilize small RNAs called piRNAs to silence transposable elements, thereby protecting germline integrity. In planarian flatworms, PIWI proteins are essential for regeneration, which requires adult stem cells termed neoblasts. Here, we characterize planarian piRNAs and examine the roles of PIWI proteins in neoblast biology. We find that the planarian PIWI proteins SMEDWI-2 and SMEDWI-3 cooperate to degrade active transposons via the ping-pong cycle. Unexpectedly, we discover that SMEDWI-3 plays an additional role in planarian mRNA surveillance. While SMEDWI-3 degrades numerous neoblast mRNAs in a homotypic ping-pong cycle, it is also guided to another subset of neoblast mRNAs by antisense piRNAs and binds these without degrading them. Mechanistically, the distinct activities of SMEDWI-3 are primarily dictated by the degree of complementarity between target mRNAs and antisense piRNAs. Thus, PIWI proteins enable planarians to repurpose piRNAs for potentially critical roles in neoblast mRNA turnover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iana V Kim
- Gene regulation by Non-coding RNA, Elite Network of Bavaria and University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Elizabeth M Duncan
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA
| | - Eric J Ross
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA
| | - Vladyslava Gorbovytska
- Gene regulation by Non-coding RNA, Elite Network of Bavaria and University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | | | - Sarah A Elliott
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA
| | - Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA
| | - Claus-D Kuhn
- Gene regulation by Non-coding RNA, Elite Network of Bavaria and University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
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36
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Becker WR, Ober-Reynolds B, Jouravleva K, Jolly SM, Zamore PD, Greenleaf WJ. High-Throughput Analysis Reveals Rules for Target RNA Binding and Cleavage by AGO2. Mol Cell 2019; 75:741-755.e11. [PMID: 31324449 PMCID: PMC6823844 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2019.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Revised: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Argonaute proteins loaded with microRNAs (miRNAs) or small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) form the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), which represses target RNA expression. Predicting the biological targets, specificity, and efficiency of both miRNAs and siRNAs has been hamstrung by an incomplete understanding of the sequence determinants of RISC binding and cleavage. We applied high-throughput methods to measure the association kinetics, equilibrium binding energies, and single-turnover cleavage rates of mouse AGO2 RISC. We find that RISC readily tolerates insertions of up to 7 nt in its target opposite the central region of the guide. Our data uncover specific guide:target mismatches that enhance the rate of target cleavage, suggesting novel siRNA design strategies. Using these data, we derive quantitative models for RISC binding and target cleavage and show that our in vitro measurements and models predict knockdown in an engineered cellular system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winston R Becker
- Program in Biophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | | | - Karina Jouravleva
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Samson M Jolly
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Phillip D Zamore
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
| | - William J Greenleaf
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
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37
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Luo S, He F, Luo J, Dou S, Wang Y, Guo A, Lu J. Drosophila tsRNAs preferentially suppress general translation machinery via antisense pairing and participate in cellular starvation response. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:5250-5268. [PMID: 29548011 PMCID: PMC6007262 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2017] [Accepted: 03/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Transfer RNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) are an emerging class of small RNAs, yet their regulatory roles have not been well understood. Here we studied the molecular mechanisms and consequences of tsRNA-mediated regulation in Drosophila. By analyzing 495 public small RNA libraries, we demonstrate that most tsRNAs are conserved, prevalent and abundant in Drosophila. By carrying out mRNA sequencing and ribosome profiling of S2 cells transfected with single-stranded tsRNA mimics and mocks, we show that tsRNAs recognize target mRNAs through conserved complementary sequence matching and suppress target genes by translational inhibition. The target prediction suggests that tsRNAs preferentially suppress translation of the key components of the general translation machinery, which explains how tsRNAs inhibit the global mRNA translation. Serum starvation experiments confirm tsRNAs participate in cellular starvation responses by preferential targeting the ribosomal proteins and translational initiation or elongation factors. Knock-down of AGO2 in S2 cells under normal and starved conditions reveals a dependence of the tsRNA-mediated regulation on AGO2. We also validated the repressive effects of representative tsRNAs on cellular global translation and specific targets with luciferase reporter assays. Our study suggests the tsRNA-mediated regulation might be crucial for the energy homeostasis and the metabolic adaptation in the cellular systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiqi Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Feng He
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Junjie Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Shengqian Dou
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yirong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Annan Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jian Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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38
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Single-cell CAS-seq reveals a class of short PIWI-interacting RNAs in human oocytes. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3389. [PMID: 31358756 PMCID: PMC6662892 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11312-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Small RNAs have important functions. However, small RNAs in primate oocytes remain unexplored. Herein, we develop CAS-seq, a single-cell small RNA sequencing method, and profile the small RNAs in human oocytes and embryos. We discover a class of ~20-nt small RNAs that are predominantly expressed in human and monkey oocytes, but not in mouse oocytes. They are specifically associated with HIWI3 (PIWIL3), whereas significantly shorter than the commonly known PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), designated as oocyte short piRNAs (os-piRNAs). Notably, the os-piRNAs in human oocytes lack 2’-O-methylation at the 3’ end, a hallmark of the classic piRNAs. In addition, the os-piRNAs have a strong 1U/10 A bias and are enriched on the antisense strands of recently evolved transposable elements (TEs), indicating the potential function of silencing TEs by cleavage. Therefore, our study has identified an oocyte-specific piRNA family with distinct features and provides valuable resources for studying small RNAs in primate oocytes. PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are ~25–33 nt small RNAs expressed in animal germ cells. Here, the authors develop a single-cell small RNA sequencing method and report that a class of ~20-nt piRNAs lacking 3′ end 2′-O-methylation are associated with PIWIL3 protein and predominantly expressed in human and monkey oocytes.
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39
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Ozata DM, Gainetdinov I, Zoch A, O'Carroll D, Zamore PD. PIWI-interacting RNAs: small RNAs with big functions. Nat Rev Genet 2019; 20:89-108. [PMID: 30446728 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-018-0073-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 666] [Impact Index Per Article: 133.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
In animals, PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) of 21-35 nucleotides in length silence transposable elements, regulate gene expression and fight viral infection. piRNAs guide PIWI proteins to cleave target RNA, promote heterochromatin assembly and methylate DNA. The architecture of the piRNA pathway allows it both to provide adaptive, sequence-based immunity to rapidly evolving viruses and transposons and to regulate conserved host genes. piRNAs silence transposons in the germ line of most animals, whereas somatic piRNA functions have been lost, gained and lost again across evolution. Moreover, most piRNA pathway proteins are deeply conserved, but different animals employ remarkably divergent strategies to produce piRNA precursor transcripts. Here, we discuss how a common piRNA pathway allows animals to recognize diverse targets, ranging from selfish genetic elements to genes essential for gametogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deniz M Ozata
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Ildar Gainetdinov
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Ansgar Zoch
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Dónal O'Carroll
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Phillip D Zamore
- RNA Therapeutics Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
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40
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Yu Y, Xiao J, Hann SS. The emerging roles of PIWI-interacting RNA in human cancers. Cancer Manag Res 2019; 11:5895-5909. [PMID: 31303794 PMCID: PMC6612017 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s209300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a type of non-coding RNAs that interact with PIWI proteins, which are members of the argonaute family. Originally described in the germline, piRNAs are also expressed in human somatic cells in a tissue-specific manner. piRNAs are involved in spermatogenesis, germ stem-cell maintenance, silencing of transposon, epigenetic and genomic regulation and rearrangement. A large number of studies have demonstrated that expression of piRNAs is involved in many kinds of disease, including cancer. Abnormal expression of piRNAs is emerging as a critical player in cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration in vitro and in vivo. Functionally, piRNAs maintain genomic integrity by repressing the mobilization of transposable elements, and regulate the expression of downstream target genes via transcriptional or post-transcriptional mechanisms. Furthermore, altered expression of piRNAs in cancer is linked to clinical outcome, highlighting the important role that they may play as novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and as therapeutic targets for cancer therapy. In this review, we focus on the biogenesis and the functional roles of piRNAs in cancers, discuss emerging insights into the roles of piRNAs in the occurrence, progression, and treatment of cancers, reveal various mechanisms underlying piRNAs-mediated gene regulation, and highlight their potential clinical utilities as biomarkers as well as potential targets for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaya Yu
- Laboratory of Tumor Biology, The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine , Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Xiao
- Department of Gynecology, The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, People's Republic of China
| | - Swei Sunny Hann
- Laboratory of Tumor Biology, The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine , Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, People's Republic of China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Research on Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510120, People's Republic of China
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41
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Kolliopoulou A, Santos D, Taning CNT, Wynant N, Vanden Broeck J, Smagghe G, Swevers L. PIWI pathway against viruses in insects. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2019; 10:e1555. [PMID: 31183996 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 05/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are an animal-specific class of small non-coding RNAs that are generated via a biogenesis pathway distinct from small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs). There are variations in piRNA biogenesis that depend on several factors, such as the cell type (germline or soma), the organism, and the purpose for which they are being produced, such as transposon-targeting, viral-targeting, or gene-derived piRNAs. Interestingly, the genes involved in the PIWI/piRNA pathway are more rapidly evolving compared with other RNA interference (RNAi) genes. In this review, the role of the piRNA pathway in the antiviral response is reviewed based on recent findings in insect models such as Drosophila, mosquitoes, midges and the silkworm, Bombyx mori. We extensively discuss the special features that characterize host-virus piRNA responses with respect to the proteins and the genes involved, the viral piRNAs' sequence characteristics, the target strand orientation biases as well as the viral piRNA target hotspots across the viral genomes. This article is categorized under: Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > RNAi: Mechanisms of Action Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Biogenesis of Effector Small RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kolliopoulou
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Athens, Greece
| | - Dulce Santos
- Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction Research Group, Animal Physiology and Neurobiology Division, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Clauvis Nji Tizi Taning
- Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Niels Wynant
- Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction Research Group, Animal Physiology and Neurobiology Division, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jozef Vanden Broeck
- Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction Research Group, Animal Physiology and Neurobiology Division, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Luc Swevers
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Athens, Greece
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42
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Fromm B, Tosar JP, Aguilera F, Friedländer MR, Bachmann L, Hejnol A. Evolutionary Implications of the microRNA- and piRNA Complement of Lepidodermella squamata (Gastrotricha). Noncoding RNA 2019; 5:E19. [PMID: 30813358 PMCID: PMC6468455 DOI: 10.3390/ncrna5010019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastrotrichs-'hairy bellies'-are microscopic free-living animals inhabiting marine and freshwater habitats. Based on morphological and early molecular analyses, gastrotrichs were placed close to nematodes, but recent phylogenomic analyses have suggested their close relationship to flatworms (Platyhelminthes) within Spiralia. Small non-coding RNA data on e.g., microRNAs (miRNAs) and PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNA) may help to resolve this long-standing question. MiRNAs are short post-transcriptional gene regulators that together with piRNAs play key roles in development. In a 'multi-omics' approach we here used small-RNA sequencing, available transcriptome and genomic data to unravel the miRNA- and piRNA complements along with the RNAi (RNA interference) protein machinery of Lepidodermella squamata (Gastrotricha, Chaetonotida). We identified 52 miRNA genes representing 35 highly conserved miRNA families specific to Eumetazoa, Bilateria, Protostomia, and Spiralia, respectively, with overall high similarities to platyhelminth miRNA complements. In addition, we found four large piRNA clusters that also resemble flatworm piRNAs but not those earlier described for nematodes. Congruently, transcriptomic annotation revealed that the Lepidodermella protein machinery is highly similar to flatworms, too. Taken together, miRNA, piRNA, and protein data support a close relationship of gastrotrichs and flatworms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bastian Fromm
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Juan Pablo Tosar
- Functional Genomics Unit, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay.
- Nuclear Research Center, Faculty of Science, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay.
| | - Felipe Aguilera
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160_C, Concepción 3349001, Chile.
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, 5006 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Marc R Friedländer
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Lutz Bachmann
- Research group Frontiers in Evolutionary Zoology, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, 0318 Oslo, Norway.
| | - Andreas Hejnol
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, 5006 Bergen, Norway.
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43
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Smith CS, Jouravleva K, Huisman M, Jolly SM, Zamore PD, Grunwald D. An automated Bayesian pipeline for rapid analysis of single-molecule binding data. Nat Commun 2019; 10:272. [PMID: 30655518 PMCID: PMC6336789 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-08045-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Single-molecule binding assays enable the study of how molecular machines assemble and function. Current algorithms can identify and locate individual molecules, but require tedious manual validation of each spot. Moreover, no solution for high-throughput analysis of single-molecule binding data exists. Here, we describe an automated pipeline to analyze single-molecule data over a wide range of experimental conditions. In addition, our method enables state estimation on multivariate Gaussian signals. We validate our approach using simulated data, and benchmark the pipeline by measuring the binding properties of the well-studied, DNA-guided DNA endonuclease, TtAgo, an Argonaute protein from the Eubacterium Thermus thermophilus. We also use the pipeline to extend our understanding of TtAgo by measuring the protein’s binding kinetics at physiological temperatures and for target DNAs containing multiple, adjacent binding sites. Analysis of single-molecule binding assays still requires substantial manual user intervention. Here, the authors present a pipeline for rapid, automated analysis of co-localization single-molecule spectroscopy images, with a modular user interface that can be adjusted to a range of experimental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlas S Smith
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA. .,Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PJ, UK.
| | - Karina Jouravleva
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Maximiliaan Huisman
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Samson M Jolly
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Phillip D Zamore
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
| | - David Grunwald
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
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44
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Balaratnam S, West N, Basu S. A piRNA utilizes HILI and HIWI2 mediated pathway to down-regulate ferritin heavy chain 1 mRNA in human somatic cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2018; 46:10635-10648. [PMID: 30102404 PMCID: PMC6237762 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2018] [Revised: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The piwi interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that specifically bind to the PIWI proteins, a functional requirement. The piRNAs regulate germline development, transposons control, and gene expression. However, piRNA-mediated post-transcriptional gene regulation in human somatic cells is not well understood. We discovered a human piRNA (piR-FTH1) which has a complementary sequence in the ferritin heavy chain 1 (Fth1) mRNA. We demonstrated that expression of piR-FTH1 and Fth1 are inversely correlated in the tested tumor cell lines. We found that piR-FTH1 negatively regulates the Fth1 expression at post-transcriptional level in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. Additionally, we confirmed that transfected piR-FTH1 knocks down the Fth1 mRNA via the HIWI2 and HILI mediated mechanism. piR-FTH1 mediated Fth1 repression also increased doxorubicin sensitivity by a remarkable 20-fold in TNBC cells. Since the current piRNA-mediated knockdowns of target mRNA are mostly reported in germ line cells, piRNA-mediated post-transcriptional gene regulation in somatic cells is rather unique in its application and mechanistically uses an alternative pathway to siRNA and miRNA. This work begins to lay the groundwork with a broader impact on treatment of various diseases that are linked to elevated levels of specific mRNAs which have a piRNA target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumirtha Balaratnam
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Nicole West
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Soumitra Basu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
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45
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A secondary structure within a human piRNA modulates its functionality. Biochimie 2018; 157:72-80. [PMID: 30414834 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2018.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
The piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs, mostly 24-32 nucleotides in length. The piRNAs are not known to have any conserved secondary structure or sequence motifs. Using bioinformatics analysis, we discovered the presence of putative G-quadruplex (GQ) forming sequences in human piRNAs. We studied human piR-48164/piR-GQ containing a potential GQ forming sequence and using biochemical and biophysical techniques confirmed its ability to form a GQ. Using EMSA, we discovered that the formation of GQ structure led to inhibition of the piRNA binding to the HIWI-PAZ domain as well as the complementary base pairing to a target RNA. The inability of the piR-GQ to interact with the PIWI protein might be detrimental to the function of the piRNA. To investigate if the formation of a GQ structure in piRNA prevents its target gene silencing in vivo, we used a reporter assay. The piR-GQ failed to inhibit the reporter gene expression while a mutated version that lacked the ability to form GQ inhibited reporter gene expression indicating that the presence of GQ in piRNA is detrimental to its function. These studies unraveled the dependence of a piRNA's functionality on an RNA secondary structure and added a new layer of regulation to their function.
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46
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Abstract
Gametogenesis represents the most dramatic cellular differentiation pathways in both female and male flies. At the genome level, meiosis ensures that diploid germ cells become haploid gametes. At the epigenome level, extensive changes are required to turn on and shut off gene expression in a precise spatiotemporally controlled manner. Research applying conventional molecular genetics and cell biology, in combination with rapidly advancing genomic tools have helped us to investigate (1) how germ cells maintain lineage specificity throughout their adult reproductive lifetime; (2) what molecular mechanisms ensure proper oogenesis and spermatogenesis, as well as protect genome integrity of the germline; (3) how signaling pathways contribute to germline-soma communication; and (4) if such communication is important. In this chapter, we highlight recent discoveries that have improved our understanding of these questions. On the other hand, restarting a new life cycle upon fertilization is a unique challenge faced by gametes, raising questions that involve intergenerational and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. Therefore, we also discuss new developments that link changes during gametogenesis to early embryonic development-a rapidly growing field that promises to bring more understanding to some fundamental questions regarding metazoan development.
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47
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Gainetdinov I, Colpan C, Arif A, Cecchini K, Zamore PD. A Single Mechanism of Biogenesis, Initiated and Directed by PIWI Proteins, Explains piRNA Production in Most Animals. Mol Cell 2018; 71:775-790.e5. [PMID: 30193099 PMCID: PMC6130920 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2018.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Revised: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
In animals, PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) guide PIWI proteins to silence transposons and regulate gene expression. The mechanisms for making piRNAs have been proposed to differ among cell types, tissues, and animals. Our data instead suggest a single model that explains piRNA production in most animals. piRNAs initiate piRNA production by guiding PIWI proteins to slice precursor transcripts. Next, PIWI proteins direct the stepwise fragmentation of the sliced precursor transcripts, yielding tail-to-head strings of phased precursor piRNAs (pre-piRNAs). Our analyses detect evidence for this piRNA biogenesis strategy across an evolutionarily broad range of animals, including humans. Thus, PIWI proteins initiate and sustain piRNA biogenesis by the same mechanism in species whose last common ancestor predates the branching of most animal lineages. The unified model places PIWI-clade Argonautes at the center of piRNA biology and suggests that the ancestral animal-the Urmetazoan-used PIWI proteins both to generate piRNA guides and to execute piRNA function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ildar Gainetdinov
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Cansu Colpan
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Amena Arif
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Katharine Cecchini
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Phillip D Zamore
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
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48
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Shen EZ, Chen H, Ozturk AR, Tu S, Shirayama M, Tang W, Ding YH, Dai SY, Weng Z, Mello CC. Identification of piRNA Binding Sites Reveals the Argonaute Regulatory Landscape of the C. elegans Germline. Cell 2018; 172:937-951.e18. [PMID: 29456082 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2018] [Revised: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
piRNAs (Piwi-interacting small RNAs) engage Piwi Argonautes to silence transposons and promote fertility in animal germlines. Genetic and computational studies have suggested that C. elegans piRNAs tolerate mismatched pairing and in principle could target every transcript. Here we employ in vivo cross-linking to identify transcriptome-wide interactions between piRNAs and target RNAs. We show that piRNAs engage all germline mRNAs and that piRNA binding follows microRNA-like pairing rules. Targeting correlates better with binding energy than with piRNA abundance, suggesting that piRNA concentration does not limit targeting. In mRNAs silenced by piRNAs, secondary small RNAs accumulate at the center and ends of piRNA binding sites. In germline-expressed mRNAs, however, targeting by the CSR-1 Argonaute correlates with reduced piRNA binding density and suppression of piRNA-associated secondary small RNAs. Our findings reveal physiologically important and nuanced regulation of individual piRNA targets and provide evidence for a comprehensive post-transcriptional regulatory step in germline gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- En-Zhi Shen
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Hao Chen
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Ahmet R Ozturk
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Shikui Tu
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and CMaCH center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Masaki Shirayama
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute
| | - Wen Tang
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Yue-He Ding
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Si-Yuan Dai
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Zhiping Weng
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Craig C Mello
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
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49
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Arkov AL. RNA Selection by PIWI Proteins. Trends Biochem Sci 2018; 43:153-156. [PMID: 29395655 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2017.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Revised: 12/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Gene regulation by PIWI-piRNA complexes is determined by the selection of cognate target RNAs by PIWI-piRNA. What are the mechanisms for this selection? There is a rigorous multistep control in identifying target RNAs by PIWI-piRNA structures, and RNA helicases play a potentially crucial role in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey L Arkov
- Department of Biological Sciences, Murray State University, Murray, KY 42071, USA.
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50
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Xiao Z, Shen J, Zhang L, Li M, Hu W, Cho C. Therapeutic targeting of noncoding RNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma: Recent progress and future prospects. Oncol Lett 2018; 15:3395-3402. [PMID: 29467864 PMCID: PMC5796293 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2018.7758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to the high mortality rate and unsatisfactory treatment options available, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the most common malignancies and a leading cause of cancer-associated mortality. Novel therapeutic targets for HCC are urgently required. Advanced RNA sequencing technology enables the identification of considerable amounts of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including small noncoding RNAs and long noncoding RNAs, which exhibit no protein-coding activities. In this respect, ncRNAs and their regulatory processes are important factors in liver tumorigenesis. The present review focuses on the characteristics and biological roles of ncRNAs in HCC. Potential therapeutic applications of ncRNAs in HCC are also evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhangang Xiao
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan 646000, P.R. China
| | - Jing Shen
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan 646000, P.R. China
| | - Lin Zhang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, P.R. China
| | - Mingxing Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan 646000, P.R. China
| | - Wei Hu
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, P.R. China
| | - Chihin Cho
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan 646000, P.R. China.,School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, P.R. China
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