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Wang Y, Shu M, Wang T, He T, Yuan J, Yang Y. Comprehensive characterization of somatic mutations associated with chimeric RNAs in human cancers. Int J Cancer 2024; 155:683-696. [PMID: 38613405 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.34955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Chimeric RNAs, which can arise from gene recombination at the DNA level or non-canonical splicing events at the RNA level, have been identified as important roles in human tumors. Dysregulated gene expression caused by somatic mutations and altered splicing patterns of oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes can contribute to the development of tumors. Therefore, investigating the formation mechanism of chimeric RNAs via somatic mutations is critical for understanding tumor pathogenesis. This project is the first to propose studying the association between somatic single nucleotide variants and chimeric RNAs, identifying around 2900 somatic SNVs affecting chimeric RNAs in pan-cancer level. The somatic SNVs on chimeric RNAs were commonly observed in various types of tumor tissues, providing a valuable resource for future study. Additionally, these SNVs show distinct tumor specificity, and those with high frequency had a significant impact on the survival time of patients with tumors. Further research revealed that somatic SNVs associated with chimeric RNA (chiR-SNVs) were typically found within 10 nt of the junction site of chimeric RNAs and had a particularly significant effect on chimeric RNAs from different chromosomes. The enrichment analysis revealed that chiR-SNVs were significantly overrepresented in oncogenes and genes related to RNA binding proteins involved in RNA splicing, which could imply that chiR-SNVs may disrupt the process of RNA splicing and induce the occurrence of chimeric RNAs. This study sheds light on the potential molecular interaction mechanism between somatic SNVs and chimeric RNAs, which opens up a new avenue for researching disease pathway and tumorigenesis development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Wang
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, Tianjin Geriatrics Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Meng Shu
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, Tianjin Geriatrics Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Tianqiang Wang
- Neurosurgery Department II Ward, Yidu Central Hospital of Weifang, Shandong, China
| | - Tongxin He
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, Tianjin Geriatrics Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jiapei Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Yang Yang
- The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Biology, Tianjin Geriatrics Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Department of Bioinformatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
- Department of Family Planning, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
- Department of Geriatrics, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
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Elfman J, Goins L, Heller T, Singh S, Wang YH, Li H. Discovery of a polymorphic gene fusion via bottom-up chimeric RNA prediction. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:4409-4421. [PMID: 38587197 PMCID: PMC11077074 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae258] [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: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Gene fusions and their chimeric products are commonly linked with cancer. However, recent studies have found chimeric transcripts in non-cancer tissues and cell lines. Large-scale efforts to annotate structural variations have identified gene fusions capable of generating chimeric transcripts even in normal tissues. In this study, we present a bottom-up approach targeting population-specific chimeric RNAs, identifying 58 such instances in the GTEx cohort, including notable cases such as SUZ12P1-CRLF3, TFG-ADGRG7 and TRPM4-PPFIA3, which possess distinct patterns across different ancestry groups. We provide direct evidence for an additional 29 polymorphic chimeric RNAs with associated structural variants, revealing 13 novel rare structural variants. Additionally, we utilize the All of Us dataset and a large cohort of clinical samples to characterize the association of the SUZ12P1-CRLF3-causing variant with patient phenotypes. Our study showcases SUZ12P1-CRLF3 as a representative example, illustrating the identification of elusive structural variants by focusing on those producing population-specific fusion transcripts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Elfman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Lynette Goins
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29631, USA
| | - Tessa Heller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Sandeep Singh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
- Computational Toxicology Facility, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, 226001, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Yuh-Hwa Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
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Shi X, Facemire L, Singh S, Kumar S, Cornelison R, Liang C, Qin F, Liu A, Lin S, Tang Y, Elfman J, Manley T, Bullock T, Haverstick DM, Wu P, Li H. UBA1-CDK16 : A Sex-Specific Chimeric RNA and Its Role in Immune Sexual Dimorphism. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.13.580120. [PMID: 38405903 PMCID: PMC10888732 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.13.580120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
RNA processing mechanisms, such as alternative splicing and RNA editing, have been recognized as critical means to expand the transcriptome. Chimeric RNAs formed by intergenic splicing provide another potential layer of RNA diversification. By analyzing a large set of RNA-Seq data and validating results in over 1,200 blood samples, we identified UBA1-CDK16 , a female-specific chimeric transcript. Intriguingly, both parental genes, are expressed in males and females. Mechanistically, UBA1-CDK16 is produced by cis-splicing between the two adjacent X-linked genes, originating from the inactive X chromosome. A female-specific chromatin loop, formed between the junction sites, facilitates the alternative splicing of its readthrough precursor. This unique chimeric transcript exhibits evolutionary conservation, evolving to be female-specific from non-human primates to humans. Furthermore, our investigation reveals that UBA1-CDK16 is enriched in the myeloid lineage and plays a regulatory role in myeloid differentiation. Notably, female COVID-19 patients who tested negative for this chimeric transcript displayed higher counts of neutrophils, highlighting its potential role in disease pathogenesis. These findings support the notion that chimeric RNAs represent a new repertoire of transcripts that can be regulated independently from the parental genes, and a new class of RNA variance with potential implications in sexual dimorphism and immune responses.
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Asim M, Saif-Ur Rehman M, Hassan FU, Awan FS. Genetic variants of CSN1S1, CSN2, CSN3, and BLG genes and their association with dairy production traits in Sahiwal cattle and Nili-Ravi buffaloes. Anim Biotechnol 2023; 34:2951-2962. [PMID: 36165734 DOI: 10.1080/10495398.2022.2126365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Milk protein genes are associated with milk yield and composition in dairy animals. The present study aimed to identify milk protein genes (CSN1S1, CSN2, CSN3, and BLG) genetic variants and their association with milk yield in Sahiwal cattle and Nili-Ravi buffaloes. One hundred animals from each species were selected to collect blood samples and milk production records. Primers were designed for these milk protein genes for PCR amplification. Sequencing of resultant PCR products revealed a higher number of SNPs (13 vs. 7, 5 vs. 1, and 6 vs. 2) in Sahiwal as compared to Nili-Ravi animals in CSN1S1, CSN2, and CSN3 genes, respectively. However, a single SNP was observed in BLG gene of both species. Association analysis revealed that one SNP in BLG gene of Nili-Ravi was associated (p < 0.05) with 305-day milk yield. Two SNPs at CSN1S1 gene in Sahiwal were associated with dry-period. Similarly, one SNP at CSN1S1 and two SNPs at CSN3 gene showed significant association (p < 0.05) with average calving-interval in Sahiwal while two SNPs in CSN1S1 gene were associated (p < 0.05) with this trait in Nili-Ravi. These SNPs could be helpful as candidate variants for marker-assisted selection in cattle and buffaloes for improvement of lactation performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Asim
- Institute of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | | | - Faiz-Ul Hassan
- Institute of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Faisal Saeed Awan
- Centre of Agricultural Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
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Sridhar A, More AS, Jadhav AR, Patil K, Mavlankar A, Dixit VM, Bapat SA. Pattern recognition in the landscape of seemingly random chimeric transcripts. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:5153-5164. [PMID: 37920814 PMCID: PMC10618115 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.10.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The molecular and functional diversity generated by chimeric transcripts (CTs) that are derived from two genes is indicated to contribute to tumor cell survival. Several gaps yet exist. The present research is a systematic study of the spectrum of CTs identified in RNA sequencing datasets of 160 ovarian cancer samples in the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) (https://portal.gdc.cancer.gov). Structural annotation revealed complexities emerging from chromosomal localization of partner genes, differential splicing and inclusion of regulatory, untranslated regions. Identification of phenotype-specific associations further resolved a dynamically modulated mesenchymal signature during transformation. On an evolutionary background, protein-coding CTs were indicated to be highly conserved, while non-coding CTs may have evolved more recently. We also realized that the current premise postulating structural alterations or neighbouring gene readthrough generating CTs is not valid in instances wherein the parental genes are genomically distanced. In addressing this lacuna, we identified the essentiality of specific spatiotemporal arrangements mediated gene proximities in 3D space for the generation of CTs. All these features together suggest non-random mechanisms towards increasing the molecular diversity in a cell through chimera formation either in parallel or with cross-talks with the indigenous regulatory network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aksheetha Sridhar
- Open Health Systems Laboratory, 9601 Medical Centre Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, US
| | - Ankita S. More
- National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, Maharashtra, India
| | - Amruta R. Jadhav
- National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, Maharashtra, India
| | - Komal Patil
- National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, Maharashtra, India
| | - Anuj Mavlankar
- National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, Maharashtra, India
| | - Vaishnavi M. Dixit
- National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, Maharashtra, India
| | - Sharmila A. Bapat
- Open Health Systems Laboratory, 9601 Medical Centre Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, US
- National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, Maharashtra, India
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Merle DA, Sen M, Armento A, Stanton CM, Thee EF, Meester-Smoor MA, Kaiser M, Clark SJ, Klaver CCW, Keane PA, Wright AF, Ehrmann M, Ueffing M. 10q26 - The enigma in age-related macular degeneration. Prog Retin Eye Res 2023; 96:101154. [PMID: 36513584 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2022.101154] [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: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Despite comprehensive research efforts over the last decades, the pathomechanisms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) remain far from being understood. Large-scale genome wide association studies (GWAS) were able to provide a defined set of genetic aberrations which contribute to disease risk, with the strongest contributors mapping to distinct regions on chromosome 1 and 10. While the chromosome 1 locus comprises factors of the complement system with well-known functions, the role of the 10q26-locus in AMD-pathophysiology remains enigmatic. 10q26 harbors a cluster of three functional genes, namely PLEKHA1, ARMS2 and HTRA1, with most of the AMD-associated genetic variants mapping to the latter two genes. High linkage disequilibrium between ARMS2 and HTRA1 has kept association studies from reliably defining the risk-causing gene for long and only very recently the genetic risk region has been narrowed to ARMS2, suggesting that this is the true AMD gene at this locus. However, genetic associations alone do not suffice to prove causality and one or more of the 14 SNPs on this haplotype may be involved in long-range control of gene expression, leaving HTRA1 and PLEKHA1 still suspects in the pathogenic pathway. Both, ARMS2 and HTRA1 have been linked to extracellular matrix homeostasis, yet their exact molecular function as well as their role in AMD pathogenesis remains to be uncovered. The transcriptional regulation of the 10q26 locus adds an additional level of complexity, given, that gene-regulatory as well as epigenetic alterations may influence expression levels from 10q26 in diseased individuals. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview on the 10q26 locus and its three gene products on various levels of biological complexity and discuss current and future research strategies to shed light on one of the remaining enigmatic spots in the AMD landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Merle
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Department for Ophthalmology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany; Department for Ophthalmology, University Eye Clinic, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany; Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Graz, 8036, Graz, Austria.
| | - Merve Sen
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Department for Ophthalmology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Angela Armento
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Department for Ophthalmology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Chloe M Stanton
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Eric F Thee
- Department of Ophthalmology, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015GD, Rotterdam, Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015CE, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Magda A Meester-Smoor
- Department of Ophthalmology, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015GD, Rotterdam, Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015CE, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Markus Kaiser
- Center of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University Duisburg-Essen, 45117, Essen, Germany
| | - Simon J Clark
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Department for Ophthalmology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany; Department for Ophthalmology, University Eye Clinic, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany; Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Caroline C W Klaver
- Department of Ophthalmology, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015GD, Rotterdam, Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015CE, Rotterdam, Netherlands; Department of Ophthalmology, Radboudumc, 6525EX, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel, CH-4031, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Pearse A Keane
- Institute for Health Research, Biomedical Research Centre for Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, EC1V 2PD, UK
| | - Alan F Wright
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Michael Ehrmann
- Center of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University Duisburg-Essen, 45117, Essen, Germany
| | - Marius Ueffing
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Department for Ophthalmology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany; Department for Ophthalmology, University Eye Clinic, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
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Chen YC, Chen CY, Chiang TW, Chan MH, Hsiao M, Ke HM, Tsai I, Chuang TJ. Detecting intragenic trans-splicing events from non-co-linearly spliced junctions by hybrid sequencing. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:7777-7797. [PMID: 37497782 PMCID: PMC10450196 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad623] [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: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Trans-spliced RNAs (ts-RNAs) are a type of non-co-linear (NCL) transcripts that consist of exons in an order topologically inconsistent with the corresponding DNA template. Detecting ts-RNAs is often interfered by experimental artifacts, circular RNAs (circRNAs) and genetic rearrangements. Particularly, intragenic ts-RNAs, which are derived from separate precursor mRNA molecules of the same gene, are often mistaken for circRNAs through analyses of RNA-seq data. Here we developed a bioinformatics pipeline (NCLscan-hybrid), which integrated short and long RNA-seq reads to minimize false positives and proposed out-of-circle and rolling-circle long reads to distinguish between intragenic ts-RNAs and circRNAs. Combining NCLscan-hybrid screening and multiple experimental validation steps successfully confirmed that four NCL events, which were previously regarded as circRNAs in databases, originated from trans-splicing. CRISPR-based endogenous genome modification experiments further showed that flanking intronic complementary sequences can significantly contribute to ts-RNA formation, providing an efficient/specific method to deplete ts-RNAs. We also experimentally validated that one ts-RNA (ts-ARFGEF1) played an important role for p53-mediated apoptosis through affecting the PERK/eIF2a/ATF4/CHOP signaling pathway in breast cancer cells. This study thus described both bioinformatics procedures and experimental validation steps for rigorous characterization of ts-RNAs, expanding future studies for identification, biogenesis, and function of these important but understudied transcripts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Chen Chen
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Ying Chen
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tai-Wei Chiang
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Hsien Chan
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Michael Hsiao
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Huei-Mien Ke
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Microbiology, Soochow University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Abstract
Within the next decade, the genomes of 1.8 million eukaryotic species will be sequenced. Identifying genes in these sequences is essential to understand the biology of the species. This is challenging due to the transcriptional complexity of eukaryotic genomes, which encode hundreds of thousands of transcripts of multiple types. Among these, a small set of protein-coding mRNAs play a disproportionately large role in defining phenotypes. Due to their sequence conservation, orthology can be established, making it possible to define the universal catalog of eukaryotic protein-coding genes. This catalog should substantially contribute to uncovering the genomic events underlying the emergence of eukaryotic phenotypes. This piece briefly reviews the basics of protein-coding gene prediction, discusses challenges in finalizing annotation of the human genome, and proposes strategies for producing annotations across the eukaryotic Tree of Life. This lays the groundwork for obtaining the catalog of all genes-the Earth's code of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roderic Guigó
- Bioinformatics and Genomics, Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST), Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Catalonia
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9
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Batista da Silva I, Aciole Barbosa D, Kavalco KF, Nunes LR, Pasa R, Menegidio FB. Discovery of putative long non-coding RNAs expressed in the eyes of Astyanax mexicanus (Actinopterygii: Characidae). Sci Rep 2023; 13:12051. [PMID: 37491348 PMCID: PMC10368750 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34198-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Astyanax mexicanus is a well-known model species, that has two morphotypes, cavefish, from subterranean rivers and surface fish, from surface rivers. They are morphologically distinct due to many troglomorphic traits in the cavefish, such as the absence of eyes. Most studies on A. mexicanus are focused on eye development and protein-coding genes involved in the process. However, lncRNAs did not get the same attention and very little is known about them. This study aimed to fill this knowledge gap, identifying, describing, classifying, and annotating lncRNAs expressed in the embryo's eye tissue of cavefish and surface fish. To do so, we constructed a concise workflow to assemble and evaluate transcriptomes, annotate protein-coding genes, ncRNAs families, predict the coding potential, identify putative lncRNAs, map them and predict interactions. This approach resulted in the identification of 33,069 and 19,493 putative lncRNAs respectively mapped in cavefish and surface fish. Thousands of these lncRNAs were annotated and identified as conserved in human and several species of fish. Hundreds of them were validated in silico, through ESTs. We identified lncRNAs associated with genes related to eye development. This is the case of a few lncRNAs associated with sox2, which we suggest being isomorphs of the SOX2-OT, a lncRNA that can regulate the expression of sox2. This work is one of the first studies to focus on the description of lncRNAs in A. mexicanus, highlighting several lncRNA targets and opening an important precedent for future studies focusing on lncRNAs expressed in A. mexicanus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iuri Batista da Silva
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil
- Laboratory of Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Viçosa Campus Rio Paranaíba, Rio Paranaíba, MG, 38810-000, Brazil
| | - David Aciole Barbosa
- Integrated Biotechnology Center, University of Mogi das Cruzes (UMC), Av. Dr. Cândido X. de Almeida and Souza, 200 - Centro Cívico, Mogi das Cruzes, SP, 08780-911, Brazil
| | - Karine Frehner Kavalco
- Laboratory of Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Viçosa Campus Rio Paranaíba, Rio Paranaíba, MG, 38810-000, Brazil
| | - Luiz R Nunes
- Center for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, São Bernardo do Campo, SP, 09606-045, Brazil
| | - Rubens Pasa
- Laboratory of Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Viçosa Campus Rio Paranaíba, Rio Paranaíba, MG, 38810-000, Brazil.
| | - Fabiano B Menegidio
- Integrated Biotechnology Center, University of Mogi das Cruzes (UMC), Av. Dr. Cândido X. de Almeida and Souza, 200 - Centro Cívico, Mogi das Cruzes, SP, 08780-911, Brazil.
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10
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Streb P, Kowarz E, Benz T, Reis J, Marschalek R. How chromosomal translocations arise to cause cancer: Gene proximity, trans-splicing, and DNA end joining. iScience 2023; 26:106900. [PMID: 37378346 PMCID: PMC10291325 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106900] [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: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Chromosomal translocations (CTs) are a genetic hallmark of cancer. They could be identified as recurrent genetic aberrations in hemato-malignancies and solid tumors. More than 40% of all "cancer genes" were identified in recurrent CTs. Most of these CTs result in the production of oncofusion proteins of which many have been studied over the past decades. They influence signaling pathways and/or alter gene expression. However, a precise mechanism for how these CTs arise and occur in a nearly identical fashion in individuals remains to be elucidated. Here, we performed experiments that explain the onset of CTs: (1) proximity of genes able to produce prematurely terminated transcripts, which lead to the production of (2) trans-spliced fusion RNAs, and finally, the induction of (3) DNA double-strand breaks which are subsequently repaired via EJ repair pathways. Under these conditions, balanced chromosomal translocations could be specifically induced. The implications of these findings will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Streb
- Goethe-University, Department Biochemistry, Chemistry & Pharmacy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology, Max-von-Laue-Street 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Eric Kowarz
- Goethe-University, Department Biochemistry, Chemistry & Pharmacy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology, Max-von-Laue-Street 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Tamara Benz
- Goethe-University, Department Biochemistry, Chemistry & Pharmacy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology, Max-von-Laue-Street 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jennifer Reis
- Goethe-University, Department Biochemistry, Chemistry & Pharmacy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology, Max-von-Laue-Street 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Rolf Marschalek
- Goethe-University, Department Biochemistry, Chemistry & Pharmacy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology, Max-von-Laue-Street 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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11
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Haas BJ, Dobin A, Ghandi M, Van Arsdale A, Tickle T, Robinson JT, Gillani R, Kasif S, Regev A. Targeted in silico characterization of fusion transcripts in tumor and normal tissues via FusionInspector. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2023; 3:100467. [PMID: 37323575 PMCID: PMC10261907 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2023.100467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Here, we present FusionInspector for in silico characterization and interpretation of candidate fusion transcripts from RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and exploration of their sequence and expression characteristics. We applied FusionInspector to thousands of tumor and normal transcriptomes and identified statistical and experimental features enriched among biologically impactful fusions. Through clustering and machine learning, we identified large collections of fusions potentially relevant to tumor and normal biological processes. We show that biologically relevant fusions are enriched for relatively high expression of the fusion transcript, imbalanced fusion allelic ratios, and canonical splicing patterns, and are deficient in sequence microhomologies between partner genes. We demonstrate that FusionInspector accurately validates fusion transcripts in silico and helps characterize numerous understudied fusions in tumor and normal tissue samples. FusionInspector is freely available as open source for screening, characterization, and visualization of candidate fusions via RNA-seq, and facilitates transparent explanation and interpretation of machine-learning predictions and their experimental sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J. Haas
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | | | | | - Anne Van Arsdale
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women’s Health, Albert Einstein Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Timothy Tickle
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - James T. Robinson
- School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Riaz Gillani
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Cancer Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Simon Kasif
- Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Aviv Regev
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
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12
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Chuang TJ, Chiang TW, Chen CY. Assessing the impacts of various factors on circular RNA reliability. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:6/5/e202201793. [PMID: 36849251 PMCID: PMC9971162 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are non-polyadenylated RNAs with a continuous loop structure characterized by a non-colinear back-splice junction (BSJ). Although millions of circRNA candidates have been identified, it remains a major challenge for determining circRNA reliability because of various types of false positives. Here, we systematically assess the impacts of numerous factors related to circRNA identification, conservation, biogenesis, and function on circRNA reliability by comparisons of circRNA expression from mock and the corresponding colinear/polyadenylated RNA-depleted datasets based on three different RNA treatment approaches. Eight important indicators of circRNA reliability are determined. The relative contribution to variability explained analyses reveal that the relative importance of these factors in affecting circRNA reliability in descending order is the conservation level of circRNA, full-length circular sequences, supporting BSJ read count, both BSJ donor and acceptor splice sites at the same colinear transcript isoforms, both BSJ donor and acceptor splice sites at the annotated exon boundaries, BSJs detected by multiple tools, supporting functional features, and both BSJ donor and acceptor splice sites undergoing alternative splicing. This study thus provides a useful guideline and an important resource for selecting high-confidence circRNAs for further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tai-Wei Chiang
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Ying Chen
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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13
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Elfman J, Goins L, Heller T, Singh S, Wang YH, Li H. Discovery of A Polymorphic Gene Fusion via Bottom-Up Chimeric RNA Prediction. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.02.526864. [PMID: 36778239 PMCID: PMC9915695 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.02.526864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Gene fusions and their chimeric products are typically considered hallmarks of cancer. However, recent studies have found chimeric transcripts in non-cancer tissues and cell lines. In addition, efforts to annotate structural variation at large scale have found examples of gene fusions with potential to produce chimeric transcripts in normal tissues. In this report, we provide a means for targeting population-specific chimeric RNAs to enrich for those generated by gene fusion events. We identify 57 such chimeric RNAs from the GTEx cohort, including SUZ12P1-CRLF3 and TFG-ADGRG7 , whose distribution we assessed across the populations of the 1000 Genomes Project. We reveal that SUZ12P1-CRLF3 results from a common complex structural variant in populations with African heritage, and identify its likely mechanism for formation. Additionally, we utilize a large cohort of clinical samples to characterize the SUZ12P1-CRLF3 chimeric RNA, and find an association between the variant and indications of Neurofibramatosis Type I. We present this gene fusion as a case study for identifying hard-to-find and potentially functional structural variants by selecting for those which produce population-specific fusion transcripts. KEY POINTS - Discovery of 57 polymorphic chimeric RNAs- Characterization of SUZ12P1-CRLF3 polymorphic chimeric RNA and corresponding rearrangement- Novel bottom-up approach to identify structural variants which produce transcribed gene fusions.
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14
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Genes that are Used Together are More Likely to be Fused Together in Evolution by Mutational Mechanisms: A Bioinformatic Test of the Used-Fused Hypothesis. Evol Biol 2023; 50:30-55. [PMID: 36816837 PMCID: PMC9925542 DOI: 10.1007/s11692-022-09579-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Cases of parallel or recurrent gene fusions in evolution as well as in genetic disease and cancer are difficult to explain, because unlike point mutations, they can require the repetition of a similar configuration of multiple breakpoints rather than the repetition of a single point mutation. The used-together-fused-together hypothesis holds that genes that are used together repeatedly and persistently in a specific context are more likely to undergo fusion mutation in the course of evolution for mechanistic reasons. This hypothesis offers to explain gene fusion in both evolution and disease under one umbrella. Using bioinformatic data, we tested this hypothesis against alternatives, including that all gene pairs can fuse by random mutation, but among pairs thus fused, those that had interacted previously are more likely to be favored by selection. Results show that across multiple measures of gene interaction, human genes whose orthologs are fused in one or more species are more likely to interact with each other than random pairs of genes of the same genomic distance between pair members; that an overlap exists between genes that fused in the course of evolution in non-human species and genes that undergo fusion in human cancers; and that across six primate species studied, fusions predominate over fissions and exhibit substantial evolutionary parallelism. Together, these results support the used-together-fused-together hypothesis over its alternatives. Multiple implications are discussed, including the relevance of mutational mechanisms to the evolution of genome organization, to the distribution of fitness effects of mutation, to evolutionary parallelism and more. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11692-022-09579-9.
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15
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Zhao C, Xie W, Zhu H, Zhao M, Liu W, Wu Z, Wang L, Zhu B, Li S, Zhou Y, Jiang X, Xu Q, Ren C. LncRNAs and their RBPs: How to influence the fate of stem cells? Stem Cell Res Ther 2022; 13:175. [PMID: 35505438 PMCID: PMC9066789 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-022-02851-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Stem cells are distinctive cells that have self-renewal potential and unique ability to differentiate into multiple functional cells. Stem cell is a frontier field of life science research and has always been a hot spot in biomedical research. Recent studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have irreplaceable roles in stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. LncRNAs play crucial roles in stem cells through a variety of regulatory mechanisms, including the recruitment of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) to affect the stability of their mRNAs or the expression of downstream genes. RBPs interact with different RNAs to regulate gene expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels and play important roles in determining the fate of stem cells. In this review, the functions of lncRNAs and their RBPs in self-renewal and differentiation of stem cell are summarized. We focus on the four regulatory mechanisms by which lncRNAs and their RBPs are involved in epigenetic regulation, signaling pathway regulation, splicing, mRNA stability and subcellular localization and further discuss other noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) and their RBPs in the fate of stem cells. This work provides a more comprehensive understanding of the roles of lncRNAs in determining the fate of stem cells, and a further understanding of their regulatory mechanisms will provide a theoretical basis for the development of clinical regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong Zhao
- Cancer Research Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China.,The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health and the Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
| | - Wen Xie
- Cancer Research Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China.,The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health and the Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
| | - Hecheng Zhu
- Changsha Kexin Cancer Hospital, Changsha, 410205, China
| | - Ming Zhao
- Changsha Kexin Cancer Hospital, Changsha, 410205, China
| | - Weidong Liu
- Cancer Research Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China.,The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health and the Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
| | - Zhaoping Wu
- Cancer Research Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China.,Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Cancer Research Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China.,The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health and the Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
| | - Bin Zhu
- Cancer Research Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China.,The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health and the Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
| | - Shasha Li
- Cancer Research Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China.,The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health and the Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
| | - Yao Zhou
- Cancer Research Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China.,The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health and the Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
| | - Xingjun Jiang
- Cancer Research Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China. .,Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China.
| | - Qiang Xu
- Department of Orthopedics, The Affiliated Zhuzhou Hospital of Xiangya Medical College, Central South University, Zhuzhou, 412007, China. .,School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.
| | - Caiping Ren
- Cancer Research Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China. .,The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health and the Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China.
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16
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Loo SK, Yates ME, Yang S, Oesterreich S, Lee AV, Wang X. Fusion-Associated Carcinomas of the Breast: Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Therapeutic Significance. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2022; 61:261-273. [PMID: 35106856 DOI: 10.1002/gcc.23029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Recurrent gene fusions comprise a class of viable genetic targets in solid tumors that have culminated several recent break-through cancer therapies. Their role in breast cancer, however, remains largely underappreciated due to the complexity of genomic rearrangements in breast malignancy. Just recently, we and others have identified several recurrent gene fusions in breast cancer with important clinical and biological implications. Examples of the most significant recurrent gene fusions to date include 1) ESR1-CCDC170 gene fusions in luminal B and endocrine resistant breast cancer that exert oncogenic function via modulating the HER2/HER3/SRC complex, 2) ESR1 exon 6 fusions in metastatic disease that drive estrogen-independent ER transcriptional activity, 3) BCL2L14-ETV6 fusions in a more aggressive form of the triple negative subtype that prime epithelial-mesenchymal transition and endow paclitaxel resistance, 4) the ETV6-NTRK3 fusion in secretory breast carcinoma that constitutively activates NTRK3 kinase, 5) the oncogenic MYB-NFIB fusion as a genetic driver underpinning adenoid cystic carcinomas of the breast that activates MYB pathway, and 6) the NOTCH/MAST kinase gene fusions that activate NOTCH and MAST signaling. Importantly, these fusions are enriched in more aggressive and lethal breast cancer presentations and appear to confer therapeutic resistance. Thus, these gene fusions could be utilized as genetic biomarkers to identify patients that require more intensive treatment and surveillance. In addition, kinase fusions are currently being evaluated in breast cancer clinical trials and on-going mechanistic investigation is exposing therapeutic vulnerabilities in patients with fusion positive disease. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suet Kee Loo
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Megan E Yates
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Integrative Systems Biology Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Sichun Yang
- Center for Proteomics and Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Steffi Oesterreich
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Adrian V Lee
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Department of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Xiaosong Wang
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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17
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Mukherjee S, Heng HH, Frenkel-Morgenstern M. Emerging Role of Chimeric RNAs in Cell Plasticity and Adaptive Evolution of Cancer Cells. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:4328. [PMID: 34503137 PMCID: PMC8431553 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13174328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene fusions can give rise to somatic alterations in cancers. Fusion genes have the potential to create chimeric RNAs, which can generate the phenotypic diversity of cancer cells, and could be associated with novel molecular functions related to cancer cell survival and proliferation. The expression of chimeric RNAs in cancer cells might impact diverse cancer-related functions, including loss of apoptosis and cancer cell plasticity, and promote oncogenesis. Due to their recurrence in cancers and functional association with oncogenic processes, chimeric RNAs are considered biomarkers for cancer diagnosis. Several recent studies demonstrated that chimeric RNAs could lead to the generation of new functionality for the resistance of cancer cells against drug therapy. Therefore, targeting chimeric RNAs in drug resistance cancer could be useful for developing precision medicine. So, understanding the functional impact of chimeric RNAs in cancer cells from an evolutionary perspective will be helpful to elucidate cancer evolution, which could provide a new insight to design more effective therapies for cancer patients in a personalized manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumit Mukherjee
- Cancer Genomics and BioComputing of Complex Diseases Lab, Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed 1311502, Israel;
| | - Henry H. Heng
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA;
- Department of Pathology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
| | - Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern
- Cancer Genomics and BioComputing of Complex Diseases Lab, Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed 1311502, Israel;
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18
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Nair V, Sankaranarayanan R, Vasavada AR. Deciphering the association of intronic single nucleotide polymorphisms of crystallin gene family with congenital cataract. Indian J Ophthalmol 2021; 69:2064-2070. [PMID: 34304179 PMCID: PMC8482906 DOI: 10.4103/ijo.ijo_3062_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Introns play an important role in gene regulation and expression. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in introns have the potential to cause disease and alter the genotype-phenotype association. Hence, this study aimed to decipher the association of SNPs in the introns of the crystallin gene in congenital cataracts. Methods SNPs in the introns of crystallin gene family - CRYAA (rs3788059), CRYAB (rs2070894), CRYBA4 (rs2071861), and CRYBB2 (rs5752083, rs5996863) - were genotyped in 248 participants consisting of 141 congenital cataracts and 107 healthy controls by allele-specific oligonucleotide polymerase chain reaction method. Around 10% of samples for each SNPs were sequenced to confirm the genotypes. The allele, genotype, and haplotype frequency were evaluated by the SHEsis online tool. Results Using dominant model, the "A" allele of rs3788059 was found to have an increased risk toward congenital cataract development whereas the "G" allele was found to be protective (AA + AG vs. GG; odds ratio [OR] 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.73 [1.71, 8.15], P = 0.0009). The "A" allele of both rs2070894 (AA + AG vs. GG; OR [95% CI] = 0.49 [0.29, 0.84], P = 0.012) and rs5752083 (AA + AC vs. CC; OR [95% CI] = 0.25 [0.08, 0.76], P = 0.016) were suggested to have a protective role by the dominant model. The A-C-T haplotype (rs2071861, rs5752083, and rs5996863) was found to be a significant risk factor for the development of congenital cataract. Conclusion Intronic SNPs in crystallin genes may play a role in the predisposition toward congenital cataract. However, the present findings need to be replicated in a large cohort with more number of samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vidya Nair
- Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Iladevi Cataract and IOL Research Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Rajkumar Sankaranarayanan
- Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Iladevi Cataract and IOL Research Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
- Department of Ophthalmic Genetics, Aditya Jyot Foundation for Twinkling Little Eyes, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
| | - Abhay Raghukant Vasavada
- Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Iladevi Cataract and IOL Research Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
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19
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Wang Y, Zou Q, Li F, Zhao W, Xu H, Zhang W, Deng H, Yang X. Identification of the cross-strand chimeric RNAs generated by fusions of bi-directional transcripts. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4645. [PMID: 34330918 PMCID: PMC8324879 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24910-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A major part of the transcriptome complexity is attributed to multiple types of DNA or RNA fusion events, which take place within a gene such as alternative splicing or between different genes such as DNA rearrangement and trans-splicing. In the present study, using the RNA deep sequencing data, we systematically survey a type of non-canonical fusions between the RNA transcripts from the two opposite DNA strands. We name the products of such fusion events cross-strand chimeric RNA (cscRNA). Hundreds to thousands of cscRNAs can be found in human normal tissues, primary cells, and cancerous cells, and in other species as well. Although cscRNAs exhibit strong tissue-specificity, our analysis identifies thousands of recurrent cscRNAs found in multiple different samples. cscRNAs are mostly originated from convergent transcriptions of the annotated genes and their anti-sense DNA. The machinery of cscRNA biogenesis is unclear, but the cross-strand junction events show some features related to RNA splicing. The present study is a comprehensive survey of the non-canonical cross-strand RNA junction events, a resource for further characterization of the originations and functions of the cscRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic & Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.,Joint Graduate Program of Peking-Tsinghua-National Institute of Biological Science, Beijing, China
| | - Qin Zou
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic & Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Fajin Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic & Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.,Joint Graduate Program of Peking-Tsinghua-National Institute of Biological Science, Beijing, China
| | - Wenwei Zhao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic & Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Xu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic & Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Wenhao Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic & Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Haiteng Deng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic & Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xuerui Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic & Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
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20
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Farhat DC, Bowler MW, Communie G, Pontier D, Belmudes L, Mas C, Corrao C, Couté Y, Bougdour A, Lagrange T, Hakimi MA, Swale C. A plant-like mechanism coupling m6A reading to polyadenylation safeguards transcriptome integrity and developmental gene partitioning in Toxoplasma. eLife 2021; 10:68312. [PMID: 34263725 PMCID: PMC8313237 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Correct 3’end processing of mRNAs is one of the regulatory cornerstones of gene expression. In a parasite that must adapt to the regulatory requirements of its multi-host life style, there is a need to adopt additional means to partition the distinct transcriptional signatures of the closely and tandemly arranged stage-specific genes. In this study, we report our findings in T. gondii of an m6A-dependent 3’end polyadenylation serving as a transcriptional barrier at these loci. We identify the core polyadenylation complex within T. gondii and establish CPSF4 as a reader for m6A-modified mRNAs, via a YTH domain within its C-terminus, a feature which is shared with plants. We bring evidence of the specificity of this interaction both biochemically, and by determining the crystal structure at high resolution of the T. gondii CPSF4-YTH in complex with an m6A-modified RNA. We show that the loss of m6A, both at the level of its deposition or its recognition is associated with an increase in aberrantly elongated chimeric mRNAs emanating from impaired transcriptional termination, a phenotype previously noticed in the plant model Arabidopsis thaliana. Nanopore direct RNA sequencing shows the occurrence of transcriptional read-through breaching into downstream repressed stage-specific genes, in the absence of either CPSF4 or the m6A RNA methylase components in both T. gondii and A. thaliana. Taken together, our results shed light on an essential regulatory mechanism coupling the pathways of m6A metabolism directly to the cleavage and polyadenylation processes, one that interestingly seem to serve, in both T. gondii and A. thaliana, as a guardian against aberrant transcriptional read-throughs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayana C Farhat
- IAB,Team Host-Pathogen Interactions & Immunity to Infection, INSERMU1209, CNRSUMR5309, Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble, France
| | | | | | - Dominique Pontier
- Laboratoire Génome et Développement des Plantes (LGDP), UMR5096, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Perpignan via Domitia (UPVD), Perpignan, France
| | - Lucid Belmudes
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, INSERM, CEA, UMR BioSanté U1292, CNRS, CEA, Grenoble, France
| | - Caroline Mas
- Integrated Structural Biology Grenoble (ISBG) CNRS, CEA, Université Grenoble Alpes, EMBL, Grenoble, France
| | - Charlotte Corrao
- IAB,Team Host-Pathogen Interactions & Immunity to Infection, INSERMU1209, CNRSUMR5309, Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble, France
| | - Yohann Couté
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, INSERM, CEA, UMR BioSanté U1292, CNRS, CEA, Grenoble, France
| | - Alexandre Bougdour
- IAB,Team Host-Pathogen Interactions & Immunity to Infection, INSERMU1209, CNRSUMR5309, Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble, France
| | - Thierry Lagrange
- Laboratoire Génome et Développement des Plantes (LGDP), UMR5096, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Perpignan via Domitia (UPVD), Perpignan, France
| | - Mohamed-Ali Hakimi
- IAB,Team Host-Pathogen Interactions & Immunity to Infection, INSERMU1209, CNRSUMR5309, Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble, France
| | - Christopher Swale
- IAB,Team Host-Pathogen Interactions & Immunity to Infection, INSERMU1209, CNRSUMR5309, Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble, France
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21
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Guan W, Zhou L, Li Y, Yang E, Liu Y, Lv N, Fu L, Ding Y, Wang N, Fang N, Liu Q, Wang B, Li F, Zhang J, Wang M, Wang L, Jing Y, Li Y, Yu L. Profiling of somatic mutations and fusion genes in acute myeloid leukemia patients with FLT3-ITD or FLT3-TKD mutation at diagnosis reveals distinct evolutionary patterns. Exp Hematol Oncol 2021; 10:27. [PMID: 33836835 PMCID: PMC8033687 DOI: 10.1186/s40164-021-00207-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The receptor tyrosine kinase FLT3 with internal tandem duplications within the juxtamembrane domain (FLT3-ITD) is a poor prognostic factor; however, the prognostic significance of missense mutation in the tyrosine kinase domain (FLT3-TKD) is controversial. Furthermore, the accompanying mutations and fusion genes with FLT3 mutations are unclear in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Methods We investigated FLT3 mutations and their correlation with other gene mutations and gene fusions through two RNA-seq based next-generation sequencing (NGS) method and prognostic impact in 207 de novo AML patients. Results FLT3-ITD mutations were positive in 58 patients (28%), and FLT3-TKD mutations were positive in 20 patients (9.7%). FLT3-ITD was associated with a higher white blood cell count (WBC, mean 72.9 × 109/L vs. 24.2 × 109/L, P = 0.000), higher bone marrow blasts (mean 65.9% vs. 56.0%, P = 0.024), and NK-AML (normal karyotype) (64.8% vs. 48.4%, P = 0.043). NPM1 and DNMT3A mutations were enriched in FLT3-ITD (53.5% vs. 15.3%, P = 0.000; 34.6% vs. 13%, P = 0.003). However, the mutations of CEBPA were excluded in FLT3-AML (3.8% vs. 0% vs. 19.8%, P = 0.005). Mutations of Ras and TP53 were unlikely associated with FLT3-ITD (1.9% vs. 20.6%, P = 0.006; 0% vs. 6.1%, P = 0.04). The common fusion genes (> 10%) in FLT3-ITD had MLL-rearrangement and NUP98-rearrangement, while the common fusion genes in FLT3-TKD had AML1-ETO and MLL-rearrangement. Two novel fusion genes PRDM16-SKI and EFAN2-ZNF238 were identified in FLT3-ITD patients. Gene fusions and NPM1 mutation were mutually excluded in FLT3-ITD and FLT3-TKD patients. Their patterns of mutual exclusivity and cooperation among mutated genes suggest that additional driver genetic alterations are required and reveal two evolutionary patterns of FLT3 pathogenesis. Patients with FLT3-ITD had a lower CR (complete remission) rate, lower 3-year OS (overall survival), DFS (disease-free survival), and EFS (event-free survival) compared to FLT3wtAML. NK-AML with FLT3-ITD had a lower 3-year OS, DFS, and EFS than those without, while FLT3-TKD did not influence the survival in whole cohort and NK-AML. Besides, we found that FLT3-ITD/TET2 bimutation defined a poor prognostic subgroup. Conclusions Our study offers deep insights into the molecular pathogenesis and biology of AML with FLT3-ITD and FLT3-TKD by providing the profiles of concurrent molecular alterations and the clinical impact of FLT3-ITD and FLT3-TKD on AML patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Guan
- Department of Hematology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Lei Zhou
- Department of Hematology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Yan Li
- Department of Hematology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, China.,Department of Hematology, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Erna Yang
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Hematological Malignancies, Carlson International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, 1098 Xueyuan AVE, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Yangyang Liu
- Beijing USCI Medical Laboratory Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Na Lv
- Department of Hematology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, China.,Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Hematological Malignancies, Carlson International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, 1098 Xueyuan AVE, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Lin Fu
- Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510260, China
| | - Yi Ding
- Department of Hematology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Nan Wang
- Department of Hematology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Nan Fang
- Beijing USCI Medical Laboratory Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Beijing USCI Medical Laboratory Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Binan Wang
- Beijing USCI Medical Laboratory Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Fuwei Li
- Beijing USCI Medical Laboratory Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Juan Zhang
- Beijing USCI Medical Laboratory Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Maoquan Wang
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Lili Wang
- Department of Hematology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Yu Jing
- Department of Hematology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Yonghui Li
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Hematological Malignancies, Carlson International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, 1098 Xueyuan AVE, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Li Yu
- Department of Hematology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, China. .,Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Hematological Malignancies, Carlson International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, 1098 Xueyuan AVE, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
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22
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Abstract
Our understanding of the human genome has continuously expanded since its draft publication in 2001. Over the years, novel assays have allowed us to progressively overlay layers of knowledge above the raw sequence of A's, T's, G's, and C's. The reference human genome sequence is now a complex knowledge base maintained under the shared stewardship of multiple specialist communities. Its complexity stems from the fact that it is simultaneously a template for transcription, a record of evolution, a vehicle for genetics, and a functional molecule. In short, the human genome serves as a frame of reference at the intersection of a diversity of scientific fields. In recent years, the progressive fall in sequencing costs has given increasing importance to the quality of the human reference genome, as hundreds of thousands of individuals are being sequenced yearly, often for clinical applications. Also, novel sequencing-based assays shed light on novel functions of the genome, especially with respect to gene expression regulation. Keeping the human genome annotation up to date and accurate is therefore an ongoing partnership between reference annotation projects and the greater community worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R Zerbino
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton CB10 1SD, United Kingdom; , ,
| | - Adam Frankish
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton CB10 1SD, United Kingdom; , ,
| | - Paul Flicek
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton CB10 1SD, United Kingdom; , ,
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23
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Guo Z, Cao Q, Zhao Z, Song C. Biogenesis, Features, Functions, and Disease Relationships of a Specific Circular RNA: CDR1as. Aging Dis 2020; 11:1009-1020. [PMID: 32765960 PMCID: PMC7390531 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2019.0920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In 2011, Hansen discovered the natural antisense transcript (NAT) of the cerebellar degeneration-related protein 1 gene (CDR1), and further described CDR1 NAT as a circular RNA (CircRNA). CDR1 antisense RNA (CDR1as), which is the official name of CDR1 NAT, is conserved and extensively expressed in most eutherian mammal brains and other specialized tissues. Further studies have elucidated its biogenesis, features, functions, and relationships with diseases. CDR1as is involved in many disease processes as a microRNA (miR) sponge. Therefore, it seems that further research on CDR1as could facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of some diseases, such as cancer and diabetes. However, a detailed analysis of the results of studies on CDR1as revealed that they are inconsistent and make unclear conclusions. In this review, we gathered and analyzed the recent studies about CDR1as in detail and aimed to elucidate accurate conclusions from them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyuan Guo
- Department of Cardiovascular Internal Medicine, the Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Qidong Cao
- Department of Cardiovascular Internal Medicine, the Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Zhuo Zhao
- Department of Cardiovascular Internal Medicine, the Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Chunli Song
- Department of Cardiovascular Internal Medicine, the Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
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24
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Elfman J, Pham LP, Li H. The relationship between chimeric RNAs and gene fusions: Potential implications of reciprocity in cancer. J Genet Genomics 2020; 47:341-348. [PMID: 33008771 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2020.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Justin Elfman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22904 USA
| | - Lam-Phong Pham
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22904 USA
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22904 USA; Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22904 USA.
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25
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Xiao Y, Kang B, Li M, Xiao L, Xiao H, Shen H, Yang W. Transcription of lncRNA ACoS-AS1 is essential to trans-splicing between SlPsy1 and ACoS-AS1 that causes yellow fruit in tomato. RNA Biol 2020; 17:596-607. [PMID: 31983318 PMCID: PMC7237131 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2020.1721095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Phytoene synthase (PSY) has been considered as an important regulatory enzyme in carotenoids biosynthesis pathway. Previous study finds that the yellow fruit in Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme accession PI 114490 is caused by loss-of-function of SlPSY1 due to trans-splicing between SlPsy1 and an unknown gene transcribed from neighbour opposite strand DNA of SlPsy1. The genomic DNA sequences of SlPsy1 between red and yellow-fruited tomato lines have one single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the fourth intron and one SSR in the intergenic region. In the current study, the cause of trans-splicing event was further investigated. The data showed that the previously defined unknown gene was a putative long non-coding RNA ACoS-AS1 with three variants in many yellow-fruited tomato lines. The intronic SNP and intergenic SSR were tightly associated with trans-splicing event SlPsy1-ACoS-AS1. However, transgenic tomato lines carrying the genomic DNA of SlPsy1 from PI 114490 did not generate transcripts of ACoS-AS1and SlPsy1-ACoS-AS1 suggesting that only the intronic SNP could not cause the trans-splicing event. Over-expression of SlPsy1-ACoS-AS1 in red-fruited tomato line M82 did not have any phenotype change while over-expression of wild type SlPsy1 resulted in altered leaf colour. Sub-cellular localization analysis showed that SlPSY1-ACoS-AS1 could not enter plastids where SlPSY1 has its enzyme activity. Mutation of ACoS-AS1 in PI 114490 generated by CRISPR/Cas9 techniques resulted in red fruits implying that ACoS-AS1 was essential to trans-splicing event SlPsy1-ACoS-AS1. The results obtained here will extend knowledge to understand the mechanism of trans-splicing event SlPsy1-ACoS-AS1 and provide additional information for the regulation of carotenoids biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Xiao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, Department of Vegetable Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation in Crop Molecular Breeding, Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing, China
| | - Baoshan Kang
- Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Meng Li
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Liangjun Xiao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, Department of Vegetable Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Han Xiao
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Huolin Shen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, Department of Vegetable Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Wencai Yang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, Department of Vegetable Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation in Crop Molecular Breeding, Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing, China
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26
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Liu C, Zhang Y, Li X, Jia Y, Li F, Li J, Zhang Z. Evidence of constraint in the 3D genome for trans-splicing in human cells. SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES 2020; 63:1380-1393. [PMID: 32221814 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-019-1609-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Fusion transcripts are commonly found in eukaryotes, and many aberrant fusions are associated with severe diseases, including cancer. One class of fusion transcripts is generated by joining separate transcripts through trans-splicing. However, the mechanism of trans-splicing in mammals remains largely elusive. Here we showed evidence to support an intuitive hypothesis that attributes trans-sphcing to the spatial proximity between premature transcripts. A novel trans-splicing detection tool (TSD) was developed to reliably identify intra-chromosomal trans-splicing events (iTSEs) from RNA-seq data. TSD can maintain a remarkable balance between sensitivity and accuracy, thus distinguishing it from most state-of-the-art tools. The accuracy of TSD was experimentally demonstrated by excluding potential false discovery from mosaic genome or template switching during PCR. We showed that iTSEs identified by TSD were frequently found between genomic regulatory elements, which are known to be more prone to interact with each other. Moreover, iTSE sites may be more physically adjacent to each other than random control in the tested human lymphoblastoid cell line according to Hi-C data. Our results suggest that trans-splicing and 3D genome architecture may be coupled in mammals and that our pipeline, TSD, may facilitate investigations of trans-splicing on a systematic and accurate level previously thought impossible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, and China National Center for Bioinformation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,School of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yiqun Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, and China National Center for Bioinformation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,School of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaoli Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, and China National Center for Bioinformation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,School of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yan Jia
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, and China National Center for Bioinformation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Feifei Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, and China National Center for Bioinformation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Jing Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, and China National Center for Bioinformation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Zhihua Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, and China National Center for Bioinformation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China. .,School of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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27
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Polymorphisms in IL-2 and IL-6R increase serum levels of the respective interleukins in differentiated thyroid cancer. Meta Gene 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mgene.2019.100621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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28
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Fusion transcripts in normal human cortex increase with age and show distinct genomic features for single cells and tissues. Sci Rep 2020; 10:1368. [PMID: 31992760 PMCID: PMC6987184 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-58165-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Fusion transcripts can contribute to diversity of molecular networks in the human cortex. In this study, we explored the occurrence of fusion transcripts in normal human cortex along with single neurons and astrocytes. We identified 1305 non-redundant fusion events from 388 transcriptomes representing 59 human cortices and 329 single cells. Our results indicate while the majority of fusion transcripts in human cortex are intra-chromosomal (85%), events found in single neurons and astrocytes were primarily inter-chromosomal (80%). The number of fusions in single neurons was significantly higher than that in single astrocytes (p < 0.05), indicating fusion as a possible contributor towards transcriptome diversity in neuronal cells. The identified fusions were largely private and 4 specific recurring events were found both in cortex and in single neurons but not in astrocytes. We found a significant increase in the number of fusion transcripts in human brain with increasing age both in single cells and whole cortex (p < 0.0005 and < 0.005, respectively). This is likely one of the many possible contributors for the inherent plasticity of the adult brain. The fusion transcripts in fetal brain were enriched for genes for long-term depression; while those in adult brain involved genes enriched for long-term potentiation pathways. Our findings demonstrate fusion transcripts are naturally occurring phenomenon spanning across the health-disease continuum, and likely contribute to the diverse molecular network of human brain.
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29
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Balamurali D, Gorohovski A, Detroja R, Palande V, Raviv-Shay D, Frenkel-Morgenstern M. ChiTaRS 5.0: the comprehensive database of chimeric transcripts matched with druggable fusions and 3D chromatin maps. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:D825-D834. [PMID: 31747015 PMCID: PMC7145514 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz1025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric RNA transcripts are formed when exons from two genes fuse together, often due to chromosomal translocations, transcriptional errors or trans-splicing effect. While these chimeric RNAs produce functional proteins only in certain cases, they play a significant role in disease phenotyping and progression. ChiTaRS 5.0 (http://chitars.md.biu.ac.il/) is the latest and most comprehensive chimeric transcript repository, with 111 582 annotated entries from eight species, including 23 167 known human cancer breakpoints. The database includes unique information correlating chimeric breakpoints with 3D chromatin contact maps, generated from public datasets of chromosome conformation capture techniques (Hi-C). In this update, we have added curated information on druggable fusion targets matched with chimeric breakpoints, which are applicable to precision medicine in cancers. The introduction of a new section that lists chimeric RNAs in various cell-lines is another salient feature. Finally, using text-mining techniques, novel chimeras in Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, dyslexia and other diseases were collected in ChiTaRS. Thus, this improved version is an extensive catalogue of chimeras from multiple species. It extends our understanding of the evolution of chimeric transcripts in eukaryotes and contributes to the analysis of 3D genome conformational changes and the functional role of chimeras in the etiopathogenesis of cancers and other complex diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak Balamurali
- Laboratory of Cancer Genomics and Biocomputing of Complex Diseases, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed 1311502, Israel
| | - Alessandro Gorohovski
- Laboratory of Cancer Genomics and Biocomputing of Complex Diseases, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed 1311502, Israel
| | - Rajesh Detroja
- Laboratory of Cancer Genomics and Biocomputing of Complex Diseases, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed 1311502, Israel
| | - Vikrant Palande
- Laboratory of Cancer Genomics and Biocomputing of Complex Diseases, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed 1311502, Israel
| | - Dorith Raviv-Shay
- Laboratory of Cancer Genomics and Biocomputing of Complex Diseases, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed 1311502, Israel
| | - Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern
- Laboratory of Cancer Genomics and Biocomputing of Complex Diseases, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed 1311502, Israel
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30
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Ivanov Öfverholm I, Zachariadis V, Taylan F, Marincevic-Zuniga Y, Tran AN, Saft L, Nilsson D, Syvänen AC, Lönnerholm G, Harila-Saari A, Nordenskjöld M, Heyman M, Nordgren A, Nordlund J, Barbany G. Overexpression of chromatin remodeling and tyrosine kinase genes in iAMP21-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Leuk Lymphoma 2019; 61:604-613. [PMID: 31640433 DOI: 10.1080/10428194.2019.1678153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Intrachromosomal amplification of chromosome 21 (iAMP21) is a cytogenetic subtype associated with relapse and poor prognosis in pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP ALL). The biology behind the high relapse risk is unknown and the aim of this study was to further characterize the genomic and transcriptional landscape of iAMP21. Using DNA arrays and sequencing, we could identify rearrangements and aberrations characteristic for iAMP21. RNA sequencing revealed that only half of the genes in the minimal region of amplification (20/45) were differentially expressed in iAMP21. Among them were the top overexpressed genes (p < 0.001) in iAMP21 vs. BCP ALL without iAMP21 and three candidate genes could be identified, the tyrosine kinase gene DYRK1A and chromatin remodeling genes CHAF1B and SON. While overexpression of DYRK1A and CHAF1B is associated with poor prognosis in malignant diseases including myeloid leukemia, this is the first study to show significant correlation with iAMP21-positive ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingegerd Ivanov Öfverholm
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Fulya Taylan
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yanara Marincevic-Zuniga
- Department of Medical Sciences, Molecular Medicine and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anh Nhi Tran
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Leonie Saft
- Department of Pathology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Daniel Nilsson
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.,Science for Life Laboratory, Karolinska Institutet Science Park, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ann-Christine Syvänen
- Department of Medical Sciences, Molecular Medicine and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Gudmar Lönnerholm
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Arja Harila-Saari
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Magnus Nordenskjöld
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mats Heyman
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ann Nordgren
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jessica Nordlund
- Department of Medical Sciences, Molecular Medicine and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Gisela Barbany
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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31
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LncRNAs and PRC2: Coupled Partners in Embryonic Stem Cells. EPIGENOMES 2019; 3:epigenomes3030014. [PMID: 34968226 PMCID: PMC8594682 DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes3030014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/03/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The power of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) lies in their ability to self-renew and differentiate. Behind these two unique capabilities is a fine-tuned molecular network that shapes the genetic, epigenetic, and epitranscriptomic ESC plasticity. Although RNA has been shown to be functionally important in only a small minority of long non-coding RNA genes, a growing body of evidence has highlighted the pivotal and intricate role of lncRNAs in chromatin remodeling. Due to their multifaceted nature, lncRNAs interact with DNA, RNA, and proteins, and are emerging as new modulators of extensive gene expression programs through their participation in ESC-specific regulatory circuitries. Here, we review the tight cooperation between lncRNAs and Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), which is intimately involved in determining and maintaining the ESC epigenetic landscape. The lncRNA-PRC2 partnership is fundamental in securing the fully pluripotent state of ESCs, which must be primed to differentiate properly. We also reflect on the advantages brought to this field of research by the advent of single-cell analysis.
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32
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Chuang TJ, Chen YJ, Chen CY, Mai TL, Wang YD, Yeh CS, Yang MY, Hsiao YT, Chang TH, Kuo TC, Cho HH, Shen CN, Kuo HC, Lu MY, Chen YH, Hsieh SC, Chiang TW. Integrative transcriptome sequencing reveals extensive alternative trans-splicing and cis-backsplicing in human cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:3671-3691. [PMID: 29385530 PMCID: PMC6283421 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 01/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcriptionally non-co-linear (NCL) transcripts can originate from trans-splicing (trans-spliced RNA; 'tsRNA') or cis-backsplicing (circular RNA; 'circRNA'). While numerous circRNAs have been detected in various species, tsRNAs remain largely uninvestigated. Here, we utilize integrative transcriptome sequencing of poly(A)- and non-poly(A)-selected RNA-seq data from diverse human cell lines to distinguish between tsRNAs and circRNAs. We identified 24,498 NCL events and found that a considerable proportion (20-35%) of them arise from both tsRNAs and circRNAs, representing extensive alternative trans-splicing and cis-backsplicing in human cells. We show that sequence generalities of exon circularization are also observed in tsRNAs. Recapitulation of NCL RNAs further shows that inverted Alu repeats can simultaneously promote the formation of tsRNAs and circRNAs. However, tsRNAs and circRNAs exhibit quite different, or even opposite, expression patterns, in terms of correlation with the expression of their co-linear counterparts, expression breadth/abundance, transcript stability, and subcellular localization preference. These results indicate that tsRNAs and circRNAs may play different regulatory roles and analysis of NCL events should take the joint effects of different NCL-splicing types and joint effects of multiple NCL events into consideration. This study describes the first transcriptome-wide analysis of trans-splicing and cis-backsplicing, expanding our understanding of the complexity of the human transcriptome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trees-Juen Chuang
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.,Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617 & Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Yen-Ju Chen
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.,Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617 & Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Ying Chen
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Te-Lun Mai
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Da Wang
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Shu Yeh
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.,Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
| | - Min-Yu Yang
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Ting Hsiao
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | | | - Tzu-Chien Kuo
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Hua Cho
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Ning Shen
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Chih Kuo
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Mei-Yeh Lu
- High Throughput Genomics Core, Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hua Chen
- High Throughput Genomics Core, Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Shan-Chi Hsieh
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Tai-Wei Chiang
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
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Pervouchine DD. Circular exonic RNAs: When RNA structure meets topology. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2019; 1862:194384. [PMID: 31102674 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2019.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Revised: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Although RNA circularization was first documented in the 1990s, the extent to which it occurs was not known until recent advances in high-throughput sequencing enabled the widespread identification of circular RNAs (circRNAs). Despite this, many aspects of circRNA biogenesis, structure, and function yet remain obscure. This review focuses on circular exonic RNAs, a subclass of circRNAs that are generated through backsplicing. Here, I hypothesize that RNA secondary structure can be the common factor that promotes both exon skipping and spliceosomal RNA circularization, and that backsplicing of double-stranded regions could generate topologically linked circRNA molecules. CircRNAs manifest themselves by the presence of tail-to-head exon junctions, which were previously attributed to post-transcriptional exon permutation and repetition. I revisit these observations and argue that backsplicing does not automatically imply RNA circularization because tail-to-head exon junctions give only local information about transcript architecture and, therefore, they are in principle insufficient to determine globally circular topology. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: RNA structure and splicing regulation edited by Francisco Baralle, Ravindra Singh and Stefan Stamm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitri D Pervouchine
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, 3 Nobel St, Moscow 143026, Russia; Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Moscow State University, Leninskiye Gory 1-73, Moscow 119234, Russia.
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Latysheva NS, Babu MM. Molecular Signatures of Fusion Proteins in Cancer. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2019; 2:122-133. [PMID: 32219217 PMCID: PMC7088938 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.9b00019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
![]()
Although gene fusions
are recognized as driver mutations in a wide
variety of cancers, the general molecular mechanisms underlying oncogenic
fusion proteins are insufficiently understood. Here, we employ large-scale
data integration and machine learning and (1) identify three functionally
distinct subgroups of gene fusions and their molecular signatures;
(2) characterize the cellular pathways rewired by fusion events across
different cancers; and (3) analyze the relative importance of over
100 structural, functional, and regulatory features of ∼2200
gene fusions. We report subgroups of fusions that likely act as driver
mutations and find that gene fusions disproportionately affect pathways
regulating cellular shape and movement. Although fusion proteins are
similar across different cancer types, they affect cancer type-specific
pathways. Key indicators of fusion-forming proteins include high and
nontissue specific expression, numerous splice sites, and higher centrality
in protein-interaction networks. Together, these findings provide
unifying and cancer type-specific trends across diverse oncogenic
fusion proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha S Latysheva
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - M Madan Babu
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
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35
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Fuertes MA, Rodrigo JR, Alonso C. Conserved Critical Evolutionary Gene Structures in Orthologs. J Mol Evol 2019; 87:93-105. [PMID: 30815710 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-019-09889-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Unravelling gene structure requires the identification and understanding of the constraints that are often associated with the evolutionary history and functional domains of genes. We speculated in this manuscript with the possibility of the existence in orthologs of an emergent highly conserved gene structure that might explain their coordinated evolution during speciation events and their parental function. Here, we will address the following issues: (1) is there any conserved hypothetical structure along ortholog gene sequences? (2) If any, are such conserved structures maintained and conserved during speciation events? The data presented show evidences supporting this hypothesis. We have found that, (1) most orthologs studied share highly conserved compositional structures not observed previously. (2) While the percent identity of nucleotide sequences of orthologs correlates with the percent identity of composon sequences, the number of emergent compositional structures conserved during speciation does not correlate with the percent identity. (3) A broad range of species conserves the emergent compositional stretches. We will also discuss the concept of critical gene structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A Fuertes
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, c/Nicolás Cabrera 1, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
| | | | - Carlos Alonso
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, c/Nicolás Cabrera 1, 28049, Madrid, Spain
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36
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Xie Z, Tang Y, Su X, Cao J, Zhang Y, Li H. PAX3-FOXO1 escapes miR-495 regulation during muscle differentiation. RNA Biol 2019; 16:144-153. [PMID: 30593263 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2018.1564464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Pax3 plays an essential role in myogenesis. Previously, we found a tumor-signature chimeric fusion RNA, PAX3-FOXO1 also present during muscle differentiation, raising the possibility of its physiological role. Here we demonstrated that the fusion is needed transiently for muscle lineage commitment. Interestingly, the fusion ortholog was not found in seven mouse muscle differentiation/regeneration systems, nor in other stem cell differentiation systems of another three mammal species. We noticed that Pax3 is expressed at a much lower level in human stem cells, and during muscle differentiation than in other mammals. Given the fact that the fusion and the parental Pax3 share common downstream targets, we reasoned that forming the fusion may be a mechanism for human cells to escape certain microRNA regulation on Pax3. By sequence comparison, we identified 16 candidate microRNAs that may specifically target the human PAX3 3'UTR. We used a luciferase reporter assay, examined the microRNAs expression, and conducted mutagenesis on the reporters, as well as a CRISPR/Cas9 mediated editing on the endogenous allele. Finally, we identified miR-495 as a microRNA that specifically targets human PAX3. Examining several other fusion RNAs revealed that the human-specificity is not limited to PAX3-FOXO1. Based on these observations, we conclude that PAX3-FOXO1 fusion RNA is absent in mouse, or other mammals we tested, the fusion RNA is a mechanism to escape microRNA, miR-495 regulation in humans, and that it is not the only human-specific fusion RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongqiu Xie
- a Department of Pathology , University of Virginia , Charlottesville , VA , USA
| | - Yue Tang
- a Department of Pathology , University of Virginia , Charlottesville , VA , USA.,b College of Life Sciences , Zhengzhou University , Zhengzhou , Henan , P. R. China
| | - Xiaohu Su
- c College of Life Sciences , Inner Mongolia Agricultural University , Hohhot , Inner Mongolia , China.,d Key Laboratory of Biological Manufacturing of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region , Hohhot , Inner Mongolia , China
| | - Junwei Cao
- a Department of Pathology , University of Virginia , Charlottesville , VA , USA.,c College of Life Sciences , Inner Mongolia Agricultural University , Hohhot , Inner Mongolia , China.,d Key Laboratory of Biological Manufacturing of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region , Hohhot , Inner Mongolia , China
| | - Yanru Zhang
- c College of Life Sciences , Inner Mongolia Agricultural University , Hohhot , Inner Mongolia , China.,d Key Laboratory of Biological Manufacturing of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region , Hohhot , Inner Mongolia , China
| | - Hui Li
- a Department of Pathology , University of Virginia , Charlottesville , VA , USA.,b College of Life Sciences , Zhengzhou University , Zhengzhou , Henan , P. R. China.,e University of Virginia Cancer Center , Charlottesville , VA , USA
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37
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Chen CY, Chuang TJ. NCLcomparator: systematically post-screening non-co-linear transcripts (circular, trans-spliced, or fusion RNAs) identified from various detectors. BMC Bioinformatics 2019; 20:3. [PMID: 30606103 PMCID: PMC6318855 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-018-2589-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Non-co-linear (NCL) transcripts consist of exonic sequences that are topologically inconsistent with the reference genome in an intragenic fashion (circular or intragenic trans-spliced RNAs) or in an intergenic fashion (fusion or intergenic trans-spliced RNAs). On the basis of RNA-seq data, numerous NCL event detectors have been developed and detected thousands of NCL events in diverse species. However, there are great discrepancies in the identification results among detectors, indicating a considerable proportion of false positives in the detected NCL events. Although several helpful guidelines for evaluating the performance of NCL event detectors have been provided, a systematic guideline for measurement of NCL events identified by existing tools has not been available. RESULTS We develop a software, NCLcomparator, for systematically post-screening the intragenic or intergenic NCL events identified by various NCL detectors. NCLcomparator first examine whether the input NCL events are potentially false positives derived from ambiguous alignments (i.e., the NCL events have an alternative co-linear explanation or multiple matches against the reference genome). To evaluate the reliability of the identified NCL events, we define the NCL score (NCLscore) based on the variation in the number of supporting NCL junction reads identified by the tools examined. Of the input NCL events, we show that the ambiguous alignment-derived events have relatively lower NCLscore values than the other events, indicating that an NCL event with a higher NCLscore has a higher level of reliability. To help selecting highly expressed NCL events, NCLcomparator also provides a series of useful measurements such as the expression levels of the detected NCL events and their corresponding host genes and the junction usage of the co-linear splice junctions at both NCL donor and acceptor sites. CONCLUSION NCLcomparator provides useful guidelines, with the input of identified NCL events from various detectors and the corresponding paired-end RNA-seq data only, to help users selecting potentially high-confidence NCL events for further functional investigation. The software thus helps to facilitate future studies into NCL events, shedding light on the fundamental biology of this important but understudied class of transcripts. NCLcomparator is freely accessible at https://github.com/TreesLab/NCLcomparator .
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Ying Chen
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529 Taiwan
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38
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Ng SC, Wang PH, Lee YC, Lee CY, Yang SF, Shen HP, Hsiao YH. Impact of matrix metalloproteinase-11 gene polymorphisms on development and clinicopathologcial variables of uterine cervical cancer in Taiwanese women. Int J Med Sci 2019; 16:774-782. [PMID: 31337950 PMCID: PMC6643117 DOI: 10.7150/ijms.33195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The purposes of this study were to examine whether there were associations among matrix metalloproteinase-11 (MMP-11) gene polymorphisms, development and clinicopathological characteristics of uterine cervical cancer as well as patient survival or not. Five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the MMP-11 gene rs738791, rs738792, rs2267029, rs28382575, and rs131451 from one hundred and thirty patients with invasive cancer, 99 patients with high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) of uterine and 335 normal controls were analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Our results revealed that genotypic frequencies of CT/TT in MMP-11 SNP rs738791, with CC as a reference, tended to exhibit significantly different distributions (p=0.044, AOR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.41-0.99) between patients with cervical invasive cancer and normal control women when controlling age. After multiple significance adjustment, the tendency becomes insignificant (Holm's adjusted p 0.176). Although CT/TT genotype of MMP-11 gene rs738791 tended to increase the risk of developing stage II disease at least (p=0.035; OR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.05-4.44) and deep stromal invasion more than 10 mm (p=0.043; OR: 2.08, 95% CI: 1.02-4.26) with CC as a reference in patients with uterine cervical cancer. They became insignificant after multiple significance adjustment and the Holm's adjusted p values would become as 0.245 and 0.258, respectively. However, lymph node metastasis exhibited significant worse recurrence-free survival (p=0.033; HR: 2.83, 95% CI: 1.09-7.35), and overall survival (p=0.001; HR: 4.80, 95% CI: 1.82-12.62) compared to those without pelvic lymph node metastasis. In conclusion, it indicates no impact of the MMP-11 SNPs on uterine cervical cancer in Taiwanese women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soo-Cheen Ng
- School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Po-Hui Wang
- School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.,Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Yueh-Chun Lee
- School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Radiation Oncology Department, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Yuan Lee
- Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.,Department of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Chiayi Campus, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Shun-Fa Yang
- Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Department of Medical Research, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Huang-Pin Shen
- School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.,Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsuan Hsiao
- School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan
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39
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Chimeric RNA in Cancer and Stem Cell Differentiation. Stem Cells Int 2018; 2018:3178789. [PMID: 30510584 PMCID: PMC6230395 DOI: 10.1155/2018/3178789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene fusions are considered hallmarks of cancer which can be produced by chromosomal rearrangements. These DNA-level fusion events may result in the expression of chimeric RNAs; however, chimeric RNAs can be also produced by intergenic splicing events. Chimeric transcripts created by the latter mechanism are regulated at the transcriptional level and thus present additional modes of action and regulation. They have demonstrated importance in normal cell physiology, and their dysregulation can induce oncogenesis and impact cell differentiation. In this review, we outline proven mechanisms through which intergenically spliced chimeric RNAs are involved in carcinogenesis. We highlight their similarity to canonical chimeric RNAs resulting from gene fusions as well as their unique qualities. Additionally, we review known roles of chimeric RNA in cell differentiation and propose means through which chimeric RNAs may be valuable as stage-specific markers or as targets for expression profiling.
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40
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Yu CY, Chuang CY, Kuo HC. Trans-spliced long non-coding RNA: an emerging regulator of pluripotency. Cell Mol Life Sci 2018; 75:3339-3351. [PMID: 29961157 PMCID: PMC11105688 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-018-2862-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Revised: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
With dual capacities for unlimited self-renewal and pluripotent differentiation, pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) give rise to many cell types in our body and PSC culture systems provide an unparalleled opportunity to study early human development and disease. Accumulating evidence indicates that the molecular mechanisms underlying pluripotency maintenance in PSCs involve many factors. Among these regulators, recent studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can affect the pluripotency circuitry by cooperating with master pluripotency-associated factors. Additionally, trans-spliced RNAs, which are generated by combining two or more pre-mRNA transcripts to produce a chimeric RNA, have been identified as regulators of various biological processes, including human pluripotency. In this review, we summarize and discuss current knowledge about the roles of lncRNAs, including trans-spliced lncRNAs, in controlling pluripotency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Ying Yu
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Yu Chuang
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Chih Kuo
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.
- College of Medicine, Graduate Institute of Medical Genomics and Proteomics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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41
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Weinhouse C, Truong L, Meyer JN, Allard P. Caenorhabditis elegans as an emerging model system in environmental epigenetics. ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS 2018; 59:560-575. [PMID: 30091255 PMCID: PMC6113102 DOI: 10.1002/em.22203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Revised: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/19/2018] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The roundworm Caenorhabitis elegans has been an established model organism for the study of genetics and developmental biology, including studies of transcriptional regulation, since the 1970s. This model organism has continued to be used as a classical model system as the field of transcriptional regulation has expanded to include scientific advances in epigenetics and chromatin biology. In the last several decades, C. elegans has emerged as a powerful model for environmental toxicology, particularly for the study of chemical genotoxicity. Here, we outline the utility and applicability of C. elegans as a powerful model organism for mechanistic studies of environmental influences on the epigenome. Our goal in this article is to inform the field of environmental epigenetics of the strengths and limitations of the well-established C. elegans model organism as an emerging model for medium-throughput, in vivo exploration of the role of exogenous chemical stimuli in transcriptional regulation, developmental epigenetic reprogramming, and epigenetic memory and inheritance. As the field of environmental epigenetics matures, and research begins to map mechanisms underlying observed associations, new toolkits and model systems, particularly manipulable, scalable in vivo systems that accurately model human transcriptional regulatory circuits, will provide an essential experimental bridge between in vitro biochemical experiments and mammalian model systems. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 59:560-575, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caren Weinhouse
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Lisa Truong
- UCLA Human Genetics and Genomic Analysis Training Program, University of California, Los Angeles; Los Angeles, California
| | - Joel N. Meyer
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Patrick Allard
- Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
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42
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Identification of novel transcripts and peptides in developing murine lens. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11162. [PMID: 30042402 PMCID: PMC6057992 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28727-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
We previously investigated the transcriptome and proteome profiles of the murine ocular lens at six developmental time points including two embryonic (E15 and E18) and four postnatal time points (P0, P3, P6, and P9). Here, we extend our analyses to identify novel transcripts and peptides in developing mouse lens. We identified a total of 9,707 novel transcripts and 325 novel fusion genes in developing mouse lens. Additionally, we identified 13,281 novel alternative splicing (AS) events in mouse lens including 6,990 exon skipping (ES), 2,447 alternative 3' splice site (A3SS), 1,900 alternative 5' splice site (A5SS), 1,771 mutually exclusive exons (MXE), and 173 intron retention (IR). Finally, we integrated our OMIC (Transcriptome and Proteome) datasets identifying 20 novel peptides in mouse lens. All 20 peptides were validated through matching MS/MS spectra of synthetic peptides. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report integrating OMIC datasets to identify novel peptides in developing murine lens.
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43
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Winters JL, Davila JI, McDonald AM, Nair AA, Fadra N, Wehrs RN, Thomas BC, Balcom JR, Jin L, Wu X, Voss JS, Klee EW, Oliver GR, Graham RP, Neff JL, Rumilla KM, Aypar U, Kipp BR, Jenkins RB, Jen J, Halling KC. Development and Verification of an RNA Sequencing (RNA-Seq) Assay for the Detection of Gene Fusions in Tumors. J Mol Diagn 2018; 20:495-511. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2018.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
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Zhao S, Løvf M, Carm KT, Bakken AC, Hoff AM, Skotheim RI. Novel transcription-induced fusion RNAs in prostate cancer. Oncotarget 2018; 8:49133-49143. [PMID: 28467780 PMCID: PMC5564755 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.17099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Prostate cancer is a clinically and pathologically heterogeneous disease with a broad spectrum of molecular abnormalities in the genome and transcriptome. One key feature is the involvement of chromosomal rearrangements creating fusion genes. Recent RNA-sequencing technology has uncovered that fusions which are not caused by chromosomal rearrangements, but rather meditated at transcription level, are common in both healthy and diseased cells. Such fusion transcripts have been proven highly associated with prostate cancer development and progression. To discover novel fusion transcripts, we analyzed RNA sequencing data from 44 primary prostate tumors and matched benign tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Twenty-one high-confident candidates were significantly enriched in malignant vs. benign samples. Thirteen of the candidates have not previously been described in prostate cancer, and among them, five long intergenic non-coding RNAs are involved as fusion partners. Their expressions were validated in 50 additional prostate tumor samples and seven prostate cancer cell lines. For four fusion transcripts, we found a positive correlation between their expression and the expression of the 3′ partner gene. Among these, differential exon usage and qRT-PCR analyses in particular support that SLC45A3-ELK4 is mediated by an RNA polymerase read-through mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sen Zhao
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital-Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Center for Cancer Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Marthe Løvf
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital-Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Center for Cancer Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kristina Totland Carm
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital-Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Center for Cancer Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anne Cathrine Bakken
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital-Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Center for Cancer Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Andreas M Hoff
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital-Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Center for Cancer Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Rolf I Skotheim
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital-Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Center for Cancer Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Informatics, Faculty of Natural Science and Mathematics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Tao Y, Gross N, Fan X, Yang J, Teng M, Li X, Li G, Zhang Y, Huang Z. Identification of novel enriched recurrent chimeric COL7A1-UCN2 in human laryngeal cancer samples using deep sequencing. BMC Cancer 2018; 18:248. [PMID: 29499655 PMCID: PMC5834868 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-018-4161-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As hybrid RNAs, transcription-induced chimeras (TICs) may have tumor-promoting properties, and some specific chimeras have become important diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for cancer. METHODS We examined 23 paired laryngeal cancer (LC) tissues and adjacent normal mucous membrane tissue samples (ANMMTs). Three of these pairs were used for comparative transcriptomic analysis using high-throughput sequencing. Furthermore, we used real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for further validation in 20 samples. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model were used for the survival analysis. RESULTS We identified 87 tumor-related TICs and found that COL7A1-UCN2 had the highest frequency in LC tissues (13/23; 56.5%), whereas none of the ANMMTs were positive (0/23; p < 0.0001). COL7A1-UCN2, generated via alternative splicing in LC tissue cancer cells, had disrupted coding regions, but it down-regulated the mRNA expression of COL7A1 and UCN2. Both COL7A1 and UCN2 were down-expressed in LC tissues as compared to their paired ANMMTs. The COL7A1:β-actin ratio in COL7A1-UCN2-positive LC samples was significantly lower than that in COL7A1-UCN2-negative samples (p = 0.019). Likewise, the UCN2:β-actin ratio was also decreased (p = 0.21). Furthermore, COL7A1-UCN2 positivity was significantly associated with the overall survival of LC patients (p = 0.032; HR, 13.2 [95%CI, 1.2-149.5]). CONCLUSION LC cells were enriched in the recurrent chimera COL7A1-UCN2, which potentially affected cancer stem cell transition, promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition in LC, and resulted in poorer prognoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Tao
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Neil Gross
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Xiaojiao Fan
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, Innovation Centre for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianming Yang
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Maikun Teng
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, Innovation Centre for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Xu Li
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, Innovation Centre for Cell Signaling Network, School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Guojun Li
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100730, China.
| | - Zhigang Huang
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100730, China.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Gene fusions are known in many cancers as driver or passenger mutations. They play an important role in both the etiology and pathogenesis of cancer and are considered as potential diagnostic and prognostic markers and possible therapeutic targets. The spectrum and prevalence of gene fusions in thyroid cancer ranges from single cases up to 80%, depending on the specific type of cancer. During last three years, massive parallel sequencing technologies have revealed new fusions and allowed detailed characteristics of fusions in different types of thyroid cancer. SUMMARY This article reviews all known fusions and their prevalence in papillary, poorly differentiated and anaplastic, follicular, and medullary carcinomas. The mechanisms of fusion formation are described. In addition, the mechanisms of oncogenic transformation, such as altered gene expression, forced oligomerization, and subcellular localization, are given. CONCLUSION The prognostic value and perspectives of the utilization of gene fusions as therapeutic targets are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina D Yakushina
- 1 Research Centre for Medical Genetics , Moscow, Russian Federation
- 2 Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology , Moscow, Russian Federation
| | | | - Alexander V Lavrov
- 1 Research Centre for Medical Genetics , Moscow, Russian Federation
- 4 Russian National Research Medical University , Moscow, Russian Federation
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47
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He Y, Yuan C, Chen L, Lei M, Zellmer L, Huang H, Liao DJ. Transcriptional-Readthrough RNAs Reflect the Phenomenon of "A Gene Contains Gene(s)" or "Gene(s) within a Gene" in the Human Genome, and Thus Are Not Chimeric RNAs. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:E40. [PMID: 29337901 PMCID: PMC5793191 DOI: 10.3390/genes9010040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Revised: 12/29/2017] [Accepted: 01/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Tens of thousands of chimeric RNAs, i.e., RNAs with sequences of two genes, have been identified in human cells. Most of them are formed by two neighboring genes on the same chromosome and are considered to be derived via transcriptional readthrough, but a true readthrough event still awaits more evidence and trans-splicing that joins two transcripts together remains as a possible mechanism. We regard those genomic loci that are transcriptionally read through as unannotated genes, because their transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulations are the same as those of already-annotated genes, including fusion genes formed due to genetic alterations. Therefore, readthrough RNAs and fusion-gene-derived RNAs are not chimeras. Only those two-gene RNAs formed at the RNA level, likely via trans-splicing, without corresponding genes as genomic parents, should be regarded as authentic chimeric RNAs. However, since in human cells, procedural and mechanistic details of trans-splicing have never been disclosed, we doubt the existence of trans-splicing. Therefore, there are probably no authentic chimeras in humans, after readthrough and fusion-gene derived RNAs are all put back into the group of ordinary RNAs. Therefore, it should be further determined whether in human cells all two-neighboring-gene RNAs are derived from transcriptional readthrough and whether trans-splicing truly exists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan He
- Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of the Ministry of Education of China in Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou, China.
| | - Chengfu Yuan
- Department of Biochemistry, China Three Gorges University, Yichang City 443002, Hubei, China.
| | - Lichan Chen
- Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA.
| | - Mingjuan Lei
- Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA.
| | - Lucas Zellmer
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, 435 E. River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Hai Huang
- School of Clinical Laboratory Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou, China.
| | - Dezhong Joshua Liao
- Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of the Ministry of Education of China in Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou, China.
- Department of Pathology, Guizhou Medical University Hospital, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou, China.
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Awasthi R, Singh AK, Mishra G, Maurya A, Chellappan DK, Gupta G, Hansbro PM, Dua K. An Overview of Circular RNAs. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2018; 1087:3-14. [PMID: 30259353 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-1426-1_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Circular RNAs (cirRNAs) are long, noncoding endogenous RNA molecules and covalently closed continuous loop without 5'-3' polarity and polyadenylated tail which are largely concentrated in the nucleus. CirRNA regulates gene expression by modulating microRNAs and functions as potential biomarker. CirRNAs can translate in vivo to link between their expression and disease. They are resistant to RNA exonuclease and can convert to the linear RNA by microRNA which can then act as competitor to endogenous RNA. This chapter summarizes the evolutionary conservation and expression of cirRNAs, their identification, highlighting various computational approaches on cirRNA, and translation with a focus on the breakthroughs and the challenges in this new field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajendra Awasthi
- Amity Institute of Pharmacy, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.
| | - Anurag Kumar Singh
- Centre of Experimental Medicine & Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Gaurav Mishra
- NKBR College of Pharmacy and Research Centre, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Anand Maurya
- NKBR College of Pharmacy and Research Centre, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Dinesh Kumar Chellappan
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Pharmacy, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Gaurav Gupta
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jaipur National University, Jaipur, India
| | - Philip Michael Hansbro
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, Australia.,Discipline of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Kamal Dua
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, Australia.,Discipline of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Abstract
Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) coupled to high-resolution microscopy is a powerful method for analyzing the subcellular localization of RNA. However, the detection of circular RNAs (circRNAs) using microscopy is challenging because the only feature of a circRNA that can be used for the probe design is its junction. Circular RNAs are expressed at varying levels, and for their efficient monitoring by FISH, background fluorescence levels need to be kept low. Here, we describe a FISH protocol coupled to high-precision localizations using a single fluorescently labeled probe spanning the circRNA junction; this allows circRNA detection in mammalian cells with high signal-to-noise ratios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Zirkel
- Chromatin Systems Biology Laboratory, Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Argyris Papantonis
- Chromatin Systems Biology Laboratory, Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
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Novel chimeric transcript RRM2-c2orf48 promotes metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Cell Death Dis 2017; 8:e3047. [PMID: 28906488 PMCID: PMC5636969 DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2017.402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2016] [Revised: 06/29/2017] [Accepted: 07/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Recently, chimeric transcripts have been found to be associated with the pathogenesis and poor prognosis of malignant tumors. Through our preliminary experiment, a novel chimeric transcript called chimeric transcript RRM2-c2orf48 was detected in C666-1, a classical cell line of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Therefore, the objective of this study was to demonstrate the existence and expression of novel chimeric transcript RRM2-c2orf48 and to explore the main functions and mechanisms of RRM2-c2orf48 in NPC. In this study, the expression of RRM2-c2orf48 was evaluated in NPC cells and specimens. Effects of RRM2-c2orf48 on migration and invasive capacities were detected invivo and vitro. Moreover, ways in which RRM2-c2orf48 increases the invasive capacities of NPC were explored. As a result, the presence of novel chimeric transcript RRM2-c2orf48 was confirmed in C666-1 by RT-PCR and sequencing, and it was a read-through between RRM2 and c2orf48 through the transcription of interchromosome. Higher expressions of novel RRM2-c2orf48 were detected in NPC cell lines and NPC tissue specimens relative to the controls and its expression was be statistically relevant to TNM staging. High level of RRM2-c2orf48 could increase the migration and invasive capacities of NPC cells, potentially as a result of NPC cell epithelial–mesenchymal transition. RRM2-c2orf48 could also enhance resistance of chemotherapy. In vivo, RRM2-c2orf48 could enhance lung and lymph node metastasis in nude mice. These results demonstrate that high levels of RRM2-c2orf48 expression may be a useful predictor of NPC patients of metastatic potency, presenting potential implications for NPC diagnosis and therapy.
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