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Masuda I, Hou YM. A tRNA modification pattern that facilitates interpretation of the genetic code. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1415100. [PMID: 38933027 PMCID: PMC11199890 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1415100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Interpretation of the genetic code from triplets of nucleotides to amino acids is fundamental to life. This interpretation is achieved by cellular tRNAs, each reading a triplet codon through its complementary anticodon (positions 34-36) while delivering the amino acid charged to its 3'-end. This amino acid is then incorporated into the growing polypeptide chain during protein synthesis on the ribosome. The quality and versatility of the interpretation is ensured not only by the codon-anticodon pairing, but also by the post-transcriptional modifications at positions 34 and 37 of each tRNA, corresponding to the wobble nucleotide at the first position of the anticodon and the nucleotide on the 3'-side of the anticodon, respectively. How each codon is read by the matching anticodon, and which modifications are required, cannot be readily predicted from the codon-anticodon pairing alone. Here we provide an easily accessible modification pattern that is integrated into the genetic code table. We focus on the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli as a model, which is one of the few organisms whose entire set of tRNA modifications and modification genes is identified and mapped. This work provides an important reference tool that will facilitate research in protein synthesis, which is at the core of the cellular life.
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2
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Valenzuela C, Saucedo S, Llano M. Schlafen14 Impairs HIV-1 Expression in a Codon Usage-Dependent Manner. Viruses 2024; 16:502. [PMID: 38675845 PMCID: PMC11054720 DOI: 10.3390/v16040502] [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: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Schlafen (SLFN) is a family of proteins upregulated by type I interferons with a regulatory role in translation. Intriguingly, SLFN14 associates with the ribosome and can degrade rRNA, tRNA, and mRNA in vitro, but a role in translation is still unknown. Ribosomes are important regulatory hubs during translation elongation of mRNAs rich in rare codons. Therefore, we evaluated the potential role of SLFN14 in the expression of mRNAs enriched in rare codons, using HIV-1 genes as a model. We found that, in a variety of cell types, including primary immune cells, SLFN14 regulates the expression of HIV-1 and non-viral genes based on their codon adaptation index, a measurement of the synonymous codon usage bias; consequently, SLFN14 inhibits the replication of HIV-1. The potent inhibitory effect of SLFN14 on the expression of the rare codon-rich transcript HIV-1 Gag was minimized by codon optimization. Mechanistically, we found that the endoribonuclease activity of SLFN14 is required, and that ribosomal RNA degradation is involved. Therefore, we propose that SLFN14 impairs the expression of HIV-1 transcripts rich in rare codons, in a catalytic-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Valenzuela
- Biological Sciences Department, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA;
| | - Sergio Saucedo
- Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, TX 79905, USA;
| | - Manuel Llano
- Biological Sciences Department, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA;
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3
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Krueger J, Preusse M, Oswaldo Gomez N, Frommeyer YN, Doberenz S, Lorenz A, Kordes A, Grobe S, Müsken M, Depledge DP, Svensson SL, Weiss S, Kaever V, Pich A, Sharma CM, Ignatova Z, Häussler S. tRNA epitranscriptome determines pathogenicity of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2312874121. [PMID: 38451943 PMCID: PMC10945773 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2312874121] [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: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The success of bacterial pathogens depends on the coordinated expression of virulence determinants. Regulatory circuits that drive pathogenesis are complex, multilayered, and incompletely understood. Here, we reveal that alterations in tRNA modifications define pathogenic phenotypes in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We demonstrate that the enzymatic activity of GidA leads to the introduction of a carboxymethylaminomethyl modification in selected tRNAs. Modifications at the wobble uridine base (cmnm5U34) of the anticodon drives translation of transcripts containing rare codons. Specifically, in P. aeruginosa the presence of GidA-dependent tRNA modifications modulates expression of genes encoding virulence regulators, leading to a cellular proteomic shift toward pathogenic and well-adapted physiological states. Our approach of profiling the consequences of chemical tRNA modifications is general in concept. It provides a paradigm of how environmentally driven tRNA modifications govern gene expression programs and regulate phenotypic outcomes responsible for bacterial adaption to challenging habitats prevailing in the host niche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Krueger
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, Center of Clinical and Experimental Infection Research (TWINCORE), a joint venture of the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Hannover30625, Germany
- Research Core Unit Proteomics and Institute for Toxicology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover30625, Germany
| | - Matthias Preusse
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, 38124Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Nicolas Oswaldo Gomez
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, 38124Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Yannick Noah Frommeyer
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, Center of Clinical and Experimental Infection Research (TWINCORE), a joint venture of the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Hannover30625, Germany
| | - Sebastian Doberenz
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, Center of Clinical and Experimental Infection Research (TWINCORE), a joint venture of the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Hannover30625, Germany
| | - Anne Lorenz
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, Center of Clinical and Experimental Infection Research (TWINCORE), a joint venture of the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Hannover30625, Germany
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, 38124Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Adrian Kordes
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, Center of Clinical and Experimental Infection Research (TWINCORE), a joint venture of the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Hannover30625, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence “Resolving Infection susceptibility” (RESIST), Hannover Medical School, Hannover30625, Germany
| | - Svenja Grobe
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, Center of Clinical and Experimental Infection Research (TWINCORE), a joint venture of the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Hannover30625, Germany
- Research Core Unit Metabolomics and Institute of Pharmacology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Mathias Müsken
- Central Facility for Microscopy, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig38124, Germany
| | - Daniel P. Depledge
- Cluster of Excellence “Resolving Infection susceptibility” (RESIST), Hannover Medical School, Hannover30625, Germany
- Institute of Virology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover30625, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Hannover30625, Germany
| | - Sarah L. Svensson
- Department of Molecular Infection Biology II, Institute of Molecular Infection Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg97080, Germany
| | - Siegfried Weiss
- Institute of Immunology, Medical School Hannover, Hannover30625, Germany
| | - Volkhard Kaever
- Research Core Unit Metabolomics and Institute of Pharmacology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Andreas Pich
- Research Core Unit Proteomics and Institute for Toxicology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover30625, Germany
| | - Cynthia M. Sharma
- Department of Molecular Infection Biology II, Institute of Molecular Infection Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg97080, Germany
| | - Zoya Ignatova
- Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University Hamburg, 20146, Germany
| | - Susanne Häussler
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, Center of Clinical and Experimental Infection Research (TWINCORE), a joint venture of the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Hannover30625, Germany
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, 38124Braunschweig, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence “Resolving Infection susceptibility” (RESIST), Hannover Medical School, Hannover30625, Germany
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital—Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen2100, Denmark
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4
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Choi Y, Yu SR, Lee Y, Na AY, Lee S, Heitman J, Seo R, Lee HS, Lee JS, Bahn YS. Casein kinase 2 complex: a central regulator of multiple pathobiological signaling pathways in Cryptococcus neoformans. mBio 2024; 15:e0327523. [PMID: 38193728 PMCID: PMC10865844 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03275-23] [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: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The casein kinase 2 (CK2) complex has garnered extensive attention over the past decades as a potential therapeutic target for diverse human diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and obesity, due to its pivotal roles in eukaryotic growth, differentiation, and metabolic homeostasis. While CK2 is also considered a promising antifungal target, its role in fungal pathogens remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated the functions and regulatory mechanisms of the CK2 complex in Cryptococcus neoformans, a major cause of fungal meningitis. The cryptococcal CK2 complex consists of a single catalytic subunit, Cka1, and two regulatory subunits, Ckb1 and Ckb2. Our findings show that Cka1 plays a primary role as a protein kinase, while Ckb1 and Ckb2 have major and minor regulatory functions, respectively, in growth, cell cycle control, morphogenesis, stress response, antifungal drug resistance, and virulence factor production. Interestingly, triple mutants lacking all three subunits (cka1Δ ckb1Δ ckb2Δ) exhibited more severe phenotypic defects than the cka1Δ mutant alone, suggesting that Ckb1/2 may have Cka1-independent functions. In a murine model of systemic cryptococcosis, cka1Δ and cka1Δ ckb1Δ ckb2Δ mutants showed severely reduced virulence. Transcriptomic, proteomic, and phosphoproteomic analyses further revealed that the CK2 complex controls a wide array of effector proteins involved in transcriptional regulation, cell cycle control, nutrient metabolisms, and stress responses. Most notably, CK2 disruption led to dysregulation of key signaling cascades central to C. neoformans pathogenicity, including the Hog1, Mpk1 MAPKs, cAMP/PKA, and calcium/calcineurin signaling pathways. In summary, our study provides novel insights into the multifaceted roles of the fungal CK2 complex and presents a compelling case for targeting it in the development of new antifungal drugs.IMPORTANCEThe casein kinase 2 (CK2) complex, crucial for eukaryotic growth, differentiation, and metabolic regulation, presents a promising therapeutic target for various human diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Its potential as an antifungal target is further highlighted in this study, which explores CK2's functions in C. neoformans, a key fungal meningitis pathogen. The CK2 complex in C. neoformans, comprising the Cka1 catalytic subunit and Ckb1/2 regulatory subunits, is integral to processes like growth, cell cycle, morphogenesis, stress response, drug resistance, and virulence. Our findings of CK2's role in regulating critical signaling pathways, including Hog1, Mpk1 MAPKs, cAMP/PKA, and calcium/calcineurin, underscore its importance in C. neoformans pathogenicity. This study provides valuable insights into the fungal CK2 complex, reinforcing its potential as a target for novel antifungal drug development and pointing out a promising direction for creating new antifungal agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeseul Choi
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Seong-Ryong Yu
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Yujin Lee
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Ann-Yae Na
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Sangkyu Lee
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Joseph Heitman
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ran Seo
- AmtixBio Co., Ltd., Hanam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
| | - Han-Seung Lee
- AmtixBio Co., Ltd., Hanam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
| | | | - Yong-Sun Bahn
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
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5
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Rashad S, Al-Mesitef S, Mousa A, Zhou Y, Ando D, Sun G, Fukuuchi T, Iwasaki Y, Xiang J, Byrne SR, Sun J, Maekawa M, Saigusa D, Begley TJ, Dedon PC, Niizuma K. Translational response to mitochondrial stresses is orchestrated by tRNA modifications. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.14.580389. [PMID: 38405984 PMCID: PMC10888749 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.14.580389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Mitochondrial stress and dysfunction play important roles in many pathologies. However, how cells respond to mitochondrial stress is not fully understood. Here, we examined the translational response to electron transport chain (ETC) inhibition and arsenite induced mitochondrial stresses. Our analysis revealed that during mitochondrial stress, tRNA modifications (namely f5C, hm5C, queuosine and its derivatives, and mcm5U) dynamically change to fine tune codon decoding, usage, and optimality. These changes in codon optimality drive the translation of many pathways and gene sets, such as the ATF4 pathway and selenoproteins, involved in the cellular response to mitochondrial stress. We further examined several of these modifications using targeted approaches. ALKBH1 knockout (KO) abrogated f5C and hm5C levels and led to mitochondrial dysfunction, reduced proliferation, and impacted mRNA translation rates. Our analysis revealed that tRNA queuosine (tRNA-Q) is a master regulator of the mitochondrial stress response. KO of QTRT1 or QTRT2, the enzymes responsible for tRNA-Q synthesis, led to mitochondrial dysfunction, translational dysregulation, and metabolic alterations in mitochondria-related pathways, without altering cellular proliferation. In addition, our analysis revealed that tRNA-Q loss led to a domino effect on various tRNA modifications. Some of these changes could be explained by metabolic profiling. Our analysis also revealed that utilizing serum deprivation or alteration with Queuine supplementation to study tRNA-Q or stress response can introduce various confounding factors by altering many other tRNA modifications. In summary, our data show that tRNA modifications are master regulators of the mitochondrial stress response by driving changes in codon decoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherif Rashad
- Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Shadi Al-Mesitef
- Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Abdulrahman Mousa
- Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yuan Zhou
- Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Daisuke Ando
- Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
- Department of Neurology, Tohoku university Graduate school of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Guangxin Sun
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA, USA
| | - Tomoko Fukuuchi
- Laboratory of Biomedical and Analytical Sciences, Faculty of Pharma-Science, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuko Iwasaki
- Laboratory of Biomedical and Analytical Sciences, Faculty of Pharma-Science, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jingdong Xiang
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA, USA
| | - Shane R Byrne
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA, USA
- Codomax Inc, 17 Briden St STE 219, Worcester, MA 01605
| | - Jingjing Sun
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA, USA
- Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Antimicrobial Resistance IRG, Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise, Singapore
| | - Masamitsu Maekawa
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Daisuke Saigusa
- Laboratory of Biomedical and Analytical Sciences, Faculty of Pharma-Science, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Thomas J Begley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Peter C Dedon
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA, USA
- Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Antimicrobial Resistance IRG, Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise, Singapore
| | - Kuniyasu Niizuma
- Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
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6
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Nakano Y, Gamper H, McGuigan H, Maharjan S, Sun Z, Krishnan K, Yigit E, Li NS, Piccirilli JA, Kleiner R, Nichols N, Hou YM. Genome-Wide Profiling of tRNA Using an Unexplored Reverse Transcriptase with High Processivity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.09.569604. [PMID: 38106225 PMCID: PMC10723452 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.09.569604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Monitoring the dynamic changes of cellular tRNA pools is challenging, due to the extensive post-transcriptional modifications of individual species. The most critical component in tRNAseq is a processive reverse transcriptase (RT) that can read through each modification with high efficiency. Here we show that the recently developed group-II intron RT Induro has the processivity and efficiency necessary to profile tRNA dynamics. Using our Induro-tRNAseq, simpler and more comprehensive than the best methods to date, we show that Induro progressively increases readthrough of tRNA over time and that the mechanism of increase is selective removal of RT stops, without altering the misincorporation frequency. We provide a parallel dataset of the misincorporation profile of Induro relative to the related TGIRT RT to facilitate the prediction of non-annotated modifications. We report an unexpected modification profile among human proline isoacceptors, absent from mouse and lower eukaryotes, that indicates new biology of decoding proline codons.
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7
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Mitchener M, Begley TJ, Dedon PC. Molecular Coping Mechanisms: Reprogramming tRNAs To Regulate Codon-Biased Translation of Stress Response Proteins. Acc Chem Res 2023; 56:3504-3514. [PMID: 37992267 PMCID: PMC10702489 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.3c00572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
As part of the classic central dogma of molecular biology, transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are integral to protein translation as the adaptor molecules that link the genetic code in messenger RNA (mRNA) to the amino acids in the growing peptide chain. tRNA function is complicated by the existence of 61 codons to specify 20 amino acids, with most amino acids coded by two or more synonymous codons. Further, there are often fewer tRNAs with unique anticodons than there are synonymous codons for an amino acid, with a single anticodon able to decode several codons by "wobbling" of the base pairs arising between the third base of the codon and the first position on the anticodon. The complications introduced by synonymous codons and wobble base pairing began to resolve in the 1960s with the discovery of dozens of chemical modifications of the ribonucleotides in tRNA, which, by analogy to the epigenome, are now collectively referred to as the epitranscriptome for not changing the genetic code inherent to all RNA sequences. tRNA modifications were found to stabilize codon-anticodon interactions, prevent misinitiation of translation, and promote translational fidelity, among other functions, with modification deficiencies causing pathological phenotypes. This led to hypotheses that modification-dependent tRNA decoding efficiencies might play regulatory roles in cells. However, it was only with the advent of systems biology and convergent "omic" technologies that the higher level function of synonymous codons and tRNA modifications began to emerge.Here, we describe our laboratories' discovery of tRNA reprogramming and codon-biased translation as a mechanism linking tRNA modifications and synonymous codon usage to regulation of gene expression at the level of translation. Taking a historical approach, we recount how we discovered that the 8-10 modifications in each tRNA molecule undergo unique reprogramming in response to cellular stresses to promote translation of mRNA transcripts with unique codon usage patterns. These modification tunable transcripts (MoTTs) are enriched with specific codons that are differentially decoded by modified tRNAs and that fall into functional families of genes encoding proteins necessary to survive the specific stress. By developing and applying systems-level technologies, we showed that cells lacking specific tRNA modifications are sensitized to certain cellular stresses by mistranslation of proteins, disruption of mitochondrial function, and failure to translate critical stress response proteins. In essence, tRNA reprogramming serves as a cellular coping strategy, enabling rapid translation of proteins required for stress-specific cell response programs. Notably, this phenomenon has now been characterized in all organisms from viruses to humans and in response to all types of environmental changes. We also elaborate on recent findings that cancer cells hijack this mechanism to promote their own growth, metastasis, and chemotherapeutic resistance. We close by discussing how understanding of codon-biased translation in various systems can be exploited to develop new therapeutics and biomanufacturing processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle
M. Mitchener
- Antimicrobial
Resistance Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre, Singapore 138602, Singapore
| | - Thomas J. Begley
- Department
of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, New York 12222, United States
- RNA
Institute, University at Albany, Albany, New York 12222, United States
| | - Peter C. Dedon
- Antimicrobial
Resistance Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre, Singapore 138602, Singapore
- Department
of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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8
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Hehenberger E, Guo J, Wilken S, Hoadley K, Sudek L, Poirier C, Dannebaum R, Susko E, Worden AZ. Phosphate Limitation Responses in Marine Green Algae Are Linked to Reprogramming of the tRNA Epitranscriptome and Codon Usage Bias. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad251. [PMID: 37987557 PMCID: PMC10735309 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad251] [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: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Marine algae are central to global carbon fixation, and their productivity is dictated largely by resource availability. Reduced nutrient availability is predicted for vast oceanic regions as an outcome of climate change; however, there is much to learn regarding response mechanisms of the tiny picoplankton that thrive in these environments, especially eukaryotic phytoplankton. Here, we investigate responses of the picoeukaryote Micromonas commoda, a green alga found throughout subtropical and tropical oceans. Under shifting phosphate availability scenarios, transcriptomic analyses revealed altered expression of transfer RNA modification enzymes and biased codon usage of transcripts more abundant during phosphate-limiting versus phosphate-replete conditions, consistent with the role of transfer RNA modifications in regulating codon recognition. To associate the observed shift in the expression of the transfer RNA modification enzyme complement with the transfer RNAs encoded by M. commoda, we also determined the transfer RNA repertoire of this alga revealing potential targets of the modification enzymes. Codon usage bias was particularly pronounced in transcripts encoding proteins with direct roles in managing phosphate limitation and photosystem-associated proteins that have ill-characterized putative functions in "light stress." The observed codon usage bias corresponds to a proposed stress response mechanism in which the interplay between stress-induced changes in transfer RNA modifications and skewed codon usage in certain essential response genes drives preferential translation of the encoded proteins. Collectively, we expose a potential underlying mechanism for achieving growth under enhanced nutrient limitation that extends beyond the catalog of up- or downregulated protein-encoding genes to the cell biological controls that underpin acclimation to changing environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Hehenberger
- Ocean EcoSystems Biology Unit, RD3, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, 24148 Kiel, DE
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, CZ
| | - Jian Guo
- Ocean Sciences Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Susanne Wilken
- Ocean Sciences Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Kenneth Hoadley
- Ocean EcoSystems Biology Unit, RD3, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, 24148 Kiel, DE
| | - Lisa Sudek
- Ocean Sciences Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Camille Poirier
- Ocean EcoSystems Biology Unit, RD3, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, 24148 Kiel, DE
| | - Richard Dannebaum
- Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Edward Susko
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, CA
| | - Alexandra Z Worden
- Ocean EcoSystems Biology Unit, RD3, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, 24148 Kiel, DE
- Ocean Sciences Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306 Plön, DE
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9
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Kelley M, Holmes CJ, Herbert C, Rayhan A, Joves J, Uhran M, Frigard R, Singh K, Limbach PA, Addepalli B, Benoit JB. Tyrosine transfer RNA levels and modifications during blood-feeding and vitellogenesis in the mosquito, Aedes aegypti. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.29.569187. [PMID: 38076852 PMCID: PMC10705485 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.29.569187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypti must consume a blood meal for the nutrients necessary for egg production. Several transcriptome and proteome changes occur post blood meal that likely corresponds with codon usage alterations. Transfer RNA (tRNA) is the adapter molecule that reads messenger RNA (mRNA) codons to add the appropriate amino acid during protein synthesis. Chemical modifications to tRNA enhance codons' decoding, improving the accuracy and efficiency of protein synthesis. Here, we examined tRNA modifications and transcripts associated with the blood meal and subsequent periods of vitellogenesis in A. aegypti. More specifically, we assessed tRNA transcript abundance and modification levels in the fat body at critical times post blood-feeding. Based on a combination of alternative codon usage and identification of particular modifications, we identified that increased transcription of tyrosine tRNAs is likely critical during the synthesis of egg yolk proteins in the fat body following a blood meal. Altogether, changes in both the abundance and modification of tRNA are essential factors in the process of vitellogenin production after blood-feeding in mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Kelley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45211
| | | | - Cassandra Herbert
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45211
| | - Asif Rayhan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45211
| | - Judd Joves
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45211
| | - Melissa Uhran
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45211
| | - Ronja Frigard
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45211
| | - Khwahish Singh
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45211
| | | | | | - Joshua B. Benoit
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45211
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10
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Chan C, Kwan Sze NS, Suzuki Y, Ohira T, Suzuki T, Begley TJ, Dedon PC. Dengue virus exploits the host tRNA epitranscriptome to promote viral replication. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.05.565734. [PMID: 37986976 PMCID: PMC10659268 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.05.565734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
The 40-50 RNA modifications of the epitranscriptome regulate posttranscriptional gene expression. Here we show that flaviviruses hijack the host tRNA epitranscriptome to promote expression of pro-viral proteins, with tRNA-modifying ALKBH1 acting as a host restriction factor in dengue virus infection. Early in the infection of human Huh-7 cells, ALKBH1 and its tRNA products 5-formylcytidine (f5C) and 2'-O-methyl-5-formylcytidine (f5Cm) were reduced. ALKBH1 knockdown mimicked viral infection, but caused increased viral NS3 protein levels during infection, while ALKBH1 overexpression reduced NS3 levels and viral replication, and increased f5C and f5Cm. Viral NS5, but not host FTSJ1, increased f5Cm levels late in infection. Consistent with reports of impaired decoding of leucine UUA codon by f5Cm-modified tRNALeu(CAA), ALKBH1 knockdown induced translation of UUA-deficient transcripts, most having pro-viral functions. Our findings support a dynamic ALKBH1/f5Cm axis during dengue infection, with virally-induced remodeling of the proteome by tRNA reprogramming and codon-biased translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl Chan
- Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 1 CREATE Way, 138602, Singapore
| | - Newman Siu Kwan Sze
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
| | - Yuka Suzuki
- Department of Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
| | - Takayuki Ohira
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Suzuki
- Department of Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
| | - Thomas J. Begley
- Department of Biological Sciences and The RNA Institute, College of Arts and Science, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
| | - Peter C. Dedon
- Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 1 CREATE Way, 138602, Singapore
- Department of Biological Engineering and Center for Environmental Health Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
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11
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McGuffey JC, Jackson-Litteken CD, Di Venanzio G, Zimmer AA, Lewis JM, Distel JS, Kim KQ, Zaher HS, Alfonzo J, Scott NE, Feldman MF. The tRNA methyltransferase TrmB is critical for Acinetobacter baumannii stress responses and pulmonary infection. mBio 2023; 14:e0141623. [PMID: 37589464 PMCID: PMC10653896 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01416-23] [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: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE As deficiencies in tRNA modifications have been linked to human diseases such as cancer and diabetes, much research has focused on the modifications' impacts on translational regulation in eukaryotes. However, the significance of tRNA modifications in bacterial physiology remains largely unexplored. In this paper, we demonstrate that the m7G tRNA methyltransferase TrmB is crucial for a top-priority pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii, to respond to stressors encountered during infection, including oxidative stress, low pH, and iron deprivation. We show that loss of TrmB dramatically attenuates a murine pulmonary infection. Given the current efforts to use another tRNA methyltransferase, TrmD, as an antimicrobial therapeutic target, we propose that TrmB, and other tRNA methyltransferases, may also be viable options for drug development to combat multidrug-resistant A. baumannii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna C. McGuffey
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Clay D. Jackson-Litteken
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Gisela Di Venanzio
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Aubree A. Zimmer
- Department of Microbiology and The Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Jessica M. Lewis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jesus S. Distel
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Kyusik Q. Kim
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Hani S. Zaher
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Juan Alfonzo
- Department of Microbiology and The Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Nichollas E. Scott
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mario F. Feldman
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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12
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Tomasi FG, Kimura S, Rubin EJ, Waldor MK. A tRNA modification in Mycobacterium tuberculosis facilitates optimal intracellular growth. eLife 2023; 12:RP87146. [PMID: 37755167 PMCID: PMC10531406 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Diverse chemical modifications fine-tune the function and metabolism of tRNA. Although tRNA modification is universal in all kingdoms of life, profiles of modifications, their functions, and physiological roles have not been elucidated in most organisms including the human pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis. To identify physiologically important modifications, we surveyed the tRNA of Mtb, using tRNA sequencing (tRNA-seq) and genome-mining. Homology searches identified 23 candidate tRNA modifying enzymes that are predicted to create 16 tRNA modifications across all tRNA species. Reverse transcription-derived error signatures in tRNA-seq predicted the sites and presence of nine modifications. Several chemical treatments prior to tRNA-seq expanded the number of predictable modifications. Deletion of Mtb genes encoding two modifying enzymes, TruB and MnmA, eliminated their respective tRNA modifications, validating the presence of modified sites in tRNA species. Furthermore, the absence of mnmA attenuated Mtb growth in macrophages, suggesting that MnmA-dependent tRNA uridine sulfation contributes to Mtb intracellular growth. Our results lay the foundation for unveiling the roles of tRNA modifications in Mtb pathogenesis and developing new therapeutics against tuberculosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca G Tomasi
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public HealthBostonUnited States
| | - Satoshi Kimura
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women's HospitalBostonUnited States
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteBostonUnited States
| | - Eric J Rubin
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public HealthBostonUnited States
| | - Matthew K Waldor
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public HealthBostonUnited States
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women's HospitalBostonUnited States
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteBostonUnited States
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13
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Johnson MM, Hockenberry AJ, McGuffie MJ, Vieira LC, Wilke CO. Growth-dependent Gene Expression Variation Influences the Strength of Codon Usage Biases. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad189. [PMID: 37619989 PMCID: PMC10482319 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad189] [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: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The most highly expressed genes in microbial genomes tend to use a limited set of synonymous codons, often referred to as "preferred codons." The existence of preferred codons is commonly attributed to selection pressures on various aspects of protein translation including accuracy and/or speed. However, gene expression is condition-dependent and even within single-celled organisms transcript and protein abundances can vary depending on a variety of environmental and other factors. Here, we show that growth rate-dependent expression variation is an important constraint that significantly influences the evolution of gene sequences. Using large-scale transcriptomic and proteomic data sets in Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we confirm that codon usage biases are strongly associated with gene expression but highlight that this relationship is most pronounced when gene expression measurements are taken during rapid growth conditions. Specifically, genes whose relative expression increases during periods of rapid growth have stronger codon usage biases than comparably expressed genes whose expression decreases during rapid growth conditions. These findings highlight that gene expression measured in any particular condition tells only part of the story regarding the forces shaping the evolution of microbial gene sequences. More generally, our results imply that microbial physiology during rapid growth is critical for explaining long-term translational constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mackenzie M Johnson
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Adam J Hockenberry
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Matthew J McGuffie
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Luiz Carlos Vieira
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Claus O Wilke
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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14
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Alings F, Scharmann K, Eggers C, Böttcher B, Sokołowski M, Shvetsova E, Sharma P, Roth J, Rashiti L, Glatt S, Brunke S, Leidel SA. Ncs2* mediates in vivo virulence of pathogenic yeast through sulphur modification of cytoplasmic transfer RNA. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:8133-8149. [PMID: 37462076 PMCID: PMC10450187 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad564] [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: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Fungal pathogens threaten ecosystems and human health. Understanding the molecular basis of their virulence is key to develop new treatment strategies. Here, we characterize NCS2*, a point mutation identified in a clinical baker's yeast isolate. Ncs2 is essential for 2-thiolation of tRNA and the NCS2* mutation leads to increased thiolation at body temperature. NCS2* yeast exhibits enhanced fitness when grown at elevated temperatures or when exposed to oxidative stress, inhibition of nutrient signalling, and cell-wall stress. Importantly, Ncs2* alters the interaction and stability of the thiolase complex likely mediated by nucleotide binding. The absence of 2-thiolation abrogates the in vivo virulence of pathogenic baker's yeast in infected mice. Finally, hypomodification triggers changes in colony morphology and hyphae formation in the common commensal pathogen Candida albicans resulting in decreased virulence in a human cell culture model. These findings demonstrate that 2-thiolation of tRNA acts as a key mediator of fungal virulence and reveal new mechanistic insights into the function of the highly conserved tRNA-thiolase complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Alings
- Max Planck Research Group for RNA Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Muenster, Germany
| | - Karin Scharmann
- Max Planck Research Group for RNA Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Muenster, Germany
| | - Cristian Eggers
- Max Planck Research Group for RNA Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Muenster, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Bettina Böttcher
- Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany
- Septomics Research Center, Friedrich Schiller University and Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Mikołaj Sokołowski
- Max Planck Research Group at the Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Ekaterina Shvetsova
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Puneet Sharma
- Max Planck Research Group for RNA Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Muenster, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Joël Roth
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Leon Rashiti
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian Glatt
- Max Planck Research Group at the Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Sascha Brunke
- Department of Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knoell Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Sebastian A Leidel
- Max Planck Research Group for RNA Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Muenster, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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15
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Lee WL, Sinha A, Lam LN, Loo HL, Liang J, Ho P, Cui L, Chan CSC, Begley T, Kline KA, Dedon P. An RNA modification enzyme directly senses reactive oxygen species for translational regulation in Enterococcus faecalis. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4093. [PMID: 37433804 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39790-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacteria possess elaborate systems to manage reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS) arising from exposure to the mammalian immune system and environmental stresses. Here we report the discovery of an ROS-sensing RNA-modifying enzyme that regulates translation of stress-response proteins in the gut commensal and opportunistic pathogen Enterococcus faecalis. We analyze the tRNA epitranscriptome of E. faecalis in response to reactive oxygen species (ROS) or sublethal doses of ROS-inducing antibiotics and identify large decreases in N2-methyladenosine (m2A) in both 23 S ribosomal RNA and transfer RNA. This we determine to be due to ROS-mediated inactivation of the Fe-S cluster-containing methyltransferase, RlmN. Genetic knockout of RlmN gives rise to a proteome that mimics the oxidative stress response, with an increase in levels of superoxide dismutase and decrease in virulence proteins. While tRNA modifications were established to be dynamic for fine-tuning translation, here we report the discovery of a dynamically regulated, environmentally responsive rRNA modification. These studies lead to a model in which RlmN serves as a redox-sensitive molecular switch, directly relaying oxidative stress to modulating translation through the rRNA and the tRNA epitranscriptome, adding a different paradigm in which RNA modifications can directly regulate the proteome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Lin Lee
- Antimicrobial Resistance IRG, Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ameya Sinha
- Antimicrobial Resistance IRG, Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore, Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Ling Ning Lam
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Oral Biology, University of Florida College of Dentistry, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Hooi Linn Loo
- Antimicrobial Resistance IRG, Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jiaqi Liang
- Antimicrobial Resistance IRG, Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore, Singapore
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, College of Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Peiying Ho
- Antimicrobial Resistance IRG, Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Liang Cui
- Antimicrobial Resistance IRG, Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Cheryl Siew Choo Chan
- Antimicrobial Resistance IRG, Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore, Singapore
- Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine IRG, Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Thomas Begley
- Department of Biological Sciences and The RNA Institute, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Kimberly Ann Kline
- Antimicrobial Resistance IRG, Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore, Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Peter Dedon
- Antimicrobial Resistance IRG, Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore, Singapore.
- Dept. of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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16
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Chu M, Qin Y, Lin X, Ma L, Deng D, Lv D, Fu P, Lin H. A Preliminary Survey of Transfer RNA Modifications and Modifying Enzymes of the Tropical Plant Cocos nucifera L. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1287. [PMID: 37372467 DOI: 10.3390/genes14061287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is a commercial crop widely distributed among coastal tropical regions. It provides millions of farmers with food, fuel, cosmetics, folk medicine, and building materials. Among these, oil and palm sugar are representative extracts. However, this unique living species of Cocos has only been preliminarily studied at molecular levels. Benefiting from the genomic sequence data published in 2017 and 2021, we investigated the transfer RNA (tRNA) modifications and modifying enzymes of the coconut in this survey. An extraction method for the tRNA pool from coconut flesh was built. In total, 33 species of modified nucleosides and 66 homologous genes of modifying enzymes were confirmed using a nucleoside analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography combined with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-HRMS) and homologous protein sequence alignment. The positions of tRNA modifications, including pseudouridines, were preliminarily mapped using a oligonucleotide analysis, and the features of their modifying enzymes were summarized. Interestingly, we found that the gene encoding the modifying enzyme of 2'-O-ribosyladenosine at the 64th position of tRNA (Ar(p)64) was uniquely overexpressed under high-salinity stress. In contrast, most other tRNA-modifying enzymes were downregulated with mining transcriptomic sequencing data. According to previous physiological studies of Ar(p)64, the coconut appears to enhance the quality control of the translation process when subjected to high-salinity stress. We hope this survey can help advance research on tRNA modification and scientific studies of the coconut, as well as thinking of the safety and nutritional value of naturally modified nucleosides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Yichao Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Xiuying Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Li Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
- College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Dehai Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
- College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Daizhu Lv
- Analysis and Testing Center, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
| | - Pengcheng Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Huan Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
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17
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Calvet-Seral J, Crespo-Yuste E, Mathys V, Rodriguez-Villalobos H, Ceyssens PJ, Martin A, Gonzalo-Asensio J. Targeted Chromosomal Barcoding Establishes Direct Genotype-Phenotype Associations for Antibiotic Resistance in Mycobacterium abscessus. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0534422. [PMID: 36988496 PMCID: PMC10269753 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.05344-22] [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: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
A bedaquiline-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus isolate was sequenced, and a candidate mutation in the atpE gene was identified as responsible for the antibiotic resistance phenotype. To establish a direct genotype-phenotype relationship of this mutation which results in a Asp-to-Ala change at position 29 (D29A), we developed a recombineering-based method consisting of the specific replacement of the desired mutation in the bacterial chromosome. As surrogate bacteria, we used two M. abscessus bedaquiline-susceptible strains: ATCC 19977 and the SL541 clinical isolate. The allelic exchange substrates used in recombineering carried either the sole D29A mutation or a genetic barcode of silent mutations in codons flanking the D29A mutation. After selection of bedaquiline-resistant M. abscessus colonies transformed with both substrates, we obtained equivalent numbers of recombinants. These resistant colonies were analyzed by allele-specific PCR and Sanger sequencing, and we demonstrated that the presence of the genetic barcode was linked to the targeted incorporation of the desired mutation in its chromosomal location. All recombinants displayed the same MIC to bedaquiline as the original isolate, from which the D29A mutation was identified. Finally, to demonstrate the broad applicability of this method, we confirmed the association of bedaquiline resistance with the atpE A64P mutation in analysis performed in independent M. abscessus strains and by independent researchers. IMPORTANCE Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by microorganisms. On the other hand, infections caused by Mycobacterium abscessus affect people with chronic lung diseases, and their incidence has grown alarmingly in recent years. Further, these bacteria are known to easily develop AMR to the few therapeutic options available, making their treatment long-lasting and challenging. The recent introduction of new antibiotics against M. abscessus, such as bedaquiline, makes us anticipate a future when a plethora of antibiotic-resistant strains will be isolated and sequenced. However, in the era of whole-genome sequencing, one of the challenges is to unequivocally assign a biological function to each identified polymorphism. Thus, in this study, we developed a fast, robust, and reliable method to assign genotype-phenotype associations for putative antibiotic-resistant polymorphisms in M. abscessus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Calvet-Seral
- Grupo de Genética de Micobacterias, Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Zaragoza IIS-Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain
- CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Estefanía Crespo-Yuste
- Grupo de Genética de Micobacterias, Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Zaragoza IIS-Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain
- CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Vanessa Mathys
- Unit of Human Bacterial Diseases, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Hector Rodriguez-Villalobos
- Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Microbiology Department, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Anandi Martin
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research, Université Catholique de Louvain, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Belgium
- Syngulon, Seraing, Belgium
| | - Jesús Gonzalo-Asensio
- Grupo de Genética de Micobacterias, Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Zaragoza IIS-Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain
- CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Biocomputación y Física de Sistemas Complejos, Zaragoza, Spain
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18
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Tomasi FG, Kimura S, Rubin EJ, Waldor MK. A tRNA modification in Mycobacterium tuberculosis facilitates optimal intracellular growth. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.20.529267. [PMID: 36865327 PMCID: PMC9979996 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.20.529267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
Diverse chemical modifications fine-tune the function and metabolism of tRNA. Although tRNA modification is universal in all kingdoms of life, profiles of modifications, their functions, and physiological roles have not been elucidated in most organisms including the human pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( Mtb ), the causative agent of tuberculosis. To identify physiologically important modifications, we surveyed the tRNA of Mtb , using tRNA sequencing (tRNA-seq) and genome-mining. Homology searches identified 23 candidate tRNA modifying enzymes that are predicted to create 16 tRNA modifications across all tRNA species. Reverse transcription-derived error signatures in tRNA-seq predicted the sites and presence of 9 modifications. Several chemical treatments prior to tRNA-seq expanded the number of predictable modifications. Deletion of Mtb genes encoding two modifying enzymes, TruB and MnmA, eliminated their respective tRNA modifications, validating the presence of modified sites in tRNA species. Furthermore, the absence of mnmA attenuated Mtb growth in macrophages, suggesting that MnmA-dependent tRNA uridine sulfation contributes to Mtb intracellular growth. Our results lay the foundation for unveiling the roles of tRNA modifications in Mtb pathogenesis and developing new therapeutics against tuberculosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca G. Tomasi
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA USA
| | - Satoshi Kimura
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eric J. Rubin
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA USA
| | - Matthew K. Waldor
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA, USA
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19
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Fu M, Gu J, Wang M, Zhang J, Chen Y, Jiang P, Zhu T, Zhang X. Emerging roles of tRNA-derived fragments in cancer. Mol Cancer 2023; 22:30. [PMID: 36782290 PMCID: PMC9926655 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-023-01739-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) are an emerging category of small non-coding RNAs that are generated from cleavage of mature tRNAs or tRNA precursors. The advance in high-throughput sequencing has contributed to the identification of increasing number of tRFs with critical functions in distinct physiological and pathophysiological processes. tRFs can regulate cell viability, differentiation, and homeostasis through multiple mechanisms and are thus considered as critical regulators of human diseases including cancer. In addition, increasing evidence suggest the extracellular tRFs may be utilized as promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for cancer liquid biopsy. In this review, we focus on the biogenesis, classification and modification of tRFs, and summarize the multifaceted functions of tRFs with an emphasis on the current research status and perspectives of tRFs in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Fu
- grid.452247.2Institute of Digestive Diseases, The Affiliated People’s Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212002 Jiangsu China ,grid.440785.a0000 0001 0743 511XJiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu China
| | - Jianmei Gu
- grid.260483.b0000 0000 9530 8833Departmemt of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Nantong Tumor Hospital/Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, 226361 Jiangsu China
| | - Maoye Wang
- grid.440785.a0000 0001 0743 511XJiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu China
| | - Jiahui Zhang
- grid.440785.a0000 0001 0743 511XJiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu China
| | - Yanke Chen
- grid.440785.a0000 0001 0743 511XJiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013 Jiangsu China
| | - Pengcheng Jiang
- grid.452247.2Institute of Digestive Diseases, The Affiliated People’s Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212002 Jiangsu China
| | - Taofeng Zhu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Yixing Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University, Yixing, 214200, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Xu Zhang
- Institute of Digestive Diseases, The Affiliated People's Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212002, Jiangsu, China. .,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu, China.
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Landscape of Post-Transcriptional tRNA Modifications in Streptomyces albidoflavus J1074 as Portrayed by Mass Spectrometry and Genomic Data Mining. J Bacteriol 2023; 205:e0029422. [PMID: 36468867 PMCID: PMC9879100 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00294-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Actinobacterial genus Streptomyces (streptomycetes) represents one of the largest cultivable group of bacteria famous for their ability to produce valuable specialized (secondary) metabolites. Regulation of secondary metabolic pathways inextricably couples the latter to essential cellular processes that determine levels of amino acids, carbohydrates, phosphate, etc. Post-transcriptional tRNA modifications remain one of the least studied aspects of streptomycete physiology, albeit a few of them were recently shown to impact antibiotic production. In this study, we describe the diversity of post-transcriptional tRNA modifications in model strain Streptomyces albus (albidoflavus) J1074 by combining mass spectrometry and genomic data. Our results show that J1074 can produce more chemically distinct tRNA modifications than previously thought. An in silico approach identified orthologs for enzymes governing most of the identified tRNA modifications. Yet, genetic control of certain modifications remained elusive, suggesting early divergence of tRNA modification pathways in Streptomyces from the better studied model bacteria, such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. As a first point in case, our data point to the presence of a non-canonical MiaE enzyme performing hydroxylation of prenylated adenosines. A further finding concerns the methylthiotransferase MiaB, which requires previous modification of adenosines by MiaA to i6A for thiomethylation to ms2i6A. We show here that the J1074 ortholog, when overexpressed, yields ms2A in a ΔmiaA background. Our results set the working ground for and justify a more detailed studies of biological significance of tRNA modification pathways in streptomycetes. IMPORTANCE Post-transcriptional tRNA modifications (PTTMs) play an important role in maturation and functionality of tRNAs. Little is known about tRNA modifications in the antibiotic-producing actinobacterial genus Streptomyces, even though peculiar tRNA-based regulatory mechanisms operate in this taxon. We provide a first detailed description of the chemical diversity of PTTMs in the model species, S. albidoflavus J1074, and identify most plausible genes for these PTTMs. Some of the PTTMs are described for the first time for Streptomyces. Production of certain PTTMs in J1074 appears to depend on enzymes that show no sequence similarity to known PTTM enzymes from model species. Our findings are of relevance for interrogation of genetic basis of PTTMs in pathogenic actinobacteria, such as M. tuberculosis.
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Codon optimality has minimal effect on determining translation efficiency in mycobacterium tuberculosis. Sci Rep 2023; 13:415. [PMID: 36624167 PMCID: PMC9829911 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-27164-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is a slow-growing, intracellular pathogen that exhibits a high GC-rich genome. Several factors, including the GC content of the genome, influence the evolution of specific codon usage biases in genomes. As a result, the Mtb genome exhibits strong biases for amino acid usage and codon usage. Codon usage of mRNAs affects several aspects of translation, including accuracy, efficiency, and protein folding. Here we address the effect of codon usage biases in determining the translation efficiency of mRNAs in Mtb. Unlike most commonly studied organisms, Mtb carries a single copy of each tRNA gene. However, we show that the relative levels of tRNAs in the Mtb tRNA pool vary by an order of magnitude. Our results show that the codons decoded by the abundant tRNAs indeed show higher adaptability. Moreover, there is a general positive correlation between genomic codon usage and the tRNA adaptability of codons (TAc). We further estimated the optimality of the codon and mRNAs by considering both the TAc and the tRNA demand. These measures did not show any correlation with mRNA abundance and translation efficiency. There was no correlation between tRNA adaptability and ribosome pausing as well. Taken together, we conclude that the translation machinery, and the tRNA pool of an organism, co-evolve with the codon usage to optimize the translation efficiency of an organism. Thus the deleterious effect of maladapted codons is not pronounced.
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22
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Lei HT, Wang ZH, Li B, Sun Y, Mei SQ, Yang JH, Qu LH, Zheng LL. tModBase: deciphering the landscape of tRNA modifications and their dynamic changes from epitranscriptome data. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 51:D315-D327. [PMID: 36408909 PMCID: PMC9825477 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
tRNA molecules contain dense, abundant modifications that affect tRNA structure, stability, mRNA decoding and tsRNA formation. tRNA modifications and related enzymes are responsive to environmental cues and are associated with a range of physiological and pathological processes. However, there is a lack of resources that can be used to mine and analyse these dynamically changing tRNA modifications. In this study, we established tModBase (https://www.tmodbase.com/) for deciphering the landscape of tRNA modification profiles from epitranscriptome data. We analysed 103 datasets generated with second- and third-generation sequencing technologies and illustrated the misincorporation and termination signals of tRNA modification sites in ten species. We thus systematically demonstrate the modification profiles across different tissues/cell lines and summarize the characteristics of tRNA-associated human diseases. By integrating transcriptome data from 32 cancers, we developed novel tools for analysing the relationships between tRNA modifications and RNA modification enzymes, the expression of 1442 tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs), and 654 DNA variations. Our database will provide new insights into the features of tRNA modifications and the biological pathways in which they participate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao-Tian Lei
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, P.R. China
| | - Zhang-Hao Wang
- Division of Biosciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Bin Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, P.R. China
| | - Yang Sun
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, P.R. China
| | - Shi-Qiang Mei
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, P.R. China
| | - Jian-Hua Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, P.R. China
| | - Liang-Hu Qu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, P.R. China
| | - Ling-Ling Zheng
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +86 20 84112399; Fax: +86 20 84036551;
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23
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Dysfunctional tRNA reprogramming and codon-biased translation in cancer. Trends Mol Med 2022; 28:964-978. [PMID: 36241532 PMCID: PMC10071289 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2022.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Many cancers hijack translation to increase the synthesis of tumor-driving proteins, the messenger mRNAs of which have specific codon usage patterns. Termed 'codon-biased translation' and originally identified in stress response regulation, this mechanism is supported by diverse studies demonstrating how the 50 RNA modifications of the epitranscriptome, specific tRNAs, and codon-biased mRNAs are used by oncogenic programs to promote proliferation and chemoresistance. The epitranscriptome writers METTL1-WDR4, Elongator complex protein (ELP)1-6, CTU1-2, and ALKBH8-TRM112 illustrate the principal mechanism of codon-biased translation, with gene amplifications, increased RNA modifications, and enhanced tRNA stability promoting cancer proliferation. Furthermore, systems-level analyses of 34 tRNA writers and 493 tRNA genes highlight the theme of tRNA epitranscriptome dysregulation in many cancers and identify candidate tRNA writers, tRNA modifications, and tRNA molecules as drivers of pathological codon-biased translation.
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24
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Zhang D, Li SHJ, King CG, Wingreen NS, Gitai Z, Li Z. Global and gene-specific translational regulation in Escherichia coli across different conditions. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010641. [PMID: 36264977 PMCID: PMC9624429 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010641] [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: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
How well mRNA transcript levels represent protein abundances has been a controversial issue. Particularly across different environments, correlations between mRNA and protein exhibit remarkable variability from gene to gene. Translational regulation is likely to be one of the key factors contributing to mismatches between mRNA level and protein abundance in bacteria. Here, we quantified genome-wide transcriptome and relative translation efficiency (RTE) under 12 different conditions in Escherichia coli. By quantifying the mRNA-RTE correlation both across genes and across conditions, we uncovered a diversity of gene-specific translational regulations, cooperating with transcriptional regulations, in response to carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphate (P) limitations. Intriguingly, we found that many genes regulating translation are themselves subject to translational regulation, suggesting possible feedbacks. Furthermore, a random forest model suggests that codon usage partially predicts a gene's cross-condition variability in translation efficiency; such cross-condition variability tends to be an inherent quality of a gene, independent of the specific nutrient limitations. These findings broaden the understanding of translational regulation under different environments and provide novel strategies for the control of translation in synthetic biology. In addition, our data offers a resource for future multi-omics studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Zhang
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Sophia Hsin-Jung Li
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
- Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christopher G. King
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Ned S. Wingreen
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
- * E-mail: (NSW); (ZG); (ZL)
| | - Zemer Gitai
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
- * E-mail: (NSW); (ZG); (ZL)
| | - Zhiyuan Li
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (NSW); (ZG); (ZL)
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25
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Rashad S, Byrne SR, Saigusa D, Xiang J, Zhou Y, Zhang L, Begley TJ, Tominaga T, Niizuma K. Codon Usage and mRNA Stability are Translational Determinants of Cellular Response to Canonical Ferroptosis Inducers. Neuroscience 2022; 501:103-130. [PMID: 35987429 PMCID: PMC10023133 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Ferroptosis is a non-apoptotic cell death mechanism characterized by the generation of lipid peroxides. While many effectors in the ferroptosis pathway have been mapped, its epitranscriptional regulation is not yet fully understood. Ferroptosis can be induced via system xCT inhibition (Class I) or GPX4 inhibition (Class II). Previous works have revealed important differences in cellular response to different ferroptosis inducers. Importantly, blocking mRNA transcription or translation appears to protect cells against Class I ferroptosis inducing agents but not Class II. In this work, we examined the impact of blocking transcription (via Actinomycin D) or translation (via Cycloheximide) on Erastin (Class I) or RSL3 (Class II) induced ferroptosis. Blocking transcription or translation protected cells against Erastin but was detrimental against RSL3. Cycloheximide led to increased levels of GSH alone or when co-treated with Erastin via the activation of the reverse transsulfuration pathway. RNA sequencing analysis revealed early activation of a strong alternative splice program before observed changes in transcription. mRNA stability analysis revealed divergent mRNA stability changes in cellular response to Erastin or RSL3. Importantly, codon optimality biases were drastically different in either condition. Our data also implicated translation repression and rate as an important determinant of the cellular response to ferroptosis inducers. Given that mRNA stability and codon usage can be influenced via the tRNA epitranscriptome, we evaluated the role of a tRNA modifying enzyme in ferroptosis stress response. Alkbh1, a tRNA demethylase, led to translation repression and increased the resistance to Erastin but made cells more sensitive to RSL3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherif Rashad
- Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan; Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Department of Neurosurgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
| | - Shane R Byrne
- Department of Biological Engineering and Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Daisuke Saigusa
- Laboratory of Biomedical and Analytical Sciences, Faculty of Pharma-Science, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Integrative Genomics, Tohoku University Medical Megabank Organization, Sendai, Japan
| | - Jingdong Xiang
- Department of Biological Engineering and Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Yuan Zhou
- Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Liyin Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Thomas J Begley
- The RNA Institute, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA; RNA Epitranscriptomics and Proteomics Resource, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Teiji Tominaga
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Kuniyasu Niizuma
- Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan; Department of Neurosurgical Engineering and Translational Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Department of Neurosurgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
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26
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tRNA methylation resolves codon usage bias at the limit of cell viability. Cell Rep 2022; 41:111539. [PMID: 36288695 PMCID: PMC9643105 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Codon usage of each genome is closely correlated with the abundance of tRNA isoacceptors. How codon usage bias is resolved by tRNA post-transcriptional modifications is largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that the N1-methylation of guanosine at position 37 (m1G37) on the 3′-side of the anticodon, while not directly responsible for reading of codons, is a neutralizer that resolves differential decoding of proline codons. A genome-wide suppressor screen of a non-viable Escherichia coli strain, lacking m1G37, identifies proS suppressor mutations, indicating a coupling of methylation with tRNA prolyl-aminoacylation that sets the limit of cell viability. Using these suppressors, where prolyl-aminoacylation is decoupled from tRNA methylation, we show that m1G37 neutralizes differential translation of proline codons by the major isoacceptor. Lack of m1G37 inactivates this neutralization and exposes the need for a minor isoacceptor for cell viability. This work has medical implications for bacterial species that exclusively use the major isoacceptor for survival. Masuda et al. show that loss of m1G37 from the 3′ side of the tRNA anticodon renders a modified wobble nucleotide of the anticodon insufficient to decode a set of rare codons, providing a functional underpinning for the “modification circuit” between position 37 and the wobble position of the tRNA anticodon.
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27
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Pollo-Oliveira L, Davis NK, Hossain I, Ho P, Yuan Y, Salguero García P, Pereira C, Byrne SR, Leng J, Sze M, Blaby-Haas CE, Sekowska A, Montoya A, Begley T, Danchin A, Aalberts DP, Angerhofer A, Hunt J, Conesa A, Dedon PC, de Crécy-Lagard V. The absence of the queuosine tRNA modification leads to pleiotropic phenotypes revealing perturbations of metal and oxidative stress homeostasis in Escherichia coli K12. Metallomics 2022; 14:mfac065. [PMID: 36066904 PMCID: PMC9508795 DOI: 10.1093/mtomcs/mfac065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Queuosine (Q) is a conserved hypermodification of the wobble base of tRNA containing GUN anticodons but the physiological consequences of Q deficiency are poorly understood in bacteria. This work combines transcriptomic, proteomic and physiological studies to characterize a Q-deficient Escherichia coli K12 MG1655 mutant. The absence of Q led to an increased resistance to nickel and cobalt, and to an increased sensitivity to cadmium, compared to the wild-type (WT) strain. Transcriptomic analysis of the WT and Q-deficient strains, grown in the presence and absence of nickel, revealed that the nickel transporter genes (nikABCDE) are downregulated in the Q- mutant, even when nickel is not added. This mutant is therefore primed to resist to high nickel levels. Downstream analysis of the transcriptomic data suggested that the absence of Q triggers an atypical oxidative stress response, confirmed by the detection of slightly elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in the mutant, increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide and paraquat, and a subtle growth phenotype in a strain prone to accumulation of ROS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leticia Pollo-Oliveira
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Nick K Davis
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Intekhab Hossain
- Department of Physics, Williams College, Williamstown, MA 01267, USA
| | - Peiying Ho
- Antimicrobial Resistance Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore 138602, Singapore
| | - Yifeng Yuan
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Pedro Salguero García
- Department of Applied Statistics, Operations Research and Quality, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia 46022, Spain
| | - Cécile Pereira
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Shane R Byrne
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Jiapeng Leng
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Melody Sze
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Crysten E Blaby-Haas
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | | | - Alvaro Montoya
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Thomas Begley
- The RNA Institute and Department of Biology, University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA
| | - Antoine Danchin
- Kodikos Labs, 23 rue Baldassini, Lyon 69007, France
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Kashing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, SAR Hong Kong
| | - Daniel P Aalberts
- Department of Physics, Williams College, Williamstown, MA 01267, USA
| | | | - John Hunt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Ana Conesa
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology, Spanish National Research Council, Paterna 46980, Spain
| | - Peter C Dedon
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Antimicrobial Resistance Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore 138602, Singapore
| | - Valérie de Crécy-Lagard
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Genetic Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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28
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Arsenite toxicity is regulated by queuine availability and oxidation-induced reprogramming of the human tRNA epitranscriptome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2123529119. [PMID: 36095201 PMCID: PMC9499598 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2123529119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells respond to environmental stress by regulating gene expression at the level of both transcription and translation. The ∼50 modified ribonucleotides of the human epitranscriptome contribute to the latter, with mounting evidence that dynamic regulation of transfer RNA (tRNA) wobble modifications leads to selective translation of stress response proteins from codon-biased genes. Here we show that the response of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells to arsenite exposure is regulated by the availability of queuine, a micronutrient and essential precursor to the wobble modification queuosine (Q) on tRNAs reading GUN codons. Among oxidizing and alkylating agents at equitoxic concentrations, arsenite exposure caused an oxidant-specific increase in Q that correlated with up-regulation of proteins from codon-biased genes involved in energy metabolism. Limiting queuine increased arsenite-induced cell death, altered translation, increased reactive oxygen species levels, and caused mitochondrial dysfunction. In addition to demonstrating an epitranscriptomic facet of arsenite toxicity and response, our results highlight the links between environmental exposures, stress tolerance, RNA modifications, and micronutrients.
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29
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Togre NS, Vargas AM, Bhargavi G, Mallakuntla MK, Tiwari S. Fragment-Based Drug Discovery against Mycobacteria: The Success and Challenges. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810669. [PMID: 36142582 PMCID: PMC9500838 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of drug-resistant mycobacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), poses an increasing global threat that urgently demands the development of new potent anti-mycobacterial drugs. One of the approaches toward the identification of new drugs is fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD), which is the most ingenious among other drug discovery models, such as structure-based drug design (SBDD) and high-throughput screening. Specialized techniques, such as X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and many others, are part of the drug discovery approach to combat the Mtb and NTM global menaces. Moreover, the primary drawbacks of traditional methods, such as the limited measurement of biomolecular toxicity and uncertain bioavailability evaluation, are successfully overcome by the FBDD approach. The current review focuses on the recognition of fragment-based drug discovery as a popular approach using virtual, computational, and biophysical methods to identify potent fragment molecules. FBDD focuses on designing optimal inhibitors against potential therapeutic targets of NTM and Mtb (PurC, ArgB, MmpL3, and TrmD). Additionally, we have elaborated on the challenges associated with the FBDD approach in the identification and development of novel compounds. Insights into the applications and overcoming the challenges of FBDD approaches will aid in the identification of potential therapeutic compounds to treat drug-sensitive and drug-resistant NTMs and Mtb infections.
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30
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Jungfleisch J, Böttcher R, Talló-Parra M, Pérez-Vilaró G, Merits A, Novoa EM, Díez J. CHIKV infection reprograms codon optimality to favor viral RNA translation by altering the tRNA epitranscriptome. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4725. [PMID: 35953468 PMCID: PMC9366759 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31835-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ample evidence indicates that codon usage bias regulates gene expression. How viruses, such as the emerging mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), express their genomes at high levels despite an enrichment in rare codons remains a puzzling question. Using ribosome footprinting, we analyze translational changes that occur upon CHIKV infection. We show that CHIKV infection induces codon-specific reprogramming of the host translation machinery to favor the translation of viral RNA genomes over host mRNAs with an otherwise optimal codon usage. This reprogramming was mostly apparent at the endoplasmic reticulum, where CHIKV RNAs show high ribosome occupancy. Mechanistically, it involves CHIKV-induced overexpression of KIAA1456, an enzyme that modifies the wobble U34 position in the anticodon of tRNAs, which is required for proper decoding of codons that are highly enriched in CHIKV RNAs. Our findings demonstrate an unprecedented interplay of viruses with the host tRNA epitranscriptome to adapt the host translation machinery to viral production. Viruses completely depend on the host translational machinery, but their genomes are often enriched in rare codons and therefore should be translated with poor efficiency. Here, Jungfleisch et al. apply Ribo-Seq and RNASeq to provide a global view on the translational changes occurring during Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection. CHIKV infection induces a codon-specific reprogramming of the host translation machinery to favor the translation of viral RNA genomes over host mRNAs via tRNA modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Jungfleisch
- Molecular Virology group, Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - René Böttcher
- Molecular Virology group, Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Marc Talló-Parra
- Molecular Virology group, Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gemma Pérez-Vilaró
- Molecular Virology group, Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Andres Merits
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, 50411, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Eva Maria Novoa
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juana Díez
- Molecular Virology group, Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
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31
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Fleming BA, Blango MG, Rousek AA, Kincannon WM, Tran A, Lewis A, Russell C, Zhou Q, Baird LM, Barber A, Brannon JR, Beebout C, Bandarian V, Hadjifrangiskou M, Howard M, Mulvey M. A tRNA modifying enzyme as a tunable regulatory nexus for bacterial stress responses and virulence. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:7570-7590. [PMID: 35212379 PMCID: PMC9303304 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-transcriptional modifications can impact the stability and functionality of many different classes of RNA molecules and are an especially important aspect of tRNA regulation. It is hypothesized that cells can orchestrate rapid responses to changing environmental conditions by adjusting the specific types and levels of tRNA modifications. We uncovered strong evidence in support of this tRNA global regulation hypothesis by examining effects of the well-conserved tRNA modifying enzyme MiaA in extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC), a major cause of urinary tract and bloodstream infections. MiaA mediates the prenylation of adenosine-37 within tRNAs that decode UNN codons, and we found it to be crucial to the fitness and virulence of ExPEC. MiaA levels shifted in response to stress via a post-transcriptional mechanism, resulting in marked changes in the amounts of fully modified MiaA substrates. Both ablation and forced overproduction of MiaA stimulated translational frameshifting and profoundly altered the ExPEC proteome, with variable effects attributable to UNN content, changes in the catalytic activity of MiaA, or availability of metabolic precursors. Cumulatively, these data indicate that balanced input from MiaA is critical for optimizing cellular responses, with MiaA acting much like a rheostat that can be used to realign global protein expression patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany A Fleming
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Pathology Department, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Matthew G Blango
- Junior Research Group RNA Biology of Fungal Infections, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Alexis A Rousek
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Pathology Department, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | | | - Alexander Tran
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Pathology Department, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Adam J Lewis
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Pathology Department, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Colin W Russell
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Pathology Department, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Qin Zhou
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Pathology Department, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Lisa M Baird
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Amelia E Barber
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Pathology Department, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - John R Brannon
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Connor J Beebout
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Vahe Bandarian
- Department of Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Maria Hadjifrangiskou
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Michael T Howard
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Matthew A Mulvey
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Pathology Department, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
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32
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Soman S, Ram S. MiaA (Rv2727c) mediated tRNA isopentenylation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2022; 11:97-104. [PMID: 36059932 PMCID: PMC9336784 DOI: 10.22099/mbrc.2022.43197.1726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
tRNA modifications play a significant role in the structural stability as well as translational fidelity in all organisms from bacteria to humans. They also play a major role in bacterial physiology by regulating translation in response to various environmental stresses. Modifications coming at the anticodon-stem loop (ASL) are particularly important as they stabilize codon-anticodon interactions, ensuring accuracy and speed in decoding mRNAs Addition of isopentenyl group (i6A) at A37 position by tRNA isopentenyltransferase (MiaA) is a well conserved modification from bacteria to human. We studied M. tuberculosis MiaA from strain H37Rv and identified the target tRNAs for this modification based on the A36A37A38 motif. i6A modification of target tRNAs tRNALeuCAA, tRNAPheGAA, tRNATrpCCA and tRNASerCGA were further confirmed by isopentenyltransferase assay providing the substrate DMAPP and recombinant MiaA enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smitha Soman
- School of Biotechnology, Gautam Buddha University, Gautam Budh Nagar, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Siya Ram
- School of Biotechnology, Gautam Buddha University, Gautam Budh Nagar, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India,School of Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi, India,Corresponding Author: School of Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-11068, India. Tel: +91 11 29572868, E. mail:
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33
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Phosphorylation found inside RNA. Nature 2022; 605:234-235. [PMID: 35478019 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-022-01021-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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34
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Funk H, DiVita DJ, Sizemore HE, Wehrle K, Miller CLW, Fraley ME, Mullins AK, Guy AR, Phizicky EM, Guy MP. Identification of a Trm732 Motif Required for 2'- O-methylation of the tRNA Anticodon Loop by Trm7. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:13667-13675. [PMID: 35559166 PMCID: PMC9088939 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c07231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Posttranscriptional tRNA modifications are essential for proper gene expression, and defects in the enzymes that perform tRNA modifications are associated with numerous human disorders. Throughout eukaryotes, 2'-O-methylation of residues 32 and 34 of the anticodon loop of tRNA is important for proper translation, and in humans, a lack of these modifications results in non-syndromic X-linked intellectual disability. In yeast, the methyltransferase Trm7 forms a complex with Trm732 to 2'-O-methylate tRNA residue 32 and with Trm734 to 2'-O-methylate tRNA residue 34. Trm732 and Trm734 are required for the methylation activity of Trm7, but the role of these auxiliary proteins is not clear. Additionally, Trm732 and Trm734 homologs are implicated in biological processes not directly related to translation, suggesting that these proteins may have additional cellular functions. To identify critical amino acids in Trm732, we generated variants and tested their ability to function in yeast cells. We identified a conserved RRSAGLP motif in the conserved DUF2428 domain of Trm732 that is required for tRNA modification activity by both yeast Trm732 and its human homolog, THADA. The identification of Trm732 variants that lack tRNA modification activity will help to determine if other biological functions ascribed to Trm732 and THADA are directly due to tRNA modification or to secondary effects due to other functions of these proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly
M. Funk
- Department
of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Northern
Kentucky University, Highland
Heights, Kentucky 41076, United States
| | - Daisy J. DiVita
- Department
of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Northern
Kentucky University, Highland
Heights, Kentucky 41076, United States
| | - Hannah E. Sizemore
- Department
of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Northern
Kentucky University, Highland
Heights, Kentucky 41076, United States
| | - Kendal Wehrle
- Department
of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Northern
Kentucky University, Highland
Heights, Kentucky 41076, United States
| | - Catherine L. W. Miller
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University
of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York 14642, United States
| | - Morgan E. Fraley
- Department
of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Northern
Kentucky University, Highland
Heights, Kentucky 41076, United States
| | - Alex K. Mullins
- Department
of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Northern
Kentucky University, Highland
Heights, Kentucky 41076, United States
| | - Adrian R. Guy
- Department
of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Northern
Kentucky University, Highland
Heights, Kentucky 41076, United States
| | - Eric M. Phizicky
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University
of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York 14642, United States
| | - Michael P. Guy
- Department
of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Northern
Kentucky University, Highland
Heights, Kentucky 41076, United States
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University
of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York 14642, United States
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35
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Kelley M, Paulines MJ, Yoshida G, Myers R, Jora M, Levoy JP, Addepalli B, Benoit JB, Limbach PA. Ionizing radiation and chemical oxidant exposure impacts on Cryptococcus neoformans transfer RNAs. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266239. [PMID: 35349591 PMCID: PMC8963569 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungus that is able to survive abnormally high levels of ionizing radiation (IR). The radiolysis of water by IR generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as H2O2 and OH-. C. neoformans withstands the damage caused by IR and ROS through antioxidant production and enzyme-catalyzed breakdown of ROS. Given these particular cellular protein needs, questions arise whether transfer ribonucleic acids molecules (tRNAs) undergo unique chemical modifications to maintain their structure, stability, and/or function under such environmental conditions. Here, we investigated the effects of IR and H2O2 exposure on tRNAs in C. neoformans. We experimentally identified the modified nucleosides present in C. neoformans tRNAs and quantified changes in those modifications upon exposure to oxidative conditions. To better understand these modified nucleoside results, we also evaluated tRNA pool composition in response to the oxidative conditions. We found that regardless of environmental conditions, tRNA modifications and transcripts were minimally affected. A rationale for the stability of the tRNA pool and its concomitant profile of modified nucleosides is proposed based on the lack of codon bias throughout the C. neoformans genome and in particular for oxidative response transcripts. Our findings suggest that C. neoformans can rapidly adapt to oxidative environments as mRNA translation/protein synthesis are minimally impacted by codon bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Kelley
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Mellie June Paulines
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - George Yoshida
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Ryan Myers
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Manasses Jora
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Joel P. Levoy
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | | | - Joshua B. Benoit
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Patrick A. Limbach
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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36
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Khabibullina NF, Kutuzova DM, Burmistrova IA, Lyadova IV. The Biological and Clinical Aspects of a Latent Tuberculosis Infection. Trop Med Infect Dis 2022; 7:tropicalmed7030048. [PMID: 35324595 PMCID: PMC8955876 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed7030048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB), caused by bacilli from the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, remains a serious global public health problem, representing one of the main causes of death from infectious diseases. About one quarter of the world’s population is infected with Mtb and has a latent TB infection (LTBI). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an LTBI is characterized by a lasting immune response to Mtb antigens without any TB symptoms. Current LTBI diagnoses and treatments are based on this simplified definition, although an LTBI involves a broad range of conditions, including when Mtb remains in the body in a persistent form and the immune response cannot be detected. The study of LTBIs has progressed in recent years; however, many biological and medical aspects of an LTBI are still under discussion. This review focuses on an LTBI as a broad spectrum of states, both of the human body, and of Mtb cells. The problems of phenotypic insusceptibility, diagnoses, chemoprophylaxis, and the necessity of treatment are discussed. We emphasize the complexity of an LTBI diagnosis and its treatment due to its ambiguous nature. We consider alternative ways of differentiating an LTBI from active TB, as well as predicting TB reactivation based on using mycobacterial “latency antigens” for interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) tests and the transcriptomic analysis of human blood cells.
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37
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Zhang W, Foo M, Eren AM, Pan T. tRNA modification dynamics from individual organisms to metaepitranscriptomics of microbiomes. Mol Cell 2022; 82:891-906. [PMID: 35032425 PMCID: PMC8897278 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
tRNA is the most extensively modified RNA in cells. On average, a bacterial tRNA contains 8 modifications per molecule and a eukaryotic tRNA contains 13 modifications per molecule. Recent studies reveal that tRNA modifications are highly dynamic and respond extensively to environmental conditions. Functions of tRNA modification dynamics include enhanced, on-demand decoding of specific codons in response genes and regulation of tRNA fragment biogenesis. This review summarizes recent advances in the studies of tRNA modification dynamics in biological processes, tRNA modification erasers, and human-associated bacteria. Furthermore, we use the term "metaepitranscriptomics" to describe the potential and approach of tRNA modification studies in natural biological communities such as microbiomes. tRNA is highly modified in cells, and tRNA modifications respond extensively to environmental conditions to enhance translation of specific genes and produce tRNA fragments on demand. We review recent advances in tRNA sequencing methods, tRNA modification dynamics in biological processes, and tRNA modification studies in natural communities such as the microbiomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Marcus Foo
- Committee on Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - A. Murat Eren
- Committee on Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA;,Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA;,Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA
| | - Tao Pan
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Committee on Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
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38
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Evke S, Lin Q, Melendez JA, Begley TJ. Epitranscriptomic Reprogramming Is Required to Prevent Stress and Damage from Acetaminophen. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13030421. [PMID: 35327975 PMCID: PMC8955276 DOI: 10.3390/genes13030421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Epitranscriptomic marks, in the form of enzyme catalyzed RNA modifications, play important gene regulatory roles in response to environmental and physiological conditions. However, little is known with respect to how acute toxic doses of pharmaceuticals influence the epitranscriptome. Here we define how acetaminophen (APAP) induces epitranscriptomic reprogramming and how the writer Alkylation Repair Homolog 8 (Alkbh8) plays a key gene regulatory role in the response. Alkbh8 modifies tRNA selenocysteine (tRNASec) to translationally regulate the production of glutathione peroxidases (Gpx’s) and other selenoproteins, with Gpx enzymes known to play protective roles during APAP toxicity. We demonstrate that APAP increases toxicity and markers of damage, and decreases selenoprotein levels in Alkbh8 deficient mouse livers, when compared to wildtype. APAP also promotes large scale reprogramming of many RNA marks comprising the liver tRNA epitranscriptome including: 5-methoxycarbonylmethyluridine (mcm5U), isopentenyladenosine (i6A), pseudouridine (Ψ), and 1-methyladenosine (m1A) modifications linked to tRNASec and many other tRNA’s. Alkbh8 deficiency also leads to wide-spread epitranscriptomic dysregulation in response to APAP, demonstrating that a single writer defect can promote downstream changes to a large spectrum of RNA modifications. Our study highlights the importance of RNA modifications and translational responses to APAP, identifies writers as key modulators of stress responses in vivo and supports the idea that the epitranscriptome may play important roles in responses to pharmaceuticals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Evke
- Nanobioscience Constellation, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Albany, NY 12203, USA; (S.E.); (J.A.M.)
- The RNA Institute, University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA;
| | - Qishan Lin
- The RNA Institute, University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA;
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA
- RNA Epitranscriptomics and Proteomics Resource, University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA
| | - Juan Andres Melendez
- Nanobioscience Constellation, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Albany, NY 12203, USA; (S.E.); (J.A.M.)
- The RNA Institute, University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA;
| | - Thomas John Begley
- The RNA Institute, University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA;
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA
- RNA Epitranscriptomics and Proteomics Resource, University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA
- Correspondence:
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39
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Beenstock J, Sicheri F. The structural and functional workings of KEOPS. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:10818-10834. [PMID: 34614169 PMCID: PMC8565320 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
KEOPS (Kinase, Endopeptidase and Other Proteins of Small size) is a five-subunit protein complex that is highly conserved in eukaryotes and archaea and is essential for the fitness of cells and for animal development. In humans, mutations in KEOPS genes underlie Galloway-Mowat syndrome, which manifests in severe microcephaly and renal dysfunction that lead to childhood death. The Kae1 subunit of KEOPS catalyzes the universal and essential tRNA modification N6-threonylcarbamoyl adenosine (t6A), while the auxiliary subunits Cgi121, the kinase/ATPase Bud32, Pcc1 and Gon7 play a supporting role. Kae1 orthologs are also present in bacteria and mitochondria but function in distinct complexes with proteins that are not related in structure or function to the auxiliary subunits of KEOPS. Over the past 15 years since its discovery, extensive study in the KEOPS field has provided many answers towards understanding the roles that KEOPS plays in cells and in human disease and how KEOPS carries out these functions. In this review, we provide an overview into recent advances in the study of KEOPS and illuminate exciting future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonah Beenstock
- The Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X5, Canada
| | - Frank Sicheri
- The Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X5, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada
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40
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Kouvela A, Zaravinos A, Stamatopoulou V. Adaptor Molecules Epitranscriptome Reprograms Bacterial Pathogenicity. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:8409. [PMID: 34445114 PMCID: PMC8395126 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The strong decoration of tRNAs with post-transcriptional modifications provides an unprecedented adaptability of this class of non-coding RNAs leading to the regulation of bacterial growth and pathogenicity. Accumulating data indicate that tRNA post-transcriptional modifications possess a central role in both the formation of bacterial cell wall and the modulation of transcription and translation fidelity, but also in the expression of virulence factors. Evolutionary conserved modifications in tRNA nucleosides ensure the proper folding and stability redounding to a totally functional molecule. However, environmental factors including stress conditions can cause various alterations in tRNA modifications, disturbing the pathogen homeostasis. Post-transcriptional modifications adjacent to the anticodon stem-loop, for instance, have been tightly linked to bacterial infectivity. Currently, advances in high throughput methodologies have facilitated the identification and functional investigation of such tRNA modifications offering a broader pool of putative alternative molecular targets and therapeutic avenues against bacterial infections. Herein, we focus on tRNA epitranscriptome shaping regarding modifications with a key role in bacterial infectivity including opportunistic pathogens of the human microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adamantia Kouvela
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece;
| | - Apostolos Zaravinos
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus
- Cancer Genetics, Genomics and Systems Biology Group, Basic and Translational Cancer Research Center (BTCRC), Nicosia 1516, Cyprus
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41
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Clark K, Lee C, Gillette R, Sweedler JV. Characterization of Neuronal RNA Modifications during Non-associative Learning in Aplysia Reveals Key Roles for tRNAs in Behavioral Sensitization. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2021; 7:1183-1190. [PMID: 34345669 PMCID: PMC8323240 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.1c00351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Subtle changes in the landscape of post-transcriptional modifications have emerged as putative regulators of central nervous system plasticity and activity-induced protein synthesis. However, simultaneous characterization of multiple RNA modifications and their covariation during learning and memory paradigms has been impeded by the complexity of animal models and lack of untargeted approaches for identifying pathway-relevant RNA modifications in small-volume samples. Here, we used mass spectrometry to profile spatiotemporal changes in dozens of neuronal RNA modifications in Aplysia californica during behavioral sensitization of a simple defensive reflex. Unique RNA modification patterns were observed in the major ganglia of trained and naı̇ve animals, with two tRNA modifications, namely, 5-methoxycarbonylmethyl-2-thiouridine (mcm5s2U) and 1-methyladenosine (m1A), at significantly higher levels in trained subjects. We report that tRNAs, and their modifications, correlate with increased polyglutamine synthesis and excitability in neurons, characterizing the first link between noncoding RNA modifications and non-associative learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin
D. Clark
- Beckman
Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Colin Lee
- Neuroscience
Program, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Rhanor Gillette
- Neuroscience
Program, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department
of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Jonathan V. Sweedler
- Beckman
Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Neuroscience
Program, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department
of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Illinois at
Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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42
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Antoine L, Bahena-Ceron R, Devi Bunwaree H, Gobry M, Loegler V, Romby P, Marzi S. RNA Modifications in Pathogenic Bacteria: Impact on Host Adaptation and Virulence. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1125. [PMID: 34440299 PMCID: PMC8394870 DOI: 10.3390/genes12081125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA modifications are involved in numerous biological processes and are present in all RNA classes. These modifications can be constitutive or modulated in response to adaptive processes. RNA modifications play multiple functions since they can impact RNA base-pairings, recognition by proteins, decoding, as well as RNA structure and stability. However, their roles in stress, environmental adaptation and during infections caused by pathogenic bacteria have just started to be appreciated. With the development of modern technologies in mass spectrometry and deep sequencing, recent examples of modifications regulating host-pathogen interactions have been demonstrated. They show how RNA modifications can regulate immune responses, antibiotic resistance, expression of virulence genes, and bacterial persistence. Here, we illustrate some of these findings, and highlight the strategies used to characterize RNA modifications, and their potential for new therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Stefano Marzi
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Architecture et Réactivité de l’ARN, UPR 9002, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; (L.A.); (R.B.-C.); (H.D.B.); (M.G.); (V.L.); (P.R.)
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43
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Qin Y, Zhong Q, Zhang Y, Lin X, Fu P, Lin H. Micro-flow hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry detects modified nucleosides in the transfer RNA pool of cyanobacteria. J Sep Sci 2021; 44:3208-3218. [PMID: 34212504 DOI: 10.1002/jssc.202100417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Post-transcriptional modification of nucleosides is observed in almost all elements of RNA. Modified nucleosides finely tune the structure of RNA molecules and affect vital functions, such as the modified wobble position 34 of transfer RNAs expanding the reading preference of anticodons to codons. Recent investigations have revealed that the modification species and their frequencies in an RNA element are not stable but vary with specific cellular factors including metabolites and particular proteins (writers, readers, and erasers). To understand the link between dynamic RNA modifications and biological processes, sensitive and reliable methods for determining modified nucleosides are required. In this study, micro-flow (8 μL/min) hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography was coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry for the simultaneous determination of adenosine, uridine, cytidine, guanosine, and 20 modified nucleosides. The method was calibrated using 0.1-1000 nM standards (∼0.03-300 ng/mL) and successfully applied to the determination of transfer RNA modifications in the model cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. A protocol for the isolation of a clean transfer RNA pool was optimized, requiring only 25 ng for the identification and quantification of transfer RNA modifications. This micro-flow liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method constitutes the first step toward monitoring dynamic ribonucleoside modifications in a limited RNA sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yichao Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, P. R. China.,College of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou, P. R. China
| | - Qisheng Zhong
- Shimadzu Corporation, Guangzhou branch, Guangzhou, P. R. China
| | - Ying Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, P. R. China.,College of Food Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, P. R. China
| | - Xiuying Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, P. R. China.,College of Food Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, P. R. China
| | - Pengcheng Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, P. R. China
| | - Huan Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, P. R. China
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44
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Das M, Dewan A, Shee S, Singh A. The Multifaceted Bacterial Cysteine Desulfurases: From Metabolism to Pathogenesis. Antioxidants (Basel) 2021; 10:antiox10070997. [PMID: 34201508 PMCID: PMC8300815 DOI: 10.3390/antiox10070997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Living cells have developed a relay system to efficiently transfer sulfur (S) from cysteine to various thio-cofactors (iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters, thiamine, molybdopterin, lipoic acid, and biotin) and thiolated tRNA. The presence of such a transit route involves multiple protein components that allow the flux of S to be precisely regulated as a function of environmental cues to avoid the unnecessary accumulation of toxic concentrations of soluble sulfide (S2−). The first enzyme in this relay system is cysteine desulfurase (CSD). CSD catalyzes the release of sulfane S from L-cysteine by converting it to L-alanine by forming an enzyme-linked persulfide intermediate on its conserved cysteine residue. The persulfide S is then transferred to diverse acceptor proteins for its incorporation into the thio-cofactors. The thio-cofactor binding-proteins participate in essential and diverse cellular processes, including DNA repair, respiration, intermediary metabolism, gene regulation, and redox sensing. Additionally, CSD modulates pathogenesis, antibiotic susceptibility, metabolism, and survival of several pathogenic microbes within their hosts. In this review, we aim to comprehensively illustrate the impact of CSD on bacterial core metabolic processes and its requirement to combat redox stresses and antibiotics. Targeting CSD in human pathogens can be a potential therapy for better treatment outcomes.
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45
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Hu JF, Yim D, Ma D, Huber SM, Davis N, Bacusmo JM, Vermeulen S, Zhou J, Begley TJ, DeMott MS, Levine SS, de Crécy-Lagard V, Dedon PC, Cao B. Quantitative mapping of the cellular small RNA landscape with AQRNA-seq. Nat Biotechnol 2021; 39:978-988. [PMID: 33859402 PMCID: PMC8355021 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-021-00874-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Current next-generation RNA sequencing methods do not provide accurate quantification of small RNAs within a sample due to sequence-dependent biases in capture, ligation, and amplification during library preparation. We present a method, Absolute Quantification (AQ) RNA-seq, that minimizes biases and provides a direct, linear correlation between sequencing read count and copy number for all small RNAs in a sample. Library preparation and data processing were optimized and validated using a 963-member miRNA reference library, oligonucleotide standards of varying lengths, and northern blots. Application of AQRNA-seq to a panel of human cancer cells revealed >800 detectable miRNAs that varied during cancer progression, while application to bacterial tRNA pools, with the challenges of secondary structure and abundant modifications, revealed 80-fold variation in tRNA isoacceptor levels, stress-induced site-specific tRNA fragmentation, quantitative modification maps, and evidence for stress-induced tRNA-driven codon-biased translation. AQRNA-seq thus provides a versatile means to quantitatively map the small RNA landscape in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer F Hu
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Bristol Myers Squibb, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Daniel Yim
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.,A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Duanduan Ma
- BioMicro Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sabrina M Huber
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Laboratory of Toxicology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Nick Davis
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Theon Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jo Marie Bacusmo
- Department of Microbiology & Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Sidney Vermeulen
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jieliang Zhou
- KK Research Center, KK Women's and ChildrenBristol Myers Squibb's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Thomas J Begley
- The RNA Institute and Department of Biology, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Michael S DeMott
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Stuart S Levine
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.,BioMicro Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Peter C Dedon
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. .,Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. .,Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Antimicrobial Resistance IRG, Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Bo Cao
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. .,Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Antimicrobial Resistance IRG, Singapore, Singapore. .,College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China.
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46
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Hia F, Takeuchi O. The effects of codon bias and optimality on mRNA and protein regulation. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:1909-1928. [PMID: 33128106 PMCID: PMC11072601 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03685-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The central dogma of molecular biology entails that genetic information is transferred from nucleic acid to proteins. Notwithstanding retro-transcribing genetic elements, DNA is transcribed to RNA which in turn is translated into proteins. Recent advancements have shown that each stage is regulated to control protein abundances for a variety of essential physiological processes. In this regard, mRNA regulation is essential in fine-tuning or calibrating protein abundances. In this review, we would like to discuss one of several mRNA-intrinsic features of mRNA regulation that has been gaining traction of recent-codon bias and optimality. Specifically, we address the effects of codon bias with regard to codon optimality in several biological processes centred on translation, such as mRNA stability and protein folding among others. Finally, we examine how different organisms or cell types, through this system, are able to coordinate physiological pathways to respond to a variety of stress or growth conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Hia
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Osamu Takeuchi
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
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47
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Nombela P, Miguel-López B, Blanco S. The role of m 6A, m 5C and Ψ RNA modifications in cancer: Novel therapeutic opportunities. Mol Cancer 2021; 20:18. [PMID: 33461542 PMCID: PMC7812662 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-020-01263-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 243] [Impact Index Per Article: 81.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA modifications have recently emerged as critical posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression programmes. Significant advances have been made in understanding the functional role of RNA modifications in regulating coding and non-coding RNA processing and function, which in turn thoroughly shape distinct gene expression programmes. They affect diverse biological processes, and the correct deposition of many of these modifications is required for normal development. Alterations of their deposition are implicated in several diseases, including cancer. In this Review, we focus on the occurrence of N6-methyladenosine (m6A), 5-methylcytosine (m5C) and pseudouridine (Ψ) in coding and non-coding RNAs and describe their physiopathological role in cancer. We will highlight the latest insights into the mechanisms of how these posttranscriptional modifications influence tumour development, maintenance, and progression. Finally, we will summarize the latest advances on the development of small molecule inhibitors that target specific writers or erasers to rewind the epitranscriptome of a cancer cell and their therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paz Nombela
- Centro de Investigación del Cáncer and Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) - University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Borja Miguel-López
- Centro de Investigación del Cáncer and Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) - University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Sandra Blanco
- Centro de Investigación del Cáncer and Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) - University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain. .,Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.
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48
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Luan N, Chen Y, Li Q, Mu Y, Zhou Q, Ye X, Deng Q, Ling L, Wang J, Wang J. TRF-20-M0NK5Y93 suppresses the metastasis of colon cancer cells by impairing the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition through targeting Claudin-1. Am J Transl Res 2021; 13:124-142. [PMID: 33527013 PMCID: PMC7847510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) are derived from corresponding tRNAs and have been shown by several studies to be novel biological markers for tumour diagnosis and therapy. However, until now, the effects of tRFs on the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) and especially on the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) have remained unknown. Our study aimed to assess CRC-related tRFs and examine the effects of key tRFs on CRC progression and related mechanisms. After hypoxic treatment, tRF sequencing and real-time PCR assays were performed to identify key tRFs. Then, functional tests were designed to verify the effects and evaluate the mechanism after cell transfection under normoxic conditions. A total of 14 tRFs were differentially expressed in the hypoxia and control groups. Based on the results of PCR assay verification and conditional selection, tRF-20-M0NK5Y93 could be a promising target for exploration, as its expression was significantly lower under hypoxic conditions than under control conditions. tRF-20-M0NK5Y93 inhibited CRC cell migration and invasion partly by targeting Claudin-1, an EMT-related molecule. The results of the present study suggest that tRF-20-M0NK5Y93 promotes CRC cell migration and invasion partly by regulating Claudin-1 during EMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Luan
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineJiefang Road 88th, Hangzhou 310016, China
| | - Yiquan Chen
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineJiefang Road 88th, Hangzhou 310016, China
| | - Qingsong Li
- Department of Radiotherapy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou 310009, China
| | - Yali Mu
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineJiefang Road 88th, Hangzhou 310016, China
| | - Qin Zhou
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineJiefang Road 88th, Hangzhou 310016, China
| | - Xun Ye
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineJiefang Road 88th, Hangzhou 310016, China
| | - Qun Deng
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineJiefang Road 88th, Hangzhou 310016, China
| | - Limian Ling
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineJiefang Road 88th, Hangzhou 310016, China
| | - Jian Wang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineJiefang Road 88th, Hangzhou 310016, China
| | - Jianwei Wang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, Ministry of Education, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineJiefang Road 88th, Hangzhou 310016, China
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49
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Liu Y, Yang Q, Zhao F. Synonymous but Not Silent: The Codon Usage Code for Gene Expression and Protein Folding. Annu Rev Biochem 2021; 90:375-401. [PMID: 33441035 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biochem-071320-112701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Codon usage bias, the preference for certain synonymous codons, is found in all genomes. Although synonymous mutations were previously thought to be silent, a large body of evidence has demonstrated that codon usage can play major roles in determining gene expression levels and protein structures. Codon usage influences translation elongation speed and regulates translation efficiency and accuracy. Adaptation of codon usage to tRNA expression determines the proteome landscape. In addition, codon usage biases result in nonuniform ribosome decoding rates on mRNAs, which in turn influence the cotranslational protein folding process that is critical for protein function in diverse biological processes. Conserved genome-wide correlations have also been found between codon usage and protein structures. Furthermore, codon usage is a major determinant of mRNA levels through translation-dependent effects on mRNA decay and translation-independent effects on transcriptional and posttranscriptional processes. Here, we discuss the multifaceted roles and mechanisms of codon usage in different gene regulatory processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Liu
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9040, USA;
| | - Qian Yang
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9040, USA;
| | - Fangzhou Zhao
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9040, USA;
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50
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Chen H, Raffaele S, Dong S. Silent control: microbial plant pathogens evade host immunity without coding sequence changes. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2021; 45:6095737. [PMID: 33440001 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuab002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Both animals and plants have evolved a robust immune system to surveil and defeat invading pathogenic microbes. Evasion of host immune surveillance is the key for pathogens to initiate successful infection. To evade the host immunity, plant pathogens evolved a variety of strategies such as masking themselves from host immune recognitions, blocking immune signaling transductions, reprogramming immune responses and adapting to immune microenvironmental changes. Gain of new virulence genes, sequence and structural variations enables plant pathogens to evade host immunity through changes in the genetic code. However, recent discoveries demonstrated that variations at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, post-translational and glycome level enable pathogens to cope with the host immune system without coding sequence changes. The biochemical modification of pathogen associated molecular patterns and silencing of effector genes emerged as potent ways for pathogens to hide from host recognition. Altered processing in mRNA activities provide pathogens with resilience to microenvironment changes. Importantly, these hiding variants are directly or indirectly modulated by catalytic enzymes or enzymatic complexes and cannot be revealed by classical genomics alone. Unveiling these novel host evasion mechanisms in plant pathogens enables us to better understand the nature of plant disease and pinpoints strategies for rational diseases management in global food protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Chen
- Department of Plant Pathology and The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China
| | - Sylvain Raffaele
- Laboratoire des Interactions Plantes-Microorganismes, INRAE, CNRS, 24 Chemin de Borde Rouge - Auzeville, CS52627, F31326 Castanet Tolosan Cedex, France
| | - Suomeng Dong
- Department of Plant Pathology and The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China
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