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Pavlu S, Nikumbh S, Kovacik M, An T, Lenhard B, Simkova H, Navratilova P. Core promoterome of barley embryo. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2024; 23:264-277. [PMID: 38173877 PMCID: PMC10762323 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Precise localization and dissection of gene promoters are key to understanding transcriptional gene regulation and to successful bioengineering applications. The core RNA polymerase II initiation machinery is highly conserved among eukaryotes, leading to a general expectation of equivalent underlying mechanisms. Still, less is known about promoters in the plant kingdom. In this study, we employed cap analysis of gene expression (CAGE) at three embryonic developmental stages in barley to accurately map, annotate, and quantify transcription initiation events. Unsupervised discovery of de novo sequence clusters grouped promoters based on characteristic initiator and position-specific core-promoter motifs. This grouping was complemented by the annotation of transcription factor binding site (TFBS) motifs. Integration with genome-wide epigenomic data sets and gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis further delineated the chromatin environments and functional roles of genes associated with distinct promoter categories. The TATA-box presence governs all features explored, supporting the general model of two separate genomic regulatory environments. We describe the extent and implications of alternative transcription initiation events, including those that are specific to developmental stages, which can affect the protein sequence or the presence of regions that regulate translation. The generated promoterome dataset provides a valuable genomic resource for enhancing the functional annotation of the barley genome. It also offers insights into the transcriptional regulation of individual genes and presents opportunities for the informed manipulation of promoter architecture, with the aim of enhancing traits of agronomic importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Pavlu
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Slechtitelu 31, 77900 Olomouc, Czech Republic
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, Slechtitelu 27, 78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Sarvesh Nikumbh
- Merck Sharp & Dohme (UK) Limited, 120 Moorgate, London EC2M 6UR, UK
| | - Martin Kovacik
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Slechtitelu 31, 77900 Olomouc, Czech Republic
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, Slechtitelu 27, 78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Tadaichi An
- DNAFORM Precision Gene Technologies, 230–0046 Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Boris Lenhard
- Computational Regulatory Genomics, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, UK
| | - Hana Simkova
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Slechtitelu 31, 77900 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Pavla Navratilova
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Slechtitelu 31, 77900 Olomouc, Czech Republic
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2
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Wu J, Zhou Y, Zhao D, Xu R, Wang J, Lin H, Ding Z, Zou Y. Engineered mouse H1 promoter mutants with superior RNA polymerase III activity. Biochem Biophys Rep 2024; 39:101795. [PMID: 39175666 PMCID: PMC11340601 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2024.101795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2024] [Revised: 07/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Vectors incorporating the human H1 (hH1) promoter are being applied for RNA interference (RNAi) experiments and genome editing. Although extensive studies have been conducted on the hH1 promoter, our understanding of the mouse H1 promoter remains limited. In this study, we predicted the 163 bp mouse H1 (mH1) promoter and 84 bp mouse H1 core (mH1 core) promoter through global alignment and detected its RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and III activities through the expression of the EGFP and the abundance of artificial sequence, which were generally slightly weaker than those of the hH1 promoter. Furthermore, to boost its Pol III activity, we engineered various promoter mutants by introducing mutations or systematically swapping elements. Surprisingly, the Pol II activity of mH1 core mut5 with AT stretch was at least 2-fold greater than that of the wild type, making it a potential candidate for target protein expression purposes. Fortunately, the Pol III activities of mH1 mut1 and mH1 core mut5 were at least 1.5 times stronger than those of the parental promoters in human and mouse cell lines on account of AT stretch, as did the mH1 mut4 with AT stretch and proximal sequence element (PSE) and TATA box insertion mutations. We highly recommend these three promoters as valuable supplements to the type 3 Pol III promoter toolbox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaying Wu
- Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yufei Zhou
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Di Zhao
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Ran Xu
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Shanghai Geriatric Medical Center, Shanghai, 201104, China
| | - Jienan Wang
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Hong Lin
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Zhiwen Ding
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Departments of Cardiology, Qingpu Branch of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 218120, China
| | - Yunzeng Zou
- Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Departments of Cardiology, Qingpu Branch of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 218120, China
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3
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Stasevich EM, Simonova AV, Bogomolova EA, Murashko MM, Uvarova AN, Zheremyan EA, Korneev KV, Schwartz AM, Kuprash DV, Demin DE. Cut from the same cloth: RNAs transcribed from regulatory elements. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2024; 1867:195049. [PMID: 38964653 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2024.195049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
A certain degree of chromatin openness is necessary for the activity of transcription-regulating regions within the genome, facilitating accessibility to RNA polymerases and subsequent synthesis of regulatory element RNAs (regRNAs) from these regions. The rapidly increasing number of studies underscores the significance of regRNAs across diverse cellular processes and diseases, challenging the paradigm that these transcripts are non-functional transcriptional noise. This review explores the multifaceted roles of regRNAs in human cells, encompassing rather well-studied entities such as promoter RNAs and enhancer RNAs (eRNAs), while also providing insights into overshadowed silencer RNAs and insulator RNAs. Furthermore, we assess notable examples of shorter regRNAs, like miRNAs, snRNAs, and snoRNAs, playing important roles. Expanding our discourse, we deliberate on the potential usage of regRNAs as biomarkers and novel targets for cancer and other human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- E M Stasevich
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - A V Simonova
- Laboratory of Intracellular Signaling in Health and Disease, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - E A Bogomolova
- Laboratory of Intracellular Signaling in Health and Disease, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; Moscow Center for Advanced Studies, Moscow, Russia
| | - M M Murashko
- Laboratory of Intracellular Signaling in Health and Disease, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; Moscow Center for Advanced Studies, Moscow, Russia
| | - A N Uvarova
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - E A Zheremyan
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - K V Korneev
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - A M Schwartz
- Department of Human Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - D V Kuprash
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - D E Demin
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
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4
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Qiu Y, Kang YM, Korfmann C, Pouyet F, Eckford A, Palazzo AF. The GC-content at the 5' ends of human protein-coding genes is undergoing mutational decay. Genome Biol 2024; 25:219. [PMID: 39138526 PMCID: PMC11323403 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03364-x] [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: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In vertebrates, most protein-coding genes have a peak of GC-content near their 5' transcriptional start site (TSS). This feature promotes both the efficient nuclear export and translation of mRNAs. Despite the importance of GC-content for RNA metabolism, its general features, origin, and maintenance remain mysterious. We investigate the evolutionary forces shaping GC-content at the transcriptional start site (TSS) of genes through both comparative genomic analysis of nucleotide substitution rates between different species and by examining human de novo mutations. RESULTS Our data suggests that GC-peaks at TSSs were present in the last common ancestor of amniotes, and likely that of vertebrates. We observe that in apes and rodents, where recombination is directed away from TSSs by PRDM9, GC-content at the 5' end of protein-coding gene is currently undergoing mutational decay. In canids, which lack PRDM9 and perform recombination at TSSs, GC-content at the 5' end of protein-coding is increasing. We show that these patterns extend into the 5' end of the open reading frame, thus impacting synonymous codon position choices. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that the dynamics of this GC-peak in amniotes is largely shaped by historic patterns of recombination. Since decay of GC-content towards the mutation rate equilibrium is the default state for non-functional DNA, the observed decrease in GC-content at TSSs in apes and rodents indicates that the GC-peak is not being maintained by selection on most protein-coding genes in those species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Qiu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5G1M1, Canada
| | - Yoon Mo Kang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5G1M1, Canada
| | - Christopher Korfmann
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, York University, Toronto, Ontario, M3J1P3, Canada
| | - Fanny Pouyet
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Sciences du Numérique, Université Paris-Saclay, 91190, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Andrew Eckford
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, York University, Toronto, Ontario, M3J1P3, Canada
| | - Alexander F Palazzo
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5G1M1, Canada.
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5
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Estell C, West S. ZC3H4/Restrictor Exerts a Stranglehold on Pervasive Transcription. J Mol Biol 2024:168707. [PMID: 39002716 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2024.168707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2024] [Revised: 07/06/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
The regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) underpins all cellular processes and is perturbed in thousands of diseases. In humans, RNAPII transcribes ∼20000 protein-coding genes and engages in apparently futile non-coding transcription at thousands of other sites. Despite being so ubiquitous, this transcription is usually attenuated soon after initiation and the resulting products are immediately degraded by the nuclear exosome. We and others have recently described a new complex, "Restrictor", which appears to control such unproductive transcription. Underpinned by the RNA binding protein, ZC3H4, Restrictor curtails unproductive/pervasive transcription genome-wide. Here, we discuss these recent discoveries and speculate on some of the many unknowns regarding Restrictor function and mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Estell
- The Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.
| | - Steven West
- The Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.
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6
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Villani RM, McKenzie ME, Davidson AL, Spurdle AB. Regional-specific calibration enables application of computational evidence for clinical classification of 5' cis-regulatory variants in Mendelian disease. Am J Hum Genet 2024; 111:1301-1315. [PMID: 38815586 PMCID: PMC11267523 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2024.05.002] [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: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
To date, clinical genetic testing for Mendelian disease variants has focused heavily on exonic coding and intronic gene regions. This multi-step study was undertaken to provide an evidence base for selecting and applying computational approaches for use in clinical classification of 5' cis-regulatory region variants. Curated datasets of clinically reported disease-causing 5' cis-regulatory region variants and variants from matched genomic regions in population controls were used to calibrate six bioinformatic tools as predictors of variant pathogenicity. Likelihood ratio estimates were aligned to code weights following ClinGen recommendations for application of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the Association for Molecular Pathology (ACMG/AMP) classification scheme. Considering code assignment across all reference dataset variants, performance was best for CADD (81.2%) and REMM (81.5%). Optimized thresholds provided moderate evidence toward pathogenicity (CADD, REMM) and moderate (CADD) or supporting (REMM) evidence against pathogenicity. Both sensitivity and specificity of prediction were improved when further categorizing variants based on location in an EPDnew-defined promoter region. Combining predictions (CADD, REMM, and location in a promoter region) increased specificity at the expense of sensitivity. Importantly, the optimal CADD thresholds for assigning ACMG/AMP codes PP3 (≥10) and BP4 (≤8) were vastly different from recommendations for protein-coding variants (PP3 ≥25.3; BP4 ≤22.7); CADD <22.7 would incorrectly assign BP4 for >90% of reported disease-causing cis-regulatory region variants. Our results demonstrate the need to consider a tiered approach and tailored score thresholds to optimize bioinformatic impact prediction for clinical classification of 5' cis-regulatory region variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rehan M Villani
- Population Health Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Maddison E McKenzie
- Population Health Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Aimee L Davidson
- Population Health Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Amanda B Spurdle
- Population Health Program, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
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7
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Oguchi A, Suzuki A, Komatsu S, Yoshitomi H, Bhagat S, Son R, Bonnal RJP, Kojima S, Koido M, Takeuchi K, Myouzen K, Inoue G, Hirai T, Sano H, Takegami Y, Kanemaru A, Yamaguchi I, Ishikawa Y, Tanaka N, Hirabayashi S, Konishi R, Sekito S, Inoue T, Kere J, Takeda S, Takaori-Kondo A, Endo I, Kawaoka S, Kawaji H, Ishigaki K, Ueno H, Hayashizaki Y, Pagani M, Carninci P, Yanagita M, Parrish N, Terao C, Yamamoto K, Murakawa Y. An atlas of transcribed enhancers across helper T cell diversity for decoding human diseases. Science 2024; 385:eadd8394. [PMID: 38963856 DOI: 10.1126/science.add8394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Transcribed enhancer maps can reveal nuclear interactions underpinning each cell type and connect specific cell types to diseases. Using a 5' single-cell RNA sequencing approach, we defined transcription start sites of enhancer RNAs and other classes of coding and noncoding RNAs in human CD4+ T cells, revealing cellular heterogeneity and differentiation trajectories. Integration of these datasets with single-cell chromatin profiles showed that active enhancers with bidirectional RNA transcription are highly cell type-specific and that disease heritability is strongly enriched in these enhancers. The resulting cell type-resolved multimodal atlas of bidirectionally transcribed enhancers, which we linked with promoters using fine-scale chromatin contact maps, enabled us to systematically interpret genetic variants associated with a range of immune-mediated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akiko Oguchi
- RIKEN-IFOM Joint Laboratory for Cancer Genomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Department of Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Akari Suzuki
- Laboratory for Autoimmune Diseases, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Shuichiro Komatsu
- RIKEN-IFOM Joint Laboratory for Cancer Genomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- IFOM ETS - the AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Hiroyuki Yoshitomi
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Shruti Bhagat
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Raku Son
- RIKEN-IFOM Joint Laboratory for Cancer Genomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Department of Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | | | - Shohei Kojima
- Genome Immunobiology RIKEN Hakubi Research Team, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Masaru Koido
- Division of Molecular Pathology, Department of Cancer Biology, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Laboratory of Complex Trait Genomics, Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Laboratory for Statistical and Translational Genetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Takeuchi
- RIKEN-IFOM Joint Laboratory for Cancer Genomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Department of Medical Systems Genomics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Keiko Myouzen
- Laboratory for Autoimmune Diseases, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Gyo Inoue
- Laboratory for Autoimmune Diseases, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Tomoya Hirai
- RIKEN-IFOM Joint Laboratory for Cancer Genomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Hiromi Sano
- RIKEN-IFOM Joint Laboratory for Cancer Genomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | | | | | | | - Yuki Ishikawa
- Laboratory for Statistical and Translational Genetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Nao Tanaka
- Laboratory for Statistical and Translational Genetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Shigeki Hirabayashi
- RIKEN-IFOM Joint Laboratory for Cancer Genomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Division of Precision Medicine, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Riyo Konishi
- Inter-Organ Communication Research Team, Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Sho Sekito
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Department of Nephro-Urologic Surgery and Andrology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu, Japan
| | - Takahiro Inoue
- Department of Nephro-Urologic Surgery and Andrology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu, Japan
| | - Juha Kere
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Folkhalsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Shunichi Takeda
- Department of Radiation Genetics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Shenzhen University School of Medicine, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Akifumi Takaori-Kondo
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Itaru Endo
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Shinpei Kawaoka
- Inter-Organ Communication Research Team, Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Department of Integrative Bioanalytics, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Hideya Kawaji
- Research Center for Genome & Medical Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
- Preventive Medicine and Applied Genomics Unit, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Science, Yokohama, Japan
- RIKEN Preventive Medicine and Diagnosis Innovation Program, Wako, Japan
| | - Kazuyoshi Ishigaki
- Laboratory for Human Immunogenetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Hideki Ueno
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yoshihide Hayashizaki
- K.K. DNAFORM, Yokohama, Japan
- RIKEN Preventive Medicine and Diagnosis Innovation Program, Wako, Japan
| | - Massimiliano Pagani
- IFOM ETS - the AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan, Italy
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi, Milan, Italy
| | - Piero Carninci
- Laboratory for Transcriptome Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- Human Technopole, Milan, Italy
| | - Motoko Yanagita
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Department of Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Nicholas Parrish
- Genome Immunobiology RIKEN Hakubi Research Team, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Chikashi Terao
- Laboratory for Statistical and Translational Genetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- Clinical Research Center, Shizuoka General Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan
- Department of Applied Genetics, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Yamamoto
- Laboratory for Autoimmune Diseases, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Murakawa
- RIKEN-IFOM Joint Laboratory for Cancer Genomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- IFOM ETS - the AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan, Italy
- Department of Medical Systems Genomics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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8
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Das S, Zea Rojas MP, Tran EJ. Novel insights on the positive correlation between sense and antisense pairs on gene expression. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2024; 15:e1864. [PMID: 39087253 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
A considerable proportion of the eukaryotic genome undergoes transcription, leading to the generation of noncoding RNA molecules that lack protein-coding information and are not subjected to translation. These noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are well recognized to have essential roles in several biological processes. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent the most extensive category of ncRNAs found in the human genome. Much research has focused on investigating the roles of cis-acting lncRNAs in the regulation of specific target gene expression. In the majority of instances, the regulation of sense gene expression by its corresponding antisense pair occurs in a negative (discordant) manner, resulting in the suppression of the target genes. The notion that a negative correlation exists between sense and antisense pairings is, however, not universally valid. In fact, several recent studies have reported a positive relationship between corresponding cis antisense pairs within plants, budding yeast, and mammalian cancer cells. The positive (concordant) correlation between anti-sense and sense transcripts leads to an increase in the level of the sense transcript within the same genomic loci. In addition, mechanisms such as altering chromatin structure, the formation of R loops, and the recruitment of transcription factors can either enhance transcription or stabilize sense transcripts through their antisense pairs. The primary objective of this work is to provide a comprehensive understanding of both aspects of antisense regulation, specifically focusing on the positive correlation between sense and antisense transcripts in the context of eukaryotic gene expression, including its implications towards cancer progression. This article is categorized under: RNA Processing > 3' End Processing Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Regulatory RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhadeep Das
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
- Purdue University Institute for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth J Tran
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
- Purdue University Institute for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
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9
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Dang TTV, Maufrais C, Colin J, Moyrand F, Mouyna I, Coppée JY, Onyishi CU, Lipecka J, Guerrera IC, May RC, Janbon G. Alternative TSS use is widespread in Cryptococcus fungi in response to environmental cues and regulated genome-wide by the transcription factor Tur1. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002724. [PMID: 39052688 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Alternative transcription start site (TSS) usage regulation has been identified as a major means of gene expression regulation in metazoans. However, in fungi, its impact remains elusive as its study has thus far been restricted to model yeasts. Here, we first re-analyzed TSS-seq data to define genuine TSS clusters in 2 species of pathogenic Cryptococcus. We identified 2 types of TSS clusters associated with specific DNA sequence motifs. Our analysis also revealed that alternative TSS usage regulation in response to environmental cues is widespread in Cryptococcus, altering gene expression and protein targeting. Importantly, we performed a forward genetic screen to identify a unique transcription factor (TF) named Tur1, which regulates alternative TSS (altTSS) usage genome-wide when cells switch from exponential phase to stationary phase. ChiP-Seq and DamID-Seq analyses suggest that at some loci, the role of Tur1 might be direct. Tur1 has been previously shown to be essential for virulence in C. neoformans. We demonstrated here that a tur1Δ mutant strain is more sensitive to superoxide stress and phagocytosed more efficiently by macrophages than the wild-type (WT) strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thi Tuong Vi Dang
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Pasteur, Unité Biologie des ARN des Pathogènes Fongiques, Département de Mycologie, Paris, France
| | - Corinne Maufrais
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Pasteur, HUB Bioinformatique et Biostatistique, C3BI, USR 3756 IP CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Jessie Colin
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Pasteur, Unité Biologie des ARN des Pathogènes Fongiques, Département de Mycologie, Paris, France
- Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Frédérique Moyrand
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Pasteur, Unité Biologie des ARN des Pathogènes Fongiques, Département de Mycologie, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Mouyna
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Pasteur, Unité Biologie des ARN des Pathogènes Fongiques, Département de Mycologie, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Yves Coppée
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Pasteur, Unité Biologie des ARN des Pathogènes Fongiques, Département de Mycologie, Paris, France
| | - Chinaemerem U Onyishi
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection and School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Joanna Lipecka
- Université Paris Cité, SFR Necker INSERM US24/CNRS UAR3633, Proteomics Platform, Paris, France
| | - Ida Chiara Guerrera
- Université Paris Cité, SFR Necker INSERM US24/CNRS UAR3633, Proteomics Platform, Paris, France
| | - Robin C May
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection and School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Guilhem Janbon
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Pasteur, Unité Biologie des ARN des Pathogènes Fongiques, Département de Mycologie, Paris, France
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10
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Zhang M, Sjöström M, Cui X, Foye A, Farh K, Shrestha R, Lundberg A, Dang HX, Li H, Febbo PG, Aggarwal R, Alumkal JJ, Small EJ, Maher CA, Feng FY, Quigley DA. Integrative analysis of ultra-deep RNA-seq reveals alternative promoter usage as a mechanism of activating oncogenic programmes during prostate cancer progression. Nat Cell Biol 2024; 26:1176-1186. [PMID: 38871824 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-024-01438-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Transcription factor (TF) proteins regulate gene activity by binding to regulatory regions, most importantly at gene promoters. Many genes have alternative promoters (APs) bound by distinct TFs. The role of differential TF activity at APs during tumour development is poorly understood. Here we show, using deep RNA sequencing in 274 biopsies of benign prostate tissue, localized prostate tumours and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, that AP usage increases as tumours progress and APs are responsible for a disproportionate amount of tumour transcriptional activity. Expression of the androgen receptor (AR), the key driver of prostate tumour activity, is correlated with elevated AP usage. We identified AR, FOXA1 and MYC as potential drivers of AP activation. DNA methylation is a likely mechanism for AP activation during tumour progression and lineage plasticity. Our data suggest that prostate tumours activate APs to magnify the transcriptional impact of tumour drivers, including AR and MYC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Zhang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Martin Sjöström
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Xiekui Cui
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Adam Foye
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Raunak Shrestha
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Arian Lundberg
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ha X Dang
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Bristol Myers Squibb, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Haolong Li
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Rahul Aggarwal
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Joshi J Alumkal
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Eric J Small
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Christopher A Maher
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Felix Y Feng
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Urology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - David A Quigley
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Urology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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11
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Carbonell-Sala S, Perteghella T, Lagarde J, Nishiyori H, Palumbo E, Arnan C, Takahashi H, Carninci P, Uszczynska-Ratajczak B, Guigó R. CapTrap-seq: a platform-agnostic and quantitative approach for high-fidelity full-length RNA sequencing. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5278. [PMID: 38937428 PMCID: PMC11211341 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49523-3] [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: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Long-read RNA sequencing is essential to produce accurate and exhaustive annotation of eukaryotic genomes. Despite advancements in throughput and accuracy, achieving reliable end-to-end identification of RNA transcripts remains a challenge for long-read sequencing methods. To address this limitation, we develop CapTrap-seq, a cDNA library preparation method, which combines the Cap-trapping strategy with oligo(dT) priming to detect 5' capped, full-length transcripts. In our study, we evaluate the performance of CapTrap-seq alongside other widely used RNA-seq library preparation protocols in human and mouse tissues, employing both ONT and PacBio sequencing technologies. To explore the quantitative capabilities of CapTrap-seq and its accuracy in reconstructing full-length RNA molecules, we implement a capping strategy for synthetic RNA spike-in sequences that mimics the natural 5'cap formation. Our benchmarks, incorporating the Long-read RNA-seq Genome Annotation Assessment Project (LRGASP) data, demonstrate that CapTrap-seq is a competitive, platform-agnostic RNA library preparation method for generating full-length transcript sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sílvia Carbonell-Sala
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Tamara Perteghella
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Julien Lagarde
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Flomics Biotech, SL, Carrer de Roc Boronat 31, 08005, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Hiromi Nishiyori
- Laboratory for Transcriptome Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Emilio Palumbo
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Carme Arnan
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Hazuki Takahashi
- Laboratory for Transcriptome Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Piero Carninci
- Laboratory for Transcriptome Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
- Human Technopole, Milan, Italy
| | - Barbara Uszczynska-Ratajczak
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Department of Computational Biology of Noncoding RNA, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
| | - Roderic Guigó
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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12
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Wong EWP, Sahin M, Yang R, Lee U, Zhan YA, Misra R, Tomas F, Alomran N, Polyzos A, Lee CJ, Trieu T, Fundichely AM, Wiesner T, Rosowicz A, Cheng S, Liu C, Lallo M, Merghoub T, Hamard PJ, Koche R, Khurana E, Apostolou E, Zheng D, Chen Y, Leslie CS, Chi P. TAD hierarchy restricts poised LTR activation and loss of TAD hierarchy promotes LTR co-option in cancer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.31.596845. [PMID: 38895201 PMCID: PMC11185511 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.31.596845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are abundant in the human genome, and they provide the sources for genetic and functional diversity. The regulation of TEs expression and their functional consequences in physiological conditions and cancer development remain to be fully elucidated. Previous studies suggested TEs are repressed by DNA methylation and chromatin modifications. The effect of 3D chromatin topology on TE regulation remains elusive. Here, by integrating transcriptome and 3D genome architecture studies, we showed that haploinsufficient loss of NIPBL selectively activates alternative promoters at the long terminal repeats (LTRs) of the TE subclasses. This activation occurs through the reorganization of topologically associating domain (TAD) hierarchical structures and recruitment of proximal enhancers. These observations indicate that TAD hierarchy restricts transcriptional activation of LTRs that already possess open chromatin features. In cancer, perturbation of the hierarchical chromatin topology can lead to co-option of LTRs as functional alternative promoters in a context-dependent manner and drive aberrant transcriptional activation of novel oncogenes and other divergent transcripts. These data uncovered a new layer of regulatory mechanism of TE expression beyond DNA and chromatin modification in human genome. They also posit the TAD hierarchy dysregulation as a novel mechanism for alternative promoter-mediated oncogene activation and transcriptional diversity in cancer, which may be exploited therapeutically.
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13
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Uvarova AN, Tkachenko EA, Stasevich EM, Zheremyan EA, Korneev KV, Kuprash DV. Methods for Functional Characterization of Genetic Polymorphisms of Non-Coding Regulatory Regions of the Human Genome. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2024; 89:1002-1013. [PMID: 38981696 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297924060026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Currently, numerous associations between genetic polymorphisms and various diseases have been characterized through the Genome-Wide Association Studies. Majority of the clinically significant polymorphisms are localized in non-coding regions of the genome. While modern bioinformatic resources make it possible to predict molecular mechanisms that explain influence of the non-coding polymorphisms on gene expression, such hypotheses require experimental verification. This review discusses the methods for elucidating molecular mechanisms underlying dependence of the disease pathogenesis on specific genetic variants within the non-coding sequences. A particular focus is on the methods for identification of transcription factors with binding efficiency dependent on polymorphic variations. Despite remarkable progress in bioinformatic resources enabling prediction of the impact of polymorphisms on the disease pathogenesis, there is still the need for experimental approaches to investigate this issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aksinya N Uvarova
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
| | - Elena A Tkachenko
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234, Russia
| | - Ekaterina M Stasevich
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141700, Russia
| | - Elina A Zheremyan
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Kirill V Korneev
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Dmitry V Kuprash
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234, Russia
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14
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Nagy G, Bojcsuk D, Tzerpos P, Cseh T, Nagy L. Lineage-determining transcription factor-driven promoters regulate cell type-specific macrophage gene expression. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:4234-4256. [PMID: 38348998 PMCID: PMC11077085 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae088] [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: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Mammalian promoters consist of multifarious elements, which make them unique and support the selection of the proper transcript variants required under diverse conditions in distinct cell types. However, their direct DNA-transcription factor (TF) interactions are mostly unidentified. Murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) are a widely used model for studying gene expression regulation. Thus, this model serves as a rich source of various next-generation sequencing data sets, including a large number of TF cistromes. By processing and integrating the available cistromic, epigenomic and transcriptomic data from BMDMs, we characterized the macrophage-specific direct DNA-TF interactions, with a particular emphasis on those specific for promoters. Whilst active promoters are enriched for certain types of typically methylatable elements, more than half of them contain non-methylatable and prototypically promoter-distal elements. In addition, circa 14% of promoters-including that of Csf1r-are composed exclusively of 'distal' elements that provide cell type-specific gene regulation by specialized TFs. Similar to CG-rich promoters, these also contain methylatable CG sites that are demethylated in a significant portion and show high polymerase activity. We conclude that this unusual class of promoters regulates cell type-specific gene expression in macrophages, and such a mechanism might exist in other cell types too.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gergely Nagy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Dóra Bojcsuk
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Petros Tzerpos
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Tímea Cseh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - László Nagy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
- Departments of Medicine and Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
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15
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Wang J, Agarwal V. How DNA encodes the start of transcription. Science 2024; 384:382-383. [PMID: 38662850 DOI: 10.1126/science.adp0869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
A deep-learning model reveals the rules that define transcription initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Wang
- mRNA Center of Excellence, Sanofi Pasteur, Inc., Waltham, MA, USA
| | - Vikram Agarwal
- mRNA Center of Excellence, Sanofi Pasteur, Inc., Waltham, MA, USA
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16
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Dudnyk K, Cai D, Shi C, Xu J, Zhou J. Sequence basis of transcription initiation in the human genome. Science 2024; 384:eadj0116. [PMID: 38662817 PMCID: PMC11223672 DOI: 10.1126/science.adj0116] [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: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Transcription initiation is a process that is essential to ensuring the proper function of any gene, yet we still lack a unified understanding of sequence patterns and rules that explain most transcription start sites in the human genome. By predicting transcription initiation at base-pair resolution from sequences with a deep learning-inspired explainable model called Puffin, we show that a small set of simple rules can explain transcription initiation at most human promoters. We identify key sequence patterns that contribute to human promoter activity, each activating transcription with distinct position-specific effects. Furthermore, we explain the sequence basis of bidirectional transcription at promoters, identify the links between promoter sequence and gene expression variation across cell types, and explore the conservation of sequence determinants of transcription initiation across mammalian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kseniia Dudnyk
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Donghong Cai
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, Texas, United States of America
- Center of Excellence for Leukemia Studies (CELS), Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Chenlai Shi
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jian Xu
- Center of Excellence for Leukemia Studies (CELS), Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Jian Zhou
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, Texas, United States of America
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17
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Werner A, Kanhere A, Wahlestedt C, Mattick JS. Natural antisense transcripts as versatile regulators of gene expression. Nat Rev Genet 2024:10.1038/s41576-024-00723-z. [PMID: 38632496 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-024-00723-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as a major class of gene products that have central roles in cell and developmental biology. Natural antisense transcripts (NATs) are an important subset of lncRNAs that are expressed from the opposite strand of protein-coding and non-coding genes and are a genome-wide phenomenon in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. In eukaryotes, a myriad of NATs participate in regulatory pathways that affect expression of their cognate sense genes. Recent developments in the study of NATs and lncRNAs and large-scale sequencing and bioinformatics projects suggest that whether NATs regulate expression, splicing, stability or translation of the sense transcript is influenced by the pattern and degrees of overlap between the sense-antisense pair. Moreover, epigenetic gene regulatory mechanisms prevail in somatic cells whereas mechanisms dependent on the formation of double-stranded RNA intermediates are prevalent in germ cells. The modulating effects of NATs on sense transcript expression make NATs rational targets for therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - John S Mattick
- University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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18
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He AY, Danko CG. Dissection of core promoter syntax through single nucleotide resolution modeling of transcription initiation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.13.583868. [PMID: 38559255 PMCID: PMC10979970 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.13.583868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Our understanding of how the DNA sequences of cis-regulatory elements encode transcription initiation patterns remains limited. Here we introduce CLIPNET, a deep learning model trained on population-scale PRO-cap data that accurately predicts the position and quantity of transcription initiation with single nucleotide resolution from DNA sequence. Interpretation of CLIPNET revealed a complex regulatory syntax consisting of DNA-protein interactions in five major positions between -200 and +50 bp relative to the transcription start site, as well as more subtle positional preferences among different transcriptional activators. Transcriptional activator and core promoter motifs occupy different positions and play distinct roles in regulating initiation, with the former driving initiation quantity and the latter initiation position. We identified core promoter motifs that explain initiation patterns in the majority of promoters and enhancers, including DPR motifs and AT-rich TBP binding sequences in TATA-less promoters. Our results provide insights into the sequence architecture governing transcription initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Y. He
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University
- Graduate Field of Computational Biology, Cornell University
| | - Charles G. Danko
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University
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19
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Abugessaisa I, Manabe RI, Kawashima T, Tagami M, Takahashi C, Okazaki Y, Bandinelli S, Kasukawa T, Ferrucci L. OVCH1 Antisense RNA 1 is differentially expressed between non-frail and frail old adults. GeroScience 2024; 46:2063-2081. [PMID: 37817005 PMCID: PMC10828349 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-023-00961-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
While some old adults stay healthy and non-frail up to late in life, others experience multimorbidity and frailty often accompanied by a pro-inflammatory state. The underlying molecular mechanisms for those differences are still obscure. Here, we used gene expression analysis to understand the molecular underpinning between non-frail and frail individuals in old age. Twenty-four adults (50% non-frail and 50% frail) from InCHIANTI study were included. Total RNA extracted from whole blood was analyzed by Cap Analysis of Gene Expression (CAGE). CAGE identified transcription start site (TSS) and active enhancer regions. We identified a set of differentially expressed (DE) TSS and enhancer between non-frail and frail and male and female participants. Several DE TSSs were annotated as lncRNA (XIST and TTTY14) and antisense RNAs (ZFX-AS1 and OVCH1 Antisense RNA 1). The promoter region chr6:366,786,54-366,787,97;+ was DE and overlapping the longevity CDKN1A gene. GWAS-LD enrichment analysis identifies overlapping LD-blocks with the DE regions with reported traits in GWAS catalog (isovolumetric relaxation time and urinary tract infection frequency). Furthermore, we used weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify changes of gene expression associated with clinical traits and identify key gene modules. We performed functional enrichment analysis of the gene modules with significant trait/module correlation. One gene module is showing a very distinct pattern in hub genes. Glycogen Phosphorylase L (PYGL) was the top ranked hub gene between non-frail and frail. We predicted transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) and motif activity. TF involved in age-related pathways (e.g., FOXO3 and MYC) shows different expression patterns between non-frail and frail participants. Expanding the study of OVCH1 Antisense RNA 1 and PYGL may help understand the mechanisms leading to loss of homeostasis that ultimately causes frailty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imad Abugessaisa
- Laboratory for Large-Scale Biomedical Data Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan.
| | - Ri-Ichiroh Manabe
- Laboratory for Comprehensive Genomic Analysis, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Tsugumi Kawashima
- Laboratory for Comprehensive Genomic Analysis, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Michihira Tagami
- Laboratory for Comprehensive Genomic Analysis, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Chitose Takahashi
- Laboratory for Comprehensive Genomic Analysis, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Yasushi Okazaki
- Laboratory for Comprehensive Genomic Analysis, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Stefania Bandinelli
- Azienda USL Toscana Centro, InCHIANTI, Villa Margherita, Primo piano Viale Michelangelo, 41, 50125, Firenze, Italy
| | - Takeya Kasukawa
- Laboratory for Large-Scale Biomedical Data Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Luigi Ferrucci
- National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, MedStar Harbor Hospital 5th floor, 3001 S. Hanover Street, Baltimore, MD, 21225, USA
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20
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Peng Y, Huang Q, Liu D, Kong S, Kamada R, Ozato K, Zhang Y, Zhu J. A single-cell genomic strategy for alternative transcript start sites identification. Biotechnol J 2024; 19:e2300516. [PMID: 38472100 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202300516] [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: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Alternative transcription start sites (TSSs) usage plays a critical role in gene transcription regulation in mammals. However, precisely identifying alternative TSSs remains challenging at the genome-wide level. We report a single-cell genomic technology for alternative TSSs annotation and cell heterogeneity detection. In the method, we utilize Fluidigm C1 system to capture individual cells of interest, SMARTer cDNA synthesis kit to recover full-length cDNAs, then dual priming oligonucleotide system to specifically enrich TSSs for genomic analysis. We apply this method to a genome-wide study of alternative TSSs identification in two different IFN-β stimulated mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). The data clearly discriminate two IFN-β stimulated MEFs. Moreover, our results indicate 81% expressed genes in these two cell types containing multiple TSSs, which is much higher than previous predictions based on Cap-Analysis Gene Expression (CAGE) (58%) or empirical determination (54%) in various cell types. This indicates that alternative TSSs are more pervasive than expected and implies our strategy could position them at an unprecedented sensitivity. It would be helpful for elucidating their biological insights in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanling Peng
- Animal Functional Genomics Group, Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Qitong Huang
- Animal Functional Genomics Group, Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- Animal Breeding and Genomics, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Danli Liu
- Animal Functional Genomics Group, Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Siyuan Kong
- Animal Functional Genomics Group, Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Rui Kamada
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Keiko Ozato
- Division of Developmental Biology, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Yubo Zhang
- Animal Functional Genomics Group, Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- Kunpeng Institute of Modern Agriculture at Foshan, Foshan, China
| | - Jun Zhu
- DNA Sequencing and Genomics Core, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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21
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Pastore B, Hertz HL, Tang W. Pre-piRNA trimming safeguards piRNAs against erroneous targeting by RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113692. [PMID: 38244197 PMCID: PMC10949418 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The Piwi/Piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway protects genome integrity in animal germ lines. Maturation of piRNAs involves nucleolytic processing at both 5' and 3' ends. The ribonuclease PARN-1 and its orthologs mediate piRNA 3' trimming in worms, insects, and mammals. However, the significance of this evolutionarily conserved processing step is not fully understood. Employing C. elegans as a model, we recently discovered that 3' trimming protects piRNAs against non-templated nucleotide additions and degradation. Here, we find that worms lacking PARN-1 accumulate an uncharacterized RNA species termed anti-piRNAs, which are antisense to piRNAs. Anti-piRNAs associate with Piwi proteins, are 17-19 nucleotides long, and begin with 5' guanine or adenine. Untrimmed pre-piRNAs are misdirected by the terminal nucleotidyltransferase RDE-3 and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase EGO-1, leading to the formation of anti-piRNAs. This work identifies a class of small RNAs in parn-1 mutants and provides insight into the activities of RDE-3, EGO-1, and Piwi proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Pastore
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Hannah L Hertz
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Wen Tang
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
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22
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Hochstoeger T, Papasaikas P, Piskadlo E, Chao JA. Distinct roles of LARP1 and 4EBP1/2 in regulating translation and stability of 5'TOP mRNAs. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadi7830. [PMID: 38363833 PMCID: PMC10871529 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi7830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
A central mechanism of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling is the coordinated translation of ribosomal protein and translation factor mRNAs mediated by the 5'-terminal oligopyrimidine motif (5'TOP). Recently, La-related protein 1 (LARP1) was proposed to be the specific regulator of 5'TOP mRNA translation downstream of mTORC1, while eIF4E-binding proteins (4EBP1/2) were suggested to have a general role in translational repression of all transcripts. Here, we use single-molecule translation site imaging of 5'TOP and canonical mRNAs to study the translation of single mRNAs in living cells. Our data reveal that 4EBP1/2 has a dominant role in repression of translation of both 5'TOP and canonical mRNAs during pharmacological inhibition of mTOR. In contrast, we find that LARP1 selectively protects 5'TOP mRNAs from degradation in a transcriptome-wide analysis of mRNA half-lives. Our results clarify the roles of 4EBP1/2 and LARP1 in regulating 5'TOP mRNAs and provide a framework to further study how these factors control cell growth during development and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Hochstoeger
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, 4003 Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Ewa Piskadlo
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jeffrey A. Chao
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
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23
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Chen X, Xu Y. Interplay between the transcription preinitiation complex and the +1 nucleosome. Trends Biochem Sci 2024; 49:145-155. [PMID: 38218671 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2023.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Eukaryotic transcription starts with the assembly of a preinitiation complex (PIC) on core promoters. Flanking this region is the +1 nucleosome, the first nucleosome downstream of the core promoter. While this nucleosome is rich in epigenetic marks and plays a key role in transcription regulation, how the +1 nucleosome interacts with the transcription machinery has been a long-standing question. Here, we summarize recent structural and functional studies of the +1 nucleosome in complex with the PIC. We specifically focus on how differently organized promoter-nucleosome templates affect the assembly of the PIC and PIC-Mediator on chromatin and result in distinct transcription initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xizi Chen
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yanhui Xu
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
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24
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Porto E, Loula P, Strand S, Hankeln T. Molecular analysis of the human cytoglobin mRNA isoforms. J Inorg Biochem 2024; 251:112422. [PMID: 38016326 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2023.112422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
Multiple functions have been proposed for the ubiquitously expressed vertebrate globin cytoglobin (Cygb), including nitric oxide (NO) metabolism, lipid peroxidation/signalling, superoxide dismutase activity, reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (RONS) scavenging, regulation of blood pressure, antifibrosis, and both tumour suppressor and oncogenic effects. Since alternative splicing can expand the biological roles of a gene, we investigated whether this mechanism contributes to the functional diversity of Cygb. By mining of cDNA data and molecular analysis, we identified five alternative mRNA isoforms for the human CYGB gene (V-1 to V-5). Comprehensive RNA-seq analyses of public datasets from human tissues and cells confirmed that the canonical CYGB V-1 isoform is the primary CYGB transcript in the majority of analysed datasets. Interestingly, we revealed that isoform V-3 represented the predominant CYGB variant in hepatoblastoma (HB) cell lines and in the majority of analysed normal and HB liver tissues. CYGB V-3 mRNA is transcribed from an alternate upstream promoter and hypothetically encodes a N-terminally truncated CYGB protein, which is not recognized by some antibodies used in published studies. Little to no transcriptional evidence was found for the other CYGB isoforms. Comparative transcriptomics and flow cytometry on CYGB+/+ and gene-edited CYGB-/- HepG2 HB cells did not unveil a knockout phenotype and, thus, a potential function for CYGB V-3. Our study reveals that the CYGB gene is transcriptionally more complex than previously described as it expresses alternative mRNA isoforms of unknown function. Additional experimental data are needed to clarify the biological meaning of those alternative CYGB transcripts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Porto
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Molecular Genetics & Genome Analysis Group, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, J. J. Becher-Weg 30A, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Paraskevi Loula
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Molecular Genetics & Genome Analysis Group, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, J. J. Becher-Weg 30A, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Strand
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Molecular Hepatology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Obere Zahlbacher Strasse 63, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Thomas Hankeln
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Molecular Genetics & Genome Analysis Group, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, J. J. Becher-Weg 30A, D-55128 Mainz, Germany.
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25
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Zhu Y, Vvedenskaya IO, Sze SH, Nickels BE, Kaplan CD. Quantitative analysis of transcription start site selection reveals control by DNA sequence, RNA polymerase II activity and NTP levels. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2024; 31:190-202. [PMID: 38177677 PMCID: PMC10928753 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-023-01171-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Transcription start site (TSS) selection is a key step in gene expression and occurs at many promoter positions over a wide range of efficiencies. Here we develop a massively parallel reporter assay to quantitatively dissect contributions of promoter sequence, nucleoside triphosphate substrate levels and RNA polymerase II (Pol II) activity to TSS selection by 'promoter scanning' in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Pol II MAssively Systematic Transcript End Readout, 'Pol II MASTER'). Using Pol II MASTER, we measure the efficiency of Pol II initiation at 1,000,000 individual TSS sequences in a defined promoter context. Pol II MASTER confirms proposed critical qualities of S. cerevisiae TSS -8, -1 and +1 positions, quantitatively, in a controlled promoter context. Pol II MASTER extends quantitative analysis to surrounding sequences and determines that they tune initiation over a wide range of efficiencies. These results enabled the development of a predictive model for initiation efficiency based on sequence. We show that genetic perturbation of Pol II catalytic activity alters initiation efficiency mostly independently of TSS sequence, but selectively modulates preference for the initiating nucleotide. Intriguingly, we find that Pol II initiation efficiency is directly sensitive to guanosine-5'-triphosphate levels at the first five transcript positions and to cytosine-5'-triphosphate and uridine-5'-triphosphate levels at the second position genome wide. These results suggest individual nucleoside triphosphate levels can have transcript-specific effects on initiation, representing a cryptic layer of potential regulation at the level of Pol II biochemical properties. The results establish Pol II MASTER as a method for quantitative dissection of transcription initiation in eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunye Zhu
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Irina O Vvedenskaya
- Department of Genetics and Waksman Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Sing-Hoi Sze
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Bryce E Nickels
- Department of Genetics and Waksman Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Craig D Kaplan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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26
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Goel A, Rastogi A, Jain M, Niveriya K. RNA-based Therapeutics: Past, Present and Future Prospects, Challenges in Cancer Treatment. Curr Pharm Biotechnol 2024; 25:2125-2137. [PMID: 38347795 DOI: 10.2174/0113892010291042240130171709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/10/2024]
Abstract
It is becoming more and harder in today's climate to disregard the impact of cancer on social health. Even though a significant amount of money is spent annually on cancer research, it still ranks as the second leading cause of death worldwide. Additionally, only about half of the patients suffering from complex forms of cancer survive a year after receiving traditional cancer therapies. A method for silencing genes is called RNA interference (RNAi). Such a method is very effective in focusing on genes linked to cancer. Most gene products implicated in cancer have recently been used as RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic targets. According to the findings from this research, RNAi application is necessary for today's cancer treatment to target functioning carcinogenic molecules and tumor resistance to chemotherapy and radiation. Proapoptotic and antiproliferative activity has been reported from previous research studies on cell culture systems, animal models, and clinical trials through the knockdown of gene products from RNAi technology. Numerous novel RNAi-based medications are now in the clinical trial stages thanks to the discovery of the RNAi mechanism and advancements in the area. In the future, genomic-based personalized medicines can be developed through this RNAi therapy. Hopefully, cancer sufferers will find this sort of therapy to be one of the most effective ones. Various kinds of RNA-based treatments, such as aptamers, small interfering RNAs, microRNAs, antisense oligonucleotides, and messenger RNA, are covered in broad terms in this study. We also present an overview of the RNA-based therapies that have received regulatory approval in the past or are now undergoing clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjana Goel
- Department of Biotechnology, GLA University, Mathura, India
| | - Amisha Rastogi
- Department of Biotechnology, GLA University, Mathura, India
| | - Mansi Jain
- Department of Biotechnology, GLA University, Mathura, India
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27
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Liu X, Chen M, Qu X, Liu W, Dou Y, Liu Q, Shi D, Jiang M, Li H. Cis-Regulatory Elements in Mammals. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:343. [PMID: 38203513 PMCID: PMC10779164 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
In cis-regulatory elements, enhancers and promoters with complex molecular interactions are used to coordinate gene transcription through physical proximity and chemical modifications. These processes subsequently influence the phenotypic characteristics of an organism. An in-depth exploration of enhancers and promoters can substantially enhance our understanding of gene regulatory networks, shedding new light on mammalian development, evolution and disease pathways. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the intrinsic structural attributes, detection methodologies as well as the operational mechanisms of enhancers and promoters, coupled with the relevant novel and innovative investigative techniques used to explore their actions. We further elucidated the state-of-the-art research on the roles of enhancers and promoters in the realms of mammalian development, evolution and disease, and we conclude with forward-looking insights into prospective research avenues.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Mingsheng Jiang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding, Disease Control and Prevention, College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530005, China
| | - Hui Li
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding, Disease Control and Prevention, College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530005, China
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28
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Li R, Wan D, Liang J, Liang H, Huang H, Li G. Pan-cancer analysis of promoter activity quantitative trait loci. NAR Cancer 2023; 5:zcad053. [PMID: 38023732 PMCID: PMC10644876 DOI: 10.1093/narcan/zcad053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Altered promoter activity has been generally observed in diverse biological processes, including tumorigenesis. Accumulating evidence suggests that employing a quantitative trait locus mapping approach is effective in comprehending the genetic basis of promoter activity. By utilizing genotype data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and calculating corresponding promoter activity values using proActiv, we systematically evaluated the impact of genetic variants on promoter activity and identified >1.0 million promoter activity quantitative trait loci (paQTLs) as both cis- and trans-acting. Additionally, leveraging data from the genome-wide association study (GWAS) catalog, we discovered >1.3 million paQTLs that overlap with known GWAS linkage disequilibrium regions. Remarkably, ∼9324 paQTLs exhibited significant associations with patient prognosis. Moreover, investigating the impact of promoter activity on >1000 imputed antitumor therapy responses among pan-cancer patients revealed >43 000 million significant associations. Furthermore, ∼25 000 significant associations were identified between promoter activity and immune cell abundance. Finally, a user-friendly data portal, Pancan-paQTL (https://www.hbpding.com/PancanPaQTL/), was constructed for users to browse, search and download data of interest. Pancan-paQTL serves as a comprehensive multidimensional database, enabling functional and clinical investigations into genetic variants associated with promoter activity, drug responses and immune infiltration across multiple cancer types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430000, China
| | - Dongyi Wan
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430000, China
| | - Junnan Liang
- Hepatic Surgery Center and Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430000, China
| | - Huifang Liang
- Hepatic Surgery Center and Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430000, China
| | - Haohao Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, General Hospital of Central Theatre Command of People’s Liberation Army, Wuhan, Hubei, 430000, China
| | - Ganxun Li
- Hepatic Surgery Center and Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430000, China
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29
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S Mesquita F, Abrami L, Bracq L, Panyain N, Mercier V, Kunz B, Chuat A, Carlevaro-Fita J, Trono D, van der Goot FG. SARS-CoV-2 hijacks a cell damage response, which induces transcription of a more efficient Spike S-acyltransferase. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7302. [PMID: 37952051 PMCID: PMC10640587 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43027-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 infection requires Spike protein-mediated fusion between the viral and cellular membranes. The fusogenic activity of Spike depends on its post-translational lipid modification by host S-acyltransferases, predominantly ZDHHC20. Previous observations indicate that SARS-CoV-2 infection augments the S-acylation of Spike when compared to mere Spike transfection. Here, we find that SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers a change in the transcriptional start site of the zdhhc20 gene, both in cells and in an in vivo infection model, resulting in a 67-amino-acid-long N-terminally extended protein with approx. 40 times higher Spike acylating activity, resulting in enhanced fusion of viruses with host cells. Furthermore, we observed the same induced transcriptional change in response to other challenges, such as chemically induced colitis and pore-forming toxins, indicating that SARS-CoV-2 hijacks an existing cell damage response pathway to optimize it fusion glycoprotein.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laurence Abrami
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lucie Bracq
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nattawadee Panyain
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Vincent Mercier
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
- ACCESS, Department of Biochemistry, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Béatrice Kunz
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Audrey Chuat
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Didier Trono
- Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
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30
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Nikumbh S, Lenhard B. Identifying promoter sequence architectures via a chunking-based algorithm using non-negative matrix factorisation. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011491. [PMID: 37983292 PMCID: PMC10695386 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011491] [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: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Core promoters are stretches of DNA at the beginning of genes that contain information that facilitates the binding of transcription initiation complexes. Different functional subsets of genes have core promoters with distinct architectures and characteristic motifs. Some of these motifs inform the selection of transcription start sites (TSS). By discovering motifs with fixed distances from known TSS positions, we could in principle classify promoters into different functional groups. Due to the variability and overlap of architectures, promoter classification is a difficult task that requires new approaches. In this study, we present a new method based on non-negative matrix factorisation (NMF) and the associated software called seqArchR that clusters promoter sequences based on their motifs at near-fixed distances from a reference point, such as TSS. When combined with experimental data from CAGE, seqArchR can efficiently identify TSS-directing motifs, including known ones like TATA, DPE, and nucleosome positioning signal, as well as novel lineage-specific motifs and the function of genes associated with them. By using seqArchR on developmental time courses, we reveal how relative use of promoter architectures changes over time with stage-specific expression. seqArchR is a powerful tool for initial genome-wide classification and functional characterisation of promoters. Its use cases are more general: it can also be used to discover any motifs at near-fixed distances from a reference point, even if they are present in only a small subset of sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarvesh Nikumbh
- Computational Regulatory Genomics, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, United Kingdom
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Boris Lenhard
- Computational Regulatory Genomics, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, United Kingdom
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
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31
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Zhu P, Schon M, Questa J, Nodine M, Dean C. Causal role of a promoter polymorphism in natural variation of the Arabidopsis floral repressor gene FLC. Curr Biol 2023; 33:4381-4391.e3. [PMID: 37729909 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Noncoding polymorphism frequently associates with phenotypic variation, but causation and mechanism are rarely established. Noncoding single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) characterize the major haplotypes of the Arabidopsis thaliana floral repressor gene FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). This noncoding polymorphism generates a range of FLC expression levels, determining the requirement for and the response to winter cold. The major adaptive determinant of these FLC haplotypes was shown to be the autumnal levels of FLC expression. Here, we investigate how noncoding SNPs influence FLC transcriptional output. We identify an upstream transcription start site (uTSS) cluster at FLC, whose usage is increased by an A variant at the promoter SNP-230. This variant is present in relatively few Arabidopsis accessions, with the majority containing G at this site. We demonstrate a causal role for the A variant at -230 in reduced FLC transcriptional output. The G variant upregulates FLC expression redundantly with the major transcriptional activator FRIGIDA (FRI). We demonstrate an additive interaction of SNP-230 with an intronic SNP+259, which also differentially influences uTSS usage. Combinatorial interactions between noncoding SNPs and transcriptional activators thus generate quantitative variation in FLC transcription that has facilitated the adaptation of Arabidopsis accessions to distinct climates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan Zhu
- John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Michael Schon
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Wageningen University, Wageningen 6708 PB, the Netherlands; Gregor Mendel Institute, Vienna Biocenter, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Julia Questa
- John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Michael Nodine
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Wageningen University, Wageningen 6708 PB, the Netherlands; Gregor Mendel Institute, Vienna Biocenter, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Caroline Dean
- John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK.
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32
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Poulet A, Kratkiewicz AJ, Li D, van Wolfswinkel JC. Chromatin analysis of adult pluripotent stem cells reveals a unique stemness maintenance strategy. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadh4887. [PMID: 37801496 PMCID: PMC10558129 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh4887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Many highly regenerative organisms maintain adult pluripotent stem cells throughout their life, but how the long-term maintenance of pluripotency is accomplished is unclear. To decipher the regulatory logic of adult pluripotent stem cells, we analyzed the chromatin organization of stem cell genes in the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. We identify a special chromatin state of stem cell genes, which is distinct from that of tissue-specific genes and resembles constitutive genes. Where tissue-specific promoters have detectable transcription factor binding sites, the promoters of stem cell-specific genes instead have sequence features that broadly decrease nucleosome binding affinity. This genic organization makes pluripotency-related gene expression the default state in these cells, which is maintained by the activity of chromatin remodelers ISWI and SNF2 in the stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Poulet
- Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Arcadia J. Kratkiewicz
- Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Danyan Li
- Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Josien C. van Wolfswinkel
- Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Yale Center for RNA Science and Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
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33
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Bernardini A, Hollinger C, Willgenss D, Müller F, Devys D, Tora L. Transcription factor IID parks and drives preinitiation complexes at sharp or broad promoters. Trends Biochem Sci 2023; 48:839-848. [PMID: 37574371 PMCID: PMC10529448 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2023.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Core promoters are sites where transcriptional regulatory inputs of a gene are integrated to direct the assembly of the preinitiation complex (PIC) and RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription output. Until now, core promoter functions have been investigated by distinct methods, including Pol II transcription initiation site mappings and structural characterization of PICs on distinct promoters. Here, we bring together these previously unconnected observations and hypothesize how, on metazoan TATA promoters, the precisely structured building up of transcription factor (TF) IID-based PICs results in sharp transcription start site (TSS) selection; or, in contrast, how the less strictly controlled positioning of the TATA-less promoter DNA relative to TFIID-core PIC components results in alternative broad TSS selections by Pol II.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Bernardini
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | | | | | - Ferenc Müller
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Didier Devys
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France.
| | - László Tora
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France.
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Kharytonchyk S, Burnett C, GC K, Telesnitsky A. Transcription start site heterogeneity and its role in RNA fate determination distinguish HIV-1 from other retroviruses and are mediated by core promoter elements. J Virol 2023; 97:e0081823. [PMID: 37681957 PMCID: PMC10537674 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00818-23] [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: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 uses heterogeneous transcription start sites (TSSs) to generate two RNA 5´ isoforms that adopt radically different structures and perform distinct replication functions. Although these RNAs differ in length by only two bases, exclusively, the shorter RNA is encapsidated while the longer RNA is excluded from virions and provides intracellular functions. The current study examined TSS usage and packaging selectivity for a broad range of retroviruses and found that heterogeneous TSS usage was a conserved feature of all tested HIV-1 strains, but all other retroviruses examined displayed unique TSSs. Phylogenetic comparisons and chimeric viruses' properties provided evidence that this mechanism of RNA fate determination was an innovation of the HIV-1 lineage, with determinants mapping to core promoter elements. Fine-tuning differences between HIV-1 and HIV-2, which uses a unique TSS, implicated purine residue positioning plus a specific TSS-adjacent dinucleotide in specifying multiplicity of TSS usage. Based on these findings, HIV-1 expression constructs were generated that differed from the parental strain by only two point mutations yet each expressed only one of HIV-1's two RNAs. Replication defects of the variant with only the presumptive founder TSS were less severe than those for the virus with only the secondary start site. IMPORTANCE Retroviruses use RNA both to encode their proteins and to serve in place of DNA as their genomes. A recent surprising discovery was that the genomic RNAs and messenger RNAs of HIV-1 are not identical but instead differ subtly on one of their ends. These differences enable the functional separation of HIV-1 RNAs into genome and messenger roles. In this report, we examined a broad collection of HIV-1-related viruses and discovered that each produced only one end class of RNA, and thus must differ from HIV-1 in how they specify RNA fates. By comparing regulatory signals, we generated virus variants that pinpointed the determinants of HIV-1 RNA fates, as well as HIV-1 variants that produced only one or the other functional class of RNA. Competition and replication assays confirmed that HIV-1 has evolved to rely on the coordinated actions of both its RNA forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siarhei Kharytonchyk
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Cleo Burnett
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Keshav GC
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Alice Telesnitsky
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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35
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Pastore B, Hertz HL, Tang W. Pre-piRNA trimming safeguards piRNAs against erroneous targeting by RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.26.559619. [PMID: 37808652 PMCID: PMC10557677 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.26.559619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
In animal germ lines, The Piwi/piRNA pathway plays a crucial role in safeguarding genome integrity and promoting fertility. Following transcription from discrete genomic loci, piRNA precursors undergo nucleolytic processing at both 5' and 3' ends. The ribonuclease PARN-1 and its orthologs mediate piRNA 3' trimming in worms, insects and mammals. Yet, the significance of this evolutionarily conserved processing step is not well understood. Employing C. elegans as a model organism, our recent work has demonstrated that 3' trimming protects piRNAs against non-templated nucleotide additions and degradation. In this study, we present an unexpected finding that C. elegans deficient for PARN-1 accumulate a heretofore uncharacterized RNA species termed anti-piRNAs, which are antisense to piRNAs. These anti-piRNAs associate with Piwi proteins and display the propensity for a length of 17-19 nucleotides and 5' guanine and adenine residues. We show that untrimmed pre-piRNAs in parn-1 mutants are modified by the terminal nucleotidyltransferase RDE-3 and erroneously targeted by the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase EGO-1, thereby giving rise to anti-piRNAs. Taken together, our work identifies a previously unknown class of small RNAs upon loss of parn-1 and provides mechanistic insight to activities of RDE-3, EGO-1 and Piwi proteins.
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36
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Suzuki M, Sakai S, Ota K, Bando Y, Uchida C, Niida H, Kitagawa M, Ohhata T. CCIVR2 facilitates comprehensive identification of both overlapping and non-overlapping antisense transcripts within specified regions. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14807. [PMID: 37684517 PMCID: PMC10491648 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42044-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Pairs of sense and antisense transcriptions that are adjacent at their 5' and 3' regions are called divergent and convergent transcription, respectively. However, the structural properties of divergent/convergent transcription in different species or RNA biotypes are poorly characterized. Here, we developed CCIVR2, a program that facilitates identification of both overlapping and non-overlapping antisense transcripts produced from divergent/convergent transcription whose transcription start sites (TSS) or transcript end sites (TES) are located within a specified region. We used CCIVR2 to analyze antisense transcripts starting around the sense TSS (from divergent transcription) or ending around the sense TES (from convergent transcription) in 11 different species and found species- and RNA biotype-specific features of divergent/convergent transcription. Furthermore, we confirmed that CCIVR2 enables the identification of multiple sense/antisense transcript pairs from divergent transcription, including those with known functions in processes such as embryonic stem cell differentiation and TGFβ stimulation. CCIVR2 is therefore a valuable bioinformatics tool that facilitates the characterization of divergent/convergent transcription in different species and aids the identification of functional sense/antisense transcript pairs from divergent transcription in specified biological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Suzuki
- Department of Molecular Biology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-3192, Japan
| | - Satoshi Sakai
- Department of Molecular Biology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-3192, Japan
| | - Kosuke Ota
- Department of Molecular Biology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-3192, Japan
| | - Yuki Bando
- Department of Organ and Tissue Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-3192, Japan
| | - Chiharu Uchida
- Advanced Research Facilities and Services, Preeminent Medical Photonics Education and Research Center, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-3192, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Niida
- Department of Molecular Biology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-3192, Japan
| | - Masatoshi Kitagawa
- Department of Molecular Biology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-3192, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Ohhata
- Department of Molecular Biology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-3192, Japan.
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37
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Herbert A. Flipons and small RNAs accentuate the asymmetries of pervasive transcription by the reset and sequence-specific microcoding of promoter conformation. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105140. [PMID: 37544644 PMCID: PMC10474125 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of alternate DNA conformations such as Z-DNA in the regulation of transcription is currently underappreciated. These structures are encoded by sequences called flipons, many of which are enriched in promoter and enhancer regions. Through a change in their conformation, flipons provide a tunable mechanism to mechanically reset promoters for the next round of transcription. They act as actuators that capture and release energy to ensure that the turnover of the proteins at promoters is optimized to cell state. Likewise, the single-stranded DNA formed as flipons cycle facilitates the docking of RNAs that are able to microcode promoter conformations and canalize the pervasive transcription commonly observed in metazoan genomes. The strand-specific nature of the interaction between RNA and DNA likely accounts for the known asymmetry of epigenetic marks present on the histone tetramers that pair to form nucleosomes. The role of these supercoil-dependent processes in promoter choice and transcriptional interference is reviewed. The evolutionary implications are examined: the resilience and canalization of flipon-dependent gene regulation is contrasted with the rapid adaptation enabled by the spread of flipon repeats throughout the genome. Overall, the current findings underscore the important role of flipons in modulating the readout of genetic information and how little we know about their biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Herbert
- Discovery Division, InsideOutBio, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.
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38
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Gerdes P, Chan D, Lundberg M, Sanchez-Luque FJ, Bodea GO, Ewing AD, Faulkner GJ, Richardson SR. Locus-resolution analysis of L1 regulation and retrotransposition potential in mouse embryonic development. Genome Res 2023; 33:1465-1481. [PMID: 37798118 PMCID: PMC10620060 DOI: 10.1101/gr.278003.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Mice harbor ∼2800 intact copies of the retrotransposon Long Interspersed Element 1 (L1). The in vivo retrotransposition capacity of an L1 copy is defined by both its sequence integrity and epigenetic status, including DNA methylation of the monomeric units constituting young mouse L1 promoters. Locus-specific L1 methylation dynamics during development may therefore elucidate and explain spatiotemporal niches of endogenous retrotransposition but remain unresolved. Here, we interrogate the retrotransposition efficiency and epigenetic fate of source (donor) L1s, identified as mobile in vivo. We show that promoter monomer loss consistently attenuates the relative retrotransposition potential of their offspring (daughter) L1 insertions. We also observe that most donor/daughter L1 pairs are efficiently methylated upon differentiation in vivo and in vitro. We use Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) long-read sequencing to resolve L1 methylation genome-wide and at individual L1 loci, revealing a distinctive "smile" pattern in methylation levels across the L1 promoter region. Using Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) SMRT sequencing of L1 5' RACE products, we then examine DNA methylation dynamics at the mouse L1 promoter in parallel with transcription start site (TSS) distribution at locus-specific resolution. Together, our results offer a novel perspective on the interplay between epigenetic repression, L1 evolution, and genome stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Gerdes
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Dorothy Chan
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Mischa Lundberg
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
- Translational Bioinformatics, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Sydney, New South Wales 2113, Australia
| | - Francisco J Sanchez-Luque
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
- GENYO. Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (Pfizer-University of Granada-Andalusian Regional Government), PTS Granada, 18016, Spain
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer (IGC), University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, United Kingdom
| | - Gabriela O Bodea
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Adam D Ewing
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Geoffrey J Faulkner
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia;
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Sandra R Richardson
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia;
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39
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Ner-Gaon H, Peleg R, Gazit R, Reiner-Benaim A, Shay T. Mapping the splicing landscape of the human immune system. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1116392. [PMID: 37711610 PMCID: PMC10499523 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1116392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Most human genes code for more than one transcript. Different ratios of transcripts of the same gene can be found in different cell types or states, indicating differential use of transcription start sites or differential splicing. Such differential transcript use (DTUs) events provide an additional layer of regulation and protein diversity. With the exceptions of PTPRC and CIITA, there are very few reported cases of DTU events in the immune system. To rigorously map DTUs between different human immune cell types, we leveraged four publicly available RNA sequencing datasets. We identified 282 DTU events between five human healthy immune cell types that appear in at least two datasets. The patterns of the DTU events were mostly cell-type-specific or lineage-specific, in the context of the five cell types tested. DTUs correlated with the expression pattern of potential regulators, namely, splicing factors and transcription factors. Of the several immune related conditions studied, only sepsis affected the splicing of more than a few genes and only in innate immune cells. Taken together, we map the DTUs landscape in human peripheral blood immune cell types, and present hundreds of genes whose transcript use changes between cell types or upon activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadas Ner-Gaon
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Ronnie Peleg
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Roi Gazit
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Anat Reiner-Benaim
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Tal Shay
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
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40
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Guzman C, Duttke S, Zhu Y, De Arruda Saldanha C, Downes N, Benner C, Heinz S. Combining TSS-MPRA and sensitive TSS profile dissimilarity scoring to study the sequence determinants of transcription initiation. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:e80. [PMID: 37403796 PMCID: PMC10450201 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cis-regulatory elements (CREs) can be classified by the shapes of their transcription start site (TSS) profiles, which are indicative of distinct regulatory mechanisms. Massively parallel reporter assays (MPRAs) are increasingly being used to study CRE regulatory mechanisms, yet the degree to which MPRAs replicate individual endogenous TSS profiles has not been determined. Here, we present a new low-input MPRA protocol (TSS-MPRA) that enables measuring TSS profiles of episomal reporters as well as after lentiviral reporter chromatinization. To sensitively compare MPRA and endogenous TSS profiles, we developed a novel dissimilarity scoring algorithm (WIP score) that outperforms the frequently used earth mover's distance on experimental data. Using TSS-MPRA and WIP scoring on 500 unique reporter inserts, we found that short (153 bp) MPRA promoter inserts replicate the endogenous TSS patterns of ∼60% of promoters. Lentiviral reporter chromatinization did not improve fidelity of TSS-MPRA initiation patterns, and increasing insert size frequently led to activation of extraneous TSS in the MPRA that are not active in vivo. We discuss the implications of our findings, which highlight important caveats when using MPRAs to study transcription mechanisms. Finally, we illustrate how TSS-MPRA and WIP scoring can provide novel insights into the impact of transcription factor motif mutations and genetic variants on TSS patterns and transcription levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Guzman
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, U.C. San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Graduate Program in Bioinformatics & Systems Biology, U.C. San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sascha Duttke
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, U.C. San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Yixin Zhu
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, U.C. San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Camila De Arruda Saldanha
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, U.C. San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Nicholas L Downes
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, U.C. San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Christopher Benner
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, U.C. San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sven Heinz
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, U.C. San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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41
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Fan K, Pfister E, Weng Z. Toward a comprehensive catalog of regulatory elements. Hum Genet 2023; 142:1091-1111. [PMID: 36935423 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-023-02519-3] [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: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/21/2023]
Abstract
Regulatory elements are the genomic regions that interact with transcription factors to control cell-type-specific gene expression in different cellular environments. A precise and complete catalog of functional elements encoded by the human genome is key to understanding mammalian gene regulation. Here, we review the current state of regulatory element annotation. We first provide an overview of assays for characterizing functional elements, including genome, epigenome, transcriptome, three-dimensional chromatin interaction, and functional validation assays. We then discuss computational methods for defining regulatory elements, including peak-calling and other statistical modeling methods. Finally, we introduce several high-quality lists of regulatory element annotations and suggest potential future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaili Fan
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, ASC5-1069, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Edith Pfister
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, ASC5-1069, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Zhiping Weng
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, ASC5-1069, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
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42
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Dudnyk K, Shi C, Zhou J. Sequence basis of transcription initiation in human genome. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.27.546584. [PMID: 37425823 PMCID: PMC10327147 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.27.546584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Transcription initiation is an essential process for ensuring proper function of any gene, however, a unified understanding of sequence patterns and rules that determine transcription initiation sites in human genome remains elusive. By explaining transcription initiation at basepair resolution from sequence with a deep learning-inspired explainable modeling approach, here we show that simple rules can explain the vast majority of human promoters. We identified key sequence patterns that contribute to human promoter function, each activating transcription with a distinct position-specific effect curve that likely reflects its mechanism of promoting transcription initiation. Most of these position-specific effects have not been previously characterized, and we verified them using experimental perturbations of transcription factors and sequences. We revealed the sequence basis of bidirectional transcription at promoters and links between promoter selectivity and gene expression variation across cell types. Additionally, by analyzing 241 mammalian genomes and mouse transcription initiation site data, we showed that the sequence determinants are conserved across mammalian species. Taken together, we provide a unified model of the sequence basis of transcription initiation at the basepair level that is broadly applicable across mammalian species, and shed new light on basic questions related to promoter sequence and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kseniia Dudnyk
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Chenlai Shi
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jian Zhou
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas, Texas, United States of America
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43
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Carbonell-Sala S, Lagarde J, Nishiyori H, Palumbo E, Arnan C, Takahashi H, Carninci P, Uszczynska-Ratajczak B, Guigó R. CapTrap-Seq: A platform-agnostic and quantitative approach for high-fidelity full-length RNA transcript sequencing. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.16.543444. [PMID: 37398314 PMCID: PMC10312720 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.16.543444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Long-read RNA sequencing is essential to produce accurate and exhaustive annotation of eukaryotic genomes. Despite advancements in throughput and accuracy, achieving reliable end-to-end identification of RNA transcripts remains a challenge for long-read sequencing methods. To address this limitation, we developed CapTrap-seq, a cDNA library preparation method, which combines the Cap-trapping strategy with oligo(dT) priming to detect 5'capped, full-length transcripts, together with the data processing pipeline LyRic. We benchmarked CapTrap-seq and other popular RNA-seq library preparation protocols in a number of human tissues using both ONT and PacBio sequencing. To assess the accuracy of the transcript models produced, we introduced a capping strategy for synthetic RNA spike-in sequences that mimics the natural 5'cap formation in RNA spike-in molecules. We found that the vast majority (up to 90%) of transcript models that LyRic derives from CapTrap-seq reads are full-length. This makes it possible to produce highly accurate annotations with minimal human intervention.
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44
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Balaratnam S, Torrey ZR, Calabrese DR, Banco MT, Yazdani K, Liang X, Fullenkamp CR, Seshadri S, Holewinski RJ, Andresson T, Ferré-D'Amaré AR, Incarnato D, Schneekloth JS. Investigating the NRAS 5' UTR as a target for small molecules. Cell Chem Biol 2023; 30:643-657.e8. [PMID: 37257453 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2023.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma RAS (NRAS) is an oncogene that is deregulated and highly mutated in cancers including melanomas and acute myeloid leukemias. The 5' untranslated region (UTR) (5' UTR) of the NRAS mRNA contains a G-quadruplex (G4) that regulates translation. Here we report a novel class of small molecule that binds to the G4 structure located in the 5' UTR of the NRAS mRNA. We used a small molecule microarray screen to identify molecules that selectively bind to the NRAS-G4 with submicromolar affinity. One compound inhibits the translation of NRAS in vitro but showed only moderate effects on the NRAS levels in cellulo. Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends and RT-PCR analysis revealed that the predominant NRAS transcript does not possess the G4 structure. Thus, although NRAS transcripts lack a G4 in many cell lines the concept of targeting folded regions within 5' UTRs to control translation remains a highly attractive strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumirtha Balaratnam
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Zachary R Torrey
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - David R Calabrese
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Michael T Banco
- Biochemistry and Biophysics Center, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kamyar Yazdani
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Xiao Liang
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | | | - Srinath Seshadri
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Ronald J Holewinski
- Protein Characterization Laboratory, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Thorkell Andresson
- Protein Characterization Laboratory, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Adrian R Ferré-D'Amaré
- Biochemistry and Biophysics Center, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Danny Incarnato
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute (GBB), University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - John S Schneekloth
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
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45
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Volkening JD, Spatz SJ, Ponnuraj N, Akbar H, Arrington JV, Vega-Rodriguez W, Jarosinski KW. Viral proteogenomic and expression profiling during productive replication of a skin-tropic herpesvirus in the natural host. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011204. [PMID: 37289833 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Efficient transmission of herpesviruses is essential for dissemination in host populations; however, little is known about the viral genes that mediate transmission, mostly due to a lack of natural virus-host model systems. Marek's disease is a devastating herpesviral disease of chickens caused by Marek's disease virus (MDV) and an excellent natural model to study skin-tropic herpesviruses and transmission. Like varicella zoster virus that causes chicken pox in humans, the only site where infectious cell-free MD virions are efficiently produced is in epithelial skin cells, a requirement for host-to-host transmission. Here, we enriched for heavily infected feather follicle epithelial skin cells of live chickens to measure both viral transcription and protein expression using combined short- and long-read RNA sequencing and LC/MS-MS bottom-up proteomics. Enrichment produced a previously unseen breadth and depth of viral peptide sequencing. We confirmed protein translation for 84 viral genes at high confidence (1% FDR) and correlated relative protein abundance with RNA expression levels. Using a proteogenomic approach, we confirmed translation of most well-characterized spliced viral transcripts and identified a novel, abundant isoform of the 14 kDa transcript family via IsoSeq transcripts, short-read intron-spanning sequencing reads, and a high-quality junction-spanning peptide identification. We identified peptides representing alternative start codon usage in several genes and putative novel microORFs at the 5' ends of two core herpesviral genes, pUL47 and ICP4, along with strong evidence of independent transcription and translation of the capsid scaffold protein pUL26.5. Using a natural animal host model system to examine viral gene expression provides a robust, efficient, and meaningful way of validating results gathered from cell culture systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephen J Spatz
- US National Poultry Research Laboratory, ARS, USDA, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Nagendraprabhu Ponnuraj
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Haji Akbar
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Justine V Arrington
- Protein Sciences Facility, Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Widaliz Vega-Rodriguez
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Keith W Jarosinski
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
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46
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Resztak JA, Wei J, Zilioli S, Sendler E, Alazizi A, Mair-Meijers HE, Wu P, Wen X, Slatcher RB, Zhou X, Luca F, Pique-Regi R. Genetic control of the dynamic transcriptional response to immune stimuli and glucocorticoids at single-cell resolution. Genome Res 2023; 33:839-856. [PMID: 37442575 PMCID: PMC10519413 DOI: 10.1101/gr.276765.122] [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: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic glucocorticoids, such as dexamethasone, have been used as a treatment for many immune conditions, such as asthma and, more recently, severe COVID-19. Single-cell data can capture more fine-grained details on transcriptional variability and dynamics to gain a better understanding of the molecular underpinnings of inter-individual variation in drug response. Here, we used single-cell RNA-seq to study the dynamics of the transcriptional response to glucocorticoids in activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 96 African American children. We used novel statistical approaches to calculate a mean-independent measure of gene expression variability and a measure of transcriptional response pseudotime. Using these approaches, we showed that glucocorticoids reverse the effects of immune stimulation on both gene expression mean and variability. Our novel measure of gene expression response dynamics, based on the diagonal linear discriminant analysis, separated individual cells by response status on the basis of their transcriptional profiles and allowed us to identify different dynamic patterns of gene expression along the response pseudotime. We identified genetic variants regulating gene expression mean and variability, including treatment-specific effects, and showed widespread genetic regulation of the transcriptional dynamics of the gene expression response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justyna A Resztak
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
| | - Julong Wei
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
| | - Samuele Zilioli
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
| | - Edward Sendler
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
| | - Adnan Alazizi
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
| | - Henriette E Mair-Meijers
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
| | - Peijun Wu
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Xiaoquan Wen
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Richard B Slatcher
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - Xiang Zhou
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Francesca Luca
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA;
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata," 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Roger Pique-Regi
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA;
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
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47
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Kharytonchyk S, Burnett C, Gc K, Telesnitsky A. Transcription start site heterogeneity and its role in RNA fate determination distinguish HIV-1 from other retroviruses and are mediated by core promoter elements. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.22.541776. [PMID: 37292892 PMCID: PMC10245945 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.22.541776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
HIV-1 uses heterogeneous transcription start sites (TSSs) to generate two RNA 5' isoforms that adopt radically different structures and perform distinct replication functions. Although these RNAs differ in length by only two bases, exclusively the shorter RNA is encapsidated while the longer RNA is excluded from virions and provides intracellular functions. The current study examined TSS usage and packaging selectivity for a broad range of retroviruses and found that heterogenous TSS usage was a conserved feature of all tested HIV-1 strains, but all other retroviruses examined displayed unique TSSs. Phylogenetic csomparisons and chimeric viruses' properties provided evidence that this mechanism of RNA fate determination was an innovation of the HIV-1 lineage, with determinants mapping to core promoter elements. Fine-tuning differences between HIV-1 and HIV-2, which uses a unique TSS, implicated purine residue positioning plus a specific TSS-adjacent dinucleotide in specifying multiplicity of TSS usage. Based on these findings, HIV-1 expression constructs were generated that differed from the parental strain by only two point mutations yet each expressed only one of HIV-1's two RNAs. Replication defects of the variant with only the presumptive founder TSS were less severe than those for the virus with only the secondary start site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siarhei Kharytonchyk
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5620, USA
| | - Cleo Burnett
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5620, USA
| | - Keshav Gc
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5620, USA
| | - Alice Telesnitsky
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5620, USA
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48
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Li XC, Fuqua T, van Breugel ME, Crocker J. Mutational scans reveal differential evolvability of Drosophila promoters and enhancers. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220054. [PMID: 37004721 PMCID: PMC10067265 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Rapid enhancer and slow promoter evolution have been demonstrated through comparative genomics. However, it is not clear how this information is encoded genetically and if this can be used to place evolution in a predictive context. Part of the challenge is that our understanding of the potential for regulatory evolution is biased primarily toward natural variation or limited experimental perturbations. Here, to explore the evolutionary capacity of promoter variation, we surveyed an unbiased mutation library for three promoters in Drosophila melanogaster. We found that mutations in promoters had limited to no effect on spatial patterns of gene expression. Compared to developmental enhancers, promoters are more robust to mutations and have more access to mutations that can increase gene expression, suggesting that their low activity might be a result of selection. Consistent with these observations, increasing the promoter activity at the endogenous locus of shavenbaby led to increased transcription yet limited phenotypic changes. Taken together, developmental promoters may encode robust transcriptional outputs allowing evolvability through the integration of diverse developmental enhancers. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Interdisciplinary approaches to predicting evolutionary biology’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueying C. Li
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg 69117, Germany
| | - Timothy Fuqua
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg 69117, Germany
| | | | - Justin Crocker
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg 69117, Germany
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49
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Lodha M, Muchsin I, Jürges C, Juranic Lisnic V, L'Hernault A, Rutkowski AJ, Prusty BK, Grothey A, Milic A, Hennig T, Jonjic S, Friedel CC, Erhard F, Dölken L. Decoding murine cytomegalovirus. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1010992. [PMID: 37172056 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The genomes of both human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) were first sequenced over 20 years ago. Similar to HCMV, the MCMV genome had initially been proposed to harbor ≈170 open reading frames (ORFs). More recently, omics approaches revealed HCMV gene expression to be substantially more complex comprising several hundred viral ORFs. Here, we provide a state-of-the art reannotation of lytic MCMV gene expression based on integrative analysis of a large set of omics data. Our data reveal 365 viral transcription start sites (TiSS) that give rise to 380 and 454 viral transcripts and ORFs, respectively. The latter include >200 small ORFs, some of which represented the most highly expressed viral gene products. By combining TiSS profiling with metabolic RNA labelling and chemical nucleotide conversion sequencing (dSLAM-seq), we provide a detailed picture of the expression kinetics of viral transcription. This not only resulted in the identification of a novel MCMV immediate early transcript encoding the m166.5 ORF, which we termed ie4, but also revealed a group of well-expressed viral transcripts that are induced later than canonical true late genes and contain an initiator element (Inr) but no TATA- or TATT-box in their core promoters. We show that viral upstream ORFs (uORFs) tune gene expression of longer viral ORFs expressed in cis at translational level. Finally, we identify a truncated isoform of the viral NK-cell immune evasin m145 arising from a viral TiSS downstream of the canonical m145 mRNA. Despite being ≈5-fold more abundantly expressed than the canonical m145 protein it was not required for downregulating the NK cell ligand, MULT-I. In summary, our work will pave the way for future mechanistic studies on previously unknown cytomegalovirus gene products in an important virus animal model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manivel Lodha
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität-Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ihsan Muchsin
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität-Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christopher Jürges
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität-Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Vanda Juranic Lisnic
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
- Center for Proteomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Anne L'Hernault
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Andrzej J Rutkowski
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Bhupesh K Prusty
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität-Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Arnhild Grothey
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität-Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Andrea Milic
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität-Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Hennig
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität-Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Stipan Jonjic
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
- Center for Proteomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Caroline C Friedel
- Institute of Informatics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Florian Erhard
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität-Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Lars Dölken
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität-Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Würzburg, Germany
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50
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Nepal C, Andersen JB. Alternative promoters in CpG depleted regions are prevalently associated with epigenetic misregulation of liver cancer transcriptomes. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2712. [PMID: 37169774 PMCID: PMC10175279 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38272-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional regulation is commonly governed by alternative promoters. However, the regulatory architecture in alternative and reference promoters, and how they differ, remains elusive. In 100 CAGE-seq libraries from hepatocellular carcinoma patients, here we annotate 4083 alternative promoters in 2926 multi-promoter genes, which are largely undetected in normal livers. These genes are enriched in oncogenic processes and predominantly show association with overall survival. Alternative promoters are narrow nucleosome depleted regions, CpG island depleted, and enriched for tissue-specific transcription factors. Globally tumors lose DNA methylation. We show hierarchical retention of intragenic DNA methylation with CG-poor regions rapidly losing methylation, while CG-rich regions retain it, a process mediated by differential SETD2, H3K36me3, DNMT3B, and TET1 binding. This mechanism is validated in SETD2 knockdown cells and SETD2-mutated patients. Selective DNA methylation loss in CG-poor regions makes the chromatin accessible for alternative transcription. We show alternative promoters can control tumor transcriptomes and their regulatory architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chirag Nepal
- Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC), Department of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, Copenhagen N, DK-2200, Denmark.
- Center for Genomics, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, 92350, USA.
| | - Jesper B Andersen
- Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC), Department of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, Copenhagen N, DK-2200, Denmark.
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