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Zhang R, Zhang W, Wang C, Wen CK. Arabidopsis Fhit-like tumor suppressor resumes early terminated constitutive triple response1-10 mRNA translation. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 195:2073-2093. [PMID: 38563472 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiae192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) constitutive triple response1-10 (ctr1-10) mutant produces a reduced level of CTR1 protein and exhibits a weak ctr1 mutant phenotype. Sequence analysis revealed highly active translation of the upstream open reading frame (uORF) at the extended 5'-UTR of the ctr1-10 mRNA, resulting from T-DNA insertion. Enhancer screening for ctr1-10 isolated the fragile histidine triad-1 (fhit-1) mutation. The fhit-1 ctr1-10 mutant phenotypically resembled strong ctr1 mutants and barely produced CTR1, and the fhit-1 mutation reduced the translation efficiency of ctr1-10 but not that of CTR1 mRNA. The human (Homo sapiens) Fhit that involves tumorigenesis and genome instability has the in vitro dinucleotide 5',5'″-P1, P3-triphosphate hydrolase activity, and expression of the human HsFHIT or the hydrolase-defective HsFHITH96N transgene reversed the fhit-1 ctr1-10 mutant phenotype and restored CTR1 levels. Genetic editing that in situ disrupts individual upstream ATG codons proximal to the ctr1-10 mORF elevated CTR1 levels in ctr1-10 plants independent of FHIT. EUKARYOTIC INITIATION FACTOR3G (eIF3G), which is involved in translation and reinitiation, interacted with FHIT, and both were associated with the polysome. We propose that FHIT resumes early terminated ctr1-10 mORF translation in the face of active and complex uORF translation. Our study unveils a niche that may lead to investigations on the molecular mechanism of Fhit-like proteins in translation reinitiation. The biological significance of FHIT-regulated translation is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranran Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Chenrunshu Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Chi-Kuang Wen
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
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2
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Dasgupta A, Prensner JR. Upstream open reading frames: new players in the landscape of cancer gene regulation. NAR Cancer 2024; 6:zcae023. [PMID: 38774471 PMCID: PMC11106035 DOI: 10.1093/narcan/zcae023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The translation of RNA by ribosomes represents a central biological process and one of the most dysregulated processes in cancer. While translation is traditionally thought to occur exclusively in the protein-coding regions of messenger RNAs (mRNAs), recent transcriptome-wide approaches have shown abundant ribosome activity across diverse stretches of RNA transcripts. The most common type of this kind of ribosome activity occurs in gene leader sequences, also known as 5' untranslated regions (UTRs) of the mRNA, that precede the main coding sequence. Translation of these upstream open reading frames (uORFs) is now known to occur in upwards of 25% of all protein-coding genes. With diverse functions from RNA regulation to microprotein generation, uORFs are rapidly igniting a new arena of cancer biology, where they are linked to cancer genetics, cancer signaling, and tumor-immune interactions. This review focuses on the contributions of uORFs and their associated 5'UTR sequences to cancer biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anwesha Dasgupta
- Chad Carr Pediatric Brain Tumor Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - John R Prensner
- Chad Carr Pediatric Brain Tumor Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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3
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Guo X, Yang Y, Tang J, Xiang J. Ephs in cancer progression: complexity and context-dependent nature in signaling, angiogenesis and immunity. Cell Commun Signal 2024; 22:299. [PMID: 38811954 PMCID: PMC11137953 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-024-01580-3] [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: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Eph receptors constitute the largest family of receptor tyrosine kinases, comprising 14 distinct members classified into two subgroups: EphAs and EphBs.. Despite their essential functions in normal physiological processes, accumulating evidence suggests that the involvement of the Eph family in cancer is characterized by a dual and often contradictory nature. Research indicates that Eph/ephrin bidirectional signaling influences cell-cell communication, subsequently regulating cell migration, adhesion, differentiation and proliferation. The contradictory functionalities may arise from the diversity of Eph signaling pathways and the heterogeneity of different cancer microenvironment. In this review, we aim to discuss the dual role of the Eph receptors in tumor development, attempting to elucidate the paradoxical functionality through an exploration of Eph receptor signaling pathways, angiogenesis, immune responses, and more. Our objective is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor development. Additionally, we will explore the evolving landscape of utilizing Eph receptors as potential targets for tumor therapy and diagnostic tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoting Guo
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Early Diagnosis and Precise Treatment of Lung Cancer, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and the Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yanyi Yang
- Health Management Center, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Jingqun Tang
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Early Diagnosis and Precise Treatment of Lung Cancer, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China.
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China.
| | - Juanjuan Xiang
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Early Diagnosis and Precise Treatment of Lung Cancer, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China.
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and the Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
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4
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Singh M, Kumar S. Effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms on the structure of long noncoding RNAs and their interaction with RNA binding proteins. Biosystems 2023; 233:105021. [PMID: 37703988 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2023.105021] [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: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) are emerging as a new class of regulatory RNAs with remarkable potential to be utilized as therapeutic targets against many human diseases. Several genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have catalogued Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) present in the noncoding regions of the genome from where lncRNAs originate. In this study, we have selected 67 lncRNAs with GWAS-tagged SNPs and have also investigated their role in affecting the local secondary structures. Majority of the SNPs lead to changes in the secondary structure of lncRNAs to a different extent by altering the base pairing patterns. These structural changes in lncRNA are also manifested in form of alteration in the binding site for RNA binding proteins (RBPs) along with affecting their binding efficacies. Ultimately, these structural modifications may influence the transcriptional and post-transcriptional pathways of these RNAs, leading to the causation of diseases. Hence, it is important to understand the possible underlying mechanism of RBPs in association with GWAS-tagged SNPs in human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mandakini Singh
- Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, 769008, India
| | - Santosh Kumar
- Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, 769008, India.
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5
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Xiang Y, Huang W, Tan L, Chen T, He Y, Irving PS, Weeks KM, Zhang QC, Dong X. Pervasive downstream RNA hairpins dynamically dictate start-codon selection. Nature 2023; 621:423-430. [PMID: 37674078 PMCID: PMC10499604 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06500-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Translational reprogramming allows organisms to adapt to changing conditions. Upstream start codons (uAUGs), which are prevalently present in mRNAs, have crucial roles in regulating translation by providing alternative translation start sites1-4. However, what determines this selective initiation of translation between conditions remains unclear. Here, by integrating transcriptome-wide translational and structural analyses during pattern-triggered immunity in Arabidopsis, we found that transcripts with immune-induced translation are enriched with upstream open reading frames (uORFs). Without infection, these uORFs are selectively translated owing to hairpins immediately downstream of uAUGs, presumably by slowing and engaging the scanning preinitiation complex. Modelling using deep learning provides unbiased support for these recognizable double-stranded RNA structures downstream of uAUGs (which we term uAUG-ds) being responsible for the selective translation of uAUGs, and allows the prediction and rational design of translating uAUG-ds. We found that uAUG-ds-mediated regulation can be generalized to human cells. Moreover, uAUG-ds-mediated start-codon selection is dynamically regulated. After immune challenge in plants, induced RNA helicases that are homologous to Ded1p in yeast and DDX3X in humans resolve these structures, allowing ribosomes to bypass uAUGs to translate downstream defence proteins. This study shows that mRNA structures dynamically regulate start-codon selection. The prevalence of this RNA structural feature and the conservation of RNA helicases across kingdoms suggest that mRNA structural remodelling is a general feature of translational reprogramming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yezi Xiang
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Wenze Huang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structures, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lianmei Tan
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke Medical Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Tianyuan Chen
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Yang He
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Patrick S Irving
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kevin M Weeks
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Qiangfeng Cliff Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structures, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xinnian Dong
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
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6
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Parmar BS, Kieswetter A, Geens E, Vandewyer E, Ludwig C, Temmerman L. azyx-1 is a new gene that overlaps with zyxin and affects its translation in C. elegans, impacting muscular integrity and locomotion. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002300. [PMID: 37713439 PMCID: PMC10575671 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002300] [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: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Overlapping genes are widely prevalent; however, their expression and consequences are poorly understood. Here, we describe and functionally characterize a novel zyx-1 overlapping gene, azyx-1, with distinct regulatory functions in Caenorhabditis elegans. We observed conservation of alternative open reading frames (ORFs) overlapping the 5' region of zyxin family members in several animal species, and find shared sites of azyx-1 and zyxin proteoform expression in C. elegans. In line with a standard ribosome scanning model, our results support cis regulation of zyx-1 long isoform(s) by upstream initiating azyx-1a. Moreover, we report on a rare observation of trans regulation of zyx-1 by azyx-1, with evidence of increased ZYX-1 upon azyx-1 overexpression. Our results suggest a dual role for azyx-1 in influencing zyx-1 proteoform heterogeneity and highlight its impact on C. elegans muscular integrity and locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhavesh S. Parmar
- Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Amanda Kieswetter
- Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ellen Geens
- Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Elke Vandewyer
- Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Christina Ludwig
- Bavarian Center for Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry (BayBioMS), Technische Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Liesbet Temmerman
- Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
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7
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Sherlock ME, Baquero Galvis L, Vicens Q, Kieft JS, Jagannathan S. Principles, mechanisms, and biological implications of translation termination-reinitiation. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 29:865-884. [PMID: 37024263 PMCID: PMC10275272 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079375.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The gene expression pathway from DNA sequence to functional protein is not as straightforward as simple depictions of the central dogma might suggest. Each step is highly regulated, with complex and only partially understood molecular mechanisms at play. Translation is one step where the "one gene-one protein" paradigm breaks down, as often a single mature eukaryotic mRNA leads to more than one protein product. One way this occurs is through translation reinitiation, in which a ribosome starts making protein from one initiation site, translates until it terminates at a stop codon, but then escapes normal recycling steps and subsequently reinitiates at a different downstream site. This process is now recognized as both important and widespread, but we are only beginning to understand the interplay of factors involved in termination, recycling, and initiation that cause reinitiation events. There appear to be several ways to subvert recycling to achieve productive reinitiation, different types of stresses or signals that trigger this process, and the mechanism may depend in part on where the event occurs in the body of an mRNA. This perspective reviews the unique characteristics and mechanisms of reinitiation events, highlights the similarities and differences between three major scenarios of reinitiation, and raises outstanding questions that are promising avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline E Sherlock
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
| | - Laura Baquero Galvis
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
| | - Quentin Vicens
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
- RNA Bioscience Initiative, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Kieft
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
- RNA Bioscience Initiative, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
| | - Sujatha Jagannathan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
- RNA Bioscience Initiative, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
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8
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Manuel JM, Guilloy N, Khatir I, Roucou X, Laurent B. Re-evaluating the impact of alternative RNA splicing on proteomic diversity. Front Genet 2023; 14:1089053. [PMID: 36845399 PMCID: PMC9947481 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1089053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) constitutes a mechanism by which protein-coding genes and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) genes produce more than a single mature transcript. From plants to humans, AS is a powerful process that increases transcriptome complexity. Importantly, splice variants produced from AS can potentially encode for distinct protein isoforms which can lose or gain specific domains and, hence, differ in their functional properties. Advances in proteomics have shown that the proteome is indeed diverse due to the presence of numerous protein isoforms. For the past decades, with the help of advanced high-throughput technologies, numerous alternatively spliced transcripts have been identified. However, the low detection rate of protein isoforms in proteomic studies raised debatable questions on whether AS contributes to proteomic diversity and on how many AS events are really functional. We propose here to assess and discuss the impact of AS on proteomic complexity in the light of the technological progress, updated genome annotation, and current scientific knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeru Manoj Manuel
- Research Center on Aging, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et Services Sociaux de l’Estrie-Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada,Department of Biochemistry and Functional Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Noé Guilloy
- Department of Biochemistry and Functional Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Inès Khatir
- Research Center on Aging, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et Services Sociaux de l’Estrie-Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada,Department of Biochemistry and Functional Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Xavier Roucou
- Department of Biochemistry and Functional Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada,Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CRCHUS), Sherbrooke, QC, Canada,Quebec Network for Research on Protein Function Structure and Engineering, PROTEO, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Benoit Laurent
- Research Center on Aging, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et Services Sociaux de l’Estrie-Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada,Department of Biochemistry and Functional Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada,*Correspondence: Benoit Laurent,
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9
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Ryczek N, Łyś A, Makałowska I. The Functional Meaning of 5'UTR in Protein-Coding Genes. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24032976. [PMID: 36769304 PMCID: PMC9917990 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
As it is well known, messenger RNA has many regulatory regions along its sequence length. One of them is the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR), which itself contains many regulatory elements such as upstream ORFs (uORFs), internal ribosome entry sites (IRESs), microRNA binding sites, and structural components involved in the regulation of mRNA stability, pre-mRNA splicing, and translation initiation. Activation of the alternative, more upstream transcription start site leads to an extension of 5'UTR. One of the consequences of 5'UTRs extension may be head-to-head gene overlap. This review describes elements in 5'UTR of protein-coding transcripts and the functional significance of protein-coding genes 5' overlap with implications for transcription, translation, and disease.
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10
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Filatova A, Reveguk I, Piatkova M, Bessonova D, Kuziakova O, Demakova V, Romanishin A, Fishman V, Imanmalik Y, Chekanov N, Skitchenko R, Barbitoff Y, Kardymon O, Skoblov M. Annotation of uORFs in the OMIM genes allows to reveal pathogenic variants in 5'UTRs. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:1229-1244. [PMID: 36651276 PMCID: PMC9943669 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
An increasing number of studies emphasize the role of non-coding variants in the development of hereditary diseases. However, the interpretation of such variants in clinical genetic testing still remains a critical challenge due to poor knowledge of their pathogenicity mechanisms. It was previously shown that variants in 5'-untranslated regions (5'UTRs) can lead to hereditary diseases due to disruption of upstream open reading frames (uORFs). Here, we performed a manual annotation of upstream translation initiation sites (TISs) in human disease-associated genes from the OMIM database and revealed ∼4.7 thousand of TISs related to uORFs. We compared our TISs with the previous studies and provided a list of 'high confidence' uORFs. Using a luciferase assay, we experimentally validated the translation of uORFs in the ETFDH, PAX9, MAST1, HTT, TTN,GLI2 and COL2A1 genes, as well as existence of N-terminal CDS extension in the ZIC2 gene. Besides, we created a tool to annotate the effects of genetic variants located in uORFs. We revealed the variants from the HGMD and ClinVar databases that disrupt uORFs and thereby could lead to Mendelian disorders. We also showed that the distribution of uORFs-affecting variants differs between pathogenic and population variants. Finally, drawing on manually curated data, we developed a machine-learning algorithm that allows us to predict the TISs in other human genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Filatova
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +7 916 335 33 29; Fax: +7 499 324 07 02;
| | - Ivan Reveguk
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule, École Polytechnique, Paris, France
| | - Maria Piatkova
- Institute of Chemistry, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia,Institute of high technologies and advanced materials, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Daria Bessonova
- Medical Center, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Olga Kuziakova
- Institute of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia
| | | | - Alexander Romanishin
- Institute of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia,Institute of Life Sciences, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
| | - Veniamin Fishman
- Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, Moscow, Russia,Molecular Mechanisms of Ontogenesis, Institute of Cytology and Genetics SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | | | | | | | - Yury Barbitoff
- Bioinformatics Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia,Department of Genomic Medicine, D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynaecology, and Reproductology, St. Petersburg, Russia,Dpt. of Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Olga Kardymon
- Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, Moscow, Russia
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11
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Jürgens L, Wethmar K. The Emerging Role of uORF-Encoded uPeptides and HLA uLigands in Cellular and Tumor Biology. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14246031. [PMID: 36551517 PMCID: PMC9776223 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14246031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent technological advances have facilitated the detection of numerous non-canonical human peptides derived from regulatory regions of mRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and other cryptic transcripts. In this review, we first give an overview of the classification of these novel peptides and summarize recent improvements in their annotation and detection by ribosome profiling, mass spectrometry, and individual experimental analysis. A large fraction of the novel peptides originates from translation at upstream open reading frames (uORFs) that are located within the transcript leader sequence of regular mRNA. In humans, uORF-encoded peptides (uPeptides) have been detected in both healthy and malignantly transformed cells and emerge as important regulators in cellular and immunological pathways. In the second part of the review, we focus on various functional implications of uPeptides. As uPeptides frequently act at the transition of translational regulation and individual peptide function, we describe the mechanistic modes of translational regulation through ribosome stalling, the involvement in cellular programs through protein interaction and complex formation, and their role within the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-associated immunopeptidome as HLA uLigands. We delineate how malignant transformation may lead to the formation of novel uORFs, uPeptides, or HLA uLigands and explain their potential implication in tumor biology. Ultimately, we speculate on a potential use of uPeptides as peptide drugs and discuss how uPeptides and HLA uLigands may facilitate translational inhibition of oncogenic protein messages and immunotherapeutic approaches in cancer therapy.
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12
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Manske F, Ogoniak L, Jürgens L, Grundmann N, Makałowski W, Wethmar K. The new uORFdb: integrating literature, sequence, and variation data in a central hub for uORF research. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 51:D328-D336. [PMID: 36305828 PMCID: PMC9825577 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Upstream open reading frames (uORFs) are initiated by AUG or near-cognate start codons and have been identified in the transcript leader sequences of the majority of eukaryotic transcripts. Functionally, uORFs are implicated in downstream translational regulation of the main protein coding sequence and may serve as a source of non-canonical peptides. Genetic defects in uORF sequences have been linked to the development of various diseases, including cancer. To simplify uORF-related research, the initial release of uORFdb in 2014 provided a comprehensive and manually curated collection of uORF-related literature. Here, we present an updated sequence-based version of uORFdb, accessible at https://www.bioinformatics.uni-muenster.de/tools/uorfdb. The new uORFdb enables users to directly access sequence information, graphical displays, and genetic variation data for over 2.4 million human uORFs. It also includes sequence data of >4.2 million uORFs in 12 additional species. Multiple uORFs can be displayed in transcript- and reading-frame-specific models to visualize the translational context. A variety of filters, sequence-related information, and links to external resources (UCSC Genome Browser, dbSNP, ClinVar) facilitate immediate in-depth analysis of individual uORFs. The database also contains uORF-related somatic variation data obtained from whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analyses of 677 cancer samples collected by the TCGA consortium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Manske
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Lynn Ogoniak
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Lara Jürgens
- Department of Medicine A, Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Pneumology, University Hospital Münster, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Norbert Grundmann
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Wojciech Makałowski
- Correspondence may also be addressed to Wojciech Makałowski. Tel: +49 2518353006;
| | - Klaus Wethmar
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +49 2518347587; Fax: +49 2518347588;
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13
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Bottorff TA, Park H, Geballe AP, Subramaniam AR. Translational buffering by ribosome stalling in upstream open reading frames. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010460. [PMID: 36315596 PMCID: PMC9648851 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Upstream open reading frames (uORFs) are present in over half of all human mRNAs. uORFs can potently regulate the translation of downstream open reading frames through several mechanisms: siphoning away scanning ribosomes, regulating re-initiation, and allowing interactions between scanning and elongating ribosomes. However, the consequences of these different mechanisms for the regulation of protein expression remain incompletely understood. Here, we performed systematic measurements on the uORF-containing 5' UTR of the cytomegaloviral UL4 mRNA to test alternative models of uORF-mediated regulation in human cells. We find that a terminal diproline-dependent elongating ribosome stall in the UL4 uORF prevents decreases in main ORF protein expression when ribosome loading onto the mRNA is reduced. This uORF-mediated buffering is insensitive to the location of the ribosome stall along the uORF. Computational kinetic modeling based on our measurements suggests that scanning ribosomes dissociate rather than queue when they collide with stalled elongating ribosomes within the UL4 uORF. We identify several human uORFs that repress main ORF protein expression via a similar terminal diproline motif. We propose that ribosome stalls in uORFs provide a general mechanism for buffering against reductions in main ORF translation during stress and developmental transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ty A. Bottorff
- Basic Sciences Division and Computational Biology Program of the Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Biological Physics, Structure and Design Graduate Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Heungwon Park
- Basic Sciences Division and Computational Biology Program of the Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Adam P. Geballe
- Human Biology and Clinical Research Divisions, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Arvind Rasi Subramaniam
- Basic Sciences Division and Computational Biology Program of the Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Biological Physics, Structure and Design Graduate Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
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14
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Xiao W, Sun Y, Xu J, Zhang N, Dong L. uORF-Mediated Translational Regulation of ATF4 Serves as an Evolutionarily Conserved Mechanism Contributing to Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and Stress Response. J Mol Evol 2022; 90:375-388. [PMID: 35962830 PMCID: PMC9375200 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-022-10068-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Diseases and environmental stresses are two distinct challenges for virtually all living organisms. In light of evolution, cellular responses to diseases and stresses might share similar molecular mechanisms, but the detailed regulation pathway is not reported yet. We obtained the transcriptomes and translatomes from several NSCLC (non-small-cell lung cancer) patients as well as from different species under normal or stress conditions. We found that the translation level of gene ATF4 is remarkably enhanced in NSCLC due to the reduced number of ribosomes binding to its upstream open reading frames (uORFs). We also showed the evolutionary conservation of this uORF-ATF4 regulation in the stress response of other species. Molecular experiments showed that knockdown of ATF4 reduced the cell growth rate while overexpression of ATF4 enhanced cell growth, especially for the ATF4 allele with mutated uORFs. Population genetics analyses in multiple species verified that the mutations that abolish uATGs (start codon of uORFs) are highly deleterious, suggesting the functional importance of uORFs. Our study proposes an evolutionarily conserved pattern that enhances the ATF4 translation by uORFs upon stress or disease. We generalized the concept of cellular response to diseases and stresses. These two biological processes may share similar molecular mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Xiao
- Department of Radiotherapy, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
| | - Yang Sun
- Department of Radiotherapy, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Jinpeng Xu
- Department of Radiotherapy, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Na Zhang
- Department of Radiotherapy, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Lina Dong
- Department of Radiotherapy, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
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15
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Wu HW, Fajiculay E, Wu JF, Yan CCS, Hsu CP, Wu SH. Noise reduction by upstream open reading frames. NATURE PLANTS 2022; 8:474-480. [PMID: 35501454 PMCID: PMC9122824 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-022-01136-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Gene expression is prone to burst production, making it a highly noisy process that requires additional controls. Upstream open reading frames (uORFs) are widely present in the 5' leader sequences of 30-50% of eukaryotic messenger RNAs1-3. The translation of uORFs can repress the translation efficiency of the downstream main coding sequences. Whether the low translation efficiency leads to a different variation, or noise, in gene expression has not been investigated, nor has the direct biological impact of uORF-repressed translation. Here we show that uORFs achieve low but precise protein production in plant cells, possibly by reducing the protein production rate. We also demonstrate that, by buffering a stable TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION 1 (TOC1) protein production level, uORFs contribute to the robust operation of the plant circadian clock. Our results provide both an action model and the biological impact of uORFs in translational control to mitigate transcriptional noise for precise protein production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho-Wei Wu
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, Academia Sinica and National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Erickson Fajiculay
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Bioinformatics Program, Institute of Information Science, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Structure Biology, National Tsinghua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Jing-Fen Wu
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | - Chao-Ping Hsu
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, Academia Sinica and National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Bioinformatics Program, Institute of Information Science, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Division of Physics, National Center for Theoretical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Shu-Hsing Wu
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, Academia Sinica and National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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16
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Kovalski JR, Kuzuoglu‐Ozturk D, Ruggero D. Protein synthesis control in cancer: selectivity and therapeutic targeting. EMBO J 2022; 41:e109823. [PMID: 35315941 PMCID: PMC9016353 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2021109823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Translational control of mRNAs is a point of convergence for many oncogenic signals through which cancer cells tune protein expression in tumorigenesis. Cancer cells rely on translational control to appropriately adapt to limited resources while maintaining cell growth and survival, which creates a selective therapeutic window compared to non-transformed cells. In this review, we first discuss how cancer cells modulate the translational machinery to rapidly and selectively synthesize proteins in response to internal oncogenic demands and external factors in the tumor microenvironment. We highlight the clinical potential of compounds that target different translation factors as anti-cancer therapies. Next, we detail how RNA sequence and structural elements interface with the translational machinery and RNA-binding proteins to coordinate the translation of specific pro-survival and pro-growth programs. Finally, we provide an overview of the current and emerging technologies that can be used to illuminate the mechanisms of selective translational control in cancer cells as well as within the microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna R Kovalski
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer CenterUniversity of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoCAUSA
- Department of UrologyUniversity of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoCAUSA
| | - Duygu Kuzuoglu‐Ozturk
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer CenterUniversity of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoCAUSA
- Department of UrologyUniversity of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoCAUSA
| | - Davide Ruggero
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer CenterUniversity of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoCAUSA
- Department of UrologyUniversity of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoCAUSA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular PharmacologyUniversity of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoCAUSA
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17
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DENR controls JAK2 translation to induce PD-L1 expression for tumor immune evasion. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2059. [PMID: 35440133 PMCID: PMC9018773 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29754-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) can recognize thousands of RNAs that help to maintain cell homeostasis, and RBP dysfunction is frequently observed in various cancers. However, whether specific RBPs are involved in tumor immune evasion by regulating programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) is unclear. Here, we perform targeted RBP CRISPR/Cas9 screening and identify density regulated re-initiation and release factor (DENR) as a PD-L1 regulator. DENR-depleted cancer cells exhibit reduced PD-L1 expression in vitro and in vivo. DENR depletion significantly suppresses tumor growth and enhances the tumor-killing activity of CD8+ T cells. Mechanistically, DENR antagonizes the translational repression of three consecutive upstream open reading frames (uORFs) upstream of Janus kinase 2 (Jak2); thus, DENR deficiency impairs JAK2 translation and the IFNγ-JAK-STAT signaling pathway, resulting in reduced PD-L1 expression in tumors. Overall, we discover an RBP DENR that could regulate PD-L1 expression for tumor immune evasion, and highlight the potential of DENR as a therapeutic target for immunotherapy.
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18
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Nelde A, Flötotto L, Jürgens L, Szymik L, Hubert E, Bauer J, Schliemann C, Kessler T, Lenz G, Rammensee HG, Walz JS, Wethmar K. Upstream open reading frames regulate translation of cancer-associated transcripts and encode HLA-presented immunogenic tumor antigens. Cell Mol Life Sci 2022; 79:171. [PMID: 35239002 PMCID: PMC8894207 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04145-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Upstream open reading frames (uORFs) represent translational control elements within eukaryotic transcript leader sequences. Recent data showed that uORFs can encode for biologically active proteins and human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-presented peptides in malignant and benign cells suggesting their potential role in cancer cell development and survival. However, the role of uORFs in translational regulation of cancer-associated transcripts as well as in cancer immune surveillance is still incompletely understood. METHODS We examined the translational regulatory effect of 29 uORFs in 13 cancer-associated genes by dual-luciferase assays. Cellular expression and localization of uORF-encoded peptides (uPeptides) were investigated by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence-based microscopy. Furthermore, we utilized mass spectrometry-based immunopeptidome analyses in an extensive dataset of primary malignant and benign tissue samples for the identification of naturally presented uORF-derived HLA-presented peptides screening for more than 2000 uORFs. RESULTS We provide experimental evidence for similarly effective translational regulation of cancer-associated transcripts through uORFs initiated by either canonical AUG codons or by alternative translation initiation sites (aTISs). We further demonstrate frequent cellular expression and reveal occasional specific cellular localization of uORF-derived peptides, suggesting uPeptide-specific biological implications. Immunopeptidome analyses delineated a set of 125 naturally presented uORF-derived HLA-presented peptides. Comparative immunopeptidome profiling of malignant and benign tissue-derived immunopeptidomes identified several tumor-associated uORF-derived HLA ligands capable to induce multifunctional T cell responses. CONCLUSION Our data provide direct evidence for the frequent expression of uPeptides in benign and malignant human tissues, suggesting a potentially widespread function of uPeptides in cancer biology. These findings may inspire novel approaches in direct molecular as well as immunotherapeutic targeting of cancer-associated uORFs and uPeptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Nelde
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), University Hospital Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Str. 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lea Flötotto
- Department of Medicine A, Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Pneumology, University Hospital Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1A, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Lara Jürgens
- Department of Medicine A, Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Pneumology, University Hospital Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1A, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Laura Szymik
- Department of Medicine A, Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Pneumology, University Hospital Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1A, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Elvira Hubert
- Department of Medicine A, Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Pneumology, University Hospital Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1A, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Jens Bauer
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), University Hospital Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Str. 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christoph Schliemann
- Department of Medicine A, Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Pneumology, University Hospital Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1A, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Torsten Kessler
- Department of Medicine A, Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Pneumology, University Hospital Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1A, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Georg Lenz
- Department of Medicine A, Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Pneumology, University Hospital Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1A, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Hans-Georg Rammensee
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Partner Site Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Juliane S Walz
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), University Hospital Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Str. 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
- Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Robert Bosch Center for Tumor Diseases (RBCT), 70376, Stuttgart, Germany.
| | - Klaus Wethmar
- Department of Medicine A, Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Pneumology, University Hospital Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1A, 48149, Münster, Germany.
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Silva J, Nina P, Romão L. Translation of ABCE1 Is Tightly Regulated by Upstream Open Reading Frames in Human Colorectal Cells. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9080911. [PMID: 34440115 PMCID: PMC8389594 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9080911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
ATP-binding cassette subfamily E member 1 (ABCE1) belongs to the ABC protein family of transporters; however, it does not behave as a drug transporter. Instead, ABCE1 actively participates in different stages of translation and is also associated with oncogenic functions. Ribosome profiling analysis in colorectal cancer cells has revealed a high ribosome occupancy in the human ABCE1 mRNA 5′-leader sequence, indicating the presence of translatable upstream open reading frames (uORFs). These cis-acting translational regulatory elements usually act as repressors of translation of the main coding sequence. In the present study, we dissect the regulatory function of the five AUG and five non-AUG uORFs identified in the human ABCE1 mRNA 5′-leader sequence. We show that the expression of the main coding sequence is tightly regulated by the ABCE1 AUG uORFs in colorectal cells. Our results are consistent with a model wherein uORF1 is efficiently translated, behaving as a barrier to downstream uORF translation. The few ribosomes that can bypass uORF1 (and/or uORF2) must probably initiate at the inhibitory uORF3 or uORF5 that efficiently repress translation of the main ORF. This inhibitory property is slightly overcome in conditions of endoplasmic reticulum stress. In addition, we observed that these potent translation-inhibitory AUG uORFs function equally in cancer and in non-tumorigenic colorectal cells, which is consistent with a lack of oncogenic function. In conclusion, we establish human ABCE1 as an additional example of uORF-mediated translational regulation and that this tight regulation contributes to control ABCE1 protein levels in different cell environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Silva
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal; (J.S.); (P.N.)
- Instituto de Biossistemas e Ciências Integrativas (BioISI), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Pedro Nina
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal; (J.S.); (P.N.)
| | - Luísa Romão
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal; (J.S.); (P.N.)
- Instituto de Biossistemas e Ciências Integrativas (BioISI), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +351-21-750-8155
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20
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Jürgens L, Manske F, Hubert E, Kischka T, Flötotto L, Klaas O, Shabardina V, Schliemann C, Makalowski W, Wethmar K. Somatic Functional Deletions of Upstream Open Reading Frame-Associated Initiation and Termination Codons in Human Cancer. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9060618. [PMID: 34072580 PMCID: PMC8227997 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9060618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Revised: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Upstream open reading frame (uORF)-mediated translational control has emerged as an important regulatory mechanism in human health and disease. However, a systematic search for cancer-associated somatic uORF mutations has not been performed. Here, we analyzed the genetic variability at canonical (uAUG) and alternative translational initiation sites (aTISs), as well as the associated upstream termination codons (uStops) in 3394 whole-exome-sequencing datasets from patient samples of breast, colon, lung, prostate, and skin cancer and of acute myeloid leukemia, provided by The Cancer Genome Atlas research network. We found that 66.5% of patient samples were affected by at least one of 5277 recurrent uORF-associated somatic single nucleotide variants altering 446 uAUG, 347 uStop, and 4733 aTIS codons. While twelve uORF variants were detected in all entities, 17 variants occurred in all five types of solid cancer analyzed here. Highest frequencies of individual somatic variants in the TLSs of NBPF20 and CHCHD2 reached 10.1% among LAML and 8.1% among skin cancer patients, respectively. Functional evaluation by dual luciferase reporter assays identified 19 uORF variants causing significant translational deregulation of the associated main coding sequence, ranging from 1.73-fold induction for an AUG.1 > UUG variant in SETD4 to 0.006-fold repression for a CUG.6 > GUG variant in HLA-DRB1. These data suggest that somatic uORF mutations are highly prevalent in human malignancies and that defective translational regulation of protein expression may contribute to the onset or progression of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Jürgens
- Department of Medicine A, Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Pneumology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany; (L.J.); (E.H.); (L.F.); (O.K.); (C.S.)
| | - Felix Manske
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany; (F.M.); (T.K.); (W.M.)
| | - Elvira Hubert
- Department of Medicine A, Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Pneumology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany; (L.J.); (E.H.); (L.F.); (O.K.); (C.S.)
| | - Tabea Kischka
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany; (F.M.); (T.K.); (W.M.)
| | - Lea Flötotto
- Department of Medicine A, Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Pneumology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany; (L.J.); (E.H.); (L.F.); (O.K.); (C.S.)
| | - Oliver Klaas
- Department of Medicine A, Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Pneumology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany; (L.J.); (E.H.); (L.F.); (O.K.); (C.S.)
| | - Victoria Shabardina
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC-Unversitat Pompeu Frabra, 08002 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Christoph Schliemann
- Department of Medicine A, Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Pneumology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany; (L.J.); (E.H.); (L.F.); (O.K.); (C.S.)
| | - Wojciech Makalowski
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany; (F.M.); (T.K.); (W.M.)
| | - Klaus Wethmar
- Department of Medicine A, Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Pneumology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany; (L.J.); (E.H.); (L.F.); (O.K.); (C.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-251-8347587; Fax: +49-251-8347588
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21
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Moro SG, Hermans C, Ruiz-Orera J, Albà MM. Impact of uORFs in mediating regulation of translation in stress conditions. BMC Mol Cell Biol 2021; 22:29. [PMID: 33992089 PMCID: PMC8126119 DOI: 10.1186/s12860-021-00363-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A large fraction of genes contains upstream ORFs (uORFs) in the 5′ untranslated region (5’UTR). The translation of uORFs can inhibit the translation of the main coding sequence, for example by causing premature dissociation of the two ribosomal units or ribosome stalling. However, it is currently unknown if most uORFs are inhibitory or if this activity is restricted to specific cases. Here we interrogate ribosome profiling data from three different stress experiments in yeast to gain novel insights into this question. Results By comparing ribosome occupancies in different conditions and experiments we obtain strong evidence that, in comparison to primary coding sequences (CDS), which undergo translational arrest during stress, the translation of uORFs is mostly unaffected by changes in the environment. As a result, the relative abundance of uORF-encoded peptides increases during stress. In general, the changes in the translational efficiency of regions containing uORFs do not seem to affect downstream translation. The exception are uORFs found in a subset of genes that are significantly up-regulated at the level of translation during stress; these uORFs tend to be translated at lower levels in stress conditions than in optimal growth conditions, facilitating the translation of the CDS during stress. We find new examples of uORF-mediated regulation of translation, including the Gcn4 functional homologue fil1 and ubi4 genes in S. pombe. Conclusion We find evidence that the relative amount of uORF-encoded peptides increases during stress. The increased translation of uORFs is however uncoupled from the general CDS translational repression observed during stress. In a subset of genes that encode proteins that need to be rapidly synthesized upon stress uORFs act as translational switches. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12860-021-00363-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone G Moro
- Evolutionary Genomics Group, Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cedric Hermans
- Bioinformatics Knowledge Center, Howest University of Applied Sciences, Bruges, Belgium
| | - Jorge Ruiz-Orera
- Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany
| | - M Mar Albà
- Evolutionary Genomics Group, Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain. .,Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.
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22
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Disrupting upstream translation in mRNAs is associated with human disease. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1515. [PMID: 33750777 PMCID: PMC7943595 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21812-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribosome-profiling has uncovered pervasive translation in non-canonical open reading frames, however the biological significance of this phenomenon remains unclear. Using genetic variation from 71,702 human genomes, we assess patterns of selection in translated upstream open reading frames (uORFs) in 5’UTRs. We show that uORF variants introducing new stop codons, or strengthening existing stop codons, are under strong negative selection comparable to protein-coding missense variants. Using these variants, we map and validate gene-disease associations in two independent biobanks containing exome sequencing from 10,900 and 32,268 individuals, respectively, and elucidate their impact on protein expression in human cells. Our results suggest translation disrupting mechanisms relating uORF variation to reduced protein expression, and demonstrate that translation at uORFs is genetically constrained in 50% of human genes. The significance of translated upstream open reading frames is not well known. Here, the authors investigate genetic variants in these regions, finding that they are under high evolutionary constraint and may contribute to disease.
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Reprogramming translation for gene therapy. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2021; 182:439-476. [PMID: 34175050 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2021.01.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Translational control plays a fundamental role in the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes. Modulating translational efficiency allows the cell to fine-tune the expression of genes, spatially control protein localization, and trigger fast responses to environmental stresses. Translational regulation involves mechanisms acting on multiple steps of the protein synthesis pathway: initiation, elongation, and termination. Many cis-acting elements present in the 5' UTR of transcripts can influence translation at the initiation step. Among them, the Kozak sequence impacts translational efficiency by regulating the recognition of the start codon; upstream open reading frames (uORFs) are associated with inhibition of translation of the downstream protein; internal ribosomal entry sites (IRESs) can promote cap-independent translation. CRISPR-Cas technology is a revolutionary gene-editing tool that has also been applied to the regulation of gene expression. In this chapter, we focus on the genome editing approaches developed to modulate the translational efficiency with the aim to find novel therapeutic approaches, in particular acting on the cis-elements, that regulate the initiation of protein synthesis.
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Zhang H, Wang Y, Wu X, Tang X, Wu C, Lu J. Determinants of genome-wide distribution and evolution of uORFs in eukaryotes. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1076. [PMID: 33597535 PMCID: PMC7889888 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21394-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Upstream open reading frames (uORFs) play widespread regulatory functions in modulating mRNA translation in eukaryotes, but the principles underlying the genomic distribution and evolution of uORFs remain poorly understood. Here, we analyze ~17 million putative canonical uORFs in 478 eukaryotic species that span most of the extant taxa of eukaryotes. We demonstrate how positive and purifying selection, coupled with differences in effective population size (Ne), has shaped the contents of uORFs in eukaryotes. Besides, gene expression level is important in influencing uORF occurrences across genes in a species. Our analyses suggest that most uORFs might play regulatory roles rather than encode functional peptides. We also show that the Kozak sequence context of uORFs has evolved across eukaryotic clades, and that noncanonical uORFs tend to have weaker suppressive effects than canonical uORFs in translation regulation. This study provides insights into the driving forces underlying uORF evolution in eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yirong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Xinkai Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaolu Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Changcheng Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
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25
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Smith RCL, Kanellos G, Vlahov N, Alexandrou C, Willis AE, Knight JRP, Sansom OJ. Translation initiation in cancer at a glance. J Cell Sci 2021; 134:jcs248476. [PMID: 33441326 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.248476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell division, differentiation and function are largely dependent on accurate proteome composition and regulated gene expression. To control this, protein synthesis is an intricate process governed by upstream signalling pathways. Eukaryotic translation is a multistep process and can be separated into four distinct phases: initiation, elongation, termination and recycling of ribosomal subunits. Translation initiation, the focus of this article, is highly regulated to control the activity and/or function of eukaryotic initiation factors (eIFs) and permit recruitment of mRNAs to the ribosomes. In this Cell Science at a Glance and accompanying poster, we outline the mechanisms by which tumour cells alter the process of translation initiation and discuss how this benefits tumour formation, proliferation and metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael C L Smith
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Georgios Kanellos
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
| | - Nikola Vlahov
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
| | | | - Anne E Willis
- MRC Toxicology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QW, UK
| | - John R P Knight
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
| | - Owen J Sansom
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
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26
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uORFs: Important Cis-Regulatory Elements in Plants. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21176238. [PMID: 32872304 PMCID: PMC7503886 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21176238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene expression is regulated at many levels, including mRNA transcription, translation, and post-translational modification. Compared with transcriptional regulation, mRNA translational control is a more critical step in gene expression and allows for more rapid changes of encoded protein concentrations in cells. Translation is highly regulated by complex interactions between cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors. Initiation is not only the first phase of translation, but also the core of translational regulation, because it limits the rate of protein synthesis. As potent cis-regulatory elements in eukaryotic mRNAs, upstream open reading frames (uORFs) generally inhibit the translation initiation of downstream major ORFs (mORFs) through ribosome stalling. During the past few years, with the development of RNA-seq and ribosome profiling, functional uORFs have been identified and characterized in many organisms. Here, we review uORF identification, uORF classification, and uORF-mediated translation initiation. More importantly, we summarize the translational regulation of uORFs in plant metabolic pathways, morphogenesis, disease resistance, and nutrient absorption, which open up an avenue for precisely modulating the plant growth and development, as well as environmental adaption. Additionally, we also discuss prospective applications of uORFs in plant breeding.
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27
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Whiffin N, Karczewski KJ, Zhang X, Chothani S, Smith MJ, Evans DG, Roberts AM, Quaife NM, Schafer S, Rackham O, Alföldi J, O'Donnell-Luria AH, Francioli LC, Cook SA, Barton PJR, MacArthur DG, Ware JS. Characterising the loss-of-function impact of 5' untranslated region variants in 15,708 individuals. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2523. [PMID: 32461616 PMCID: PMC7253449 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10717-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Upstream open reading frames (uORFs) are tissue-specific cis-regulators of protein translation. Isolated reports have shown that variants that create or disrupt uORFs can cause disease. Here, in a systematic genome-wide study using 15,708 whole genome sequences, we show that variants that create new upstream start codons, and variants disrupting stop sites of existing uORFs, are under strong negative selection. This selection signal is significantly stronger for variants arising upstream of genes intolerant to loss-of-function variants. Furthermore, variants creating uORFs that overlap the coding sequence show signals of selection equivalent to coding missense variants. Finally, we identify specific genes where modification of uORFs likely represents an important disease mechanism, and report a novel uORF frameshift variant upstream of NF2 in neurofibromatosis. Our results highlight uORF-perturbing variants as an under-recognised functional class that contribute to penetrant human disease, and demonstrate the power of large-scale population sequencing data in studying non-coding variant classes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Whiffin
- National Heart and Lung Institute and MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK.
- NIHR Royal Brompton Cardiovascular Research Centre, Royal Brompton and Harefield National Health Service Foundation Trust, Sydney Street, London, SW3 6NP, UK.
- Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
| | - Konrad J Karczewski
- Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- Analytical and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Xiaolei Zhang
- National Heart and Lung Institute and MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
- NIHR Royal Brompton Cardiovascular Research Centre, Royal Brompton and Harefield National Health Service Foundation Trust, Sydney Street, London, SW3 6NP, UK
| | - Sonia Chothani
- Program in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road, Singapore, 169857, Singapore
| | - Miriam J Smith
- NW Genomic Laboratory Hub, Centre for Genomic Medicine, Division of Evolution and Genomic Science, St Mary's Hospital, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL, UK
| | - D Gareth Evans
- NW Genomic Laboratory Hub, Centre for Genomic Medicine, Division of Evolution and Genomic Science, St Mary's Hospital, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL, UK
| | - Angharad M Roberts
- National Heart and Lung Institute and MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
- NIHR Royal Brompton Cardiovascular Research Centre, Royal Brompton and Harefield National Health Service Foundation Trust, Sydney Street, London, SW3 6NP, UK
| | - Nicholas M Quaife
- National Heart and Lung Institute and MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
- NIHR Royal Brompton Cardiovascular Research Centre, Royal Brompton and Harefield National Health Service Foundation Trust, Sydney Street, London, SW3 6NP, UK
| | - Sebastian Schafer
- Program in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road, Singapore, 169857, Singapore
- National Heart Centre Singapore, 5 Hospital Drive, Singapore, 169609, Singapore
| | - Owen Rackham
- Program in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road, Singapore, 169857, Singapore
| | - Jessica Alföldi
- Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- Analytical and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Anne H O'Donnell-Luria
- Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Laurent C Francioli
- Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- Analytical and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Stuart A Cook
- National Heart and Lung Institute and MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
- Program in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road, Singapore, 169857, Singapore
- National Heart Centre Singapore, 5 Hospital Drive, Singapore, 169609, Singapore
| | - Paul J R Barton
- National Heart and Lung Institute and MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
- NIHR Royal Brompton Cardiovascular Research Centre, Royal Brompton and Harefield National Health Service Foundation Trust, Sydney Street, London, SW3 6NP, UK
| | - Daniel G MacArthur
- Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- Analytical and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Centre for Population Genomics, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, and UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Centre for Population Genomics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - James S Ware
- National Heart and Lung Institute and MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
- NIHR Royal Brompton Cardiovascular Research Centre, Royal Brompton and Harefield National Health Service Foundation Trust, Sydney Street, London, SW3 6NP, UK
- Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
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28
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Scholz A, Rappl P, Böffinger N, Mota AC, Brüne B, Schmid T. Translation of TNFAIP2 is tightly controlled by upstream open reading frames. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:2017-2027. [PMID: 31392347 PMCID: PMC11104949 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03265-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Translation is a highly regulated process, both at the global as well as on a transcript-specific level. Regulatory upstream open reading frames (uORFs) represent a mode to alter cap-dependent translation efficiency in a transcript-specific manner and are found in numerous mRNAs. In the majority of cases, uORFs inhibit the translation of their associated main ORFs. Consequently, their inactivation results in enhanced translation of the main ORF, a phenomenon best characterized in the context of the integrated stress response. In the present study, we identified potent translation-inhibitory uORFs in the transcript leader sequence (TLS) of tumor necrosis factor alpha induced protein 2 (TNFAIP2). The initial description of the uORFs was based on the observation that despite a massive induction of TNFAIP2 mRNA expression in response to interleukin 1β (IL1β), TNFAIP2 protein levels remained low in MCF7 cells. While we were able to characterize the uORFs with respect to their exact size and sequential requirements in this cellular context, only TPA stimulation partially overcame the translation-inhibitory activity of the TNFAIP2 uORFs. Characterization of TNFAIP2 translation in the context of monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation suggested that, while the uORFs efficiently block TNFAIP2 protein synthesis in monocytes, they are inactivated in mature macrophages, thus allowing for a massive increase in TNFAIP2 protein expression. In summary, we establish TNFAIP2 as a novel target of uORF-mediated translational regulation. Furthermore, our findings suggest that during macrophage differentiation a major uORF-dependent translational switch occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anica Scholz
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry I, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Peter Rappl
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry I, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Nicola Böffinger
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry I, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ana Carolina Mota
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry I, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Bernhard Brüne
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry I, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Tobias Schmid
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry I, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt, Germany.
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29
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Orr MW, Mao Y, Storz G, Qian SB. Alternative ORFs and small ORFs: shedding light on the dark proteome. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:1029-1042. [PMID: 31504789 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Revised: 08/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Traditional annotation of protein-encoding genes relied on assumptions, such as one open reading frame (ORF) encodes one protein and minimal lengths for translated proteins. With the serendipitous discoveries of translated ORFs encoded upstream and downstream of annotated ORFs, from alternative start sites nested within annotated ORFs and from RNAs previously considered noncoding, it is becoming clear that these initial assumptions are incorrect. The findings have led to the realization that genetic information is more densely coded and that the proteome is more complex than previously anticipated. As such, interest in the identification and characterization of the previously ignored 'dark proteome' is increasing, though we note that research in eukaryotes and bacteria has largely progressed in isolation. To bridge this gap and illustrate exciting findings emerging from studies of the dark proteome, we highlight recent advances in both eukaryotic and bacterial cells. We discuss progress in the detection of alternative ORFs as well as in the understanding of functions and the regulation of their expression and posit questions for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Wu Orr
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Yuanhui Mao
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Gisela Storz
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Shu-Bing Qian
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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30
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Jaud M, Philippe C, Di Bella D, Tang W, Pyronnet S, Laurell H, Mazzolini L, Rouault-Pierre K, Touriol C. Translational Regulations in Response to Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Cancers. Cells 2020; 9:cells9030540. [PMID: 32111004 PMCID: PMC7140484 DOI: 10.3390/cells9030540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
During carcinogenesis, almost all the biological processes are modified in one way or another. Among these biological processes affected, anomalies in protein synthesis are common in cancers. Indeed, cancer cells are subjected to a wide range of stresses, which include physical injuries, hypoxia, nutrient starvation, as well as mitotic, oxidative or genotoxic stresses. All of these stresses will cause the accumulation of unfolded proteins in the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER), which is a major organelle that is involved in protein synthesis, preservation of cellular homeostasis, and adaptation to unfavourable environment. The accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum causes stress triggering an unfolded protein response in order to promote cell survival or to induce apoptosis in case of chronic stress. Transcription and also translational reprogramming are tightly controlled during the unfolded protein response to ensure selective gene expression. The majority of stresses, including ER stress, induce firstly a decrease in global protein synthesis accompanied by the induction of alternative mechanisms for initiating the translation of mRNA, later followed by a translational recovery. After a presentation of ER stress and the UPR response, we will briefly present the different modes of translation initiation, then address the specific translational regulatory mechanisms acting during reticulum stress in cancers and highlight the importance of translational control by ER stress in tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon Jaud
- Inserm UMR1037, CRCT (Cancer Research Center of Toulouse), F-31037 Toulouse, France; (M.J.); (S.P.); (L.M.)
- Université Toulouse III Paul-Sabatier, F-31000 Toulouse, France;
| | - Céline Philippe
- Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK; (C.P.); (D.D.B.); (W.T.); (K.R.-P.)
| | - Doriana Di Bella
- Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK; (C.P.); (D.D.B.); (W.T.); (K.R.-P.)
| | - Weiwei Tang
- Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK; (C.P.); (D.D.B.); (W.T.); (K.R.-P.)
| | - Stéphane Pyronnet
- Inserm UMR1037, CRCT (Cancer Research Center of Toulouse), F-31037 Toulouse, France; (M.J.); (S.P.); (L.M.)
- Université Toulouse III Paul-Sabatier, F-31000 Toulouse, France;
| | - Henrik Laurell
- Université Toulouse III Paul-Sabatier, F-31000 Toulouse, France;
- Inserm UMR1048, I2MC (Institut des Maladies Métaboliques et Cardiovasculaires), BP 84225, CEDEX 04, 31 432 Toulouse, France
| | - Laurent Mazzolini
- Inserm UMR1037, CRCT (Cancer Research Center of Toulouse), F-31037 Toulouse, France; (M.J.); (S.P.); (L.M.)
- CNRS ERL5294, CRCT, F-31037 Toulouse, France
| | - Kevin Rouault-Pierre
- Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK; (C.P.); (D.D.B.); (W.T.); (K.R.-P.)
| | - Christian Touriol
- Inserm UMR1037, CRCT (Cancer Research Center of Toulouse), F-31037 Toulouse, France; (M.J.); (S.P.); (L.M.)
- Université Toulouse III Paul-Sabatier, F-31000 Toulouse, France;
- Correspondence:
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31
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Rowlands CF, Baralle D, Ellingford JM. Machine Learning Approaches for the Prioritization of Genomic Variants Impacting Pre-mRNA Splicing. Cells 2019; 8:E1513. [PMID: 31779139 PMCID: PMC6953098 DOI: 10.3390/cells8121513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Revised: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Defects in pre-mRNA splicing are frequently a cause of Mendelian disease. Despite the advent of next-generation sequencing, allowing a deeper insight into a patient's variant landscape, the ability to characterize variants causing splicing defects has not progressed with the same speed. To address this, recent years have seen a sharp spike in the number of splice prediction tools leveraging machine learning approaches, leaving clinical geneticists with a plethora of choices for in silico analysis. In this review, some basic principles of machine learning are introduced in the context of genomics and splicing analysis. A critical comparative approach is then used to describe seven recent machine learning-based splice prediction tools, revealing highly diverse approaches and common caveats. We find that, although great progress has been made in producing specific and sensitive tools, there is still much scope for personalized approaches to prediction of variant impact on splicing. Such approaches may increase diagnostic yields and underpin improvements to patient care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlie F Rowlands
- North West Genomic Laboratory Hub, Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester M13 9WJ, UK;
- Division of Evolution and Genomic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PR, UK
| | - Diana Baralle
- Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, MP808, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Jamie M Ellingford
- North West Genomic Laboratory Hub, Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester M13 9WJ, UK;
- Division of Evolution and Genomic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PR, UK
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32
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Chen HH, Tarn WY. uORF-mediated translational control: recently elucidated mechanisms and implications in cancer. RNA Biol 2019; 16:1327-1338. [PMID: 31234713 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2019.1632634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein synthesis is tightly regulated, and its dysregulation can contribute to the pathology of various diseases, including cancer. Increased or selective translation of mRNAs can promote cancer cell proliferation, metastasis and tumor expansion. Translational control is one of the most important means for cells to quickly adapt to environmental stresses. Adaptive translation involves various alternative mechanisms of translation initiation. Upstream open reading frames (uORFs) serve as a major regulator of stress-responsive translational control. Since recent advances in omics technologies including ribo-seq have expanded our knowledge of translation, we discuss emerging mechanisms for uORF-mediated translation regulation and its impact on cancer cell biology. A better understanding of dysregulated translational control of uORFs in cancer would facilitate the development of new strategies for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung-Hsi Chen
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica , Taipei , Taiwan
| | - Woan-Yuh Tarn
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica , Taipei , Taiwan
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33
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Castelo-Szekely V, De Matos M, Tusup M, Pascolo S, Ule J, Gatfield D. Charting DENR-dependent translation reinitiation uncovers predictive uORF features and links to circadian timekeeping via Clock. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:5193-5209. [PMID: 30982898 PMCID: PMC6547434 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Revised: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The non-canonical initiation factor DENR promotes translation reinitiation on mRNAs harbouring upstream open reading frames (uORFs). Moreover, DENR depletion shortens circadian period in mouse fibroblasts, suggesting involvement of uORF usage and reinitiation in clock regulation. To identify DENR-regulated translation events transcriptome-wide and, in particular, specific core clock transcripts affected by this mechanism, we have used ribosome profiling in DENR-deficient NIH3T3 cells. We uncovered 240 transcripts with altered translation rate, and used linear regression analysis to extract 5' UTR features predictive of DENR dependence. Among core clock genes, we identified Clock as a DENR target. Using Clock 5' UTR mutants, we mapped the specific uORF through which DENR acts to regulate CLOCK protein biosynthesis. Notably, these experiments revealed an alternative downstream start codon, likely representing the bona fide CLOCK N-terminus. Our findings provide insights into uORF-mediated translational regulation that can regulate the mammalian circadian clock and gene expression at large.
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Affiliation(s)
- Violeta Castelo-Szekely
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, Genopode, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mara De Matos
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, Genopode, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marina Tusup
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zurich, Gloriastrasse 31, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Steve Pascolo
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zurich, Gloriastrasse 31, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jernej Ule
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - David Gatfield
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, Genopode, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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34
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Function and Evolution of Upstream ORFs in Eukaryotes. Trends Biochem Sci 2019; 44:782-794. [PMID: 31003826 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
There is growing interest in the role of translational regulation in cellular homeostasis during organismal development. Translation initiation is the rate-limiting step in mRNA translation and is central to translational regulation. Upstream open reading frames (uORFs) are regulatory elements that are prevalent in eukaryotic mRNAs. uORFs modulate the translation initiation rate of downstream coding sequences (CDSs) by sequestering ribosomes. Over the past several years, genome-wide studies have revealed the widespread regulatory functions of uORFs in different species in different biological contexts. Here, we review the current understanding of uORF-mediated translational regulation from the perspective of functional and evolutionary genomics and address remaining gaps that deserve further study.
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Scheidler CM, Kick LM, Schneider S. Ribosomal Peptides and Small Proteins on the Rise. Chembiochem 2019; 20:1479-1486. [PMID: 30648812 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Genetically encoded and ribosomally synthesised peptides and small proteins act as important regulators in fundamental cellular processes, including gene expression, development, signalling and metabolism. Moreover, they also play a crucial role in eukaryotic and prokaryotic defence against microorganisms. Extremely diverse in size and structure, they are often subject to extensive post-translational modification. Recent technological advances are now allowing the analysis of the whole cellular transcriptome and proteome, revealing the presence of hundreds of long-overlooked alternative and short open reading frames (short ORFs, or sORFs) in mRNA and supposedly noncoding RNAs. However, in many instances the biological roles of their translational products remain to be elucidated. Here we provide an overview on the intriguing structural and functional diversity of ribosomally synthesised peptides and newly discovered peptides and small proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M Scheidler
- Center for Integrated Protein Science at the Department of Chemistry, Chair of Biochemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748, Garching, Germany
| | - Leonhard M Kick
- Center for Integrated Protein Science at the Department of Chemistry, Chair of Biochemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748, Garching, Germany
| | - Sabine Schneider
- Center for Integrated Protein Science at the Department of Chemistry, Chair of Biochemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748, Garching, Germany
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36
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Schuster SL, Hsieh AC. The Untranslated Regions of mRNAs in Cancer. Trends Cancer 2019; 5:245-262. [PMID: 30961831 PMCID: PMC6465068 DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2019.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Revised: 02/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) regulate crucial aspects of post-transcriptional gene regulation that are necessary for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. When these processes go awry through mutation or misexpression of certain regulatory elements, the subsequent deregulation of oncogenic gene expression can drive or enhance cancer pathogenesis. Although the number of known cancer-related mutations in UTR regulatory elements has recently increased markedly as a result of advances in whole-genome sequencing, little is known about how the majority of these genetic aberrations contribute functionally to disease. In this review we explore the regulatory functions of UTRs, how they are co-opted in cancer, new technologies to interrogate cancerous UTRs, and potential therapeutic opportunities stemming from these regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha L Schuster
- Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Andrew C Hsieh
- Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA; School of Medicine and Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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37
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Silva J, Fernandes R, Romão L. Translational Regulation by Upstream Open Reading Frames and Human Diseases. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1157:99-116. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-19966-1_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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38
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Jankowsky E, Guenther UP. A helicase links upstream ORFs and RNA structure. Curr Genet 2018; 65:453-456. [PMID: 30483885 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-018-0911-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Revised: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Upstream open reading frames (uORFs) in 5' UTRs of eukaryotic mRNAs are increasingly recognized as important elements that regulate cellular protein synthesis. Since uORFs can start from non-AUG codons, an enormous number of potential uORF initiation sites exists in 5'UTRs. However, only a subset of these sites is used and it has been unclear how actual start sites are selected. Studies of the DEAD-box helicase Ded1p from S. cerevisiae show that translation of uORFs with non-AUG initiation codons occurs upstream of mRNA structures that emerge with defective Ded1p. The data designate mRNA structure as important determinant for non-AUG initiation sites of uORFs. Ded1p can control this RNA structure and thereby regulate uORF translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eckhard Jankowsky
- Center for RNA Science and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
| | - Ulf-Peter Guenther
- Center for RNA Science and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.,EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany
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Robert F, Pelletier J. Exploring the Impact of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms on Translation. Front Genet 2018; 9:507. [PMID: 30425729 PMCID: PMC6218417 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past 15 years, sequencing of the human genome and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project have led to comprehensive lists of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and gene mutations across a large number of human samples. However, our ability to predict the functional impact of SNPs and mutations on gene expression is still in its infancy. Here, we provide key examples to help understand how mutations present in genes can affect translational output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis Robert
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jerry Pelletier
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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40
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Sriram A, Bohlen J, Teleman AA. Translation acrobatics: how cancer cells exploit alternate modes of translational initiation. EMBO Rep 2018; 19:embr.201845947. [PMID: 30224410 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201845947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Revised: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent work has brought to light many different mechanisms of translation initiation that function in cells in parallel to canonical cap-dependent initiation. This has important implications for cancer. Canonical cap-dependent translation initiation is inhibited by many stresses such as hypoxia, nutrient limitation, proteotoxic stress, or genotoxic stress. Since cancer cells are often exposed to these stresses, they rely on alternate modes of translation initiation for protein synthesis and cell growth. Cancer mutations are now being identified in components of the translation machinery and in cis-regulatory elements of mRNAs, which both control translation of cancer-relevant genes. In this review, we provide an overview on the various modes of non-canonical translation initiation, such as leaky scanning, translation re-initiation, ribosome shunting, IRES-dependent translation, and m6A-dependent translation, and then discuss the influence of stress on these different modes of translation. Finally, we present examples of how these modes of translation are dysregulated in cancer cells, allowing them to grow, to proliferate, and to survive, thereby highlighting the importance of translational control in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashwin Sriram
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.,Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jonathan Bohlen
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.,Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Aurelio A Teleman
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany .,Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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41
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Overlapping open reading frames strongly reduce human and yeast STN1 gene expression and affect telomere function. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007523. [PMID: 30067734 PMCID: PMC6089452 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Revised: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The levels of telomeric proteins, such as telomerase, can have profound effects on telomere function, cell division and human disease. Here we demonstrate how levels of Stn1, a component of the conserved telomere capping CST (Cdc13, Stn1, Ten1) complex, are tightly regulated by an upstream overlapping open reading frame (oORF). In budding yeast inactivation of the STN1 oORF leads to a 10-fold increase in Stn1 levels, reduced telomere length, suppression of cdc13-1 and enhancement of yku70Δ growth defects. The STN1 oORF impedes translation of the main ORF and reduces STN1 mRNA via the nonsense mediated mRNA decay (NMD) pathway. Interestingly, the homologs of the translation re-initiation factors, MCT-1Tma20/DENRTma22 also reduce Stn1 levels via the oORF. Human STN1 also contains oORFs, which reduce expression, demonstrating that oORFs are a conserved mechanism for reducing Stn1 levels. Bioinformatic analyses of the yeast and human transcriptomes show that oORFs are more underrepresented than upstream ORFs (uORFs) and associated with lower protein abundance. We propose that oORFs are an important mechanism to control expression of a subset of the proteome. Telomeres are special structures at the ends of linear chromosomes that help protect the genetic information that chromosomes carry. The levels of telomere proteins are important and can affect diseases such as cancer and ageing. The CST complex is comprised of three proteins and binds human and yeast telomeres. Levels of Stn1, a very low abundance protein, are of particular importance to telomere function in yeast cells. There are many ways to affect protein levels but little was understood about how Stn1 levels are controlled. We show that levels of Stn1 in yeast and human cells are reduced by the presence of an upstream overlapping open reading frame (oORF). Cells lacking the oORF have short telomeres and increased fitness when combined with a defect in the Stn1-partner protein, Cdc13. Interestingly, in another telomere defective context, yku70Δ cells missing the STN1-oORF are less fit. We show that the oORF reduces Stn1 levels by stimulating nonsense mediated mRNA decay and by reducing translation. More generally, genome-wide computational analysis shows that oORFs were strongly selected against during evolution and when present are associated with low protein abundance. We propose that oORFs are a powerful mechanism to regulate protein expression and function.
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Zhang H, Dou S, He F, Luo J, Wei L, Lu J. Genome-wide maps of ribosomal occupancy provide insights into adaptive evolution and regulatory roles of uORFs during Drosophila development. PLoS Biol 2018; 16:e2003903. [PMID: 30028832 PMCID: PMC6070289 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2003903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Revised: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Upstream open reading frames (uORFs) play important roles in regulating the main coding DNA sequences (CDSs) via translational repression. Despite their prevalence in the genomes, uORFs are overall discriminated against by natural selection. However, it remains unclear why in the genomes there are so many uORFs more conserved than expected under the assumption of neutral evolution. Here, we generated genome-wide maps of translational efficiency (TE) at the codon level throughout the life cycle of Drosophila melanogaster. We identified 35,735 uORFs that were expressed, and 32,224 (90.2%) of them showed evidence of ribosome occupancy during Drosophila development. The ribosome occupancy of uORFs is determined by genomic features, such as optimized sequence contexts around their start codons, a shorter distance to CDSs, and higher coding potentials. Our population genomic analysis suggests the segregating mutations that create or disrupt uORFs are overall deleterious in D. melanogaster. However, we found for the first time that many (68.3% of) newly fixed uORFs that are associated with ribosomes in D. melanogaster are driven by positive Darwinian selection. Our findings also suggest that uORFs play a vital role in controlling the translational program in Drosophila. Moreover, we found that many uORFs are transcribed or translated in a developmental stage-, sex-, or tissue-specific manner, suggesting that selective transcription or translation of uORFs could potentially modulate the TE of the downstream CDSs during Drosophila development. Upstream open reading frames (uORFs) in the 5′ untranslated regions (UTRs) of messenger RNAs can potentially inhibit translation of the downstream regions that encode proteins by sequestering protein-making machinery the ribosome. Moreover, mutations that destroy existing uORFs or create new ones are known to cause human disease. Although mutations that create new uORFs are generally deleterious and are selected against, many uORFs are evolutionarily conserved across eukaryotic species. To resolve this dilemma, we used extensive mRNA-Seq and ribosome profiling to generate high-resolution genome-wide maps of ribosome occupancy and translational efficiency (TE) during the life cycle of the fruit fly D. melanogaster. This allowed us to identify the sequence features of uORFs that influence their ability to associate with ribosomes. We demonstrate for the first time that the majority of the newly fixed uORFs in D. melanogaster, especially the translated ones, are under positive Darwinian selection. We also show that uORFs exert widespread repressive effects on the translation of the downstream protein-coding region. We find that many uORFs are transcribed or translated in a developmental stage-, sex-, or tissue-specific manner. Our results suggest that during Drosophila development, changes in the TE of uORFs, as well as the inclusion/exclusion of uORFs, are frequently exploited to inversely influence the translation of the downstream protein-coding regions. Our study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms and functional consequences of uORF-mediated regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Shengqian Dou
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Feng He
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Junjie Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Liping Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- * E-mail:
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Functions and impact of tal-like genes in animals with regard to applied aspects. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:6841-6845. [PMID: 29909570 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-9159-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
A large number of DNAs in eukaryote genomes can code for atypical transcripts, and their functions are controversial. It has been reported that the transcripts contain many small open reading frames (sORFs), which were originally considered as non-translatable RNAs. However, increasing evidence has suggested that some of these sORFs can encode for small peptides and some are conserved across large evolutionary distances. It has been reported that the small peptides have functions and may be involved in varieties of cellular processes, playing important roles in development, physiology, and metabolism. Among the sORFs, studies of the non-canonical gene polished rice/tarsal-less (pri/tal) in Drosophila and mille-pattes(mlpt) in Tribolium have been more thoroughly studied. The genes similar to pri/tal in other species have been defined as the tarsal-less-related gene family, tal-like gene. In this review, we described recent progress in the discovery and functional characterization of the small peptides encoded by the tal-like gene and their possible functional potentials.
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