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Ormazábal A, Palma J, Pierdominici-Sottile G. Dynamics and Function of sRNA/mRNAs Under the Scrutiny of Computational Simulation Methods. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2741:207-238. [PMID: 38217656 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3565-0_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Molecular dynamics simulations have proved extremely useful in investigating the functioning of proteins with atomic-scale resolution. Many applications to the study of RNA also exist, and their number increases by the day. However, implementing MD simulations for RNA molecules in solution faces challenges that the MD practitioner must be aware of for the appropriate use of this tool. In this chapter, we present the fundamentals of MD simulations, in general, and the peculiarities of RNA simulations, in particular. We discuss the strengths and limitations of the technique and provide examples of its application to elucidate small RNA's performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustín Ormazábal
- Departmento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CONICET, Godoy Cruz, CABA, Argentina
| | - Juliana Palma
- Departmento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CONICET, Godoy Cruz, CABA, Argentina
| | - Gustavo Pierdominici-Sottile
- Departmento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CONICET, Godoy Cruz, CABA, Argentina.
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Patterson EC, Lall GM, Neumann R, Ottolini B, Batini C, Sacchini F, Foster AP, Wetton JH, Jobling MA. Mitogenome sequences of domestic cats demonstrate lineage expansions and dynamic mutation processes in a mitochondrial minisatellite. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:690. [PMID: 37978434 PMCID: PMC10655372 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09789-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As a population genetic tool, mitochondrial DNA is commonly divided into the ~ 1-kb control region (CR), in which single nucleotide variant (SNV) diversity is relatively high, and the coding region, in which selective constraint is greater and diversity lower, but which provides an informative phylogeny. In some species, the CR contains variable tandemly repeated sequences that are understudied due to heteroplasmy. Domestic cats (Felis catus) have a recent origin and therefore traditional CR-based analysis of populations yields only a small number of haplotypes. RESULTS To increase resolution we used Nanopore sequencing to analyse 119 cat mitogenomes via a long-amplicon approach. This greatly improves discrimination (from 15 to 87 distinct haplotypes in our dataset) and defines a phylogeny showing similar starlike topologies within all major clades (haplogroups), likely reflecting post-domestication expansion. We sequenced RS2, a CR tandem array of 80-bp repeat units, placing RS2 array structures within the phylogeny and increasing overall haplotype diversity. Repeat number varies between 3 and 12 (median: 4) with over 30 different repeat unit types differing largely by SNVs. Five SNVs show evidence of independent recurrence within the phylogeny, and seven are involved in at least 11 instances of rapid spread along repeat arrays within haplogroups. CONCLUSIONS In defining mitogenome variation our study provides key information for the forensic genetic analysis of cat hair evidence, and for the first time a phylogenetically informed picture of tandem repeat variation that reveals remarkably dynamic mutation processes at work in the mitochondrion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily C Patterson
- Department of Genetics & Genome Biology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Gurdeep Matharu Lall
- Department of Genetics & Genome Biology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Rita Neumann
- Department of Genetics & Genome Biology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Barbara Ottolini
- Department of Genetics & Genome Biology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
- Present Address: Oxford Nanopore Technologies Plc., Oxford Science Park, Edmund Halley Rd, Oxford, OX4 4DQ, UK
| | - Chiara Batini
- Department of Genetics & Genome Biology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
- Present Address: Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
- Biomedical Research Centre, Leicester National Institute for Health and Care Research, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK
| | - Federico Sacchini
- IDEXX Laboratories Italia S.R.L., Via Guglielmo Silva, 36-20149, Milano, MI, Italy
| | - Aiden P Foster
- Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, BS40 5DU, North Somerset, UK
| | - Jon H Wetton
- Department of Genetics & Genome Biology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK.
| | - Mark A Jobling
- Department of Genetics & Genome Biology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK.
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The Impact of Deleting Stem-Loop 1 of Epstein-Barr Virus-Encoded RNA 1 on Cell Proliferation. Viruses 2022; 14:v14112538. [PMID: 36423146 PMCID: PMC9696203 DOI: 10.3390/v14112538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Epstein-Barr virus-encoded RNAs (EBERs) are two small, noncoding, structurally conserved transcripts, constitutively expressed at >106 copies per EBV-infected cell. They have been shown to drive cell growth. However, the mechanism(s) involved in EBER-induced proliferation is not clear. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms and structural impact of EBER1. Sequences of EBER1 stem-loops (SL) 1, 3, and 4 were deleted, creating three mutants: ∆SL1, ∆SL3, and ∆SL4. These mutants were cloned into pHebo plasmids and expressed in Jurkat cell lines. Cells transfected with wildtype EBER1 and pHebo were used as controls. Cell proliferation was monitored by microscopy and flow cytometry. Microarray, qPCR, and Western blotting were used to investigate the cell cycle markers. We found significantly higher cell proliferation in wildtype EBER1 cells compared to pHebo, ∆SL1, and ∆SL3, but not ∆SL4 mutants. There was also significant upregulation of S-phase and G2/M phase markers in wildtype EBER1 and ∆SL4 mutant. Furthermore, CDT1, a factor for DNA replication, was upregulated in wildtype EBER1 and ∆SL4 mutant. However, in ∆SL1 mutant, CDT1 was significantly downregulated and translocated to the cytoplasm. These data indicate that the structure of EBER1 is important in cell proliferation.
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Cheng CH, Ishii K, Tahara T. Microsecond Equilibrium Dynamics of Hairpin-Forming Oligonucleotides Quantified by Two-Color Two-Dimensional Fluorescence Lifetime Correlation Spectroscopy. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:10673-10681. [PMID: 33200606 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c07600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
RNA and DNA play distinct roles in biological systems. However, the underlying physicochemical difference has been poorly understood, in particular, that in dynamical aspects. In this paper, we report on a comparative study of the formation-dissociation dynamics of a hairpin structure of RNA and DNA with development of two-color two-dimensional fluorescence lifetime correlation spectroscopy (two-color 2D FLCS). In this extension of 2D FLCS, we newly introduce the two-color detection scheme to analyze not only donor fluorescence photons but also acceptor fluorescence photons from a doubly labeled Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) pair. This new 2D FLCS is utilized to resolve multiple species present in an equilibrated condition with a microsecond time resolution and enhanced sensitivity, and the combined use with the filtered fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) method enables a quantitative discussion on microsecond structural dynamics occurring in the equilibrium. This integrated approach is applied to FRET-labeled RNA/DNA oligonucleotides having analogous hairpin-forming sequences, and it was revealed that the hairpin dissociation rate of RNA is an order of magnitude slower than that of DNA while their hairpin-forming rates are comparable. This marked difference is attributable to the distinct duplex structure of RNA and DNA. The present study demonstrates that the integrated approach combining two-color 2D FLCS and filtered FCS has a high potential for quantifying microsecond kinetics at the single-molecule level, which allows us to experimentally construct a free energy landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao-Han Cheng
- Molecular Spectroscopy Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kunihiko Ishii
- Molecular Spectroscopy Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako 351-0198, Japan.,Ultrafast Spectroscopy Research Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics (RAP), 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako 351-0198, Japan
| | - Tahei Tahara
- Molecular Spectroscopy Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako 351-0198, Japan.,Ultrafast Spectroscopy Research Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics (RAP), 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako 351-0198, Japan
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Wieleba I, Wojas-Krawczyk K, Krawczyk P. Aptamers in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25143138. [PMID: 32659994 PMCID: PMC7396979 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25143138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Aptamers are short, single-stranded oligonucleotides which are capable of specifically binding to single molecules and cellular structures. Aptamers are also known as “chemical antibodies”. Compared to monoclonal antibodies, they are characterized by higher reaction specificity, lower molecular weight, lower production costs, and lower variability in the production stage. Aptamer research has been extended during the past twenty years, but only Macugen® has been accepted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to date, and few aptamers have been examined in clinical trials. In vitro studies with aptamers have shown that they may take part in the regulation of cancer progression, angiogenesis, and metastasis processes. In this article, we focus on the potential use of aptamers in non-small cell lung cancer treatment.
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Pedro AQ, Pereira P, Quental MJ, Carvalho AP, Santos SM, Queiroz JA, Sousa F, Freire MG. Cholinium-based Good's buffers ionic liquids as remarkable stabilizers and recyclable preservation media for recombinant small RNAs. ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING 2018; 6:16645-16656. [PMID: 30949418 PMCID: PMC6443033 DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b03900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
RNA is a biopolymer of high relevance in the biopharmaceuticals field and in fundamental and applied research; however, the preservation of the RNA stability is still a remarkable challenge. Herein, we demonstrate the enhanced potential of aqueous solutions of self-buffering cholinium-based Good's buffers ionic liquids (GB-ILs), at 20 and 50 % (w/w), as alternative preservation media of recombinant small RNAs. The thermal stability of RNA is highly enhanced by GB-ILs, with an increase of 14 °C in the biopolymer melting temperature - the highest increase observed up to date with ILs. Most GB-ILs investigated improve the stability of RNA at least up to 30-days, both at 25 °C and at 4 °C, without requiring the typical samples freezing. Molecular dynamics simulations were applied to better understand the molecular-level mechanisms responsible for the observed RNA improved stability. The number of IL cations surrounding the RNA chain is similar, yet with differences found for the IL anions, which are responsible for the overall charge of the biopolymer first solvation sphere. No cytotoxicity of the studied solutions containing RNA and ILs at 20 % (w/w) was observed onto two distinct human cell lines, reinforcing their potential to act as preservation media when foreseeing biopharmaceutical applications. Finally, RNA was successfully recovered from the ILs aqueous solutions, without changes in its structural integrity, and the ILs successfully recycled and reused.
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Affiliation(s)
- Augusto Q. Pedro
- CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Complexo de Laboratórios Tecnológicos, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Pereira
- CICS-UBI – Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Maria J. Quental
- CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Complexo de Laboratórios Tecnológicos, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - André P. Carvalho
- CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Complexo de Laboratórios Tecnológicos, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Sérgio M. Santos
- CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Complexo de Laboratórios Tecnológicos, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - João A. Queiroz
- CICS-UBI – Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI – Health Sciences Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
- Corresponding Authors: ; Tel: +351-234-401422; Fax: +351-234-370084; ; Tel: +351-275-329074
| | - Mara G. Freire
- CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, Chemistry Department, University of Aveiro, Complexo de Laboratórios Tecnológicos, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
- Corresponding Authors: ; Tel: +351-234-401422; Fax: +351-234-370084; ; Tel: +351-275-329074
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