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Rouhana L, Edgar A, Hugosson F, Dountcheva V, Martindale MQ, Ryan JF. Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Is an Ancestral Hallmark of Early Development in Animals. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad137. [PMID: 37288606 PMCID: PMC10284499 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Differential regulation of gene expression has produced the astonishing diversity of life on Earth. Understanding the origin and evolution of mechanistic innovations for control of gene expression is therefore integral to evolutionary and developmental biology. Cytoplasmic polyadenylation is the biochemical extension of polyadenosine at the 3'-end of cytoplasmic mRNAs. This process regulates the translation of specific maternal transcripts and is mediated by the Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element-Binding Protein family (CPEBs). Genes that code for CPEBs are amongst a very few that are present in animals but missing in nonanimal lineages. Whether cytoplasmic polyadenylation is present in non-bilaterian animals (i.e., sponges, ctenophores, placozoans, and cnidarians) remains unknown. We have conducted phylogenetic analyses of CPEBs, and our results show that CPEB1 and CPEB2 subfamilies originated in the animal stem lineage. Our assessment of expression in the sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis (Cnidaria), and the comb jelly, Mnemiopsis leidyi (Ctenophora), demonstrates that maternal expression of CPEB1 and the catalytic subunit of the cytoplasmic polyadenylation machinery (GLD2) is an ancient feature that is conserved across animals. Furthermore, our measurements of poly(A)-tail elongation reveal that key targets of cytoplasmic polyadenylation are shared between vertebrates, cnidarians, and ctenophores, indicating that this mechanism orchestrates a regulatory network that is conserved throughout animal evolution. We postulate that cytoplasmic polyadenylation through CPEBs was a fundamental innovation that contributed to animal evolution from unicellular life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Labib Rouhana
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Allison Edgar
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Fredrik Hugosson
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Valeria Dountcheva
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mark Q Martindale
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Joseph F Ryan
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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2
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Li Y, Hui JHL. Small RNAs in Cnidaria: A review. Evol Appl 2023; 16:354-364. [PMID: 36793685 PMCID: PMC9923473 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
As fundamental components of RNA silencing, small RNA (sRNA) molecules ranging from 20 to 32 nucleotides in length have been found as potent regulators of gene expression and genome stability in many biological processes of eukaryotes. Three major small RNAs are active in animals, including the microRNA (miRNA), short interfering RNA (siRNA), and PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA). Cnidarians, the sister group to bilaterians, are at a critical phylogenetic node to better model eukaryotic small RNA pathway evolution. To date, most of our understanding of sRNA regulation and its potential contribution to evolution has been limited to a few triploblastic bilaterian and plant models. The diploblastic nonbilaterians, including the cnidarians, are understudied in this regard. Therefore, this review will present the current-known small RNA information in cnidarians to enhance our understanding of the development of the small RNA pathways in early branch animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiqian Li
- Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, School of Life SciencesThe Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong CityHong Kong
| | - Jerome H. L. Hui
- Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, School of Life SciencesThe Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong CityHong Kong
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3
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Vieux KF, Prothro KP, Kelley LH, Palmer C, Maine EM, Veksler-Lublinsky I, McJunkin K. Screening by deep sequencing reveals mediators of microRNA tailing in C. elegans. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:11167-11180. [PMID: 34586415 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
microRNAs are frequently modified by addition of untemplated nucleotides to the 3' end, but the role of this tailing is often unclear. Here we characterize the prevalence and functional consequences of microRNA tailing in vivo, using Caenorhabditis elegans. MicroRNA tailing in C. elegans consists mostly of mono-uridylation of mature microRNA species, with rarer mono-adenylation which is likely added to microRNA precursors. Through a targeted RNAi screen, we discover that the TUT4/TUT7 gene family member CID-1/CDE-1/PUP-1 is required for uridylation, whereas the GLD2 gene family member F31C3.2-here named GLD-2-related 2 (GLDR-2)-is required for adenylation. Thus, the TUT4/TUT7 and GLD2 gene families have broadly conserved roles in miRNA modification. We specifically examine the role of tailing in microRNA turnover. We determine half-lives of microRNAs after acute inactivation of microRNA biogenesis, revealing that half-lives are generally long (median = 20.7 h), as observed in other systems. Although we observe that the proportion of tailed species increases over time after biogenesis, disrupting tailing does not alter microRNA decay. Thus, tailing is not a global regulator of decay in C. elegans. Nonetheless, by identifying the responsible enzymes, this study lays the groundwork to explore whether tailing plays more specialized context- or miRNA-specific regulatory roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl-Frédéric Vieux
- National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, MD 20815, USA
| | - Katherine P Prothro
- National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, MD 20815, USA.,Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Leanne H Kelley
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
| | - Cameron Palmer
- National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, MD 20815, USA
| | - Eleanor M Maine
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
| | | | - Katherine McJunkin
- National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, MD 20815, USA
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Pillai A, Gungi A, Reddy PC, Galande S. Epigenetic Regulation in Hydra: Conserved and Divergent Roles. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:663208. [PMID: 34041242 PMCID: PMC8141815 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.663208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Transitions in gene regulatory processes responsible for the emergence of specialized cell types and spatiotemporal regulation of developmental signaling prior to the divergence of Cnidaria and Bilateria are poorly understood. As a sister group of Bilateria, the phylum Cnidaria can provide significant insights into these processes. Among the cnidarians, hydrae have been studied for >250 years to comprehend the mechanisms underlying their unique immortality and robust regenerative capacity. Studies on Hydra spp. and other pre-bilaterians alike have advanced our understanding of the evolutionary underpinnings governing eumetazoan tissue development, homeostasis, and regeneration. In addition to its regenerative potential, Hydra exhibits continuously active axial patterning due to its peculiar tissue dynamics. These distinctive physiological processes necessitate large scale gene expression changes that are governed by the multitude of epigenetic mechanisms operating in cells. This review highlights the contemporary knowledge of epigenetic regulation in Hydra with contemporary studies from other members of Cnidaria, as well as the interplay between regulatory mechanisms wherever demonstrated. The studies covered in the scope of this review reveal both ancestral and divergent roles played by conserved epigenetic mechanisms with emphasis on transcriptional regulation. Additionally, single-cell transcriptomics data was mined to predict the physiological relevance of putative gene regulatory components, which is in agreement with published findings and yielded insights into the possible functions of the gene regulatory mechanisms that are yet to be deciphered in Hydra, such as DNA methylation. Finally, we delineate potentially rewarding epigenetics research avenues that can further leverage the unique biology of Hydra.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Puli Chandramouli Reddy
- Centre of Excellence in Epigenetics, Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
| | - Sanjeev Galande
- Centre of Excellence in Epigenetics, Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
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Dexheimer PJ, Cochella L. MicroRNAs: From Mechanism to Organism. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:409. [PMID: 32582699 PMCID: PMC7283388 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 206] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, regulatory RNAs that act as post-transcriptional repressors of gene expression in diverse biological contexts. The emergence of small RNA-mediated gene silencing preceded the onset of multicellularity and was followed by a drastic expansion of the miRNA repertoire in conjunction with the evolution of complexity in the plant and animal kingdoms. Along this process, miRNAs became an essential feature of animal development, as no higher metazoan lineage tolerated loss of miRNAs or their associated protein machinery. In fact, ablation of the miRNA biogenesis machinery or the effector silencing factors results in severe embryogenesis defects in every animal studied. In this review, we summarize recent mechanistic insight into miRNA biogenesis and function, while emphasizing features that have enabled multicellular organisms to harness the potential of this broad class of repressors. We first discuss how different mechanisms of regulation of miRNA biogenesis are used, not only to generate spatio-temporal specificity of miRNA production within an animal, but also to achieve the necessary levels and dynamics of expression. We then explore how evolution of the mechanism for small RNA-mediated repression resulted in a diversity of silencing complexes that cause different molecular effects on their targets. Multicellular organisms have taken advantage of this variability in the outcome of miRNA-mediated repression, with differential use in particular cell types or even distinct subcellular compartments. Finally, we present an overview of how the animal miRNA repertoire has evolved and diversified, emphasizing the emergence of miRNA families and the biological implications of miRNA sequence diversification. Overall, focusing on selected animal models and through the lens of evolution, we highlight canonical mechanisms in miRNA biology and their variations, providing updated insight that will ultimately help us understand the contribution of miRNAs to the development and physiology of multicellular organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luisa Cochella
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
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Moreland RT, Nguyen AD, Ryan JF, Baxevanis AD. The Mnemiopsis Genome Project Portal: integrating new gene expression resources and improving data visualization. DATABASE-THE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL DATABASES AND CURATION 2020; 2020:5834871. [PMID: 32386298 DOI: 10.1093/database/baaa029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Following the completion of the genome sequencing and gene prediction of Mnemiopsis leidyi, a lobate ctenophore that is native to the coastal waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, we developed and implemented the Mnemiopsis Genome Project Portal (MGP Portal), a comprehensive Web-based data portal for navigating the genome sequence and gene annotations. In the years following the first release of the MGP Portal, it has become evident that the inclusion of data from significant published studies on Mnemiopsis has been critical to its adoption as the centralized resource for this emerging model organism. With this most recent update, the Portal has significantly expanded to include in situ images, temporal developmental expression profiles and single-cell expression data. Recent enhancements also include implementations of an updated BLAST interface, new graphical visualization tools and updates to gene pages that integrate all new data types. Database URL: https://research.nhgri.nih.gov/mnemiopsis/.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Travis Moreland
- Computational and Statistical Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Anh-Dao Nguyen
- Computational and Statistical Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Joseph F Ryan
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA.,Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Andreas D Baxevanis
- Computational and Statistical Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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Warkocki Z, Liudkovska V, Gewartowska O, Mroczek S, Dziembowski A. Terminal nucleotidyl transferases (TENTs) in mammalian RNA metabolism. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 373:rstb.2018.0162. [PMID: 30397099 PMCID: PMC6232586 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In eukaryotes, almost all RNA species are processed at their 3′ ends and most mRNAs are polyadenylated in the nucleus by canonical poly(A) polymerases. In recent years, several terminal nucleotidyl transferases (TENTs) including non-canonical poly(A) polymerases (ncPAPs) and terminal uridyl transferases (TUTases) have been discovered. In contrast to canonical polymerases, TENTs' functions are more diverse; some, especially TUTases, induce RNA decay while others, such as cytoplasmic ncPAPs, activate translationally dormant deadenylated mRNAs. The mammalian genome encodes 11 different TENTs. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the functions and mechanisms of action of these enzymes. This article is part of the theme issue ‘5′ and 3′ modifications controlling RNA degradation’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zbigniew Warkocki
- Department of RNA Metabolism, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, Poznan, Poland
| | - Vladyslava Liudkovska
- Laboratory of RNA Biology and Functional Genomics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.,Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Olga Gewartowska
- Laboratory of RNA Biology and Functional Genomics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.,Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Seweryn Mroczek
- Laboratory of RNA Biology and Functional Genomics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.,Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Andrzej Dziembowski
- Laboratory of RNA Biology and Functional Genomics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland .,Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
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8
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Calcino AD, Fernandez-Valverde SL, Taft RJ, Degnan BM. Diverse RNA interference strategies in early-branching metazoans. BMC Evol Biol 2018; 18:160. [PMID: 30382896 PMCID: PMC6211395 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-018-1274-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Micro RNAs (miRNAs) and piwi interacting RNAs (piRNAs), along with the more ancient eukaryotic endogenous small interfering RNAs (endo-siRNAs) constitute the principal components of the RNA interference (RNAi) repertoire of most animals. RNAi in non-bilaterians - sponges, ctenophores, placozoans and cnidarians - appears to be more diverse than that of bilaterians, and includes structurally variable miRNAs in sponges, an enormous number of piRNAs in cnidarians and the absence of miRNAs in ctenophores and placozoans. RESULTS Here we identify thousands of endo-siRNAs and piRNAs from the sponge Amphimedon queenslandica, the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi and the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis using a computational approach that clusters mapped small RNA sequences and annotates each cluster based on the read length and relative abundance of the constituent reads. This approach was validated on 11 small RNA libraries in Drosophila melanogaster, demonstrating the successful annotation of RNAi-associated loci with properties consistent with previous reports. In the non-bilaterians we uncover seven new miRNAs from Amphimedon and four from Nematostella as well as sub-populations of candidate cis-natural antisense transcript (cis-NAT) endo-siRNAs. We confirmed the absence of miRNAs in Mnemiopsis but detected an abundance of endo-siRNAs in this ctenophore. Analysis of putative piRNA structure suggests that conserved localised secondary structures in primary transcripts may be important for the production of mature piRNAs in Amphimedon and Nematostella, as is also the case for endo-siRNAs. CONCLUSION Together, these findings suggest that the last common ancestor of extant animals did not have the entrained RNAi system that typifies bilaterians. Instead it appears that bilaterians, cnidarians, ctenophores and sponges express unique repertoires and combinations of miRNAs, piRNAs and endo-siRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Calcino
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Present address: Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 1, 4A-1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Selene L Fernandez-Valverde
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Present address: CONACYT, Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad (Langebio). CINVESTAV, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Ryan J Taft
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Illumina Inc, San Diego, California, 92122, USA
| | - Bernard M Degnan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
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Modepalli V, Fridrich A, Agron M, Moran Y. The methyltransferase HEN1 is required in Nematostella vectensis for microRNA and piRNA stability as well as larval metamorphosis. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007590. [PMID: 30118479 PMCID: PMC6114907 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2018] [Revised: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) such as microRNAs (miRNAs), small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) regulate the levels of endogenous, viral and transposable element RNA in plants (excluding piRNAs) and animals. These pathways are explored mainly in bilaterian animals, such as vertebrates, arthropods and nematodes, where siRNAs and piRNAs, but not miRNAs bind their targets with a perfect match and mediate the cleavage of the target RNA. Methylation of the 3′ ends of piRNAs and siRNAs by the methyltransferase HEN1 protects these sRNAs from degradation. There is a noticeable selection in bilaterian animals against miRNA-mRNA perfect matching, as it leads to the degradation of miRNAs. Cnidarians (sea anemones, corals, hydroids and jellyfish), are separated from bilaterians by more than 600 million years. As opposed to bilaterians, cnidarian miRNAs frequently bind their targets with a nearly perfect match. Knowing that an ortholog of HEN1 is widely expressed in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, we tested in this work whether it mediates the stabilization of its sRNAs. We show that the knockdown of HEN1 in Nematostella results in a developmental arrest. Small RNA sequencing revealed that the levels of both miRNAs and piRNAs drop dramatically in the morphant animals. Moreover, knockdown experiments of Nematostella Dicer1 and PIWI2, homologs of major bilaterian biogenesis components of miRNAs and piRNAs, respectively, resulted in developmental arrest similar to HEN1 morphants. Our findings suggest that HEN1 mediated methylation of sRNAs reflects the ancestral state, where miRNAs were also methylated. Thus, we provide the first evidence of a methylation mechanism that stabilizes miRNAs in animals, and highlight the importance of post-transcriptional regulation in non-bilaterian animals. Plants and animals use small RNAs to regulate gene expression, virus silencing and genomic integrity. These functions depend on specific binding of small RNAs to longer RNA targets. The methyltransferase HEN1 plays a crucial role in stabilizing small RNAs upon their binding to perfectly-matching targets. Lack of methylation in case of a perfect match will lead to small RNA degradation. In general, methylation of microRNAs, a class of small RNAs, is part of their biogenesis in plants, but not in bilaterian animals such as vertebrates, worms and insects, where perfectly-matching microRNA targets are rare. In contrast, in Cnidaria (sea anemones, corals and jellyfish), the sister group to Bilateria, microRNAs frequently bind their targets with a nearly perfect match. In this study, we show that in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis methylation of microRNAs and other small RNAs is consistent and frequent throughout development and that knockdown of the cnidarian HEN1 results in a developmental arrest. Small RNA sequencing of the treated animals, reveals that small RNAs are depleted and shortened. Therefore, our findings suggest that HEN1-mediated methylation of small RNAs was present in the last common ancestor of Cnidaria and Bilateria 600 million years ago and was responsible for microRNA stabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vengamanaidu Modepalli
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- * E-mail: (VM); (YM)
| | - Arie Fridrich
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Maayan Agron
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yehu Moran
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- * E-mail: (VM); (YM)
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10
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Towler BP, Newbury SF. Regulation of cytoplasmic RNA stability: Lessons from Drosophila. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2018; 9:e1499. [PMID: 30109918 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Revised: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The process of RNA degradation is a critical level of regulation contributing to the control of gene expression. In the last two decades a number of studies have shown the specific and targeted nature of RNA decay and its importance in maintaining homeostasis. The key players within the pathways of RNA decay are well conserved with their mutation or disruption resulting in distinct phenotypes as well as human disease. Model organisms including Drosophila melanogaster have played a substantial role in elucidating the mechanisms conferring control over RNA stability. A particular advantage of this model organism is that the functions of ribonucleases can be assessed in the context of natural cells within tissues in addition to individual immortalized cells in culture. Drosophila RNA stability research has demonstrated how the cytoplasmic decay machines, such as the exosome, Dis3L2 and Xrn1, are responsible for regulating specific processes including apoptosis, proliferation, wound healing and fertility. The work discussed here has begun to identify specific mRNA transcripts that appear sensitive to specific decay pathways representing mechanisms through which the ribonucleases control mRNA stability. Drosophila research has also contributed to our knowledge of how specific RNAs are targeted to the ribonucleases including AU rich elements, miRNA targeting and 3' tailing. Increased understanding of these mechanisms is critical to elucidating the control elicited by the cytoplasmic ribonucleases which is relevant to human disease. This article is categorized under: RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Development RNA Turnover and Surveillance > Regulation of RNA Stability RNA Turnover and Surveillance > Turnover/Surveillance Mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin P Towler
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Sarah F Newbury
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
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