1
|
Peng D, Wang L, Fang Y, Lu L, Li Z, Jiang S, Chen J, Aschner M, Li S, Jiang Y. Lead exposure induces neurodysfunction through caspase-1-mediated neuronal pyroptosis. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 255:119210. [PMID: 38795947 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 05/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
Chronic lead (Pb) exposure causes neurodysfunction and contributes to the development of neurodegenerative disease. However, the mechanism of Pb-induced neurological dysfunction have yet to be fully elucidated. This study determined the role pyroptosis plays in Pb-induced neurodysfunction in neurons. We used both in vitro and in vivo approaches to explore whether Pb exposure induces caspase-1-mediated pyroptosis in neurons and its relationship to Pb-induced neurological disorders. Our findings showed that caspase-1-mediated pyroptosis in Pb-exposed neurons activated glycogen synthase kinase 3 protease activity by disrupting Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II/cAMP-response element binding protein pathway, leading to neurological disorders. Moreover, the caspase-1 inhibition VX-765 or the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug sodium para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS-Na) attenuated the Pb-induced neurological disorders by alleviating caspase-1 mediated neuronal pyroptosis. Our novel studies suggest that caspase-1-mediated pyroptosis in neurons represents a potential mechanism for Pb-induced neurodysfunction, identifying a putative target for attenuating the neurodegenerative effects induced by this metal.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dongjie Peng
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China; Guangxi Colleges and Universities Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Highly Prevalent Diseases, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Leilei Wang
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China; Guangxi Colleges and Universities Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Highly Prevalent Diseases, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Yuanyuan Fang
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China; Guangxi Colleges and Universities Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Highly Prevalent Diseases, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Lili Lu
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China; Guangxi Colleges and Universities Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Highly Prevalent Diseases, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Zhaocong Li
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China; Guangxi Colleges and Universities Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Highly Prevalent Diseases, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Siyang Jiang
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China; Guangxi Colleges and Universities Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Highly Prevalent Diseases, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Jing Chen
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China; Guangxi Colleges and Universities Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Highly Prevalent Diseases, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Michael Aschner
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
| | - Shaojun Li
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China; Guangxi Colleges and Universities Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Highly Prevalent Diseases, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China.
| | - Yueming Jiang
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China; Guangxi Colleges and Universities Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Highly Prevalent Diseases, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wang Y, Tang X, Lu J. Convergent and divergent evolution of microRNA-mediated regulation in metazoans. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:525-545. [PMID: 37987240 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13033] [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: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been studied extensively to understand their roles in gene regulation and evolutionary processes. This review focuses on how miRNA-mediated regulation has evolved in bilaterian animals, highlighting both convergent and divergent evolution. Since animals and plants display significant differences in miRNA biogenesis and target recognition, the 'independent origin' hypothesis proposes that miRNA pathways in these groups independently evolved from the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, leading to modern miRNA repertoires through convergent evolution. However, recent evidence raises the alternative possibility that the miRNA pathway might have already existed in the last common ancestor of eukaryotes, and that the differences in miRNA pathway and miRNA repertoires among animal and plant lineages arise from lineage-specific innovations and losses of miRNA pathways, miRNA acquisition, and loss of miRNAs after eukaryotic divergence. The repertoire of miRNAs has considerably expanded during bilaterian evolution, primarily through de novo creation and duplication processes, generating new miRNAs. Although ancient functionally established miRNAs are rarely lost, many newly emerged miRNAs are transient and lineage specific, following a birth-death evolutionary pattern aligning with the 'out-of-the-testis' and 'transcriptional control' hypotheses. Our focus then shifts to the convergent molecular evolution of miRNAs. We summarize how miRNA clustering and seed mimicry contribute to this phenomenon, and we review how miRNAs from different sources converge to degrade maternal messenger RNAs (mRNAs) during animal development. Additionally, we describe how miRNAs evolve across species due to changes in sequence, seed shifting, arm switching, and spatiotemporal expression patterns, which can result in variations in target sites among orthologous miRNAs across distant strains or species. We also provide a summary of the current understanding regarding how the target sites of orthologous miRNAs can vary across strains or distantly related species. Although many paralogous miRNAs retain their seed or mature sequences after duplication, alterations can occur in the seed or mature sequences or expression patterns of paralogous miRNAs, leading to functional diversification. We discuss our current understanding of the functional divergence between duplicated miRNAs, and illustrate how the functional diversification of duplicated miRNAs impacts target site evolution. By investigating these topics, we aim to enhance our current understanding of the functions and evolutionary dynamics of miRNAs. Additionally, we shed light on the existing challenges in miRNA evolutionary studies, particularly the complexity of deciphering the role of miRNA-mediated regulatory network evolution in shaping gene expression divergence and phenotypic differences among species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yirong Wang
- Bioinformatics Center, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China
| | - Xiaolu Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Jian Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Plazzi F, Le Cras Y, Formaggioni A, Passamonti M. Mitochondrially mediated RNA interference, a retrograde signaling system affecting nuclear gene expression. Heredity (Edinb) 2024; 132:156-161. [PMID: 37714959 PMCID: PMC10923801 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-023-00650-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Several functional classes of short noncoding RNAs are involved in manifold regulatory processes in eukaryotes, including, among the best characterized, miRNAs. One of the most intriguing regulatory networks in the eukaryotic cell is the mito-nuclear crosstalk: recently, miRNA-like elements of mitochondrial origin, called smithRNAs, were detected in a bivalve species, Ruditapes philippinarum. These RNA molecules originate in the organelle but were shown in vivo to regulate nuclear genes. Since miRNA genes evolve easily de novo with respect to protein-coding genes, in the present work we estimate the probability with which a newly arisen smithRNA finds a suitable target in the nuclear transcriptome. Simulations with transcriptomes of 12 bivalve species suggest that this probability is high and not species specific: one in a hundred million (1 × 10-8) if five mismatches between the smithRNA and the 3' mRNA are allowed, yet many more are allowed in animals. We propose that novel smithRNAs may easily evolve as exaptation of the pre-existing mitochondrial RNAs. In turn, the ability of evolving novel smithRNAs may have played a pivotal role in mito-nuclear interactions during animal evolution, including the intriguing possibility of acting as speciation trigger.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Federico Plazzi
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, via Selmi, 3 - 40126, Bologna, BO, Italy.
| | - Youn Le Cras
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, via Selmi, 3 - 40126, Bologna, BO, Italy
- Magistère Européen de Génétique, Université Paris Cité, 85 Boulevard Saint Germain, 75006, Paris, Italy
| | - Alessandro Formaggioni
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, via Selmi, 3 - 40126, Bologna, BO, Italy
| | - Marco Passamonti
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, via Selmi, 3 - 40126, Bologna, BO, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Liu Y, Zhu QF, Li WY, Chen P, Xue J, Yu Y, Feng YZ. The Pivotal Role of Noncoding RNAs in Flowering Time Regulation. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:2114. [PMID: 38136936 PMCID: PMC10742506 DOI: 10.3390/genes14122114] [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: 10/21/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Noncoding RNAs constitute a substantial portion of the transcriptome and play pivotal roles in plant growth and development. Among these processes, flowering stands out as a crucial trait, ensuring reproductive success and seed set, and is meticulously controlled by genetic and environmental factors. With remarkable advancements in the identification and characterization of noncoding RNAs in plants, it has become evident that noncoding RNAs are intricately linked to the regulation of flowering time. In this article, we present an overview of the classification of plant noncoding RNAs and delve into their functions in the regulation of flowering time. Furthermore, we review their molecular mechanisms and their involvement in flowering pathways. Our comprehensive review enhances the understanding of how noncoding RNAs contribute to the regulation of flowering time and sheds light on their potential implications in crop breeding.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Yang Yu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm Resources Preservation and Utilization, Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; (Y.L.); (Q.-F.Z.); (W.-Y.L.); (P.C.); (J.X.)
| | - Yan-Zhao Feng
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm Resources Preservation and Utilization, Agro-biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; (Y.L.); (Q.-F.Z.); (W.-Y.L.); (P.C.); (J.X.)
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
van Lopik J, Alizada A, Trapotsi MA, Hannon GJ, Bornelöv S, Czech Nicholson B. Unistrand piRNA clusters are an evolutionarily conserved mechanism to suppress endogenous retroviruses across the Drosophila genus. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7337. [PMID: 37957172 PMCID: PMC10643416 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42787-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway prevents endogenous genomic parasites, i.e. transposable elements, from damaging the genetic material of animal gonadal cells. Specific regions in the genome, called piRNA clusters, are thought to define each species' piRNA repertoire and therefore its capacity to recognize and silence specific transposon families. The unistrand cluster flamenco (flam) is essential in the somatic compartment of the Drosophila ovary to restrict Gypsy-family transposons from infecting the neighbouring germ cells. Disruption of flam results in transposon de-repression and sterility, yet it remains unknown whether this silencing mechanism is present more widely. Here, we systematically characterise 119 Drosophila species and identify five additional flam-like clusters separated by up to 45 million years of evolution. Small RNA-sequencing validated these as bona-fide unistrand piRNA clusters expressed in somatic cells of the ovary, where they selectively target transposons of the Gypsy family. Together, our study provides compelling evidence of a widely conserved transposon silencing mechanism that co-evolved with virus-like Gypsy-family transposons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jasper van Lopik
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, CB2 0RE, UK
| | - Azad Alizada
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, CB2 0RE, UK
| | - Maria-Anna Trapotsi
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, CB2 0RE, UK
| | - Gregory J Hannon
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, CB2 0RE, UK
| | - Susanne Bornelöv
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, CB2 0RE, UK.
| | - Benjamin Czech Nicholson
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, CB2 0RE, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Lu GA, Zhang J, Zhao Y, Chen Q, Lin P, Tang T, Tang Z, Wen H, Liufu Z, Wu CI. Canalization of Phenotypes-When the Transcriptome is Constantly but Weakly Perturbed. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:6974681. [PMID: 36617265 PMCID: PMC9866258 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have increasingly pointed to microRNAs (miRNAs) as the agent of gene regulatory network (GRN) stabilization as well as developmental canalization against constant but small environmental perturbations. To analyze mild perturbations, we construct a Dicer-1 knockdown line (dcr-1 KD) in Drosophila that modestly reduces all miRNAs by, on average, ∼20%. The defining characteristic of stabilizers is that, when their capacity is compromised, GRNs do not change their short-term behaviors. Indeed, even with such broad reductions across all miRNAs, the changes in the transcriptome are very modest during development in stable environment. By comparison, broad knockdowns of other regulatory genes (esp. transcription factors) by the same method should lead to drastic changes in the GRNs. The consequence of destabilization may thus be in long-term development as postulated by the theory of canalization. Flies with modest miRNA reductions may gradually deviate from the developmental norm, resulting in late-stage failures such as shortened longevity. In the optimal culture condition, the survival to adulthood is indeed normal in the dcr-1 KD line but, importantly, adult longevity is reduced by ∼90%. When flies are stressed by high temperature, dcr-1 KD induces lethality earlier in late pupation and, as the perturbations are shifted earlier, the affected stages are shifted correspondingly. Hence, in late stages of development with deviations piling up, GRN would be increasingly in need of stabilization. In conclusion, miRNAs appear to be a solution to weak but constant environmental perturbations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Tian Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Zhixiong Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Zolotarov G, Fromm B, Legnini I, Ayoub S, Polese G, Maselli V, Chabot PJ, Vinther J, Styfhals R, Seuntjens E, Di Cosmo A, Peterson KJ, Rajewsky N. MicroRNAs are deeply linked to the emergence of the complex octopus brain. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eadd9938. [PMID: 36427315 PMCID: PMC9699675 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add9938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Soft-bodied cephalopods such as octopuses are exceptionally intelligent invertebrates with a highly complex nervous system that evolved independently from vertebrates. Because of elevated RNA editing in their nervous tissues, we hypothesized that RNA regulation may play a major role in the cognitive success of this group. We thus profiled messenger RNAs and small RNAs in three cephalopod species including 18 tissues of the Octopus vulgaris. We show that the major RNA innovation of soft-bodied cephalopods is an expansion of the microRNA (miRNA) gene repertoire. These evolutionarily novel miRNAs were primarily expressed in adult neuronal tissues and during the development and had conserved and thus likely functional target sites. The only comparable miRNA expansions happened, notably, in vertebrates. Thus, we propose that miRNAs are intimately linked to the evolution of complex animal brains.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Grygoriy Zolotarov
- Laboratory of Systems Biology of Gene Regulatory Elements, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Hannoversche Str 28, 10115 Berlin, Germany
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Bastian Fromm
- UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- SciLifeLab, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ivano Legnini
- Laboratory of Systems Biology of Gene Regulatory Elements, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Hannoversche Str 28, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Salah Ayoub
- Laboratory of Systems Biology of Gene Regulatory Elements, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Hannoversche Str 28, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Gianluca Polese
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Valeria Maselli
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Jakob Vinther
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Ruth Styfhals
- Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
| | - Eve Seuntjens
- Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Anna Di Cosmo
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Nikolaus Rajewsky
- Laboratory of Systems Biology of Gene Regulatory Elements, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Hannoversche Str 28, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Huang Y, Shang R, Lu GA, Zeng W, Huang C, Zou C, Tang T. Spatiotemporal Regulation of a Single Adaptively Evolving Trans-Regulatory Element Contributes to Spermatogenetic Expression Divergence in Drosophila. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6605656. [PMID: 35687719 PMCID: PMC9254010 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac127] [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] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to extensive pleiotropy, trans-acting elements are often thought to be evolutionarily constrained. While the impact of trans-acting elements on gene expression evolution has been extensively studied, relatively little is understood about the contribution of a single trans regulator to interspecific expression and phenotypic divergence. Here, we disentangle the effects of genomic context and miR-983, an adaptively evolving young microRNA, on expression divergence between Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans. We show miR-983 effects promote interspecific expression divergence in testis despite its antagonism with the often-predominant context effects. Single-cyst RNA-seq reveals that distinct sets of genes gain and lose miR-983 influence under disruptive or diversifying selection at different stages of spermatogenesis, potentially helping minimize antagonistic pleiotropy. At the round spermatid stage, the effects of miR-983 are weak and distributed, coincident with the transcriptome undergoing drastic expression changes. Knocking out miR-983 causes reduced sperm length with increased within-individual variation in D. melanogaster but not in D. simulans, and the D. melanogaster knockout also exhibits compromised sperm defense ability. Our results provide empirical evidence for the resolution of antagonistic pleiotropy and also have broad implications for the function and evolution of new trans regulators.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yumei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Rui Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Guang-An Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Weishun Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Chenglong Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Chuangchao Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Tian Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Lyu Y, Liufu Z, Xiao J, Tang T. A Rapid Evolving microRNA Cluster Rewires Its Target Regulatory Networks in Drosophila. Front Genet 2021; 12:760530. [PMID: 34777478 PMCID: PMC8581666 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.760530] [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: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
New miRNAs are evolutionarily important but their functional evolution remains unclear. Here we report that the evolution of a microRNA cluster, mir-972C rewires its downstream regulatory networks in Drosophila. Genomic analysis reveals that mir-972C originated in the common ancestor of Drosophila where it comprises six old miRNAs. It has subsequently recruited six new members in the melanogaster subgroup after evolving for at least 50 million years. Both the young and the old mir-972C members evolved rapidly in seed and non-seed regions. Combining target prediction and cell transfection experiments, we found that the seed and non-seed changes in individual mir-972C members cause extensive target divergence among D. melanogaster, D. simulans, and D. virilis, consistent with the functional evolution of mir-972C reported recently. Intriguingly, the target pool of the cluster as a whole remains relatively conserved. Our results suggest that clustering of young and old miRNAs broadens the target repertoires by acquiring new targets without losing many old ones. This may facilitate the establishment of new miRNAs in existing regulatory networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yang Lyu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhongqi Liufu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Juan Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tian Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|