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Bastiaanssen C, Bobadilla Ugarte P, Kim K, Finocchio G, Feng Y, Anzelon TA, Köstlbacher S, Tamarit D, Ettema TJG, Jinek M, MacRae IJ, Joo C, Swarts DC, Wu F. RNA-guided RNA silencing by an Asgard archaeal Argonaute. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5499. [PMID: 38951509 PMCID: PMC11217426 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49452-1] [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: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Argonaute proteins are the central effectors of RNA-guided RNA silencing pathways in eukaryotes, playing crucial roles in gene repression and defense against viruses and transposons. Eukaryotic Argonautes are subdivided into two clades: AGOs generally facilitate miRNA- or siRNA-mediated silencing, while PIWIs generally facilitate piRNA-mediated silencing. It is currently unclear when and how Argonaute-based RNA silencing mechanisms arose and diverged during the emergence and early evolution of eukaryotes. Here, we show that in Asgard archaea, the closest prokaryotic relatives of eukaryotes, an evolutionary expansion of Argonaute proteins took place. In particular, a deep-branching PIWI protein (HrAgo1) encoded by the genome of the Lokiarchaeon 'Candidatus Harpocratesius repetitus' shares a common origin with eukaryotic PIWI proteins. Contrasting known prokaryotic Argonautes that use single-stranded DNA as guides and/or targets, HrAgo1 mediates RNA-guided RNA cleavage, and facilitates gene silencing when expressed in human cells and supplied with miRNA precursors. A cryo-EM structure of HrAgo1, combined with quantitative single-molecule experiments, reveals that the protein displays structural features and target-binding modes that are a mix of those of eukaryotic AGO and PIWI proteins. Thus, this deep-branching archaeal PIWI may have retained an ancestral molecular architecture that preceded the functional and mechanistic divergence of eukaryotic AGOs and PIWIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolien Bastiaanssen
- Department of BioNanoScience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | | | - Kijun Kim
- Department of BioNanoScience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Giada Finocchio
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yanlei Feng
- School of Life Sciences, College of Science, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, China
- Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Todd A Anzelon
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Stephan Köstlbacher
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel Tamarit
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Thijs J G Ettema
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Martin Jinek
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ian J MacRae
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Chirlmin Joo
- Department of BioNanoScience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
- Department of Physics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.
| | - Daan C Swarts
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Fabai Wu
- School of Life Sciences, College of Science, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, China.
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Consalvo CD, Aderounmu AM, Donelick HM, Aruscavage PJ, Eckert DM, Shen PS, Bass BL. Caenorhabditis elegans Dicer acts with the RIG-I-like helicase DRH-1 and RDE-4 to cleave dsRNA. eLife 2024; 13:RP93979. [PMID: 38747717 PMCID: PMC11095941 DOI: 10.7554/elife.93979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Invertebrates use the endoribonuclease Dicer to cleave viral dsRNA during antiviral defense, while vertebrates use RIG-I-like Receptors (RLRs), which bind viral dsRNA to trigger an interferon response. While some invertebrate Dicers act alone during antiviral defense, Caenorhabditis elegans Dicer acts in a complex with a dsRNA binding protein called RDE-4, and an RLR ortholog called DRH-1. We used biochemical and structural techniques to provide mechanistic insight into how these proteins function together. We found RDE-4 is important for ATP-independent and ATP-dependent cleavage reactions, while helicase domains of both DCR-1 and DRH-1 contribute to ATP-dependent cleavage. DRH-1 plays the dominant role in ATP hydrolysis, and like mammalian RLRs, has an N-terminal domain that functions in autoinhibition. A cryo-EM structure indicates DRH-1 interacts with DCR-1's helicase domain, suggesting this interaction relieves autoinhibition. Our study unravels the mechanistic basis of the collaboration between two helicases from typically distinct innate immune defense pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia D Consalvo
- Department of Biochemistry, University of UtahSalt Lake CityUnited States
| | | | - Helen M Donelick
- Department of Biochemistry, University of UtahSalt Lake CityUnited States
| | | | - Debra M Eckert
- Department of Biochemistry, University of UtahSalt Lake CityUnited States
| | - Peter S Shen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of UtahSalt Lake CityUnited States
| | - Brenda L Bass
- Department of Biochemistry, University of UtahSalt Lake CityUnited States
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3
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Formaggioni A, Cavalli G, Hamada M, Sakamoto T, Plazzi F, Passamonti M. The Evolution and Characterization of the RNA Interference Pathways in Lophotrochozoa. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae098. [PMID: 38713108 PMCID: PMC11114477 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae098] [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: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
In animals, three main RNA interference mechanisms have been described so far, which respectively maturate three types of small noncoding RNAs (sncRNAs): miRNAs, piRNAs, and endo-siRNAs. The diversification of these mechanisms is deeply linked with the evolution of the Argonaute gene superfamily since each type of sncRNA is typically loaded by a specific Argonaute homolog. Moreover, other protein families play pivotal roles in the maturation of sncRNAs, like the DICER ribonuclease family, whose DICER1 and DICER2 paralogs maturate respectively miRNAs and endo-siRNAs. Within Metazoa, the distribution of these families has been only studied in major groups, and there are very few data for clades like Lophotrochozoa. Thus, we here inferred the evolutionary history of the animal Argonaute and DICER families including 43 lophotrochozoan species. Phylogenetic analyses along with newly sequenced sncRNA libraries suggested that in all Trochozoa, the proteins related to the endo-siRNA pathway have been lost, a part of them in some phyla (i.e. Nemertea, Bryozoa, Entoprocta), while all of them in all the others. On the contrary, early diverging phyla, Platyhelminthes and Syndermata, showed a complete endo-siRNA pathway. On the other hand, miRNAs were revealed the most conserved and ubiquitous mechanism of the metazoan RNA interference machinery, confirming their pivotal role in animal cell regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Formaggioni
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Gianmarco Cavalli
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Mayuko Hamada
- Ushimado Marine Institute, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | | | - Federico Plazzi
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Marco Passamonti
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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4
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Naim D, Ahsan A, Imtiaj A, Mollah NH. Genome-wide identification and in silico characterization of major RNAi gene families in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera). BMC Genom Data 2024; 25:31. [PMID: 38491426 PMCID: PMC10943882 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-024-01217-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dates contain various minerals that are essential for good health. The major RNA interference (RNAi) gene families play a vital role in plant growth and development by controlling the expression of protein-coding genes against different biotic and abiotic stresses. However, these gene families for date palm are not yet studied. Therefore, this study has explored major RNAi genes and their characteristics in date palm. RESULTS We have identified 4 PdDCLs, 7 PdAGOs, and 3 PdRDRs as RNAi proteins from the date palm genome by using AtRNAi genes as query sequences in BLASTp search. Domain analysis of predicted RNAi genes has revealed the Helicase_C, Dicer_dimer, PAZ, RNase III, and Piwi domains that are associated with the gene silencing mechanisms. Most PdRNAi proteins have been found in the nucleus and cytosol associated with the gene silencing actions. The gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis has revealed some important GO terms including RNA interference, dsRNA fragmentation, and ribonuclease_III activity that are related to the protein-coding gene silencing mechanisms. Gene regulatory network (GRN) analysis has identified PAZ and SNF2 as the transcriptional regulators of PdRNAi genes. Top-ranked 10 microRNAs including Pda-miR156b, Pda-miR396a, Pda-miR166a, Pda-miR167d, and Pda-miR529a have been identified as the key post-transcriptional regulators of PdRNAi genes that are associated with different biotic/abiotic stresses. The cis-acting regulatory element analysis of PdRNAi genes has detected some vital cis-acting elements including ABRE, MBS, MYB, MYC, Box-4, G-box, I-box, and STRE that are linked with different abiotic stresses. CONCLUSION The results of this study might be valuable resources for the improvement of different characteristics in date palm by further studies in wet-lab.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darun Naim
- Bioinformatics Lab, Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science, University of Rajshahi, 6205, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Rajshahi, 6205, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
| | - Asif Ahsan
- Bioinformatics Lab, Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science, University of Rajshahi, 6205, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
| | - Ahmed Imtiaj
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Rajshahi, 6205, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
| | - Nurul Haque Mollah
- Bioinformatics Lab, Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science, University of Rajshahi, 6205, Rajshahi, Bangladesh.
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Consalvo CD, Aderounmu AM, Donelick HM, Aruscavage PJ, Eckert DM, Shen PS, Bass BL. C. elegans Dicer acts with the RIG-I-like helicase DRH-1 and RDE-4 to cleave dsRNA. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.09.21.558868. [PMID: 37790392 PMCID: PMC10542151 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.21.558868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Invertebrates use the endoribonuclease Dicer to cleave viral dsRNA during antiviral defense, while vertebrates use RIG-I-like Receptors (RLRs), which bind viral dsRNA to trigger an interferon response. While some invertebrate Dicers act alone during antiviral defense, C. elegans Dicer acts in a complex with a dsRNA binding protein called RDE-4, and an RLR ortholog called DRH-1. We used biochemical and structural techniques to provide mechanistic insight into how these proteins function together. We found RDE-4 is important for ATP-independent and ATP-dependent cleavage reactions, while helicase domains of both DCR-1 and DRH-1 contribute to ATP-dependent cleavage. DRH-1 plays the dominant role in ATP hydrolysis, and like mammalian RLRs, has an N-terminal domain that functions in autoinhibition. A cryo-EM structure indicates DRH-1 interacts with DCR-1's helicase domain, suggesting this interaction relieves autoinhibition. Our study unravels the mechanistic basis of the collaboration between two helicases from typically distinct innate immune defense pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adedeji M. Aderounmu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Helen M. Donelick
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
- These authors contributed equally
| | - P. Joe Aruscavage
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
| | - Debra M. Eckert
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
| | - Peter S. Shen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
| | - Brenda L. Bass
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
- Lead Contact
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Kelani AA, Bruch A, Rivieccio F, Visser C, Krüger T, Weaver D, Pan X, Schäuble S, Panagiotou G, Kniemeyer O, Bromley MJ, Bowyer P, Barber AE, Brakhage AA, Blango MG. Disruption of the Aspergillus fumigatus RNA interference machinery alters the conidial transcriptome. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 29:1033-1050. [PMID: 37019633 PMCID: PMC10275271 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079350.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The RNA interference (RNAi) pathway has evolved numerous functionalities in eukaryotes, with many on display in Kingdom Fungi. RNAi can regulate gene expression, facilitate drug resistance, or even be altogether lost to improve growth potential in some fungal pathogens. In the WHO fungal priority pathogen, Aspergillus fumigatus, the RNAi system is known to be intact and functional. To extend our limited understanding of A. fumigatus RNAi, we first investigated the genetic variation in RNAi-associated genes in a collection of 217 environmental and 83 clinical genomes, where we found that RNAi components are conserved even in clinical strains. Using endogenously expressed inverted-repeat transgenes complementary to a conditionally essential gene (pabA) or a nonessential gene (pksP), we determined that a subset of the RNAi componentry is active in inverted-repeat transgene silencing in conidia and mycelium. Analysis of mRNA-seq data from RNAi double-knockout strains linked the A. fumigatus dicer-like enzymes (DclA/B) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RrpA/B) to regulation of conidial ribosome biogenesis genes; however, surprisingly few endogenous small RNAs were identified in conidia that could explain this broad change. Although RNAi was not clearly linked to growth or stress response defects in the RNAi knockouts, serial passaging of RNAi knockout strains for six generations resulted in lineages with diminished spore production over time, indicating that loss of RNAi can exert a fitness cost on the fungus. Cumulatively, A. fumigatus RNAi appears to play an active role in defense against double-stranded RNA species alongside a previously unappreciated housekeeping function in regulation of conidial ribosomal biogenesis genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulrahman A Kelani
- Junior Research Group RNA Biology of Fungal Infections, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Alexander Bruch
- Junior Research Group RNA Biology of Fungal Infections, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Flora Rivieccio
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Corissa Visser
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Thomas Krüger
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Danielle Weaver
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Division of Infection, Immunity and Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9NT, United Kingdom
| | - Xiaoqing Pan
- Junior Research Group RNA Biology of Fungal Infections, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Sascha Schäuble
- Department of Microbiome Dynamics, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Gianni Panagiotou
- Department of Microbiome Dynamics, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
- Department of Medicine and State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Olaf Kniemeyer
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Michael J Bromley
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Division of Infection, Immunity and Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9NT, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Bowyer
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Division of Infection, Immunity and Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9NT, United Kingdom
| | - Amelia E Barber
- Junior Research Group Fungal Informatics, Friedrich Schiller University, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Axel A Brakhage
- Department of Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Matthew G Blango
- Junior Research Group RNA Biology of Fungal Infections, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany
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Uncovering a Complex Virome Associated with the Cacao Pathogens Ceratocystis cacaofunesta and Ceratocystis fimbriata. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12020287. [PMID: 36839559 PMCID: PMC9967352 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12020287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Theobroma cacao is one of the main crops of economic importance in the world as the source of raw material for producing chocolate and derivatives. The crop is the main source of income for thousands of small farmers, who produce more than 80% of the world's cocoa supply. However, the emergence, re-emergence and proliferation of pathogens, such as Ceratocystis spp., the causative agent of Ceratocystis wilt disease and canker disease, have been affecting the sustainability of many crops. Fungal control is laborious, often depending on fungicides that are expensive and/or toxic to humans, prompting researchers to look for new solutions to counteract the proliferation of these pathogens, including the use of biological agents such as mycoviruses. In this study, we investigated the diversity of microorganisms associated with the T. cacao pathogens Ceratocystis cacaofunesta and Ceratocystis fimbriata with a focus on the virome using RNA sequencing data available in public databases. We used a comprehensive bioinformatics pipeline containing several steps for viral sequence enrichment and took advantage of an integrated assembly step composed of different assemblers followed by sequence similarity searches using NCBI nonredundant databases. Our strategy was able to identify four putative C. cacaofunesta viruses (hypovirus, sclerotimonavirus, alphapartitivirus and narnavirus) and six C. fimbriata viruses (three alphaendornaviruses, one victorivirus and two mitoviruses). All the viral sequences identified showed similarity to viral genomes in public databases only at the amino acid level, likely representing new viral species. Of note, we present the first report of viruses associated with the cacao pathogens C. cacaofunesta and C. fimbriata and the second report of viral species infecting members of the Ceratocystidaceae family. Our findings highlight the need for further prospective studies to uncover the real diversity of fungus-infecting viruses that can contribute to the development of new management strategies.
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Origins and diversification of animal innate immune responses against viral infections. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:182-193. [PMID: 36635343 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01951-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Immune systems are of pivotal importance to any living organism on Earth, as they protect the organism against deleterious effects of viral infections. Though the current knowledge about these systems is still biased towards the immune response in vertebrates, some studies have focused on the identification and characterization of components of invertebrate antiviral immune systems. Two classic model organisms, the insect Drosophila melanogaster and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, were instrumental in the discovery of several important components of the innate immune system, such as the Toll-like receptors and the RNA interference pathway. However, these two model organisms provide only a limited view of the evolutionary history of the immune system, as they both are ecdysozoan protostomes. Recent functional studies in non-classic models such as unicellular holozoans (for example, choanoflagellates), lophotrochozoans (for example, oysters) and cnidarians (for example, sea anemones) have added crucial information for understanding the evolution of antiviral systems, as they revealed unexpected ancestral complexity. This Review aims to summarize this information and present the ancestral nature of the antiviral immune response in animals. We also discuss lineage-specific adaptations and future perspectives for the comparative study of the innate immune system that are essential for understanding its evolution.
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9
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Torrez RM, Ohi MD, Garner AL. Structural Insights into the Advances and Mechanistic Understanding of Human Dicer. Biochemistry 2023; 62:1-16. [PMID: 36534787 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The RNase III endoribonuclease Dicer was discovered to be associated with cleavage of double-stranded RNA in 2001. Since then, many advances in our understanding of Dicer function have revealed that the enzyme plays a major role not only in microRNA biology but also in multiple RNA interference-related pathways. Yet, there is still much to be learned regarding Dicer structure-function in relation to how Dicer and Dicer-like enzymes initiate their cleavage reaction and release the desired RNA product. This Perspective describes the latest advances in Dicer structural studies, expands on what we have learned from this data, and outlines key gaps in knowledge that remain to be addressed. More specifically, we focus on human Dicer and highlight the intermediate processing steps where there is a lack of structural data to understand how the enzyme traverses from pre-cleavage to cleavage-competent states. Understanding these details is necessary to model Dicer's function as well as develop more specific microRNA-targeted therapeutics for the treatment of human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M Torrez
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, 428 Church Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States.,Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, 210 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Melanie D Ohi
- Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, 210 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Amanda L Garner
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, 428 Church Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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10
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Rumbaugh AC, Durbin-Johnson B, Padhi E, Lerno L, Cauduro Girardello R, Britton M, Slupsky C, Sudarshana MR, Oberholster A. Investigating Grapevine Red Blotch Virus Infection in Vitis vinifera L. cv. Cabernet Sauvignon Grapes: A Multi-Omics Approach. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232113248. [PMID: 36362035 PMCID: PMC9658657 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) is a recently identified virus. Previous research indicates primarily a substantial impact on berry ripening in all varieties studied. The current study analyzed grapes’ primary and secondary metabolism across grapevine genotypes and seasons to reveal both conserved and variable impacts to GRBV infection. Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet Sauvignon (CS) grapevines grafted on two different rootstocks (110R and 420A) were analyzed in 2016 and 2017. Metabolite profiling revealed a considerable impact on amino acid and malate acid levels, volatile aroma compounds derived from the lipoxygenase pathway, and anthocyanins synthesized in the phenylpropanoid pathway. Conserved transcriptional responses to GRBV showed induction of auxin-mediated pathways and photosynthesis with inhibition of transcription and translation processes mainly at harvest. There was an induction of plant-pathogen interactions at pre-veraison, for all genotypes and seasons, except for CS 110R in 2017. Lastly, differential co-expression analysis revealed a transcriptional shift from metabolic synthesis and energy metabolism to transcription and translation processes associated with a virus-induced gene silencing transcript. This plant-derived defense response transcript was only significantly upregulated at veraison for all genotypes and seasons, suggesting a phenological association with disease expression and plant immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arran C. Rumbaugh
- United States Department of Agriculture, Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Blythe Durbin-Johnson
- Genome Center, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Emily Padhi
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Larry Lerno
- Department of Viticulture & Enology, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Raul Cauduro Girardello
- Department of Viticulture & Enology, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Monica Britton
- Genome Center, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Carolyn Slupsky
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Mysore R. Sudarshana
- United States Department of Agriculture, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Anita Oberholster
- Department of Viticulture & Enology, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Correspondence:
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11
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Vujovic F, Hunter N, Farahani RM. Cellular self-organization: An overdrive in Cambrian diversity? Bioessays 2022; 44:e2200033. [PMID: 35900058 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202200033] [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: 02/05/2022] [Revised: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
During the early Cambrian period metazoan life forms diverged at an accelerated rate to occupy multiple ecological niches on earth. A variety of explanations have been proposed to address this major evolutionary phenomenon termed the "Cambrian explosion." While most hypotheses address environmental, developmental, and ecological factors that facilitated evolutionary innovations, the biological basis for accelerated emergence of species diversity in the Cambrian period remains largely conjectural. Herein, we posit that morphogenesis by self-organization enables the uncoupling of genomic mutational landscape from phenotypic diversification. Evidence is provided for a two-tiered interpretation of genomic changes in metazoan animals wherein mutations not only impact upon function of individual cells, but also alter the self-organization outcome during developmental morphogenesis. We provide evidence that the morphological impacts of mutations on self-organization could remain repressed if associated with an unmet negative energetic cost. We posit that accelerated morphological diversification in transition to the Cambrian period has occurred by emergence of dormant (i.e., reserved) morphological novelties whose molecular underpinnings were seeded in the Precambrian period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip Vujovic
- IDR/Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Neil Hunter
- IDR/Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ramin M Farahani
- IDR/Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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12
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Comparative phylogeny and evolutionary analysis of Dicer-like protein family in two plant monophyletic lineages. J Genet Eng Biotechnol 2022; 20:103. [PMID: 35821291 PMCID: PMC9276914 DOI: 10.1186/s43141-022-00380-x] [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: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Small RNAs (sRNAs) that do not get untranslated into proteins exhibit a pivotal role in the expression regulation of their cognate gene(s) in almost all eukaryotic lineages, including plants. Hitherto, numerous protein families such as Dicer, a unique class of Ribonuclease III, have been reported to be involved in sRNAs processing pathways and silencing. In this study, we aimed to investigate the phylogenetic relationship and evolutionary history of the DCL protein family. RESULTS Our results illustrated the DCL family of proteins grouped into four main subfamilies (DCLs 1-4) presented in either Eudicotyledons or Liliopsids. The accurate observation of the phylogenetic trees supports the independent expansion of DCL proteins among the Eudicotyledons and Liliopsids species. They share the common origin, and the main duplication events for the formation of the DCL subfamilies occurred before the Eudicotyledons/Liliopsids split from their ancestral DCL. In addition, shreds of evidence revealed that the divergence happened when multicellularization started and since the need for complex gene regulation considered being a necessity by organisms. At that time, they have evolved independently among the monophyletic lineages. The other finding was that the combination of DCL protein subfamilies bears several highly conserved functional domains in plant species that originated from their ancestor architecture. The conservation of these domains happens to be both lineage-specific and inter lineage-specific. CONCLUSIONS DCL subfamilies (i.e., DCL1-DCL4) distribute in their single clades after diverging from their common ancestor and before emerging into higher plants. Therefore, it seems that the main duplication events for the formation of the DCL subfamilies occurred before the Eudicotyledons/Liliopsida split and before the appearance of moss, and after the single-cell green algae. We also observed the same trends among the main DCL subfamilies from functional unit composition and architecture. Despite the long evolutionary course from the divergence of Liliopsida lineage from the Eudicotyledons, a significant diversifying force to domain composition and orientation was absent. The results of this study provide a deeper insight into DCL protein evolutionary history and possible sequence and structural relationships between DCL protein subfamilies in the main higher plant monophyletic lineages; i.e., Eudicotyledons and Liliopsida.
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13
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Belal MA, Ezzat M, Zhang Y, Xu Z, Cao Y, Han Y. Integrative Analysis of the DICER-like (DCL) Genes From Peach (Prunus persica): A Critical Role in Response to Drought Stress. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.923166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
DICER-likes (DCLs) proteins are the core component for non-coding RNA (ncRNA) biogenesis, playing essential roles in some biological processes. The DCL family has been characterized in model plants, such as Arabidopsis, rice, and poplar. However, the evolutionary aspect and the expression mechanism under drought stress were scarce and have never been reported and characterized in one of the most important worldwide cultivated fruit trees, peach (Prunus persica). Eight DCLs genes in the Prunus persica genome were detected, in addition to 51 DCLs in the other seven Rosaceae genomes. The phylogenetic analysis with Arabidopsis thaliana and RTL1 gene as outgroups suggested that DCL members are divided into four clades: DCL1, DCL2, DCL3, and DCL4 with several gene gain/loss events of DCL gene copies through the evolutionary tract of the Rosacea family. The number of homologous DCL copies within each clade, along with the chromosomal location indicated gene duplication event of the DCL2 gene occurred once for the subfamily Amygdaloideae and twice for Pyrus communis and Prunus dulics and trice for the P. persica on Chromosome number 7 genes. Another duplication event was found for the DCL3 gene that occurred once for all the eight Rosaceae species with no match in A. thaliana. The DCL genetic similarity and activity was evaluated using BLASTp and previously published RNA-seq data among different tissues and over different time points of peach trees exposed to drought conditions. Finally, the expression pattern of PrupeDCLs in response to drought stress was identified, and two of these members, Prupe.7G047900 and Prupe.6G363600, were found as main candidate genes for response to drought stress. Our data presented here provide useful information for a better understanding of the molecular evolution of DCL genes in Rosaceae genomes, and the function of DCLs in P. persica.
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14
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Lu D, Feng L, Zhai J, Li B, Xi M. Safeguard DCL2-Dependent 22-nt siRNA generation by DCL1. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2022; 605:97-103. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.03.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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15
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Darlington M, Reinders JD, Sethi A, Lu AL, Ramaseshadri P, Fischer JR, Boeckman CJ, Petrick JS, Roper JM, Narva KE, Vélez AM. RNAi for Western Corn Rootworm Management: Lessons Learned, Challenges, and Future Directions. INSECTS 2022; 13:57. [PMID: 35055900 PMCID: PMC8779393 DOI: 10.3390/insects13010057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, is considered one of the most economically important pests of maize (Zea mays L.) in the United States (U.S.) Corn Belt with costs of management and yield losses exceeding USD ~1-2 billion annually. WCR management has proven challenging given the ability of this insect to evolve resistance to multiple management strategies including synthetic insecticides, cultural practices, and plant-incorporated protectants, generating a constant need to develop new management tools. One of the most recent developments is maize expressing double-stranded hairpin RNA structures targeting housekeeping genes, which triggers an RNA interference (RNAi) response and eventually leads to insect death. Following the first description of in planta RNAi in 2007, traits targeting multiple genes have been explored. In June 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the first in planta RNAi product against insects for commercial use. This product expresses a dsRNA targeting the WCR snf7 gene in combination with Bt proteins (Cry3Bb1 and Cry34Ab1/Cry35Ab1) to improve trait durability and will be introduced for commercial use in 2022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly Darlington
- Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA; (M.D.); (J.D.R.)
| | - Jordan D. Reinders
- Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA; (M.D.); (J.D.R.)
| | - Amit Sethi
- Corteva Agriscience, Johnston, IA 50131, USA; (A.S.); (A.L.L.); (C.J.B.); (J.M.R.)
| | - Albert L. Lu
- Corteva Agriscience, Johnston, IA 50131, USA; (A.S.); (A.L.L.); (C.J.B.); (J.M.R.)
| | | | - Joshua R. Fischer
- Bayer Crop Science, Chesterfield, MO 63017, USA; (P.R.); (J.R.F.); (J.S.P.)
| | - Chad J. Boeckman
- Corteva Agriscience, Johnston, IA 50131, USA; (A.S.); (A.L.L.); (C.J.B.); (J.M.R.)
| | - Jay S. Petrick
- Bayer Crop Science, Chesterfield, MO 63017, USA; (P.R.); (J.R.F.); (J.S.P.)
| | - Jason M. Roper
- Corteva Agriscience, Johnston, IA 50131, USA; (A.S.); (A.L.L.); (C.J.B.); (J.M.R.)
| | | | - Ana M. Vélez
- Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA; (M.D.); (J.D.R.)
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16
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Sharma VK, Marla S, Zheng W, Mishra D, Huang J, Zhang W, Morris GP, Cook DE. CRISPR guides induce gene silencing in plants in the absence of Cas. Genome Biol 2022; 23:6. [PMID: 34980227 PMCID: PMC8722000 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-021-02586-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND RNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas can provide potential advantages over DNA editing, such as avoiding pleiotropic effects of genome editing, providing precise spatiotemporal regulation, and expanded function including antiviral immunity. RESULTS Here, we report the use of CRISPR-Cas13 in plants to reduce both viral and endogenous RNA. Unexpectedly, we observe that crRNA designed to guide Cas13 could, in the absence of the Cas13 protein, cause substantial reduction in RNA levels as well. We demonstrate Cas13-independent guide-induced gene silencing (GIGS) in three plant species, including stable transgenic Arabidopsis. Small RNA sequencing during GIGS identifies the production of small RNA that extend beyond the crRNA expressed sequence in samples expressing multi-guide crRNA. Additionally, we demonstrate that mismatches in guide sequences at position 10 and 11 abolish GIGS. Finally, we show that GIGS is elicited by guides that lack the Cas13 direct repeat and can extend to Cas9 designed crRNA of at least 28 base pairs, indicating that GIGS can be elicited through a variety of guide designs and is not dependent on Cas13 crRNA sequences or design. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, our results suggest that GIGS utilizes endogenous RNAi machinery despite the fact that crRNA are unlike canonical triggers of RNAi such as miRNA, hairpins, or long double-stranded RNA. Given similar evidence of Cas13-independent silencing in an insect system, it is likely GIGS is active across many eukaryotes. Our results show that GIGS offers a novel and flexible approach to RNA reduction with potential benefits over existing technologies for crop improvement and functional genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sandeep Marla
- Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Wenguang Zheng
- Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Divya Mishra
- Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Jun Huang
- Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | | | - David Edward Cook
- Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA.
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17
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Fang Y, Jiang J, Hou X, Guo J, Li X, Zhao D, Xie X. Plant protein-coding gene families: Their origin and evolution. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:995746. [PMID: 36160967 PMCID: PMC9490259 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.995746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Steady advances in genome sequencing methods have provided valuable insights into the evolutionary processes of several gene families in plants. At the core of plant biodiversity is an extensive genetic diversity with functional divergence and expansion of genes across gene families, representing unique phenomena. The evolution of gene families underpins the evolutionary history and development of plants and is the subject of this review. We discuss the implications of the molecular evolution of gene families in plants, as well as the potential contributions, challenges, and strategies associated with investigating phenotypic alterations to explain the origin of plants and their tolerance to environmental stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanpeng Fang
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Junmei Jiang
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Xiaolong Hou
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Jiyuan Guo
- Department of Resources and Environment, Moutai Institute, Zunyi, China
| | - Xiangyang Li
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Degang Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Mountain Plant Resources Protection and Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Institute of Agricultural Bioengineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
- Guizhou Conservation Technology Application Engineering Research Center, Guizhou Institute of Prataculture/Guizhou Institute of Biotechnology/Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, China
- *Correspondence: Degang Zhao,
| | - Xin Xie
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
- Guizhou Conservation Technology Application Engineering Research Center, Guizhou Institute of Prataculture/Guizhou Institute of Biotechnology/Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, China
- Xin Xie,
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18
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Cervantes-Pérez SA, Yong-Villalobos L, Florez-Zapata NMV, Oropeza-Aburto A, Rico-Reséndiz F, Amasende-Morales I, Lan T, Martínez O, Vielle-Calzada JP, Albert VA, Herrera-Estrella L. Atypical DNA methylation, sRNA-size distribution, and female gametogenesis in Utricularia gibba. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15725. [PMID: 34344949 PMCID: PMC8333044 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95054-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The most studied DNA methylation pathway in plants is the RNA Directed DNA Methylation (RdDM), a conserved mechanism that involves the role of noncoding RNAs to control the expansion of the noncoding genome. Genome-wide DNA methylation levels have been reported to correlate with genome size. However, little is known about the catalog of noncoding RNAs and the impact on DNA methylation in small plant genomes with reduced noncoding regions. Because of the small length of intergenic regions in the compact genome of the carnivorous plant Utricularia gibba, we investigated its repertoire of noncoding RNA and DNA methylation landscape. Here, we report that, compared to other angiosperms, U. gibba has an unusual distribution of small RNAs and reduced global DNA methylation levels. DNA methylation was determined using a novel strategy based on long-read DNA sequencing with the Pacific Bioscience platform and confirmed by whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. Moreover, some key genes involved in the RdDM pathway may not represented by compensatory paralogs or comprise truncated proteins, for example, U. gibba DICER-LIKE 3 (DCL3), encoding a DICER endonuclease that produces 24-nt small-interfering RNAs, has lost key domains required for complete function. Our results unveil that a truncated DCL3 correlates with a decreased proportion of 24-nt small-interfering RNAs, low DNA methylation levels, and developmental abnormalities during female gametogenesis in U. gibba. Alterations in female gametogenesis are reminiscent of RdDM mutant phenotypes in Arabidopsis thaliana. It would be interesting to further study the biological implications of the DCL3 truncation in U. gibba, as it could represent an initial step in the evolution of RdDM pathway in compact genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Alan Cervantes-Pérez
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 36824, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Lenin Yong-Villalobos
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 36824, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.,Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Plant and Soil Department, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
| | - Nathalia M V Florez-Zapata
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 36824, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.,Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Avenida Paseo Bolívar (Circunvalar) #16-20, Bogotá, DC, 111311, Colombia
| | - Araceli Oropeza-Aburto
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 36824, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Félix Rico-Reséndiz
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 36824, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Itzel Amasende-Morales
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 36824, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Tianying Lan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Octavio Martínez
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 36824, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Jean Philippe Vielle-Calzada
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 36824, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Victor A Albert
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.,School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Luis Herrera-Estrella
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 36824, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. .,Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Plant and Soil Department, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA.
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19
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Jia H, Aadland K, Kolaczkowski O, Kolaczkowski B. Direct molecular evidence for an ancient, conserved developmental toolkit controlling post-transcriptional gene regulation in land plants. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:4765-4777. [PMID: 34196710 PMCID: PMC8557471 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In plants, miRNA production is orchestrated by a suite of proteins that control transcription of the pri-miRNA gene, post-transcriptional processing and nuclear export of the mature miRNA. Post-transcriptional processing of miRNAs is controlled by a pair of physically interacting proteins, hyponastic leaves 1 (HYL1) and Dicer-like 1 (DCL1). However, the evolutionary history and structural basis of the HYL1–DCL1 interaction is unknown. Here we use ancestral sequence reconstruction and functional characterization of ancestral HYL1 in vitro and in Arabidopsis thaliana to better understand the origin and evolution of the HYL1–DCL1 interaction and its impact on miRNA production and plant development. We found the ancestral plant HYL1 evolved high affinity for both double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and its DCL1 partner before the divergence of mosses from seed plants (∼500 Ma), and these high-affinity interactions remained largely conserved throughout plant evolutionary history. Structural modeling and molecular binding experiments suggest that the second of two dsRNA-binding motifs (DSRMs) in HYL1 may interact tightly with the first of two C-terminal DCL1 DSRMs to mediate the HYL1–DCL1 physical interaction necessary for efficient miRNA production. Transgenic expression of the nearly 200 Ma-old ancestral flowering-plant HYL1 in A. thaliana was sufficient to rescue many key aspects of plant development disrupted by HYL1− knockout and restored near-native miRNA production, suggesting that the functional partnership of HYL1–DCL1 originated very early in and was strongly conserved throughout the evolutionary history of terrestrial plants. Overall, our results are consistent with a model in which miRNA-based gene regulation evolved as part of a conserved plant “developmental toolkit.”
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyan Jia
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Kelsey Aadland
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, CA
| | - Oralia Kolaczkowski
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Bryan Kolaczkowski
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
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20
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Paturi S, Deshmukh MV. A Glimpse of "Dicer Biology" Through the Structural and Functional Perspective. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:643657. [PMID: 34026825 PMCID: PMC8138440 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.643657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The RNA interference pathway (RNAi) is executed by two core enzymes, Dicer and Argonaute, for accomplishing a tailored transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulation. Dicer, an RNase III enzyme, initiates the RNAi pathway, plays a pivotal role in fighting infection against pathogens, and acts as a housekeeping enzyme for cellular homeostasis. Here, we review structure-based functional insights of Dicer and its domains present in a diverse group of organisms. Although Dicer and its domains are evolutionarily conserved from microsporidian parasites to humans, recent cryo-electron microscopy structures of Homo sapiens Dicer and Drosophila melanogaster Dicer-2 suggest characteristic variations in the mechanism of the dsRNA substrate recognition. Interestingly, the necessity for more than one functionally distinct Dicer paralogs in insects and plants compared with a single Dicer in other eukaryotic life forms implies Dicer’s role in the interplay of RNAi and other defense mechanisms. Based on the structural and mechanistic information obtained during the last decade, we aim to highlight the significance of key Dicer domains that are crucial to Dicer specific recognition and precise cleavage of dsRNA substrates. Further, the role of Dicer in the formation of Argonaute-based RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) assembly formation, Dicer’s ability to regulate a complex protein interaction network, and its role in other cellular processes, as well as its therapeutic potentials, are emphasized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sneha Paturi
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Hyderabad, India
| | - Mandar V Deshmukh
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Hyderabad, India
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21
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Santos D, Remans S, Van den Brande S, Vanden Broeck J. RNAs on the Go: Extracellular Transfer in Insects with Promising Prospects for Pest Management. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 10:484. [PMID: 33806650 PMCID: PMC8001424 DOI: 10.3390/plants10030484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
RNA-mediated pathways form an important regulatory layer of myriad biological processes. In the last decade, the potential of RNA molecules to contribute to the control of agricultural pests has not been disregarded, specifically via the RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism. In fact, several proofs-of-concept have been made in this scope. Furthermore, a novel research field regarding extracellular RNAs and RNA-based intercellular/interorganismal communication is booming. In this article, we review key discoveries concerning extracellular RNAs in insects, insect RNA-based cell-to-cell communication, and plant-insect transfer of RNA. In addition, we overview the molecular mechanisms implicated in this form of communication and discuss future biotechnological prospects, namely from the insect pest-control perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dulce Santos
- Research Group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, Division of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (S.R.); (S.V.d.B.); (J.V.B.)
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22
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Genetic Insight into the Domain Structure and Functions of Dicer-Type Ribonucleases. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22020616. [PMID: 33435485 PMCID: PMC7827160 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribonuclease Dicer belongs to the family of RNase III endoribonucleases, the enzymes that specifically hydrolyze phosphodiester bonds found in double-stranded regions of RNAs. Dicer enzymes are mostly known for their essential role in the biogenesis of small regulatory RNAs. A typical Dicer-type RNase consists of a helicase domain, a domain of unknown function (DUF283), a PAZ (Piwi-Argonaute-Zwille) domain, two RNase III domains, and a double-stranded RNA binding domain; however, the domain composition of Dicers varies among species. Dicer and its homologues developed only in eukaryotes; nevertheless, the two enzymatic domains of Dicer, helicase and RNase III, display high sequence similarity to their prokaryotic orthologs. Evolutionary studies indicate that a combination of the helicase and RNase III domains in a single protein is a eukaryotic signature and is supposed to be one of the critical events that triggered the consolidation of the eukaryotic RNA interference. In this review, we provide the genetic insight into the domain organization and structure of Dicer proteins found in vertebrate and invertebrate animals, plants and fungi. We also discuss, in the context of the individual domains, domain deletion variants and partner proteins, a variety of Dicers’ functions not only related to small RNA biogenesis pathways.
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23
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Sanan-Mishra N, Abdul Kader Jailani A, Mandal B, Mukherjee SK. Secondary siRNAs in Plants: Biosynthesis, Various Functions, and Applications in Virology. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:610283. [PMID: 33737942 PMCID: PMC7960677 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.610283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The major components of RNA silencing include both transitive and systemic small RNAs, which are technically called secondary sRNAs. Double-stranded RNAs trigger systemic silencing pathways to negatively regulate gene expression. The secondary siRNAs generated as a result of transitive silencing also play a substantial role in gene silencing especially in antiviral defense. In this review, we first describe the discovery and pathways of transitivity with emphasis on RNA-dependent RNA polymerases followed by description on the short range and systemic spread of silencing. We also provide an in-depth view on the various size classes of secondary siRNAs and their different roles in RNA silencing including their categorization based on their biogenesis. The other regulatory roles of secondary siRNAs in transgene silencing, virus-induced gene silencing, transitivity, and trans-species transfer have also been detailed. The possible implications and applications of systemic silencing and the different gene silencing tools developed are also described. The details on mobility and roles of secondary siRNAs derived from viral genome in plant defense against the respective viruses are presented. This entails the description of other compatible plant-virus interactions and the corresponding small RNAs that determine recovery from disease symptoms, exclusion of viruses from shoot meristems, and natural resistance. The last section presents an overview on the usefulness of RNA silencing for management of viral infections in crop plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeti Sanan-Mishra
- Plant RNAi Biology Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India
| | - A. Abdul Kader Jailani
- Plant RNAi Biology Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India
- Advanced Center for Plant Virology, Division of Plant Pathology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Bikash Mandal
- Advanced Center for Plant Virology, Division of Plant Pathology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Sunil K. Mukherjee
- Advanced Center for Plant Virology, Division of Plant Pathology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
- *Correspondence: Sunil K. Mukherjee,
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Arraes FBM, Martins-de-Sa D, Noriega Vasquez DD, Melo BP, Faheem M, de Macedo LLP, Morgante CV, Barbosa JARG, Togawa RC, Moreira VJV, Danchin EGJ, Grossi-de-Sa MF. Dissecting protein domain variability in the core RNA interference machinery of five insect orders. RNA Biol 2020; 18:1653-1681. [PMID: 33302789 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2020.1861816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene silencing can be used to control specific insect pest populations. Unfortunately, the variable efficiency in the knockdown levels of target genes has narrowed the applicability of this technology to a few species. Here, we examine the current state of knowledge regarding the miRNA (micro RNA) and siRNA (small interfering RNA) pathways in insects and investigate the structural variability at key protein domains of the RNAi machinery. Our goal was to correlate domain variability with mechanisms affecting the gene silencing efficiency. To this end, the protein domains of 168 insect species, encompassing the orders Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera, were analysed using our pipeline, which takes advantage of meticulous structure-based sequence alignments. We used phylogenetic inference and the evolutionary rate coefficient (K) to outline the variability across domain regions and surfaces. Our results show that four domains, namely dsrm, Helicase, PAZ and Ribonuclease III, are the main contributors of protein variability in the RNAi machinery across different insect orders. We discuss the potential roles of these domains in regulating RNAi-mediated gene silencing and the role of loop regions in fine-tuning RNAi efficiency. Additionally, we identified several order-specific singularities which indicate that lepidopterans have evolved differently from other insect orders, possibly due to constant coevolution with plants and viruses. In conclusion, our results highlight several variability hotspots that deserve further investigation in order to improve the application of RNAi technology in the control of insect pests.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Diogo Martins-de-Sa
- Departamento De Biologia Celular, Universidade De Brasília, Brasília-DF, Brazil
| | - Daniel D Noriega Vasquez
- Plant-Pest Molecular Interaction Laboratory (LIMPP), Brasilia, Brasília-DF, Brazil.,Catholic University of Brasília, Brasília-DF, Brazil
| | - Bruno Paes Melo
- Plant-Pest Molecular Interaction Laboratory (LIMPP), Brasilia, Brasília-DF, Brazil.,Viçosa University, UFV, Viçosa-MG, Brazil
| | - Muhammad Faheem
- Plant-Pest Molecular Interaction Laboratory (LIMPP), Brasilia, Brasília-DF, Brazil.,Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Punjab, Pakistan
| | | | - Carolina Vianna Morgante
- Plant-Pest Molecular Interaction Laboratory (LIMPP), Brasilia, Brasília-DF, Brazil.,Embrapa Semiarid, Petrolina-PE, Brazil.,National Institute of Science and Technology, Jakarta Embrapa-Brazil
| | | | - Roberto Coiti Togawa
- Plant-Pest Molecular Interaction Laboratory (LIMPP), Brasilia, Brasília-DF, Brazil
| | - Valdeir Junio Vaz Moreira
- Biotechnology Center, Brazil.,Plant-Pest Molecular Interaction Laboratory (LIMPP), Brasilia, Brasília-DF, Brazil.,Departamento De Biologia Celular, Universidade De Brasília, Brasília-DF, Brazil
| | - Etienne G J Danchin
- National Institute of Science and Technology, Jakarta Embrapa-Brazil.,INRAE, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, Sophia-Antipolis, France
| | - Maria Fatima Grossi-de-Sa
- Plant-Pest Molecular Interaction Laboratory (LIMPP), Brasilia, Brasília-DF, Brazil.,Catholic University of Brasília, Brasília-DF, Brazil.,National Institute of Science and Technology, Jakarta Embrapa-Brazil
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25
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Fofanov MV, Prokopov DY, Kuhl H, Schartl M, Trifonov VA. Evolution of MicroRNA Biogenesis Genes in the Sterlet ( Acipenser ruthenus) and Other Polyploid Vertebrates. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E9562. [PMID: 33334059 PMCID: PMC7765534 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs play a crucial role in eukaryotic gene regulation. For a long time, only little was known about microRNA-based gene regulatory mechanisms in polyploid animal genomes due to difficulties of polyploid genome assembly. However, in recent years, several polyploid genomes of fish, amphibian, and even invertebrate species have been sequenced and assembled. Here we investigated several key microRNA-associated genes in the recently sequenced sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) genome, whose lineage has undergone a whole genome duplication around 180 MYA. We show that two paralogs of drosha, dgcr8, xpo1, and xpo5 as well as most ago genes have been retained after the acipenserid-specific whole genome duplication, while ago1 and ago3 genes have lost one paralog. While most diploid vertebrates possess only a single copy of dicer1, we strikingly found four paralogs of this gene in the sterlet genome, derived from a tandem segmental duplication that occurred prior to the last whole genome duplication. ago1,3,4 and exportins1,5 look to be prone to additional segment duplications producing up to four-five paralog copies in ray-finned fishes. We demonstrate for the first time exon microsatellite amplification in the acipenserid drosha2 gene, resulting in a highly variable protein product, which may indicate sub- or neofunctionalization. Paralogous copies of most microRNA metabolism genes exhibit different expression profiles in various tissues and remain functional despite the rediploidization process. Subfunctionalization of microRNA processing gene paralogs may be beneficial for different pathways of microRNA metabolism. Genetic variability of microRNA processing genes may represent a substrate for natural selection, and, by increasing genetic plasticity, could facilitate adaptations to changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail V. Fofanov
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology SB RAS, Lavrentiev Ave. 8/2, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia;
- Department of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova 2, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Dmitry Yu. Prokopov
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology SB RAS, Lavrentiev Ave. 8/2, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia;
| | - Heiner Kuhl
- Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 301 and 310, 12587 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Manfred Schartl
- Developmental Biochemistry, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany;
- Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, 419 Centennial Hall, San Marcos, TX 78666-4616, USA
| | - Vladimir A. Trifonov
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology SB RAS, Lavrentiev Ave. 8/2, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia;
- Department of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova 2, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
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26
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Genome-wide identification of Argonautes in Solanaceae with emphasis on potato. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20577. [PMID: 33239724 PMCID: PMC7689493 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77593-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulatory small RNAs (sRNAs) play important roles in many fundamental processes in plant biology such as development, fertilization and stress responses. The AGO protein family has here a central importance in gene regulation based on their capacity to associate with sRNAs followed by mRNA targeting in a sequence-complementary manner. The present study explored Argonautes (AGOs) in the Solanaceae family, with emphasis on potato, Solanum tuberosum (St). A genome-wide monitoring was performed to provide a deeper insight into gene families, genomic localization, gene structure and expression profile against the potato late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans. Among 15 species in the Solanaceae family we found a variation from ten AGOs in Nicotiana obtusifolia to 17 in N. tabacum. Comprehensive analyses of AGO phylogeny revealed duplication of AGO1, AGO10 and AGO4 paralogs during early radiation of Solanaceae. Fourteen AGOs were identified in potato. Orthologs of AGO8 and AGO9 were missing in the potato genome. However, AGO15 earlier annotated in tomato was identified. StAGO15 differs from the other paralogs having residues of different physico-chemical properties at functionally important amino acid positions. Upon pathogen challenge StAGO15 was significantly activated and hence may play a prominent role in sRNA-based regulation of potato defense.
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27
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Cao Y, Xu X, Jiang L. Integrative analysis of the RNA interference toolbox in two Salicaceae willow species, and their roles in stress response in poplar (Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray). Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 162:1127-1139. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.06.235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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28
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Shidore T, Zuverza-Mena N, da Silva W. Small RNA profiling analysis of two recombinant strains of potato virus Y in infected tobacco plants. Virus Res 2020; 288:198125. [PMID: 32835742 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2020.198125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Plant viral infections lead to accumulation of virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs) as a result of host defense mechanisms. High-throughput sequencing technology enables vsiRNA profiling analyses from virus infected plants, which provide important insights into virus-host interactions. Potato virus Y (PVY) is a detrimental plant pathogen that can infect a variety of solanaceous crops, e.g., potato, tobacco, tomato, and pepper. We analyzed and characterized vsiRNAs derived from Nicotiana tabacum cv. Samsun infected with two recombinant PVY strains, N-Wi and NTN. We observed that the average percentage of vsiRNAs derived from plants infected with N-Wi was higher than from plants infected with NTN, indicating that N-Wi invokes a stronger host response than NTN in tobacco. The size distribution pattern and polarity of vsiRNAs were similar between both virus strains with the 21 and 22 nucleotide (nt) vsiRNA classes as most predominant and the sense/antisense vsiRNAs ratio nearly equal in the 20-24 nt class. However, the percentage of sense vsiRNAs was significantly higher in the 25-26 nt long vsiRNAs. Distinct vsiRNA hotspots, identifying highly abundant reads of different unique vsiRNA sequences, were observed in both viral genomes. Previous studies found an A or U bias at the 5' terminal nucleotide position of 21 nt vsiRNAs; in contrast, our analysis revealed a C and U nucleotide bias. This study provides insights that will help further elucidate differential processing of vsiRNAs in plant antiviral defense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teja Shidore
- Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT 06511, United States.
| | - Nubia Zuverza-Mena
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven CT 06511, United States
| | - Washington da Silva
- Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT 06511, United States.
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29
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Azaman SNA, Satharasinghe DA, Tan SW, Nagao N, Yusoff FM, Yeap SK. Identification and Analysis of microRNAs in Chlorella sorokiniana Using High-Throughput Sequencing. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11101131. [PMID: 32992970 PMCID: PMC7599482 DOI: 10.3390/genes11101131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 08/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Chlorella is a popular microalga with robust physiological and biochemical characteristics, which can be cultured under various conditions. The exploration of the small RNA content of Chlorella could improve strategies for the enhancement of metabolite production from this microalga. In this study, stress was introduced to the Chlorella sorokiniana culture to produce high-value metabolites such as carotenoids and phenolic content. The small RNA transcriptome of C. sorokiniana was sequenced, focusing on microRNA (miRNA) content. From the analysis, 98 miRNAs were identified in cultures subjected to normal and stress conditions. The functional analysis result showed that the miRNA targets found were most often involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, followed by protein metabolism, cell cycle, and porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism. Furthermore, the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites such as carotenoids, terpenoids, and lipids was found mostly in stress conditions. These results may help to improve our understanding of regulatory mechanisms of miRNA in the biological and metabolic process of Chlorella species. It is important and timely to determine the true potential of this microalga species and to support the potential for genetic engineering of microalgae as they receive increasing focus for their development as an alternative source of biofuel, food, and health supplements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siti Nor Ani Azaman
- Centre of Foundation Studies for Agricultural Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia;
- Aquatic Animal Health and Therapeutics Laboratory (AquaHealth), Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Dilan Amila Satharasinghe
- Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka;
| | - Sheau Wei Tan
- Laboratory of Vaccine and Biomolecules (VacBio), Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia;
| | - Norio Nagao
- 102 Naname-go, Shinkamigoto-cho, Minami Matsuura-gun, Nagasaki 857-4214, Japan;
| | - Fatimah M. Yusoff
- Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia;
| | - Swee Keong Yeap
- China-ASEAN College of Marine Sciences, Xiamen University Malaysia, Sepang, 43900 Selangor, Malaysia
- Correspondence:
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30
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You L, Zhang F, Huang S, Merchant A, Zhou X, Li Z. Over-expression of RNA interference (RNAi) core machinery improves susceptibility to RNAi in silkworm larvae. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 29:353-362. [PMID: 32086963 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Revised: 01/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi), one of the strategies that organisms use to defend against invading viruses, is an important tool for functional genomic analysis. In insects, the efficacy of RNAi varies amongst taxa. Lepidopteran insects are, in large part, recalcitrant to RNAi. The overall goal of this study is to overcome such insensitivity in lepidopterans to RNAi. We hypothesize that over-expression of core RNAi machinery enzymes can improve RNAi efficacy in traditionally recalcitrant species. A transgenic Bombyx mori strain, Baculovirus Immediate-Early Gene, ie1, promoter driven expression of silkworm Dicer2 coding sequence (IE1-BmDicer2), which over-expresses BmDicer2, was generated by piggyBac transposon-mediated transgenesis. Two indexes, the ratio of animals that showed a silencing phenotype and the duration of silencing, were used to evaluate silencing efficiency. Significant knockdown of target gene expression was observed at 48 h postinjection at both the transcriptional and translational levels. Furthermore, we coexpressed B. mori Argonaute 2 BmAgo2)and BmDicer 2 and found that 22% of the animals (n = 18) showed an obvious silencing effect even at 72 h, suggesting that coexpression of these two RNAi core machinery enzymes further increased the susceptibility of B. mori to injected double-stranded RNAs. This study offers a new strategy for functional genomics research in RNAi-refractory insect taxa in general and for lepidopterans in particular.
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Affiliation(s)
- L You
- Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - F Zhang
- School of Life Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - S Huang
- Agricultrual and Medical Biotechnology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - A Merchant
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - X Zhou
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Z Li
- Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
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31
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Dubey H, Kiran K, Jaswal R, Bhardwaj SC, Mondal TK, Jain N, Singh NK, Kayastha AM, Sharma TR. Identification and characterization of Dicer-like genes in leaf rust pathogen (Puccinia triticina) of wheat. Funct Integr Genomics 2020; 20:711-721. [PMID: 32705366 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-020-00745-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Puccinia triticina (P. triticina) is one of the most devastating fungal pathogens of wheat which causes significant annual yield loss to the crop. Understanding the gene regulatory mechanism of the biotrophic pathogen is one of the important aspects of host-pathogen interaction studies. Dicer-like genes are considered as important mediators of RNAi-based gene regulation. In this study, we report the presence of three Dicer-like genes (Pt-DCL1, Pt-DCL2, Pt-DCL3) in P. triticina genome identified through computational and biological analyses. Quantitative real-time PCR studies revealed an increase in the expression of these genes in germinating spore stages. Heterologous expression combined with mass spectrometry analysis of Pt-DCL2 confirmed the presence of a canonical Dicer-like gene in P. triticina. Phylogenetic analysis of the Pt-DCLs with the Dicer-like proteins from other organisms showed a distinct cluster of rust pathogens from the order Pucciniales. The results indicated a species-specific duplication of Dicer-like genes within the wheat rust pathogens. This study, for the first time, reports the presence of Dicer-dependent RNAi pathway in P. triticina that may play a role in gene regulatory mechanism of the pathogen during its development. Our study serves as a vital source of information for further RNAi-based molecular studies for better understanding and management of the wheat leaf rust disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himanshu Dubey
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology (formerly ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology), Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India.,School of Biotechnology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India.,Seri-Biotech Research Laboratory, Central Silk Board, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560035, India
| | - Kanti Kiran
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology (formerly ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology), Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Rajdeep Jaswal
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology (formerly ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology), Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Subhash C Bhardwaj
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Regional Station, Flowerdale, Shimla, 171009, India
| | - Tapan Kumar Mondal
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology (formerly ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology), Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Neha Jain
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology (formerly ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology), Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - N K Singh
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology (formerly ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology), Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Arvind M Kayastha
- School of Biotechnology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India.
| | - Tilak Raj Sharma
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology (formerly ICAR-National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology), Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India. .,Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, 110001, India.
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32
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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: 192] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.0] [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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33
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Leclercq J, Wu S, Farinas B, Pointet S, Favreau B, Vignes H, Kuswanhadi K, Ortega-Abboud E, Dufayard JF, Gao S, Droc G, Hu S, Tang C, Montoro P. Post-transcriptional regulation of several biological processes involved in latex production in Hevea brasiliensis. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8932. [PMID: 32391199 PMCID: PMC7195832 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Small RNAs modulate plant gene expression at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level, mostly through the induction of either targeted DNA methylation or transcript cleavage, respectively. Small RNA networks are involved in specific plant developmental processes, in signaling pathways triggered by various abiotic stresses and in interactions between the plant and viral and non-viral pathogens. They are also involved in silencing maintenance of transposable elements and endogenous viral elements. Alteration in small RNA production in response to various environmental stresses can affect all the above-mentioned processes. In rubber trees, changes observed in small RNA populations in response to trees affected by tapping panel dryness, in comparison to healthy ones, suggest a shift from a transcriptional to a post-transcriptional regulatory pathway. This is the first attempt to characterise small RNAs involved in post-transcriptional silencing and their target transcripts in Hevea. Methods Genes producing microRNAs (MIR genes) and loci producing trans-activated small interfering RNA (ta-siRNA) were identified in the clone PB 260 re-sequenced genome. Degradome libraries were constructed with a pool of total RNA from six different Hevea tissues in stressed and non-stressed plants. The analysis of cleaved RNA data, associated with genomics and transcriptomics data, led to the identification of transcripts that are affected by 20–22 nt small RNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation. A detailed analysis was carried out on gene families related to latex production and in response to growth regulators. Results Compared to other tissues, latex cells had a higher proportion of transcript cleavage activity mediated by miRNAs and ta-siRNAs. Post-transcriptional regulation was also observed at each step of the natural rubber biosynthesis pathway. Among the genes involved in the miRNA biogenesis pathway, our analyses showed that all of them are expressed in latex. Using phylogenetic analyses, we show that both the Argonaute and Dicer-like gene families recently underwent expansion. Overall, our study underlines the fact that important biological pathways, including hormonal signalling and rubber biosynthesis, are subject to post-transcriptional silencing in laticifers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Leclercq
- CIRAD, UMR AGAP, Montpellier, France.,AGAP, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | - Shuangyang Wu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Benoît Farinas
- CIRAD, UMR AGAP, Montpellier, France.,AGAP, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | - Stéphanie Pointet
- CIRAD, UMR AGAP, Montpellier, France.,AGAP, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | - Bénédicte Favreau
- CIRAD, UMR AGAP, Montpellier, France.,AGAP, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | - Hélène Vignes
- CIRAD, UMR AGAP, Montpellier, France.,AGAP, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Enrique Ortega-Abboud
- CIRAD, UMR AGAP, Montpellier, France.,AGAP, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-François Dufayard
- CIRAD, UMR AGAP, Montpellier, France.,AGAP, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | - Shenghan Gao
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Gaëtan Droc
- CIRAD, UMR AGAP, Montpellier, France.,AGAP, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | - Songnian Hu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chaorong Tang
- Hainan University, College of Tropical Crops, Haikou, China
| | - Pascal Montoro
- CIRAD, UMR AGAP, Montpellier, France.,AGAP, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
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Brosseau C, Bolaji A, Roussin-Léveillée C, Zhao Z, Biga S, Moffett P. Natural variation in the Arabidopsis AGO2 gene is associated with susceptibility to potato virus X. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 226:866-878. [PMID: 31880814 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
RNA silencing functions as an anti-viral defence in plants through the action of DICER-like (DCL) and ARGONAUTE (AGO) proteins. Despite the importance of this mechanism, little is known about the functional consequences of variation in genes encoding RNA silencing components. The AGO2 protein has been shown to be important for defense against multiple viruses, and we investigated how naturally occurring differences in AGO2 between and within species affects its antiviral activities. We find that the AGO2 protein from Arabidopsis thaliana, but not Nicotiana benthamiana, effectively limits potato virus X (PVX). Consistent with this, we find that the A. thaliana AGO2 gene shows a high incidence of polymorphisms between accessions, with evidence of selective pressure. Using functional analyses, we identify polymorphisms that specifically affect AGO2 antiviral activity, without interfering with other AGO2-associated functions such as anti-bacterial resistance or DNA methylation. Our results suggest that viruses adapt to overcome RNA silencing in their hosts. Furthermore, they indicate that plant-virus interactions have influenced natural variation in RNA-silencing components and that the latter may be a source of genetically encoded virus resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chantal Brosseau
- Département de Biologie, Centre SÈVE, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Ayooluwa Bolaji
- Département de Biologie, Centre SÈVE, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | | | - Zhenxing Zhao
- Département de Biologie, Centre SÈVE, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Sébastien Biga
- Département de Biologie, Centre SÈVE, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Peter Moffett
- Département de Biologie, Centre SÈVE, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
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Christiaens O, Whyard S, Vélez AM, Smagghe G. Double-Stranded RNA Technology to Control Insect Pests: Current Status and Challenges. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:451. [PMID: 32373146 PMCID: PMC7187958 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Exploiting the RNA interference (RNAi) gene mechanism to silence essential genes in pest insects, leading to toxic effects, has surfaced as a promising new control strategy in the past decade. While the first commercial RNAi-based products are currently coming to market, the application against a wide range of insect species is still hindered by a number of challenges. In this review, we discuss the current status of these RNAi-based products and the different delivery strategies by which insects can be targeted by the RNAi-triggering double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules. Furthermore, this review also addresses a number of physiological and cellular barriers, which can lead to decreased RNAi efficacy in insects. Finally, novel non-transgenic delivery technologies, such as polymer or liposomic nanoparticles, peptide-based delivery vehicles and viral-like particles, are also discussed, as these could overcome these barriers and lead to effective RNAi-based pest control.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Steve Whyard
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Ana M. Vélez
- Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Department of Plants and Crops, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Unknown Areas of Activity of Human Ribonuclease Dicer: A Putative Deoxyribonuclease Activity. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25061414. [PMID: 32244942 PMCID: PMC7144382 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25061414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The Dicer ribonuclease plays a crucial role in the biogenesis of small regulatory RNAs (srRNAs) by processing long double-stranded RNAs and single-stranded hairpin RNA precursors into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), respectively. Dicer-generated srRNAs can control gene expression by targeting complementary transcripts and repressing their translation or inducing their cleavage. Human Dicer (hDicer) is a multidomain enzyme comprising a putative helicase domain, a DUF283 domain, platform, a PAZ domain, a connector helix, two RNase III domains (RNase IIIa and RNase IIIb) and a dsRNA-binding domain. Specific, ~20-base pair siRNA or miRNA duplexes with 2 nucleotide (nt) 3’-overhangs are generated by Dicer when an RNA substrate is anchored within the platform-PAZ-connector helix (PPC) region. However, increasing number of reports indicate that in the absence of the PAZ domain, binding of RNA substrates can occur by other Dicer domains. Interestingly, truncated variants of Dicer, lacking the PPC region, have been found to display a DNase activity. Inspired by these findings, we investigated how the lack of the PAZ domain, or the entire PPC region, would influence the cleavage activity of hDicer. Using immunopurified 3xFlag-hDicer produced in human cells and its two variants: one lacking the PAZ domain, and the other lacking the entire PPC region, we show that the PAZ domain deletion variants of hDicer are not able to process a pre-miRNA substrate, a dsRNA with 2-nt 3ʹ-overhangs, and a blunt-ended dsRNA. However, the PAZ deletion variants exhibit both RNase and DNase activity on short single-stranded RNA and DNAs, respectively. Collectively, our results indicate that when the PAZ domain is absent, other hDicer domains may contribute to substrate binding and in this case, non-canonical products can be generated.
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Hansen SR, Aderounmu AM, Donelick HM, Bass BL. Dicer's Helicase Domain: A Meeting Place for Regulatory Proteins. COLD SPRING HARBOR SYMPOSIA ON QUANTITATIVE BIOLOGY 2020; 84:185-193. [PMID: 32179591 PMCID: PMC7384945 DOI: 10.1101/sqb.2019.84.039750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The function of Dicer’s helicase domain has been enigmatic since its discovery. Why do only some Dicers require ATP, despite a high degree of sequence conservation in their helicase domains? We discuss evolutionary considerations based on differences between vertebrate and invertebrate antiviral defense, and how the helicase domain has been co-opted in extant organisms as the binding site for accessory proteins. Many accessory proteins are double-stranded RNA binding proteins, and we propose models for how they modulate Dicer function and catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R Hansen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-5650, USA
| | - Adedeji M Aderounmu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-5650, USA
| | - Helen M Donelick
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-5650, USA
| | - Brenda L Bass
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-5650, USA
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Moturu TR, Sinha S, Salava H, Thula S, Nodzyński T, Vařeková RS, Friml J, Simon S. Molecular Evolution and Diversification of Proteins Involved in miRNA Maturation Pathway. PLANTS 2020; 9:plants9030299. [PMID: 32121542 PMCID: PMC7154892 DOI: 10.3390/plants9030299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Small RNAs (smRNA, 19–25 nucleotides long), which are transcribed by RNA polymerase II, regulate the expression of genes involved in a multitude of processes in eukaryotes. miRNA biogenesis and the proteins involved in the biogenesis pathway differ across plant and animal lineages. The major proteins constituting the biogenesis pathway, namely, the Dicers (DCL/DCR) and Argonautes (AGOs), have been extensively studied. However, the accessory proteins (DAWDLE (DDL), SERRATE (SE), and TOUGH (TGH)) of the pathway that differs across the two lineages remain largely uncharacterized. We present the first detailed report on the molecular evolution and divergence of these proteins across eukaryotes. Although DDL is present in eukaryotes and prokaryotes, SE and TGH appear to be specific to eukaryotes. The addition/deletion of specific domains and/or domain-specific sequence divergence in the three proteins points to the observed functional divergence of these proteins across the two lineages, which correlates with the differences in miRNA length across the two lineages. Our data enhance the current understanding of the structure–function relationship of these proteins and reveals previous unexplored crucial residues in the three proteins that can be used as a basis for further functional characterization. The data presented here on the number of miRNAs in crown eukaryotic lineages are consistent with the notion of the expansion of the number of miRNA-coding genes in animal and plant lineages correlating with organismal complexity. Whether this difference in functionally correlates with the diversification (or presence/absence) of the three proteins studied here or the miRNA signaling in the plant and animal lineages is unclear. Based on our results of the three proteins studied here and previously available data concerning the evolution of miRNA genes in the plant and animal lineages, we believe that miRNAs probably evolved once in the ancestor to crown eukaryotes and have diversified independently in the eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taraka Ramji Moturu
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Kamenice, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; (T.R.M.); (S.T.); (T.N.)
- National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Sansrity Sinha
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Sciences, Rehovot 7610001, Israel;
| | - Hymavathi Salava
- Repository of Tomato Genomics Resources, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500046, India
| | - Sravankumar Thula
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Kamenice, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; (T.R.M.); (S.T.); (T.N.)
| | - Tomasz Nodzyński
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Kamenice, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; (T.R.M.); (S.T.); (T.N.)
| | - Radka Svobodová Vařeková
- National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
- Centre for Structural Biology, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Kamenice, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Friml
- Institute of Science and Technology (IST Austria), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria;
| | - Sibu Simon
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Kamenice, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; (T.R.M.); (S.T.); (T.N.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +91-918-834-2193
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Gutbrod MJ, Martienssen RA. Conserved chromosomal functions of RNA interference. Nat Rev Genet 2020; 21:311-331. [PMID: 32051563 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-019-0203-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi), a cellular process through which small RNAs target and regulate complementary RNA transcripts, has well-characterized roles in post-transcriptional gene regulation and transposon repression. Recent studies have revealed additional conserved roles for RNAi proteins, such as Argonaute and Dicer, in chromosome function. By guiding chromatin modification, RNAi components promote chromosome segregation during both mitosis and meiosis and regulate chromosomal and genomic dosage response. Small RNAs and the RNAi machinery also participate in the resolution of DNA damage. Interestingly, many of these lesser-studied functions seem to be more strongly conserved across eukaryotes than are well-characterized functions such as the processing of microRNAs. These findings have implications for the evolution of RNAi since the last eukaryotic common ancestor, and they provide a more complete view of the functions of RNAi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Gutbrod
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Robert A Martienssen
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA.
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40
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Lv X, Wang W, Han Z, Liu S, Yang W, Li M, Wang L, Song L. The Dicer from oyster Crassostrea gigas functions as an intracellular recognition molecule and effector in anti-viral immunity. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2019; 95:584-594. [PMID: 31678182 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2019.10.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Dicer, as a member of ribonuclease III family, functions in RNA interference (RNAi) pathway to direct sequence-specific degradation of cognate mRNA. It plays important roles in antiviral immunity and production of microRNAs. In the present study, a Dicer gene was identified from oyster Crassostrea gigas, and its open reading frame (ORF) encoded a polypeptide (designed as CgDicer) of 1873 amino acids containing two conserved ribonuclease III domains (RIBOc) and a double-stranded RNA-binding motif (DSRM). The deduced amino acid sequence of CgDicer shared identities ranging from 18.5% to 46.6% with that of other identified Dicers. The mRNA transcripts of CgDicer were detectable in all the examined tissues of adult oysters, with the highest expression in hemocytes (11.21 ± 1.64 fold of that in mantle, p < 0.05). The mRNA expression level of CgDicer in hemocytes was significantly up-regulated (36.70 ± 11.10 fold, p < 0.01) after the oysters were treated with double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). In the primarily cultured oyster hemocytes, the mRNA transcripts of CgDicer were significantly induced at 12 h after the stimulation with poly(I:C), which were 2.04-fold (p < 0.05) higher than that in control group. Immunocytochemistry assay revealed that CgDicer proteins were mainly distributed in the cytoplasm of hemocytes. The two most important functional domains of CgDicer, DSRM and RIBOc, were recombinant expressed in Escherichia coli transetta (DE3), and the recombinant DSRM protein displayed significantly binding activity to dsRNA and poly(I:C) in vitro, while the recombinant RIBOc protein exhibited significantly dsRNase activity to cleave dsRNA in vitro. These results collectively suggested that CgDicer functioned as either an intracellular recognition molecule to bind dsRNA or an effector with ribonuclease activity, which might play a crucial role in anti-viral immunity of oyster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojing Lv
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology and Disease Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Weilin Wang
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology and Disease Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Zirong Han
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology and Disease Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Shujing Liu
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology and Disease Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Wen Yang
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology and Disease Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Meijia Li
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology and Disease Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Lingling Wang
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Laboratory of Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Process, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266235, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology and Disease Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Linsheng Song
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Laboratory of Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Process, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266235, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Marine Animal Immunology and Disease Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China; Dalian Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China.
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Santos D, Mingels L, Vogel E, Wang L, Christiaens O, Cappelle K, Wynant N, Gansemans Y, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Smagghe G, Swevers L, Vanden Broeck J. Generation of Virus- and dsRNA-Derived siRNAs with Species-Dependent Length in Insects. Viruses 2019; 11:v11080738. [PMID: 31405199 PMCID: PMC6723321 DOI: 10.3390/v11080738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules of viral origin trigger a post-transcriptional gene-silencing mechanism called RNA interference (RNAi). Specifically, virally derived dsRNA is recognized and cleaved by the enzyme Dicer2 into short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), which further direct sequence-specific RNA silencing, ultimately silencing replication of the virus. Notably, RNAi can also be artificially triggered by the delivery of gene-specific dsRNA, thereby leading to endogenous gene silencing. This is a widely used technology that holds great potential to contribute to novel pest control strategies. In this regard, research efforts have been set to find methods to efficiently trigger RNAi in the field. In this article, we demonstrate the generation of dsRNA- and/or virus-derived siRNAs—the main RNAi effectors—in six insect species belonging to five economically important orders (Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera). In addition, we describe that the siRNA length distribution is species-dependent. Taken together, our results reveal interspecies variability in the (antiviral) RNAi mechanism in insects and show promise to contribute to future research on (viral-based) RNAi-triggering mechanisms in this class of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dulce Santos
- Research Group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Lina Mingels
- Research Group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Elise Vogel
- Research Group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Luoluo Wang
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Olivier Christiaens
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kaat Cappelle
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Niels Wynant
- Research Group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Yannick Gansemans
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Filip Van Nieuwerburgh
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Luc Swevers
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology Group, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos", 15310 Athens, Greece
| | - Jozef Vanden Broeck
- Research Group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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42
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Han GZ. Origin and evolution of the plant immune system. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 222:70-83. [PMID: 30575972 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Contents Summary 70 I. Introduction 70 II. Ancient associations between plants and microbes 72 III. Evolutionary dynamics of plant-pathogen interactions 74 IV. Evolutionary signature of plant-pathogen interactions 74 V. Origin and evolution of RLK proteins 75 VI. Origin and evolution of NLR proteins 77 VII. Origin and evolution of SA signaling 78 VIII. Origin and evolution of RNA-based defense 79 IX. Perspectives 79 Acknowledgements 80 References 80 SUMMARY: Microbes have engaged in antagonistic associations with plants for hundreds of millions of years. Plants, in turn, have evolved diverse immune strategies to combat microbial pathogens. The conflicts between plants and pathogens result in everchanging coevolutionary cycles known as 'Red Queen' dynamics. These ancient and ongoing plant-pathogen interactions have shaped the evolution of both plant and pathogen genomes. With the recent explosion of plant genome-scale data, comparative analyses provide novel insights into the coevolutionary dynamics of plants and pathogens. Here, we discuss the ancient associations between plants and microbes as well as the evolutionary principles underlying plant-pathogen interactions. We synthesize and review the current knowledge on the origin and evolution of key components of the plant immune system. We also highlight the importance of studying algae and nonflowering land plants in understanding the evolution of the plant immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guan-Zhu Han
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, China
- College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, China
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DeBoer K, Melser S, Sperschneider J, Kamphuis LG, Garg G, Gao LL, Frick K, Singh KB. Identification and profiling of narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) microRNAs during seed development. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:135. [PMID: 30764773 PMCID: PMC6376761 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5521-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Whilst information regarding small RNAs within agricultural crops is increasing, the miRNA composition of the nutritionally valuable pulse narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) remains unknown. RESULTS By conducting a genome- and transcriptome-wide survey we identified 7 Dicer-like and 16 Argonaute narrow-leafed lupin genes, which were highly homologous to their legume counterparts. We identified 43 conserved miRNAs belonging to 16 families, and 13 novel narrow-leafed lupin-specific miRNAs using high-throughput sequencing of small RNAs from foliar and root and five seed development stages. We observed up-regulation of members of the miRNA families miR167, miR399, miR156, miR319 and miR164 in narrow-leafed lupin seeds, and confirmed expression of miR156, miR166, miR164, miR1507 and miR396 using quantitative RT-PCR during five narrow-leafed lupin seed development stages. We identified potential targets for the conserved and novel miRNAs and were able to validate targets of miR399 and miR159 using 5' RLM-RACE. The conserved miRNAs are predicted to predominately target transcription factors and 93% of the conserved miRNAs originate from intergenic regions. In contrast, only 43% of the novel miRNAs originate from intergenic regions and their predicted targets were more functionally diverse. CONCLUSION This study provides important insights into the miRNA gene regulatory networks during narrow-leafed lupin seed development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen DeBoer
- The UWA Institute of Agriculture, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 Australia
| | - Su Melser
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA 6913 Australia
- Present address: INSERM U1215, Neurocentre Magendie, Bordeaux, France
| | - Jana Sperschneider
- Centre for Genomics, Metabolomics and Bioinformatics (CGMB), The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Lars G. Kamphuis
- The UWA Institute of Agriculture, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 Australia
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA 6913 Australia
- Curtin University, Centre for Crop and Disease Management, Department of Environment and Agriculture, Bentley, WA 6102 Australia
| | - Gagan Garg
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA 6913 Australia
| | - Ling-Ling Gao
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA 6913 Australia
| | - Karen Frick
- The UWA Institute of Agriculture, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 Australia
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA 6913 Australia
- The School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 Australia
| | - Karam B. Singh
- The UWA Institute of Agriculture, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 Australia
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA 6913 Australia
- Curtin University, Centre for Crop and Disease Management, Department of Environment and Agriculture, Bentley, WA 6102 Australia
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Šečić E, Zanini S, Kogel KH. Further Elucidation of the Argonaute and Dicer Protein Families in the Model Grass Species Brachypodium distachyon. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:1332. [PMID: 31708948 PMCID: PMC6822278 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) is a biological process in which small RNAs regulate gene silencing at the transcriptional or posttranscriptional level. The trigger for gene silencing is double-stranded RNA generated from an endogenous genomic locus or a foreign source, such as a transgene or virus. In addition to regulating endogenous gene expression, RNAi provides the mechanistic basis for small RNA-mediated communication between plant hosts and interacting pathogenic microbes, known as cross-kingdom RNAi. Two core protein components, Argonaute (AGO) and Dicer (DCL), are central to the RNAi machinery of eukaryotes. Plants encode for several copies of AGO and DCL genes; in Arabidopsis thaliana, the AGO protein family contains 10 members, and the DCL family contains four. Little is known about the conservation and specific roles of these proteins in monocotyledonous plants, which account for the most important food staples. Here, we utilized in silico tools to investigate the structure and related functions of AGO and DCL proteins from the model grass Brachypodium distachyon. Based on the presence of characteristic domains, 16 BdAGO- and 6 BdDCL-predicted proteins were identified. Phylogenetic analysis showed that both protein families were expanded in Brachypodium as compared with Arabidopsis. For BdDCL proteins, both plant species contain a single copy of DCL1 and DCL4; however, Brachypodium contains two copies each of DCL2 and DCL3. Members of the BdAGO family were placed in all three functional clades of AGO proteins previously described in Arabidopsis. The greatest expansion occurred in the AtAGO1/5/10 clade, which contains nine BdAGOs (BdAGO5/6/7/9/10/11/12/15/16). The catalytic tetrad of the AGO P-element-induced wimpy testis domain (PIWI), which is required for endonuclease activity, is conserved in most BdAGOs, with the exception of BdAGO1, which lacks the last D/H residue. Three-dimensional modeling of BdAGO proteins using tertiary structure prediction software supported the phylogenetic classification. We also predicted a provisional interactome network for BdAGOs, their localization within the cell, and organ/tissue-specific expression. Exploring the specifics of RNAi machinery proteins in a model grass species can serve as a proxy for agronomically important cereals such as barley and wheat, where the development of RNAi-based plant protection strategies is of great interest.
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Zhang X, Lai T, Zhang P, Zhang X, Yuan C, Jin Z, Li H, Yu Z, Qin C, Tör M, Ma P, Cheng Q, Hong Y. Mini review: Revisiting mobile RNA silencing in plants. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2019; 278:113-117. [PMID: 30471724 PMCID: PMC6556431 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 10/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Non-cell autonomous RNA silencing can spread from cell to cell and over long-distances in animals and plants. This process is genetically determined and requires mobile RNA signals. Genetic requirement and molecular nature of the mobile signals for non-cell-autonomous RNA silencing were intensively investigated in past few decades. No consensus dogma for mobile silencing can be reached in plants, yet published data are sometimes inconsistent and controversial. Thus, the genetic requirements and molecular signals involved in plant mobile silencing are still poorly understood. This article revisits our present understanding of intercellular and systemic non-cell autonomous RNA silencing, and summarises current debates on RNA signals for mobile silencing. In particular, we discuss new evidence on siRNA mobility, a DCL2-dependent genetic network for mobile silencing and its potential biological relevance as well as 22 nt siRNA being a mobile signal for non-cell-autonomous silencing in both Arabidopsis and Nicotiana benthamiana. This sets up a new trend in unravelling genetic components and small RNA signal molecules for mobile silencing in (across) plants and other organisms of different kingdoms. Finally we raise several outstanding questions that need to be addressed in future plant silencing research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Zhang
- Research Centre for Plant RNA Signaling, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China
| | - Tongfei Lai
- Research Centre for Plant RNA Signaling, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China
| | - Pengcheng Zhang
- Research Centre for Plant RNA Signaling, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China
| | - Xinlian Zhang
- Department of Statistics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Chen Yuan
- Research Centre for Plant RNA Signaling, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China
| | - Zhenhui Jin
- Research Centre for Plant RNA Signaling, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China
| | - Hongmei Li
- Research Centre for Plant RNA Signaling, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China
| | - Zhiming Yu
- Research Centre for Plant RNA Signaling, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China
| | - Cheng Qin
- Research Centre for Plant RNA Signaling, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China
| | - Mahmut Tör
- Worcester-Hangzhou Joint Molecular Plant Health Laboratory, Institute of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, WR2 6AJ, UK
| | - Ping Ma
- Department of Statistics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Qi Cheng
- Nitrogen Fixation Laboratory, Qi Institute, Jiaxing 314000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yiguo Hong
- Research Centre for Plant RNA Signaling, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China; Worcester-Hangzhou Joint Molecular Plant Health Laboratory, Institute of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, WR2 6AJ, UK; Warwick-Hangzhou RNA Signaling Joint Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Warwick CV4 7AL, UK.
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Abstract
Since their serendipitous discovery in nematodes, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key regulators of biological processes in animals. These small RNAs form complex networks that regulate cell differentiation, development and homeostasis. Deregulation of miRNA function is associated with an increasing number of human diseases, particularly cancer. Recent discoveries have expanded our understanding of the control of miRNA function. Here, we review the mechanisms that modulate miRNA activity, stability and cellular localization through alternative processing and maturation, sequence editing, post-translational modifications of Argonaute proteins, viral factors, transport from the cytoplasm and regulation of miRNA-target interactions. We conclude by discussing intriguing, unresolved research questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca F R Gebert
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ian J MacRae
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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Bråte J, Neumann RS, Fromm B, Haraldsen AAB, Tarver JE, Suga H, Donoghue PCJ, Peterson KJ, Ruiz-Trillo I, Grini PE, Shalchian-Tabrizi K. Unicellular Origin of the Animal MicroRNA Machinery. Curr Biol 2018; 28:3288-3295.e5. [PMID: 30318349 PMCID: PMC6206976 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Revised: 07/22/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of multicellular animals was associated with an increase in phenotypic complexity and with the acquisition of spatial cell differentiation and embryonic development. Paradoxically, this phenotypic transition was not paralleled by major changes in the underlying developmental toolkit and regulatory networks. In fact, most of these systems are ancient, established already in the unicellular ancestors of animals [1-5]. In contrast, the Microprocessor protein machinery, which is essential for microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis in animals, as well as the miRNA genes themselves produced by this Microprocessor, have not been identified outside of the animal kingdom [6]. Hence, the Microprocessor, with the key proteins Pasha and Drosha, is regarded as an animal innovation [7-9]. Here, we challenge this evolutionary scenario by investigating unicellular sister lineages of animals through genomic and transcriptomic analyses. We identify in Ichthyosporea both Drosha and Pasha (DGCR8 in vertebrates), indicating that the Microprocessor complex evolved long before the last common ancestor of animals, consistent with a pre-metazoan origin of most of the animal developmental gene elements. Through small RNA sequencing, we also discovered expressed bona fide miRNA genes in several species of the ichthyosporeans harboring the Microprocessor. A deep, pre-metazoan origin of the Microprocessor and miRNAs comply with a view that the origin of multicellular animals was not directly linked to the innovation of these key regulatory components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon Bråte
- Centre for Epigenetics, Development and Evolution (CEDE) and Centre for Integrative Microbial Evolution (CIME), Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology (EVOGENE), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ralf S Neumann
- Centre for Epigenetics, Development and Evolution (CEDE) and Centre for Integrative Microbial Evolution (CIME), Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology (EVOGENE), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Bastian Fromm
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Arthur A B Haraldsen
- Centre for Epigenetics, Development and Evolution (CEDE) and Centre for Integrative Microbial Evolution (CIME), Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology (EVOGENE), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - James E Tarver
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Hiroshi Suga
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Prefectural University of Hiroshima, Nanatsuka 562, Shobara, Hiroshima 727-0023, Japan
| | | | - Kevin J Peterson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003 Barcelona, Spain; ICREA, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Paul E Grini
- Centre for Epigenetics, Development and Evolution (CEDE) and Centre for Integrative Microbial Evolution (CIME), Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology (EVOGENE), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kamran Shalchian-Tabrizi
- Centre for Epigenetics, Development and Evolution (CEDE) and Centre for Integrative Microbial Evolution (CIME), Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology (EVOGENE), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
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Zhang R, Jing Y, Zhang H, Niu Y, Liu C, Wang J, Zen K, Zhang CY, Li D. Comprehensive Evolutionary Analysis of the Major RNA-Induced Silencing Complex Members. Sci Rep 2018; 8:14189. [PMID: 30242207 PMCID: PMC6155107 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32635-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) plays a critical role in small interfering RNA (siRNA) and microRNAs (miRNA) pathways. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that the major RISC members (AGO, DICER, TRBP, PACT and GW182) represent expression discrepancies or multiple orthologues/paralogues in different species. To elucidate their evolutionary characteristics, an integrated evolutionary analysis was performed. Here, animal and plant AGOs were divided into three classes (multifunctional AGOs, siRNA-associated AGOs and piRNA-associated AGOs for animal AGOs and multifunctional AGOs, siRNA-associated AGOs and complementary functioning AGOs for plant AGOs). Animal and plant DICERs were grouped into one class (multifunctional DICERs) and two classes (multifunctional DICERs and siRNA-associated DICERs), respectively. Protista/fungi AGOs or DICERs were specifically associated with the siRNA pathway. Additionally, TRBP/PACT/GW182 were identified only in animals, and all of them functioned in the miRNA pathway. Mammalian AGOs, animal DICERs and chordate TRBP/PACT were found to be monophyletic. A large number of gene duplications were identified in AGO and DICER groups. Taken together, we provide a comprehensive evolutionary analysis, describe a phylogenetic tree-based classification of the major RISC members and quantify their gene duplication events. These findings are potentially useful for classifying RISCs, optimizing species-specific RISCs and developing research model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Nanjing Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P.R. China
| | - Ying Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Nanjing Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P.R. China
| | - Haiyang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Nanjing Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P.R. China
| | - Yahan Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Nanjing Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P.R. China
| | - Chang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Nanjing Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P.R. China
| | - Jin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Nanjing Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P.R. China
| | - Ke Zen
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Nanjing Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P.R. China
| | - Chen-Yu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Nanjing Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P.R. China
| | - Donghai Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for MicroRNA Biology and Biotechnology, Nanjing Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P.R. China.
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Esposito S, Aversano R, D'Amelia V, Villano C, Alioto D, Mirouze M, Carputo D. Dicer-like and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene family identification and annotation in the cultivated Solanum tuberosum and its wild relative S. commersonii. PLANTA 2018; 248:729-743. [PMID: 29948127 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-018-2937-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
We provide advances in DCL and RDR gene diversity in Solanaceae. We also shed light on DCL and RDR gene expression in response to cold stress. DICER-like (DCL) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDR) genes form the core components to trigger small non-coding RNA (ncRNA) production. In spite of this, little is known about the two gene families in non-model plant species. As their genome sequences are now available, the cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum) and its cold-tolerant wild relative Solanum commersonii offer a valuable opportunity to advance our understanding of the above genes. To determine the extent of diversification and evolution of DCLs and RDRs in these species, we performed a comparative analysis. Seven DCLs were identified in the two species, whereas seven and six RDR genes were found in S. tuberosum and S. commersonii, respectively. Based on phylogenetic analysis with DCLs and RDRs from several species, we provide evidence for an increase in their number in both potato species. We also disclosed that tandem duplications played a major role in the evolution of these gene families in Solanaceae. DCL and RDR expression was investigated in different tissues and under cold and virus stresses, with divergent profiles of the tandem duplicated genes being found in different tissues. DCL paralogs showed a contrasting expression in S. tuberosum and S. commersonii following cold stress and virus infection. By contrast, no change in RDR transcript activity was detected following both stresses. Overall, this study provides the first comparative genomic analysis of the core components of the RNAi machinery in Solanaceae and offers a scaffold for future functional analysis of these gene families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore Esposito
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, Portici, Italy
| | - Riccardo Aversano
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, Portici, Italy.
| | - Vincenzo D'Amelia
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, Portici, Italy
| | - Clizia Villano
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, Portici, Italy
| | - Daniela Alioto
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, Portici, Italy
| | - Marie Mirouze
- Plant Genome and Development Laboratory, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, IRD DIADE, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan, France
| | - Domenico Carputo
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, Portici, Italy.
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50
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Jia H, Kolaczkowski O, Rolland J, Kolaczkowski B. Increased Affinity for RNA Targets Evolved Early in Animal and Plant Dicer Lineages through Different Structural Mechanisms. Mol Biol Evol 2018; 34:3047-3063. [PMID: 29106606 PMCID: PMC5850739 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the structural basis for evolutionary changes in protein function is central to molecular evolutionary biology and can help determine the extent to which functional convergence occurs through similar or different structural mechanisms. Here, we combine ancestral sequence reconstruction with functional characterization and structural modeling to directly examine the evolution of sequence-structure-function across the early differentiation of animal and plant Dicer/DCL proteins, which perform the first molecular step in RNA interference by identifying target RNAs and processing them into short interfering products. We found that ancestral Dicer/DCL proteins evolved similar increases in RNA target affinities as they diverged independently in animal and plant lineages. In both cases, increases in RNA target affinities were associated with sequence changes that anchored the RNA’s 5′phosphate, but the structural bases for 5′phosphate recognition were different in animal versus plant lineages. These results highlight how molecular-functional evolutionary convergence can derive from the evolution of unique protein structures implementing similar biochemical mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyan Jia
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Oralia Kolaczkowski
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - James Rolland
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Bryan Kolaczkowski
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
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