1
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Hu X, Cao P, Wang F, Wang T, Duan J, Chen X, Ma X, Zhang Y, Chen J, Liu H, Zhang H, Wu X. Alternative polyadenylation quantitative trait loci contribute to acute myeloid leukemia risk genes regulation. Leuk Res 2024; 141:107499. [PMID: 38640632 DOI: 10.1016/j.leukres.2024.107499] [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: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematopoietic malignancy with a high relapse rate and progressive drug resistance. Alternative polyadenylation (APA) contributes to post-transcriptional dysregulation, but little is known about the association between APA and AML. The APA quantitative trait locus (apaQTL) is a powerful method to investigate the relationship between APA and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We quantified APA usage in 195 Chinese AML patients and identified 4922 cis-apaQTLs related to 1875 genes, most of which were newly reported. Cis-apaQTLs may modulate the APA selection of 115 genes through poly(A) signals. Colocalization analysis revealed that cis-apaQTLs colocalized with cis-eQTLs may regulate gene expression by affecting miRNA binding sites or RNA secondary structures. We discovered 207 cis-apaQTLs related to AML risk by comparing genotype frequency with the East Asian healthy controls from the 1000 Genomes Project. Genes with cis-apaQTLs were associated with hematological phenotypes and tumor incidence according to the PHARMGKB and MGI databases. Collectively, we profiled an atlas of cis-apaQTLs in Asian AML patients and found their association with APA selection, gene expression, AML risk, and complex traits. Cis-apaQTLs may provide insights into the regulatory mechanisms related to APA in AML occurrence, progression, and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Hu
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Panxiang Cao
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang 065201, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang 065201, China
| | - Tong Wang
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang 065201, China
| | - Junbo Duan
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Xue Chen
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang 065201, China
| | - Xiaoli Ma
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang 065201, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang 065201, China
| | - Jiaqi Chen
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang 065201, China
| | - Hongxing Liu
- Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang 065201, China.
| | - Huqin Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
| | - Xiaoming Wu
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
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2
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Gabel AM, Belleville AE, Thomas JD, McKellar SA, Nicholas TR, Banjo T, Crosse EI, Bradley RK. Multiplexed screening reveals how cancer-specific alternative polyadenylation shapes tumor growth in vivo. Nat Commun 2024; 15:959. [PMID: 38302465 PMCID: PMC10834521 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44931-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is strikingly dysregulated in many cancers. Although global APA dysregulation is frequently associated with poor prognosis, the importance of most individual APA events is controversial simply because few have been functionally studied. Here, we address this gap by developing a CRISPR-Cas9-based screen to manipulate endogenous polyadenylation and systematically quantify how APA events contribute to tumor growth in vivo. Our screen reveals individual APA events that control mouse melanoma growth in an immunocompetent host, with concordant associations in clinical human cancer. For example, forced Atg7 3' UTR lengthening in mouse melanoma suppresses ATG7 protein levels, slows tumor growth, and improves host survival; similarly, in clinical human melanoma, a long ATG7 3' UTR is associated with significantly prolonged patient survival. Overall, our study provides an easily adaptable means to functionally dissect APA in physiological systems and directly quantifies the contributions of recurrent APA events to tumorigenic phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin M Gabel
- Computational Biology Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Andrea E Belleville
- Computational Biology Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - James D Thomas
- Computational Biology Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Siegen A McKellar
- Computational Biology Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Taylor R Nicholas
- Computational Biology Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Toshihiro Banjo
- Computational Biology Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Edie I Crosse
- Computational Biology Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Robert K Bradley
- Computational Biology Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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3
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Yu P, Song S, Zhang X, Cui S, Wei G, Huang Z, Zeng L, Ni T, Sun A. Downregulation of apoptotic repressor AVEN exacerbates cardiac injury after myocardial infarction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2302482120. [PMID: 37816050 PMCID: PMC10589712 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2302482120] [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: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause of heart failure (HF), associated with morbidity and mortality worldwide. As an essential part of gene expression regulation, the role of alternative polyadenylation (APA) in post-MI HF remains elusive. Here, we revealed a global, APA-mediated, 3' untranslated region (3' UTR)-lengthening pattern in both human and murine post-MI HF samples. Furthermore, the 3' UTR of apoptotic repressor gene, AVEN, is lengthened after MI, contributing to its downregulation. AVEN knockdown increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis, whereas restoration of AVEN expression substantially improved cardiac function. Mechanistically, AVEN 3' UTR lengthening provides additional binding sites for miR-30b-5p and miR-30c-5p, thus reducing AVEN expression. Additionally, PABPN1 (poly(A)-binding protein 1) was identified as a potential regulator of AVEN 3' UTR lengthening after MI. Altogether, our findings revealed APA as a unique mechanism regulating cardiac injury in response to MI and also indicated that the APA-regulated gene, AVEN, holds great potential as a critical therapeutic target for treating post-MI HF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Human Phenome Institute, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences and Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai200438, China
| | - Shuai Song
- Department of Cardiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai200032, China
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai200032, China
| | - Xiaokai Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai200032, China
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai200032, China
| | - Shujun Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Human Phenome Institute, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences and Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai200438, China
| | - Gang Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Human Phenome Institute, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences and Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai200438, China
| | - Zihang Huang
- Department of Cardiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai200032, China
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai200032, China
| | - Linqi Zeng
- Department of Cardiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai200032, China
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai200032, China
| | - Ting Ni
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Human Phenome Institute, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences and Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai200438, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai200040, China
- State key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot010021, China
- Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Fudan University, Shanghai201203, China
| | - Aijun Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Human Phenome Institute, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences and Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai200438, China
- Department of Cardiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai200032, China
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai200032, China
- Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Fudan University, Shanghai201203, China
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4
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Zukher I, Dujardin G, Sousa-Luís R, Proudfoot NJ. Elongation roadblocks mediated by dCas9 across human genes modulate transcription and nascent RNA processing. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2023; 30:1536-1548. [PMID: 37783853 PMCID: PMC10584677 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-023-01090-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Non-cleaving Cas9 (dCas9) is widely employed to manipulate specific gene loci, often with scant regard for unintended transcriptional effects. We demonstrate here that dCas9 mediates precise RNA polymerase II transcriptional pausing followed by transcription termination and potential alternative polyadenylation. By contrast, alternative splicing is unaffected, likely requiring more sustained alteration to elongation speed. The effect on transcription is orientation specific, with pausing only being induced when dCas9-associated guide RNA anneals to the non-template strand. Targeting the template strand induces minimal effects on transcription elongation and thus provides a neutral approach to recruit dCas9-linked effector domains to specific gene regions. In essence, we evaluate molecular effects of targeting dCas9 to mammalian transcription units. In so doing, we also provide new information on elongation by RNA polymerase II and coupled pre-mRNA processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inna Zukher
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Gwendal Dujardin
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Rui Sousa-Luís
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Nick J Proudfoot
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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5
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Cui Y, Wang L, Ding Q, Shin J, Cassel J, Liu Q, Salvino JM, Tian B. Elevated pre-mRNA 3' end processing activity in cancer cells renders vulnerability to inhibition of cleavage and polyadenylation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4480. [PMID: 37528120 PMCID: PMC10394034 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39793-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Cleavage and polyadenylation (CPA) is responsible for 3' end processing of eukaryotic poly(A)+ RNAs and preludes transcriptional termination. JTE-607, which targets CPSF-73, is the first known CPA inhibitor (CPAi) in mammalian cells. Here we show that JTE-607 perturbs gene expression through both transcriptional readthrough and alternative polyadenylation (APA). Sensitive genes are associated with features similar to those previously identified for PCF11 knockdown, underscoring a unified transcriptomic signature of CPAi. The degree of inhibition of an APA site by JTE-607 correlates with its usage level and, consistently, cells with elevated CPA activities, such as those with induced overexpression of FIP1, display greater transcriptomic disturbances when treated with JTE-607. Moreover, JTE-607 causes S phase crisis and is hence synergistic with inhibitors of DNA damage repair pathways. Together, our data reveal CPA activity and proliferation rate as determinants of CPAi-mediated cell death, raising the possibility of using CPAi as an adjunct therapy to suppress certain cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yange Cui
- Gene Expression and Regulation Program, and Center for Systems and Computational Biology, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Luyang Wang
- Gene Expression and Regulation Program, and Center for Systems and Computational Biology, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Qingbao Ding
- Gene Expression and Regulation Program, and Center for Systems and Computational Biology, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Jihae Shin
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Joel Cassel
- Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Qin Liu
- Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Joseph M Salvino
- Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Bin Tian
- Gene Expression and Regulation Program, and Center for Systems and Computational Biology, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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6
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Kalikiri MKR, Manjunath HS, Vempalli FR, Mathew LS, Liu L, Wang L, Wang G, Wang K, Soloviov O, Lorenz S, Tomei S. Technical assessment of different extraction methods and transcriptome profiling of RNA isolated from small volumes of blood. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3598. [PMID: 36869090 PMCID: PMC9984369 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30629-5] [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] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcriptome profiling of human whole blood is used to discover biomarkers of diseases and to assess phenotypic traits. Recently, finger-stick blood collection systems have allowed a less invasive and quicker collection of peripheral blood. Such non-invasive sampling of small volumes of blood offers practical advantages. The quality of gene expression data is strictly dependent on the steps used for the sample collection, extraction, preparation and sequencing. Here we have: (i) compared the manual and automated RNA extraction of small volumes of blood using the Tempus Spin RNA isolation kit and the MagMAX for Stabilized Blood RNA Isolation kit , respectively; and (ii) assessed the effect of TURBO DNA Free treatment on the transcriptomic data of RNA isolated from small volumes of blood. We have used the QuantSeq 3' FWD mRNA-Seq Library Prep kit to prepare RNA-seq libraries, which were sequenced on the Illumina NextSeq 500 system. The samples isolated manually displayed a higher variability in the transcriptomic data as compared to the other samples. The TURBO DNA Free treatment affected the RNA samples negatively, decreasing the RNA yield and reducing the quality and reproducibility of the transcriptomic data. We conclude that automated extraction systems should be preferred over manual extraction systems for data consistency, and that the TURBO DNA Free treatment should be avoided when working on RNA samples isolated manually from small volumes of blood.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Lisa Sara Mathew
- Clinical Genomics Laboratory, Integrated Genomics Services, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Li Liu
- Clinical Genomics Laboratory, Integrated Genomics Services, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Li Wang
- Clinical Genomics Laboratory, Integrated Genomics Services, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Guishuang Wang
- Clinical Genomics Laboratory, Integrated Genomics Services, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Kun Wang
- Clinical Genomics Laboratory, Integrated Genomics Services, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Oleksandr Soloviov
- Clinical Genomics Laboratory, Integrated Genomics Services, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Stephan Lorenz
- Clinical Genomics Laboratory, Integrated Genomics Services, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
- Omics Core, Integrated Genomic Services, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
- Bioinformatics Core, Integrated Genomics Services, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Sara Tomei
- Omics Core, Integrated Genomic Services, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
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7
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Cui Y, Arnold FJ, Peng F, Wang D, Li JS, Michels S, Wagner EJ, La Spada AR, Li W. Alternative polyadenylation transcriptome-wide association study identifies APA-linked susceptibility genes in brain disorders. Nat Commun 2023; 14:583. [PMID: 36737438 PMCID: PMC9898543 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36311-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Alternative polyadenylation (APA) plays an essential role in brain development; however, current transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) largely overlook APA in nominating susceptibility genes. Here, we performed a 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) APA TWAS (3'aTWAS) for 11 brain disorders by combining their genome-wide association studies data with 17,300 RNA-seq samples across 2,937 individuals. We identified 354 3'aTWAS-significant genes, including known APA-linked risk genes, such as SNCA in Parkinson's disease. Among these 354 genes, ~57% are not significant in traditional expression- and splicing-TWAS studies, since APA may regulate the translation, localization and protein-protein interaction of the target genes independent of mRNA level expression or splicing. Furthermore, we discovered ATXN3 as a 3'aTWAS-significant gene for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and its modulation substantially impacted pathological hallmarks of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in vitro. Together, 3'aTWAS is a powerful strategy to nominate important APA-linked brain disorder susceptibility genes, most of which are largely overlooked by conventional expression and splicing analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya Cui
- Division of Computational Biomedicine, Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Frederick J Arnold
- Departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Neurology, and Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, and the UCI Institute for Neurotherapeutics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Fanglue Peng
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Dan Wang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Jason Sheng Li
- Division of Computational Biomedicine, Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Sebastian Michels
- Departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Neurology, and Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, and the UCI Institute for Neurotherapeutics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Eric J Wagner
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA
| | - Albert R La Spada
- Departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Neurology, and Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, and the UCI Institute for Neurotherapeutics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
| | - Wei Li
- Division of Computational Biomedicine, Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
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8
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Mitschka S, Mayr C. Context-specific regulation and function of mRNA alternative polyadenylation. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2022; 23:779-796. [PMID: 35798852 PMCID: PMC9261900 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-022-00507-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Alternative cleavage and polyadenylation (APA) is a widespread mechanism to generate mRNA isoforms with alternative 3' untranslated regions (UTRs). The expression of alternative 3' UTR isoforms is highly cell type specific and is further controlled in a gene-specific manner by environmental cues. In this Review, we discuss how the dynamic, fine-grained regulation of APA is accomplished by several mechanisms, including cis-regulatory elements in RNA and DNA and factors that control transcription, pre-mRNA cleavage and post-transcriptional processes. Furthermore, signalling pathways modulate the activity of these factors and integrate APA into gene regulatory programmes. Dysregulation of APA can reprogramme the outcome of signalling pathways and thus can control cellular responses to environmental changes. In addition to the regulation of protein abundance, APA has emerged as a major regulator of mRNA localization and the spatial organization of protein synthesis. This role enables the regulation of protein function through the addition of post-translational modifications or the formation of protein-protein interactions. We further discuss recent transformative advances in single-cell RNA sequencing and CRISPR-Cas technologies, which enable the mapping and functional characterization of alternative 3' UTRs in any biological context. Finally, we discuss new APA-based RNA therapeutics, including compounds that target APA in cancer and therapeutic genome editing of degenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sibylle Mitschka
- Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Christine Mayr
- Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
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9
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Caggiano C, Pieraccioli M, Pitolli C, Babini G, Zheng D, Tian B, Bielli P, Sette C. The androgen receptor couples promoter recruitment of RNA processing factors to regulation of alternative polyadenylation at the 3' end of transcripts. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:9780-9796. [PMID: 36043441 PMCID: PMC9508809 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Prostate cancer (PC) relies on androgen receptor (AR) signaling. While hormonal therapy (HT) is efficacious, most patients evolve to an incurable castration-resistant stage (CRPC). To date, most proposed mechanisms of acquired resistance to HT have focused on AR transcriptional activity. Herein, we uncover a new role for the AR in alternative cleavage and polyadenylation (APA). Inhibition of the AR by Enzalutamide globally regulates APA in PC cells, with specific enrichment in genes related to transcription and DNA topology, suggesting their involvement in transcriptome reprogramming. AR inhibition selects promoter-distal polyadenylation sites (pAs) enriched in cis-elements recognized by the cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor (CPSF) complex. Conversely, promoter-proximal intronic pAs relying on the cleavage stimulation factor (CSTF) complex are repressed. Mechanistically, Enzalutamide induces rearrangement of APA subcomplexes and impairs the interaction between CPSF and CSTF. AR inhibition also induces co-transcriptional CPSF recruitment to gene promoters, predisposing the selection of pAs depending on this complex. Importantly, the scaffold CPSF160 protein is up-regulated in CRPC cells and its depletion represses HT-induced APA patterns. These findings uncover an unexpected role for the AR in APA regulation and suggest that APA-mediated transcriptome reprogramming represents an adaptive response of PC cells to HT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Caggiano
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Human Anatomy, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome 00168, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli, Rome 00168, Italy
| | - Marco Pieraccioli
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Human Anatomy, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome 00168, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli, Rome 00168, Italy
| | - Consuelo Pitolli
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Human Anatomy, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome 00168, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli, Rome 00168, Italy
| | | | - Dinghai Zheng
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
| | - Bin Tian
- Gene Expression and Regulation Program, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Pamela Bielli
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome 00133, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome 00143, Italy
| | - Claudio Sette
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Human Anatomy, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome 00168, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli, Rome 00168, Italy
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10
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Guvenek A, Shin J, De Filippis L, Zheng D, Wang W, Pang ZP, Tian B. Neuronal Cells Display Distinct Stability Controls of Alternative Polyadenylation mRNA Isoforms, Long Non-Coding RNAs, and Mitochondrial RNAs. Front Genet 2022; 13:840369. [PMID: 35664307 PMCID: PMC9159357 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.840369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA stability plays an important role in gene expression. Here, using 3' end sequencing of newly made and pre-existing poly(A)+ RNAs, we compare transcript stability in multiple human cell lines, including HEK293T, HepG2, and SH-SY5Y. We show that while mRNA stability is generally conserved across the cell lines, specific transcripts having a high GC content and possibly more stable secondary RNA structures are relatively more stable in SH-SY5Y cells compared to the other 2 cell lines. These features also differentiate stability levels of alternative polyadenylation (APA) 3'UTR isoforms in a cell type-specific manner. Using differentiation of a neural stem cell line as a model, we show that mRNA stability difference could contribute to gene expression changes in neurogenesis and confirm the neuronal identity of SH-SY5Y cells at both gene expression and APA levels. In addition, compared to transcripts using 3'-most exon cleavage/polyadenylation sites (PASs), those using intronic PASs are generally less stable, especially when the PAS-containing intron is large and has a strong 5' splice site, suggesting that intronic polyadenylation mostly plays a negative role in gene expression. Interestingly, the differential mRNA stability among APA isoforms appears to buffer PAS choice in these cell lines. Moreover, we found that several other poly(A)+ RNA species, including promoter-associated long noncoding RNAs and transcripts encoded by the mitochondrial genome, are more stable in SH-SY5Y cells than the other 2 cell lines, further highlighting distinct RNA metabolism in neuronal cells. Together, our results indicate that distinct RNA stability control in neuronal cells may contribute to the gene expression and APA programs that define their cell identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aysegul Guvenek
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, United States
- Rutgers School of Graduate Studies, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Jihae Shin
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Lidia De Filippis
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Dinghai Zheng
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Zhiping P. Pang
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Bin Tian
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, United States
- Program in Gene Expression and Regulation, Center for Systems and Computational Biology, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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