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Opdensteinen P, Charudattan R, Hong JC, Rosskopf EN, Steinmetz NF. Biochemical and nanotechnological approaches to combat phytoparasitic nematodes. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2024; 22:2444-2460. [PMID: 38831638 PMCID: PMC11332226 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.14359] [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: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
The foundation of most food production systems underpinning global food security is the careful management of soil resources. Embedded in the concept of soil health is the impact of diverse soil-borne pests and pathogens, and phytoparasitic nematodes represent a particular challenge. Root-knot nematodes and cyst nematodes are severe threats to agriculture, accounting for annual yield losses of US$157 billion. The control of soil-borne phytoparasitic nematodes conventionally relies on the use of chemical nematicides, which can have adverse effects on the environment and human health due to their persistence in soil, plants, and water. Nematode-resistant plants offer a promising alternative, but genetic resistance is species-dependent, limited to a few crops, and breeding and deploying resistant cultivars often takes years. Novel approaches for the control of phytoparasitic nematodes are therefore required, those that specifically target these parasites in the ground whilst minimizing the impact on the environment, agricultural ecosystems, and human health. In addition to the development of next-generation, environmentally safer nematicides, promising biochemical strategies include the combination of RNA interference (RNAi) with nanomaterials that ensure the targeted delivery and controlled release of double-stranded RNA. Genome sequencing has identified more than 75 genes in root knot and cyst nematodes that have been targeted with RNAi so far. But despite encouraging results, the delivery of dsRNA to nematodes in the soil remains inefficient. In this review article, we describe the state-of-the-art RNAi approaches targeting phytoparasitic nematodes and consider the potential benefits of nanotechnology to improve dsRNA delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Opdensteinen
- Department of NanoEngineeringUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Center for Nano‐ImmunoEngineeringUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Shu and K.C. Chien and Peter Farrell CollaboratoryUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Jason C. Hong
- USDA‐ARS‐U.S. Horticultural Research LaboratoryFort PierceFloridaUSA
| | - Erin N. Rosskopf
- USDA‐ARS‐U.S. Horticultural Research LaboratoryFort PierceFloridaUSA
| | - Nicole F. Steinmetz
- Department of NanoEngineeringUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Center for Nano‐ImmunoEngineeringUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Shu and K.C. Chien and Peter Farrell CollaboratoryUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Department of BioengineeringUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Department of RadiologyUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Institute for Materials Discovery and Design, University of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Moores Cancer CenterUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Center for Engineering in Cancer, Institute of Engineering in MedicineUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
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Spada M, Pugliesi C, Fambrini M, Pecchia S. Challenges and Opportunities Arising from Host- Botrytis cinerea Interactions to Outline Novel and Sustainable Control Strategies: The Key Role of RNA Interference. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6798. [PMID: 38928507 PMCID: PMC11203536 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25126798] [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: 05/31/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The necrotrophic plant pathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea (Pers., 1794), the causative agent of gray mold disease, causes significant losses in agricultural production. Control of this fungal pathogen is quite difficult due to its wide host range and environmental persistence. Currently, the management of the disease is still mainly based on chemicals, which can have harmful effects not only on the environment and on human health but also because they favor the development of strains resistant to fungicides. The flexibility and plasticity of B. cinerea in challenging plant defense mechanisms and its ability to evolve strategies to escape chemicals require the development of new control strategies for successful disease management. In this review, some aspects of the host-pathogen interactions from which novel and sustainable control strategies could be developed (e.g., signaling pathways, molecules involved in plant immune mechanisms, hormones, post-transcriptional gene silencing) were analyzed. New biotechnological tools based on the use of RNA interference (RNAi) are emerging in the crop protection scenario as versatile, sustainable, effective, and environmentally friendly alternatives to the use of chemicals. RNAi-based fungicides are expected to be approved soon, although they will face several challenges before reaching the market.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Spada
- Department of Agriculture Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Claudio Pugliesi
- Department of Agriculture Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco Fambrini
- Department of Agriculture Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Susanna Pecchia
- Department of Agriculture Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
- Interdepartmental Research Center Nutrafood “Nutraceuticals and Food for Health”, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
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Salman Hameed M, Ren Y, Tuda M, Basit A, Urooj N. Role of Argonaute proteins in RNAi pathway in Plutella xylostella: A review. Gene 2024; 903:148195. [PMID: 38295911 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148195] [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: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Argonaute (Ago) proteins act as key elements in RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, orchestrating the intricate machinery of gene regulation within eukaryotic cells. Within the RNAi pathway, small RNA molecules, including microRNA (miRNA), small interfering RNA (siRNA), and PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA), collaborate with Ago family member proteins such as Ago1, Ago2, and Ago3 to form the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). This RISC complex, in turn, either cleaves the target mRNA or inhibits the process of protein translation. The precise contributions of Ago proteins have been well-established in numerous animals and plants, although they still remain unclear in some insect species. This review aims to shed light on the specific roles played by Ago proteins within the RNAi mechanism in a destructive lepidopteran pest, the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella). Furthermore, we explore the potential of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-mediated RNAi as a robust genetic tool in pest management strategies. Through an in-depth examination of Ago proteins and dsRNA-mediated RNAi, this review seeks to contribute to our understanding of innovative approaches for controlling this pest and potentially other insect species of agricultural significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Salman Hameed
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensor Technology and Health, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China.
| | - Yanliang Ren
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensor Technology and Health, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China.
| | - Midori Tuda
- Institute of Biological Control, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Abdul Basit
- Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University Guiyang 550025, Guizhou China
| | - Nida Urooj
- Department of Business Administrative, Bahaudin Zakriya University, Multan, Pakistan
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Long H, Johri P, Gout JF, Ni J, Hao Y, Licknack T, Wang Y, Pan J, Jiménez-Marín B, Lynch M. Paramecium Genetics, Genomics, and Evolution. Annu Rev Genet 2023; 57:391-410. [PMID: 38012024 PMCID: PMC11334263 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-071819-104035] [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] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
The ciliate genus Paramecium served as one of the first model systems in microbial eukaryotic genetics, contributing much to the early understanding of phenomena as diverse as genome rearrangement, cryptic speciation, cytoplasmic inheritance, and endosymbiosis, as well as more recently to the evolution of mating types, introns, and roles of small RNAs in DNA processing. Substantial progress has recently been made in the area of comparative and population genomics. Paramecium species combine some of the lowest known mutation rates with some of the largest known effective populations, along with likely very high recombination rates, thereby harboring a population-genetic environment that promotes an exceptionally efficient capacity for selection. As a consequence, the genomes are extraordinarily streamlined, with very small intergenic regions combined with small numbers of tiny introns. The subject of the bulk of Paramecium research, the ancient Paramecium aurelia species complex, is descended from two whole-genome duplication events that retain high degrees of synteny, thereby providing an exceptional platform for studying the fates of duplicate genes. Despite having a common ancestor dating to several hundred million years ago, the known descendant species are morphologically indistinguishable, raising significant questions about the common view that gene duplications lead to the origins of evolutionary novelties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongan Long
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, KLMME, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China;
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China
| | - Parul Johri
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jean-Francois Gout
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi, USA
| | - Jiahao Ni
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, KLMME, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China;
| | - Yue Hao
- Cancer and Cell Biology Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
- Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA;
| | - Timothy Licknack
- Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA;
| | - Yaohai Wang
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, KLMME, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China;
| | - Jiao Pan
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, KLMME, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China;
| | - Berenice Jiménez-Marín
- Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA;
| | - Michael Lynch
- Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA;
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Hasan MN, Mosharaf MP, Uddin KS, Das KR, Sultana N, Noorunnahar M, Naim D, Mollah MNH. Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of Major RNAi Genes Highlighting Their Associated Factors in Cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.). BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 2023:8832406. [PMID: 38046903 PMCID: PMC10691899 DOI: 10.1155/2023/8832406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
In different regions of the world, cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) is an important vegetable and an excellent source of protein. It lessens the malnutrition of the underprivileged in developing nations and has some positive effects on health, such as a reduction in the prevalence of cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, occasionally, certain biotic and abiotic stresses caused a sharp fall in cowpea yield. Major RNA interference (RNAi) genes like Dicer-like (DCL), Argonaute (AGO), and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDR) are essential for the synthesis of their associated factors like domain, small RNAs (sRNAs), transcription factors, micro-RNAs, and cis-acting factors that shield plants from biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, applying BLASTP search and phylogenetic tree analysis with reference to the Arabidopsis RNAi (AtRNAi) genes, we discovered 28 VuRNAi genes, including 7 VuDCL, 14 VuAGO, and 7 VuRDR genes in cowpea. We looked at the domains, motifs, gene structures, chromosomal locations, subcellular locations, gene ontology (GO) terms, and regulatory factors (transcription factors, micro-RNAs, and cis-acting elements (CAEs)) to characterize the VuRNAi genes and proteins in cowpea in response to stresses. Predicted VuDCL1, VuDCL2(a, b), VuAGO7, VuAGO10, and VuRDR6 genes might have an impact on cowpea growth, development of the vegetative and flowering stages, and antiviral defense. The VuRNAi gene regulatory features miR395 and miR396 might contribute to grain quality improvement, immunity boosting, and pathogen infection resistance under salinity and drought conditions. Predicted CAEs from the VuRNAi genes might play a role in plant growth and development, improving grain quality and production and protecting plants from biotic and abiotic stresses. Therefore, our study provides crucial information about the functional roles of VuRNAi genes and their associated components, which would aid in the development of future cowpeas that are more resilient to biotic and abiotic stress. The manuscript is available as a preprint at this link: doi:10.1101/2023.02.15.528631v1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Nazmol Hasan
- Department of Statistics, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur 1706, Bangladesh
| | - Md Parvez Mosharaf
- School of Business, Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia
| | - Khandoker Saif Uddin
- Department of Quantitative Science (Statistics), International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT), Uttara, Bangladesh
| | - Keya Rani Das
- Department of Statistics, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur 1706, Bangladesh
| | - Nasrin Sultana
- Department of Statistics, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur 1706, Bangladesh
| | - Mst. Noorunnahar
- Department of Statistics, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur 1706, Bangladesh
| | - Darun Naim
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi 6205, Bangladesh
- Bioinformatics Lab, Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi 6205, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Nurul Haque Mollah
- Bioinformatics Lab, Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi 6205, Bangladesh
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Podder A, Ahmed FF, Suman MZH, Mim AY, Hasan K. Genome-wide identification of DCL, AGO and RDR gene families and their associated functional regulatory element analyses in sunflower (Helianthus annuus). PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286994. [PMID: 37294803 PMCID: PMC10256174 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/11/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) regulates a variety of eukaryotic gene expressions that are engaged in response to stress, growth, and the conservation of genomic stability during developmental phases. It is also intimately connected to the post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) process and chromatin modification levels. The entire process of RNA interference (RNAi) pathway gene families mediates RNA silencing. The main factors of RNA silencing are the Dicer-Like (DCL), Argonaute (AGO), and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDR) gene families. To the best of our knowledge, genome-wide identification of RNAi gene families like DCL, AGO, and RDR in sunflower (Helianthus annuus) has not yet been studied despite being discovered in some species. So, the goal of this study is to find the RNAi gene families like DCL, AGO, and RDR in sunflower based on bioinformatics approaches. Therefore, we accomplished an inclusive in silico investigation for genome-wide identification of RNAi pathway gene families DCL, AGO, and RDR through bioinformatics approaches such as (sequence homogeneity, phylogenetic relationship, gene structure, chromosomal localization, PPIs, GO, sub-cellular localization). In this study, we have identified five DCL (HaDCLs), fifteen AGO (HaAGOs), and ten RDR (HaRDRs) in the sunflower genome database corresponding to the RNAi genes of model plant Arabidopsis thaliana based on genome-wide analysis and a phylogenetic method. The analysis of the gene structure that contains exon-intron numbers, conserved domain, and motif composition analyses for all HaDCL, HaAGO, and HaRDR gene families indicated almost homogeneity among the same gene family. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis illustrated that there exists interconnection among identified three gene families. The analysis of the Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment showed that the detected genes directly contribute to the RNA gene-silencing and were involved in crucial pathways. It was observed that the cis-acting regulatory components connected to the identified genes were shown to be responsive to hormone, light, stress, and other functions. That was found in HaDCL, HaAGO, and HaRDR genes associated with the development and growth of plants. Finally, we are able to provide some essential information about the components of sunflower RNA silencing through our genome-wide comparison and integrated bioinformatics analysis, which open the door for further research into the functional mechanisms of the identified genes and their regulatory elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anamika Podder
- Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh
| | - Fee Faysal Ahmed
- Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Zahid Hasan Suman
- Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh
| | - Afsana Yeasmin Mim
- Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh
| | - Khadiza Hasan
- Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh
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Pirritano M, Yakovleva Y, Potekhin A, Simon M. Species-Specific Duplication of Surface Antigen Genes in Paramecium. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10122378. [PMID: 36557632 PMCID: PMC9788069 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10122378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Paramecium is a free-living ciliate that undergoes antigenic variation and still the functions of these variable surface antigen coats in this non-pathogenic ciliate remain elusive. Only a few surface antigen genes have been described, mainly in the two model species P. tetraurelia strain 51 and P. primaurelia strain 156. Given the lack of suitable sequence data to allow for phylogenetics and deeper sequence comparisons, we screened the genomes of six different Paramecium species for serotype genes and isolated 548 candidates. Our approach identified the subfamilies of the isogenes of individual serotypes that were mostly represented by intrachromosomal gene duplicates. These showed different duplication levels, and chromosome synteny suggested rather young duplication events after the emergence of the P. aurelia species complex, indicating a rapid evolution of surface antigen genes. We were able to identify the different subfamilies of the surface antigen genes with internal tandem repeats, which showed consensus motifs across species. The individual isogene families showed additional consensus motifs, indicating that the selection pressure holds individual amino acids constant in these repeats. This may be a hint of the receptor function of these antigens rather than a presentation of random epitopes, generating the variability of these surface molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcello Pirritano
- Molecular Cell Biology and Microbiology, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Wuppertal, 42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Yulia Yakovleva
- Molecular Cell Biology and Microbiology, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Wuppertal, 42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Alexey Potekhin
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Protistology, Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, 190121 Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Research Department for Limnology, University of Innsbruck, 5310 Mondsee, Austria
| | - Martin Simon
- Molecular Cell Biology and Microbiology, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Wuppertal, 42119 Wuppertal, Germany
- Correspondence:
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Drews F, Boenigk J, Simon M. Paramecium epigenetics in development and proliferation. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2022; 69:e12914. [PMID: 35363910 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The term epigenetics is used for any layer of genetic information aside from the DNA base-sequence information. Mammalian epigenetic research increased our understanding of chromatin dynamics in terms of cytosine methylation and histone modification during differentiation, aging, and disease. Instead, ciliate epigenetics focused more on small RNA-mediated effects. On the one hand, these do concern the transport of RNA from parental to daughter nuclei, representing a regulated transfer of epigenetic information across generations. On the other hand, studies of Paramecium, Tetrahymena, Oxytricha, and Stylonychia revealed an almost unique function of transgenerational RNA. Rather than solely controlling chromatin dynamics, they control sexual progeny's DNA content quantitatively and qualitatively. Thus epigenetics seems to control genetics, at least genetics of the vegetative macronucleus. This combination offers ciliates, in particular, an epigenetically controlled genetic variability. This review summarizes the epigenetic mechanisms that contribute to macronuclear heterogeneity and relates these to nuclear dimorphism. This system's adaptive and evolutionary possibilities raise the critical question of whether such a system is limited to unicellular organisms or binuclear cells. We discuss here the relevance of ciliate genetics and epigenetics to multicellular organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Drews
- Molecular Cell Biology and Microbiology, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Wuppertal
| | | | - Martin Simon
- Molecular Cell Biology and Microbiology, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Wuppertal
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Emergent RNA-RNA interactions can promote stability in a facultative phototrophic endosymbiosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2108874118. [PMID: 34521754 PMCID: PMC8463893 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2108874118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Stable endosymbiosis between eukaryotic microbes has driven the evolution of further cellular complexity. Yet the mechanisms that can act to stabilize an emergent eukaryote–eukaryote endosymbiosis are unclear. Using the model facultative endosymbiotic system, Paramecium bursaria, we demonstrate that endosymbiont–host RNA–RNA interactions can drive a cost to host growth upon endosymbiont digestion. These RNA–RNA interactions are facilitated by the host RNA-interference system. For endosymbiont messenger RNA sharing a high level of sequence identity with host transcripts, this process can result in host gene knockdown. We propose that these endosymbiont–host RNA–RNA interactions—“RNA-interference collisions”—represent an emergent mechanism to sanction the host for breakdown of the endosymbiosis, promoting the stability of the facultative endosymbiotic interaction. Eukaryote–eukaryote endosymbiosis was responsible for the spread of chloroplast (plastid) organelles. Stability is required for the metabolic and genetic integration that drives the establishment of new organelles, yet the mechanisms that act to stabilize emergent endosymbioses—between two fundamentally selfish biological organisms—are unclear. Theory suggests that enforcement mechanisms, which punish misbehavior, may act to stabilize such interactions by resolving conflict. However, how such mechanisms can emerge in a facultative endosymbiosis has yet to be explored. Here, we propose that endosymbiont–host RNA–RNA interactions, arising from digestion of the endosymbiont population, can result in a cost to host growth for breakdown of the endosymbiosis. Using the model facultative endosymbiosis between Paramecium bursaria and Chlorella spp., we demonstrate that this mechanism is dependent on the host RNA-interference (RNAi) system. We reveal through small RNA (sRNA) sequencing that endosymbiont-derived messenger RNA (mRNA) released upon endosymbiont digestion can be processed by the host RNAi system into 23-nt sRNA. We predict multiple regions of shared sequence identity between endosymbiont and host mRNA, and demonstrate through delivery of synthetic endosymbiont sRNA that exposure to these regions can knock down expression of complementary host genes, resulting in a cost to host growth. This process of host gene knockdown in response to endosymbiont-derived RNA processing by host RNAi factors, which we term “RNAi collisions,” represents a mechanism that can promote stability in a facultative eukaryote–eukaryote endosymbiosis. Specifically, by imposing a cost for breakdown of the endosymbiosis, endosymbiont–host RNA–RNA interactions may drive maintenance of the symbiosis across fluctuating ecological conditions.
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Ahmed FF, Hossen MI, Sarkar MAR, Konak JN, Zohra FT, Shoyeb M, Mondal S. Genome-wide identification of DCL, AGO and RDR gene families and their associated functional regulatory elements analyses in banana (Musa acuminata). PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256873. [PMID: 34473743 PMCID: PMC8412350 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA silencing is mediated through RNA interference (RNAi) pathway gene families, i.e., Dicer-Like (DCL), Argonaute (AGO), and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDR) and their cis-acting regulatory elements. The RNAi pathway is also directly connected with the post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) mechanism, and the pathway controls eukaryotic gene regulation during growth, development, and stress response. Nevertheless, genome-wide identification of RNAi pathway gene families such as DCL, AGO, and RDR and their regulatory network analyses related to transcription factors have not been studied in many fruit crop species, including banana (Musa acuminata). In this study, we studied in silico genome-wide identification and characterization of DCL, AGO, and RDR genes in bananas thoroughly via integrated bioinformatics approaches. A genome-wide analysis identified 3 MaDCL, 13 MaAGO, and 5 MaRDR candidate genes based on multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree related to the RNAi pathway in banana genomes. These genes correspond to the Arabidopsis thaliana RNAi silencing genes. The analysis of the conserved domain, motif, and gene structure (exon-intron numbers) for MaDCL, MaAGO, and MaRDR genes showed higher homogeneity within the same gene family. The Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis exhibited that the identified RNAi genes could be involved in RNA silencing and associated metabolic pathways. A number of important transcription factors (TFs), e.g., ERF, Dof, C2H2, TCP, GATA and MIKC_MADS families, were identified by network and sub-network analyses between TFs and candidate RNAi gene families. Furthermore, the cis-acting regulatory elements related to light-responsive (LR), stress-responsive (SR), hormone-responsive (HR), and other activities (OT) functions were identified in candidate MaDCL, MaAGO, and MaRDR genes. These genome-wide analyses of these RNAi gene families provide valuable information related to RNA silencing, which would shed light on further characterization of RNAi genes, their regulatory elements, and functional roles, which might be helpful for banana improvement in the breeding program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fee Faysal Ahmed
- Faculty of Science, Department of Mathematics, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh
- * E-mail:
| | - Md. Imran Hossen
- Faculty of Science, Department of Mathematics, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Abdur Rauf Sarkar
- Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh
| | - Jesmin Naher Konak
- Faculty of Life Science, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Tangail, Bangladesh
| | - Fatema Tuz Zohra
- Faculty of Agriculture, Laboratory of Fruit Science, Saga University, Honjo-machi, Saga, Japan
| | - Md. Shoyeb
- Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh
| | - Samiran Mondal
- Faculty of Science, Department of Mathematics, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh
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Jenkins BH, Maguire F, Leonard G, Eaton JD, West S, Housden BE, Milner DS, Richards TA. Characterization of the RNA-interference pathway as a tool for reverse genetic analysis in the nascent phototrophic endosymbiosis, Paramecium bursaria. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:210140. [PMID: 33996132 PMCID: PMC8059543 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Endosymbiosis was fundamental for the evolution of eukaryotic complexity. Endosymbiotic interactions can be dissected through forward- and reverse-genetic experiments, such as RNA-interference (RNAi). However, distinguishing small (s)RNA pathways in a eukaryote-eukaryote endosymbiotic interaction is challenging. Here, we investigate the repertoire of RNAi pathway protein-encoding genes in the model nascent endosymbiotic system, Paramecium bursaria-Chlorella spp. Using comparative genomics and transcriptomics supported by phylogenetics, we identify essential proteome components of the small interfering (si)RNA, scan (scn)RNA and internal eliminated sequence (ies)RNA pathways. Our analyses reveal that copies of these components have been retained throughout successive whole genome duplication (WGD) events in the Paramecium clade. We validate feeding-induced siRNA-based RNAi in P. bursaria via knock-down of the splicing factor, u2af1, which we show to be crucial to host growth. Finally, using simultaneous knock-down 'paradox' controls to rescue the effect of u2af1 knock-down, we demonstrate that feeding-induced RNAi in P. bursaria is dependent upon a core pathway of host-encoded Dcr1, Piwi and Pds1 components. Our experiments confirm the presence of a functional, host-derived RNAi pathway in P. bursaria that generates 23-nt siRNA, validating the use of the P. bursaria-Chlorella spp. system to investigate the genetic basis of a nascent endosymbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin H. Jenkins
- Living Systems Institute and Biosciences, University of Exeter, Devon EX4 4QD, UK
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Finlay Maguire
- Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, 6050 University Ave, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 1W5
| | - Guy Leonard
- Living Systems Institute and Biosciences, University of Exeter, Devon EX4 4QD, UK
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Joshua D. Eaton
- Living Systems Institute and Biosciences, University of Exeter, Devon EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Steven West
- Living Systems Institute and Biosciences, University of Exeter, Devon EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Benjamin E. Housden
- Living Systems Institute and Biosciences, University of Exeter, Devon EX4 4QD, UK
| | - David S. Milner
- Living Systems Institute and Biosciences, University of Exeter, Devon EX4 4QD, UK
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Thomas A. Richards
- Living Systems Institute and Biosciences, University of Exeter, Devon EX4 4QD, UK
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
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12
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Mosharaf MP, Rahman H, Ahsan MA, Akond Z, Ahmed FF, Islam MM, Moni MA, Mollah MNH. In silico identification and characterization of AGO, DCL and RDR gene families and their associated regulatory elements in sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L.). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228233. [PMID: 33347517 PMCID: PMC7751981 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) plays key roles in post-transcriptional and chromatin modification levels as well as regulates various eukaryotic gene expressions which are involved in stress responses, development and maintenance of genome integrity during developmental stages. The whole mechanism of RNAi pathway is directly involved with the gene-silencing process by the interaction of Dicer-Like (DCL), Argonaute (AGO) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDR) gene families and their regulatory elements. However, these RNAi gene families and their sub-cellular locations, functional pathways and regulatory components were not extensively investigated in the case of economically and nutritionally important fruit plant sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L.). Therefore, in silico characterization, gene diversity and regulatory factor analysis of RNA silencing genes in C. sinensis were conducted by using the integrated bioinformatics approaches. Genome-wide comparison analysis based on phylogenetic tree approach detected 4 CsDCL, 8 CsAGO and 4 CsRDR as RNAi candidate genes in C. sinensis corresponding to the RNAi genes of model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The domain and motif composition and gene structure analyses for all three gene families exhibited almost homogeneity within the same group members. The Gene Ontology enrichment analysis clearly indicated that the predicted genes have direct involvement into the gene-silencing and other important pathways. The key regulatory transcription factors (TFs) MYB, Dof, ERF, NAC, MIKC_MADS, WRKY and bZIP were identified by their interaction network analysis with the predicted genes. The cis-acting regulatory elements associated with the predicted genes were detected as responsive to light, stress and hormone functions. Furthermore, the expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis showed that these RNAi candidate genes were highly expressed in fruit and leaves indicating their organ specific functions. Our genome-wide comparison and integrated bioinformatics analyses provided some necessary information about sweet orange RNA silencing components that would pave a ground for further investigation of functional mechanism of the predicted genes and their regulatory factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md. Parvez Mosharaf
- Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Statistics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
| | - Hafizur Rahman
- Department of Microbiology, Rajshahi Institute of Biosciences, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Asif Ahsan
- Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Statistics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
| | - Zobaer Akond
- Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Statistics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
- Institute of Environmental Science, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
- Agricultural Statistics and ICT Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Gazipur, Bangladesh
| | - Fee Faysal Ahmed
- Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Statistics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
- Department of Mathematics, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Mazharul Islam
- Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Statistics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammad Ali Moni
- The University of Sydney, Sydney Medical School, School of Medical Sciences, Discipline of Biomedical Science, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Md. Nurul Haque Mollah
- Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Statistics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
- * E-mail:
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13
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Wytinck N, Manchur CL, Li VH, Whyard S, Belmonte MF. dsRNA Uptake in Plant Pests and Pathogens: Insights into RNAi-Based Insect and Fungal Control Technology. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 9:E1780. [PMID: 33339102 PMCID: PMC7765514 DOI: 10.3390/plants9121780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Efforts to develop more environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional broad-spectrum pesticides in agriculture have recently turned to RNA interference (RNAi) technology. With the built-in, sequence-specific knockdown of gene targets following delivery of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), RNAi offers the promise of controlling pests and pathogens without adversely affecting non-target species. Significant advances in the efficacy of this technology have been observed in a wide range of species, including many insect pests and fungal pathogens. Two different dsRNA application methods are being developed. First, host induced gene silencing (HIGS) harnesses dsRNA production through the thoughtful and precise engineering of transgenic plants and second, spray induced gene silencing (SIGS) that uses surface applications of a topically applied dsRNA molecule. Regardless of the dsRNA delivery method, one aspect that is critical to the success of RNAi is the ability of the target organism to internalize the dsRNA and take advantage of the host RNAi cellular machinery. The efficiency of dsRNA uptake mechanisms varies across species, and in some uptake is negligible, rendering them effectively resistant to this new generation of control technologies. If RNAi-based methods of control are to be used widely, it is critically important to understand the mechanisms underpinning dsRNA uptake. Understanding dsRNA uptake mechanisms will also provide insight into the design and formulation of dsRNAs for improved delivery and provide clues into the development of potential host resistance to these technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Mark F. Belmonte
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada; (N.W.); (C.L.M.); (V.H.L.); (S.W.)
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14
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Grentzinger T, Oberlin S, Schott G, Handler D, Svozil J, Barragan-Borrero V, Humbert A, Duharcourt S, Brennecke J, Voinnet O. A universal method for the rapid isolation of all known classes of functional silencing small RNAs. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:e79. [PMID: 32496553 PMCID: PMC7641303 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Diverse classes of silencing small (s)RNAs operate via ARGONAUTE-family proteins within RNA-induced-silencing-complexes (RISCs). Here, we have streamlined various embodiments of a Q-sepharose-based RISC-purification method that relies on conserved biochemical properties of all ARGONAUTEs. We show, in multiple benchmarking assays, that the resulting 15-min benchtop extraction procedure allows simultaneous purification of all known classes of RISC-associated sRNAs without prior knowledge of the samples-intrinsic ARGONAUTE repertoires. Optimized under a user-friendly format, the method – coined ‘TraPR’ for Trans-kingdom, rapid, affordable Purification of RISCs – operates irrespectively of the organism, tissue, cell type or bio-fluid of interest, and scales to minute amounts of input material. The method is highly suited for direct profiling of silencing sRNAs, with TraPR-generated sequencing libraries outperforming those obtained via gold-standard procedures that require immunoprecipitations and/or lengthy polyacrylamide gel-selection. TraPR considerably improves the quality and consistency of silencing sRNA sample preparation including from notoriously difficult-to-handle tissues/bio-fluids such as starchy storage roots or mammalian plasma, and regardless of RNA contaminants or RNA degradation status of samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Grentzinger
- Department of Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zürich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Oberlin
- Department of Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zürich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Gregory Schott
- Department of Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zürich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Dominik Handler
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA), Vienna, 1030, Austria
| | - Julia Svozil
- Department of Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zürich, 8092, Switzerland
| | | | - Adeline Humbert
- Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris, CNRS, Paris, 75013, France
| | - Sandra Duharcourt
- Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris, CNRS, Paris, 75013, France
| | - Julius Brennecke
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA), Vienna, 1030, Austria
| | - Olivier Voinnet
- Department of Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zürich, 8092, Switzerland
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15
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Karunanithi S, Oruganti V, de Wijn R, Drews F, Cheaib M, Nordström K, Simon M, Schulz MH. Feeding exogenous dsRNA interferes with endogenous sRNA accumulation in Paramecium. DNA Res 2020; 27:5825730. [PMID: 32339224 PMCID: PMC7315353 DOI: 10.1093/dnares/dsaa005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Supply of exogenous dsRNA (exo-dsRNA), either by injection or by feeding, is a fast and powerful alternative to classical knockout studies. The biotechnical potential of feeding techniques is evident from the numerous studies focusing on oral administration of dsRNA to control pests and viral infection in crops/animal farming. We aimed to dissect the direct and indirect effects of exo-dsRNA feeding on the endogenous short interfering RNA (endo-siRNA) populations of the free-living ciliate Paramecium. We introduced dsRNA fragments against Dicer1 (DCR1), involved in RNA interference (RNAi) against exo- and few endo-siRNAs, and an RNAi unrelated gene, ND169. Any feeding, even the control dsRNA, diminishes genome wide the accumulation of endo-siRNAs and mRNAs. This cannot be explained by direct off-target effects and suggests mechanistic overlaps of the exo- and endo-RNAi mechanisms. Nevertheless, we observe a stronger down-regulation of mRNAs in DCR1 feeding compared with ND169 knockdown. This is likely due to the direct involvement of DCR1 in endo-siRNA accumulation. We further observed a cis-regulatory effect on mRNAs that overlap with phased endo-siRNAs. This interference of exo-dsRNA with endo-siRNAs warrants further investigations into secondary effects in target species/consumers, risk assessment of dsRNA feeding applications, and environmental pollution with dsRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sivarajan Karunanithi
- Cluster of Excellence for Multimodal Computing and Interaction, and Department for Computational Biology & Applied Algorithms, Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarland Informatics Campus, Saarbrücken, Germany.,Graduate School of Computer Science, Saarland Informatics Campus, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany.,Institute for Cardiovascular Regeneration, Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Vidya Oruganti
- Cluster of Excellence for Multimodal Computing and Interaction, and Department for Computational Biology & Applied Algorithms, Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarland Informatics Campus, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Raphael de Wijn
- Molecular Cell Dynamics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Franziska Drews
- Molecular Cell Biology and Microbiology, Wuppertal University, Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Miriam Cheaib
- Molecular Cell Dynamics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Karl Nordström
- Genetics/Epigenetics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Martin Simon
- Molecular Cell Dynamics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany.,Molecular Cell Biology and Microbiology, Wuppertal University, Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Marcel H Schulz
- Cluster of Excellence for Multimodal Computing and Interaction, and Department for Computational Biology & Applied Algorithms, Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarland Informatics Campus, Saarbrücken, Germany.,Institute for Cardiovascular Regeneration, Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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16
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Karunanithi S, Oruganti V, Marker S, Rodriguez-Viana AM, Drews F, Pirritano M, Nordström K, Simon M, Schulz MH. Exogenous RNAi mechanisms contribute to transcriptome adaptation by phased siRNA clusters in Paramecium. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:8036-8049. [PMID: 31251800 PMCID: PMC6735861 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2018] [Revised: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Extensive research has characterized distinct exogenous RNAi pathways interfering in gene expression during vegetative growth of the unicellular model ciliate Paramecium. However, role of RNAi in endogenous transcriptome regulation, and environmental adaptation is unknown. Here, we describe the first genome-wide profiling of endogenous sRNAs in context of different transcriptomic states (serotypes). We developed a pipeline to identify, and characterize 2602 siRNA producing clusters (SRCs). Our data show no evidence that SRCs produce miRNAs, and in contrast to other species, no preference for strand specificity of siRNAs. Interestingly, most SRCs overlap coding genes and a separate group show siRNA phasing along the entire open reading frame, suggesting that the mRNA transcript serves as a source for siRNAs. Integrative analysis of siRNA abundance and gene expression levels revealed surprisingly that mRNA and siRNA show negative as well as positive associations. Two RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase mutants, RDR1 and RDR2, show a drastic loss of siRNAs especially in phased SRCs accompanied with increased mRNA levels. Importantly, most SRCs depend on both RDRs, reminiscent to primary siRNAs in the RNAi against exogenous RNA, indicating mechanistic overlaps between exogenous and endogenous RNAi contributing to flexible transcriptome adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sivarajan Karunanithi
- Cluster of Excellence, Multimodal Computing and Interaction, Saarland University and Department for Computational Biology and Applied Algorithmics, Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarland Informatics Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.,Graduate School of Computer Science, Saarland Informatics Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.,Institute for Cardiovascular Regeneration, Goethe-University Hospital, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Vidya Oruganti
- Cluster of Excellence, Multimodal Computing and Interaction, Saarland University and Department for Computational Biology and Applied Algorithmics, Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarland Informatics Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Simone Marker
- Molecular Cell Dynamics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Angela M Rodriguez-Viana
- Molecular Cell Dynamics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Franziska Drews
- Molecular Cell Dynamics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.,Molecular Cell Biology and Microbiology, Wuppertal University, 42097 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Marcello Pirritano
- Molecular Cell Dynamics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.,Molecular Cell Biology and Microbiology, Wuppertal University, 42097 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Karl Nordström
- Genetics/Epigenetics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Martin Simon
- Molecular Cell Dynamics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.,Molecular Cell Biology and Microbiology, Wuppertal University, 42097 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Marcel H Schulz
- Cluster of Excellence, Multimodal Computing and Interaction, Saarland University and Department for Computational Biology and Applied Algorithmics, Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarland Informatics Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.,Institute for Cardiovascular Regeneration, Goethe-University Hospital, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany
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17
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Pinzón N, Bertrand S, Subirana L, Busseau I, Escrivá H, Seitz H. Functional lability of RNA-dependent RNA polymerases in animals. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1007915. [PMID: 30779744 PMCID: PMC6396948 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) requires RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRPs) in many eukaryotes, and RNAi amplification constitutes the only known function for eukaryotic RdRPs. Yet in animals, classical model organisms can elicit RNAi without possessing RdRPs, and only nematode RNAi was shown to require RdRPs. Here we show that RdRP genes are much more common in animals than previously thought, even in insects, where they had been assumed not to exist. RdRP genes were present in the ancestors of numerous clades, and they were subsequently lost at a high frequency. In order to probe the function of RdRPs in a deuterostome (the cephalochordate Branchiostoma lanceolatum), we performed high-throughput analyses of small RNAs from various Branchiostoma developmental stages. Our results show that Branchiostoma RdRPs do not appear to participate in RNAi: we did not detect any candidate small RNA population exhibiting classical siRNA length or sequence features. Our results show that RdRPs have been independently lost in dozens of animal clades, and even in a clade where they have been conserved (cephalochordates) their function in RNAi amplification is not preserved. Such a dramatic functional variability reveals an unexpected plasticity in RNA silencing pathways. RNA interference (RNAi) is a conserved gene regulation system in eukaryotes. In non-animal eukaryotes, it necessitates RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (“RdRPs”). Among animals, only nematodes appear to require RdRPs for RNAi. Yet additional animal clades have RdRPs and it is assumed that they participate in RNAi. Here, we find that RdRPs are much more common in animals than previously thought, but their genes were independently lost in many lineages. Focusing on a species with RdRP genes (a cephalochordate), we found that it does not use them for RNAi. While RNAi is the only known function for eukaryotic RdRPs, our results suggest additional roles. Eukaryotic RdRPs thus have a complex evolutionary history in animals, with frequent independent losses and apparent functional diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Pinzón
- Institut de Génétique Humaine, UMR 9002 CNRS and université de Montpellier, 141, rue de la Cardonille, 34396 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France
| | - Stéphanie Bertrand
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins, BIOM, F-66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Lucie Subirana
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins, BIOM, F-66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Isabelle Busseau
- Institut de Génétique Humaine, UMR 9002 CNRS and université de Montpellier, 141, rue de la Cardonille, 34396 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France
| | - Hector Escrivá
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins, BIOM, F-66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Hervé Seitz
- Institut de Génétique Humaine, UMR 9002 CNRS and université de Montpellier, 141, rue de la Cardonille, 34396 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France
- * E-mail:
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18
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Song X, Gu K, Duan X, Xiao X, Hou Y, Duan Y, Wang J, Yu N, Zhou M. Secondary amplification of siRNA machinery limits the application of spray-induced gene silencing. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2018; 19:2543-2560. [PMID: 30027625 PMCID: PMC6638038 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) is an innovative strategy for crop protection. However, the mechanism of SIGS is not known. Here, we first demonstrate that secondary small interfering RNA (siRNA) amplification limits the application of SIGS. A myosin5 gene (Myo5) was chosen as the target of SIGS in an agronomically important pathogen-Fusarium asiaticum. Five segments corresponding to the different regions of the Myo5 gene were found to efficiently silence Myo5, resulting in cell wall defects, life cycle disruption and virulence reduction. Myo5-8 (one of the Myo5 segments) induced sequence-specific RNA interference (RNAi) activity in F. asiaticum, F. graminearum, F. tricinctum and F. oxysporum, but not in other fungi, in vitro. Remarkably, the silencing of Myo5 lasted for only 9 h unless the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) was continuously supplied, because F. asiaticum is unable to maintain siRNA amplification. After spraying on plants, dsRNAs were more efficiently taken up via the wounded surface. The antifungal activity of dsRNAs taken up by plant cells was higher and longer lasting than that dried onto the plant surface. In contrast with dsRNAs in fungi, dsRNAs in plant cells could efficiently turn into substantial siRNAs via secondary amplification machinery. Our findings provide new implications to develop SIGS as a mainstream disease control strategy against Fusarium and other fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiu‐Shi Song
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide, College of Plant ProtectionNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingJiangsu Province210095China
| | - Kai‐Xin Gu
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide, College of Plant ProtectionNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingJiangsu Province210095China
| | - Xiao‐Xin Duan
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide, College of Plant ProtectionNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingJiangsu Province210095China
| | - Xue‐Mei Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide, College of Plant ProtectionNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingJiangsu Province210095China
| | - Yi‐Ping Hou
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide, College of Plant ProtectionNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingJiangsu Province210095China
| | - Ya‐Bing Duan
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide, College of Plant ProtectionNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingJiangsu Province210095China
| | - Jian‐Xin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide, College of Plant ProtectionNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingJiangsu Province210095China
| | - Na Yu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests (Ministry of Education), College of Plant ProtectionNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingJiangsu Province210095China
| | - Ming‐Guo Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide, College of Plant ProtectionNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingJiangsu Province210095China
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19
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Furrer DI, Swart EC, Kraft MF, Sandoval PY, Nowacki M. Two Sets of Piwi Proteins Are Involved in Distinct sRNA Pathways Leading to Elimination of Germline-Specific DNA. Cell Rep 2018; 20:505-520. [PMID: 28700949 PMCID: PMC5522536 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.06.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Revised: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Piwi proteins and piRNAs protect eukaryotic germlines against the spread of transposons. During development in the ciliate Paramecium, two Piwi-dependent sRNA classes are involved in the elimination of transposons and transposon-derived DNA: scan RNAs (scnRNAs), associated with Ptiwi01 and Ptiwi09, and iesRNAs, whose binding partners we now identify as Ptiwi10 and Ptiwi11. scnRNAs derive from the maternal genome and initiate DNA elimination during development, whereas iesRNAs continue DNA targeting until the removal process is complete. Here, we show that scnRNAs and iesRNAs are processed by distinct Dicer-like proteins and bind Piwi proteins in a mutually exclusive manner, suggesting separate biogenesis pathways. We also demonstrate that the PTIWI10 gene is transcribed from the developing nucleus and that its transcription depends on prior DNA excision, suggesting a mechanism of gene expression control triggered by the removal of short DNA segments interrupting the gene. Identification of two Piwi proteins (Ptiwi10/11) associated with iesRNAs Piwi proteins bind Dicer-produced sRNAs and remove passenger strands Ptiwi10 is expressed from the new somatic macronucleus DNA elimination activates gene transcription
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique I Furrer
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 1, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Estienne C Swart
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Matthias F Kraft
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Pamela Y Sandoval
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Mariusz Nowacki
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
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20
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Environmental Temperature Controls Accumulation of Transacting siRNAs Involved in Heterochromatin Formation. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:genes9020117. [PMID: 29466322 PMCID: PMC5852613 DOI: 10.3390/genes9020117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Genes or alleles can interact by small RNAs in a homology dependent manner meaning that short interfering (siRNAs) can act in trans at the chromatin level producing stable and heritable silencing phenotypes. Because of the puzzling data on endogenous paramutations, their impact contributing to adaptive evolution in a Lamarckian manner remains unknown. An increasing number of studies characterizes the underlying siRNA accumulation pathways using transgene experiments. Also in the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia, we induce trans silencing on the chromatin level by injection of truncated transgenes. Here, we characterize the efficiency of this mechanism at different temperatures showing that silencing of the endogenous genes is temperature dependent. Analyzing different transgene constructs at different copy numbers, we dissected whether silencing efficiency is due to varying precursor RNAs or siRNA accumulation. Our data shows that silencing efficiency correlates with more efficient accumulation of primary siRNAs at higher temperatures rather than higher expression of precursor RNAs. Due to higher primary levels, secondary siRNAs also show temperature dependency and interestingly increase their relative proportion to primary siRNAs. Our data shows that efficient trans silencing on the chromatin level in P. tetraurelia depends on environmental parameters, thus being an important epigenetic factor limiting regulatory effects of siRNAs.
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Zhang X, Gamarra J, Castro S, Carrasco E, Hernandez A, Mock T, Hadaegh AR, Read BA. Characterization of the Small RNA Transcriptome of the Marine Coccolithophorid, Emiliania huxleyi. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0154279. [PMID: 27101007 PMCID: PMC4839659 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Small RNAs (smRNAs) control a variety of cellular processes by silencing target genes at the transcriptional or post-transcription level. While extensively studied in plants, relatively little is known about smRNAs and their targets in marine phytoplankton, such as Emiliania huxleyi (E. huxleyi). Deep sequencing was performed of smRNAs extracted at different time points as E. huxleyi cells transition from logarithmic to stationary phase growth in batch culture. Computational analyses predicted 18 E. huxleyi specific miRNAs. The 18 miRNA candidates and their precursors vary in length (18–24 nt and 71–252 nt, respectively), genome copy number (3–1,459), and the number of genes targeted (2–107). Stem-loop real time reverse transcriptase (RT) PCR was used to validate miRNA expression which varied by nearly three orders of magnitude when growth slows and cells enter stationary phase. Stem-loop RT PCR was also used to examine the expression profiles of miRNA in calcifying and non-calcifying cultures, and a small subset was found to be differentially expressed when nutrients become limiting and calcification is enhanced. In addition to miRNAs, endogenous small RNAs such as ra-siRNAs, ta-siRNAs, nat-siRNAs, and piwiRNAs were predicted along with the machinery for the biogenesis and processing of si-RNAs. This study is the first genome-wide investigation smRNAs pathways in E. huxleyi. Results provide new insights into the importance of smRNAs in regulating aspects of physiological growth and adaptation in marine phytoplankton and further challenge the notion that smRNAs evolved with multicellularity, expanding our perspective of these ancient regulatory pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Zhang
- Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, California State University, San Marcos, CA, 92096, United States of America
| | - Jaime Gamarra
- Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, California State University, San Marcos, CA, 92096, United States of America
| | - Steven Castro
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, San Marcos, CA, 92096, United States of America
| | - Estela Carrasco
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, San Marcos, CA, 92096, United States of America
| | - Aaron Hernandez
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, San Marcos, CA, 92096, United States of America
| | - Thomas Mock
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Ahmad R. Hadaegh
- Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, California State University, San Marcos, CA, 92096, United States of America
| | - Betsy A. Read
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, San Marcos, CA, 92096, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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22
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Götz U, Marker S, Cheaib M, Andresen K, Shrestha S, Durai DA, Nordström KJ, Schulz MH, Simon M. Two sets of RNAi components are required for heterochromatin formation in trans triggered by truncated transgenes. Nucleic Acids Res 2016; 44:5908-23. [PMID: 27085807 PMCID: PMC4937312 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2015] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Across kingdoms, RNA interference (RNAi) has been shown to control gene expression at the transcriptional- or the post-transcriptional level. Here, we describe a mechanism which involves both aspects: truncated transgenes, which fail to produce intact mRNA, induce siRNA accumulation and silencing of homologous loci in trans in the ciliate Paramecium. We show that silencing is achieved by co-transcriptional silencing, associated with repressive histone marks at the endogenous gene. This is accompanied by secondary siRNA accumulation, strictly limited to the open reading frame of the remote locus. Our data shows that in this mechanism, heterochromatic marks depend on a variety of RNAi components. These include RDR3 and PTIWI14 as well as a second set of components, which are also involved in post-transcriptional silencing: RDR2, PTIWI13, DCR1 and CID2. Our data indicates differential processing of nascent un-spliced and long, spliced transcripts thus suggesting a hitherto-unrecognized functional interaction between post-transcriptional and co-transcriptional RNAi. Both sets of RNAi components are required for efficient trans-acting RNAi at the chromatin level and our data indicates similar mechanisms contributing to genome wide regulation of gene expression by epigenetic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Götz
- Molecular Cell Dynamics Saarland University, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Campus A2 4, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany Department of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger Straße, Building Nr. 14, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Simone Marker
- Molecular Cell Dynamics Saarland University, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Campus A2 4, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Miriam Cheaib
- Molecular Cell Dynamics Saarland University, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Campus A2 4, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany Department of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger Straße, Building Nr. 14, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Karsten Andresen
- Institute of Biotechnology and Drug Research, Erwin-Schrödinger-Str. 56, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Simon Shrestha
- Molecular Cell Dynamics Saarland University, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Campus A2 4, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany Department of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger Straße, Building Nr. 14, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Dilip A Durai
- Cluster of Excellence, Multimodal Computing and Interaction and Max Planck Institute for Informatics Saarland University, Department for Computational Biology and Applied Algorithmics, Campus E1 4, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Karl J Nordström
- Department for Genetics, Saarland University, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Campus A2 4, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Marcel H Schulz
- Cluster of Excellence, Multimodal Computing and Interaction and Max Planck Institute for Informatics Saarland University, Department for Computational Biology and Applied Algorithmics, Campus E1 4, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Martin Simon
- Molecular Cell Dynamics Saarland University, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Campus A2 4, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
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Bollmann SR, Fang Y, Press CM, Tyler BM, Grünwald NJ. Diverse Evolutionary Trajectories for Small RNA Biogenesis Genes in the Oomycete Genus Phytophthora. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:284. [PMID: 27014308 PMCID: PMC4791657 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Gene regulation by small RNA pathways is ubiquitous among eukaryotes, but little is known about small RNA pathways in the Stramenopile kingdom. Phytophthora, a genus of filamentous oomycetes, contains many devastating plant pathogens, causing multibillion-dollar damage to crops, ornamental plants, and natural environments. The genomes of several oomycetes including Phytophthora species such as the soybean pathogen P. sojae, have been sequenced, allowing evolutionary analysis of small RNA-processing enzymes. This study examined the evolutionary origins of the oomycete small RNA-related genes Dicer-like (DCL), and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDR) through broad phylogenetic analyses of the key domains. Two Dicer gene homologs, DCL1 and DCL2, and one RDR homolog were cloned and analyzed from P. sojae. Gene expression analysis revealed only minor changes in transcript levels among different life stages. Oomycete DCL1 homologs clustered with animal and plant Dicer homologs in evolutionary trees, whereas oomycete DCL2 homologs clustered basally to the tree along with Drosha homologs. Phylogenetic analysis of the RDR homologs confirmed a previous study that suggested the last common eukaryote ancestor possessed three RDR homologs, which were selectively retained or lost in later lineages. Our analysis clarifies the position of some Unikont and Chromalveolate RDR lineages within the tree, including oomycete homologs. Finally, we analyzed alterations in the domain structure of oomycete Dicer and RDR homologs, specifically focusing on the proposed domain transfer of the DEAD-box helicase domain from Dicer to RDR. Implications of the oomycete domain structure are discussed, and possible roles of the two oomycete Dicer homologs are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie R. Bollmann
- Horticultural Crop Research Unit, USDA-Agricultural Research ServiceCorvallis, OR, USA
| | - Yufeng Fang
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology and Center for Genome Biology and Biocomputing, Oregon State UniversityCorvallis, OR, USA
- Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Virginia TechBlacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Caroline M. Press
- Horticultural Crop Research Unit, USDA-Agricultural Research ServiceCorvallis, OR, USA
| | - Brett M. Tyler
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology and Center for Genome Biology and Biocomputing, Oregon State UniversityCorvallis, OR, USA
| | - Niklaus J. Grünwald
- Horticultural Crop Research Unit, USDA-Agricultural Research ServiceCorvallis, OR, USA
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology and Center for Genome Biology and Biocomputing, Oregon State UniversityCorvallis, OR, USA
- *Correspondence: Niklaus J. Grünwald
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24
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Cheaib M, Dehghani Amirabad A, Nordström KJV, Schulz MH, Simon M. Epigenetic regulation of serotype expression antagonizes transcriptome dynamics in Paramecium tetraurelia. DNA Res 2015; 22:293-305. [PMID: 26231545 PMCID: PMC4535620 DOI: 10.1093/dnares/dsv014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2015] [Accepted: 06/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic variation of a single genotype is achieved by alterations in gene expression patterns. Regulation of such alterations depends on their time scale, where short-time adaptations differ from permanently established gene expression patterns maintained by epigenetic mechanisms. In the ciliate Paramecium, serotypes were described for an epigenetically controlled gene expression pattern of an individual multigene family. Paradoxically, individual serotypes can be triggered in Paramecium by alternating environments but are then stabilized by epigenetic mechanisms, thus raising the question to which extend their expression follows environmental stimuli. To characterize environmental adaptation in the context of epigenetically controlled serotype expression, we used RNA-seq to characterize transcriptomes of serotype pure cultures. The resulting vegetative transcriptome resource is first analysed for genes involved in the adaptive response to the altered environment. Secondly, we identified groups of genes that do not follow the adaptive response but show co-regulation with the epigenetically controlled serotype system, suggesting that their gene expression pattern becomes manifested by similar mechanisms. In our experimental set-up, serotype expression and the entire group of co-regulated genes were stable among environmental changes and only heat-shock genes altered expression of these gene groups. The data suggest that the maintenance of these gene expression patterns in a lineage represents epigenetically controlled robustness counteracting short-time adaptation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Cheaib
- Molecular Cell Dynamics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
| | - Azim Dehghani Amirabad
- Molecular Cell Dynamics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany Cluster of Excellence for Multimodal Computing and Interaction, Saarland University and Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
| | - Karl J V Nordström
- Epigenetics Department, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
| | - Marcel H Schulz
- Cluster of Excellence for Multimodal Computing and Interaction, Saarland University and Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
| | - Martin Simon
- Molecular Cell Dynamics, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken 66123, Germany
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25
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Hu H, Rashotte AM, Singh NK, Weaver DB, Goertzen LR, Singh SR, Locy RD. The Complexity of Posttranscriptional Small RNA Regulatory Networks Revealed by In Silico Analysis of Gossypium arboreum L. Leaf, Flower and Boll Small Regulatory RNAs. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0127468. [PMID: 26070200 PMCID: PMC4466472 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2014] [Accepted: 04/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and secondary small interfering RNAs (principally phased siRNAs or trans-acting siRNAs) are two distinct subfamilies of small RNAs (sRNAs) that are emerging as key regulators of posttranscriptional gene expression in plants. Both miRNAs and secondary-siRNAs (sec-siRNAs) are processed from longer RNA precursors by DICER-LIKE proteins (DCLs). Gossypium arboreum L., also known as tree cotton or Asian cotton, is a diploid, possibly ancestral relative of tetraploid Gossypium hirsutum L., the predominant type of commercially grown cotton worldwide known as upland cotton. To understand the biological significance of these gene regulators in G. arboreum, a bioinformatics analysis was performed on G. arboreum small RNAs produced from G. arboreum leaf, flower, and boll tissues. Consequently, 263 miRNAs derived from 353 precursors, including 155 conserved miRNAs (cs-miRNAs) and 108 novel lineage-specific miRNAs (ls-miRNAs). Along with miRNAs, 2,033 miRNA variants (isomiRNAs) were identified as well. Those isomiRNAs with variation at the 3'-miRNA end were expressed at the highest levels, compared to other types of variants. In addition, 755 pha-siRNAs derived 319 pha-siRNA gene transcripts (PGTs) were identified, and the potential pha-siRNA initiators were predicted. Also, 2,251 non-phased siRNAs were found as well, of which 1,088 appeared to be produced by so-called cis- or trans-cleavage of the PGTs observed at positions differing from pha-siRNAs. Of those sRNAs, 148 miRNAs/isomiRNAs and 274 phased/non-phased siRNAs were differentially expressed in one or more pairs of tissues examined. Target analysis revealed that target genes for both miRNAs and pha-siRNAs are involved a broad range of metabolic and enzymatic activities. We demonstrate that secondary siRNA production could result from initial cleavage of precursors by both miRNAs or isomiRNAs, and that subsequently produced phased and unphased siRNAs could result that also serve as triggers of a second round of both cis- and trans-cleavage of additional siRNAs, leading to the formation of complex sRNA regulatory networks mediating posttranscriptional gene silencing. Results from this study extended our knowledge on G. arboreum sRNAs and their biological importance, which would facilitate future studies on regulatory mechanism of tissue development in cotton and other plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongtao Hu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, United States of America; Center for Nano Biotechnology Research, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 33104, United States of America
| | - Aaron M Rashotte
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, United States of America
| | - Narendra K Singh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, United States of America
| | - David B Weaver
- Department of Crop, Soil & Environmental Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, United States of America
| | - Leslie R Goertzen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, United States of America
| | - Shree R Singh
- Center for Nano Biotechnology Research, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 33104, United States of America
| | - Robert D Locy
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, United States of America
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26
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Hu H, Yu D, Liu H. Bioinformatics analysis of small RNAs in pima (Gossypium barbadense L.). PLoS One 2015; 10:e0116826. [PMID: 25679373 PMCID: PMC4332481 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2014] [Accepted: 12/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Small RNAs (sRNAs) are ~20 to 24 nucleotide single-stranded RNAs that play crucial roles in regulation of gene expression. In plants, sRNAs are classified into microRNAs (miRNAs), repeat-associated siRNAs (ra-siRNAs), phased siRNAs (pha-siRNAs), cis and trans natural antisense transcript siRNAs (cis- and trans-nat siRNAs). Pima (Gossypium barbadense L.) is one of the most economically important fiber crops, producing the best and longest spinnable fiber. Although some miRNAs are profiled in Pima, little is known about siRNAs, the largest subclass of plant sRNAs. In order to profile these gene regulators in Pima, a comprehensive analysis of sRNAs was conducted by mining publicly available sRNA data, leading to identification of 678 miRNAs, 3,559,126 ra-siRNAs, 627 pha-siRNAs, 136,600 cis-nat siRNAs and 79,994 trans-nat siRNAs. The 678 miRNAs, belonging to 98 conserved and 402 lineage-specific families, were produced from 2,138 precursors, of which 297 arose from introns, exons, or intron/UTR-exon junctions of protein-coding genes. Ra-siRNAs were produced from various repeat loci, while most (97%) were yielded from retrotransposons, especially LTRs (long terminal repeats). The genes encoding auxin-signaling-related proteins, NBS-LRRs and transcription factors were major sources of pha-siRNAs, while two conserved TAS3 homologs were found as well. Most cis-NATs in Pima overlapped in enclosed and convergent orientations, while a few hybridized in divergent and coincided orientations. Most cis- and trans-nat siRNAs were produced from overlapping regions. Additionally, characteristics of length and the 5’-first nucleotide of each sRNA class were analyzed as well. Results in this study created a valuable molecular resource that would facilitate studies on mechanism of controlling gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongtao Hu
- Center for Bio-Pesticide Research, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Department of Biological Engineering, Hubei Vocational College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Dazhao Yu
- Institute of Plant Protection & Soil Fertilizer, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Hong Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Hunan University of Arts and Sciences, Changde, Hunan, China
- College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- * E-mail:
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Carradec Q, Götz U, Arnaiz O, Pouch J, Simon M, Meyer E, Marker S. Primary and secondary siRNA synthesis triggered by RNAs from food bacteria in the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:1818-33. [PMID: 25593325 PMCID: PMC4330347 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku1331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In various organisms, an efficient RNAi response can be triggered by feeding cells with bacteria producing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) against an endogenous gene. However, the detailed mechanisms and natural functions of this pathway are not well understood in most cases. Here, we studied siRNA biogenesis from exogenous RNA and its genetic overlap with endogenous RNAi in the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia by high-throughput sequencing. Using wild-type and mutant strains deficient for dsRNA feeding we found that high levels of primary siRNAs of both strands are processed from the ingested dsRNA trigger by the Dicer Dcr1, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerases Rdr1 and Rdr2 and other factors. We further show that this induces the synthesis of secondary siRNAs spreading along the entire endogenous mRNA, demonstrating the occurrence of both 3′-to-5′ and 5′-to-3′ transitivity for the first time in the SAR clade of eukaryotes (Stramenopiles, Alveolates, Rhizaria). Secondary siRNAs depend on Rdr2 and show a strong antisense bias; they are produced at much lower levels than primary siRNAs and hardly contribute to RNAi efficiency. We further provide evidence that the Paramecium RNAi machinery also processes single-stranded RNAs from its bacterial food, broadening the possible natural functions of exogenously induced RNAi in this organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Carradec
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS, IBENS, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Inserm, U1024, CNRS, UMR 8197, 75005 Paris, France UPMC, IFD, Sorbonne Universités, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France
| | - Ulrike Götz
- Zentrum für Human- und Molekularbiologie, Molekulare Zelldynamik, Universität des Saarlandes, Campus A2 4, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Olivier Arnaiz
- Centre de Génétique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR3404, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
| | - Juliette Pouch
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS, IBENS, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Inserm, U1024, CNRS, UMR 8197, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Martin Simon
- Zentrum für Human- und Molekularbiologie, Molekulare Zelldynamik, Universität des Saarlandes, Campus A2 4, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Eric Meyer
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS, IBENS, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Inserm, U1024, CNRS, UMR 8197, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Simone Marker
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS, IBENS, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Inserm, U1024, CNRS, UMR 8197, 75005 Paris, France Zentrum für Human- und Molekularbiologie, Molekulare Zelldynamik, Universität des Saarlandes, Campus A2 4, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
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Baranasic D, Oppermann T, Cheaib M, Cullum J, Schmidt H, Simon M. Genomic characterization of variable surface antigens reveals a telomere position effect as a prerequisite for RNA interference-mediated silencing in Paramecium tetraurelia. mBio 2014; 5:e01328. [PMID: 25389173 PMCID: PMC4235209 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01328-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2014] [Accepted: 06/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Antigenic or phenotypic variation is a widespread phenomenon of expression of variable surface protein coats on eukaryotic microbes. To clarify the mechanism behind mutually exclusive gene expression, we characterized the genetic properties of the surface antigen multigene family in the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia and the epigenetic factors controlling expression and silencing. Genome analysis indicated that the multigene family consists of intrachromosomal and subtelomeric genes; both classes apparently derive from different gene duplication events: whole-genome and intrachromosomal duplication. Expression analysis provides evidence for telomere position effects, because only subtelomeric genes follow mutually exclusive transcription. Microarray analysis of cultures deficient in Rdr3, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, in comparison to serotype-pure wild-type cultures, shows cotranscription of a subset of subtelomeric genes, indicating that the telomere position effect is due to a selective occurrence of Rdr3-mediated silencing in subtelomeric regions. We present a model of surface antigen evolution by intrachromosomal gene duplication involving the maintenance of positive selection of structurally relevant regions. Further analysis of chromosome heterogeneity shows that alternative telomere addition regions clearly affect transcription of closely related genes. Consequently, chromosome fragmentation appears to be of crucial importance for surface antigen expression and evolution. Our data suggest that RNAi-mediated control of this genetic network by trans-acting RNAs allows rapid epigenetic adaptation by phenotypic variation in combination with long-term genetic adaptation by Darwinian evolution of antigen genes. IMPORTANCE Alternating surface protein structures have been described for almost all eukaryotic microbes, and a broad variety of functions have been described, such as virulence factors, adhesion molecules, and molecular camouflage. Mechanisms controlling gene expression of variable surface proteins therefore represent a powerful tool for rapid phenotypic variation across kingdoms in pathogenic as well as free-living eukaryotic microbes. However, the epigenetic mechanisms controlling synchronous expression and silencing of individual genes are hardly understood. Using the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia as a (epi)genetic model, we showed that a subtelomeric gene position effect is associated with the selective occurrence of RNAi-mediated silencing of silent surface protein genes, suggesting small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated epigenetic cross talks between silent and active surface antigen genes. Our integrated genomic and molecular approach discloses the correlation between gene position effects and siRNA-mediated trans-silencing, thus providing two new parameters for regulation of mutually exclusive gene expression and the genomic organization of variant gene families.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Timo Oppermann
- Department of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | | | - John Cullum
- Department for Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Helmut Schmidt
- Department of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Martin Simon
- Saarland University, Centre for Human and Molecular Biology, Molecular Cellular Dynamics, Saarbrücken, Germany
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29
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Swart EC, Wilkes CD, Sandoval PY, Arambasic M, Sperling L, Nowacki M. Genome-wide analysis of genetic and epigenetic control of programmed DNA deletion. Nucleic Acids Res 2014; 42:8970-83. [PMID: 25016527 PMCID: PMC4132734 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
During the development of the somatic genome from the Paramecium germline genome the bulk of the copies of ∼45 000 unique, internal eliminated sequences (IESs) are deleted. IES targeting is facilitated by two small RNA (sRNA) classes: scnRNAs, which relay epigenetic information from the parental nucleus to the developing nucleus, and iesRNAs, which are produced and used in the developing nucleus. Why only certain IESs require sRNAs for their removal has been enigmatic. By analyzing the silencing effects of three genes: PGM (responsible for DNA excision), DCL2/3 (scnRNA production) and DCL5 (iesRNA production), we identify key properties required for IES elimination. Based on these results, we propose that, depending on the exact combination of their lengths and end bases, some IESs are less efficiently recognized or excised and have a greater requirement for targeting by scnRNAs and iesRNAs. We suggest that the variation in IES retention following silencing of DCL2/3 is not primarily due to scnRNA density, which is comparatively uniform relative to IES retention, but rather the genetic properties of IESs. Taken together, our analyses demonstrate that in Paramecium the underlying genetic properties of developmentally deleted DNA sequences are essential in determining the sensitivity of these sequences to epigenetic control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estienne C Swart
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Cyril Denby Wilkes
- CNRS UPR3404 Centre de Génétique Moléculaire, 1 avenue de la Terrasse, Gif-sur-Yvette F-91198 cedex, France Université Paris-Sud, Département de Biologie, Orsay, F-91405, France
| | - Pamela Y Sandoval
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Miroslav Arambasic
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Linda Sperling
- CNRS UPR3404 Centre de Génétique Moléculaire, 1 avenue de la Terrasse, Gif-sur-Yvette F-91198 cedex, France Université Paris-Sud, Département de Biologie, Orsay, F-91405, France
| | - Mariusz Nowacki
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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Marker S, Carradec Q, Tanty V, Arnaiz O, Meyer E. A forward genetic screen reveals essential and non-essential RNAi factors in Paramecium tetraurelia. Nucleic Acids Res 2014; 42:7268-80. [PMID: 24860163 PMCID: PMC4066745 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In most eukaryotes, small RNA-mediated gene silencing pathways form complex interacting networks. In the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia, at least two RNA interference (RNAi) mechanisms coexist, involving distinct but overlapping sets of protein factors and producing different types of short interfering RNAs (siRNAs). One is specifically triggered by high-copy transgenes, and the other by feeding cells with double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-producing bacteria. In this study, we designed a forward genetic screen for mutants deficient in dsRNA-induced silencing, and a powerful method to identify the relevant mutations by whole-genome sequencing. We present a set of 47 mutant alleles for five genes, revealing two previously unknown RNAi factors: a novel Paramecium-specific protein (Pds1) and a Cid1-like nucleotidyl transferase. Analyses of allelic diversity distinguish non-essential and essential genes and suggest that the screen is saturated for non-essential, single-copy genes. We show that non-essential genes are specifically involved in dsRNA-induced RNAi while essential ones are also involved in transgene-induced RNAi. One of the latter, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase RDR2, is further shown to be required for all known types of siRNAs, as well as for sexual reproduction. These results open the way for the dissection of the genetic complexity, interconnection, mechanisms and natural functions of RNAi pathways in P. tetraurelia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Marker
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, Institut de Biologie de l'ENS, IBENS, Inserm, U1024, CNRS, UMR 8197, Paris F-75005, France
| | - Quentin Carradec
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, Institut de Biologie de l'ENS, IBENS, Inserm, U1024, CNRS, UMR 8197, Paris F-75005, France Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ., IFD, 4 place Jussieu, F-75252 Paris cedex 05, France
| | - Véronique Tanty
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, Institut de Biologie de l'ENS, IBENS, Inserm, U1024, CNRS, UMR 8197, Paris F-75005, France
| | - Olivier Arnaiz
- CNRS UPR3404 Centre de Génétique Moléculaire, Gif-sur-Yvette F-91198 cedex, France; Université Paris-Sud, Département de Biologie, Orsay, F-91405, France
| | - Eric Meyer
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, Institut de Biologie de l'ENS, IBENS, Inserm, U1024, CNRS, UMR 8197, Paris F-75005, France
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Singh DP, Saudemont B, Guglielmi G, Arnaiz O, Goût JF, Prajer M, Potekhin A, Przybòs E, Aubusson-Fleury A, Bhullar S, Bouhouche K, Lhuillier-Akakpo M, Tanty V, Blugeon C, Alberti A, Labadie K, Aury JM, Sperling L, Duharcourt S, Meyer E. Genome-defence small RNAs exapted for epigenetic mating-type inheritance. Nature 2014; 509:447-52. [PMID: 24805235 DOI: 10.1038/nature13318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2013] [Accepted: 04/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
In the ciliate Paramecium, transposable elements and their single-copy remnants are deleted during the development of somatic macronuclei from germline micronuclei, at each sexual generation. Deletions are targeted by scnRNAs, small RNAs produced from the germ line during meiosis that first scan the maternal macronuclear genome to identify missing sequences, and then allow the zygotic macronucleus to reproduce the same deletions. Here we show that this process accounts for the maternal inheritance of mating types in Paramecium tetraurelia, a long-standing problem in epigenetics. Mating type E depends on expression of the transmembrane protein mtA, and the default type O is determined during development by scnRNA-dependent excision of the mtA promoter. In the sibling species Paramecium septaurelia, mating type O is determined by coding-sequence deletions in a different gene, mtB, which is specifically required for mtA expression. These independently evolved mechanisms suggest frequent exaptation of the scnRNA pathway to regulate cellular genes and mediate transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of essential phenotypic polymorphisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepankar Pratap Singh
- 1] Ecole Normale Supérieure, Institut de Biologie de l'ENS, IBENS; Inserm, U1024; CNRS, UMR 8197 Paris F-75005, France [2] Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ., IFD, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France
| | - Baptiste Saudemont
- 1] Ecole Normale Supérieure, Institut de Biologie de l'ENS, IBENS; Inserm, U1024; CNRS, UMR 8197 Paris F-75005, France [2] Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ., IFD, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France [3] Laboratoire de Biochimie, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8231, École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles, 75231 Paris, France (B.S.); Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA (J.-F.G.); INRA, UMR 1061 Unité de Génétique Moléculaire Animale, Université de Limoges, IFR 145, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, 87060 Limoges, France (K.B.)
| | - Gérard Guglielmi
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, Institut de Biologie de l'ENS, IBENS; Inserm, U1024; CNRS, UMR 8197 Paris F-75005, France
| | - Olivier Arnaiz
- CNRS UPR3404 Centre de Génétique Moléculaire, Gif-sur-Yvette F-91198, and Université Paris-Sud, Département de Biologie, Orsay F-91405, France
| | - Jean-François Goût
- 1] CNRS UMR5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Université de Lyon, 43 boulevard du 11 Novembre 1918, Villeurbanne F-69622, France [2] Laboratoire de Biochimie, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8231, École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles, 75231 Paris, France (B.S.); Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA (J.-F.G.); INRA, UMR 1061 Unité de Génétique Moléculaire Animale, Université de Limoges, IFR 145, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, 87060 Limoges, France (K.B.)
| | - Malgorzata Prajer
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, 31-016 Krakow, Poland
| | - Alexey Potekhin
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, St Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | - Ewa Przybòs
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, 31-016 Krakow, Poland
| | - Anne Aubusson-Fleury
- CNRS UPR3404 Centre de Génétique Moléculaire, Gif-sur-Yvette F-91198, and Université Paris-Sud, Département de Biologie, Orsay F-91405, France
| | - Simran Bhullar
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, Institut de Biologie de l'ENS, IBENS; Inserm, U1024; CNRS, UMR 8197 Paris F-75005, France
| | - Khaled Bouhouche
- 1] Ecole Normale Supérieure, Institut de Biologie de l'ENS, IBENS; Inserm, U1024; CNRS, UMR 8197 Paris F-75005, France [2] Laboratoire de Biochimie, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8231, École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles, 75231 Paris, France (B.S.); Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA (J.-F.G.); INRA, UMR 1061 Unité de Génétique Moléculaire Animale, Université de Limoges, IFR 145, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, 87060 Limoges, France (K.B.)
| | - Maoussi Lhuillier-Akakpo
- 1] Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ., IFD, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France [2] Institut Jacques Monod, CNRS, UMR 7592, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris F-75205, France
| | - Véronique Tanty
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, Institut de Biologie de l'ENS, IBENS; Inserm, U1024; CNRS, UMR 8197 Paris F-75005, France
| | - Corinne Blugeon
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, Institut de Biologie de l'ENS, IBENS; Inserm, U1024; CNRS, UMR 8197 Paris F-75005, France
| | - Adriana Alberti
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Institut de Génomique (IG), Genoscope, 2 rue Gaston Crémieux, BP5706, 91057 Evry, France
| | - Karine Labadie
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Institut de Génomique (IG), Genoscope, 2 rue Gaston Crémieux, BP5706, 91057 Evry, France
| | - Jean-Marc Aury
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Institut de Génomique (IG), Genoscope, 2 rue Gaston Crémieux, BP5706, 91057 Evry, France
| | - Linda Sperling
- CNRS UPR3404 Centre de Génétique Moléculaire, Gif-sur-Yvette F-91198, and Université Paris-Sud, Département de Biologie, Orsay F-91405, France
| | - Sandra Duharcourt
- Institut Jacques Monod, CNRS, UMR 7592, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris F-75205, France
| | - Eric Meyer
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, Institut de Biologie de l'ENS, IBENS; Inserm, U1024; CNRS, UMR 8197 Paris F-75005, France
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Simon M, Plattner H. Unicellular Eukaryotes as Models in Cell and Molecular Biology. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2014; 309:141-98. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-800255-1.00003-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Wiegand S, Hammann C. The 5' spreading of small RNAs in Dictyostelium discoideum depends on the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase RrpC and on the dicer-related nuclease DrnB. PLoS One 2013; 8:e64804. [PMID: 23724097 PMCID: PMC3661229 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2013] [Accepted: 04/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) is a gene-regulatory mechanism in eukarya that is based on the presence of double stranded RNA and that can act on both, the transcription or post-transcriptional level. In many species, RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRPs) are required for RNAi. To study the function of the three RdRPs in the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, we have deleted the encoding genes rrpA, rrpB and rrpC in all possible combinations. In these strains, expression of either antisense or hairpin RNA constructs against the transgene lacZ resulted in a 50% reduced β-Galactosidase activity. Northern blots surprisingly revealed unchanged lacZ mRNA levels, indicative of post-transcriptional regulation. Only in rrpC knock out strains, low levels of β-gal small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) could be detected in antisense RNA expressing strains. In contrast to this, and at considerably higher levels, all hairpin RNA expressing strains featured β-gal siRNAs. Spreading of the silencing signal to mRNA sequences 5′ of the original hairpin trigger was observed in all strains, except when the rrpC gene or that of the dicer-related nuclease DrnB was deleted. Thus, our data indicate that transitivity of an RNA silencing signal exists in D. discoideum and that it requires the two enzymes RrpC and DrnB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Wiegand
- Ribogenetics@Biochemistry Lab, School of Engineering and Science, MOLIFE Research Center, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Christian Hammann
- Ribogenetics@Biochemistry Lab, School of Engineering and Science, MOLIFE Research Center, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Cheaib M, Simon M. Dynamic chromatin remodelling of ciliate macronuclear DNA as determined by an optimized chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) method for Paramecium tetraurelia. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2013; 97:2661-70. [PMID: 23385475 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-013-4708-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2012] [Revised: 01/04/2013] [Accepted: 01/07/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
We report the detailed evaluation of crucial parameters for chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) of macronuclear DNA in the unicellular eukaryote Paramecium tetraurelia. Optimized parameters include crosslinking conditions, chromatin sonication and antibody titration thus providing a detailed protocol for successful ChIP in P. tetraurelia. As this ciliate is bacterivorous and RNAi by feeding represents a powerful tool for analysis of gene function, we moreover determined the effects of ingested nucleic acids by food bacteria. Feasibility of our protocol is demonstrated by characterisation of chromatin remodelling at promoters of cytosolic HSP70 isoforms during transcriptional activation under heat shock conditions by analyzing RNA abundance, nucleosome occupancy and levels of H3 lysine 9 acetylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Cheaib
- Faculty of Biology, Molecular Protistology, University of Kaiserslautern, Gottlieb-Daimler Straße Building 14, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
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Müller A, Klöppel C, Smith-Valentine M, Van Houten J, Simon M. Selective and programmed cleavage of GPI-anchored proteins from the surface membrane by phospholipase C. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2012; 1818:117-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2011.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2011] [Revised: 10/06/2011] [Accepted: 10/07/2011] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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Calo S, Nicolás FE, Vila A, Torres-Martínez S, Ruiz-Vázquez RM. Two distinct RNA-dependent RNA polymerases are required for initiation and amplification of RNA silencing in the basal fungus Mucor circinelloides. Mol Microbiol 2011; 83:379-94. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2011.07939.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Dalzell JJ, McVeigh P, Warnock ND, Mitreva M, Bird DM, Abad P, Fleming CC, Day TA, Mousley A, Marks NJ, Maule AG. RNAi effector diversity in nematodes. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2011; 5:e1176. [PMID: 21666793 PMCID: PMC3110158 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2011] [Accepted: 04/04/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
While RNA interference (RNAi) has been deployed to facilitate gene function studies in diverse helminths, parasitic nematodes appear variably susceptible. To test if this is due to inter-species differences in RNAi effector complements, we performed a primary sequence similarity survey for orthologs of 77 Caenorhabditis elegans RNAi pathway proteins in 13 nematode species for which genomic or transcriptomic datasets were available, with all outputs subjected to domain-structure verification. Our dataset spanned transcriptomes of Ancylostoma caninum and Oesophagostomum dentatum, and genomes of Trichinella spiralis, Ascaris suum, Brugia malayi, Haemonchus contortus, Meloidogyne hapla, Meloidogyne incognita and Pristionchus pacificus, as well as the Caenorhabditis species C. brenneri, C. briggsae, C. japonica and C. remanei, and revealed that: (i) Most of the C. elegans proteins responsible for uptake and spread of exogenously applied double stranded (ds)RNA are absent from parasitic species, including RNAi-competent plant-nematodes; (ii) The Argonautes (AGOs) responsible for gene expression regulation in C. elegans are broadly conserved, unlike those recruited during the induction of RNAi by exogenous dsRNA; (iii) Secondary Argonautes (SAGOs) are poorly conserved, and the nuclear AGO NRDE-3 was not identified in any parasite; (iv) All five Caenorhabditis spp. possess an expanded RNAi effector repertoire relative to the parasitic nematodes, consistent with the propensity for gene loss in nematode parasites; (v) In spite of the quantitative differences in RNAi effector complements across nematode species, all displayed qualitatively similar coverage of functional protein groups. In summary, we could not identify RNAi effector deficiencies that associate with reduced susceptibility in parasitic nematodes. Indeed, similarities in the RNAi effector complements of RNAi refractory and competent nematode parasites support the broad applicability of this research genetic tool in nematodes. Many organisms regulate gene expression through an RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, first characterized in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. This pathway can be triggered experimentally using double-stranded (ds)RNA to selected gene targets, thereby allowing researchers to ‘silence’ individual genes and so investigate their function. It is hoped that this technology will facilitate gene silencing in important parasitic nematodes that impose a considerable health and economic burden on mankind. Unfortunately, differences in RNAi susceptibility have been observed between species. Here we investigated the possibility that differences in the complement of effector proteins involved in the RNAi pathway are responsible for these differences in susceptibility. Our data revealed that most facets of the RNAi pathway are well represented across parasitic nematodes, although there were fewer pathway proteins in other nematodes compared to C. elegans. In contrast, the proteins responsible for uptake and spread of dsRNA are not well represented in parasitic nematodes. However, the importance of these differences is undermined by our observation that the protein complements in all the parasites were qualitatively similar, regardless of RNAi-susceptibility. Clearly, differences in the RNAi pathway of parasitic nematodes do not explain the variations in susceptibility to experimental RNAi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnathan J. Dalzell
- Molecular Biosciences-Parasitology, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Paul McVeigh
- Molecular Biosciences-Parasitology, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Neil D. Warnock
- Molecular Biosciences-Parasitology, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Makedonka Mitreva
- The Genome Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - David McK. Bird
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Pierre Abad
- INRA, Unité Interactions Plantes-Microorganismes et Santé Végétale, Antibes, France
| | | | - Tim A. Day
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Angela Mousley
- Molecular Biosciences-Parasitology, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Nikki J. Marks
- Molecular Biosciences-Parasitology, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Aaron G. Maule
- Molecular Biosciences-Parasitology, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
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Bouhouche K, Gout JF, Kapusta A, Bétermier M, Meyer E. Functional specialization of Piwi proteins in Paramecium tetraurelia from post-transcriptional gene silencing to genome remodelling. Nucleic Acids Res 2011; 39:4249-64. [PMID: 21216825 PMCID: PMC3105430 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkq1283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteins of the Argonaute family are small RNA carriers that guide regulatory complexes to their targets. The family comprises two major subclades. Members of the Ago subclade, which are present in most eukaryotic phyla, bind different classes of small RNAs and regulate gene expression at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Piwi subclade members appear to have been lost in plants and fungi and were mostly studied in metazoa, where they bind piRNAs and have essential roles in sexual reproduction. Their presence in ciliates, unicellular organisms harbouring both germline micronuclei and somatic macronuclei, offers an interesting perspective on the evolution of their functions. Here, we report phylogenetic and functional analyses of the 15 Piwi genes from Paramecium tetraurelia. We show that four constitutively expressed proteins are involved in siRNA pathways that mediate gene silencing throughout the life cycle. Two other proteins, specifically expressed during meiosis, are required for accumulation of scnRNAs during sexual reproduction and for programmed genome rearrangements during development of the somatic macronucleus. Our results indicate that Paramecium Piwi proteins have evolved to perform both vegetative and sexual functions through mechanisms ranging from post-transcriptional mRNA cleavage to epigenetic regulation of genome rearrangements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled Bouhouche
- Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS UMR8197, INSERM U1024, 46 rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France
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