1
|
Abstract
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are of fundamental importance for post-transcriptional gene regulation and protein synthesis. They are required for pre-mRNA processing and for RNA transport, degradation and translation into protein, and can regulate every step in the life cycle of their RNA targets. In addition, RBP function can be modulated by RNA binding. RBPs also participate in the formation of ribonucleoprotein complexes that build up macromolecular machineries such as the ribosome and spliceosome. Although most research has focused on mRNA-binding proteins, non-coding RNAs are also regulated and sequestered by RBPs. Functional defects and changes in the expression levels of RBPs have been implicated in numerous diseases, including neurological disorders, muscular atrophy and cancers. RBPs also contribute to a wide spectrum of kidney disorders. For example, human antigen R has been reported to have a renoprotective function in acute kidney injury (AKI) but might also contribute to the development of glomerulosclerosis, tubulointerstitial fibrosis and diabetic kidney disease (DKD), loss of bicaudal C is associated with cystic kidney diseases and Y-box binding protein 1 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of AKI, DKD and glomerular disorders. Increasing data suggest that the modulation of RBPs and their interactions with RNA targets could be promising therapeutic strategies for kidney diseases.
Collapse
|
2
|
Huang W, Bencic DC, Flick RL, Nacci DE, Clark BW, Burkhard L, Lahren T, Biales AD. Characterization of the Fundulus heteroclitus embryo transcriptional response and development of a gene expression-based fingerprint of exposure for the alternative flame retardant, TBPH (bis (2-ethylhexyl)-tetrabromophthalate). ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2019; 247:696-705. [PMID: 30721860 PMCID: PMC7495336 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Revised: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/03/2019] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Although alternative Flame Retardant (FR) chemicals are expected to be safer than the legacy FRs they replace, their risks to human health and the environment are often poorly characterized. This study used a small volume, fish embryo system to reveal potential mechanisms of action and diagnostic exposure patterns for TBPH (bis (2-ethylhexyl)-tetrabromophthalate), a component of several widely-used commercial products. Two different concentration of TBPH were applied to sensitive early life stages of an ecologically important test species, Fundulus heteroclitus (Atlantic killifish), with a well-annotated genome. Exposed fish embryos were sampled for transcriptomics or chemical analysis of parent compound and primary metabolite or observed for development and survival through larval stage. Global transcript profiling using RNA-seq was conducted (n = 16 per treatment) to provide a non-targeted and statistically robust approach to characterize TBPH gene expression patterns. Transcriptomic analysis revealed a dose-response in the expression of genes associated with a surprisingly limited number of biological pathways, but included the aryl hydrocarbon receptor signal transduction pathway, which is known to respond to several toxicologically-important chemical classes. A transcriptional fingerprint using Random Forests was developed that was able to perfectly discriminate exposed vs. non-exposed individuals in test sets. These results suggest that TBPH has a relatively low potential for developmental toxicity (at least in fishes), despite concerns related to its structural similarities to endocrine disrupting chemicals and that the early life stage Fundulus system may provide a convenient test system for exposure characterization. More broadly, this study advances the usefulness of a biological testing and analysis system utilizing non-targeted transcriptomics profiling and early developmental endpoints that complements current screening methods to characterize chemicals of ecological and human health concern.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Weichun Huang
- U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH, 45268, USA
| | - David C Bencic
- U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH, 45268, USA
| | - Robert L Flick
- U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH, 45268, USA
| | - Diane E Nacci
- U.S. EPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, 27 Tarzwell Drive Narragansett, RI, 02882, USA
| | - Bryan W Clark
- U.S. EPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, 27 Tarzwell Drive Narragansett, RI, 02882, USA
| | - Lawrence Burkhard
- U.S. EPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, 6201 Congdon Boulevard, Duluth, MN, 55804, USA
| | - Tylor Lahren
- U.S. EPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, 6201 Congdon Boulevard, Duluth, MN, 55804, USA
| | - Adam D Biales
- U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH, 45268, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Dou YD, Huang T, Wang Q, Shu X, Zhao SG, Li L, Liu T, Lu G, Chan WY, Liu HB. Integrated microRNA and mRNA signatures in peripheral blood lymphocytes of familial epithelial ovarian cancer. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2018; 496:191-198. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2017] [Revised: 12/26/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
|