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Wagner V, Meese E, Keller A. The intricacies of isomiRs: from classification to clinical relevance. Trends Genet 2024; 40:784-796. [PMID: 38862304 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2024.05.007] [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: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and isoforms of their archetype, called isomiRs, regulate gene expression via complementary base-pair binding to messenger RNAs (mRNAs). The partially evolutionarily conserved isomiR sequence variations are differentially expressed among tissues, populations, and genders, and between healthy and diseased states. Aiming towards the clinical use of isomiRs as diagnostic biomarkers and for therapeutic purposes, several challenges need to be addressed, including (i) clarification of isomiR definition, (ii) improved annotation in databases with new standardization (such as the mirGFF3 format), and (iii) improved methods of isomiR detection, functional verification, and in silico analysis. In this review we discuss the respective challenges, and highlight the opportunities for clinical use of isomiRs, especially in the light of increasing amounts of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktoria Wagner
- Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, Center for Bioinformatics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany; Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Saarland University Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Eckart Meese
- Department of Human Genetics, Saarland University, 66421 Homburg/Saar, Germany
| | - Andreas Keller
- Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, Center for Bioinformatics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany; Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Saarland University Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
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2
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Jiang G, Reiter JL, Dong C, Wang Y, Fang F, Jiang Z, Liu Y. Genetic Regulation of Human isomiR Biogenesis. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4411. [PMID: 37686687 PMCID: PMC10486453 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15174411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs play a critical role in regulating gene expression post-transcriptionally. Variations in mature microRNA sequences, known as isomiRs, arise from imprecise cleavage and nucleotide substitution or addition. These isomiRs can target different mRNAs or compete with their canonical counterparts, thereby expanding the scope of miRNA post-transcriptional regulation. Our study investigated the relationship between cis-acting single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in precursor miRNA regions and isomiR composition, represented by the ratio of a specific 5'-isomiR subtype to all isomiRs identified for a particular mature miRNA. Significant associations between 95 SNP-isomiR pairs were identified. Of note, rs6505162 was significantly associated with both the 5'-extension of hsa-miR-423-3p and the 5'-trimming of hsa-miR-423-5p. Comparison of breast cancer and normal samples revealed that the expression of both isomiRs was significantly higher in tumors than in normal tissues. This study sheds light on the genetic regulation of isomiR maturation and advances our understanding of post-transcriptional regulation by microRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanglong Jiang
- Department of BioHealth Informatics, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Jill L. Reiter
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Chuanpeng Dong
- Department of Genetics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Yue Wang
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Fang Fang
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Zhaoyang Jiang
- Department of Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Yunlong Liu
- Department of BioHealth Informatics, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
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Asad S, Mehdi AM, Pujhari S, Rückert C, Ebel GD, Rasgon JL. Identification of MicroRNAs in the West Nile Virus Vector Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae). JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 60:182-293. [PMID: 36477983 PMCID: PMC10216877 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjac182] [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: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression during important biological processes including development and pathogen defense in most living organisms. Presently, no miRNAs have been identified in the mosquito Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae), one of the most important vectors of West Nile virus (WNV) in North America. We used small RNA sequencing data and in vitro and in vivo experiments to identify and validate a repertoire of miRNAs in Cx. tarsalis mosquitoes. Using bioinformatic approaches we analyzed small RNA sequences from the Cx. tarsalis CT embryonic cell line to discover orthologs for 86 miRNAs. Consistent with other mosquitoes such as Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus, miR-184 was found to be the most abundant miRNA in Cx. tarsalis. We also identified 20 novel miRNAs from the recently sequenced Cx. tarsalis genome, for a total of 106 miRNAs identified in this study. The presence of selected miRNAs was biologically validated in both the CT cell line and in adult Cx. tarsalis mosquitoes using RT-qPCR and sequencing. These results will open new avenues of research into the role of miRNAs in Cx. tarsalis biology, including development, metabolism, immunity, and pathogen infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sultan Asad
- Department of Entomology, The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Ahmed M Mehdi
- The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia Diamantina Institute, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Sujit Pujhari
- Department of Entomology, The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Pharmacology Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Claudia Rückert
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USAand
| | - Gregory D Ebel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USAand
| | - Jason L Rasgon
- Department of Entomology, The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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Dynamics of maternal gene expression in Rhodnius prolixus. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6538. [PMID: 35449214 PMCID: PMC9023505 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09874-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of developmental processes in Rhodnius prolixus has recently advanced with the sequencing of the genome. In this work, we analyze the maternal gene expression driving oogenesis and early embryogenesis in R. prolixus. We examined the transcriptional profile of mRNAs to establish the genes expressed across the ovary, unfertilized eggs and different embryonic stages of R. prolixus until the formation of the germ band anlage (0, 12, 24, and 48 h post egg laying). We identified 81 putative maternal and ovary-related genes and validated their expression by qRT-PCR. We validate the function of the ortholog gene Bicaudal-D (Rp-BicD) by in situ hybridization and parental RNAi. Consistent with a role in oogenesis and early development of R. prolixus, we show that lack of Rp-BicD does not significantly affect oogenesis but impairs the formation of the blastoderm. Based on our findings, we propose three times of action for maternal genes during oogenesis and embryogenesis in R. prolixus.
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Sanchez Herrero JF, Pluvinet R, Luna de Haro A, Sumoy L. Paired-end small RNA sequencing reveals a possible overestimation in the isomiR sequence repertoire previously reported from conventional single read data analysis. BMC Bioinformatics 2021; 22:215. [PMID: 33902448 PMCID: PMC8077951 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-021-04128-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Next generation sequencing has allowed the discovery of miRNA isoforms, termed isomiRs. Some isomiRs are derived from imprecise processing of pre-miRNA precursors, leading to length variants. Additional variability is introduced by non-templated addition of bases at the ends or editing of internal bases, resulting in base differences relative to the template DNA sequence. We hypothesized that some component of the isomiR variation reported so far could be due to systematic technical noise and not real. RESULTS We have developed the XICRA pipeline to analyze small RNA sequencing data at the isomiR level. We exploited its ability to use single or merged reads to compare isomiR results derived from paired-end (PE) reads with those from single reads (SR) to address whether detectable sequence differences relative to canonical miRNAs found in isomiRs are true biological variations or the result of errors in sequencing. We have detected non-negligible systematic differences between SR and PE data which primarily affect putative internally edited isomiRs, and at a much smaller frequency terminal length changing isomiRs. This is relevant for the identification of true isomiRs in small RNA sequencing datasets. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that potential artifacts derived from sequencing errors and/or data processing could result in an overestimation of abundance and diversity of miRNA isoforms. Efforts in annotating the isomiRnome should take this into account.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Lauro Sumoy
- Institut Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona, Spain.
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Zhong X, Pla A, Rayner S. Jasmine: a Java pipeline for isomiR characterization in miRNA-Seq Data. Bioinformatics 2019; 36:btz806. [PMID: 31681943 PMCID: PMC7703784 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btz806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION The existence of complex subpopulations of miRNA isoforms, or isomiRs, is well established. While many tools exist for investigating isomiR populations, they differ in how they characterize an isomiR, making it difficult to compare results across different tools. Thus, there is a need for a more comprehensive and systematic standard for defining isomiRs. Such a standard would allow investigation of isomiR population structure in progressively more refined sub-populations, permitting the identification of more subtle changes between conditions and leading to an improved understanding of the processes that generate these differences. RESULTS We developed Jasmine, a software tool that incorporates a hierarchal framework for characterizing isomiR populations. Jasmine is a Java application that can process raw read data in fastq/fasta format, or mapped reads in SAM format to produce a detailed characterization of isomiR populations. Thus, Jasmine can reveal structure not apparent in a standard miRNA-Seq analysis pipeline. AVAILABILITY Jasmine is implemented in Java and R and freely available at bitbucket https://bitbucket.org/bipous/jasmine/src/master/. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangfu Zhong
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo, Oslo
- Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo
| | - Albert Pla
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo, Oslo
- Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo
| | - Simon Rayner
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo, Oslo
- Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo
- Hybrid Technology Hub – Centre of Excellence, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Chen L, Heikkinen L, Wang C, Yang Y, Sun H, Wong G. Trends in the development of miRNA bioinformatics tools. Brief Bioinform 2019; 20:1836-1852. [PMID: 29982332 PMCID: PMC7414524 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bby054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 357] [Impact Index Per Article: 71.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression via recognition of cognate sequences and interference of transcriptional, translational or epigenetic processes. Bioinformatics tools developed for miRNA study include those for miRNA prediction and discovery, structure, analysis and target prediction. We manually curated 95 review papers and ∼1000 miRNA bioinformatics tools published since 2003. We classified and ranked them based on citation number or PageRank score, and then performed network analysis and text mining (TM) to study the miRNA tools development trends. Five key trends were observed: (1) miRNA identification and target prediction have been hot spots in the past decade; (2) manual curation and TM are the main methods for collecting miRNA knowledge from literature; (3) most early tools are well maintained and widely used; (4) classic machine learning methods retain their utility; however, novel ones have begun to emerge; (5) disease-associated miRNA tools are emerging. Our analysis yields significant insight into the past development and future directions of miRNA tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Chen
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau S.A.R, China
| | - Liisa Heikkinen
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau S.A.R, China
| | - Changliang Wang
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau S.A.R, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau S.A.R, China
| | - Huiyan Sun
- Key Laboratory of Symbolic Computation and Knowledge Engineering of the Ministry of Education, College of Computer Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Garry Wong
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau S.A.R, China
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Identification of the miRNAome of early mesoderm progenitor cells and cardiomyocytes derived from human pluripotent stem cells. Sci Rep 2018; 8:8072. [PMID: 29795287 PMCID: PMC5966391 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-26156-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs involved in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression related to many cellular functions. We performed a small-RNAseq analysis of cardiac differentiation from pluripotent stem cells. Our analyses identified some new aspects about microRNA expression in this differentiation process. First, we described a dynamic expression profile of microRNAs where some of them are clustered according to their expression level. Second, we described the extensive network of isomiRs and ADAR modifications. Third, we identified the microRNAs families and clusters involved in the establishment of cardiac lineage and define the mirRNAome based on these groups. Finally, we were able to determine a more accurate miRNAome associated with cardiomyocytes by comparing the expressed microRNAs with other mature cells. MicroRNAs exert their effect in a complex and interconnected way, making necessary a global analysis to better understand their role. Our data expands the knowledge of microRNAs and their implications in cardiomyogenesis.
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