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Di Rienzo L, Monti M, Milanetti E, Miotto M, Boffi A, Tartaglia GG, Ruocco G. Computational optimization of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 for SARS-CoV-2 Spike molecular recognition. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:3006-3014. [PMID: 34002118 PMCID: PMC8116125 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the beginning of the Covid19 pandemic, many efforts have been devoted to identifying approaches to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 replication within the host cell. A promising strategy to block the infection consists of using a mutant of the human receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a decoy to compete with endogenous ACE2 for the binding to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, which decreases the ability of the virus to enter the host cell. Here, using a computational framework based on the 2D Zernike formalism we investigate details of the molecular binding and evaluate the changes in ACE2-Spike binding compatibility upon mutations occurring in the ACE2 side of the molecular interface. We demonstrate the efficacy of our method by comparing our results with experimental binding affinities changes upon ACE2 mutations, separating ones that increase or decrease binding affinity with an Area Under the ROC curve ranging from 0.66 to 0.93, depending on the magnitude of the effects analyzed. Importantly, the iteration of our approach leads to the identification of a set of ACE2 mutants characterized by an increased shape complementarity with Spike. We investigated the physico-chemical properties of these ACE2 mutants and propose them as bona fide candidates for Spike recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Di Rienzo
- Center for Life Nanoscience, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Michele Monti
- RNA System Biology Lab, Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
| | - Edoardo Milanetti
- Center for Life Nanoscience, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Physics, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Mattia Miotto
- Center for Life Nanoscience, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Physics, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Alberto Boffi
- Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Center for Life Nanoscience, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
- RNA System Biology Lab, Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Ruocco
- Center for Life Nanoscience, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Physics, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
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2
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Vandelli A, Monti M, Milanetti E, Armaos A, Rupert J, Zacco E, Bechara E, Delli Ponti R, Tartaglia GG. Structural analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genome and predictions of the human interactome. Nucleic Acids Res 2020. [PMID: 33068416 DOI: 10.1101/2020.03.28.013789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Specific elements of viral genomes regulate interactions within host cells. Here, we calculated the secondary structure content of >2000 coronaviruses and computed >100 000 human protein interactions with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The genomic regions display different degrees of conservation. SARS-CoV-2 domain encompassing nucleotides 22 500-23 000 is conserved both at the sequence and structural level. The regions upstream and downstream, however, vary significantly. This part of the viral sequence codes for the Spike S protein that interacts with the human receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Thus, variability of Spike S is connected to different levels of viral entry in human cells within the population. Our predictions indicate that the 5' end of SARS-CoV-2 is highly structured and interacts with several human proteins. The binding proteins are involved in viral RNA processing, include double-stranded RNA specific editases and ATP-dependent RNA-helicases and have strong propensity to form stress granules and phase-separated assemblies. We propose that these proteins, also implicated in viral infections such as HIV, are selectively recruited by SARS-CoV-2 genome to alter transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of host cells and to promote viral replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Vandelli
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Systems Biology of Infection Lab, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biosciences Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Michele Monti
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152 Genoa, Italy
| | - Edoardo Milanetti
- Department of Physics, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Center for Life Nanoscience, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Alexandros Armaos
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152 Genoa, Italy
| | - Jakob Rupert
- Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152 Genoa, Italy
- Department of Biology 'Charles Darwin', Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Elsa Zacco
- Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152 Genoa, Italy
| | - Elias Bechara
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152 Genoa, Italy
| | - Riccardo Delli Ponti
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152 Genoa, Italy
- Department of Biology 'Charles Darwin', Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy
- Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 23 Passeig Lluis Companys, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
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3
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Vandelli A, Monti M, Milanetti E, Armaos A, Rupert J, Zacco E, Bechara E, Delli Ponti R, Tartaglia G. Structural analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genome and predictions of the human interactome. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:11270-11283. [PMID: 33068416 PMCID: PMC7672441 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Specific elements of viral genomes regulate interactions within host cells. Here, we calculated the secondary structure content of >2000 coronaviruses and computed >100 000 human protein interactions with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The genomic regions display different degrees of conservation. SARS-CoV-2 domain encompassing nucleotides 22 500-23 000 is conserved both at the sequence and structural level. The regions upstream and downstream, however, vary significantly. This part of the viral sequence codes for the Spike S protein that interacts with the human receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Thus, variability of Spike S is connected to different levels of viral entry in human cells within the population. Our predictions indicate that the 5' end of SARS-CoV-2 is highly structured and interacts with several human proteins. The binding proteins are involved in viral RNA processing, include double-stranded RNA specific editases and ATP-dependent RNA-helicases and have strong propensity to form stress granules and phase-separated assemblies. We propose that these proteins, also implicated in viral infections such as HIV, are selectively recruited by SARS-CoV-2 genome to alter transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of host cells and to promote viral replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Vandelli
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Systems Biology of Infection Lab, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biosciences Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Michele Monti
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152 Genoa, Italy
| | - Edoardo Milanetti
- Department of Physics, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Center for Life Nanoscience, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Alexandros Armaos
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152 Genoa, Italy
| | - Jakob Rupert
- Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152 Genoa, Italy
- Department of Biology ‘Charles Darwin’, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Elsa Zacco
- Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152 Genoa, Italy
| | - Elias Bechara
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152 Genoa, Italy
| | - Riccardo Delli Ponti
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152 Genoa, Italy
- Department of Biology ‘Charles Darwin’, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy
- Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 23 Passeig Lluis Companys, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
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4
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Gotor NL, Armaos A, Calloni G, Torrent Burgas M, Vabulas R, De Groot NS, Tartaglia GG. RNA-binding and prion domains: the Yin and Yang of phase separation. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:9491-9504. [PMID: 32857852 PMCID: PMC7515694 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteins and RNAs assemble in membrane-less organelles that organize intracellular spaces and regulate biochemical reactions. The ability of proteins and RNAs to form condensates is encoded in their sequences, yet it is unknown which domains drive the phase separation (PS) process and what are their specific roles. Here, we systematically investigated the human and yeast proteomes to find regions promoting condensation. Using advanced computational methods to predict the PS propensity of proteins, we designed a set of experiments to investigate the contributions of Prion-Like Domains (PrLDs) and RNA-binding domains (RBDs). We found that one PrLD is sufficient to drive PS, whereas multiple RBDs are needed to modulate the dynamics of the assemblies. In the case of stress granule protein Pub1 we show that the PrLD promotes sequestration of protein partners and the RBD confers liquid-like behaviour to the condensate. Our work sheds light on the fine interplay between RBDs and PrLD to regulate formation of membrane-less organelles, opening up the avenue for their manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nieves Lorenzo Gotor
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alexandros Armaos
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, RNA System Biology Lab, Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152 Genoa, Italy
| | - Giulia Calloni
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, 60438, Germany
- Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main,60438, Germany
| | - Marc Torrent Burgas
- Systems Biology of Infection Lab, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biosciences Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - R Martin Vabulas
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, 60438, Germany
- Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main,60438, Germany
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Biochemistry, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Natalia Sanchez De Groot
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Center for Human Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, RNA System Biology Lab, Via Enrico Melen 83, 16152 Genoa, Italy
- Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 23 Passeig Lluis Companys, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
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5
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Haify SN, Botta-Orfila T, Hukema RK, Tartaglia GG. In silico, in vitro, and in vivo Approaches to Identify Molecular Players in Fragile X Tremor and Ataxia Syndrome. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:31. [PMID: 32219099 PMCID: PMC7078329 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.00031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a late-onset neurodegenerative monogenetic disorder affecting carriers of premutation (PM) forms of the FMR1 gene, resulting in a progressive development of tremors, ataxia, and neuropsychological problems. This highly disabling disease is quite common in the general population with an estimation of about 20 million PM carriers worldwide. The chances of developing FXTAS increase dramatically with age, with about 45% of male carriers over the age of 50 being affected. Both the gene and pathogenic trigger, a mutant expansion of CGG RNA, causing FXTAS are known. This makes it an interesting disease to develop targeted therapeutic interventions for. Yet, no such interventions are available at this moment. Here we discuss in silico, in vitro, and in vivo approaches and how they have been used to identify the molecular determinants of FXTAS pathology. These approaches have yielded substantial information about FXTAS pathology and, consequently, many markers have emerged to play a key role in understanding the disease mechanism. Integration of the different approaches is expected to provide crucial information about the value of these markers as either therapeutic target or biomarker, essential to monitor therapeutic interventions in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saif N Haify
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Teresa Botta-Orfila
- Biological Fluids Bank of the Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Renate K Hukema
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Biology 'Charles Darwin', Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
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6
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Cid-Samper F, Gelabert-Baldrich M, Lang B, Lorenzo-Gotor N, Ponti RD, Severijnen LAWFM, Bolognesi B, Gelpi E, Hukema RK, Botta-Orfila T, Tartaglia GG. An Integrative Study of Protein-RNA Condensates Identifies Scaffolding RNAs and Reveals Players in Fragile X-Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome. Cell Rep 2019; 25:3422-3434.e7. [PMID: 30566867 PMCID: PMC6315285 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.11.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence indicates that specific RNAs promote the formation of ribonucleoprotein condensates by acting as scaffolds for RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). We systematically investigated RNA-RBP interaction networks to understand ribonucleoprotein assembly. We found that highly contacted RNAs are structured, have long UTRs, and contain nucleotide repeat expansions. Among the RNAs with such properties, we identified the FMR1 3' UTR that harbors CGG expansions implicated in fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). We studied FMR1 binding partners in silico and in vitro and prioritized the splicing regulator TRA2A for further characterization. In a FXTAS cellular model, we validated the TRA2A-FMR1 interaction and investigated implications of its sequestration at both transcriptomic and post-transcriptomic levels. We found that TRA2A co-aggregates with FMR1 in a FXTAS mouse model and in post-mortem human samples. Our integrative study identifies key components of ribonucleoprotein aggregates, providing links to neurodegenerative disease and allowing the discovery of therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Cid-Samper
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mariona Gelabert-Baldrich
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Benjamin Lang
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nieves Lorenzo-Gotor
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Riccardo Delli Ponti
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Benedetta Bolognesi
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ellen Gelpi
- Neurological Tissue Biobank of the Hospital Clinic and Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Carrer del Rosselló, 149, 08036, Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Renate K Hukema
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC, 3000 CA Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Teresa Botta-Orfila
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Biology 'Charles Darwin', Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 23 Passeig Lluís Companys, 08010 Barcelona, Spain.
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7
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Ponti RD, Armaos A, Vandelli A, Tartaglia GG. CROSSalive: a web server for predicting the in vivo structure of RNA molecules. Bioinformatics 2019; 36:940-941. [PMID: 31504168 PMCID: PMC9883674 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btz666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION RNA structure is difficult to predict in vivo due to interactions with enzymes and other molecules. Here we introduce CROSSalive, an algorithm to predict the single- and double-stranded regions of RNAs in vivo using predictions of protein interactions. RESULTS Trained on icSHAPE data in presence (m6a+) and absence of N6 methyladenosine modification (m6a-), CROSSalive achieves cross-validation accuracies between 0.70 and 0.88 in identifying high-confidence single- and double-stranded regions. The algorithm was applied to the long non-coding RNA Xist (17 900 nt, not present in the training) and shows an Area under the ROC curve of 0.83 in predicting structured regions. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION CROSSalive webserver is freely accessible at http://service.tartaglialab.com/new_submission/crossalive. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Delli Ponti
- Gene Function and Evolution, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona 08003, Spain,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Alexandros Armaos
- Gene Function and Evolution, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona 08003, Spain,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Andrea Vandelli
- Gene Function and Evolution, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona 08003, Spain,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona 08003, Spain
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8
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Sanchez de Groot N, Armaos A, Graña-Montes R, Alriquet M, Calloni G, Vabulas RM, Tartaglia GG. RNA structure drives interaction with proteins. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3246. [PMID: 31324771 PMCID: PMC6642211 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10923-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The combination of high-throughput sequencing and in vivo crosslinking approaches leads to the progressive uncovering of the complex interdependence between cellular transcriptome and proteome. Yet, the molecular determinants governing interactions in protein-RNA networks are not well understood. Here we investigated the relationship between the structure of an RNA and its ability to interact with proteins. Analysing in silico, in vitro and in vivo experiments, we find that the amount of double-stranded regions in an RNA correlates with the number of protein contacts. This relationship -which we call structure-driven protein interactivity- allows classification of RNA types, plays a role in gene regulation and could have implications for the formation of phase-separated ribonucleoprotein assemblies. We validate our hypothesis by showing that a highly structured RNA can rearrange the composition of a protein aggregate. We report that the tendency of proteins to phase-separate is reduced by interactions with specific RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Sanchez de Groot
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alexandros Armaos
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ricardo Graña-Montes
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Marion Alriquet
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Giulia Calloni
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - R Martin Vabulas
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. .,Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain. .,ICREA 23 Passeig Lluis Companys 08010 and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003, Barcelona, Spain. .,Department of Biology 'Charles Darwin', Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, Rome, 00185, Italy. .,Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163, Genoa, Italy.
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9
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Marchese D, de Groot NS, Lorenzo Gotor N, Livi CM, Tartaglia GG. Advances in the characterization of RNA-binding proteins. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2016; 7:793-810. [PMID: 27503141 PMCID: PMC5113702 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2016] [Revised: 06/14/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
From transcription, to transport, storage, and translation, RNA depends on association with different RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). Methods based on next-generation sequencing and protein mass-spectrometry have started to unveil genome-wide interactions of RBPs but many aspects still remain out of sight. How many of the binding sites identified in high-throughput screenings are functional? A number of computational methods have been developed to analyze experimental data and to obtain insights into the specificity of protein-RNA interactions. How can theoretical models be exploited to identify RBPs? In addition to oligomeric complexes, protein and RNA molecules can associate into granular assemblies whose physical properties are still poorly understood. What protein features promote granule formation and what effects do these assemblies have on cell function? Here, we describe the newest in silico, in vitro, and in vivo advances in the field of protein-RNA interactions. We also present the challenges that experimental and computational approaches will have to face in future studies. WIREs RNA 2016, 7:793-810. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1378 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domenica Marchese
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Natalia Sanchez de Groot
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nieves Lorenzo Gotor
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carmen Maria Livi
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- IFOM Foundation, FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology Foundation, Milan, Italy
| | - Gian G Tartaglia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.
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Non-random distribution of homo-repeats: links with biological functions and human diseases. Sci Rep 2016; 6:26941. [PMID: 27256590 PMCID: PMC4891720 DOI: 10.1038/srep26941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The biological function of multiple repetitions of single amino acids, or homo-repeats, is largely unknown, but their occurrence in proteins has been associated with more than 20 hereditary diseases. Analysing 122 bacterial and eukaryotic genomes, we observed that the number of proteins containing homo-repeats is significantly larger than expected from theoretical estimates. Analysis of statistical significance indicates that the minimal size of homo-repeats varies with amino acid type and proteome. In an attempt to characterize proteins harbouring long homo-repeats, we found that those containing polar or small amino acids S, P, H, E, D, K, Q and N are enriched in structural disorder as well as protein- and RNA-interactions. We observed that E, S, Q, G, L, P, D, A and H homo-repeats are strongly linked with occurrence in human diseases. Moreover, S, E, P, A, Q, D and T homo-repeats are significantly enriched in neuronal proteins associated with autism and other disorders. We release a webserver for further exploration of homo-repeats occurrence in human pathology at http://bioinfo.protres.ru/hradis/.
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