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Sood C, Nahid MA, Branham KR, Pahl M, Doyle SE, Siegrist SE. Delta-dependent Notch activation closes the early neuroblast temporal program to promote lineage progression and neurogenesis termination in Drosophila. eLife 2024; 12:RP88565. [PMID: 38391176 PMCID: PMC10942576 DOI: 10.7554/elife.88565] [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: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuroblasts in Drosophila divide asymmetrically, sequentially expressing a series of intrinsic factors to generate a diversity of neuron types. These intrinsic factors known as temporal factors dictate timing of neuroblast transitions in response to steroid hormone signaling and specify early versus late temporal fates in neuroblast neuron progeny. After completing their temporal programs, neuroblasts differentiate or die, finalizing both neuron number and type within each neuroblast lineage. From a screen aimed at identifying genes required to terminate neuroblast divisions, we identified Notch and Notch pathway components. When Notch is knocked down, neuroblasts maintain early temporal factor expression longer, delay late temporal factor expression, and continue dividing into adulthood. We find that Delta, expressed in cortex glia, neuroblasts, and after division, their GMC progeny, regulates neuroblast Notch activity. We also find that Delta in neuroblasts is expressed high early, low late, and is controlled by the intrinsic temporal program: early factor Imp promotes Delta, late factors Syp/E93 reduce Delta. Thus, in addition to systemic steroid hormone cues, forward lineage progression is controlled by local cell-cell signaling between neuroblasts and their cortex glia/GMC neighbors: Delta transactivates Notch in neuroblasts bringing the early temporal program and early temporal factor expression to a close.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chhavi Sood
- Department of Biology, University of VirginiaCharlottesvilleUnited States
| | | | - Kendall R Branham
- Department of Biology, University of VirginiaCharlottesvilleUnited States
| | - Matt Pahl
- Department of Biology, University of VirginiaCharlottesvilleUnited States
| | - Susan E Doyle
- Department of Biology, University of VirginiaCharlottesvilleUnited States
| | - Sarah E Siegrist
- Department of Biology, University of VirginiaCharlottesvilleUnited States
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2
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Baker CC, Gallicchio L, Matias NR, Porter DF, Parsanian L, Taing E, Tam C, Fuller MT. Cell-type-specific interacting proteins collaborate to regulate the timing of Cyclin B protein expression in male meiotic prophase. Development 2023; 150:dev201709. [PMID: 37882771 PMCID: PMC10730016 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
During meiosis, germ cell and stage-specific components impose additional layers of regulation on the core cell cycle machinery to set up an extended G2 period termed meiotic prophase. In Drosophila males, meiotic prophase lasts 3.5 days, during which spermatocytes upregulate over 1800 genes and grow 25-fold. Previous work has shown that the cell cycle regulator Cyclin B (CycB) is subject to translational repression in immature spermatocytes, mediated by the RNA-binding protein Rbp4 and its partner Fest. Here, we show that the spermatocyte-specific protein Lut is required for translational repression of cycB in an 8-h window just before spermatocytes are fully mature. In males mutant for rbp4 or lut, spermatocytes enter and exit meiotic division 6-8 h earlier than in wild type. In addition, spermatocyte-specific isoforms of Syncrip (Syp) are required for expression of CycB protein in mature spermatocytes and normal entry into the meiotic divisions. Lut and Syp interact with Fest independent of RNA. Thus, a set of spermatocyte-specific regulators choreograph the timing of expression of CycB protein during male meiotic prophase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine C. Baker
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Lorenzo Gallicchio
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Neuza R. Matias
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Douglas F. Porter
- Program in Epithelial Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Lucineh Parsanian
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Emily Taing
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Cheuk Tam
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Margaret T. Fuller
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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3
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Sood C, Nahid MA, Branham KR, Pahl MC, Doyle SE, Siegrist SE. Delta-dependent Notch activation closes the early neuroblast temporal program to promote lineage progression and neurogenesis termination in Drosophila. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.28.534626. [PMID: 37034719 PMCID: PMC10081207 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.28.534626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Neuroblasts in Drosophila divide asymmetrically, sequentially expressing a series of intrinsic factors to generate a diversity of neuron types. These intrinsic factors known as temporal factors dictate timing of neuroblast transitions in response to steroid hormone signaling and specify early versus late temporal fates in neuroblast neuron progeny. After completing their temporal programs, neuroblasts differentiate or die, finalizing both neuron number and type within each neuroblast lineage. From a screen aimed at identifying genes required to terminate neuroblast divisions, we identified Notch and Notch pathway components. When Notch is knocked down, neuroblasts maintain early temporal factor expression longer, delay late temporal factor expression, and continue dividing into adulthood. We find that Delta, expressed in cortex glia, neuroblasts, and after division, their GMC progeny, regulates neuroblast Notch activity. We also find that Delta in neuroblasts is expressed high early, low late, and is controlled by the intrinsic temporal program: early factor Imp promotes Delta, late factors Syp/E93 reduce Delta. Thus, in addition to systemic steroid hormone cues, forward lineage progression is controlled by local cell-cell signaling between neuroblasts and their cortex glia/GMC neighbors: Delta transactivates Notch in neuroblasts bringing the early temporal program and early temporal factor expression to a close.
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4
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Li X, Wang Y, Deng S, Zhu G, Wang C, Johnson NA, Zhang Z, Tirado CR, Xu Y, Metang LA, Gonzalez J, Mukherji A, Ye J, Yang Y, Peng W, Tang Y, Hofstad M, Xie Z, Yoon H, Chen L, Liu X, Chen S, Zhu H, Strand D, Liang H, Raj G, He HH, Mendell JT, Li B, Wang T, Mu P. Loss of SYNCRIP unleashes APOBEC-driven mutagenesis, tumor heterogeneity, and AR-targeted therapy resistance in prostate cancer. Cancer Cell 2023; 41:1427-1449.e12. [PMID: 37478850 PMCID: PMC10530398 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2023.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
Tumor mutational burden and heterogeneity has been suggested to fuel resistance to many targeted therapies. The cytosine deaminase APOBEC proteins have been implicated in the mutational signatures of more than 70% of human cancers. However, the mechanism underlying how cancer cells hijack the APOBEC mediated mutagenesis machinery to promote tumor heterogeneity, and thereby foster therapy resistance remains unclear. We identify SYNCRIP as an endogenous molecular brake which suppresses APOBEC-driven mutagenesis in prostate cancer (PCa). Overactivated APOBEC3B, in SYNCRIP-deficient PCa cells, is a key mutator, representing the molecular source of driver mutations in some frequently mutated genes in PCa, including FOXA1, EP300. Functional screening identifies eight crucial drivers for androgen receptor (AR)-targeted therapy resistance in PCa that are mutated by APOBEC3B: BRD7, CBX8, EP300, FOXA1, HDAC5, HSF4, STAT3, and AR. These results uncover a cell-intrinsic mechanism that unleashes APOBEC-driven mutagenesis, which plays a significant role in conferring AR-targeted therapy resistance in PCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoling Li
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Yunguan Wang
- Quantitative Biomedical Research Center, Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Division of Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Su Deng
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Guanghui Zhu
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Princess Margaret Cancer Center, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Choushi Wang
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Nickolas A Johnson
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Zeda Zhang
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Yaru Xu
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Lauren A Metang
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Julisa Gonzalez
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Atreyi Mukherji
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Jianfeng Ye
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Yuqiu Yang
- Quantitative Biomedical Research Center, Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Wei Peng
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Yitao Tang
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mia Hofstad
- Department of Urology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Zhiqun Xie
- Quantitative Biomedical Research Center, Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Heewon Yoon
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Liping Chen
- Department of Urology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Xihui Liu
- Department of Urology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Sujun Chen
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Princess Margaret Cancer Center, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hong Zhu
- Quantitative Biomedical Research Center, Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Douglas Strand
- Department of Urology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Han Liang
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Systems Biology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ganesh Raj
- Department of Urology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Housheng Hansen He
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Princess Margaret Cancer Center, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Joshua T Mendell
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA; Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Bo Li
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Tao Wang
- Quantitative Biomedical Research Center, Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Ping Mu
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
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Titus MB, Chang AW, Popitsch N, Ebmeier CC, Bono JM, Olesnicky EC. The identification of protein and RNA interactors of the splicing factor Caper in the adult Drosophila nervous system. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1114857. [PMID: 37435576 PMCID: PMC10332324 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1114857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Post-transcriptional gene regulation is a fundamental mechanism that helps regulate the development and healthy aging of the nervous system. Mutations that disrupt the function of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), which regulate post-transcriptional gene regulation, have increasingly been implicated in neurological disorders including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Fragile X Syndrome, and spinal muscular atrophy. Interestingly, although the majority of RBPs are expressed widely within diverse tissue types, the nervous system is often particularly sensitive to their dysfunction. It is therefore critical to elucidate how aberrant RNA regulation that results from the dysfunction of ubiquitously expressed RBPs leads to tissue specific pathologies that underlie neurological diseases. The highly conserved RBP and alternative splicing factor Caper is widely expressed throughout development and is required for the development of Drosophila sensory and motor neurons. Furthermore, caper dysfunction results in larval and adult locomotor deficits. Nonetheless, little is known about which proteins interact with Caper, and which RNAs are regulated by Caper. Here we identify proteins that interact with Caper in both neural and muscle tissue, along with neural specific Caper target RNAs. Furthermore, we show that a subset of these Caper-interacting proteins and RNAs genetically interact with caper to regulate Drosophila gravitaxis behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Brandon Titus
- Department of Biology, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO, United States
| | - Adeline W. Chang
- Department of Biology, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO, United States
| | - Niko Popitsch
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Jeremy M. Bono
- Department of Biology, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO, United States
| | - Eugenia C. Olesnicky
- Department of Biology, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO, United States
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6
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Baker CC, Gallicchio L, Parsanian L, Taing E, Tam C, Fuller MT. A cell-type-specific multi-protein complex regulates expression of Cyclin B protein in Drosophila male meiotic prophase. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.16.528869. [PMID: 36824933 PMCID: PMC9949121 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.16.528869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
During meiosis, germ cell and stage-specific components impose additional layers of regulation on the core cell cycle machinery to set up an extended G2 period termed meiotic prophase. In Drosophila males, meiotic prophase lasts 3.5 days, during which spermatocytes turn up expression of over 3000 genes and grow 25-fold in volume. Previous work showed that the core cell cycle regulator Cyclin B (CycB) is subject to translational repression in immature Drosophila spermatocytes, mediated by the RNA-binding protein Rbp4 and its partner Fest. Here we show that another spermatocyte-specific protein, Lut, is required for translational repression of cycB in an 8-hour window just before spermatocytes are fully mature. In males mutant for rbp4 or lut , spermatocytes enter and exit the meiotic divisions 6-8 hours earlier than in wild-type. In addition, we show that spermatocyte-specific isoforms of Syncrip (Syp) are required for expression of CycB protein and normal entry into the meiotic divisions. Both Lut and Syp interact with Fest in an RNA-independent manner. Thus a complex of spermatocyte-specific regulators choreograph the timing of expression of CycB protein during male meiotic prophase. SUMMARY STATEMENT Expression of a conserved cell cycle component, Cyclin B, is regulated by multiple mechanisms in the Drosophila male germline to dictate the correct timing of meiotic division.
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7
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Islam IM, Erclik T. Imp and Syp mediated temporal patterning of neural stem cells in the developing Drosophila CNS. Genetics 2022; 222:6650182. [PMID: 35881070 PMCID: PMC9434295 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyac103] [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: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The assembly of complex neural circuits requires that stem cells generate diverse types of neurons in the correct temporal order. Pioneering work in the Drosophila embryonic ventral nerve cord has shown that neural stem cells are temporally patterned by the sequential expression of rapidly changing transcription factors to generate diversity in their progeny. In recent years, a second temporal patterning mechanism, driven by the opposing gradients of the Imp and Syp RNA-binding proteins, has emerged as a powerful way to generate neural diversity. This long-range temporal patterning mechanism is utilized in the extended neural stem cell lineages of the postembryonic fly brain. Here, we review the role played by Imp and Syp gradients in several neural stem cell lineages, focusing on how they specify sequential neural fates through the post-transcriptional regulation of target genes, including the Chinmo and Mamo transcription factors. We further discuss how upstream inputs, including hormonal signals, modify the output of these gradients to couple neurogenesis with the development of the organism. Finally, we review the roles that the Imp and Syp gradients play beyond the generation of diversity, including the regulation of stem cell proliferation, the timing of neural stem cell lineage termination, and the coupling of neuronal birth order to circuit assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishrat Maliha Islam
- Departments of Biology and Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto-Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Ted Erclik
- Departments of Biology and Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto-Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
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8
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Post-transcriptional regulation of transcription factor codes in immature neurons drives neuronal diversity. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110992. [PMID: 35767953 PMCID: PMC9479746 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
How the vast array of neuronal diversity is generated remains an unsolved problem. Here, we investigate how 29 morphologically distinct leg motoneurons are generated from a single stem cell in Drosophila. We identify 19 transcription factor (TF) codes expressed in immature motoneurons just before their morphological differentiation. Using genetic manipulations and a computational tool, we demonstrate that the TF codes are progressively established in immature motoneurons according to their birth order. Comparing RNA and protein expression patterns of multiple TFs reveals that post-transcriptional regulation plays an essential role in shaping these TF codes. Two RNA-binding proteins, Imp and Syp, expressed in opposing gradients in immature motoneurons, control the translation of multiple TFs. The varying sensitivity of TF mRNAs to the opposing gradients of Imp and Syp in immature motoneurons decrypts these gradients into distinct TF codes, establishing the connectome between motoneuron axons and their target muscles.
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9
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Emerging Roles of RNA-Binding Proteins in Neurodevelopment. J Dev Biol 2022; 10:jdb10020023. [PMID: 35735914 PMCID: PMC9224834 DOI: 10.3390/jdb10020023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Diverse cell types in the central nervous system (CNS) are generated by a relatively small pool of neural stem cells during early development. Spatial and temporal regulation of stem cell behavior relies on precise coordination of gene expression. Well-studied mechanisms include hormone signaling, transcription factor activity, and chromatin remodeling processes. Much less is known about downstream RNA-dependent mechanisms including posttranscriptional regulation, nuclear export, alternative splicing, and transcript stability. These important functions are carried out by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). Recent work has begun to explore how RBPs contribute to stem cell function and homeostasis, including their role in metabolism, transport, epigenetic regulation, and turnover of target transcripts. Additional layers of complexity are provided by the different target recognition mechanisms of each RBP as well as the posttranslational modifications of the RBPs themselves that alter function. Altogether, these functions allow RBPs to influence various aspects of RNA metabolism to regulate numerous cellular processes. Here we compile advances in RNA biology that have added to our still limited understanding of the role of RBPs in neurodevelopment.
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10
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Microtubule and Actin Cytoskeletal Dynamics in Male Meiotic Cells of Drosophila melanogaster. Cells 2022; 11:cells11040695. [PMID: 35203341 PMCID: PMC8870657 DOI: 10.3390/cells11040695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Drosophila dividing spermatocytes offer a highly suitable cell system in which to investigate the coordinated reorganization of microtubule and actin cytoskeleton systems during cell division of animal cells. Like male germ cells of mammals, Drosophila spermatogonia and spermatocytes undergo cleavage furrow ingression during cytokinesis, but abscission does not take place. Thus, clusters of primary and secondary spermatocytes undergo meiotic divisions in synchrony, resulting in cysts of 32 secondary spermatocytes and then 64 spermatids connected by specialized structures called ring canals. The meiotic spindles in Drosophila males are substantially larger than the spindles of mammalian somatic cells and exhibit prominent central spindles and contractile rings during cytokinesis. These characteristics make male meiotic cells particularly amenable to immunofluorescence and live imaging analysis of the spindle microtubules and the actomyosin apparatus during meiotic divisions. Moreover, because the spindle assembly checkpoint is not robust in spermatocytes, Drosophila male meiosis allows investigating of whether gene products required for chromosome segregation play additional roles during cytokinesis. Here, we will review how the research studies on Drosophila male meiotic cells have contributed to our knowledge of the conserved molecular pathways that regulate spindle microtubules and cytokinesis with important implications for the comprehension of cancer and other diseases.
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11
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Riccioni V, Trionfetti F, Montaldo C, Garbo S, Marocco F, Battistelli C, Marchetti A, Strippoli R, Amicone L, Cicchini C, Tripodi M. SYNCRIP Modulates the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Hepatocytes and HCC Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23020913. [PMID: 35055098 PMCID: PMC8780347 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23020913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) control gene expression by acting at multiple levels and are often deregulated in epithelial tumors; however, their roles in the fine regulation of cellular reprogramming, specifically in epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), remain largely unknown. Here, we focused on the hnRNP-Q (also known as SYNCRIP), showing by molecular analysis that in hepatocytes it acts as a “mesenchymal” gene, being induced by TGFβ and modulating the EMT. SYNCRIP silencing limits the induction of the mesenchymal program and maintains the epithelial phenotype. Notably, in HCC invasive cells, SYNCRIP knockdown induces a mesenchymal–epithelial transition (MET), negatively regulating their mesenchymal phenotype and significantly impairing their migratory capacity. In exploring possible molecular mechanisms underlying these observations, we identified a set of miRNAs (i.e., miR-181-a1-3p, miR-181-b1-3p, miR-122-5p, miR-200a-5p, and miR-let7g-5p), previously shown to exert pro- or anti-EMT activities, significantly impacted by SYNCRIP interference during EMT/MET dynamics and gathered insights, suggesting the possible involvement of this RNA binding protein in their transcriptional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Riccioni
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.R.); (F.T.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.B.); (A.M.); (R.S.); (L.A.)
| | - Flavia Trionfetti
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.R.); (F.T.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.B.); (A.M.); (R.S.); (L.A.)
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases L. Spallanzani, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy;
| | - Claudia Montaldo
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases L. Spallanzani, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy;
| | - Sabrina Garbo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.R.); (F.T.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.B.); (A.M.); (R.S.); (L.A.)
| | - Francesco Marocco
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.R.); (F.T.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.B.); (A.M.); (R.S.); (L.A.)
| | - Cecilia Battistelli
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.R.); (F.T.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.B.); (A.M.); (R.S.); (L.A.)
| | - Alessandra Marchetti
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.R.); (F.T.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.B.); (A.M.); (R.S.); (L.A.)
| | - Raffaele Strippoli
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.R.); (F.T.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.B.); (A.M.); (R.S.); (L.A.)
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases L. Spallanzani, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy;
| | - Laura Amicone
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.R.); (F.T.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.B.); (A.M.); (R.S.); (L.A.)
| | - Carla Cicchini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.R.); (F.T.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.B.); (A.M.); (R.S.); (L.A.)
- Correspondence: (C.C.); (M.T.)
| | - Marco Tripodi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.R.); (F.T.); (S.G.); (F.M.); (C.B.); (A.M.); (R.S.); (L.A.)
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases L. Spallanzani, IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy;
- Correspondence: (C.C.); (M.T.)
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12
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Rust K, Wodarz A. Transcriptional Control of Apical-Basal Polarity Regulators. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212340. [PMID: 34830224 PMCID: PMC8624420 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell polarity is essential for many functions of cells and tissues including the initial establishment and subsequent maintenance of epithelial tissues, asymmetric cell division, and morphogenetic movements. Cell polarity along the apical-basal axis is controlled by three protein complexes that interact with and co-regulate each other: The Par-, Crumbs-, and Scrib-complexes. The localization and activity of the components of these complexes is predominantly controlled by protein-protein interactions and protein phosphorylation status. Increasing evidence accumulates that, besides the regulation at the protein level, the precise expression control of polarity determinants contributes substantially to cell polarity regulation. Here we review how gene expression regulation influences processes that depend on the induction, maintenance, or abolishment of cell polarity with a special focus on epithelial to mesenchymal transition and asymmetric stem cell division. We conclude that gene expression control is an important and often neglected mechanism in the control of cell polarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Rust
- Department of Molecular Cell Physiology, Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Philipps-University, 35037 Marburg, Germany
- Correspondence: (K.R.); (A.W.)
| | - Andreas Wodarz
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute I for Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence—Cellular Stress Response in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 26, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Str. 21, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Correspondence: (K.R.); (A.W.)
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13
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Chen S, Miao B, Chen N, Chen C, Shao T, Zhang X, Chang L, Zhang X, Du Q, Huang Y, Tong D. SYNCRIP facilitates porcine parvovirus viral DNA replication through the alternative splicing of NS1 mRNA to promote NS2 mRNA formation. Vet Res 2021; 52:73. [PMID: 34034820 PMCID: PMC8152309 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-021-00938-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Porcine Parvovirus (PPV), a pathogen causing porcine reproductive disorders, encodes two capsid proteins (VP1 and VP2) and three nonstructural proteins (NS1, NS2 and SAT) in infected cells. The PPV NS2 mRNA is from NS1 mRNA after alternative splicing, yet the corresponding mechanism is unclear. In this study, we identified a PPV NS1 mRNA binding protein SYNCRIP, which belongs to the hnRNP family and has been identified to be involved in host pre-mRNA splicing by RNA-pulldown and mass spectrometry approaches. SYNCRIP was found to be significantly up-regulated by PPV infection in vivo and in vitro. We confirmed that it directly interacts with PPV NS1 mRNA and is co-localized at the cytoplasm in PPV-infected cells. Overexpression of SYNCRIP significantly reduced the NS1 mRNA and protein levels, whereas deletion of SYNCRIP significantly reduced NS2 mRNA and protein levels and the ratio of NS2 to NS1, and further impaired replication of the PPV. Furthermore, we found that SYNCRIP was able to bind the 3'-terminal site of NS1 mRNA to promote the cleavage of NS1 mRNA into NS2 mRNA. Taken together, the results presented here demonstrate that SYNCRIP is a critical molecule in the alternative splicing process of PPV mRNA, while revealing a novel function for this protein and providing a potential target of antiviral intervention for the control of porcine parvovirus disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songbiao Chen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Bichen Miao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Nannan Chen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Caiyi Chen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Ting Shao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Xuezhi Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Lingling Chang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Xiujuan Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Qian Du
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Yong Huang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
| | - Dewen Tong
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
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14
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Gillentine MA, Wang T, Hoekzema K, Rosenfeld J, Liu P, Guo H, Kim CN, De Vries BBA, Vissers LELM, Nordenskjold M, Kvarnung M, Lindstrand A, Nordgren A, Gecz J, Iascone M, Cereda A, Scatigno A, Maitz S, Zanni G, Bertini E, Zweier C, Schuhmann S, Wiesener A, Pepper M, Panjwani H, Torti E, Abid F, Anselm I, Srivastava S, Atwal P, Bacino CA, Bhat G, Cobian K, Bird LM, Friedman J, Wright MS, Callewaert B, Petit F, Mathieu S, Afenjar A, Christensen CK, White KM, Elpeleg O, Berger I, Espineli EJ, Fagerberg C, Brasch-Andersen C, Hansen LK, Feyma T, Hughes S, Thiffault I, Sullivan B, Yan S, Keller K, Keren B, Mignot C, Kooy F, Meuwissen M, Basinger A, Kukolich M, Philips M, Ortega L, Drummond-Borg M, Lauridsen M, Sorensen K, Lehman A, Lopez-Rangel E, Levy P, Lessel D, Lotze T, Madan-Khetarpal S, Sebastian J, Vento J, Vats D, Benman LM, Mckee S, Mirzaa GM, Muss C, Pappas J, Peeters H, Romano C, Elia M, Galesi O, Simon MEH, van Gassen KLI, Simpson K, Stratton R, Syed S, Thevenon J, Palafoll IV, Vitobello A, Bournez M, Faivre L, Xia K, Earl RK, Nowakowski T, Bernier RA, Eichler EE. Rare deleterious mutations of HNRNP genes result in shared neurodevelopmental disorders. Genome Med 2021; 13:63. [PMID: 33874999 PMCID: PMC8056596 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-021-00870-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND With the increasing number of genomic sequencing studies, hundreds of genes have been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). The rate of gene discovery far outpaces our understanding of genotype-phenotype correlations, with clinical characterization remaining a bottleneck for understanding NDDs. Most disease-associated Mendelian genes are members of gene families, and we hypothesize that those with related molecular function share clinical presentations. METHODS We tested our hypothesis by considering gene families that have multiple members with an enrichment of de novo variants among NDDs, as determined by previous meta-analyses. One of these gene families is the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs), which has 33 members, five of which have been recently identified as NDD genes (HNRNPK, HNRNPU, HNRNPH1, HNRNPH2, and HNRNPR) and two of which have significant enrichment in our previous meta-analysis of probands with NDDs (HNRNPU and SYNCRIP). Utilizing protein homology, mutation analyses, gene expression analyses, and phenotypic characterization, we provide evidence for variation in 12 HNRNP genes as candidates for NDDs. Seven are potentially novel while the remaining genes in the family likely do not significantly contribute to NDD risk. RESULTS We report 119 new NDD cases (64 de novo variants) through sequencing and international collaborations and combined with published clinical case reports. We consider 235 cases with gene-disruptive single-nucleotide variants or indels and 15 cases with small copy number variants. Three hnRNP-encoding genes reach nominal or exome-wide significance for de novo variant enrichment, while nine are candidates for pathogenic mutations. Comparison of HNRNP gene expression shows a pattern consistent with a role in cerebral cortical development with enriched expression among radial glial progenitors. Clinical assessment of probands (n = 188-221) expands the phenotypes associated with HNRNP rare variants, and phenotypes associated with variation in the HNRNP genes distinguishes them as a subgroup of NDDs. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our novel approach of exploiting gene families in NDDs identifies new HNRNP-related disorders, expands the phenotypes of known HNRNP-related disorders, strongly implicates disruption of the hnRNPs as a whole in NDDs, and supports that NDD subtypes likely have shared molecular pathogenesis. To date, this is the first study to identify novel genetic disorders based on the presence of disorders in related genes. We also perform the first phenotypic analyses focusing on related genes. Finally, we show that radial glial expression of these genes is likely critical during neurodevelopment. This is important for diagnostics, as well as developing strategies to best study these genes for the development of therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madelyn A Gillentine
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, 3720 15th Ave NE S413A, Box 355065, Seattle, WA, 981095-5065, USA
| | - Tianyun Wang
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, 3720 15th Ave NE S413A, Box 355065, Seattle, WA, 981095-5065, USA
| | - Kendra Hoekzema
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, 3720 15th Ave NE S413A, Box 355065, Seattle, WA, 981095-5065, USA
| | - Jill Rosenfeld
- Baylor Genetics Laboratories, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Molecular & Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Pengfei Liu
- Baylor Genetics Laboratories, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hui Guo
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, 3720 15th Ave NE S413A, Box 355065, Seattle, WA, 981095-5065, USA.,Center for Medical Genetics and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Chang N Kim
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,The Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Bert B A De Vries
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Lisenka E L M Vissers
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Magnus Nordenskjold
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Malin Kvarnung
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Lindstrand
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ann Nordgren
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jozef Gecz
- School of Medicine and the Robinson Research Institute, the University of Adelaide at the Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.,Genetics and Molecular Pathology, SA Pathology, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.,South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Maria Iascone
- Laboratorio di Genetica Medica - ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Anna Cereda
- Department of Pediatrics, ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Agnese Scatigno
- Department of Pediatrics, ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Silvia Maitz
- Genetic Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Fondazione MBBM S. Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy
| | - Ginevra Zanni
- Unit of Neuromuscular and Neurodegenerative Disorders, Department Neurosciences, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, 00146, Rome, Italy
| | - Enrico Bertini
- Unit of Neuromuscular and Neurodegenerative Disorders, Department Neurosciences, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, 00146, Rome, Italy
| | - Christiane Zweier
- Institute of Human Genetics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Sarah Schuhmann
- Institute of Human Genetics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Antje Wiesener
- Institute of Human Genetics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Micah Pepper
- Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Seattle Children's Autism Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Heena Panjwani
- Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Seattle Children's Autism Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Farida Abid
- Department of Pediatrics-Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.,Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Irina Anselm
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Siddharth Srivastava
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paldeep Atwal
- The Atwal Clinic: Genomic & Personalized Medicine, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Carlos A Bacino
- Department of Molecular & Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gifty Bhat
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Katherine Cobian
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lynne M Bird
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.,Genetics/Dysmorphology, Rady Children's Hospital San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer Friedman
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.,Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine, San Diego, CA, USA.,Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Meredith S Wright
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.,Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Bert Callewaert
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Florence Petit
- Clinique de Génétique, Hôpital Jeanne de Flandre, Bâtiment Modulaire, CHU, 59037, Lille Cedex, France
| | - Sophie Mathieu
- Sorbonne Universités, Centre de Référence déficiences intellectuelles de causes rares, département de génétique et embryologie médicale, Hôpital Trousseau, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Alexandra Afenjar
- Sorbonne Universités, Centre de Référence déficiences intellectuelles de causes rares, département de génétique et embryologie médicale, Hôpital Trousseau, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Celenie K Christensen
- Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Kerry M White
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, IU Health, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Orly Elpeleg
- Department of Genetics, Hadassah, Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Itai Berger
- Pediatric Neurology, Assuta-Ashdod University Hospital, Ashdod, Israel.,Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Edward J Espineli
- Department of Pediatrics-Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.,Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Christina Fagerberg
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | | | | | - Timothy Feyma
- Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Susan Hughes
- Division of Clinical Genetics, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA.,The University of Missouri-Kansas City, School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Isabelle Thiffault
- The University of Missouri-Kansas City, School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO, USA.,Children's Mercy Kansas City, Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Bonnie Sullivan
- Division of Clinical Genetics, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Shuang Yan
- Division of Clinical Genetics, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Kory Keller
- Oregon Health & Science University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Boris Keren
- Department of Genetics, Hópital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Cyril Mignot
- Department of Genetics, Hópital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Frank Kooy
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marije Meuwissen
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Alice Basinger
- Genetics Department, Cook Children's Hospital, Fort Worth, TX, USA
| | - Mary Kukolich
- Genetics Department, Cook Children's Hospital, Fort Worth, TX, USA
| | - Meredith Philips
- Genetics Department, Cook Children's Hospital, Fort Worth, TX, USA
| | - Lucia Ortega
- Genetics Department, Cook Children's Hospital, Fort Worth, TX, USA
| | | | - Mathilde Lauridsen
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Kristina Sorensen
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Anna Lehman
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital and BC Women's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | - Elena Lopez-Rangel
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Division of Developmental Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Paul Levy
- Department of Pediatrics, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Davor Lessel
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Timothy Lotze
- Department of Pediatrics-Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Suneeta Madan-Khetarpal
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jessica Sebastian
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jodie Vento
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Divya Vats
- Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Shane Mckee
- Northern Ireland Regional Genetics Service, Belfast City Hospital, Belfast, UK
| | - Ghayda M Mirzaa
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Candace Muss
- Al Dupont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE, USA
| | - John Pappas
- NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Clinical Genetic Services, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hilde Peeters
- Center for Human Genetics, KU Leuven and Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), Leuven, Belgium
| | | | | | | | - Marleen E H Simon
- Department of Genetics, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Koen L I van Gassen
- Department of Genetics, University Medical Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Kara Simpson
- Rare Disease Institute, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Robert Stratton
- Department of Genetics, Driscoll Children's Hospital, Corpus Christi, TX, USA
| | - Sabeen Syed
- Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Driscoll Children's Hospital, Corpus Christi, TX, USA
| | - Julien Thevenon
- Àrea de Genètica Clínica i Molecular, Hospital Vall d'Hebrón, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Antonio Vitobello
- UF Innovation en Diagnostic Génomique des Maladies Rares, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon Bourgogne and INSERM UMR1231 GAD, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, F-21000, Dijon, France.,INSERM UMR 1231 Génétique des Anomalies du Développement, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Marie Bournez
- Centre de Référence Maladies Rares « déficience intellectuelle », Centre de Génétique, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon Bourgogne, Dijon, France.,Centre de Référence Maladies Rares « Anomalies du Développement et Syndromes malformatifs » Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Laurence Faivre
- INSERM UMR 1231 Génétique des Anomalies du Développement, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France.,Centre de Référence Maladies Rares « Anomalies du Développement et Syndromes malformatifs » Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Kun Xia
- Center for Medical Genetics and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | | | - Rachel K Earl
- Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Seattle Children's Autism Center, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Tomasz Nowakowski
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,The Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Raphael A Bernier
- Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Seattle Children's Autism Center, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Evan E Eichler
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, 3720 15th Ave NE S413A, Box 355065, Seattle, WA, 981095-5065, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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15
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RNA-binding protein syncrip regulates starvation-induced hyperactivity in adult Drosophila. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009396. [PMID: 33617535 PMCID: PMC7932510 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
How to respond to starvation determines fitness. One prominent behavioral response is increased locomotor activities upon starvation, also known as Starvation-Induced Hyperactivity (SIH). SIH is paradoxical as it promotes food seeking but also increases energy expenditure. Despite its importance in fitness, the genetic contributions to SIH as a behavioral trait remains unexplored. Here, we examined SIH in the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) and performed genome-wide association studies. We identified 23 significant loci, corresponding to 14 genes, significantly associated with SIH in adult Drosophila. Gene enrichment analyses indicated that genes encoding ion channels and mRNA binding proteins (RBPs) were most enriched in SIH. We are especially interested in RBPs because they provide a potential mechanism to quickly change protein expression in response to environmental challenges. Using RNA interference, we validated the role of syp in regulating SIH. syp encodes Syncrip (Syp), an RBP. While ubiquitous knockdown of syp led to semi-lethality in adult flies, adult flies with neuron-specific syp knockdown were viable and exhibited decreased SIH. Using the Temporal and Regional Gene Expression Targeting (TARGET) system, we further confirmed the role of Syp in adult neurons in regulating SIH. To determine how syp is regulated by starvation, we performed RNA-seq using the heads of flies maintained under either food or starvation conditions. RNA-seq analyses revealed that syp was alternatively spliced under starvation while its expression level was unchanged. We further generated an alternatively-spliced-exon-specific knockout (KO) line and found that KO flies showed reduced SIH. Together, this study demonstrates a significant genetic contribution to SIH as a behavioral trait, identifies syp as a SIH gene, and highlights the significance of RBPs and post-transcriptional processes in the brain in regulating behavioral responses to starvation. Animals living in the wild often face periods of starvation. How to physiologically and behaviorally respond to starvation is essential for survival. One behavioral response is Starvation-Induced Hyperactivity (SIH). We used the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel, derived from a wild population, to study the genetic basis of SIH. Our results show that there is a significant genetic contribution to SIH in this population, and that genes encoding RNA binding proteins (RBPs) are especially important. Using RNA interference and the TARGET system, we confirmed the role of an RBP Syp in adult neurons in SIH. Using RNA-seq and Western blotting, we found that syp was alternatively spliced under starvation while its expression level was unchanged. Further studies from syp exon-specific knockout flies showed that alternative splicing involving two exons in syp was important for SIH. Together, this study identifies syp as a SIH gene and highlights an essential role of post-transcriptional modification in regulating this behavior.
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16
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Identification of RNA-binding proteins that partner with Lin28a to regulate Dnmt3a expression. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2345. [PMID: 33504840 PMCID: PMC7841167 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81429-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Lin28 is an evolutionary conserved RNA-binding protein that plays important roles during embryonic development and tumorigenesis. It regulates gene expression through two different post-transcriptional mechanisms. The first one is based on the regulation of miRNA biogenesis, in particular that of the let-7 family, whose expression is suppressed by Lin28. Thus, loss of Lin28 leads to the upregulation of mRNAs that are targets of let-7 species. The second mechanism is based on the direct interaction of Lin28 with a large number of mRNAs, which results in the regulation of their translation. This second mechanism remains poorly understood. To address this issue, we purified high molecular weight complexes containing Lin28a in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Numerous proteins, co-purified with Lin28a, were identified by proteomic procedures and tested for their possible role in Lin28a-dependent regulation of the mRNA encoding DNA methyltransferase 3a (Dnmt3a). The results show that Lin28a activity is dependent on many proteins, including three helicases and four RNA-binding proteins. The suppression of four of these proteins, namely Ddx3x, Hnrnph1, Hnrnpu or Syncrip, interferes with the binding of Lin28a to the Dnmt3a mRNA, thus suggesting that they are part of an oligomeric ribonucleoprotein complex that is necessary for Lin28a activity.
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17
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Khudayberdiev S, Soutschek M, Ammann I, Heinze A, Rust MB, Baumeister S, Schratt G. The cytoplasmic SYNCRIP mRNA interactome of mammalian neurons. RNA Biol 2020; 18:1252-1264. [PMID: 33030396 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2020.1830553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
Abstract
SYNCRIP, a member of the cellular heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) family of RNA binding proteins, regulates various aspects of neuronal development and plasticity. Although SYNCRIP has been identified as a component of cytoplasmic RNA granules in dendrites of mammalian neurons, only little is known about the specific SYNCRIP target mRNAs that mediate its effect on neuronal morphogenesis and function. Here, we present a comprehensive characterization of the cytoplasmic SYNCRIP mRNA interactome using iCLIP in primary rat cortical neurons. We identify hundreds of bona fide SYNCRIP target mRNAs, many of which encode for proteins involved in neurogenesis, neuronal migration and neurite outgrowth. From our analysis, the stabilization of mRNAs encoding for components of the microtubule network, such as doublecortin (Dcx), emerges as a novel mechanism of SYNCRIP function in addition to the previously reported control of actin dynamics. Furthermore, we found that SYNCRIP synergizes with pro-neural miRNAs, such as miR-9. Thus, SYNCRIP appears to promote early neuronal differentiation by a two-tier mechanism involving the stabilization of pro-neural mRNAs by direct 3'UTR interaction and the repression of anti-neural mRNAs in a complex with neuronal miRISC. Together, our findings provide a rationale for future studies investigating the function of SYNCRIP in mammalian brain development and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharof Khudayberdiev
- Institute for Physiological Chemistry, Biochemical-Pharmacological Center Marburg, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Michael Soutschek
- Lab of Systems Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Health Science and Technology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Irina Ammann
- Lab of Systems Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Health Science and Technology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anika Heinze
- Institute for Physiological Chemistry, Biochemical-Pharmacological Center Marburg, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Marco B Rust
- Institute for Physiological Chemistry, Biochemical-Pharmacological Center Marburg, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Baumeister
- Fachbereich Biologie - Protein Analytik, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Gerhard Schratt
- Lab of Systems Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Health Science and Technology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
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18
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Titlow J, Robertson F, Järvelin A, Ish-Horowicz D, Smith C, Gratton E, Davis I. Syncrip/hnRNP Q is required for activity-induced Msp300/Nesprin-1 expression and new synapse formation. J Cell Biol 2020; 219:133707. [PMID: 32040548 PMCID: PMC7055005 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201903135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Memory and learning involve activity-driven expression of proteins and cytoskeletal reorganization at new synapses, requiring posttranscriptional regulation of localized mRNA a long distance from corresponding nuclei. A key factor expressed early in synapse formation is Msp300/Nesprin-1, which organizes actin filaments around the new synapse. How Msp300 expression is regulated during synaptic plasticity is poorly understood. Here, we show that activity-dependent accumulation of Msp300 in the postsynaptic compartment of the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction is regulated by the conserved RNA binding protein Syncrip/hnRNP Q. Syncrip (Syp) binds to msp300 transcripts and is essential for plasticity. Single-molecule imaging shows that msp300 is associated with Syp in vivo and forms ribosome-rich granules that contain the translation factor eIF4E. Elevated neural activity alters the dynamics of Syp and the number of msp300:Syp:eIF4E RNP granules at the synapse, suggesting that these particles facilitate translation. These results introduce Syp as an important early acting activity-dependent regulator of a plasticity gene that is strongly associated with human ataxias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Titlow
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Aino Järvelin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - David Ish-Horowicz
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Medical Research Council Lab for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Carlas Smith
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Enrico Gratton
- Laboratory for Fluorescence Dynamics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA
| | - Ilan Davis
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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19
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Hailstone M, Waithe D, Samuels TJ, Yang L, Costello I, Arava Y, Robertson E, Parton RM, Davis I. CytoCensus, mapping cell identity and division in tissues and organs using machine learning. eLife 2020; 9:e51085. [PMID: 32423529 PMCID: PMC7237217 DOI: 10.7554/elife.51085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
A major challenge in cell and developmental biology is the automated identification and quantitation of cells in complex multilayered tissues. We developed CytoCensus: an easily deployed implementation of supervised machine learning that extends convenient 2D 'point-and-click' user training to 3D detection of cells in challenging datasets with ill-defined cell boundaries. In tests on such datasets, CytoCensus outperforms other freely available image analysis software in accuracy and speed of cell detection. We used CytoCensus to count stem cells and their progeny, and to quantify individual cell divisions from time-lapse movies of explanted Drosophila larval brains, comparing wild-type and mutant phenotypes. We further illustrate the general utility and future potential of CytoCensus by analysing the 3D organisation of multiple cell classes in Zebrafish retinal organoids and cell distributions in mouse embryos. CytoCensus opens the possibility of straightforward and robust automated analysis of developmental phenotypes in complex tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Hailstone
- Department of Biochemistry, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Dominic Waithe
- Wolfson Imaging Center & MRC WIMM Centre for Computational Biology MRC Weather all Institute of Molecular Medicine University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Tamsin J Samuels
- Department of Biochemistry, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Lu Yang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Ita Costello
- The Dunn School of Pathology,University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Yoav Arava
- Department of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of TechnologyHaifaIsrael
| | | | - Richard M Parton
- Department of Biochemistry, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Micron Advanced Bioimaging Unit, Department of Biochemistry, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Ilan Davis
- Department of Biochemistry, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Micron Advanced Bioimaging Unit, Department of Biochemistry, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
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20
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Samuels TJ, Arava Y, Järvelin AI, Robertson F, Lee JY, Yang L, Yang CP, Lee T, Ish-Horowicz D, Davis I. Neuronal upregulation of Prospero protein is driven by alternative mRNA polyadenylation and Syncrip-mediated mRNA stabilisation. Biol Open 2020; 9:bio049684. [PMID: 32205310 PMCID: PMC7225087 DOI: 10.1242/bio.049684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
During Drosophila and vertebrate brain development, the conserved transcription factor Prospero/Prox1 is an important regulator of the transition between proliferation and differentiation. Prospero level is low in neural stem cells and their immediate progeny, but is upregulated in larval neurons and it is unknown how this process is controlled. Here, we use single molecule fluorescent in situ hybridisation to show that larval neurons selectively transcribe a long prospero mRNA isoform containing a 15 kb 3' untranslated region, which is bound in the brain by the conserved RNA-binding protein Syncrip/hnRNPQ. Syncrip binding increases the stability of the long prospero mRNA isoform, which allows an upregulation of Prospero protein production. Adult flies selectively lacking the long prospero isoform show abnormal behaviour that could result from impaired locomotor or neurological activity. Our findings highlight a regulatory strategy involving alternative polyadenylation followed by differential post-transcriptional regulation.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamsin J Samuels
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Yoav Arava
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Department of Biology Technion, Haifa, 32000, Israel
| | - Aino I Järvelin
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | | | - Jeffrey Y Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Lu Yang
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Ching-Po Yang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA, 20147 USA
| | - Tzumin Lee
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA, 20147 USA
| | - David Ish-Horowicz
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College, London, WC1E 6BT UK
| | - Ilan Davis
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
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21
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Chen Y, Chan J, Chen W, Li J, Sun M, Kannan GS, Mok YK, Yuan YA, Jobichen C. SYNCRIP, a new player in pri-let-7a processing. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2020; 26:290-305. [PMID: 31907208 PMCID: PMC7025501 DOI: 10.1261/rna.072959.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small and endogenous molecules that control gene expression, are broadly involved in biological processes. Although a number of cofactors that assist or antagonize let-7 miRNA biogenesis are well-established, more auxiliary factors remain to be investigated. Here, we identified SYNCRIP (Synaptotagmin Binding Cytoplasmic RNA Interacting Protein) as a new player for let-7a miRNA. SYNCRIP interacts with pri-let-7a both in vivo and in vitro. Knockdown of SYNCRIP impairs, while overexpression of SYNCRIP promotes, the expression of let-7a miRNA. A broad miRNA profiling analysis revealed that silencing of SYNCRIP regulates the expression of a set of mature miRNAs positively or negatively. In addition, SYNCRIP is associated with microprocessor complex and promotes the processing of pri-let-7a. Strikingly, the terminal loop of pri-let-7a was shown to be the main contributor for its interaction with SYNCRIP. Functional studies demonstrated that the SYNCRIP RRM2-3 domain can promote the processing of pri-let-7a. Structure-based alignment of RRM2-3 with other RNA binding proteins identified the residues likely to participate in protein-RNA interactions. Taken together, these findings suggest the promising role that SYNCRIP plays in miRNA regulation, thus providing insights into the function of SYNCRIP in eukaryotic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Chen
- Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Jingru Chan
- Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Jianwei Li
- Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Meng Sun
- Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Gayathiri Sathyamoorthy Kannan
- Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Yu-Keung Mok
- Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Yuren Adam Yuan
- Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
- National University of Singapore (Suzhou) Research Institute, Suzhou Industrial Park, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Chacko Jobichen
- Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
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22
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Samuels TJ, Järvelin AI, Ish-Horowicz D, Davis I. Imp/IGF2BP levels modulate individual neural stem cell growth and division through myc mRNA stability. eLife 2020; 9:e51529. [PMID: 31934860 PMCID: PMC7025822 DOI: 10.7554/elife.51529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The numerous neurons and glia that form the brain originate from tightly controlled growth and division of neural stem cells, regulated systemically by important known stem cell-extrinsic signals. However, the cell-intrinsic mechanisms that control the distinctive proliferation rates of individual neural stem cells are unknown. Here, we show that the size and division rates of Drosophila neural stem cells (neuroblasts) are controlled by the highly conserved RNA binding protein Imp (IGF2BP), via one of its top binding targets in the brain, myc mRNA. We show that Imp stabilises myc mRNA leading to increased Myc protein levels, larger neuroblasts, and faster division rates. Declining Imp levels throughout development limit myc mRNA stability to restrain neuroblast growth and division, and heterogeneous Imp expression correlates with myc mRNA stability between individual neuroblasts in the brain. We propose that Imp-dependent regulation of myc mRNA stability fine-tunes individual neural stem cell proliferation rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamsin J Samuels
- Department of BiochemistryThe University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Aino I Järvelin
- Department of BiochemistryThe University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - David Ish-Horowicz
- Department of BiochemistryThe University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell BiologyUniversity CollegeLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Ilan Davis
- Department of BiochemistryThe University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
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23
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Sechi S, Frappaolo A, Karimpour-Ghahnavieh A, Gottardo M, Burla R, Di Francesco L, Szafer-Glusman E, Schininà E, Fuller MT, Saggio I, Riparbelli MG, Callaini G, Giansanti MG. Drosophila Doublefault protein coordinates multiple events during male meiosis by controlling mRNA translation. Development 2019; 146:dev.183053. [PMID: 31645358 DOI: 10.1242/dev.183053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
During the extended prophase of Drosophila gametogenesis, spermatocytes undergo robust gene transcription and store many transcripts in the cytoplasm in a repressed state, until translational activation of select mRNAs in later steps of spermatogenesis. Here, we characterize the Drosophila Doublefault (Dbf) protein as a C2H2 zinc-finger protein, primarily expressed in testes, that is required for normal meiotic division and spermiogenesis. Loss of Dbf causes premature centriole disengagement and affects spindle structure, chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. We show that Dbf interacts with the RNA-binding protein Syncrip/hnRNPQ, a key regulator of localized translation in Drosophila We propose that the pleiotropic effects of dbf loss-of-function mutants are associated with the requirement of dbf function for translation of specific transcripts in spermatocytes. In agreement with this hypothesis, Dbf protein binds cyclin B mRNA and is essential for translation of cyclin B in mature spermatocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Sechi
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari del CNR, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Anna Frappaolo
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari del CNR, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Angela Karimpour-Ghahnavieh
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari del CNR, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Marco Gottardo
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università di Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Romina Burla
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Laura Di Francesco
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Edith Szafer-Glusman
- Departments of Developmental Biology and Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5329, USA
| | - Eugenia Schininà
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Margaret T Fuller
- Departments of Developmental Biology and Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5329, USA
| | - Isabella Saggio
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | | | - Giuliano Callaini
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche, Università di Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Giansanti
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari del CNR, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
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24
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Liu LY, Long X, Yang CP, Miyares RL, Sugino K, Singer RH, Lee T. Mamo decodes hierarchical temporal gradients into terminal neuronal fate. eLife 2019; 8:e48056. [PMID: 31545163 PMCID: PMC6764822 DOI: 10.7554/elife.48056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Temporal patterning is a seminal method of expanding neuronal diversity. Here we unravel a mechanism decoding neural stem cell temporal gene expression and transforming it into discrete neuronal fates. This mechanism is characterized by hierarchical gene expression. First, Drosophila neuroblasts express opposing temporal gradients of RNA-binding proteins, Imp and Syp. These proteins promote or inhibit chinmo translation, yielding a descending neuronal gradient. Together, first and second-layer temporal factors define a temporal expression window of BTB-zinc finger nuclear protein, Mamo. The precise temporal induction of Mamo is achieved via both transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation. Finally, Mamo is essential for the temporally defined, terminal identity of α'/β' mushroom body neurons and identity maintenance. We describe a straightforward paradigm of temporal fate specification where diverse neuronal fates are defined via integrating multiple layers of gene regulation. The neurodevelopmental roles of orthologous/related mammalian genes suggest a fundamental conservation of this mechanism in brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Yu Liu
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research CampusAshburnUnited States
| | - Xi Long
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research CampusAshburnUnited States
| | - Ching-Po Yang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research CampusAshburnUnited States
| | - Rosa L Miyares
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research CampusAshburnUnited States
| | - Ken Sugino
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research CampusAshburnUnited States
| | - Robert H Singer
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research CampusAshburnUnited States
- Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology, Gruss Lipper Biophotonics CenterAlbert Einstein College of MedicineNew YorkUnited States
- Dominick P Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Gruss Lipper Biophotonics CenterAlbert Einstein College of MedicineNew YorkUnited States
| | - Tzumin Lee
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research CampusAshburnUnited States
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25
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Sapir T, Segal M, Grigoryan G, Hansson KM, James P, Segal M, Reiner O. The Interactome of Palmitoyl-Protein Thioesterase 1 (PPT1) Affects Neuronal Morphology and Function. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:92. [PMID: 30918483 PMCID: PMC6424868 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Palmitoyl-protein thioesterase 1 (PPT1) is a depalmitoylation enzyme that is mutated in cases of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL). The hallmarks of the disease include progressive neurodegeneration and blindness, as well as seizures. In the current study, we identified 62 high-confident PPT1-binding proteins. These proteins included a self-interaction of PPT1, two V-type ATPases, calcium voltage-gated channels, cytoskeletal proteins and others. Pathway analysis suggested their involvement in seizures and neuronal morphology. We then proceeded to demonstrate that hippocampal neurons from Ppt1−/− mice exhibit structural deficits, and further investigated electrophysiology parameters in the hippocampi of mutant mice, both in brain slices and dissociated postnatal primary cultures. Our studies reveal new mechanistic features involved in the pathophysiology of this devastating neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamar Sapir
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Michal Segal
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Gayane Grigoryan
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Karin M Hansson
- Department of Immunotechnology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Peter James
- Department of Immunotechnology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Turku Centre for Biotechnology (BTK), University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Menahem Segal
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Orly Reiner
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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26
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Nikonova E, Kao SY, Ravichandran K, Wittner A, Spletter ML. Conserved functions of RNA-binding proteins in muscle. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2019; 110:29-49. [PMID: 30818081 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2019.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Animals require different types of muscle for survival, for example for circulation, motility, reproduction and digestion. Much emphasis in the muscle field has been placed on understanding how transcriptional regulation generates diverse types of muscle during development. Recent work indicates that alternative splicing and RNA regulation are as critical to muscle development, and altered function of RNA-binding proteins causes muscle disease. Although hundreds of genes predicted to bind RNA are expressed in muscles, many fewer have been functionally characterized. We present a cross-species view summarizing what is known about RNA-binding protein function in muscle, from worms and flies to zebrafish, mice and humans. In particular, we focus on alternative splicing regulated by the CELF, MBNL and RBFOX families of proteins. We discuss the systemic nature of diseases associated with loss of RNA-binding proteins in muscle, focusing on mis-regulation of CELF and MBNL in myotonic dystrophy. These examples illustrate the conservation of RNA-binding protein function and the marked utility of genetic model systems in understanding mechanisms of RNA regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Nikonova
- Biomedical Center, Department of Physiological Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University München, Großhaderner Str. 9, 82152, Martinsried-Planegg, Germany
| | - Shao-Yen Kao
- Biomedical Center, Department of Physiological Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University München, Großhaderner Str. 9, 82152, Martinsried-Planegg, Germany
| | - Keshika Ravichandran
- Biomedical Center, Department of Physiological Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University München, Großhaderner Str. 9, 82152, Martinsried-Planegg, Germany
| | - Anja Wittner
- Biomedical Center, Department of Physiological Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University München, Großhaderner Str. 9, 82152, Martinsried-Planegg, Germany
| | - Maria L Spletter
- Biomedical Center, Department of Physiological Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University München, Großhaderner Str. 9, 82152, Martinsried-Planegg, Germany; Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich (CIPSM) at the Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
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27
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Harding K, White K. Drosophila as a Model for Developmental Biology: Stem Cell-Fate Decisions in the Developing Nervous System. J Dev Biol 2018; 6:E25. [PMID: 30347666 PMCID: PMC6315890 DOI: 10.3390/jdb6040025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Revised: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Stem cells face a diversity of choices throughout their lives. At specific times, they may decide to initiate cell division, terminal differentiation, or apoptosis, or they may enter a quiescent non-proliferative state. Neural stem cells in the Drosophila central nervous system do all of these, at stereotypical times and anatomical positions during development. Distinct populations of neural stem cells offer a unique system to investigate the regulation of a particular stem cell behavior, while comparisons between populations can lead us to a broader understanding of stem cell identity. Drosophila is a well-described and genetically tractable model for studying fundamental stem cell behavior and the mechanisms that underlie cell-fate decisions. This review will focus on recent advances in our understanding of the factors that contribute to distinct stem cell-fate decisions within the context of the Drosophila nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Harding
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Kristin White
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA.
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28
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Cappelli S, Romano M, Buratti E. Systematic Analysis of Gene Expression Profiles Controlled by hnRNP Q and hnRNP R, Two Closely Related Human RNA Binding Proteins Implicated in mRNA Processing Mechanisms. Front Mol Biosci 2018; 5:79. [PMID: 30214903 PMCID: PMC6125337 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2018.00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Heteregeneous ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) are a family of RNA-binding proteins that take part in all processes that involve mRNA maturation. As a consequence, alterations of their homeostasis may lead to many complex pathological disorders, such as neurodegeneration and cancer. For many of these proteins, however, their exact function and cellular targets are still not very well known. Here, we focused the attention on two hnRNP family members, hnRNP Q and hnRNP R, that we previously found affecting TDP-43 activity both in Drosophila melanogaster and human neuronal cell line. Classification of these two human proteins as paralogs is suported by the high level of sequence homology and by the observation that in fly they correspond to the same protein, namely Syp. We profiled differentially expressed genes from RNA-Seq and generated functional enrichment results after silencing of hnRNP Q and hnRNP R in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. Interestingly, despite their high sequence similarity, these two proteins were found to affect different cellular pathways, especially with regards to neurodegeneration, such as PENK, NGR3, RAB26, JAG1, as well as inflammatory response, such as TNF, ICAM1, ICAM5, and TNFRSF9. In conclusion, human hnRNP Q and hnRNP R may be considered potentially important regulators of neuronal homeostasis and their disruption could impair distinct pathways in the central nervous system axis, thus confirming the importance of their conservation during evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Cappelli
- Molecular Pathology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
| | - Maurizio Romano
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Emanuele Buratti
- Molecular Pathology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
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Landskron L, Steinmann V, Bonnay F, Burkard TR, Steinmann J, Reichardt I, Harzer H, Laurenson AS, Reichert H, Knoblich JA. The asymmetrically segregating lncRNA cherub is required for transforming stem cells into malignant cells. eLife 2018; 7:31347. [PMID: 29580384 PMCID: PMC5871330 DOI: 10.7554/elife.31347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor cells display features that are not found in healthy cells. How they become immortal and how their specific features can be exploited to combat tumorigenesis are key questions in tumor biology. Here we describe the long non-coding RNA cherub that is critically required for the development of brain tumors in Drosophila but is dispensable for normal development. In mitotic Drosophila neural stem cells, cherub localizes to the cell periphery and segregates into the differentiating daughter cell. During tumorigenesis, de-differentiation of cherub-high cells leads to the formation of tumorigenic stem cells that accumulate abnormally high cherub levels. We show that cherub establishes a molecular link between the RNA-binding proteins Staufen and Syncrip. As Syncrip is part of the molecular machinery specifying temporal identity in neural stem cells, we propose that tumor cells proliferate indefinitely, because cherub accumulation no longer allows them to complete their temporal neurogenesis program. Many biological signals control how cells grow and divide. However, cancer cells do not obey these growth-restricting signals, and as a result large tumors may develop. Recent experiments have suggested that stem cells – the precursors to the different types of specialized cells found in the body – are particularly important for generating tumors. A stem cell normally divides unequally to form a self-renewing cell and a more specialized cell (often a progenitor cell that will give rise to increasingly specialized cell types). The timing of when the specialization occurs can be key to guiding the ultimately produced cell progenies to their final identity. However, in a tumor cells can retain the ability to self-renew. Ultimately, the resulting ‘tumor stem cells’ become immortal and proliferate indefinitely. It is not fully understood why this uncontrolled proliferation occurs. Just like mammals (including humans), fruit flies can develop tumors. Some of the DNA mutations responsible for tumor development were already identified in flies as early as in the 1970s. This has made fruit flies a well-studied model system for uncovering the principle defects that cause tumors to form. Landskron et al. have now studied the neural stem cells found in brain tumors in fruit flies. Additional DNA mutations were not responsible for these cells becoming immortal. Instead, certain RNA molecules – products that are ‘transcribed’ from the DNA – were present in different amounts in tumor cells. The RNA that showed the greatest increase in tumor cells is a so-called long non-coding RNA named cherub. This RNA molecule has no important role in normal fruit flies, but is critical for tumor formation. Landskron et al. found that during cell division cherub segregates from the neural stem cells to the newly formed progenitor cells, where it breaks down over time. Progenitor cells that contain high levels of cherub give rise to tumor-generating neural stem cells. At the molecular level, cherubhelps two proteins to interact with each other: one called Syncrip that makes the neural stem cells take on a older identity, and another one (Staufen) that tethers it to the cell membrane. By restricting Syncrip to a particular location in the cell, cherub alters the timing of stem cell specialization, which contributes to tumor formation. Overall, the results presented by Landskron et al. reveal a new role for long non-coding RNAs: controlling the localization of the proteins that determine the fate of the cell. They also highlight a critical link between the timing of stem cell development and the proliferation of the cells. Further work is now needed to test whether the same control mechanism works in species other than fruit flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Landskron
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Victoria Steinmann
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Francois Bonnay
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas R Burkard
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jonas Steinmann
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ilka Reichardt
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Heike Harzer
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - Jürgen A Knoblich
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
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30
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Cheng X, Zheng J, Li G, Göbel V, Zhang H. Degradation for better survival? Role of ubiquitination in epithelial morphogenesis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 93:1438-1460. [PMID: 29493067 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2017] [Revised: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
As a prevalent post-translational modification, ubiquitination is essential for many developmental processes. Once covalently attached to the small and conserved polypeptide ubiquitin (Ub), a substrate protein can be directed to perform specific biological functions via its Ub-modified form. Three sequential catalytic reactions contribute to this process, among which E3 ligases serve to identify target substrates and promote the activated Ub to conjugate to substrate proteins. Ubiquitination has great plasticity, with diverse numbers, topologies and modifications of Ub chains conjugated at different substrate residues adding a layer of complexity that facilitates a huge range of cellular functions. Herein, we highlight key advances in the understanding of ubiquitination in epithelial morphogenesis, with an emphasis on the latest insights into its roles in cellular events involved in polarized epithelial tissue, including cell adhesion, asymmetric localization of polarity determinants and cytoskeletal organization. In addition, the physiological roles of ubiquitination are discussed for typical examples of epithelial morphogenesis, such as lung branching, vascular development and synaptic formation and plasticity. Our increased understanding of ubiquitination in epithelial morphogenesis may provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying epithelial regeneration and maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxiang Cheng
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau 999078, China
| | - Jun Zheng
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau 999078, China
| | - Gang Li
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau 999078, China
| | - Verena Göbel
- Department of Pediatrics, Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114,, U.S.A
| | - Hongjie Zhang
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau 999078, China
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31
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Hobor F, Dallmann A, Ball NJ, Cicchini C, Battistelli C, Ogrodowicz RW, Christodoulou E, Martin SR, Castello A, Tripodi M, Taylor IA, Ramos A. A cryptic RNA-binding domain mediates Syncrip recognition and exosomal partitioning of miRNA targets. Nat Commun 2018; 9:831. [PMID: 29483512 PMCID: PMC5827114 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03182-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Exosomal miRNA transfer is a mechanism for cell-cell communication that is important in the immune response, in the functioning of the nervous system and in cancer. Syncrip/hnRNPQ is a highly conserved RNA-binding protein that mediates the exosomal partition of a set of miRNAs. Here, we report that Syncrip's amino-terminal domain, which was previously thought to mediate protein-protein interactions, is a cryptic, conserved and sequence-specific RNA-binding domain, designated NURR (N-terminal unit for RNA recognition). The NURR domain mediates the specific recognition of a short hEXO sequence defining Syncrip exosomal miRNA targets, and is coupled by a non-canonical structural element to Syncrip's RRM domains to achieve high-affinity miRNA binding. As a consequence, Syncrip-mediated selection of the target miRNAs implies both recognition of the hEXO sequence by the NURR domain and binding of the RRM domains 5' to this sequence. This structural arrangement enables Syncrip-mediated selection of miRNAs with different seed sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fruzsina Hobor
- Research Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6XA, UK
- School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Andre Dallmann
- Research Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6XA, UK
- Department of Chemistry, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Brook-Taylor-Street 2, 12489, Berlin, Germany
| | - Neil J Ball
- Macromolecular Structure Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Carla Cicchini
- Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Haematology, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Cecilia Battistelli
- Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Haematology, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Roksana W Ogrodowicz
- Structural Biology Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Evangelos Christodoulou
- Structural Biology Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Stephen R Martin
- Structural Biology Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Alfredo Castello
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Marco Tripodi
- Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Haematology, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Ian A Taylor
- Macromolecular Structure Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK.
| | - Andres Ramos
- Research Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6XA, UK.
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32
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Appocher C, Mohagheghi F, Cappelli S, Stuani C, Romano M, Feiguin F, Buratti E. Major hnRNP proteins act as general TDP-43 functional modifiers both in Drosophila and human neuronal cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:8026-8045. [PMID: 28575377 PMCID: PMC5570092 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuclear factor TDP-43 is known to play an important role in several neurodegenerative pathologies. In general, TDP-43 is an abundant protein within the eukaryotic nucleus that binds to many coding and non-coding RNAs and influence their processing. Using Drosophila, we have performed a functional screening to establish the ability of major hnRNP proteins to affect TDP-43 overexpression/depletion phenotypes. Interestingly, we observed that lowering hnRNP and TDP-43 expression has a generally harmful effect on flies locomotor abilities. In parallel, our study has also identified a distinct set of hnRNPs that is capable of powerfully rescuing TDP-43 toxicity in the fly eye (Hrb27c, CG42458, Glo and Syp). Most importantly, removing the human orthologs of Hrb27c (DAZAP1) in human neuronal cell lines can correct several pre-mRNA splicing events altered by TDP-43 depletion. Moreover, using RNA sequencing analysis we show that DAZAP1 and TDP-43 can co-regulate an extensive number of biological processes and molecular functions potentially important for the neuron/motor neuron pathophysiology. Our results suggest that changes in hnRNP expression levels can significantly modulate TDP-43 functions and affect pathological outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Appocher
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), 34149 Trieste, Italy
| | - Fatemeh Mohagheghi
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), 34149 Trieste, Italy
| | - Sara Cappelli
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), 34149 Trieste, Italy
| | - Cristiana Stuani
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), 34149 Trieste, Italy
| | - Maurizio Romano
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Via A. Valerio 28, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Fabian Feiguin
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), 34149 Trieste, Italy
| | - Emanuele Buratti
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), 34149 Trieste, Italy
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Yang CP, Samuels TJ, Huang Y, Yang L, Ish-Horowicz D, Davis I, Lee T. Imp and Syp RNA-binding proteins govern decommissioning of Drosophila neural stem cells. Development 2017; 144:3454-3464. [PMID: 28851709 PMCID: PMC5665480 DOI: 10.1242/dev.149500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The termination of the proliferation of Drosophila neural stem cells, also known as neuroblasts (NBs), requires a ‘decommissioning’ phase that is controlled in a lineage-specific manner. Most NBs, with the exception of those of the mushroom body (MB), are decommissioned by the ecdysone receptor and mediator complex, causing them to shrink during metamorphosis, followed by nuclear accumulation of Prospero and cell cycle exit. Here, we demonstrate that the levels of Imp and Syp RNA-binding proteins regulate NB decommissioning. Descending Imp and ascending Syp expression have been shown to regulate neuronal temporal fate. We show that Imp levels decline slower in the MB than in other central brain NBs. MB NBs continue to express Imp into pupation, and the presence of Imp prevents decommissioning partly by inhibiting the mediator complex. Late-larval induction of transgenic Imp prevents many non-MB NBs from decommissioning in early pupae. Moreover, the presence of abundant Syp in aged NBs permits Prospero accumulation that, in turn, promotes cell cycle exit. Together, our results reveal that progeny temporal fate and progenitor decommissioning are co-regulated in protracted neuronal lineages. Highlighted Article: Temporal progression of Imp/Syp gradients determines the timing of neuroblast decommissioning and cell cycle exit in addition to progeny temporal fate, allowing proper completion of a neuronal lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ching-Po Yang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Tamsin J Samuels
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - Yaling Huang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Lu Yang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - David Ish-Horowicz
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom.,MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Ilan Davis
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - Tzumin Lee
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
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34
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The genomic landscape of balanced cytogenetic abnormalities associated with human congenital anomalies. Nat Genet 2016; 49:36-45. [PMID: 27841880 DOI: 10.1038/ng.3720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2016] [Accepted: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Despite the clinical significance of balanced chromosomal abnormalities (BCAs), their characterization has largely been restricted to cytogenetic resolution. We explored the landscape of BCAs at nucleotide resolution in 273 subjects with a spectrum of congenital anomalies. Whole-genome sequencing revised 93% of karyotypes and demonstrated complexity that was cryptic to karyotyping in 21% of BCAs, highlighting the limitations of conventional cytogenetic approaches. At least 33.9% of BCAs resulted in gene disruption that likely contributed to the developmental phenotype, 5.2% were associated with pathogenic genomic imbalances, and 7.3% disrupted topologically associated domains (TADs) encompassing known syndromic loci. Remarkably, BCA breakpoints in eight subjects altered a single TAD encompassing MEF2C, a known driver of 5q14.3 microdeletion syndrome, resulting in decreased MEF2C expression. We propose that sequence-level resolution dramatically improves prediction of clinical outcomes for balanced rearrangements and provides insight into new pathogenic mechanisms, such as altered regulation due to changes in chromosome topology.
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35
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Bushehri A, Barez MRM, Mansouri SK, Biglarian A, Ohadi M. Genome-wide identification of human- and primate-specific core promoter short tandem repeats. Gene 2016; 587:83-90. [PMID: 27108803 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2016.04.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2016] [Revised: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 04/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Recent reports of a link between human- and primate-specific genetic factors and human/primate-specific characteristics and diseases necessitate genome-wide identification of those factors. We have previously reported core promoter short tandem repeats (STRs) of extreme length (≥6-repeats) that have expanded exceptionally in primates vs. non-primates, and may have a function in adaptive evolution. In the study reported here, we extended our study to the human STRs of ≥3-repeats in the category of penta and hexaucleotide STRs, across the entire human protein coding gene core promoters, and analyzed their status in several superorders and orders of vertebrates, using the Ensembl database. The ConSite software was used to identify the transcription factor (TF) sets binding to those STRs. STR specificity was observed at different levels of human and non-human primate (NHP) evolution. 73% of the pentanucleotide STRs and 68% of the hexanucleotide STRs were found to be specific to human and NHPs. AP-2alpha, Sp1, and MZF were the predominantly selected TFs (90%) binding to the human-specific STRs. Furthermore, the number of TF sets binding to a given STR was found to be a selection factor for that STR. Our findings indicate that selected STRs, the cognate binding TFs, and the number of TF set binding to those STRs function as switch codes at different levels of human and NHP evolution and speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Bushehri
- Genetics Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - M R Mashhoudi Barez
- Cell and Molecular Biology Research Center, Department of Anatomy and Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University, Velenjak, Tehran, Iran
| | - S K Mansouri
- Clinical Psychology Department, Faculty of Science and Research, Qazvin Azad University, Qazvin, Iran
| | - A Biglarian
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - M Ohadi
- Iranian Research Center on Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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36
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Harris KP, Littleton JT. Transmission, Development, and Plasticity of Synapses. Genetics 2015; 201:345-75. [PMID: 26447126 PMCID: PMC4596655 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.115.176529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2015] [Accepted: 05/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemical synapses are sites of contact and information transfer between a neuron and its partner cell. Each synapse is a specialized junction, where the presynaptic cell assembles machinery for the release of neurotransmitter, and the postsynaptic cell assembles components to receive and integrate this signal. Synapses also exhibit plasticity, during which synaptic function and/or structure are modified in response to activity. With a robust panel of genetic, imaging, and electrophysiology approaches, and strong evolutionary conservation of molecular components, Drosophila has emerged as an essential model system for investigating the mechanisms underlying synaptic assembly, function, and plasticity. We will discuss techniques for studying synapses in Drosophila, with a focus on the larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ), a well-established model glutamatergic synapse. Vesicle fusion, which underlies synaptic release of neurotransmitters, has been well characterized at this synapse. In addition, studies of synaptic assembly and organization of active zones and postsynaptic densities have revealed pathways that coordinate those events across the synaptic cleft. We will also review modes of synaptic growth and plasticity at the fly NMJ, and discuss how pre- and postsynaptic cells communicate to regulate plasticity in response to activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn P Harris
- Department of Biology and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
| | - J Troy Littleton
- Department of Biology and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
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37
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Razafsky D, Hodzic D. Nuclear envelope: positioning nuclei and organizing synapses. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2015; 34:84-93. [PMID: 26079712 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2015.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Revised: 05/28/2015] [Accepted: 06/01/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The nuclear envelope plays an essential role in nuclear positioning within cells and tissues. This review highlights advances in understanding the mechanisms of nuclear positioning during skeletal muscle and central nervous system development. New findings, particularly about A-type lamins and Nesprin1, may link nuclear envelope integrity to synaptic integrity. Thus synaptic defects, rather than nuclear mispositioning, may underlie human pathologies associated with mutations of nuclear envelope proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Razafsky
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Didier Hodzic
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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38
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Halstead JM, Lin YQ, Durraine L, Hamilton RS, Ball G, Neely GG, Bellen HJ, Davis I. Syncrip/hnRNP Q influences synaptic transmission and regulates BMP signaling at the Drosophila neuromuscular synapse. Biol Open 2014; 3:839-49. [PMID: 25171887 PMCID: PMC4163661 DOI: 10.1242/bio.20149027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Synaptic plasticity involves the modulation of synaptic connections in response to neuronal activity via multiple pathways. One mechanism modulates synaptic transmission by retrograde signals from the post-synapse that influence the probability of vesicle release in the pre-synapse. Despite its importance, very few factors required for the expression of retrograde signals, and proper synaptic transmission, have been identified. Here, we identify the conserved RNA binding protein Syncrip as a new factor that modulates the efficiency of vesicle release from the motoneuron and is required for correct synapse structure. We show that syncrip is required genetically and its protein product is detected only in the muscle and not in the motoneuron itself. This unexpected non-autonomy is at least partly explained by the fact that Syncrip modulates retrograde BMP signals from the muscle back to the motoneuron. We show that Syncrip influences the levels of the Bone Morphogenic Protein ligand Glass Bottom Boat from the post-synapse and regulates the pre-synapse. Our results highlight the RNA-binding protein Syncrip as a novel regulator of synaptic output. Given its known role in regulating translation, we propose that Syncrip is important for maintaining a balance between the strength of presynaptic vesicle release and postsynaptic translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M Halstead
- Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, The University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel 4058, Switzerland
| | - Yong Qi Lin
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Department of Neuroscience, Program in Developmental Biology, Neurological Research Institute at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA Neuroscience Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Lita Durraine
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Department of Neuroscience, Program in Developmental Biology, Neurological Research Institute at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Russell S Hamilton
- Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, The University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Graeme Ball
- Micron Imaging Facility, Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, The University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Greg G Neely
- Neuroscience Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Hugo J Bellen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Department of Neuroscience, Program in Developmental Biology, Neurological Research Institute at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ilan Davis
- Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, The University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
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