1
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Nickerson JA, Momen-Heravi F. Long non-coding RNAs: roles in cellular stress responses and epigenetic mechanisms regulating chromatin. Nucleus 2024; 15:2350180. [PMID: 38773934 PMCID: PMC11123517 DOI: 10.1080/19491034.2024.2350180] [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: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Most of the genome is transcribed into RNA but only 2% of the sequence codes for proteins. Non-coding RNA transcripts include a very large number of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). A growing number of identified lncRNAs operate in cellular stress responses, for example in response to hypoxia, genotoxic stress, and oxidative stress. Additionally, lncRNA plays important roles in epigenetic mechanisms operating at chromatin and in maintaining chromatin architecture. Here, we address three lncRNA topics that have had significant recent advances. The first is an emerging role for many lncRNAs in cellular stress responses. The second is the development of high throughput screening assays to develop causal relationships between lncRNAs across the genome with cellular functions. Finally, we turn to recent advances in understanding the role of lncRNAs in regulating chromatin architecture and epigenetics, advances that build on some of the earliest work linking RNA to chromatin architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey A Nickerson
- Division of Genes & Development, Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Fatemeh Momen-Heravi
- College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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2
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Jusic A, Erpapazoglou Z, Dalgaard LT, Lakkisto P, de Gonzalo-Calvo D, Benczik B, Ágg B, Ferdinandy P, Fiedorowicz K, Schroen B, Lazou A, Devaux Y. Guidelines for mitochondrial RNA analysis. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2024; 35:102262. [PMID: 39091381 PMCID: PMC11292373 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2024.102262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Mitochondria are the energy-producing organelles of mammalian cells with critical involvement in metabolism and signaling. Studying their regulation in pathological conditions may lead to the discovery of novel drugs to treat, for instance, cardiovascular or neurological diseases, which affect high-energy-consuming cells such as cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes, or neurons. Mitochondria possess both protein-coding and noncoding RNAs, such as microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, circular RNAs, and piwi-interacting RNAs, encoded by the mitochondria or the nuclear genome. Mitochondrial RNAs are involved in anterograde-retrograde communication between the nucleus and mitochondria and play an important role in physiological and pathological conditions. Despite accumulating evidence on the presence and biogenesis of mitochondrial RNAs, their study continues to pose significant challenges. Currently, there are no standardized protocols and guidelines to conduct deep functional characterization and expression profiling of mitochondrial RNAs. To overcome major obstacles in this emerging field, the EU-CardioRNA and AtheroNET COST Action networks summarize currently available techniques and emphasize critical points that may constitute sources of variability and explain discrepancies between published results. Standardized methods and adherence to guidelines to quantify and study mitochondrial RNAs in normal and disease states will improve research outputs, their reproducibility, and translation potential to clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amela Jusic
- HAYA Therapeutics SA, Route De La Corniche 6, SuperLab Suisse - Batiment Serine, 1066 Epalinges, Switzerland
- Cardiovascular Research Unit, Department of Precision Health, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 1445 Strassen, Luxembourg
| | - Zoi Erpapazoglou
- Ιnstitute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, B.S.R.C. “Alexander Fleming”, Vari, 16672 Athens, Greece
| | - Louise Torp Dalgaard
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Päivi Lakkisto
- Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - David de Gonzalo-Calvo
- Translational Research in Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, 25198 Lleida, Spain
- CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Institute of Health Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Bettina Benczik
- Cardiometabolic and HUN-REN-SU System Pharmacology Research Group, Center for Pharmacology and Drug Research & Development, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Semmelweis University, 1089 Budapest, Hungary
- Pharmahungary Group, 6722 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Bence Ágg
- Cardiometabolic and HUN-REN-SU System Pharmacology Research Group, Center for Pharmacology and Drug Research & Development, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Semmelweis University, 1089 Budapest, Hungary
- Pharmahungary Group, 6722 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Péter Ferdinandy
- Cardiometabolic and HUN-REN-SU System Pharmacology Research Group, Center for Pharmacology and Drug Research & Development, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Semmelweis University, 1089 Budapest, Hungary
- Pharmahungary Group, 6722 Szeged, Hungary
| | | | - Blanche Schroen
- Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, ER 6229 Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Antigone Lazou
- School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Yvan Devaux
- Cardiovascular Research Unit, Department of Precision Health, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 1445 Strassen, Luxembourg
| | - on behalf of EU-CardioRNA COST Action CA17129
- HAYA Therapeutics SA, Route De La Corniche 6, SuperLab Suisse - Batiment Serine, 1066 Epalinges, Switzerland
- Cardiovascular Research Unit, Department of Precision Health, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 1445 Strassen, Luxembourg
- Ιnstitute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, B.S.R.C. “Alexander Fleming”, Vari, 16672 Athens, Greece
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
- Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Research in Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, 25198 Lleida, Spain
- CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Institute of Health Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Cardiometabolic and HUN-REN-SU System Pharmacology Research Group, Center for Pharmacology and Drug Research & Development, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Semmelweis University, 1089 Budapest, Hungary
- Pharmahungary Group, 6722 Szeged, Hungary
- NanoBioMedical Centre, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, 61614 Poznan, Poland
- Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, ER 6229 Maastricht, the Netherlands
- School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - AtheroNET COST Action CA21153
- HAYA Therapeutics SA, Route De La Corniche 6, SuperLab Suisse - Batiment Serine, 1066 Epalinges, Switzerland
- Cardiovascular Research Unit, Department of Precision Health, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 1445 Strassen, Luxembourg
- Ιnstitute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, B.S.R.C. “Alexander Fleming”, Vari, 16672 Athens, Greece
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
- Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Research in Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, 25198 Lleida, Spain
- CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Institute of Health Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Cardiometabolic and HUN-REN-SU System Pharmacology Research Group, Center for Pharmacology and Drug Research & Development, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Semmelweis University, 1089 Budapest, Hungary
- Pharmahungary Group, 6722 Szeged, Hungary
- NanoBioMedical Centre, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, 61614 Poznan, Poland
- Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, ER 6229 Maastricht, the Netherlands
- School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
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3
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Jiang X, Yuan Z, Ding T, Yu K, Dong J. SMS2 siRNA inhibits pancreatic tumor growth by tumor microenvironment modulation. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 142:113111. [PMID: 39255679 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.113111] [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: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 08/12/2024] [Accepted: 09/04/2024] [Indexed: 09/12/2024]
Abstract
The massive infiltration of suppressor immune cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME) of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a major cause of treatment resistance. Reducing this infiltration may represent a potentially effective therapeutic strategy. Sphingomyelin synthase 2 (SMS2) is a crucial enzyme for sphingomyelin synthesis, contributing significantly to the integrity and function of the plasma membrane. In this study, we developed a self-assembling SMS2 siRNA gene expression plasmid for in vivo delivery. The SMS2 siRNA specifically inhibits SMS2 expression while preserving the expression and activity of SMS1. Administration of the self-assembling SMS2 siRNA suppresses tumor growth in a murine model of Panc02 pancreatic carcinoma, modulates the polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), and reduces the infiltration of tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) by regulating the NF-κB/CXCL5 pathway. Consequently, utilizing SMS2 siRNA to improve the local immunosuppressive microenvironment holds promise for pancreatic cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Jiang
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, China
| | - Ziqing Yuan
- Experiment & Teaching Center, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Tingbo Ding
- Experiment & Teaching Center, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Ker Yu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, China.
| | - Jibin Dong
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, China.
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4
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Cavalleri E, Cabri A, Soto-Gomez M, Bonfitto S, Perlasca P, Gliozzo J, Callahan TJ, Reese J, Robinson PN, Casiraghi E, Valentini G, Mesiti M. An ontology-based knowledge graph for representing interactions involving RNA molecules. Sci Data 2024; 11:906. [PMID: 39174566 PMCID: PMC11341713 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-03673-7] [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: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The "RNA world" represents a novel frontier for the study of fundamental biological processes and human diseases and is paving the way for the development of new drugs tailored to each patient's biomolecular characteristics. Although scientific data about coding and non-coding RNA molecules are constantly produced and available from public repositories, they are scattered across different databases and a centralized, uniform, and semantically consistent representation of the "RNA world" is still lacking. We propose RNA-KG, a knowledge graph (KG) encompassing biological knowledge about RNAs gathered from more than 60 public databases, integrating functional relationships with genes, proteins, and chemicals and ontologically grounded biomedical concepts. To develop RNA-KG, we first identified, pre-processed, and characterized each data source; next, we built a meta-graph that provides an ontological description of the KG by representing all the bio-molecular entities and medical concepts of interest in this domain, as well as the types of interactions connecting them. Finally, we leveraged an instance-based semantically abstracted knowledge model to specify the ontological alignment according to which RNA-KG was generated. RNA-KG can be downloaded in different formats and also queried by a SPARQL endpoint. A thorough topological analysis of the resulting heterogeneous graph provides further insights into the characteristics of the "RNA world". RNA-KG can be both directly explored and visualized, and/or analyzed by applying computational methods to infer bio-medical knowledge from its heterogeneous nodes and edges. The resource can be easily updated with new experimental data, and specific views of the overall KG can be extracted according to the bio-medical problem to be studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele Cavalleri
- AnacletoLab, Computer Science Department, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Alberto Cabri
- AnacletoLab, Computer Science Department, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Mauricio Soto-Gomez
- AnacletoLab, Computer Science Department, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Sara Bonfitto
- AnacletoLab, Computer Science Department, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Paolo Perlasca
- AnacletoLab, Computer Science Department, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Jessica Gliozzo
- AnacletoLab, Computer Science Department, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
| | - Tiffany J Callahan
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Justin Reese
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Peter N Robinson
- Berlin Institute of Health - Charité, Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, 13353, Germany
- ELLIS, European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems, Munich, Germany
| | - Elena Casiraghi
- AnacletoLab, Computer Science Department, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- ELLIS, European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems, Munich, Germany
| | - Giorgio Valentini
- AnacletoLab, Computer Science Department, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
- ELLIS, European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems, Munich, Germany
| | - Marco Mesiti
- AnacletoLab, Computer Science Department, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy.
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
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5
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Jiang Y, Jiang B, Wang Z, Li Y, Cheung JCW, Yin B, Wong SHD. Nucleic Acid Armor: Fortifying RNA Therapeutics through Delivery and Targeting Innovations for Immunotherapy. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:8888. [PMID: 39201574 PMCID: PMC11354913 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25168888] [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: 07/07/2024] [Revised: 08/09/2024] [Accepted: 08/11/2024] [Indexed: 09/02/2024] Open
Abstract
RNA is a promising nucleic acid-based biomolecule for various treatments because of its high efficacy, low toxicity, and the tremendous availability of targeting sequences. Nevertheless, RNA shows instability and has a short half-life in physiological environments such as the bloodstream in the presence of RNAase. Therefore, developing reliable delivery strategies is important for targeting disease sites and maximizing the therapeutic effect of RNA drugs, particularly in the field of immunotherapy. In this mini-review, we highlight two major approaches: (1) delivery vehicles and (2) chemical modifications. Recent advances in delivery vehicles employ nanotechnologies such as lipid-based nanoparticles, viral vectors, and inorganic nanocarriers to precisely target specific cell types to facilitate RNA cellular entry. On the other hand, chemical modification utilizes the alteration of RNA structures via the addition of covalent bonds such as N-acetylgalactosamine or antibodies (antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates) to target specific receptors of cells. The pros and cons of these technologies are enlisted in this review. We aim to review nucleic acid drugs, their delivery systems, targeting strategies, and related chemical modifications. Finally, we express our perspective on the potential combination of RNA-based click chemistry with adoptive cell therapy (e.g., B cells or T cells) to address the issues of short duration and short half-life associated with antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Jiang
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy, The Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China; (Y.J.); (B.J.); (Y.L.)
| | - Bolong Jiang
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy, The Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China; (Y.J.); (B.J.); (Y.L.)
| | - Zhenru Wang
- Medical College, Jining Medical University, Jining 272000, China;
| | - Yuxi Li
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy, The Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China; (Y.J.); (B.J.); (Y.L.)
| | - James Chung Wai Cheung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China;
| | - Bohan Yin
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy, The Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China; (Y.J.); (B.J.); (Y.L.)
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Siu Hong Dexter Wong
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy, The Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China; (Y.J.); (B.J.); (Y.L.)
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266237, China
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6
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Coan M, Haefliger S, Ounzain S, Johnson R. Targeting and engineering long non-coding RNAs for cancer therapy. Nat Rev Genet 2024; 25:578-595. [PMID: 38424237 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-024-00693-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
RNA therapeutics (RNATx) aim to treat diseases, including cancer, by targeting or employing RNA molecules for therapeutic purposes. Amongst the most promising targets are long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which regulate oncogenic molecular networks in a cell type-restricted manner. lncRNAs are distinct from protein-coding genes in important ways that increase their therapeutic potential yet also present hurdles to conventional clinical development. Advances in genome editing, oligonucleotide chemistry, multi-omics and RNA engineering are paving the way for efficient and cost-effective lncRNA-focused drug discovery pipelines. In this Review, we present the emerging field of lncRNA therapeutics for oncology, with emphasis on the unique strengths and challenges of lncRNAs within the broader RNATx framework. We outline the necessary steps for lncRNA therapeutics to deliver effective, durable, tolerable and personalized treatments for cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Coan
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Conway Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Simon Haefliger
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Rory Johnson
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
- Conway Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
- Department of Medical Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
- FutureNeuro, SFI Research Centre for Chronic and Rare Neurological Diseases, Dublin, Ireland.
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7
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Huang P, Wen F, Li Q. Current concepts of the crosstalk between lncRNA and E2F1: shedding light on the cancer therapy. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1432490. [PMID: 39119602 PMCID: PMC11306149 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1432490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) constitute a distinctive subset of RNA molecules with limited protein-coding potential, which exert crucial impacts on various biological activities. In the context of cancer, dysregulated lncRNAs function as essential regulators that affect tumor initiation and malignant progression. These lncRNAs serve as competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) through sponging microRNAs and regulating the expression of targeted genes. Moreover, they also directly bind to RNA-binding proteins, which can be integrated into a complex mechanistic network. E2F1, an extensively studied transcription factor, mediates multiple malignant behaviors by regulating cell cycle progression, tumor metastasis, and therapeutic response. Emerging evidence suggests that lncRNAs play a pivotal role in regulating the E2F1 pathway. This review aims to elucidate the intricate gene regulatory programs between lncRNAs and E2F1 in cancer progression. We elaborate on distinct mechanistic networks involved in cancer progression, emphasizing the potential of the lncRNAs/E2F1 axes as promising targets for cancer therapy. Additionally, we provide novel perspectives on current evidence, limitations, and future directions for targeting lncRNAs in human cancers. Fully deciphering the intricate network of lncRNA/E2F1-mediated regulatory mechanisms in cancer could facilitate the translation of current findings into clinical course, such efforts ultimately significantly improve the clinical prognosis of cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Huang
- Division of Abdominal Tumor Multimodality Treatment, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Feng Wen
- Division of Abdominal Tumor Multimodality Treatment, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Qiu Li
- Division of Abdominal Tumor Multimodality Treatment, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
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8
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Smith A, Zhang I, Trang P, Liu F. Engineering of RNase P Ribozymes for Therapy against Human Cytomegalovirus Infection. Viruses 2024; 16:1196. [PMID: 39205170 PMCID: PMC11360822 DOI: 10.3390/v16081196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2024] [Revised: 07/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Nucleic acid-based gene interference and editing strategies, such as antisense oligonucleotides, ribozymes, RNA interference (RNAi), and CRISPR/Cas9 coupled with guide RNAs, are exciting research tools and show great promise for clinical applications in treating various illnesses. RNase P ribozymes have been engineered for therapeutic applications against human viruses such as human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). M1 ribozyme, the catalytic RNA subunit of RNase P from Escherichia coli, can be converted into a sequence-specific endonuclease, M1GS ribozyme, which is capable of hydrolyzing an mRNA target base-pairing with the guide sequence. M1GS RNAs have been shown to hydrolyze essential HCMV mRNAs and block viral progeny production in virus-infected cell cultures. Furthermore, RNase P ribozyme variants with enhanced hydrolyzing activity can be generated by employing in vitro selection procedures and exhibit better ability in suppressing HCMV gene expression and replication in cultured cells. Additional studies have also examined the antiviral activity of RNase P ribozymes in mice in vivo. Using cytomegalovirus infection as an example, this review summarizes the principles underlying RNase P ribozyme-mediated gene inactivation, presents recent progress in engineering RNase P ribozymes for applications in vitro and in mice, and discusses the prospects of using M1GS technology for therapeutic applications against HCMV as well as other pathogenic viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Smith
- Program in Comparative Biochemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Isadora Zhang
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Phong Trang
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Fenyong Liu
- Program in Comparative Biochemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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9
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Zhu H, Wang J, Miao J, Shen M, Wang H, Huang X, Ni A, Wu H, Chen J, Xiao L, Xie S, Lin W, Han F. SNORD3A Regulates STING Transcription to Promote Ferroptosis in Acute Kidney Injury. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024:e2400305. [PMID: 38962954 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202400305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Acute kidney injury (AKI) signifies a sudden and prolonged decline in kidney function characterized by tubular cell death and interstitial inflammation. Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) play pivotal roles in oxidative stress and inflammation, and may play an important role in the AKI process, which remains elusive. an elevated expression of Snord3a is revealed in renal tubules in response to AKI and demonstrates that Snord3a deficiency alleviates renal injury in AKI mouse models. Notably, the deficiency of Snord3a exhibits a mitigating effect on the stimulator of interferon genes (STING)-associated ferroptosis phenotypes and the progression of tubular injury. Mechanistically, Snord3a is shown to regulate the STING signaling axis via promoting STING gene transcription; administration of Snord3a antisense oligonucleotides establishes a significant therapeutic advantage in AKI mouse models. Together, the findings elucidate the transcription regulation mechanism of STING and the crucial roles of the Snord3a-STING axis in ferroptosis during AKI, underscoring Snord3a as a potential prognostic and therapeutic target for AKI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanhuan Zhu
- Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Institute of Nephrology, Zhejiang University, Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Prevention and Control Technology, Zhejiang Province; Zhejiang Clinical Research Center of Kidney and Urinary System Disease, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Junni Wang
- Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Institute of Nephrology, Zhejiang University, Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Prevention and Control Technology, Zhejiang Province; Zhejiang Clinical Research Center of Kidney and Urinary System Disease, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Jin Miao
- Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Institute of Nephrology, Zhejiang University, Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Prevention and Control Technology, Zhejiang Province; Zhejiang Clinical Research Center of Kidney and Urinary System Disease, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Mingdi Shen
- Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Institute of Nephrology, Zhejiang University, Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Prevention and Control Technology, Zhejiang Province; Zhejiang Clinical Research Center of Kidney and Urinary System Disease, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Huijing Wang
- Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Institute of Nephrology, Zhejiang University, Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Prevention and Control Technology, Zhejiang Province; Zhejiang Clinical Research Center of Kidney and Urinary System Disease, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Xiaohan Huang
- Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Institute of Nephrology, Zhejiang University, Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Prevention and Control Technology, Zhejiang Province; Zhejiang Clinical Research Center of Kidney and Urinary System Disease, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Anqi Ni
- Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Institute of Nephrology, Zhejiang University, Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Prevention and Control Technology, Zhejiang Province; Zhejiang Clinical Research Center of Kidney and Urinary System Disease, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Huijuan Wu
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Jianghua Chen
- Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Institute of Nephrology, Zhejiang University, Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Prevention and Control Technology, Zhejiang Province; Zhejiang Clinical Research Center of Kidney and Urinary System Disease, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Liang Xiao
- Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Institute of Nephrology, Zhejiang University, Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Prevention and Control Technology, Zhejiang Province; Zhejiang Clinical Research Center of Kidney and Urinary System Disease, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Shanshan Xie
- Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310052, China
| | - Weiqiang Lin
- The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine, and International School of Medicine, International Institutes of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Yiwu, 322000, China
| | - Fei Han
- Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Institute of Nephrology, Zhejiang University, Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Prevention and Control Technology, Zhejiang Province; Zhejiang Clinical Research Center of Kidney and Urinary System Disease, Hangzhou, 310003, China
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10
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Yang S, Kim SH, Yang E, Kang M, Joo JY. Molecular insights into regulatory RNAs in the cellular machinery. Exp Mol Med 2024; 56:1235-1249. [PMID: 38871819 PMCID: PMC11263585 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-024-01239-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
It is apparent that various functional units within the cellular machinery are derived from RNAs. The evolution of sequencing techniques has resulted in significant insights into approaches for transcriptome studies. Organisms utilize RNA to govern cellular systems, and a heterogeneous class of RNAs is involved in regulatory functions. In particular, regulatory RNAs are increasingly recognized to participate in intricately functioning machinery across almost all levels of biological systems. These systems include those mediating chromatin arrangement, transcription, suborganelle stabilization, and posttranscriptional modifications. Any class of RNA exhibiting regulatory activity can be termed a class of regulatory RNA and is typically represented by noncoding RNAs, which constitute a substantial portion of the genome. These RNAs function based on the principle of structural changes through cis and/or trans regulation to facilitate mutual RNA‒RNA, RNA‒DNA, and RNA‒protein interactions. It has not been clearly elucidated whether regulatory RNAs identified through deep sequencing actually function in the anticipated mechanisms. This review addresses the dominant properties of regulatory RNAs at various layers of the cellular machinery and covers regulatory activities, structural dynamics, modifications, associated molecules, and further challenges related to therapeutics and deep learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumin Yang
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Hanyang University, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, 15588, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung-Hyun Kim
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Hanyang University, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, 15588, Republic of Korea
| | - Eunjeong Yang
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Hanyang University, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, 15588, Republic of Korea
| | - Mingon Kang
- Department of Computer Science, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, 89154, USA
| | - Jae-Yeol Joo
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Hanyang University, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, 15588, Republic of Korea.
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11
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Siemers M, Lippegaus A, Papenfort K. ChimericFragments: computation, analysis and visualization of global RNA networks. NAR Genom Bioinform 2024; 6:lqae035. [PMID: 38633425 PMCID: PMC11023125 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqae035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
RNA-RNA interactions are a key feature of post-transcriptional gene regulation in all domains of life. While ever more experimental protocols are being developed to study RNA duplex formation on a genome-wide scale, computational methods for the analysis and interpretation of the underlying data are lagging behind. Here, we present ChimericFragments, an analysis framework for RNA-seq experiments that produce chimeric RNA molecules. ChimericFragments implements a novel statistical method based on the complementarity of the base-pairing RNAs around their ligation site and provides an interactive graph-based visualization for data exploration and interpretation. ChimericFragments detects true RNA-RNA interactions with high precision and is compatible with several widely used experimental procedures such as RIL-seq, LIGR-seq or CLASH. We further demonstrate that ChimericFragments enables the systematic detection of novel RNA regulators and RNA-target pairs with crucial roles in microbial physiology and virulence. ChimericFragments is written in Julia and available at: https://github.com/maltesie/ChimericFragments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malte Siemers
- Friedrich Schiller University, Institute of Microbiology, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Microverse Cluster, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Anne Lippegaus
- Friedrich Schiller University, Institute of Microbiology, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Kai Papenfort
- Friedrich Schiller University, Institute of Microbiology, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Microverse Cluster, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
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12
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Kirsebom LA, Liu F, McClain WH. The discovery of a catalytic RNA within RNase P and its legacy. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107318. [PMID: 38677513 PMCID: PMC11143913 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Sidney Altman's discovery of the processing of one RNA by another RNA that acts like an enzyme was revolutionary in biology and the basis for his sharing the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Thomas Cech. These breakthrough findings support the key role of RNA in molecular evolution, where replicating RNAs (and similar chemical derivatives) either with or without peptides functioned in protocells during the early stages of life on Earth, an era referred to as the RNA world. Here, we cover the historical background highlighting the work of Altman and his colleagues and the subsequent efforts of other researchers to understand the biological function of RNase P and its catalytic RNA subunit and to employ it as a tool to downregulate gene expression. We primarily discuss bacterial RNase P-related studies but acknowledge that many groups have significantly contributed to our understanding of archaeal and eukaryotic RNase P, as reviewed in this special issue and elsewhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leif A Kirsebom
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Fenyong Liu
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA.
| | - William H McClain
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
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13
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D'Atri V, Imiołek M, Quinn C, Finny A, Lauber M, Fekete S, Guillarme D. Size exclusion chromatography of biopharmaceutical products: From current practices for proteins to emerging trends for viral vectors, nucleic acids and lipid nanoparticles. J Chromatogr A 2024; 1722:464862. [PMID: 38581978 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.464862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
The 21st century has been particularly productive for the biopharmaceutical industry, with the introduction of several classes of innovative therapeutics, such as monoclonal antibodies and related compounds, gene therapy products, and RNA-based modalities. All these new molecules are susceptible to aggregation and fragmentation, which necessitates a size variant analysis for their comprehensive characterization. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) is one of the reference techniques that can be applied. The analytical techniques for mAbs are now well established and some of them are now emerging for the newer modalities. In this context, the objective of this review article is: i) to provide a short historical background on SEC, ii) to suggest some clear guidelines on the selection of packing material and mobile phase for successful method development in modern SEC; and iii) to highlight recent advances in SEC, such as the use of narrow-bore and micro-bore columns, ultra-wide pore columns, and low-adsorption column hardware. Some important innovations, such as recycling SEC, the coupling of SEC with mass spectrometry, and the use of alternative detectors such as charge detection mass spectrometry and mass photometry are also described. In addition, this review discusses the use of SEC in multidimensional setups and shows some of the most recent advances at the preparative scale. In the third part of the article, the possibility of SEC for the characterization of new modalities is also reviewed. The final objective of this review is to provide a clear summary of opportunities and limitations of SEC for the analysis of different biopharmaceutical products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina D'Atri
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, CMU - Rue Michel Servet 1,4, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, CMU - Rue Michel Servet 1,4, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Abraham Finny
- Waters Corporation, Wyatt Technology, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Matthew Lauber
- Waters Corporation, Wyatt Technology, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | | | - Davy Guillarme
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, CMU - Rue Michel Servet 1,4, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, CMU - Rue Michel Servet 1,4, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
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14
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Di Francesco V, Chua AJ, Huang D, D'Souza A, Yang A, Bleier BS, Amiji MM. RNA therapies for CNS diseases. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2024; 208:115283. [PMID: 38494152 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2024.115283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Neurological disorders are a diverse group of conditions that pose an increasing health burden worldwide. There is a general lack of effective therapies due to multiple reasons, of which a key obstacle is the presence of the blood-brain barrier, which limits drug delivery to the central nervous system, and generally restricts the pool of candidate drugs to small, lipophilic molecules. However, in many cases, these are unable to target key pathways in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders. As a group, RNA therapies have shown tremendous promise in treating various conditions because they offer unique opportunities for specific targeting by leveraging Watson-Crick base pairing systems, opening up possibilities to modulate pathological mechanisms that previously could not be addressed by small molecules or antibody-protein interactions. This potential paradigm shift in disease management has been enabled by recent advances in synthesizing, purifying, and delivering RNA. This review explores the use of RNA-based therapies specifically for central nervous system disorders, where we highlight the inherent limitations of RNA therapy and present strategies to augment the effectiveness of RNA therapeutics, including physical, chemical, and biological methods. We then describe translational challenges to the widespread use of RNA therapies and close with a consideration of future prospects in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Di Francesco
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Andy J Chua
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Sengkang General Hospital, 110 Sengkang E Way, 544886, Singapore
| | - Di Huang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Anisha D'Souza
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Alicia Yang
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Benjamin S Bleier
- Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Mansoor M Amiji
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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15
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Yan B, Liu Y, Chen YC, Liu F. External Guide Sequence Effectively Suppresses the Gene Expression and Replication of Herpes Simplex Virus 2. Molecules 2024; 29:2052. [PMID: 38731543 PMCID: PMC11085068 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29092052] [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: 03/09/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Ribonuclease P (RNase P) complexed with an external guide sequence (EGS) represents a promising nucleic acid-based gene targeting approach for gene expression knock-down and modulation. The RNase P-EGS strategy is unique as an EGS can be designed to basepair any mRNA sequence and recruit intracellular RNase P for hydrolysis of the target mRNA. In this study, we provide the first direct evidence that the RNase P-based approach effectively blocks the gene expression and replication of herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), the causative agent of genital herpes. We constructed EGSs to target the mRNA encoding HSV-2 single-stranded DNA binding protein ICP8, which is essential for viral DNA genome replication and growth. In HSV-2 infected cells expressing a functional EGS, ICP8 levels were reduced by 85%, and viral growth decreased by 3000 folds. On the contrary, ICP8 expression and viral growth exhibited no substantial differences between cells expressing no EGS and those expressing a disabled EGS with mutations precluding RNase P recognition. The anti-ICP8 EGS is specific in targeting ICP8 because it only affects ICP8 expression but does not affect the expression of the other viral immediate-early and early genes examined. This study shows the effective and specific anti-HSV-2 activity of the RNase P-EGS approach and demonstrates the potential of EGS RNAs for anti-HSV-2 applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Yan
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Yujun Liu
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Yuan-Chuan Chen
- Program in Comparative Biochemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Fenyong Liu
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Program in Comparative Biochemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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16
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Yu C, Zhao J, Cheng F, Chen J, Chen J, Xu H, Shi K, Xia K, Ding S, Wang K, Wang R, Chen Y, Li Y, Li H, Chen Q, Yu X, Shao F, Liang C, Li F. Silencing circATXN1 in Aging Nucleus Pulposus Cell Alleviates Intervertebral Disc Degeneration via Correcting Progerin Mislocalization. RESEARCH (WASHINGTON, D.C.) 2024; 7:0336. [PMID: 38533181 PMCID: PMC10964222 DOI: 10.34133/research.0336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a critical regulatory role in degenerative diseases; however, their functions and therapeutic applications in intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) have not been explored. Here, we identified that a novel circATXN1 highly accumulates in aging nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) accountable for IVDD. CircATXN1 accelerates cellular senescence, disrupts extracellular matrix organization, and inhibits mitochondrial respiration. Mechanistically, circATXN1, regulated by heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2B1-mediated splicing circularization, promotes progerin translocation from the cell nucleus to the cytoplasm and inhibits the expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R). To demonstrate the therapeutic potential of circATXN1, siRNA targeting the backsplice junction of circATNX1 was screened and delivered by tetrahedral framework nucleic acids (tFNAs) due to their unique compositional and tetrahedral structural features. Our siRNA delivery system demonstrates superior abilities to transfect aging cells, clear intracellular ROS, and enhanced biological safety. Using siRNA-tFNAs to silence circATXN1, aging NPCs exhibit reduced mislocalization of progerin in the cytoplasm and up-regulation of IGF-1R, thereby demonstrating a rejuvenated cellular phenotype and improved mitochondrial function. In vivo, administering an aging cell-adapted siRNA nucleic acid framework delivery system to progerin pathologically expressed premature aging mice (zmpste24-/-) can ameliorate the cellular matrix in the nucleus pulposus tissue, effectively delaying IVDD. This study not only identified circATXN1 functioning as a cell senescence promoter in IVDD for the first time, but also successfully demonstrated its therapeutic potential via a tFNA-based siRNA delivery strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Yu
- Department of Orthopedics, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Orthopedics Research Institute of Zhejiang University,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Motor System Disease Research and Precision Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Clinical Research Center of Motor System Disease of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Jing Zhao
- Department of Chemistry,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Feng Cheng
- Department of Orthopedics, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Orthopedics Research Institute of Zhejiang University,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Motor System Disease Research and Precision Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Clinical Research Center of Motor System Disease of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Jiangjie Chen
- Department of Orthopedics, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Orthopedics Research Institute of Zhejiang University,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Motor System Disease Research and Precision Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Clinical Research Center of Motor System Disease of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Jinyang Chen
- Department of Orthopedics, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Orthopedics Research Institute of Zhejiang University,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Motor System Disease Research and Precision Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Clinical Research Center of Motor System Disease of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Haibin Xu
- Department of Orthopedics, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Orthopedics Research Institute of Zhejiang University,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Motor System Disease Research and Precision Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Clinical Research Center of Motor System Disease of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Kesi Shi
- Department of Orthopedics, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Orthopedics Research Institute of Zhejiang University,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Motor System Disease Research and Precision Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Clinical Research Center of Motor System Disease of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Kaishun Xia
- Department of Orthopedics, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Orthopedics Research Institute of Zhejiang University,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Motor System Disease Research and Precision Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Clinical Research Center of Motor System Disease of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Siwen Ding
- Westlake Street Community Health Service Center, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Kanbin Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Orthopedics Research Institute of Zhejiang University,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Motor System Disease Research and Precision Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Clinical Research Center of Motor System Disease of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Ronghao Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Orthopedics Research Institute of Zhejiang University,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Motor System Disease Research and Precision Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Clinical Research Center of Motor System Disease of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Yazhou Chen
- Department of Orthopedics, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Orthopedics Research Institute of Zhejiang University,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Motor System Disease Research and Precision Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Clinical Research Center of Motor System Disease of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Yi Li
- Department of Orthopedics, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Orthopedics Research Institute of Zhejiang University,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Motor System Disease Research and Precision Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Clinical Research Center of Motor System Disease of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Hao Li
- Department of Orthopedics, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Orthopedics Research Institute of Zhejiang University,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Motor System Disease Research and Precision Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Clinical Research Center of Motor System Disease of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Qixin Chen
- Department of Orthopedics, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Orthopedics Research Institute of Zhejiang University,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Motor System Disease Research and Precision Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Clinical Research Center of Motor System Disease of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Xiaohua Yu
- Department of Orthopedics, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Orthopedics Research Institute of Zhejiang University,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Motor System Disease Research and Precision Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Clinical Research Center of Motor System Disease of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Fangwei Shao
- Zhejiang University-University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Institute,
Zhejiang University, Haining 314400, Zhejiang, PR China
- Biomedical and Health Translational Research Centre,
Zhejiang University, Haining 314400, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Chengzhen Liang
- Department of Orthopedics, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Orthopedics Research Institute of Zhejiang University,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Motor System Disease Research and Precision Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Clinical Research Center of Motor System Disease of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Fangcai Li
- Department of Orthopedics, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Orthopedics Research Institute of Zhejiang University,
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Motor System Disease Research and Precision Therapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
- Clinical Research Center of Motor System Disease of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, PR China
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17
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de Araújo MA, Dos Santos Júnior ED, Dos Santos BP, Dos Santos YDR, Paulino PAT, Dos Santos EC, Souza TPM, Anhezini L, Bassi ÊJ, Duzzioni M, de Castro OW, de Andrade TG, Dornelas CB, Gitaí DLG. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) as efficient and safe carriers for miRNA inhibitors: In vitro and in vivo assessment of biocompatibility. Chem Biol Interact 2024; 391:110874. [PMID: 38311162 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2024.110874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have been employed as nano-sized carriers for therapeutic/bio-active molecules, including small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). However, the potential of LDHs nanoparticles for an efficient and safe antisense oligonucleotide (AMO) delivery still requires studies. In this research, we have tested the suitability of a Mg-Al-LDH-based nanocarrier loaded with a miRNA-196b-5p inhibitor. LDHs (and LDH-Oligo complex) were synthesized by the coprecipitation method followed by physicochemical characterization as hydrodynamic size, surface charge, crystallinity, and chemical groups. Thymic endothelial cell line (tEnd.1) were transfected with LDH-Oligo and were evaluated for i. cell viability by MTT, trypan blue, and propidium iodide assays; ii. transfection efficiency by flow cytometry, and iii. depletion of miRNA-196b-5p by RT-qPCR. In addition, Drosophila melanogaster larvae were fed LDHs and evaluated for: i. larval motility; ii. pupation rate; iii. larval-pupal transition; iv. lethality, and v. emergence rate. We demonstrated that LDHs nanoparticles are stable in aqueous solutions and exhibit a regular hexagonal shape. The LDH-AMO complex showed a transfection efficiency of 93.95 ± 2.15 % and induced a significant depletion of miRNA-196b-5p 48h after transfection. No cytotoxic effects were detected in tEnd.1 cells at concentrations up to 50 μg/ml, as well as in Drosophila exposed up to 500 μg of LDH. In conclusion, our data suggest that LDHs are biocompatible and efficient carriers for miRNA inhibitors and can be used as a viable and effective tool in functional miRNA inhibition assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mykaella Andrade de Araújo
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio, 57072-900, Brazil.
| | - Erivaldo Davi Dos Santos Júnior
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio, 57072-900, Brazil
| | - Bruna Priscila Dos Santos
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio, 57072-900, Brazil
| | - Ygor Daniel Ramos Dos Santos
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio, 57072-900, Brazil
| | - Pedro Augusto Tibúrcio Paulino
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio, 57072-900, Brazil
| | - Elane Conceição Dos Santos
- Laboratory of Research in Virology and Immunology, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio, 57072-900, Brazil
| | - Tayhana Priscila Medeiros Souza
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio, 57072-900, Brazil
| | - Lucas Anhezini
- Laboratory for in Vivo Analysis of Toxicity and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio, 57072-900, Brazil
| | - Ênio José Bassi
- Laboratory of Research in Virology and Immunology, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio, 57072-900, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Duzzioni
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio, 57072-900, Brazil
| | - Olagide Wagner de Castro
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio, 57072-900, Brazil
| | - Tiago Gomes de Andrade
- Circadian Medicine Center, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio, 57072-900, Brazil
| | - Camila Braga Dornelas
- Laboratory for Active Substance Carrier Nanosystems Technology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio, 57072-900, Brazil
| | - Daniel Leite Góes Gitaí
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio, 57072-900, Brazil.
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Chauvier A, Walter NG. Regulation of bacterial gene expression by non-coding RNA: It is all about time! Cell Chem Biol 2024; 31:71-85. [PMID: 38211587 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2023.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Commensal and pathogenic bacteria continuously evolve to survive in diverse ecological niches by efficiently coordinating gene expression levels in their ever-changing environments. Regulation through the RNA transcript itself offers a faster and more cost-effective way to adapt than protein-based mechanisms and can be leveraged for diagnostic or antimicrobial purposes. However, RNA can fold into numerous intricate, not always functional structures that both expand and obscure the plethora of roles that regulatory RNAs serve within the cell. Here, we review the current knowledge of bacterial non-coding RNAs in relation to their folding pathways and interactions. We posit that co-transcriptional folding of these transcripts ultimately dictates their downstream functions. Elucidating the spatiotemporal folding of non-coding RNAs during transcription therefore provides invaluable insights into bacterial pathogeneses and predictive disease diagnostics. Finally, we discuss the implications of co-transcriptional folding andapplications of RNAs for therapeutics and drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien Chauvier
- Single Molecule Analysis Group and Center for RNA Biomedicine, Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Nils G Walter
- Single Molecule Analysis Group and Center for RNA Biomedicine, Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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