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Abdalla OHMH, Mascarenhas B, Cheng HYM. Death of a Protein: The Role of E3 Ubiquitin Ligases in Circadian Rhythms of Mice and Flies. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810569. [PMID: 36142478 PMCID: PMC9502492 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Circadian clocks evolved to enable organisms to anticipate and prepare for periodic environmental changes driven by the day–night cycle. This internal timekeeping mechanism is built on autoregulatory transcription–translation feedback loops that control the rhythmic expression of core clock genes and their protein products. The levels of clock proteins rise and ebb throughout a 24-h period through their rhythmic synthesis and destruction. In the ubiquitin–proteasome system, the process of polyubiquitination, or the covalent attachment of a ubiquitin chain, marks a protein for degradation by the 26S proteasome. The process is regulated by E3 ubiquitin ligases, which recognize specific substrates for ubiquitination. In this review, we summarize the roles that known E3 ubiquitin ligases play in the circadian clocks of two popular model organisms: mice and fruit flies. We also discuss emerging evidence that implicates the N-degron pathway, an alternative proteolytic system, in the regulation of circadian rhythms. We conclude the review with our perspectives on the potential for the proteolytic and non-proteolytic functions of E3 ubiquitin ligases within the circadian clock system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osama Hasan Mustafa Hasan Abdalla
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
- Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Brittany Mascarenhas
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
- Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Hai-Ying Mary Cheng
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
- Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, Canada
- Correspondence:
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Zhou Q, Wang K, Qiu J, Zhu D, Tian T, Zhang Y, Qin X. Comparative transcriptome analysis and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing reveal that E4BP4 mediates lithium upregulation of Per2 expression. Open Biol 2021; 11:210140. [PMID: 34905700 PMCID: PMC8670960 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.210140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Bipolar disorder (BPD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by alternate episodes of mania and depression. Disruption of normal circadian clock and abnormal sleep cycles are common symptoms of BPD patients. Lithium salt is currently an effective clinical therapeutic drug for BPD. Animal and cellular studies have found that lithium salt can upregulate the expression of the clock gene Per2, but the mechanism is unknown. We aim to understand the mechanism underlying the Per2 upregulation by lithium treatment. By taking approaches of both comparative transcriptome analysis and comparative qPCR analysis between human and murine cells, Lumicycle assay, luciferase assay and RT-qPCR assay showed that lithium could significantly upregulate the expression of Per2 in both mouse and human cells, and significantly inhibit the expression of E4bp4, which encodes a transcriptional inhibitor of Per2. After knocking out the cis-element upstream on the Per2 promoter that responds to E4BP4, the upregulation effect on Per2 by lithium disappeared. When E4bp4 gene was knocked out, the upregulation effect on Per2 by lithium salt disappeared. This study has found that lithium upregulates Per2 expression by reducing the expression of transcription factor E4BP4, but the mechanism of lithium salt downregulation of E4BP4 remains to be further studied. Our study provides a new therapeutic target and approaches for treating BPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Zhou
- Department of Health Sciences, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui Province 230601, People's Republic of China
| | - Kankan Wang
- Department of Health Sciences, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui Province 230601, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiameng Qiu
- Department of Health Sciences, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui Province 230601, People's Republic of China
| | - Di Zhu
- Department of Health Sciences, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui Province 230601, People's Republic of China
| | - Tian Tian
- Department of Health Sciences, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui Province 230601, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunfei Zhang
- Modern Experiment Technology Center, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui Province 230601, People's Republic of China
| | - Ximing Qin
- Department of Health Sciences, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui Province 230601, People's Republic of China
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Mechanisms of Binding Specificity among bHLH Transcription Factors. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22179150. [PMID: 34502060 PMCID: PMC8431614 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The transcriptome of every cell is orchestrated by the complex network of interaction between transcription factors (TFs) and their binding sites on DNA. Disruption of this network can result in many forms of organism malfunction but also can be the substrate of positive natural selection. However, understanding the specific determinants of each of these individual TF-DNA interactions is a challenging task as it requires integrating the multiple possible mechanisms by which a given TF ends up interacting with a specific genomic region. These mechanisms include DNA motif preferences, which can be determined by nucleotide sequence but also by DNA’s shape; post-translational modifications of the TF, such as phosphorylation; and dimerization partners and co-factors, which can mediate multiple forms of direct or indirect cooperative binding. Binding can also be affected by epigenetic modifications of putative target regions, including DNA methylation and nucleosome occupancy. In this review, we describe how all these mechanisms have a role and crosstalk in one specific family of TFs, the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH), with a very conserved DNA binding domain and a similar DNA preferred motif, the E-box. Here, we compile and discuss a rich catalog of strategies used by bHLH to acquire TF-specific genome-wide landscapes of binding sites.
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Circadian Clock Regulation of Hepatic Energy Metabolism Regulatory Circuits. BIOLOGY 2019; 8:biology8040079. [PMID: 31635079 PMCID: PMC6956161 DOI: 10.3390/biology8040079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2019] [Revised: 10/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The liver is a critical organ of energy metabolism. At least 10% of the liver transcriptome demonstrates rhythmic expression, implying that the circadian clock regulates large programmes of hepatic genes. Here, we review the mechanisms by which this rhythmic regulation is conferred, with a particular focus on the transcription factors whose actions combine to impart liver- and time-specificity to metabolic gene expression.
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Mendoza-Viveros L, Bouchard-Cannon P, Hegazi S, Cheng AH, Pastore S, Cheng HYM. Molecular modulators of the circadian clock: lessons from flies and mice. Cell Mol Life Sci 2017; 74:1035-1059. [PMID: 27689221 PMCID: PMC11107503 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-016-2378-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2016] [Revised: 09/03/2016] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Circadian timekeeping is a ubiquitous mechanism that enables organisms to maintain temporal coordination between internal biological processes and time of the local environment. The molecular basis of circadian rhythms lies in a set of transcription-translation feedback loops (TTFLs) that drives the rhythmic transcription of core clock genes, whose level and phase of expression serve as the marker of circadian time. However, it has become increasingly evident that additional regulatory mechanisms impinge upon the TTFLs to govern the properties and behavior of the circadian clock. Such mechanisms include changes in chromatin architecture, interactions with other transcription factor networks, post-transcriptional control by RNA modifications, alternative splicing and microRNAs, and post-translational regulation of subcellular trafficking and protein degradation. In this review, we will summarize the current knowledge of circadian clock regulation-from transcriptional to post-translational-drawing from literature pertaining to the Drosophila and murine circadian systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Mendoza-Viveros
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Pascale Bouchard-Cannon
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Sara Hegazi
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Arthur H Cheng
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Stephen Pastore
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Hai-Ying Mary Cheng
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada.
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada.
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Sato F, Muragaki Y, Kawamoto T, Fujimoto K, Kato Y, Zhang Y. Rhythmic expression of DEC2 protein in vitro and in vivo. Biomed Rep 2016; 4:704-710. [PMID: 27284410 DOI: 10.3892/br.2016.656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 03/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor DEC2 (bHLHE41/Sharp1) is one of the clock genes that show a circadian rhythm in various tissues. DEC2 regulates differentiation, sleep length, tumor cell invasion and apoptosis. Although studies have been conducted on the rhythmic expression of DEC2 mRNA in various tissues, the precise molecular mechanism of DEC2 expression is poorly understood. In the present study, we examined whether DEC2 protein had a rhythmic expression. Western blot analysis for DEC2 protein revealed a rhythmic expression in mouse liver, lung and muscle and in MCF-7 and U2OS cells. In addition, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity (phosphorylation of AMPK) in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) exhibited a rhythmic expression under the condition of medium change or glucose-depleted medium. However, the rhythmic expression of DEC2 in MEF gradually decreased in time under these conditions. The medium change affected the levels of DEC2 protein and phosphorylation of AMPK. In addition, the levels of DEC2 protein showed a rhythmic expression in vivo and in MCF-7 and U2OS cells. The results showed that the phosphorylation of AMPK immunoreactivity was strongly detected in the liver and lung of DEC2 knockout mice compared with that of wild-type mice. These results may provide new insights into rhythmic expression and the regulation between DEC2 protein and AMPK activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuyuki Sato
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA; Department of Pathology, Wakayama Medical University School of Medicine, Wakayama 641-8509, Japan
| | - Yasuteru Muragaki
- Department of Pathology, Wakayama Medical University School of Medicine, Wakayama 641-8509, Japan
| | - Takeshi Kawamoto
- Department of Dental and Medical Biochemistry, Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan
| | - Katsumi Fujimoto
- Department of Dental and Medical Biochemistry, Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan
| | - Yukio Kato
- Department of Dental and Medical Biochemistry, Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan
| | - Yanping Zhang
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA; Jiangsu Center for the Collaboration and Innovation of Cancer Biotherapy, Cancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, P.R. China
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