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Chery M, Berrissou C, Humbert N, Hummel G, Mely Y, Salinas-Giegé T, Drouard L. The Arabidopsis tDR Ala forms G-quadruplex structures that can be unwound by the DExH1 DEA(D/H)-box RNA helicase. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 118:124-140. [PMID: 38113339 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
As in many other organisms, tRNA-derived RNAs (tDRs) exist in plants and likely have multiple functions. We previously showed that tDRs are present in Arabidopsis under normal growth conditions, and that the ones originating from alanine tRNAs are the most abundant in leaves. We also showed that tDRs Ala of 20 nt produced from mature tRNAAla (AGC) can block in vitro protein translation. Here, we report that first, these tDRs Ala (AGC) can be found within peculiar foci in the cell that are neither P-bodies nor stress granules and, second, that they assemble into intermolecular RNA G-quadruplex (rG4) structures. Such tDR Ala rG4 structures can specifically interact with an Arabidopsis DEA(D/H) RNA helicase, the DExH1 protein, and unwind them. The rG4-DExH1 protein interaction relies on a glycine-arginine domain with RGG/RG/GR/GRR motifs present at the N-terminal extremity of the protein. Mutations on the four guanine residues located at the 5' extremity of the tDR Ala abolish its rG4 structure assembly, association with the DExH1 protein, and foci formation, but they do not prevent protein translation inhibition in vitro. Our data suggest that the sequestration of tDRs Ala into rG4 complexes might represent a way to modulate accessible and functional tDRs for translation inhibition within the plant cell via the activity of a specific RNA helicase, DExH1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie Chery
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes - CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 12 rue du général Zimmer, F-67084, Strasbourg, France
| | - Christina Berrissou
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes - CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 12 rue du général Zimmer, F-67084, Strasbourg, France
| | - Nicolas Humbert
- Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologies - CNRS, UMR 7021, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, 74 route du Rhin, 67401, Illkirch, France
| | - Guillaume Hummel
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes - CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 12 rue du général Zimmer, F-67084, Strasbourg, France
| | - Yves Mely
- Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologies - CNRS, UMR 7021, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, 74 route du Rhin, 67401, Illkirch, France
| | - Thalia Salinas-Giegé
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes - CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 12 rue du général Zimmer, F-67084, Strasbourg, France
| | - Laurence Drouard
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes - CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 12 rue du général Zimmer, F-67084, Strasbourg, France
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Pečinka P, Bohálová N, Volná A, Kundrátová K, Brázda V, Bartas M. Analysis of G-Quadruplex-Forming Sequences in Drought Stress-Responsive Genes, and Synthesis Genes of Phenolic Compounds in Arabidopsis thaliana. LIFE (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 13:life13010199. [PMID: 36676148 PMCID: PMC9865073 DOI: 10.3390/life13010199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Sequences of nucleic acids with the potential to form four-stranded G-quadruplex structures are intensively studied mainly in the context of human diseases, pathogens, or extremophile organisms; nonetheless, the knowledge about their occurrence and putative role in plants is still limited. This work is focused on G-quadruplex-forming sites in two gene sets of interest: drought stress-responsive genes, and genes related to the production/biosynthesis of phenolic compounds in the model plant organism Arabidopsis thaliana. In addition, 20 housekeeping genes were analyzed as well, where the constitutive gene expression was expected (with no need for precise regulation depending on internal or external factors). The results have shown that none of the tested gene sets differed significantly in the content of G-quadruplex-forming sites, however, the highest frequency of G-quadruplex-forming sites was found in the 5'-UTR regions of phenolic compounds' biosynthesis genes, which indicates the possibility of their regulation at the mRNA level. In addition, mainly within the introns and 1000 bp flanks downstream gene regions, G-quadruplex-forming sites were highly underrepresented. Finally, cluster analysis allowed us to observe similarities between particular genes in terms of their PQS characteristics. We believe that the original approach used in this study may become useful for further and more comprehensive bioinformatic studies in the field of G-quadruplex genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr Pečinka
- Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Ostrava, 70833 Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Natália Bohálová
- Department of Biophysical Chemistry and Molecular Oncology, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 61265 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Adriana Volná
- Department of Physics, University of Ostrava, 70833 Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Kristýna Kundrátová
- Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Ostrava, 70833 Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Václav Brázda
- Department of Biophysical Chemistry and Molecular Oncology, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 61265 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Bartas
- Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Ostrava, 70833 Ostrava, Czech Republic
- Correspondence:
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Falanga AP, Terracciano M, Oliviero G, Roviello GN, Borbone N. Exploring the Relationship between G-Quadruplex Nucleic Acids and Plants: From Plant G-Quadruplex Function to Phytochemical G4 Ligands with Pharmaceutic Potential. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:2377. [PMID: 36365194 PMCID: PMC9698481 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14112377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
G-quadruplex (G4) oligonucleotides are higher-order DNA and RNA secondary structures of enormous relevance due to their implication in several biological processes and pathological states in different organisms. Strategies aiming at modulating human G4 structures and their interrelated functions are first-line approaches in modern research aiming at finding new potential anticancer treatments or G4-based aptamers for various biomedical and biotechnological applications. Plants offer a cornucopia of phytocompounds that, in many cases, are effective in binding and modulating the thermal stability of G4s and, on the other hand, contain almost unexplored G4 motifs in their genome that could inspire new biotechnological strategies. Herein, we describe some G4 structures found in plants, summarizing the existing knowledge of their functions and biological role. Moreover, we review some of the most promising G4 ligands isolated from vegetal sources and report on the known relationships between such phytochemicals and G4-mediated biological processes that make them potential leads in the pharmaceutical sector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea P. Falanga
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Monica Terracciano
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Giorgia Oliviero
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Giovanni N. Roviello
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, Italian National Council for Research (IBB-CNR), Area di Ricerca site and Headquarters, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Nicola Borbone
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems, Italian National Council of Research (ISASI-CNR), Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Napoli, Italy
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Alternative RNA Conformations: Companion or Combatant. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13111930. [DOI: 10.3390/genes13111930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA molecules, in one form or another, are involved in almost all aspects of cell physiology, as well as in disease development. The diversity of the functional roles of RNA comes from its intrinsic ability to adopt complex secondary and tertiary structures, rivaling the diversity of proteins. The RNA molecules form dynamic ensembles of many interconverting conformations at a timescale of seconds, which is a key for understanding how they execute their cellular functions. Given the crucial role of RNAs in various cellular processes, we need to understand the RNA molecules from a structural perspective. Central to this review are studies aimed at revealing the regulatory role of conformational equilibria in RNA in humans to understand genetic diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as in pathogens such as bacteria and viruses so as to understand the progression of infectious diseases. Furthermore, we also summarize the prior studies on the use of RNA structures as platforms for the rational design of small molecules for therapeutic applications.
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Yu H, Qi Y, Yang B, Yang X, Ding Y. G4Atlas: a comprehensive transcriptome-wide G-quadruplex database. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 51:D126-D134. [PMID: 36243987 PMCID: PMC9825586 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA G-quadruplex (rG4) is a vital RNA tertiary structure motif that involves the base pairs on both Hoogsteen and Watson-Crick faces of guanines. rG4 is of great importance in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Experimental technologies have advanced to identify in vitro and in vivo rG4s across diverse transcriptomes. Building on these recent advances, here we present G4Atlas, the first transcriptome-wide G-quadruplex database, in which we have collated, classified, and visualized transcriptome rG4 experimental data, generated from rG4-seq, chemical profiling and ligand-binding methods. Our comprehensive database includes transcriptome-wide rG4s generated from 82 experimental treatments and 238 samples across ten species. In addition, we have also included RNA secondary structure prediction information across both experimentally identified and unidentified rG4s to enable users to display any potential competitive folding between rG4 and RNA secondary structures. As such, G4Atlas will enable users to explore the general functions of rG4s in diverse biological processes. In addition, G4Atlas lays the foundation for further data-driven deep learning algorithms to examine rG4 structural features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haopeng Yu
- Correspondence may also be addressed to Haopeng Yu. Tel: +44 1603 450214;
| | | | - Bibo Yang
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Xiaofei Yang
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK,National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China,CAS-JIC Center of Excellence for Plant and Microbial Sciences (CEPAMS), Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiliang Ding
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +44 1603 450266; Fax: +44 1603 450045;
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