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Liu YD, Chen HR, Zhang Y, Yan G, Yan HJ, Zhu Q, Peng LH. Progress and challenges of plant-derived nucleic acids as therapeutics in macrophage-mediated RNA therapy. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1255668. [PMID: 38155963 PMCID: PMC10753178 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1255668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Plant-derived nucleic acids, especially small RNAs have been proved by increasing evidence in the pharmacological activities and disease treatment values in macrophage meditated anti-tumor performance, immune regulating functions and antiviral activities. But the uptake, application and delivery strategies of RNAs as biodrugs are different from the small molecules and recombinant protein drugs. This article summarizes the reported evidence for cross-kingdom regulation by plant derived functional mRNAs and miRNAs. Based on that, their involvement and potentials in macrophage-mediated anti-tumor/inflammatory therapies are mainly discussed, as well as the load prospect of plant RNAs in viruses and natural exosome vehicles, and their delivery to mammalian cells through macrophage were also summarized. This review is to provide evidence and views for the plant derived RNAs as next generation of drugs with application potential in nucleic acid-based bio-therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Da Liu
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hao-Ran Chen
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yao Zhang
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ge Yan
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hao-Jie Yan
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qi Zhu
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Li-Hua Peng
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
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2
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Huang G, Zhang F, Xie D, Ma Y, Wang P, Cao G, Chen L, Lin S, Zhao Z, Cai Z. High-throughput profiling of RNA modifications by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to complementary mass spectrometry: Methods, quality control, and applications. Talanta 2023; 263:124697. [PMID: 37262985 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2023.124697] [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: 03/19/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Although next-generation sequencing technology has been used to delineate RNA modifications in recent years, the paucity of appropriate converting reactions or specific antibodies impedes the accurate characterization and quantification of numerous RNA modifications, especially when these modifications demonstrate wide variations across developmental stages and cell types. In this study, we developed a high-throughput analytical platform coupling ultra-performance liquid chromatograph (UPLC) with complementary mass spectrometry (MS) to identify and quantify RNA modifications in both synthetic and biological samples. Sixty-four types of RNA modifications, including positional isomers and hypermodified ribonucleosides, were successfully monitored within a 16-min single run of UPLC-MS. Two independent methods to cross-validate the purity of RNA extracted from Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) were developed using the coexisting C. elegans and Escherichia coli (E. coli) as a surveillance system. To test the validity of the method, we investigated the RNA modification landscape of three model organisms, C. elegans, E. coli, and Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana). Both the identity and molarity of modified ribonucleosides markedly varied among the species. Moreover, our platform is not only useful for exploring the dynamics of RNA modifications in response to environmental cues (e.g., cold shock) but can also help with the identification of RNA-modifying enzymes in genetic studies. Cumulatively, our method presents a novel platform for the comprehensive analysis of RNA modifications, which will be of benefit to both analytical chemists involved in biomarker discovery and biologists conducting functional studies of RNA modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gefei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Feng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Dongying Xie
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Yiming Ma
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Pengxi Wang
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Guodong Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Leijian Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Siyi Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Zhongying Zhao
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, 999077, China.
| | - Zongwei Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, 999077, China.
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Ren F, Cao KY, Gong RZ, Yu ML, Tao P, Xiao Y, Jiang ZH. The role of post-transcriptional modification on a new tRNA Ile(GAU) identified from Ganoderma lucidum in its fragments' cytotoxicity on cancer cells. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 229:885-895. [PMID: 36603719 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.12.327] [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: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Ganoderma lucidum (Ganoderma) is a famous Chinese herbal medicine which has been used clinically for thousands of years in China. Despite numerous studies on triterpenes and polysaccharides, the bioactivity of RNAs abundant in Ganoderma remains unknown. Here, based on LC-MS techniques, dihydrouracil, 5-methyluridine (m5U) and pseudouridine were identified at position 19, 52 and 53 of a new tRNAIle(GAU) which was isolated as the most abundant tRNA species in Ganoderma, and is the first purified tRNA from fungus. Cytotoxic screening of tRNA-half (t-half) and tRNA fragment (tRF) derived from this tRNA, as well as their mimics (t-half or tRF as antisense strand), demonstrated that the double-stranded form, i.e., tRF and t-halve mimics, exhibited stronger cytotoxicity than their single-stranded form, and the cytotoxicity of t-half mimic is significantly stronger than that of tRF mimic. Notably, the cytotoxicity of 3'-t-half mimic is not only much more potent than that of taxol, but also is much more potent than that of ganoderic acids, the major bioactive components in Ganoderma. Furthermore, 3'-t-half mimic_M2 (m5U modified) exhibited significantly stronger cytotoxicity than unmodified 3'-t-half mimic, which is consistent with the computational simulation showing that m5U modification enhances the stability of the tertiary structure of 3'-t-half mimic. Overall, the present study not only indicates t-halves are bioactive components in Ganoderma which should not be neglected, but also reveals an important role of post-transcriptional modification on tRNA in its fragments' cytotoxicity against cancer cells, which benefits the design and development of RNAi drugs from natural resource.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macau
| | - Kai-Yue Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macau
| | - Rui-Ze Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macau
| | - Meng-Lan Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macau
| | - Peng Tao
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Yi Xiao
- School of Physics and Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Zhi-Hong Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macau.
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Hu K, Yan TM, Cao KY, Li F, Ma XR, Lai Q, Liu JC, Pan Y, Kou JP, Jiang ZH. A tRNA-derived fragment of ginseng protects heart against ischemia/reperfusion injury via targeting the lncRNA MIAT/VEGFA pathway. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2022; 29:672-688. [PMID: 36090756 PMCID: PMC9440274 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2022.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have been widely used for treating ischemic heart disease (IHD), and secondary metabolites are generally regarded as their pharmacologically active components. However, the effects of nucleic acids in TCMs remain unclear. We reported for the first time that a 22-mer double-strand RNA consisting of HC83 (a tRNA-derived fragment [tRF] from the 3' end of tRNAGln(UUG) of ginseng) and its complementary sequence significantly promoted H9c2 cell survival after hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) in vitro. HC83_mimic could also significantly improve cardiac function by maintaining both cytoskeleton integrity and mitochondrial function of cardiomyocytes. Further in vivo investigations revealed that HC83_mimic is more potent than metoprolol by >500-fold against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury. In-depth studies revealed that HC83 directly downregulated a lncRNA known as myocardial infarction-associated transcript (MIAT) that led to a subsequent upregulation of VEGFA expression. These findings provided the first evidence that TCM-derived tRFs can exert miRNA-like functions in mammalian systems, therefore supporting the idea that TCM-derived tRFs are promising RNA drug candidates shown to have extraordinarily potent effects. In summary, this study provides a novel strategy not only for discovering pharmacologically active tRFs from TCMs but also for efficiently exploring new therapeutic targets for various diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kua Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macau 999078, China
| | - Tong-Meng Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macau 999078, China
| | - Kai-Yue Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macau 999078, China
| | - Fang Li
- Department of Complex Prescription of TCM, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Xiao-Rong Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macau 999078, China
| | - Qiong Lai
- Department of Complex Prescription of TCM, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Jin-Cheng Liu
- Department of Complex Prescription of TCM, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Yu Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macau 999078, China
| | - Jun-Ping Kou
- Department of Complex Prescription of TCM, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
| | - Zhi-Hong Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macau 999078, China
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Huang G, Ding Q, Xie D, Cai Z, Zhao Z. Technical challenges in defining RNA modifications. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 127:155-165. [PMID: 34838434 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
It is well established that DNA base modifications play a key role in gene regulation during development and in response to environmental stress. This type of epigenetic control of development and environmental responses has been intensively studied over the past few decades. Similar to DNA, various RNA species also undergo modifications that play important roles in, for example, RNA splicing, protein translation, and the avoidance of immune surveillance by host. More than 160 different types of RNA modifications have been identified. In addition to base modifications, RNA modification also involves splicing of pre-mRNAs, leading to as many as tens of transcript isoforms from a single pre-RNA, especially in higher organisms. However, the function, prevalence and distribution of RNA modifications are poorly understood. The lack of a suitable method for the reliable identification of RNA modifications constitutes a significant challenge to studying their functions. This review focuses on the technologies that enable de novo identification of RNA base modifications and the alternatively spliced mRNA transcripts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gefei Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Qiutao Ding
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Dongying Xie
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Zongwei Cai
- Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Zhongying Zhao
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
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6
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Yan TM, Pan Y, Yu ML, Hu K, Cao KY, Jiang ZH. Full-Range Profiling of tRNA Modifications Using LC-MS/MS at Single-Base Resolution through a Site-Specific Cleavage Strategy. Anal Chem 2021; 93:1423-1432. [PMID: 33382261 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c03307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are the most heavily modified RNA species. Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is a powerful tool for characterizing tRNA modifications, which involves pretreating tRNAs with base-specific ribonucleases to produce smaller oligonucleotides amenable to MS. However, the quality and quantity of products from base-specific digestions are severely impacted by the base composition of tRNAs. This often leads to a loss of sequence information. Here, we report a method for the full-range profiling of tRNA modifications at single-base resolution by combining site-specific RNase H digestion with the LC-MS/MS and RNA-seq techniques. The key steps were designed to generate high-quality products of optimal lengths and ionization properties. A linear correlation between collision energies and the m/z of oligonucleotides significantly improved the information content of collision-induced dissociation (CID) spectra. False positives were eliminated by up to 95% using novel inclusion criteria for collecting a census of modifications. This method is illustrated by the mapping of mouse mitochondrial tRNAHis(GUG) and tRNAVal(UAC), which were hitherto not investigated. The identities and locations of the five species of modifications on these tRNAs were fully characterized. This approach is universally applicable to any tRNA species and provides an experimentally realizable pathway to the de novo sequencing of post-transcriptionally modified tRNAs with high sequence coverage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong-Meng Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau 999078, China
| | - Yu Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau 999078, China
| | - Meng-Lan Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau 999078, China
| | - Kua Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau 999078, China
| | - Kai-Yue Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau 999078, China
| | - Zhi-Hong Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau 999078, China
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Pan Y, Yan TM, Wang JR, Jiang ZH. The nature of the modification at position 37 of tRNAPhe correlates with acquired taxol resistance. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:38-52. [PMID: 33290562 PMCID: PMC7797046 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa1164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Acquired drug resistance is a major obstacle in cancer therapy. Recent studies revealed that reprogramming of tRNA modifications modulates cancer survival in response to chemotherapy. However, dynamic changes in tRNA modification were not elucidated. In this study, comparative analysis of the human cancer cell lines and their taxol resistant strains based on tRNA mapping was performed by using UHPLC-MS/MS. It was observed for the first time in all three cell lines that 4-demethylwyosine (imG-14) substitutes for hydroxywybutosine (OHyW) due to tRNA-wybutosine synthesizing enzyme-2 (TYW2) downregulation and becomes the predominant modification at the 37th position of tRNAphe in the taxol-resistant strains. Further analysis indicated that the increase in imG-14 levels is caused by downregulation of TYW2. The time courses of the increase in imG-14 and downregulation of TYW2 are consistent with each other as well as consistent with the time course of the development of taxol-resistance. Knockdown of TYW2 in HeLa cells caused both an accumulation of imG-14 and reduction in taxol potency. Taken together, low expression of TYW2 enzyme promotes the cancer survival and resistance to taxol therapy, implying a novel mechanism for taxol resistance. Reduction of imG-14 deposition offers an underlying rationale to overcome taxol resistance in cancer chemotherapy.
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MESH Headings
- A549 Cells
- Base Sequence
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
- Down-Regulation
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/physiology
- Female
- Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic
- Gene Knockdown Techniques
- Guanosine/analogs & derivatives
- Guanosine/chemistry
- Guanosine/metabolism
- HeLa Cells
- Humans
- Molecular Structure
- Neoplasm Proteins/genetics
- Neoplasm Proteins/metabolism
- Nucleic Acid Conformation
- Ovarian Neoplasms/pathology
- Paclitaxel/pharmacology
- RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional/genetics
- RNA, Neoplasm/chemistry
- RNA, Neoplasm/physiology
- RNA, Transfer, Phe/chemistry
- RNA, Transfer, Phe/physiology
- Tandem Mass Spectrometry
- Tumor Stem Cell Assay
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
| | - Tong-Meng Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
| | - Jing-Rong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
| | - Zhi-Hong Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
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