Post-Transcriptional Regulation of Viral RNA through Epitranscriptional Modification

RNA modifications in physiology and pathology: Progressing towards application in clinical settings

The potential to modify individual nucleotides through chemical means in order to impact the electrostatic charge, hydrophobic properties, and base pairing of RNA molecules is harnessed in the medical application of stable synthetic RNAs like mRNA vaccines and synthetic small RNA molecules. These modifications are used to either increase or decrease the production of therapeutic proteins. Additionally, naturally occurring biochemical alterations of nucleotides play a role in regulating RNA metabolism and function, thereby modulating essential cellular processes. Research elucidating the mechanisms through which RNA modifications govern fundamental cellular functions in multicellular organisms has enhanced our comprehension of how irregular RNA modification profiles can lead to human diseases. Collectively, these fundamental scientific findings have unveiled the molecular and cellular functions of RNA modifications, offering new opportunities for therapeutic intervention and paving the way for a variety of innovative clinical strategies.

The Applications of Nanopore Sequencing Technology in Animal and Human Virus Research

In recent years, an increasing number of viruses have triggered outbreaks that pose a severe threat to both human and animal life, as well as caused substantial economic losses. It is crucial to understand the genomic structure and epidemiology of these viruses to guide effective clinical prevention and treatment strategies. Nanopore sequencing, a third-generation sequencing technology, has been widely used in genomic research since 2014. This technology offers several advantages over traditional methods and next-generation sequencing (NGS), such as the ability to generate ultra-long reads, high efficiency, real-time monitoring and analysis, portability, and the ability to directly sequence RNA or DNA molecules. As a result, it exhibits excellent applicability and flexibility in virus research, including viral detection and surveillance, genome assembly, the discovery of new variants and novel viruses, and the identification of chemical modifications. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of the development, principles, advantages, and applications of nanopore sequencing technology in animal and human virus research, aiming to offer fresh perspectives for future studies in this field.

RNA m5C methylation modification: a potential therapeutic target for SARS-CoV-2-associated myocarditis

The Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19), caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has quickly spread worldwide and resulted in significant morbidity and mortality. Although most infections are mild, some patients can also develop severe and fatal myocarditis. In eukaryotic RNAs, 5-methylcytosine (m5C) is a common kind of post-transcriptional modification, which is involved in regulating various biological processes (such as RNA export, translation, and stability maintenance). With the rapid development of m5C modification detection technology, studies related to viral m5C modification are ever-increasing. These studies have revealed that m5C modification plays an important role in various stages of viral replication, including transcription and translation. According to recent studies, m5C methylation modification can regulate SARS-CoV-2 infection by modulating innate immune signaling pathways. However, the specific role of m5C modification in SARS-CoV-2-induced myocarditis remains unclear. Therefore, this review aims to provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of m5C methylation in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Moreover, the regulatory role of NSUN2 in viral infection and host innate immune response was also highlighted. This review may provide new directions for developing therapeutic strategies for SARS-CoV-2-associated myocarditis.

Identifying Individual Pseudouridine (Ψ) Sites Across Transcripts from HIV-1 Infected Cells

The identification of RNA modifications at single nucleotide resolution has become an emerging area of interest within biology and specifically among virologists seeking to ascertain how this untapped area of RNA regulation may be altered or hijacked upon viral infection. Herein, we describe a straightforward biochemical approach modified from two original published Ψ mapping protocols, BID-seq and PRAISE, to specifically identify pseudouridine modifications on mRNA transcripts from an HIV-1 infected T cell line. This protocol could readily be adapted for other viral infected cell types and additionally for populations of purified virions from infected cells.

The Repurposing of Cellular Proteins during Enterovirus A71 Infection

Viruses pose a great threat to people's lives. Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) infects children and infants all over the world with no FDA-approved treatment to date. Understanding the basic mechanisms of viral processes aids in selecting more efficient drug targets and designing more effective antivirals to thwart this virus. The 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of the viral RNA genome is composed of a cloverleaf structure and an internal ribosome entry site (IRES). Cellular proteins that bind to the cloverleaf structure regulate viral RNA synthesis, while those that bind to the IRES also known as IRES trans-acting factors (ITAFs) regulate viral translation. In this review, we survey the cellular proteins currently known to bind the 5'-UTR and influence viral gene expression with emphasis on comparing proteins' functions and localizations pre- and post-(EV-A71) infection. A comprehensive understanding of how the host cell's machinery is hijacked and reprogrammed by the virus to facilitate its replication is crucial for developing effective antivirals.

Emerging role of RNA acetylation modification ac4C in diseases: Current advances and future challenges

The oldest known highly conserved modification of RNA, N4-acetylcytidine, is widely distributed from archaea to eukaryotes and acts as a posttranscriptional chemical modification of RNA, contributing to the correct reading of specific nucleotide sequences during translation, stabilising mRNA and improving transcription efficiency. Yeast Kre33 and human NAT10, the only known authors of ac4C, modify tRNA with the help of the Tan1/THUMPD1 adapter to stabilise its structure. Currently, the mRNA for N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C), catalysed by NAT10 (N-acetyltransferase 10), has been implicated in a variety of human diseases, particularly cancer. This article reviews advances in the study of ac4C modification of RNA and the ac4C-related gene NAT10 in normal physiological cell development, cancer, premature disease and viral infection and discusses its therapeutic promise and future research challenges.

Fast and Efficient Design of Deep Neural Networks for Predicting N7-Methylguanosine Sites Using autoBioSeqpy

N⁷-Methylguanosine (m⁷G) is a crucial post-transcriptional RNA modification that plays a pivotal role in regulating gene expression. Accurately identifying m⁷G sites is a fundamental step in understanding the biological functions and regulatory mechanisms associated with this modification. While whole-genome sequencing is the gold standard for RNA modification site detection, it is a time-consuming, expensive, and intricate process. Recently, computational approaches, especially deep learning (DL) techniques, have gained popularity in achieving this objective. Convolutional neural networks and recurrent neural networks are examples of DL algorithms that have emerged as versatile tools for modeling biological sequence data. However, developing an efficient network architecture with superior performance remains a challenging task, requiring significant expertise, time, and effort. To address this, we previously introduced a tool called autoBioSeqpy, which streamlines the design and implementation of DL networks for biological sequence classification. In this study, we utilized autoBioSeqpy to develop, train, evaluate, and fine-tune sequence-level DL models for predicting m⁷G sites. We provided detailed descriptions of these models, along with a step-by-step guide on their execution. The same methodology can be applied to other systems dealing with similar biological questions. The benchmark data and code utilized in this study can be accessed for free at http://github.com/jingry/autoBioSeeqpy/tree/2.0/examples/m7G.

No evidence for epitranscriptomic m5C modification of SARS-CoV-2, HIV and MLV viral RNA

The addition of chemical groups to cellular RNA to modulate RNA fate and/or function is summarized under the term epitranscriptomic modification. More than 170 different modifications have been identified on cellular RNA, such as tRNA, rRNA and, to a lesser extent, on other RNA types. Recently, epitranscriptomic modification of viral RNA has received considerable attention as a possible additional mechanism regulating virus infection and replication. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and C5-methylcytosine (m5C) have been most broadly studied in different RNA viruses. Various studies, however, reported varying results with regard to number and extent of the modification. Here we investigated the m5C methylome of SARS-CoV-2, and we reexamined reported m5C sites in HIV and MLV. Using a rigorous bisulfite-sequencing protocol and stringent data analysis, we found no evidence for the presence of m5C in these viruses. The data emphasize the necessity for optimizing experimental conditions and bioinformatic data analysis.

Interplay of RNA 2'-O-methylations with viral replication

Viral RNAs (vRNAs) are decorated by post-transcriptional modifications, including methylation of nucleotides. Methylations regulate biological functions linked to the sequence, structure, and protein interactome of RNA. Several RNA viruses were found to harbor 2'-O-methylations, affecting the ribose moiety of RNA. This mark was initially shown to target the first and second nucleotides of the 5'-end cap structure of mRNA. More recently, nucleotides within vRNA were also reported to carry 2'-O-methylations. The consequences of such methylations are still puzzling since they were associated with both proviral and antiviral effects. Here, we focus on the mechanisms governing vRNA 2'-O-methylation and we explore the possible roles of this epitranscriptomic modification for viral replication.

Trans-anethole exerts protective effects on lipopolysaccharide-induced acute jejunal inflammation of broilers via repressing NF-κB signaling pathway

This study aimed to explore the effects of trans-anethole (TA) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute jejunal inflammation model of broilers. A total of 160 one-day-old broilers (male; Arbor Acres) were randomly allocated into four treatment groups with 8 replicates of 5 birds each. On d 20, the dose of 5 mg/kg body weight LPS solution and the equal amount of sterile saline were intraperitoneally injected into LPS-challenged and unchallenged broilers, respectively. Compared with the control group, LPS decreased (P < 0.05) the villus height (VH) and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (VCR) but increased (P < 0.05) the crypt depth (CD), meanwhile, enhanced (P < 0.01) the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) but decreased (P < 0.01) the level of interleukin-10 (IL-10). The group supplemented with 600 mg/kg of TA had lower (P < 0.01) CD and higher (P < 0.01) VCR than the LPS group. TA increased (P < 0.01) the level of IL-10 and decreased (P < 0.01) the level of IL-1β. The mRNA expression levels of IL-6, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), TNF-α were up-regulated (P < 0.05) and the levels of IL-10 and inhibitor of NF-κB alpha (IκBα) were down-regulated (P < 0.05) by LPS as compared with the control group. TA down-regulated (P < 0.05) the increased mRNA expression levels of genes caused by LPS, as well as up-regulated (P < 0.05) the levels of IL-10 and IκBα. Furthermore, LPS down-regulated (P < 0.05) and up-regulated (P < 0.05) the protein expression levels of IκBα and NF-κB p65, respectively. TA up-regulated (P < 0.05) the level of IκBα and down-regulated (P < 0.05) the level of NF-κB p65. The conclusion of this study is that TA could exert protective effect on the LPS-induced acute jejunal inflammation of broilers via repressing the activation of NF-κB and the 600 mg/kg is the optimal dose against LPS-induced acute jejunal inflammation of broilers.

Methyltransferases of Riboviria

Many viruses from the realm Riboviria infecting eukaryotic hosts encode protein domains with sequence similarity to S-adenosylmethionine-dependent methyltransferases. These protein domains are thought to be involved in methylation of the 5'-terminal cap structures in virus mRNAs. Some methyltransferase-like domains of Riboviria are homologous to the widespread cellular FtsJ/RrmJ-like methyltransferases involved in modification of cellular RNAs; other methyltransferases, found in a subset of positive-strand RNA viruses, have been assigned to a separate "Sindbis-like" family; and coronavirus-specific Nsp13/14-like methyltransferases appeared to be different from both those classes. The representative structures of proteins from all three groups belong to a specific variety of the Rossmann fold with a seven-stranded β-sheet, but it was unclear whether this structural similarity extends to the level of conserved sequence signatures. Here I survey methyltransferases in Riboviria and derive a joint sequence alignment model that covers all groups of virus methyltransferases and subsumes the previously defined conserved sequence motifs. Analysis of the spatial structures indicates that two highly conserved residues, a lysine and an aspartate, frequently contact a water molecule, which is located in the enzyme active center next to the methyl group of S-adenosylmethionine cofactor and could play a key role in the catalytic mechanism of the enzyme. Phylogenetic evidence indicates a likely origin of all methyltransferases of Riboviria from cellular RrmJ-like enzymes and their rapid divergence with infrequent horizontal transfer between distantly related viruses.

Analyzing viral epitranscriptomes using nanopore direct RNA sequencing

RNA modifications are a common occurrence across all domains of life. Several chemical modifications, including N6-methyladenosine, have also been found in viral transcripts and viral RNA genomes. Some of the modifications increase the viral replication efficiency while also helping the virus to evade the host immune system. Nonetheless, there are numerous examples in which the host's RNA modification enzymes function as antiviral factors. Although established methods like MeRIP-seq and miCLIP can provide a transcriptome- wide overview of how viral RNA is modified, it is difficult to distinguish between the complex overlapping viral transcript isoforms using the short read-based techniques. Nanopore direct RNA sequencing (DRS) provides both long reads and direct signal readings, which may carry information about the modifications. Here, we describe a refined protocol for analyzing the RNA modifications in viral transcriptomes using nanopore technology.

N4-acetylcytidine regulates the replication and pathogenicity of enterovirus 71

Chemical modifications are important for RNA function and metabolism. N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) is critical for the translation and stability of mRNA. Although ac4C is found in RNA viruses, the detailed mechanisms through which ac4C affects viral replication are unclear. Here, we reported that the 5' untranslated region of the enterovirus 71 (EV71) genome was ac4C modified by the host acetyltransferase NAT10. Inhibition of NAT10 and mutation of the ac4C sites within the internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) suppressed EV71 replication. ac4C enhanced viral RNA translation via selective recruitment of PCBP2 to the IRES and boosted RNA stability. Additionally, ac4C increased the binding of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (3D) to viral RNA. Notably, ac4C-deficient mutant EV71 showed reduced pathogenicity in vivo. Our findings highlighted the essential role of ac4C in EV71 infection and provided insights into potential antiviral treatments.

The Impact of Epitranscriptomics on Antiviral Innate Immunity

Epitranscriptomics, i.e., chemical modifications of RNA molecules, has proven to be a new layer of modulation and regulation of protein expression, asking for the revisiting of some aspects of cellular biology. At the virological level, epitranscriptomics can thus directly impact the viral life cycle itself, acting on viral or cellular proteins promoting replication, or impacting the innate antiviral response of the host cell, the latter being the focus of the present review.

Research Progress for RNA Modifications in Physiological and Pathological Angiogenesis

As a critical layer of epigenetics, RNA modifications demonstrate various molecular functions and participate in numerous biological processes. RNA modifications have been shown to be essential for embryogenesis and stem cell fate. As high-throughput sequencing and antibody technologies advanced by leaps and bounds, the association of RNA modifications with multiple human diseases sparked research enthusiasm; in addition, aberrant RNA modification leads to tumor angiogenesis by regulating angiogenesis-related factors. This review collected recent cutting-edge studies focused on RNA modifications (N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A), N⁵-methylcytosine (m⁵C), N⁷-methylguanosine (m⁷G), N¹-methyladenosine (m¹A), and pseudopuridine (Ψ)), and their related regulators in tumor angiogenesis to emphasize the role and impact of RNA modifications.

NAT10-mediated N4-acetylcytidine modification is required for meiosis entry and progression in male germ cells

Post-transcriptional RNA modifications critically regulate various biological processes. N⁴-acetylcytidine (ac⁴C) is an epi-transcriptome, which is highly conserved in all species. However, the in vivo physiological functions and regulatory mechanisms of ac⁴C remain poorly understood, particularly in mammals. In this study, we demonstrate that the only known ac⁴C writer, N-acetyltransferase 10 (NAT10), plays an essential role in male reproduction. We identified the occurrence of ac⁴C in the mRNAs of mouse tissues and showed that ac⁴C undergoes dynamic changes during spermatogenesis. Germ cell-specific ablation of Nat10 severely inhibits meiotic entry and leads to defects in homologous chromosome synapsis, meiotic recombination and repair of DNA double-strand breaks during meiosis. Transcriptomic profiling revealed dysregulation of functional genes in meiotic prophase I after Nat10 deletion. These findings highlight the crucial physiological functions of ac⁴C modifications in male spermatogenesis and expand our understanding of its role in the regulation of specific physiological processes in vivo.

Nanopore-Based Detection of Viral RNA Modifications

The chemical modification of ribonucleotides plays an integral role in the biology of diverse viruses and their eukaryotic host cells. Mapping the precise identity, location, and abundance of modified ribonucleotides remains a key goal of many studies aimed at characterizing the function and importance of a given modification. While mapping of specific RNA modifications through short-read sequencing approaches has powered a wealth of new discoveries in the past decade, this approach is limited by inherent biases and an absence of linkage information. Moreover, in viral contexts, the challenge is increased due to the compact nature of viral genomes giving rise to many overlapping transcript isoforms that cannot be adequately resolved using short-read sequencing approaches. The recent emergence of nanopore sequencing, specifically the ability to directly sequence native RNAs from virus-infected host cells, provides not just a new methodology for mapping modified ribonucleotides but also a new conceptual framework for what can be derived from the resulting sequencing data. In this minireview, we provide a detailed overview of how nanopore direct RNA sequencing works, the computational approaches applied to identify modified ribonucleotides, and the core concepts underlying both. We further highlight recent studies that have applied this approach to interrogating viral biology and finish by discussing key experimental considerations and how we predict that these methodologies will continue to evolve.

ISG20: an enigmatic antiviral RNase targeting multiple viruses

Interferon-stimulated gene 20 kDa protein (ISG20) is a relatively understudied antiviral protein capable of inhibiting a broad spectrum of viruses. ISG20 exhibits strong RNase properties, and it belongs to the large family of DEDD exonucleases, present in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. ISG20 was initially characterized as having strong RNase activity in vitro, suggesting that its inhibitory effects are mediated via direct degradation of viral RNAs. This mechanism of action has since been further elucidated and additional antiviral activities of ISG20 highlighted, including direct degradation of deaminated viral DNA and translational inhibition of viral RNA and nonself RNAs. This review focuses on the current understanding of the main molecular mechanisms of viral inhibition by ISG20 and discusses the latest developments on the features that govern specificity or resistance to its action.

Identification and mapping of post-transcriptional modifications on the HIV-1 antisense transcript Ast in human cells

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) encodes multiple RNA molecules. Transcripts that originate from the proviral 5' long terminal repeat (LTR) function as messenger RNAs for the expression of 16 different mature viral proteins. In addition, HIV-1 expresses an antisense transcript (Ast) from the 3'LTR, which has both protein-coding and noncoding properties. While the mechanisms that regulate the coding and noncoding activities of Ast remain unknown, post-transcriptional modifications are known to influence RNA stability, interaction with protein partners, and translation capacity. Here, we report the nucleoside modification profile of Ast obtained through liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. The epitranscriptome includes a limited set of modified nucleosides but predominantly ribose methylations. A number of these modifications were mapped to specific positions of the sequence through RNA modification mapping procedures. The presence of modifications on Ast is consistent with the RNA-modifying enzymes interacting with Ast The identification and mapping of Ast post-transcriptional modifications is expected to elucidate the mechanisms through which this versatile molecule can carry out diverse activities in different cell compartments. Manipulation of post-transcriptional modifications on the Ast RNA may have therapeutic implications.

The Emerging Role of RNA Modifications in the Regulation of Antiviral Innate Immunity

Posttranscriptional modifications have been implicated in regulation of nearly all biological aspects of cellular RNAs, from stability, translation, splicing, nuclear export to localization. Chemical modifications also have been revealed for virus derived RNAs several decades before, along with the potential of their regulatory roles in virus infection. Due to the dynamic changes of RNA modifications during virus infection, illustrating the mechanisms of RNA epigenetic regulations remains a challenge. Nevertheless, many studies have indicated that these RNA epigenetic marks may directly regulate virus infection through antiviral innate immune responses. The present review summarizes the impacts of important epigenetic marks on viral RNAs, including N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A), 5-methylcytidine (m⁵C), 2ʹ-O-methylation (2ʹ-O-Methyl), and a few uncanonical nucleotides (A-to-I editing, pseudouridine), on antiviral innate immunity and relevant signaling pathways, while highlighting the significance of antiviral innate immune responses during virus infection.

Grapevine Virology in the Third-Generation Sequencing Era: From Virus Detection to Viral Epitranscriptomics

Among all economically important plant species in the world, grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is the most cultivated fruit plant. It has a significant impact on the economies of many countries through wine and fresh and dried fruit production. In recent years, the grape and wine industry has been facing outbreaks of known and emerging viral diseases across the world. Although high-throughput sequencing (HTS) has been used extensively in grapevine virology, the application and potential of third-generation sequencing have not been explored in understanding grapevine viruses and their impact on the grapevine. Nanopore sequencing, a third-generation technology, can be used for the direct sequencing of both RNA and DNA with minimal infrastructure. Compared to other HTS methods, the MinION nanopore platform is faster and more cost-effective and allows for long-read sequencing. Due to the size of the MinION device, it can be easily carried for field viral disease surveillance. This review article discusses grapevine viruses, the principle of third-generation sequencing platforms, and the application of nanopore sequencing technology in grapevine virus detection, virus-plant interactions, as well as the characterization of viral RNA modifications.

From RNA World to SARS-CoV-2: The Edited Story of RNA Viral Evolution

The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic underscores the importance of understanding the evolution of RNA genomes. While RNA is subject to the formation of similar lesions as DNA, the evolutionary and physiological impacts RNA lesions have on viral genomes are yet to be characterized. Lesions that may drive the evolution of RNA genomes can induce breaks that are repaired by recombination or can cause base substitution mutagenesis, also known as base editing. Over the past decade or so, base editing mutagenesis of DNA genomes has been subject to many studies, revealing that exposure of ssDNA is subject to hypermutation that is involved in the etiology of cancer. However, base editing of RNA genomes has not been studied to the same extent. Recently hypermutation of single-stranded RNA viral genomes have also been documented though its role in evolution and population dynamics. Here, we will summarize the current knowledge of key mechanisms and causes of RNA genome instability covering areas from the RNA world theory to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic of today. We will also highlight the key questions that remain as it pertains to RNA genome instability, mutations accumulation, and experimental strategies for addressing these questions.