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Maltseva D, Kirillov I, Zhiyanov A, Averinskaya D, Suvorov R, Gubani D, Kudriaeva A, Belogurov A, Tonevitsky A. Incautious design of shRNAs for stable overexpression of miRNAs could result in generation of undesired isomiRs. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2024; 1867:195046. [PMID: 38876159 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2024.195046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
shRNA-mediated strategy of miRNA overexpression based on RNA Polymerase III (Pol III) expression cassettes is widely used for miRNA functional studies. For some miRNAs, e.g., encoded in the genome as a part of a polycistronic miRNA cluster, it is most likely the only way for their individual stable overexpression. Here we have revealed that expression of miRNAs longer than 19 nt (e.g. 23 nt in length hsa-miR-93-5p) using such approach could be accompanied by undesired predominant generation of 5' end miRNA isoforms (5'-isomiRs). Extra U residues (up to five) added by Pol III at the 3' end of the transcribed shRNA during transcription termination could cause a shift in the Dicer cleavage position of the shRNA. This results in the formation of 5'-isomiRs, which have a significantly altered seed region compared to the initially encoded canonical hsa-miR-93-5p. We demonstrated that the commonly used qPCR method is insensitive to the formation of 5'-isomiRs and cannot be used to confirm miRNA overexpression. However, the predominant expression of 5'-isomiRs without three or four first nucleotides instead of the canonical isoform could be disclosed based on miRNA-Seq analysis. Moreover, mRNA sequencing data showed that the 5'-isomiRs of hsa-miR-93-5p presumably regulate their own mRNA targets. Thus, omitting miRNA-Seq analysis may lead to erroneous conclusions regarding revealed mRNA targets and possible molecular mechanisms in which studied miRNA is involved. Overall, the presented results show that structures of shRNAs for stable overexpression of miRNAs requires careful design to avoid generation of undesired 5'-isomiRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Maltseva
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow 101000, Russia
| | - Ivan Kirillov
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow 101000, Russia
| | - Anton Zhiyanov
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow 101000, Russia
| | - Daria Averinskaya
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow 101000, Russia
| | - Roman Suvorov
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow 101000, Russia
| | - Daria Gubani
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow 101000, Russia
| | - Anna Kudriaeva
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - Alexey Belogurov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - Alexander Tonevitsky
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow 101000, Russia; Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117997, Russia; Art Photonics GmbH, Berlin 12489, Germany.
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Wagner V, Meese E, Keller A. The intricacies of isomiRs: from classification to clinical relevance. Trends Genet 2024:S0168-9525(24)00124-0. [PMID: 38862304 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2024.05.007] [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: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and isoforms of their archetype, called isomiRs, regulate gene expression via complementary base-pair binding to messenger RNAs (mRNAs). The partially evolutionarily conserved isomiR sequence variations are differentially expressed among tissues, populations, and genders, and between healthy and diseased states. Aiming towards the clinical use of isomiRs as diagnostic biomarkers and for therapeutic purposes, several challenges need to be addressed, including (i) clarification of isomiR definition, (ii) improved annotation in databases with new standardization (such as the mirGFF3 format), and (iii) improved methods of isomiR detection, functional verification, and in silico analysis. In this review we discuss the respective challenges, and highlight the opportunities for clinical use of isomiRs, especially in the light of increasing amounts of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktoria Wagner
- Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, Center for Bioinformatics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany; Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Saarland University Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Eckart Meese
- Department of Human Genetics, Saarland University, 66421 Homburg/Saar, Germany
| | - Andreas Keller
- Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, Center for Bioinformatics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany; Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Saarland University Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
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Lovino M, Ficarra E, Martignetti L. Integrated microRNA and proteome analysis of cancer datasets with MoPC. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0289699. [PMID: 38512819 PMCID: PMC10956802 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small molecules that play an essential role in regulating gene expression by post-transcriptional gene silencing. Their study is crucial in revealing the fundamental processes underlying pathologies and, in particular, cancer. To date, most studies on miRNA regulation consider the effect of specific miRNAs on specific target mRNAs, providing wet-lab validation. However, few tools have been developed to explain the miRNA-mediated regulation at the protein level. In this paper, the MoPC computational tool is presented, that relies on the partial correlation between mRNAs and proteins conditioned on the miRNA expression to predict miRNA-target interactions in multi-omic datasets. MoPC returns the list of significant miRNA-target interactions and plot the significant correlations on the heatmap in which the miRNAs and targets are ordered by the chromosomal location. The software was applied on three TCGA/CPTAC datasets (breast, glioblastoma, and lung cancer), returning enriched results in three independent targets databases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Lovino
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Enzo Ferrari, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Elisa Ficarra
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Enzo Ferrari, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Loredana Martignetti
- Institut Curie, INSERM U900, MINES ParisTech, PSL Research University, Paris, France
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Marqués M, Pont M, Hidalgo I, Sorolla MA, Parisi E, Salud A, Sorolla A, Porcel JM. MicroRNAs Present in Malignant Pleural Fluid Increase the Migration of Normal Mesothelial Cells In Vitro and May Help Discriminate between Benign and Malignant Effusions. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14022. [PMID: 37762343 PMCID: PMC10531386 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241814022] [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: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The sensitivity of pleural fluid (PF) analyses for the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusions (MPEs) is low to moderate. Knowledge about the pathobiology and molecular characteristics of this condition is limited. In this study, the crosstalk between stromal cells and tumor cells was investigated in vitro in order to reveal factors that are present in PF which can mediate MPE formation and aid in discriminating between benign and malignant etiologies. Eighteen PF samples, in different proportions, were exposed in vitro to mesothelial MeT-5A cells to determine the biological effects on these cells. Treatment of normal mesothelial MeT-5A cells with malignant PF increased cell viability, proliferation, and migration, and activated different survival-related signaling pathways. We identified differentially expressed miRNAs in PF samples that could be responsible for these changes. Consistently, bioinformatics analysis revealed an enrichment of the discovered miRNAs in migration-related processes. Notably, the abundance of three miRNAs (miR-141-3p, miR-203a-3, and miR-200c-3p) correctly classified MPEs with false-negative cytological examination results, indicating the potential of these molecules for improving diagnosis. Malignant PF produces phenotypic and functional changes in normal mesothelial cells. These changes are partly mediated by certain miRNAs, which, in turn, could serve to differentiate malignant from benign effusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Marqués
- Research Group of Cancer Biomarkers, Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pifarré Foundation (IRBLleida), Avda Alcalde Rovira Roure 80, 25198 Lleida, Spain; (M.M.); (M.P.); (I.H.); (M.A.S.); (E.P.); (A.S.); (A.S.)
| | - Mariona Pont
- Research Group of Cancer Biomarkers, Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pifarré Foundation (IRBLleida), Avda Alcalde Rovira Roure 80, 25198 Lleida, Spain; (M.M.); (M.P.); (I.H.); (M.A.S.); (E.P.); (A.S.); (A.S.)
| | - Iván Hidalgo
- Research Group of Cancer Biomarkers, Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pifarré Foundation (IRBLleida), Avda Alcalde Rovira Roure 80, 25198 Lleida, Spain; (M.M.); (M.P.); (I.H.); (M.A.S.); (E.P.); (A.S.); (A.S.)
| | - Maria Alba Sorolla
- Research Group of Cancer Biomarkers, Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pifarré Foundation (IRBLleida), Avda Alcalde Rovira Roure 80, 25198 Lleida, Spain; (M.M.); (M.P.); (I.H.); (M.A.S.); (E.P.); (A.S.); (A.S.)
| | - Eva Parisi
- Research Group of Cancer Biomarkers, Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pifarré Foundation (IRBLleida), Avda Alcalde Rovira Roure 80, 25198 Lleida, Spain; (M.M.); (M.P.); (I.H.); (M.A.S.); (E.P.); (A.S.); (A.S.)
| | - Antonieta Salud
- Research Group of Cancer Biomarkers, Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pifarré Foundation (IRBLleida), Avda Alcalde Rovira Roure 80, 25198 Lleida, Spain; (M.M.); (M.P.); (I.H.); (M.A.S.); (E.P.); (A.S.); (A.S.)
- Department of Medical Oncology, Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, Avda Alcalde Rovira Roure 80, 25198 Lleida, Spain
| | - Anabel Sorolla
- Research Group of Cancer Biomarkers, Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pifarré Foundation (IRBLleida), Avda Alcalde Rovira Roure 80, 25198 Lleida, Spain; (M.M.); (M.P.); (I.H.); (M.A.S.); (E.P.); (A.S.); (A.S.)
| | - José M. Porcel
- Research Group of Cancer Biomarkers, Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pifarré Foundation (IRBLleida), Avda Alcalde Rovira Roure 80, 25198 Lleida, Spain; (M.M.); (M.P.); (I.H.); (M.A.S.); (E.P.); (A.S.); (A.S.)
- Pleural Medicine and Clinical Ultrasound Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, Avda Alcalde Rovira Roure 80, 25198 Lleida, Spain
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Zhiyanov A, Shkurnikov M, Nersisyan A, Hui C, Baranova A, Tonevitsky A. The signature of SARS-CoV-2 evolution reflects selective pressures within human guts. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e28996. [PMID: 37515485 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
In somatic cells, microRNAs (miRNAs) bind to the genomes of RNA viruses and influence their translation and replication. In London and Berlin samples represented in GISAID database, we traced severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineages and divided these sequenced in two groups, "Ancestral variants" and "Omicrons," and analyzed them through the prism of the tissue-specific binding between host miRNAs and viral messenger RNAs. We demonstrate a significant number of miRNA-binding sites in the NSP4 region of the SARS-CoV-2 genome, with evidence of evolutionary pressure within this region exerted by human intestinal miRNAs. Notably, in infected cells, NSP4 promotes the formation of double-membrane vesicles, which serve as the scaffolds for replication-transcriptional complexes and protect viral RNA from intracellular destruction. In 3 years of selection, the loss of many miRNA-binding sites in general and those within the NSP4 in particular has shaped the SARS-CoV-2 genomes. With that, the descendants of the BA.2 variants were promoted as dominant strains, which define current momentum of the pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Zhiyanov
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Maxim Shkurnikov
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ashot Nersisyan
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Cai Hui
- Department of Nanoengineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ancha Baranova
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
- Research Centre for Medical Genetics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander Tonevitsky
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Art Photonics GmbH, Berlin, Germany
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Nersisyan S, Zhiyanov A, Engibaryan N, Maltseva D, Tonevitsky A. A novel approach for a joint analysis of isomiR and mRNA expression data reveals features of isomiR targeting in breast cancer. Front Genet 2022; 13:1070528. [PMID: 36531236 PMCID: PMC9751988 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1070528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 07/31/2023] Open
Abstract
A widely used procedure for selecting significant miRNA-mRNA or isomiR-mRNA pairs out of predicted interactions involves calculating the correlation between expression levels of miRNAs/isomiRs and mRNAs in a series of samples. In this manuscript, we aimed to assess the validity of this procedure by comparing isomiR-mRNA correlation profiles in sets of sequence-based predicted target mRNAs and non-target mRNAs (negative controls). Target prediction was carried out using RNA22 and TargetScan algorithms. Spearman's correlation analysis was conducted using miRNA and mRNA sequencing data of The Cancer Genome Atlas Breast Invasive Carcinoma (TCGA-BRCA) project. Luminal A, luminal B, basal-like breast cancer subtypes, and adjacent normal tissue samples were analyzed separately. Using the sets of putative targets and non-targets, we introduced adjusted isomiR targeting activity (ITA)-the number of negatively correlated potential isomiR targets adjusted by the background (estimated using non-target mRNAs). We found that for most isomiRs a significant negative correlation between isomiR-mRNA expression levels appeared more often in a set of predicted targets compared to the non-targets. This trend was detected for both classical seed region binding types (8mer, 7mer-m8, 7mer-A1, 6mer) predicted by TargetScan and the non-classical ones (G:U wobbles and up to one mismatch or unpaired nucleotide within seed sequence) predicted by RNA22. Adjusted ITA distributions were similar for target sites located in 3'-UTRs and coding mRNA sequences, while 5'-UTRs had much lower scores. Finally, we observed strong cancer subtype-specific patterns of isomiR activity, highlighting the differences between breast cancer molecular subtypes and normal tissues. Surprisingly, our target prediction- and correlation-based estimates of isomiR activities were practically non-correlated with the average isomiR expression levels neither in cancerous nor in normal samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stepan Nersisyan
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anton Zhiyanov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Narek Engibaryan
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Diana Maltseva
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander Tonevitsky
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Art Photonics GmbH, Berlin, Germany
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