1
|
Lee S, Aubee JI, Lai EC. Regulation of alternative splicing and polyadenylation in neurons. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:e202302000. [PMID: 37793776 PMCID: PMC10551640 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell-type-specific gene expression is a fundamental feature of multicellular organisms and is achieved by combinations of regulatory strategies. Although cell-restricted transcription is perhaps the most widely studied mechanism, co-transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes are also central to the spatiotemporal control of gene functions. One general category of expression control involves the generation of multiple transcript isoforms from an individual gene, whose balance and cell specificity are frequently tightly regulated via diverse strategies. The nervous system makes particularly extensive use of cell-specific isoforms, specializing the neural function of genes that are expressed more broadly. Here, we review regulatory strategies and RNA-binding proteins that direct neural-specific isoform processing. These include various classes of alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation events, both of which broadly diversify the neural transcriptome. Importantly, global alterations of splicing and alternative polyadenylation are characteristic of many neural pathologies, and recent genetic studies demonstrate how misregulation of individual neural isoforms can directly cause mutant phenotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seungjae Lee
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joseph I Aubee
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Eric C Lai
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Al Ali A, Alsulami J, Aubee JI, Idowu A, Tomlinson BR, Felton EA, Jackson JK, Kennedy SJ, Torres NJ, Shaw LN, Thompson KM. Staphylococcus aureus SigS Induces Expression of a Regulatory Protein Pair That Modulates Its mRNA Stability. J Bacteriol 2023; 205:e0039222. [PMID: 37255480 PMCID: PMC10294688 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00392-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
SigS is the sole extracytoplasmic function sigma factor in Staphylococcus aureus and is necessary for virulence, immune evasion, and adaptation to toxic chemicals and environmental stressors. Despite the contribution of SigS to a myriad of critical phenotypes, the downstream effectors of SigS-dependent pathogenesis, immune evasion, and stress adaptation remain elusive. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed the S. aureus transcriptome following transient overexpression of SigS. We identified a bicistronic transcript, upregulated 1,000-fold, containing two midsized genes, each containing single domains of unknown function (DUFs). We renamed these genes SigS-regulated orfA (sroA) and SigS-regulated orfB (sroB). We demonstrated that SigS regulation of the sroAB operon is direct by using in vitro transcription analysis. Using Northern blot analysis, we also demonstrated that SroA and SroB have opposing autoregulatory functions on the transcriptional architecture of the sigS locus, with SroA stimulating SigS mRNA levels and SroB stimulating s750 (SigS antisense) levels. We hypothesized that these opposing regulatory effects were due to a direct interaction. We subsequently demonstrated a direct interaction between SroA and SroB using an in vivo surrogate genetics approach via bacterial adenylate cyclase-based two-hybrid (BACTH) analysis. We demonstrated that the SroA effect on SigS is at the posttranscriptional level of mRNA stability, highlighting a mechanism likely used by S. aureus to tightly control SigS levels. Finally, we demonstrate that the sroAB locus promotes virulence in a murine pneumonia model of infection. IMPORTANCE SigS is necessary for S. aureus virulence, immune evasion, and adaptation to chemical and environmental stressors. These processes are critically important for the ability of S. aureus to cause disease. However, the SigS-dependent transcriptome has not been identified, hindering our ability to identify downstream effectors of SigS that contribute to these pathogenic and adaptive phenotypes. Here, we identify a regulatory protein pair that is a major direct target of SigS, known as SroA and SroB. SroA also acts to stimulate SigS expression at the posttranscriptional level of RNA turnover, providing insight into intrinsically low levels of SigS. The discovery of SroA and SroB increases our understanding of SigS and the S. aureus pathogenesis process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amer Al Ali
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jamilah Alsulami
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Joseph I. Aubee
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Ayotimofe Idowu
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Brooke R. Tomlinson
- Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Emily A. Felton
- Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Jessica K. Jackson
- Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Sarah J. Kennedy
- Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Nathanial J. Torres
- Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Lindsey N. Shaw
- Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Karl M. Thompson
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
London LY, Aubee JI, Nurse J, Thompson KM. Post-Transcriptional Regulation of RseA by Small RNAs RyhB and FnrS in Escherichia coli. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:668613. [PMID: 34805264 PMCID: PMC8595263 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.668613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
RseA is the critical central regulator of the σE-dependent stress response in E. coli and other related bacteria. The synthesis of RseA is controlled at the transcriptional level by several promoters and transcriptional regulators, including σE itself at two σE-dependent promoters: rpoEP and rseAP3. The presence of these two independent polycistrons encoding rseA is potentially redundant. We hypothesized that post-transcriptional control of the rseAP3 transcript was necessary to overcome this redundancy. However, to date, nothing is known about the post-transcriptional control of the rseAP3 transcript. We executed a targeted genetic screen to identify small RNA regulators of the rseAP3 transcript and identified RyhB and FnrS as small RNA activators of the RseA P3 transcript. Through genetic analysis, we confirmed that a direct interaction occurs between RyhB and RseA. We also identified sequences within the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of RseA that were inhibitory for RseA expression. Point mutations predicted to prevent an interaction between RyhB and RseA resulted in increased RseA expression. Taken together, this suggests that the 5’ UTR of the RseAP3 transcript prevents optimal expression of RseA, preventing redundancy due to RseA expression from the σE-dependent rpoEP, and this is overcome by the stimulatory activity of RyhB and FnrS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laricca Y London
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, AL, United States
| | - Joseph I Aubee
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Jalisa Nurse
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States.,Department of Biology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Karl M Thompson
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Jain A, Aubee JI, Thompson KM, Knepper MA, Lee DL, Khundmiri SJ. Age‐ and Salt‐dependent Changes in miRNA Profile in FBN rat and C57BL/6J mice: Role of sodium hydrogen exchanger regulatory factor‐1 (NHERF1). FASEB J 2019. [DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.2019.33.1_supplement.713.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anish Jain
- MedicineHoward University College of MedicineWashingtonDC
| | - Joseph I Aubee
- MicrobiologyHoward University College of MedicineWashingtonDC
| | - Karl M Thompson
- MicrobiologyHoward University College of MedicineWashingtonDC
| | | | - Dexter L Lee
- Physiology and BiophysicsHoward University College of MedicineWashingtonDC
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Getachew B, Aubee JI, Schottenfeld RS, Csoka AB, Thompson KM, Tizabi Y. Ketamine interactions with gut-microbiota in rats: relevance to its antidepressant and anti-inflammatory properties. BMC Microbiol 2018; 18:222. [PMID: 30579332 PMCID: PMC6303954 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-018-1373-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Appreciable evidence suggest that dysbiosis in microbiota, reflected in gut microbial imbalance plays a key role in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders including depression and inflammatory diseases. Recently, the antidepressant properties of ketamine have gained prominence due to its fast and long lasting effects. Additional uses for ketamine in inflammatory disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome have been suggested. However, ketamine's exact mechanism of action and potential effects on microbiome is not known. Here, we examined the effects of low dose ketamine, known to induce antidepressant effects, on stool microbiome profile in adult male Wistar rats. Animals (5/group) were injected intraperitoneally with ketamine (2.5 mg/kg) or saline, daily for 7 days and sacrificed on day 8 when intestinal stools were collected and stored at - 80 °C. DNA was extracted from the samples and the 16 S rRNA gene-based microbiota analysis was performed using 16S Metagenomics application. RESULTS At genus-level, ketamine strikingly amplified Lactobacillus, Turicibacter and Sarcina by 3.3, 26 and 42 fold, respectively. Conversely, opportunistic pathogens Mucispirillum and Ruminococcus were reduced by approximately 2.6 and 26 fold, respectively, in ketamine group. Low levels of Lactobacillus and Turicibacter are associated with various disorders including depression and administration of certain species of Lactobacillus ameliorates depressive-like behavior in animal models. Hence, some of the antidepressant effects of ketamine might be mediated through its interaction with these gut bacteria. Additionally, high level of Ruminococcus is positively associated with the severity of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and some species of Mucispirillum have been associated with intestinal inflammation. Indirect evidence of anti-inflammatory role of Sarcina has been documented. Hence, some of the anti-inflammatory effects of ketamine and its usefulness in specific inflammatory diseases including IBS may be mediated through its interaction with these latter bacteria. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that at least some of the antidepressant and anti-inflammatory effects of daily ketamine treatment for 7 days may be mediated via its interaction with specific gut bacteria. These findings further validate the usefulness of microbiome as a target for therapeutic intervention and call for more detailed investigation of microbiome interaction with central mediators of mood and/or inflammatory disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bruk Getachew
- Department of Pharmacology, Howard University College Medicine, 520 W Street NW, Washington, DC 20059 USA
| | - Joseph I. Aubee
- Department of Microbiology, Howard University College Medicine, Washington, DC 20059 USA
| | - Richard S. Schottenfeld
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Howard University College Medicine, Washington, DC 20059 USA
| | - Antonei B. Csoka
- Department of Anatomy, Howard University College Medicine, Washington, DC 20059 USA
| | - Karl M. Thompson
- Department of Microbiology, Howard University College Medicine, Washington, DC 20059 USA
| | - Yousef Tizabi
- Department of Pharmacology, Howard University College Medicine, 520 W Street NW, Washington, DC 20059 USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Eswara PJ, Brzozowski RS, Viola MG, Graham G, Spanoudis C, Trebino C, Jha J, Aubee JI, Thompson KM, Camberg JL, Ramamurthi KS. An essential Staphylococcus aureus cell division protein directly regulates FtsZ dynamics. eLife 2018; 7:38856. [PMID: 30277210 PMCID: PMC6168285 DOI: 10.7554/elife.38856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Binary fission has been well studied in rod-shaped bacteria, but the mechanisms underlying cell division in spherical bacteria are poorly understood. Rod-shaped bacteria harbor regulatory proteins that place and remodel the division machinery during cytokinesis. In the spherical human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, we found that the essential protein GpsB localizes to mid-cell during cell division and co-constricts with the division machinery. Depletion of GpsB arrested cell division and led to cell lysis, whereas overproduction of GpsB inhibited cell division and led to the formation of enlarged cells. We report that S. aureus GpsB, unlike other Firmicutes GpsB orthologs, directly interacts with the core divisome component FtsZ. GpsB bundles and organizes FtsZ filaments and also stimulates the GTPase activity of FtsZ. We propose that GpsB orchestrates the initial stabilization of the Z-ring at the onset of cell division and participates in the subsequent remodeling of the divisome during cytokinesis. A bacterium called Staphylococcus aureus causes many infections in humans, especially in hospital patients with weakened immune systems. These infections are generally treated with drugs known as antibiotics that interact with specific proteins in the bacteria to kill the cells, or stop them from growing. However, some S. aureus infections are resistant to the antibiotics currently available so there is a need to develop new drugs that target different bacterial proteins. Bacteria multiply by dividing to make identical copies of themselves. When a bacterium is preparing to divide, filaments made of a protein called FtsZ form a ring at the site where the cell will split. Many other proteins are involved in controlling how and when a cell divides. For example, several species of bacteria harbor a dispensable cell division protein called GpsB. In at least one organism, it helps to maintain the proper shape of the cell during cell division. In S. aureus, though, GpsB is essential for cells to survive and could therefore be a potential target for new antibiotics. However, its role in S. aureus has not been studied. Eswara et al. have now used genetic and biochemical approaches to study the S. aureus form of the GpsB protein. The experiments show that GpsB moves to the middle of S. aureus cells just before they begin to divide and binds directly to FtsZ. This helps to secure the position of FtsZ across the middle of the cell and activates the protein so that the cell can begin to divide into two. In cells that produce too much GpsB, the FtsZ proteins become active too early, leading to the cells growing larger and larger until they burst. The findings of Eswara et al. reveal that GpsB plays a different role in S. aureus cells than in some other species of bacteria. Further studies into such differences could help researchers to develop new antibiotics, as well as improving our understanding of why bacteria are so diverse.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Prahathees J Eswara
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States.,Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, United States
| | - Robert S Brzozowski
- Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, United States
| | - Marissa G Viola
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, United States
| | - Gianni Graham
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States.,Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, United States
| | - Catherine Spanoudis
- Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, United States
| | - Catherine Trebino
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, United States
| | - Jyoti Jha
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - Joseph I Aubee
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, United States
| | - Karl M Thompson
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, United States
| | - Jodi L Camberg
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, United States.,Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, United States
| | - Kumaran S Ramamurthi
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Jain A, Aubee JI, Thompson KM, Lee DL, Khundmiri SJ. Age‐dependent Changes in miRNA Profile in F344 rat and C57BL/6J mice: Role of sodium hydrogen exchanger regulatory factor‐1 (NHERF1). FASEB J 2018. [DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.2018.32.1_supplement.753.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Dexter L. Lee
- Physiology and BiophysicsHoward UniversityWashingtonDC
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Aubee JI, Olu M, Thompson KM. The i6A37 tRNA modification is essential for proper decoding of UUX-Leucine codons during rpoS and iraP translation. RNA 2016; 22:729-742. [PMID: 26979278 PMCID: PMC4836647 DOI: 10.1261/rna.053165.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2015] [Accepted: 02/05/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The translation of rpoS(σ(S)), the general stress/stationary phase sigma factor, is tightly regulated at the post-transcriptional level by several factors via mechanisms that are not clearly defined. One of these factors is MiaA, the enzyme necessary for the first step in theN(6)-isopentyl-2-thiomethyl adenosinemethyl adenosine 37 (ms(2)i(6)A37) tRNA modification. We tested the hypothesis that an elevated UUX-Leucine/total leucine codon ratio can be used to identify transcripts whose translation would be sensitive to loss of the MiaA-dependent modification. We identified iraPas another candidate MiaA-sensitive gene, based on the UUX-Leucine/total leucine codon ratio. AniraP-lacZ fusion was significantly decreased in the abse nce of MiaA, consistent with our predictive model. To determine the role of MiaA in UUX-Leucine decoding in rpoS and iraP, we measured β-galactosidase-specific activity of miaA(-)rpo Sandira P translational fusions upon overexpression of leucine tRNAs. We observed suppression of the MiaA effect on rpoS, and notira P, via overexpression of tRNA(LeuX)but not tRNA(LeuZ) We also tested the hypothesis that the MiaA requirement for rpoS and iraP translation is due to decoding of UUX-Leucine codons within the rpoS and iraP transcripts, respectively. We observed a partial suppression of the MiaA requirement for rpoS and iraP translational fusions containing one or both UUX-Leucine codons removed. Taken together, this suggests that MiaA is necessary for rpoS and iraP translation through proper decoding of UUX-Leucine codons and that rpoS and iraP mRNAs are both modification tunable transcripts (MoTTs) via the presence of the modification.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph I Aubee
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA
| | - Morenike Olu
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA Department of Biology, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA
| | - Karl M Thompson
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA
| |
Collapse
|