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Augspach A, Drake KD, Roma L, Qian E, Lee SR, Clarke D, Kumar S, Jaquet M, Gallon J, Bolis M, Triscott J, Galván JA, Chen Y, Thalmann GN, Kruithof-de Julio M, Theurillat JPP, Wuchty S, Gerstein M, Piscuoglio S, Kanadia RN, Rubin MA. Minor intron splicing is critical for survival of lethal prostate cancer. Mol Cell 2023; 83:1983-2002.e11. [PMID: 37295433 PMCID: PMC10637423 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.05.017] [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: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The evolutionarily conserved minor spliceosome (MiS) is required for protein expression of ∼714 minor intron-containing genes (MIGs) crucial for cell-cycle regulation, DNA repair, and MAP-kinase signaling. We explored the role of MIGs and MiS in cancer, taking prostate cancer (PCa) as an exemplar. Both androgen receptor signaling and elevated levels of U6atac, a MiS small nuclear RNA, regulate MiS activity, which is highest in advanced metastatic PCa. siU6atac-mediated MiS inhibition in PCa in vitro model systems resulted in aberrant minor intron splicing leading to cell-cycle G1 arrest. Small interfering RNA knocking down U6atac was ∼50% more efficient in lowering tumor burden in models of advanced therapy-resistant PCa compared with standard antiandrogen therapy. In lethal PCa, siU6atac disrupted the splicing of a crucial lineage dependency factor, the RE1-silencing factor (REST). Taken together, we have nominated MiS as a vulnerability for lethal PCa and potentially other cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anke Augspach
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Kyle D Drake
- Physiology and Neurobiology Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Luca Roma
- Institute of Pathology and Medical Genetics, University Hospital Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ellen Qian
- Department of Computer Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Yale College, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Se Ri Lee
- Department of Computer Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Yale College, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Declan Clarke
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Sushant Kumar
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Muriel Jaquet
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
| | - John Gallon
- Institute of Pathology and Medical Genetics, University Hospital Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marco Bolis
- Institute of Oncology Research, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland; Computational Oncology Unit, Department of Oncology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" IRCCS, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Joanna Triscott
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
| | - José A Galván
- Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Bern 3008, Switzerland
| | - Yu Chen
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program (HOPP), Memorial Sloan Kettering, New York, NY 10065, USA; Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering, New York, NY 10065, USA; Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - George N Thalmann
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland; Department of Urology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marianna Kruithof-de Julio
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland; Department of Urology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, 3008 Bern, Switzerland; Bern Center for Precision Medicine, University of Bern and Inselspital, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Philippe P Theurillat
- Institute of Oncology Research, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland; Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Wuchty
- Department of Computer Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA; Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33136, USA; Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Mark Gerstein
- Department of Computer Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Salvatore Piscuoglio
- Institute of Pathology and Medical Genetics, University Hospital Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rahul N Kanadia
- Physiology and Neurobiology Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
| | - Mark A Rubin
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland; Bern Center for Precision Medicine, University of Bern and Inselspital, 3008 Bern, Switzerland.
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Reber S, Stettler J, Filosa G, Colombo M, Jutzi D, Lenzken SC, Schweingruber C, Bruggmann R, Bachi A, Barabino SM, Mühlemann O, Ruepp MD. Minor intron splicing is regulated by FUS and affected by ALS-associated FUS mutants. EMBO J 2016; 35:1504-21. [PMID: 27252488 DOI: 10.15252/embj.201593791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Fused in sarcoma (FUS) is a ubiquitously expressed RNA-binding protein proposed to function in various RNA metabolic pathways, including transcription regulation, pre-mRNA splicing, RNA transport and microRNA processing. Mutations in the FUS gene were identified in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but the pathomechanisms by which these mutations cause ALS are not known. Here, we show that FUS interacts with the minor spliceosome constituent U11 snRNP, binds preferentially to minor introns and directly regulates their removal. Furthermore, a FUS knockout in neuroblastoma cells strongly disturbs the splicing of minor intron-containing mRNAs, among them mRNAs required for action potential transmission and for functional spinal motor units. Moreover, an ALS-associated FUS mutant that forms cytoplasmic aggregates inhibits splicing of minor introns by trapping U11 and U12 snRNAs in these aggregates. Collectively, our findings suggest a possible pathomechanism for ALS in which mutated FUS inhibits correct splicing of minor introns in mRNAs encoding proteins required for motor neuron survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Reber
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jolanda Stettler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Giuseppe Filosa
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy IFOM-FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Martino Colombo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Jutzi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Silvia C Lenzken
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Christoph Schweingruber
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Rémy Bruggmann
- Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Angela Bachi
- IFOM-FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Ml Barabino
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Oliver Mühlemann
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marc-David Ruepp
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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