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The 3' end of Norwalk virus mRNA contains determinants that regulate the expression and stability of the viral capsid protein VP1: a novel function for the VP2 protein.

Norwalk virus (NV) is the prototype strain of a group of noncultivable human caliciviruses responsible for epidemic outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis. The capsid protein VP1 is synthesized from a subgenomic RNA that contains two open reading frames (ORFs), ORF2 and ORF3, and the 3' untranslated region (UTR). ORF2 and ORF3 code for the capsid protein (VP1) and a small structural basic protein (VP2), respectively. We discovered that the yields of virus-like particles (VLPs) composed of VP1 are significantly reduced when this protein is expressed from ORF2 alone. To determine how the 3' terminus of the NV subgenomic RNA regulates VP1 expression, we compared VP1 expression levels by using recombinant baculovirus constructs containing different 3' elements. High VP1 levels were detected by using a recombinant baculovirus that contained ORF2, ORF3, and the 3'UTR (ORF2+3+3'UTR). In contrast, expression of VP1 from constructs that lacked the 3'UTR (ORF2+3), ORF3 (ORF2+3'UTR), or both (ORF2 alone) was highly reduced. Elimination of VP2 synthesis from the subgenomic RNA by mutation resulted in VP1 levels similar to those obtained with the ORF2 construct alone, suggesting a cis role for VP2 in upregulation of VP1 expression levels. Comparisons of the kinetics of RNA and capsid protein expression levels by using constructs with or without ORF3 or the 3'UTR revealed that the 3'UTR increased the levels of VP1 RNA, whereas the presence of VP2 resulted in increased levels of VP1. Furthermore, VP2 increased VP1 stability and protected VP1 from disassembly and protease degradation. The increase in VP1 expression levels caused by the presence of VP2 in cis was also observed in mammalian cells.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

Target prediction for small, noncoding RNAs in bacteria.

Many small, noncoding RNAs in bacteria act as post-transcriptional regulators by basepairing with target mRNAs. While the number of characterized small RNAs (sRNAs) has steadily increased, only a limited number of the corresponding mRNA targets have been identified. Here we present a program, TargetRNA, that predicts the targets of these bacterial RNA regulators. The program was evaluated by assessing whether previously known targets could be identified. The program was then used to predict targets for the Escherichia coli RNAs RyhB, OmrA, OmrB and OxyS, and the predictions were compared with changes in whole genome expression patterns observed upon expression of the sRNAs. Our results show that TargetRNA is a useful tool for finding mRNA targets of sRNAs, although its rate of success varies between sRNAs.

Base Pairing↗

SV40 large T antigen binds to the TBP-TAF(I) complex SL1 and coactivates ribosomal RNA transcription.

SV40 large T antigen is a multifunctional regulatory protein that plays a key role in the viral life cycle and can stimulate cell proliferation. To accomplish this, large T antigen has to control the expression of cellular genes involved in cell cycle progression and cell growth. rRNA synthesis by RNA polymerase I (Pol I) is tightly associated with cell growth and proliferation, and previous studies indicated that large T antigen up-regulates RNA Pol I transcription in SV40-infected cells. How this process occurs is currently unclear. To investigate the mechanisms of large T antigen stimulation of RNA Pol I transcription, we have established an in vitro transcription system that is responsive to large T antigen. Here, we show that recombinant large T antigen stimulates Pol I transcription reconstituted with purified RNA Pol I, UBF, and the TBP/TAF complex SL1. Immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that large T antigen directly binds to SL1, in vitro, as well as in SV40-infected cells. In addition, our data indicate that this interaction occurs by direct association with three SL1 subunits, namely TBP, TAF(I)48, and TAF(I)110. Transcription studies with large T antigen deletion mutants show that the 538-amino-acid amino-terminal domain is necessary for full stimulation of Pol I transcription. Importantly, mutants that no longer bind to SL1 are also unable to stimulate Pol I transcription. This indicates that recruitment of large T antigen to the rRNA promoter by SL1 constitutes a crucial step in the activation process. Taken together with recent studies on large T antigen activation of RNA Pol II transcription, these results suggest that viral modulation of genes involved in cell proliferation involves direct targeting of promoter-specific TBP/TAF complexes (i.e., SL1 or TFIID) by large T antigen.

Antigens, Polyomavirus Transforming↗

Dissociation of rabies virus matrix protein functions in regulation of viral RNA synthesis and virus assembly.

Recently, we have shown that the rabies virus (RV) matrix (M) protein regulates the balance of virus RNA synthesis by shifting synthesis activity from transcription to replication (S. Finke, R. Mueller-Waldeck, and K. K. Conzelmann, J. Gen. Virol. 84:1613-1621, 2003). Here we describe the identification of an M residue critical for regulation of RV RNA synthesis. By analyzing the phenotype of heterotypic RV M proteins with respect to RNA synthesis of RV SAD L16, we identified the M proteins of the RV ERA and PV strains as deficient. Comparison of M sequences suggested that a single residue, arginine 58, was critical. A recombinant virus having this amino acid exchanged with a glycine, SAD M(R58G), has lost the abilities to downregulate RV transcription and to stimulate replication. This resulted in an increase in the transcription rate of more than 15-fold, as previously observed for M deletion mutants. Most importantly, the efficiencies of virus assembly and budding were equal for wild-type M and M(R58G), as determined in assays studying the transient complementation of an M- and G-deficient RV construct, NPgrL. In addition, virus particle density, protein composition, and specific infectivity of SAD L16 and SAD M(R58G) viruses were identical. Thus, we have identified mutations that affect the function of M only in regulation of RNA synthesis, but not in assembly and budding, providing evidence that these functions are genetically separable.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A hypoxia-responsive tRNA-derived small RNA confers renal protection through RNA autophagy.

Transfer RNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs or tDRs) perform a range of cellular functions. Here, we showed that tRNA-Asp-GTC-3'tDR, a hypoxia-induced tDR derived from the 3' end of tRNA-Asp-GTC, activated autophagic flux in kidney cells and its silencing blocked autophagic flux. Functional gain-/loss-of-function studies in murine kidney disease models demonstrated a substantial renoprotective function of tRNA-Asp-GTC-3'tDR. Mechanistically, tRNA-Asp-GTC-3'tDR assembled stable G-quadruplex structures and sequestered pseudouridine synthase 7 (PUS7), preventing catalytic pseudouridylation of histone mRNAs. The resulting pseudouridylation deficiency directed histone mRNAs to the autophagosome-lysosome pathway, triggering RNA autophagy. This tDR-induced RNA autophagy pathway was activated during murine and human kidney diseases, suggesting clinical relevance. Thus, tRNA-Asp-GTC-3'tDR plays a role in regulating RNA autophagy, which helps to maintain homeostasis in kidney cells and protects against kidney injury.

Animals↗

On the use of anti-sense RNA: down-regulation of mRNA encoding a metalloproteinase inhibitor.

In this article we describe methods used for producing anti-sense RNA and the mechanisms by which specific eukaryotic gene functions are inhibited. We also describe some of our studies with plasmid constructs producing anti-sense RNA targeted to a murine metalloproteinase inhibitor and review the evidence for naturally occuring anti-sense transcripts in eukaryotes.

Animals↗

Regulation of elongating RNA polymerase II by forkhead transcription factors in yeast.

The elongation phase of transcription by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) is highly regulated and tightly linked to pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) processing. Recent studies have implicated an early elongation checkpoint that facilitates the link to pre-mRNA processing. Here we show that the yeast forkhead transcription factors, Fkh1p and Fkh2p, associate with the coding regions of active genes and influence, in opposing ways, transcriptional elongation and termination. These events are coordinated with serine-5 and -2 phosphorylation of the heptad repeat of the carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of RNAPII. Our results suggest that, in addition to their documented promoter function, Fkh1p and Fkh2p coordinate early transcription elongation and pre-mRNA processing. This may reflect a general feature of gene regulation in eukaryotes.

Cell Cycle Proteins↗

Induction and maintenance of autonomous flock house virus RNA1 replication.

The nodavirus flock house virus (FHV) has a bipartite, positive-sense, RNA genome that encodes the catalytic subunit of the RNA replicase and the viral capsid protein precursor on separate genomic segments (RNA1 and RNA2, respectively). RNA1 can replicate autonomously when transfected into permissive cells, allowing study of the kinetics of RNA1 replication in the absence of either RNA2 or capsid proteins. However, RNA1 replication ceases ca. 3 days after transfection despite the presence of replication-competent RNA. We examined this inhibition by inducing the expression of RNA1 in cells from a cDNA copy that was under the control of a hormone-regulated RNA polymerase II promoter. This system reproduced the shutoff of RNA replication when DNA-templated primary transcription was turned off. Continued primary transcription partially alleviated the shutoff and maintained the rate of RNA replication for several days at a steady-state level approximately one-third that of the peak rate. After shutoff, RNA replication could be restored by transferring the resulting intracellular RNA to fresh cells or by reinducing primary transcription, indicating that cessation of replication occurred despite the competence of both the viral RNA and the cytoplasmic environment. These data suggest that there is a mechanism by which replication is shut off at late times after transfection, which may reflect the natural endpoint of the replicative cycle.

Animals↗

Multilevel regulation of low-density lipoprotein receptor and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase gene expression in normal and leukemic cells.

Altered cholesterol homeostasis has been noted in malignant cells, which led us to explore the regulation of cholesterol metabolism in normal and leukemic cells. The mean low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase activities were fivefold and threefold higher in mononuclear blood cells from 33 patients with leukemia, compared with cells from 23 healthy subjects, whereas elevations in RNA levels were twofold and 40% only. The activities of the two proteins correlated in normal cells (r = .46), whereas an inverse correlation was found in leukemic cells (r = -.40). Relatively weak correlations were found between LDL receptor RNA levels and receptor activity in normal (r = .48) and leukemic cells (r = .49), and HMG-CoA reductase RNA levels correlated (r = .53) with reductase activity in leukemic cells only. The ratios of protein activities to RNA levels in cells were constant during consecutive blood samplings and similar in leukemic blood and bone marrow cells from the same individual. During cholesterol deprivation, protein activities increased more than RNA levels, and leukemic cells with high LDL receptor activity showed a partial resistance to the suppressing effect of sterols on LDL receptor gene expression. The results demonstrate that LDL receptor RNA levels alone can not explain variation in receptor activity, suggesting post-RNA regulation of LDL receptor expression, similar to what has been described for HMG-CoA reductase. Taken together, the present results suggest multilevel regulation of both proteins and demonstrate that each cell clone, normal or malignant, has a unique ratio of protein activity to RNA level. Leukemic cells, in contrast to normal cells, can meet increased cholesterol requirements by either elevated LDL receptor activity or increased cholesterol synthesis, which is of potential interest for diagnosis and specific treatment of leukemia.

Adult↗

microRNA-directed phasing during trans-acting siRNA biogenesis in plants.

Plants and animals use small RNAs (microRNAs [miRNAs] and siRNAs) as guides for posttranscriptional and epigenetic regulation. In plants, miRNAs and trans-acting (ta) siRNAs form through distinct biogenesis pathways, although they both interact with target transcripts and guide cleavage. An integrated approach to identify targets of Arabidopsis thaliana miRNAs and ta-siRNAs revealed several new classes of small RNA-regulated genes, including conventional genes such as Argonaute2 and an E2-ubiquitin conjugating enzyme. Surprisingly, five ta-siRNA-generating transcripts were identified as targets of miR173 or miR390. Rather than functioning as negative regulators, miR173- and miR390-guided cleavage was shown to set the 21-nucleotide phase for ta-siRNA precursor processing. These data support a model in which miRNA-guided formation of a 5' or 3' terminus within pre-ta-siRNA transcripts, followed by RDR6-dependent formation of dsRNA and Dicer-like processing, yields phased ta-siRNAs that negatively regulate other genes.

Arabidopsis↗

A purified Drosophila homeodomain protein represses transcription in vitro.

even-skipped (eve) is a homeodomain-encoding gene that is a genetically defined repressor of Ultrabithorax (Ubx), fushi-tarazu (ftz), and wingless (wg). Here we report that purified eve protein represses transcription in vitro at the Ubx promoter, in a DNA binding site-dependent manner. eve protein represses transcription when bound either upstream or downstream of the RNA start site or when DNA binding sites are in either orientation. We also show that eve represses expression from the Ubx promoter in Drosophila tissue culture cells, again in a binding site-dependent manner. Deletion of eve DNA binding sites does not alter transcription in the absence of eve, and so repression is not likely to be the result of eve competitively inhibiting an activator protein from binding to the same DNA element. Instead, we propose that eve protein is probably interfering with the function of proteins bound at other locations in the promoter. The biochemical demonstration that a Drosophila homeodomain protein can directly regulate RNA synthesis strengthens the view that this class of regulators act as transcription factors to control development.

Animals↗

Binding of GEF-H1 to the tight junction-associated adaptor cingulin results in inhibition of Rho signaling and G1/S phase transition.

The activity of Rho GTPases is carefully timed to control epithelial proliferation and differentiation. RhoA is downregulated when epithelial cells reach confluence, resulting in inhibition of signaling pathways that stimulate proliferation. Here we show that GEF-H1/Lfc, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for RhoA, directly interacts with cingulin, a junctional adaptor. Cingulin binding inhibits RhoA activation and signaling, suggesting that the increase in cingulin expression in confluent cells causes downregulation of RhoA by inhibiting GEF-H1/Lfc. In agreement, RNA interference of GEF-H1 or transfection of GEF-H1 binding cingulin mutants inhibit G1/S phase transition of MDCK cells, and depletion of cingulin by regulated RNA interference results in irregular monolayers and RhoA activation. These results indicate that forming epithelial tight junctions contribute to the downregulation of RhoA in epithelia by inactivating GEF-H1 in a cingulin-dependent manner, providing a molecular mechanism whereby tight junction formation is linked to inhibition of RhoA signaling.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

CRISPR/Cas- and Argonaute-Based In Vivo Nucleic-Acid Imaging Technologies: Strategies, Challenges, and Perspectives.

Live-cell monitoring of sequence-specific nucleic acids is essential to understanding genome organization, RNA regulation, and disease progression. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) and Argonaute (Ago) systems provide programmable, guide-directed recognition of DNA or RNA and are increasingly used as platforms for in vivo bioimaging. This review summarizes the structural and mechanistic features of representative CRISPR and Ago effectors and discusses design strategies for sensitive, specific, and multiplexed imaging of genomic loci, extrachromosomal DNA, and endogenous RNA in living cells. We compare the analytical performance and limitations of CRISPR- and Ago-based imaging, with particular emphasis on the major technical and biological challenges affecting their accuracy, applicability, and reliability. Finally, this review offers insights into developing high-resolution and user-friendly bioimaging platforms for fundamental biology and future translational applications.

CRISPR↗

Half pint regulates alternative splice site selection in Drosophila.

Alternative splicing is used by metazoans to increase protein diversity and to alter gene expression during development. However, few factors that control splice site choice in vivo have been identified. Here we describe a factor, Half pint (Hfp), that regulates RNA splicing in Drosophila. Females harboring hypomorphic mutations in hfp lay short eggs and show defects in germline mitosis, nuclear morphology, and RNA localization during oogenesis. We find that hfp encodes the Drosophila ortholog of human PUF60 and functions in both constitutive and alternative splicing in vivo. In particular, hfp mutants display striking defects in the developmentally regulated splicing of ovarian tumor (otu). Furthermore, transgenic expression of the missing otu splice form can rescue the ovarian phenotypes of hfp.

Alternative Splicing↗

The genome of the kinetoplastid parasite, Leishmania major.

Leishmania species cause a spectrum of human diseases in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. We have sequenced the 36 chromosomes of the 32.8-megabase haploid genome of Leishmania major (Friedlin strain) and predict 911 RNA genes, 39 pseudogenes, and 8272 protein-coding genes, of which 36% can be ascribed a putative function. These include genes involved in host-pathogen interactions, such as proteolytic enzymes, and extensive machinery for synthesis of complex surface glycoconjugates. The organization of protein-coding genes into long, strand-specific, polycistronic clusters and lack of general transcription factors in the L. major, Trypanosoma brucei, and Trypanosoma cruzi (Tritryp) genomes suggest that the mechanisms regulating RNA polymerase II-directed transcription are distinct from those operating in other eukaryotes, although the trypanosomatids appear capable of chromatin remodeling. Abundant RNA-binding proteins are encoded in the Tritryp genomes, consistent with active posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression.

Animals↗

Molecular cloning and selection of genes regulated in Aspergillus development.

Over 350 clones homologous to poly(A)+ RNAs that are significantly more prevalent in conidiating cultures of Aspergillus nidulans than in somatic cells have been selected from a recombinant DNA library formed between nuclear DNA and lambda Charon 4A. The procedure used for this selection involved in situ hybridization to a cDNA probe which had been selectively depleted of sequences represented in somatic cells by complement hybridization. Five of these clones have been characterized further. All but one encoded poly(A)+ RNAs that were at least ten times more prevalent in conidiating cultures than in somatic cells. One clone hybridized to a single, developmentally regulated RNA. The three others were complementary to several RNAs having different molecular weights, each of which was more prevalent in condiating cultures than in vegetative cells. These results and quantitative aspects of the selection procedure suggest that developmentally controlled poly(A)+ RNA coding regions may not be distributed randomly in the Aspergillus genome.

Aspergillus nidulans↗

BRD2 bridges TFIID and MOF-H4K16ac-containing nucleosomes to promote transcriptional initiation.

Members of the bromodomain and extraterminal domain (BET) protein family play a central role in transcription by RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II). Small-molecule inhibitors that block interaction between BET bromodomains and acetylated histones have been developed for disease therapeutics. However, the BET protein BRD4 does not require bromodomains to perform its major transcriptional elongation control, and mechanisms by which other BET proteins regulate RNA Pol II remain insufficiently understood. Addressing the disparity between pan-BET degraders and BRD4-specific depletion, we report that the BET protein BRD2 generally functions to promote transcriptional initiation in a bromodomain-dependent manner at both promoters and enhancers in human cell lines. We demonstrate that BRD2 bromodomains preferentially bind to histone H4 harboring MOF-mediated H4K16ac, while the BRD2 C-terminal domain facilitates recruitment of TFIID. Our studies provide mechanistic insight into distinct roles for BRD2 and BRD4 in transcriptional initiation and elongation control for proper regulation of gene expression.

Humans↗

A mitotic function for Src?

During mitosis, the activity of the c-Src protein tyrosine kinase increases. The tyrosine phosphorylation of a 68 kDa protein (Sam68) also increases at this time, and recent studies have shown that Src and Sam68 interact. Sam68 is highly related to p62, a RasGAP-associated protein, and has homology to RNA-binding proteins. The relationship between p62 and Sam68, and their roles in Src signalling, need to be clarified, but these findings suggest that Src may participate in regulating RNA processing during the cell cycle.

Journal Article↗