Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “RNA modifications”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 955 records · Page 53Linked to original sources

Chemically modified hammerhead ribozymes with improved catalytic rates.

A site-specific chemical modification strategy has been employed to elucidate structure-function relationships at the only phylogenetically nonconserved position within the core of the hammerhead ribozyme (N7). Four different base substitutions at position 7 resulted in increased catalytic rates. A pyridin-4-one base substitution increased the rate of the chemical step up to 12-fold. These results are the first examples of chemical modifications within a catalytic RNA that enhance the rate of the chemical step. Four base substitutions resulted in decreased catalytic rates. The results do not correlate with proposed hydrogen bond interactions (Pley et al., 1994; Scott et al., 1995). This study demonstrates the utility of using unnatural nucleotide analogs-rather than mutagenesis with the four standard nucleotides alone-to elucidate structure-function relationships of small RNAs.

Catalysis↗

Probing early growth response 1 interacting proteins at the active promoter in osteoblast cells using oligoprecipitation and mass spectrometry.

Current advances in proteomics have allowed for a rapidly expanding integration of associated methodologies with more traditional molecular and biochemical approaches to the study of cell function. Recent studies on the role of inorganic phosphate have suggested this ion is a novel signaling molecule capable of altering the function of numerous cell types. Elevated inorganic phosphate generated in the extracellular microenvironment by differentiating osteoblasts has recently been determined to act through a largely uncharacterized mechanism as an important signaling molecule responsible for altering the transcription of various genes during osteoblast differentiation. The transcription factor, early growth response protein 1 (EGR1), has previously been shown to be involved in the early response of osteoblasts to inorganic phosphate. To elucidate the role of EGR1 as a potential early regulator of transcription in the inorganic phosphate response, an oligoprecipitation procedure was optimized to capture the DNA bound, transcriptionally active form of EGR1. The interacting proteins thusly captured were identified using mass spectrometry (MS). Proteins involved in transcription, RNA processing, and chromatin modification were identified by this approach. The combined oligoprecipitation-MS approach presented here is highly effective for isolating and characterizing entire transcriptional complexes in the DNA bound state and is broadly extendable to the identification of both known and unknown transcription factor protein complexes.

3T3 Cells↗

Metab8D: a metabolic regulome network from multiomics and machine learning.

To explore multiomic regulation of the metabolome, we used machine learning to predict metabolomic variation across ~1000 different cancer cell lines with matched omics data from eight biomolecular classes: genomic copy number variation, mutations, DNA methylation, histone post-translational modifications (PTMs), transcriptomics and RNA splice variants, non-coding transcriptomics (miRNA and lncRNA), proteomics, and phosphoproteomics. Overall, the metabolome is tightly associated with the transcriptome, with coding and non-coding RNAs emerging as top predictors. Peripheral metabolites are predictable via levels of corresponding enzymes, while those in central metabolism require combinatorial predictors in signaling and redox pathways, and may not reflect corresponding pathway expression. We reconstruct multiomic interaction subnetworks for highly predictable metabolites, and YAP1 signaling emerged as a top global predictor across four omic layers. We prioritize predictive multiomic features for single-cell and spatial metabolomics assays. Top predictors were enriched for synthetic-lethal interactions and synergistic combination therapies that target compensatory metabolic modulators.

Machine Learning↗

Dinucleoside polyphosphates stimulate the primer independent synthesis of poly(A) catalyzed by yeast poly(A) polymerase.

Novel properties of the primer independent synthesis of poly(A), catalyzed by the yeast poly(A) polymerase are presented. The commercial enzyme from yeast, in contrast to the enzyme from Escherichia coli, is unable to adenylate the 3'-OH end of nucleosides, nucleotides or dinucleoside polyphosphates (NpnN). In the presence of 0.05 mm ATP, dinucleotides (at 0.01 mm) activated the enzyme velocity in the following decreasing order: Gp4G, 100; Gp3G, 82; Ap6A, 61; Gp2G, 52; Ap4A, 51; Ap2A, 41; Gp5G, 36; Ap5A, 27; Ap3A, 20, where 100 represents a 10-fold activation in relation to a control without effector. The velocity of the enzyme towards its substrate ATP displayed sigmoidal kinetics with a Hill coefficient (nH) of 1.6 and a Km(S0.5) value of 0.308 +/- 0.120 mm. Dinucleoside polyphosphates did not affect the maximum velocity (Vmax) of the reaction, but did alter its nH and Km(S0.5) values. In the presence of 0.01 mm Gp4G or Ap4A the nH and Km(S0.5) values were (1.0 and 0.063 +/- 0.012 mm) and (0.8 and 0.170 +/- 0.025 mm), respectively. With these kinetic properties, a dinucleoside polyphosphate concentration as low as 1 micro m may have a noticeable activating effect on the synthesis of poly(A) by the enzyme. These findings together with previous publications from this laboratory point to a potential relationship between dinucleoside polyphosphates and enzymes catalyzing the synthesis and/or modification of DNA or RNA.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

MondoA mediates transcriptional coordination between the MYC network and the integrated stress response in pancreatic cancer.

MYC amplification contributes to poor survival and outcome in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Here we show that in PDAC cell lines with amplified MYC, MondoA is required for viability, facilitating proliferation while suppressing apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Transcriptional and genomic profiling demonstrates that loss of MondoA leads to altered expression of direct MondoA targets as well as MYC target genes and is accompanied by shifts in genomic occupancy of MYC, MNT, and the MondoA paralog ChREBP. This altered genomic binding by MYC network members is associated with transcriptional perturbation of multiple metabolic and stress pathways, as well as global changes in N6-methyladenosine modification (m6A) of messenger RNA (mRNA). MondoA inhibition disrupts coordination between MYC network members and the Integrated Stress Response (ISR), resulting in decreased translation of ATF4 mRNA, discordant gene regulation of shared targets of MYC and ATF4 and, ultimately, apoptosis. Reestablishing ATF4 protein expression rescues the diminished viability due to loss of MondoA expression or activity, providing direct evidence of a link between deregulated MYC and the transcriptional machinery of the ISR. Last, we find that small-molecule inhibition of MondoA is lethal in a subset of PDAC cell lines, including patient-derived organoids, suggesting that the ability to target MYC via chemical inhibition of MondoA transcriptional activity may have broad efficacy.

Humans↗

Molecular cloning and characterization of the G protein gamma subunit of cone photoreceptors.

The phototransduction process in cones has been proposed to involve a G protein that couples the signal from light-activated visual pigment to the effector cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase. Previously, we have identified and purified a G beta gamma complex composed of a G beta 3 isoform and an immunochemically distinct G gamma subunit (G gamma 8) from bovine retinal cones (Fung, B. K.-K., Lieberman, B. S., and Lee, R. H. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 24782-24788; Lee, R. H., Lieberman, B.S., Yamane, H. K., Bok, D., and Fung, B. K.-K. (1992a) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 24776-24781). Based on the partial amino acid sequence of this cone G gamma 8, we screened a bovine retinal cDNA library and isolated a cDNA clone encoding G gamma 8. The cDNA insert of this clone includes an open reading frame of 207 bases encoding a 69-amino acid protein. The predicted protein sequence of G gamma 8 shares a high degree of sequence identity (68%) with the G gamma (G gamma 1) subunit of rod transducin. Similar to rod G gamma 1, it terminates in a CIIS motif that is the site for post-translational modification by farnesylation. Messenger RNA for G gamma 8 is present at a high level in the retina and at a very low level in the lung, but is undetectable in other tissues. Immunostaining of bovine retinal sections with an antipeptide antibody against the N-terminal region of G gamma 8 further shows a differential localization of G gamma 8 to cones with a pattern indistinguishable from that of G beta 3. This finding suggests that G beta 3 gamma 8 is a component of cone transducin involved in cone phototransduction and color vision.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication by nuclear chimeric anti-HIV ribozymes in a human T lymphoblastoid cell line.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection represents one of the most challenging systems for gene therapy. Thanks to the extended knowledge of the molecular biology of the HIV life cycle, many different strategies have been developed including transdominant modifications of HIV proteins, RNA decoys, antisense RNA, ribozymes, and intracellular antibody fragments. In this paper, we have tested in a human T lymphoblastoid cell line the antiviral activity of ribozymes specifically designed to co-localize inside the nucleus with the Rev pre-mRNA before it is spliced and transported to the cytoplasm. This result was obtained by inserting the ribozyme in the spliceosomal U1 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) and in a derivative that has perfect complementarity with the 5' splice site of the Rev pre-mRNA. These ribozymes were tested in human T cell clones and were shown to be very efficient in inhibiting viral replication. Not only were the p24 levels in the culture medium drastically reduced but so were the intracellular HIV transcripts. Control disabled ribozymes enabled us to show the specificity of the ribozyme activity. Therefore, these constructs have potential utility for gene therapy of HIV-1 infection.

Anti-HIV Agents↗

Flipping a genetic switch by subunit exchange.

The bacteriophage T4 AsiA protein is a multifunctional protein that simultaneously acts as both a repressor and activator of gene expression during the phage life cycle. These dual roles with opposing transcriptional consequences are achieved by modification of the host RNA polymerase in which AsiA binds to conserved region 4 (SR4) of sigma(70), altering the pathway of promoter selection by the holoenzyme. The mechanism by which AsiA flips this genetic switch has now been revealed, in part, from the three-dimensional structure of AsiA and the elucidation of its interaction with SR4. The structure of AsiA is that of a novel homodimer in which each monomer is constructed as a seven-helix bundle arranged in four overlapping helix-loop-helix elements. Identification of the protein interfaces for both the AsiA homodimer and the AsiA-sigma(70) complex reveals that these interfaces are coincident. Thus, the AsiA interaction with sigma(70) necessitates that the AsiA homodimer dissociate to form an AsiA-SR4 heterodimer, exchanging one protein subunit for another to alter promoter choice by RNA polymerase.

Bacteriophage T4↗

Identification of new gene expression regulators specifically expressed during plant seed maturation.

A cDNA-AFLP approach on Linum usitatissimum (flax) was used to identify genes specifically expressed during the seed maturation process. Among the 20,000 cDNA-AFLP tags produced, 486 were selected for their seed-specific expression during maturation. When compared with the publicly available databases, half of them presented some significant similarity with known plant sequences. The results obtained confirmed the accuracy of the approach as numerous genes previously described as being expressed exclusively in plant seeds were identified in this screen. The focus was on sequences similar to plant regulators involved in the control of gene expression, either at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, or post-translational levels. Using a real-time RT-PCR approach, seed-specific expression kinetics were confirmed for 13 of these regulators that were never characterized for being expressed during seed maturation. Among these, a flax gene of the non-LEC1-like HAP3 family and a flax MYB factor were shown to be expressed in specialized tissues of flax embryo using an in situ hybridization approach. By expression kinetic comparison between these flax genes and their Arabidopsis counterparts, it was found that the new HAP3 gene should be related to a ubiquitous seed maturation mechanism, while a new MYB factor appears to be related to a more seed-specific maturation mechanism. These results demonstrate the utility of the flax database in not only identifying new genes expressed during seed maturation but also in being able to highlight the distinction between conserved and non-conserved seed maturation mechanisms.

Arabidopsis↗

Enhancement of antigen-presenting capacity and antitumor immunity of dendritic cells pulsed with autologous tumor-derived RNA in mice.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells that play an important role in antitumor immunity. Several studies have reported that DCs pulsed with RNA from tumor cells have the ability to suppress tumors, but the details regarding the function and the immune-mechanism of DCs transfected with RNA remain to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated the transfection efficiency of RNA into DCs, and the functional modification and the antitumor efficacy of DCs pulsed with tumor-derived RNA. After the transfection of tumor-derived RNA into DCs cultured from the bone marrow of mice, pulsed DCs exhibited a high expression of both MHC antigens and CD86 on the cell surface as well as cultured DCs, and had a stronger ability both to present antigen on the MHC antigens and to stimulate T cells compared with DCs without transfection. DCs could sufficiently translate luciferase encoding RNA into luciferase proteins, and luciferase protein was expressed up to 12 hours in pulsed DCs. The DCs pulsed with tumor-derived RNA could elite a potent induction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes against autologous tumors, but not lysis against syngeneic normal cells. RNA-pulsed DCs exhibited a significant antitumor immunity in animal model. In conclusion, DCs could sufficiently uptake exogenous tumor-derived RNA, and consequently grow to be an intermediate maturate type, and induce potent T-cell stimulation and fully cause an antitumor effect in vivo. Therapy with DCs pulsed with tumor-derived RNA is sufficiently effective and safe, and thus it is considered to be clinically useful for tumor-immunotherapy.

3T3 Cells↗

Collagen XVIII modulation is altered during progression of oral dysplasia and carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Collagen XVIII is a ubiquitous basement membrane (BM) component and a precursor of endostatin. METHODS: Using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, we studied the expression and localization of collagen XVIII in different stages of normal oral wound healing, epithelial dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). RESULTS: In mild epithelial dysplasias collagen XVIII appeared as a continuous signal in the BM, whereas in severe epithelial dysplasias and in the invasive areas of oral SCCs collagen XVIII was absent. In situ hybridization showed that collagen XVIII mRNA expression did not decrease in severe dysplasia or oral carcinoma samples when compared with the mild dysplasias. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the absence of collagen XVIII protein in severe oral dysplasias is related to the processing of the protein rather than to changes in mRNA expression.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors↗

Changes in nuclear ribonucleoprotein constituents and chromatin disposition during neuronal differentiation and maturation.

Morphological and quantitative changes of ribonucleoproteic (RNP) structures and chromatin are studied in the nuclei of undifferentiated cells, neuroblasts and neurons in several degrees of maturation, in order to relate them to the drastic modifications in transcription and/or RNA processing taking place during cell differentiation. Undifferentiated (matrix) cells of 2-day embryos differ from that of 4-day embryos in their nucleolar volume and in the amount of compact chromatin. These differences are interpreted as the earliest signs of neuroblast differentiation. All over the process of matrix cell-bipolar-multipolar neuroblast differentiation there is a large spreading of compact chromatin well before any important change in RNP structures or in nuclear volume. The most remarkable increase in nuclear volume and in the amount of RNP particles occurs during the differentiation of multipolar neuroblasts to immature neurons, which is characterized by large synaptogenic activity. The interpretation of these changes is discussed in connection, on one hand with the metabolic effects of synapses, and on the other hand with the variations of gene expression taking place in cell differentiation and under other natural and experimental situations.

Animals↗

rRNA antitermination functions with heat shock promoters.

Transcription antitermination in the rRNA operons of Escherichia coli requires a unique nucleic acid sequence that serves as a signal for modification of the elongating RNA polymerase, making it resistant to Rho-dependent termination. We examined the antitermination ability of RNA polymerase elongation complexes that had initiated at three different heat shock promoters, dnaK, groE, and clpB, and then transcribed the antitermination sequence to read through a Rho-dependent terminator. Terminator bypass comparable to that seen with sigma(70) promoters was obtained. Lack of or inversion of the sequence abolished terminator readthrough. We conclude that RNA polymerase that uses sigma(32) to initiate transcription can adopt a conformation similar to that of sigma(70)-containing RNA polymerase, enabling it to interact with auxiliary modifying proteins and bypass Rho-dependent terminators.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Simian virus 40 maturation: chromatin modifications increase the accessibility of viral DNA to nuclease and RNA polymerase.

The accessibility of extracellular and nuclear simian virus 40 (SV40-M and SV40-I, respectively) virion chromatin DNAs to micrococcal nuclease, DNase I, BglI, EcoRI, and RNA polymerase was examined. Our results support the following conclusions: (i) the intranucleosomal DNA of SV40-I chromatin, similar to the precursor 75S chromatin complex, is resistant to enzymatic activity; and (ii) SV40-M virion chromatin is modified in a manner which increases the accessibility of viral DNA to enzymes, and the distinction between nucleosomal DNA and linker DNA is absent. Micrococcal nuclease digestion of SV40-I virion chromatin gave a typical nucleosomal DNA ladder pattern with a repeat unit of 205 base pairs of DNA. SV40-I chromatin was sensitive to cleavage with endonuclease BglI, but not with EcoRI. When SV40-I virion chromatin was used as a template, the rate of incorporation of ribonucleoside triphosphates into RNA was 5% of that obtained with naked form SV40 form I DNA. Micrococcal nuclease digestion of SV40-M virion chromatin resulted in submonomeric DNA fragments of approximately 55 base pairs, but no larger repeating unit of DNA was observed. SV40-M virion chromatin was sensitive to cleavage with either BglI or EcoRI and was approximately 20% more susceptible to digestion with DNase I than was SV40-I virion chromatin. The transcriptional efficiency of the extracellular virion chromatin was almost equivalent to that of naked SV40 form I DNA and was 16-fold higher than the rate observed with nuclear virion chromatin. The increased transcriptional activity was dependent upon the presence of nonhistone viral protein VP1 or VP2 or both.

Chromatin↗

Cloning and sequencing of myosin heavy chain isoform cDNAs in golden-mantled ground squirrels: effects of hibernation on mRNA expression.

The golden-mantled ground squirrel is a small rodent hibernator that demonstrates unusual myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform plasticity during several months of torpor, punctuated by bouts of rewarming and shivering thermogenesis. We measured MHC mRNA levels to determine whether pretranslational control mechanisms were responsible for differences in MHC2x protein expression, as we previously observed between active and hibernating ground squirrels. We first cloned cDNA using the 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (3' RACE) technique and identified three sequences corresponding to MHC1, MHC2x, and MHC2b. A DNA control fragment was developed to be used in conjunction with a coupled RT-PCR reaction to simultaneously measure MHC mRNA levels for each isoform in the skeletal muscle of ground squirrels. MHC mRNA and protein expression were strongly correlated, and type IIx and IIb mRNA levels were significantly different between active and hibernating ground squirrels. Pretranslational control of MHC protein is apparently an important process during hibernation, although the exact stimulus is not known. The techniques presented can be used to obtain MHC cDNA sequences and to measure mRNA expression in many vertebrate groups.

Animals↗

Immobilization stress rapidly and differentially modulates BDNF and TrkB mRNA expression in the pituitary gland of adult male rats.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin involved in neuronal survival and plasticity that binds to high-affinity receptors named TrkB. In the central nervous system, brain insults, including stress, induce modifications in BDNF messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. The present study attempted to determine in the adult rat pituitary, a peripheral structure relevant for the stress response: (1) whether BDNF and TrkB mRNA expression is influenced by different durations (15, 30, 60, 180 and 300 min) of single immobilization stress; (2) the expression of BDNF transcripts containing the different exons and their possible variations after stress exposure. Plasma corticotropin (ACTH) and corticosterone concentrations were strongly and significantly increased as early as 5 min after the stress stimulus. Using RNAse protection assay and in situ hybridization, a rapid increase in BDNF mRNA occurred at 15 min. This was accompanied by an increase in BDNF protein at 60 min, and by a rapid and significant decrease in TrkB mRNA expression observed at 15 and 30 min after stress application. RT-PCR analysis of BNDF transcripts showed strong basal expression of exons III and IV, whereas transcripts containing exons I and II seemed weakly expressed. After stress application, transcripts containing exons III and IV were rapidly and significantly increased at 30 min, whereas transcripts containing exons I and II remained unchanged. These results show that pituitary BDNF transcripts expression is differentially affected by immobilization stress.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

Diagnostic strategy for the detection of dystrophin gene mutations in asian patients and carriers using immortalized cell lines.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Becker muscular dystrophy are X-linked recessive diseases of muscle degeneration caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene. More than half of our local Asian patients have point mutations that cannot be detected by conventional multiplex polymerase chain reaction deletion screening. This study aimed to develop mutational screening and carrier detection for Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy using protein truncation analysis from Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphocyte cell lines. Messenger ribonucleic acid was extracted from fresh lymphocytes and Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphocyte cell lines of 14 patients. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was performed in 11 overlapping segments, followed by in vitro protein translation and truncation analysis. DNA sequencing was carried out for the corresponding complementary DNA regions, which showed aberrant truncated protein products. Carrier studies using this method were also performed for two families. Half of the patients had frame-shifting deletions, and the remaining seven patients showed point mutations, of which four were novel. These mutations were detected in messenger ribonucleic acid extracted from both fresh lymphocytes and Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphocyte cell lines. Carrier status was confirmed in one family and was found to be negative in the other family studied. Protein truncation analysis is an efficient method of screening truncating point mutations from immortalized lymphocyte cell lines from patients. This approach not only serves to prove the pathogenicity of both deletion- and nondeletion-type mutations; it is also effective for carrier detection. The use of such cell lines obviates the need for repeated blood and muscle sampling in patients and offers a perpetual source of messenger ribonucleic acid that can be used long after the patient's demise.

Asian People↗