Exploring the RNA Editing Potential of RNA-Seq Data by ExpEdit

AbstractBackgroundAs the number of RNA-seq datasets that become available to explore transcriptome diversity increases, so does the need for easy-to-use comprehensive computational workflows. Many available tools facilitate analyses of one of the two major mechanisms of transcriptome diversity, namely, differential expression of isoforms due to alternative splicing, while the second major mechanism - RNA editing due to post-transcriptional changes of individual nucleotides – remains under-appreciated. Both these mechanisms play an essential role in physiological and diseases processes, including cancer and neurological disorders. However, elucidation of RNA editing events at transcriptome-wide level requires increasingly complex computational tools, in turn resulting in a steep entrance barrier for labs who are interested in high-throughput variant calling applications on a large scale but lack the manpower and/or computational expertise.ResultsHere we present an easy-to-use, fully automated, computational pipeline (Automated Isoform Diversity Detector, AIDD) that contains open source tools for various tasks needed to map transcriptome diversity, including RNA editing events. To facilitate reproducibility and avoid system dependencies, the pipeline is contained within a pre-configured VirtualBox environment. The analytical tasks and format conversions are accomplished via a set of automated scripts that enable the user to go from a set of raw data, such as fastq files, to publication-ready results and figures in one step. A publicly available dataset of Zika virus-infected neural progenitor cells is used to illustrate AIDD’s capabilities.ConclusionsAIDD pipeline offers a user-friendly interface for comprehensive and reproducible RNA-seq analyses. Among unique features of AIDD are its ability to infer RNA editing patterns, including ADAR editing, and inclusion of Guttman scale patterns for time series analysis of such editing landscapes. AIDD-based results show importance of diversity of ADAR isoforms, key RNA editing enzymes linked with the innate immune system and viral infections. These findings offer insights into the potential role of ADAR editing dysregulation in the disease mechanisms, including those of congenital Zika syndrome. Because of its automated all-inclusive features, AIDD pipeline enables even a novice user to easily explore common mechanisms of transcriptome diversity, including RNA editing landscapes.

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Genome-Wide Analysis of Multiple Organellar RNA Editing Factor (MORF) Family in Kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) Reveals Its Roles in Chloroplast RNA Editing and Pathogens Stress

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants11020146 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 146

Author(s):

Yuhong Xiong ◽

Jing Fang ◽

Xiaohan Jiang ◽

Tengfei Wang ◽

Kangchen Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rna Editing ◽

Chloroplast Development ◽

Structural Features ◽

Resistance Mechanisms ◽

Actinidia Chinensis ◽

Rna Seq ◽

Good Taste ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Solid Foundation ◽

Chloroplast Rna

Kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) is well known for its high vitamin C content and good taste. Various diseases, especially bacterial canker, are a serious threat to the yield of kiwifruit. Multiple organellar RNA editing factor (MORF) genes are pivotal factors in the RNA editosome that mediates Cytosine-to-Uracil RNA editing, and they are also indispensable for the regulation of chloroplast development, plant growth, and response to stresses. Although the kiwifruit genome has been released, little is known about MORF genes in kiwifruit at the genome-wide level, especially those involved in the response to pathogens stress. In this study, we identified ten MORF genes in the kiwifruit genome. The genomic structures and chromosomal locations analysis indicated that all the MORF genes consisted of three conserved motifs, and they were distributed widely across the seven linkage groups and one contig of the kiwifruit genome. Based on the structural features of MORF proteins and the topology of the phylogenetic tree, the kiwifruit MORF gene family members were classified into six groups (Groups A–F). A synteny analysis indicated that two pairs of MORF genes were tandemly duplicated and five pairs of MORF genes were segmentally duplicated. Moreover, based on analysis of RNA-seq data from five tissues of kiwifruit, we found that both expressions of MORF genes and chloroplast RNA editing exhibited tissue-specific patterns. MORF2 and MORF9 were highly expressed in leaf and shoot, and may be responsible for chloroplast RNA editing, especially the ndhB genes. We also observed different MORF expression and chloroplast RNA editing profiles between resistant and susceptible kiwifruits after pathogen infection, indicating the roles of MORF genes in stress response by modulating the editing extend of mRNA. These results provide a solid foundation for further analyses of the functions and molecular evolution of MORF genes, in particular, for clarifying the resistance mechanisms in kiwifruits and breeding new cultivars with high resistance.

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Genome-Wide Characterization of RNA Editing Sites in Primary Gastric Adenocarcinoma through RNA-seq Data Analysis

International Journal of Genomics ◽

10.1155/2020/6493963 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Javad Behroozi ◽

Shirin Shahbazi ◽

Mohammad Reza Bakhtiarizadeh ◽

Habibollah Mahmoodzadeh

Keyword(s):

Gastric Cancer ◽

Rna Editing ◽

Gastric Adenocarcinoma ◽

Cancer Progression ◽

Variant Calling ◽

Distinct Pattern ◽

Rna Seq ◽

Comprehensive Overview ◽

Protein Coding ◽

Cancer Tissues

RNA editing is a posttranscriptional nucleotide modification in humans. Of the various types of RNA editing, the adenosine to inosine substitution is the most widespread in higher eukaryotes, which is mediated by the ADAR family enzymes. Inosine is recognized by the biological machinery as guanosine; therefore, editing could have substantial functional effects throughout the genome. RNA editing could contribute to cancer either by exclusive editing of tumor suppressor/promoting genes or by introducing transcriptomic diversity to promote cancer progression. Here, we provided a comprehensive overview of the RNA editing sites in gastric adenocarcinoma and highlighted some of their possible contributions to gastric cancer. RNA-seq data corresponding to 8 gastric adenocarcinoma and their paired nontumor counterparts were retrieved from the GEO database. After preprocessing and variant calling steps, a stringent filtering pipeline was employed to distinguish potential RNA editing sites from SNPs. The identified potential editing sites were annotated and compared with those in the DARNED database. Totally, 12362 high-confidence adenosine to inosine RNA editing sites were detected across all samples. Of these, 12105 and 257 were known and novel editing events, respectively. These editing sites were unevenly distributed across genomic regions, and nearly half of them were located in 3 ′ UTR. Our results revealed that 4868 editing sites were common in both normal and cancer tissues. From the remaining sites, 3985 and 3509 were exclusive to normal and cancer tissues, respectively. Further analysis revealed a significant number of differentially edited events among these sites, which were located in protein coding genes and microRNAs. Given the distinct pattern of RNA editing in gastric adenocarcinoma and adjacent normal tissue, edited sites have the potential to serve as the diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in gastric cancer.

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Developmental atlas of the RNA editome in Sus scrofa skeletal muscle

DNA Research ◽

10.1093/dnares/dsz006 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 261-272 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Yalan Yang ◽

Min Zhu ◽

Xinhao Fan ◽

Yilong Yao ◽

Junyu Yan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Skeletal Muscle ◽

Rna Editing ◽

Sus Scrofa ◽

Muscle Development ◽

Rna Seq ◽

Sequencing Data ◽

Adenosine Deaminases ◽

Bisulphite Sequencing ◽

Highly Correlated ◽

Gain Loss

AbstractAdenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing meditated by adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs) enzymes is a widespread post-transcriptional event in mammals. However, A-to-I editing in skeletal muscle remains poorly understood. By integrating strand-specific RNA-seq, whole genome bisulphite sequencing, and genome sequencing data, we comprehensively profiled the A-to-I editome in developing skeletal muscles across 27 prenatal and postnatal stages in pig, an important farm animal and biomedical model. We detected 198,892 A-to-I editing sites and found that they occurred more frequently at prenatal stages and showed low conservation among pig, human, and mouse. Both the editing level and frequency decreased during development and were positively correlated with ADAR enzymes expression. The hyper-edited genes were functionally related to the cell cycle and cell division. A co-editing module associated with myogenesis was identified. The developmentally differential editing sites were functionally enriched in genes associated with muscle development, their editing levels were highly correlated with expression of their host mRNAs, and they potentially influenced the gain/loss of miRNA binding sites. Finally, we developed a database to visualize the Sus scrofa RNA editome. Our study presents the first profile of the dynamic A-to-I editome in developing animal skeletal muscle and provides evidences that RNA editing is a vital regulator of myogenesis.

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Differential RNA Editing and Intron Splicing in Soybean Mitochondria during Nodulation

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21249378 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (24) ◽

pp. 9378

Author(s):

Yuzhe Sun ◽

Min Xie ◽

Zhou Xu ◽

Koon Chuen Chan ◽

Jia Yi Zhong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rna Editing ◽

Mitochondrial Genes ◽

Protein Abundance ◽

Intron Splicing ◽

Rna Seq ◽

Intron 1 ◽

Tremendous Amount ◽

Mitochondrial Transcripts ◽

Splicing Efficiency ◽

Transcript Profiles

Nitrogen fixation in soybean consumes a tremendous amount of energy, leading to substantial differences in energy metabolism and mitochondrial activities between nodules and uninoculated roots. While C-to-U RNA editing and intron splicing of mitochondrial transcripts are common in plant species, their roles in relation to nodule functions are still elusive. In this study, we performed RNA-seq to compare transcript profiles and RNA editing of mitochondrial genes in soybean nodules and roots. A total of 631 RNA editing sites were identified on mitochondrial transcripts, with 12% or 74 sites differentially edited among the transcripts isolated from nodules, stripped roots, and uninoculated roots. Eight out of these 74 differentially edited sites are located on the matR transcript, of which the degrees of RNA editing were the highest in the nodule sample. The degree of mitochondrial intron splicing was also examined. The splicing efficiencies of several introns in nodules and stripped roots were higher than in uninoculated roots. These include nad1 introns 2/3/4, nad4 intron 3, nad5 introns 2/3, cox2 intron 1, and ccmFc intron 1. A greater splicing efficiency of nad4 intron 1, a higher NAD4 protein abundance, and a reduction in supercomplex I + III2 were also observed in nodules, although the causal relationship between these observations requires further investigation.

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A-To-I RNA Editing By ADAR1 Is Essential For Hematopoiesis

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v122.21.1199.1199 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 122 (21) ◽

pp. 1199-1199 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Brian Liddicoat ◽

Robert Piskol ◽

Alistair Chalk ◽

Miyoko Higuchi ◽

Peter Seeburg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Rna Editing ◽

Fetal Liver ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

In Utero ◽

Tamoxifen Treatment ◽

Rna Seq ◽

Data Set ◽

Hematopoietic Stem

Abstract The role of RNA and its regulation is becoming increasingly appreciated as a vital component of hematopoietic development. RNA editing by members of the Adenosine Deaminase Acting on RNA (ADAR) gene family is a form of post-transcriptional modification which converts genomically encoded adenosine to inosine (A-to-I) in double-stranded RNA. A-to-I editing by ADAR directly converts the sequence of the RNA substrate and can alter the structure, function, processing, and localization of the targeted RNA. ADAR1 is ubiquitously expressed and we have previously described essential roles in the development of hematopoietic and hepatic organs. Germline ablation of murine ADAR1 results in a significant upregulation of interferon (IFN) stimulated genes and embryonic death between E11.5 and E12.5 associated with fetal liver disintegration and failed hemopoiesis. To determine the biological importance of A-to-I editing by ADAR1, we generated an editing dead knock-in allele of ADAR1 (ADAR1E861A). Mice homozygous for the ADAR1E861A allele died in utero at ∼E13.5. The fetal liver (FL) was small and had significantly lower cellularity than in controls. Analysis of hemopoiesis demonstrated increased apoptosis and a loss of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and all mature lineages. Most notably erythropoiesis was severely impaired with ∼7-fold reduction across all erythrocyte progenitor populations compared to controls. These data are consistent with our previous findings that ADAR1 is essential for erythropoiesis (unpublished data) and suggest that the ADAR1E861A allele phenocopies the null allele in utero. To assess the requirement of A-to-I editing in adult hematopoiesis, we generated mice where we could somatically delete the wild-type ADAR1 allele and leave only ADAR1E861A expressed in HSCs (hScl-CreERAdar1fl/E861A). In comparison to hScl-CreERAdar1fl/+ controls, hScl-CreERAdar1fl/E861A mice were anemic and had severe leukopenia 20 days post tamoxifen treatment. Investigation of marrow hemopoiesis revealed a significant loss of all cells committed to the erythroid lineage in hScl-CreERAdar1fl/E861A mice, despite having elevated phenotypic HSCs. Upon withdrawal of tamoxifen diet, all blood parameters were restored to control levels within 12 weeks owing to strong selection against cells expressing only the ADAR1E861A allele. To understand the mechanism through which ADAR1 mediated A-to-I editing regulates hematopoiesis, RNA-seq was performed. Gene expression profiles showed that a loss of ADAR1 mediated A-to-I editing resulted in a significant upregulation of IFN signatures, consistent with the gene expression changes in ADAR1 null mice. To define substrates of ADAR1 we assessed A-to-I mismatches in the RNA-seq data sets. 3,560 previously known and 353 novel A-to-I editing sites were identified in our data set. However, no single editing substrate discovered could account for the IFN signature observed or the lethality of ADAR1E861A/E861A mice. These results demonstrate that ADAR1 mediated A-to-I editing is essential for the maintenance of both fetal and adult hemopoiesis in a cell-autonomous manner and a key suppressor of the IFN response in hematopoiesis. Furthermore the ADAR1E861A allele demonstrates the essential role of ADAR1 in vivo is A-to-I editing. Disclosures: Hartner: TaconicArtemis: Employment.

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MultiEditR: An easy validation method for detecting and quantifying RNA editing from Sanger sequencing

10.1101/633685 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Mitchell Kluesner ◽

Annette Arnold ◽

Taga Lerner ◽

Rafail Nikolaos Tasakis ◽

Sandra Wüst ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rna Editing ◽

Sanger Sequencing ◽

Tumour Progression ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Base Change ◽

Rna Seq ◽

Multiple Sources ◽

Base Editing ◽

Cost Effective Method ◽

Apobec Family

ABSTRACTRNA editing is the base change that results from RNA deamination by two predominant classes of deaminases; the APOBEC family and the ADAR family. Respectively, deamination of nucleobases by these enzymes are responsible for endogenous editing of cytosine to uracil (C-to-U) and adenosine to inosine (A-to-I). RNA editing is known to play an essential role both in maintaining normal cellular function, as well as altered cellular physiology during oncogenesis and tumour progression. Analysis of RNA editing in these important processes, largely relies on RNA-seq technology for the detection and quantification of RNA editing sites. Despite the power of these technologies, multiple sources of error in detecting and measuring base editing still exist, therefore additional validation and quantification of editing through Sanger sequencing is still required for confirmation of editing. Depending on the number of RNA editing sites that are of interest, this validation step can be both expensive and time-consuming. To address this need we developed the tool MultiEditR which provides a simple, and cost-effective method of detecting and quantifying RNA editing form Sanger sequencing. We expect that MultiEditR will foster further discoveries in this rapidly expanding field.

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Single-nucleotide variants in human RNA: RNA editing and beyond

Briefings in Functional Genomics ◽

10.1093/bfgp/ely032 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 30-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Yan Guo ◽

Hui Yu ◽

David C Samuels ◽

Wei Yue ◽

Scott Ness ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rna Editing ◽

Rna Seq ◽

Rna Modifications ◽

Single Nucleotide Variants ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

Genomic Variants ◽

High Prevalence ◽

History Of ◽

Gene Expression Quantification

Abstract Through analysis of paired high-throughput DNA-Seq and RNA-Seq data, researchers quickly recognized that RNA-Seq can be used for more than just gene expression quantification. The alternative applications of RNA-Seq data are abundant, and we are particularly interested in its usefulness for detecting single-nucleotide variants, which arise from RNA editing, genomic variants and other RNA modifications. A stunning discovery made from RNA-Seq analyses is the unexpectedly high prevalence of RNA-editing events, many of which cannot be explained by known RNA-editing mechanisms. Over the past 6–7 years, substantial efforts have been made to maximize the potential of RNA-Seq data. In this review we describe the controversial history of mining RNA-editing events from RNA-Seq data and the corresponding development of methodologies to identify, predict, assess the quality of and catalog RNA-editing events as well as genomic variants.

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