scholarly journals The RNA–RNA base pairing potential of human Dicer and Ago2 proteins

2019 ◽  
Vol 77 (16) ◽  
pp. 3231-3244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Pokornowska ◽  
Marek C. Milewski ◽  
Kinga Ciechanowska ◽  
Agnieszka Szczepańska ◽  
Marta Wojnicka ◽  
...  

Abstract The ribonuclease Dicer produces microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs that are handed over to Ago proteins to control gene expression by targeting complementary sequences within transcripts. Interestingly, a growing number of reports have demonstrated that the activity of Dicer may extend beyond the biogenesis of small regulatory RNAs. Among them, a report from our latest studies revealed that human Dicer facilitates base pairing of complementary sequences present in two nucleic acids, thus acting as a nucleic acid annealer. Accordingly, in this manuscript, we address how RNA structure influences the annealing activity of human Dicer. We show that Dicer supports hybridization between a small RNA and a complementary sequence of a longer RNA in vitro, even when both complementary sequences are trapped within secondary structures. Moreover, we show that under applied conditions, human Ago2, a core component of RNA-induced silencing complex, displays very limited annealing activity. Based on the available data from new-generation sequencing experiments regarding the RNA pool bound to Dicer in vivo, we show that multiple Dicer-binding sites within mRNAs also contain miRNA targets. Subsequently, we demonstrate in vitro that Dicer but not Ago2 can anneal miRNA to its target present within mRNA. We hypothesize that not all miRNA duplexes are handed over to Ago proteins. Instead, miRNA-Dicer complexes could target specific sequences within transcripts and either compete or cooperate for binding sites with miRNA-Ago complexes. Thus, not only Ago but also Dicer might be directly involved in the posttranscriptional control of gene expression.

1984 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 1843-1852
Author(s):  
R J Focht ◽  
S L Adams

We analyzed the control of type I collagen synthesis in four kinds of differentiated cells from chicken embryos which synthesize very different amounts of the protein. Tendon, skin, and smooth muscle cells were found to have identical amounts of type I collagen RNAs; however, the RNAs had inherently different translatabilities, which were observed both in vivo and in vitro. Chondrocytes also had substantial amounts of type I collagen RNAs, even though they directed no detectable synthesis of the protein either in vivo or in vitro. Type I collagen RNAs in chondrocytes display altered electrophoretic mobilities, suggesting that in these cells the reduction in translational efficiency may be mediated in part by changes in the RNA structure. These data indicate that control of type I collagen gene expression is a complex process which is exerted at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels.


1974 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-336
Author(s):  
K. Williams

ABSTRACT RNA was isolated from normal human adrenal glands and found to cause the formation of Δ5-3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-isomerase and steroid 21-hydroxylase activities by a Krebs II ascites cell-free protein synthesising system. Although no functional steroid 21-hydroxylase in vivo or in vitro was found in a gland from a patient with virilism due to congenital adrenocortical hyperplasia the RNA would still give steroid 21-hydroxylase-like activity in the protein synthesising system which suggests that the inherited defect was not in the structural gene. Activity could not be induced by RNA from a 'non-functioning' adrenocortical tumour or rat liver.


2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 1376-1384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Aparicio ◽  
Nerea Razquin ◽  
Mikel Zaratiegui ◽  
Iñigo Narvaiza ◽  
Puri Fortes

ABSTRACT Posttranscriptional gene silencing allows sequence-specific control of gene expression. Specificity is guaranteed by small antisense RNAs such as microRNAs (miRNAs) or small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Functional miRNAs derive from longer double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules that are cleaved to pre-miRNAs in the nucleus and are transported by exportin 5 (Exp 5) to the cytoplasm. Adenovirus-infected cells express virus-associated (VA) RNAs, which are dsRNA molecules similar in structure to pre-miRNAs. VA RNAs are also transported by Exp 5 to the cytoplasm, where they accumulate. Here we show that small RNAs derived from VA RNAs (svaRNAs), similar to miRNAs, can be found in adenovirus-infected cells. VA RNA processing to svaRNAs requires neither viral replication nor viral protein expression, as evidenced by the fact that svaRNA accumulation can be detected in cells transfected with VA sequences. svaRNAs are efficiently bound by Argonaute 2, the endonuclease of the RNA-induced silencing complex, and behave as functional siRNAs, in that they inhibit the expression of reporter genes with complementary sequences. Blocking svaRNA-mediated inhibition affects efficient adenovirus production, indicating that svaRNAs are required for virus viability. Thus, svaRNA-mediated silencing could represent a novel mechanism used by adenoviruses to control cellular or viral gene expression.


2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (10) ◽  
pp. 3674-3681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke A. McDaniel ◽  
Frank J. Grundy ◽  
Vineeta P. Kurlekar ◽  
Jerneja Tomsic ◽  
Tina M. Henkin

ABSTRACT Genes in the S-box family are regulated by binding of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to the 5′ region of the mRNA of the regulated gene. SAM binding was previously shown to promote a rearrangement of the RNA structure that results in premature termination of transcription in vitro and repression of expression of the downstream coding sequence. The S-box RNA element therefore acts as a SAM-binding riboswitch in vitro. In an effort to identify factors other than SAM that could be involved in the S-box regulatory mechanism in vivo, we searched for trans-acting mutations in Bacillus subtilis that act to disrupt repression of S-box gene expression during growth under conditions where SAM pools are elevated. We identified a single mutant that proved to have one nucleotide substitution in the metK gene, encoding SAM synthetase. This mutation, designated metK10, resulted in a 15-fold decrease in SAM synthetase activity and a 4-fold decrease in SAM concentration in vivo. The metK10 mutation specifically affected S-box gene expression, and the increase in expression under repressing conditions was dependent on the presence of a functional transcriptional antiterminator element. The observation that the mutation identified in this search affects SAM production supports the model that the S-box RNAs directly monitor SAM in vivo, without a requirement for additional factors.


2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (16) ◽  
pp. E3692-E3701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaitanya Rastogi ◽  
H. Tomas Rube ◽  
Judith F. Kribelbauer ◽  
Justin Crocker ◽  
Ryan E. Loker ◽  
...  

Transcription factors (TFs) control gene expression by binding to genomic DNA in a sequence-specific manner. Mutations in TF binding sites are increasingly found to be associated with human disease, yet we currently lack robust methods to predict these sites. Here, we developed a versatile maximum likelihood framework named No Read Left Behind (NRLB) that infers a biophysical model of protein-DNA recognition across the full affinity range from a library of in vitro selected DNA binding sites. NRLB predicts human Max homodimer binding in near-perfect agreement with existing low-throughput measurements. It can capture the specificity of the p53 tetramer and distinguish multiple binding modes within a single sample. Additionally, we confirm that newly identified low-affinity enhancer binding sites are functional in vivo, and that their contribution to gene expression matches their predicted affinity. Our results establish a powerful paradigm for identifying protein binding sites and interpreting gene regulatory sequences in eukaryotic genomes.


1984 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 1843-1852 ◽  
Author(s):  
R J Focht ◽  
S L Adams

We analyzed the control of type I collagen synthesis in four kinds of differentiated cells from chicken embryos which synthesize very different amounts of the protein. Tendon, skin, and smooth muscle cells were found to have identical amounts of type I collagen RNAs; however, the RNAs had inherently different translatabilities, which were observed both in vivo and in vitro. Chondrocytes also had substantial amounts of type I collagen RNAs, even though they directed no detectable synthesis of the protein either in vivo or in vitro. Type I collagen RNAs in chondrocytes display altered electrophoretic mobilities, suggesting that in these cells the reduction in translational efficiency may be mediated in part by changes in the RNA structure. These data indicate that control of type I collagen gene expression is a complex process which is exerted at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2252
Author(s):  
Jennifer S. H. Im ◽  
Laura R. Newburn ◽  
Gregory Kent ◽  
K. Andrew White

Many positive-sense RNA viruses transcribe subgenomic (sg) mRNAs during infections that template the translation of a subset of viral proteins. Red clover necrotic mosaic virus (RCNMV) expresses its capsid protein through the transcription of a sg mRNA from RNA1 genome segment. This transcription event is activated by an RNA structure formed by base pairing between a trans-activator (TA) in RNA2 and a trans-activator binding site (TABS) in RNA1. In this study, the impact of the structural context of the TABS in RNA1 on the TA–TABS interaction and sg mRNA transcription was investigated using in vitro and in vivo approaches. The results (i) generated RNA secondary structure models for the TA and TABS, (ii) revealed that the TABS is partially base paired with proximal upstream sequences, which limits TA access, (iii) demonstrated that the aforementioned intra-RNA1 base pairing involving the TABS modulates the TA–TABS interaction in vitro and sg mRNA levels during infections, and (iv) revealed that the TABS in RNA1 can be modified to mediate sg mRNA transcription in a TA-independent manner. These findings advance our understanding of transcriptional regulation in RCNMV and provide novel insights into the origin of the TA–TABS interaction.


PLoS Genetics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. e1009039
Author(s):  
Yi Kuang ◽  
Anna Pyo ◽  
Natanel Eafergan ◽  
Brittany Cain ◽  
Lisa M. Gutzwiller ◽  
...  

Notch signaling controls many developmental processes by regulating gene expression. Notch-dependent enhancers recruit activation complexes consisting of the Notch intracellular domain, the Cbf/Su(H)/Lag1 (CSL) transcription factor (TF), and the Mastermind co-factor via two types of DNA sites: monomeric CSL sites and cooperative dimer sites called Su(H) paired sites (SPS). Intriguingly, the CSL TF can also bind co-repressors to negatively regulate transcription via these same sites. Here, we tested how synthetic enhancers with monomeric CSL sites versus dimeric SPSs bind Drosophila Su(H) complexes in vitro and mediate transcriptional outcomes in vivo. Our findings reveal that while the Su(H)/Hairless co-repressor complex similarly binds SPS and CSL sites in an additive manner, the Notch activation complex binds SPSs, but not CSL sites, in a cooperative manner. Moreover, transgenic reporters with SPSs mediate stronger, more consistent transcription and are more resistant to increased Hairless co-repressor expression compared to reporters with the same number of CSL sites. These findings support a model in which SPS containing enhancers preferentially recruit cooperative Notch activation complexes over Hairless repression complexes to ensure consistent target gene activation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milca Rachel da Costa Ribeiro Lins ◽  
Graciely Gomes Correa ◽  
Laura Araujo da Silva Amorim ◽  
Rafael Augusto Lopes Franco ◽  
Nathan Vinicius Ribeiro ◽  
...  

Bacillus subtilis employs five purine riboswitches for the control of purine de novo synthesis and transport at the transcription level. All of them are formed by a structurally conserved aptamer, and a variable expression platform harboring a rho-independent transcription terminator. In this study, we characterized all five purine riboswitches under the context of active gene expression processes both in vitro and in vivo. We identified transcription pause sites located in the expression platform upstream of the terminator of each riboswitch. Moreover, we defined a correlation between in vitro transcription readthrough and in vivo gene expression. Our in vitro assay demonstrated that the riboswitches operate in the micromolar range of concentration for the cognate metabolite. Our in vivo assay showed the dynamics of control of gene expression by each riboswitch. This study deepens the knowledge of the regulatory mechanism of purine riboswitches.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Sdelci ◽  
André F. Rendeiro ◽  
Philipp Rathert ◽  
Gerald Hofstätter ◽  
Anna Ringler ◽  
...  

The histone acetyl-reader BRD4 is an important regulator of chromatin structure and transcription, yet factors modulating its activity have remained elusive. Here we describe two complementary screens for genetic and physical interactors of BRD4, which converge on the folate pathway enzyme MTHFD1. We show that a fraction of MTHFD1 resides in the nucleus, where it is recruited to distinct genomic loci by direct interaction with BRD4. Inhibition of either BRD4 or MTHFD1 results in similar changes in nuclear metabolite composition and gene expression, and pharmacologic inhibitors of the two pathways synergize to impair cancer cell viability in vitro and in vivo. Our finding that MTHFD1 and other metabolic enzymes are chromatin-associated suggests a direct role for nuclear metabolism in the control of gene expression.


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