Kinetics of mRNA polyadenylation and its relation to transcription termination in eukaryotes

2000 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. A461-A461
Author(s):  
Amer Jamil ◽  
Harold G. Martinson

Processing of most eukaryotic mRNAs includes and polyadenylation of the nascent transcript. Until now there has been no method for the reliable measurement of these processes in vivo. Therefore, in the present work a new technique was developed for measuring precisely the rate of cleavage and polyadenylation in vivo. The method uses a cis-antisense element targeted to an upstream poly (A) signal. Duplex formation of the antisense element with the poly (A) signal region prevents polyadenylation. In a series of expression vector constructs the antisense element was moved increasing distances downstream of its target poly (A) site, reasoning that if it takes the polymerase longer to reach the antisense element, polyadenylation would have more time to occur. Using this method the half time for commitment to cleavage and polyadenylation at the SV40 early poly (A) site and SPA (synthetic poly A site) was found to be 5 seconds. It was found that strong sites (SV 40 late poly (A) site) were processed faster. Commitment to cleavage and polyadenylation was found to be a multistep process. The expression results were confirmed with the help of RNase protection assay. Relationship between polyadenylation and transcription termination was also studied by using G-free assay and found to be positively correlated. Present data support looping moded suggesting some communication exists between polyadenylation complex and RNA pol. II for transcription termination.

1995 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 4783-4790 ◽  
Author(s):  
D B Batt ◽  
G G Carmichael

The polyomavirus late polyadenylation signal is used inefficiently during the late phase of a productive viral infection. Inefficient polyadenylation serves an important purpose for viral propagation, as it allows a splicing event that stabilizes late transcripts (G. R. Adami, C. W. Marlor, N. L. Barrett, and G. G. Carmichale, J. Virol. 63:85-93, 1989; R. P. Hyde-DeRuyscher and G. G. Carmichael, J. Virol. 64:5823-5832, 1990). We have recently shown that late-strand readthrough transcripts serve as natural antisense molecules to downregulate early-strand RNA levels at late times in infection (Z. Liu, D. B. Batt, and G. G. Carmichael, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91:4258-4262, 1994). Thus, poor polyadenylation contributes to the early-late switch by allowing the formation of more stable late RNAs and by forming antisense RNA to early RNAs. The importance of late poly(A) site inefficiency in the viral life cycle has prompted us to map the cis elements of this site. Since the polyomavirus late site proved a poor substrate for in vitro polyadenylation, we used an in vivo assay which allowed us to map the cis sequences required for its function. In this assay, various fragments containing the AAUAAA and different surrounding sequences were placed 1.4 kb upstream of a second, wild-type signal. The second signal served to stabilize transcripts that are not processed at the upstream site, allowing accurate quantitation of relative poly(A) site use by an RNase protection assay. Processing was primary at the upstream site when a large fragment surrounding the poly(A) signal (50 nucleotides [nt] upstream and 90 nt downstream) was tested in this assay, demonstrating that this fragment contains the essential cis elements. Deletion analysis of this fragment revealed that most but not all upstream sequences can be removed with little effect on polyadenylation efficiency, indicating the absence of a strong stimulatory upstream element. Deletion of all but 25 nt downstream of the AAUAAA reduced polyadenylation activity only by half, demonstrating that processing can occur at this site despite the lack of downstream sequences. Thus, the core cis element for polyadenylation is quite small, with most important cis-acting elements lying within 19 nt upstream and 25 nt downstream of the AAUAAA sequence. This core contains the AAUAAA hexanucleotide, an upstream A/U-rich element, and three identical repeats of a 6-nt sequence, UAUUCA. Polyadenylation was eliminated or greatly reduced when either the AAUAAA or the three repeats were mutated.


2009 ◽  
Vol 296 (4) ◽  
pp. L657-L665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Abolhassani ◽  
Adeline Guais ◽  
Philippe Chaumet-Riffaud ◽  
Annie J. Sasco ◽  
Laurent Schwartz

The aim of this study was to assess whether one of the most common poisons of cellular respiration, i.e., carbon dioxide, is proinflammatory. CO2 is naturally present in the atmosphere at the level of 0.038% and involved in numerous cellular biochemical reactions. We analyzed in vitro the inflammation response induced by exposure to CO2 for 48 h (0–20% with a constant O2 concentration of 21%). In vivo mice were submitted to increasing concentrations of CO2 (0, 5, 10, and 15% with a constant O2 concentration of 21%) for 1 h. The exposure to concentrations above 5% of CO2 resulted in the increased transcription (RNase protection assay) and secretion (ELISA) of proinflammatory cytokines [macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α), MIP-1β, MIP-2, IL-8, IL-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed, and, presumably, secreted (RANTES)] by epithelial cell lines HT-29 or A549 and primary pulmonary cells retrieved from the exposed mice. Lung inflammation was also demonstrated in vivo by mucin 5AC-enhanced production and airway hyperreactivity induction. This response was mostly mediated by the nuclear translocation of p65 NF-κB, itself a consequence of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activation. Short inhibiting RNAs (siRNAs) targeted toward PP2Ac reversed the effect of carbon dioxide, i.e., disrupted the NF-κB activation and the proinflammatory cytokine secretion. In conclusion, this study strongly suggests that exposure to carbon dioxide may be more toxic than previously thought. This may be relevant for carcinogenic effects of combustion products.


1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 5369-5377
Author(s):  
T M Pribyl ◽  
H G Martinson

We characterized the transcription termination region of the chicken beta H-globin gene. First we located the region by nuclear runon transcription in vitro. Then we sequenced and subcloned it into a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) expression vector for assay in vivo. The region of beta H termination contains two interesting elements located about 1 kilobase downstream of the beta H gene poly(A) site. Either element alone can block CAT expression if inserted between the promoter and the poly(A) site of the cat gene in pRSVcat. The first element in the termination region is an unusually large inverted repeat in the DNA (delta G = -71 kcal). The second element, 200 base pairs further downstream, is an RNA polymerase II promoter which directs transcription back upstream on the complementary strand. This transcription converges on and collides with that from the beta H gene at or near the inverted repeat where transcription from both directions stops. We propose that the inverted repeat is a strong pause site which positions the converging polymerases for mutual site-specific termination.


Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 96 (13) ◽  
pp. 4039-4045
Author(s):  
Giovanni Bernardini ◽  
Gaia Spinetti ◽  
Domenico Ribatti ◽  
Grazia Camarda ◽  
Lucia Morbidelli ◽  
...  

Several chemokines have been shown to act as angiogenic molecules or to modulate the activity of growth factors such as fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The detection of the CC chemokine receptor (CCR) 8 message in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by reverse transcription– polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and RNase protection assay (RPA), prompted us to investigate the potential role exerted by the CC chemokine I-309, a known ligand of such receptor, in both in vitro and in vivo angiogenesis assays. We show here that I-309 binds to endothelial cells, stimulates chemotaxis and invasion of these cells, and enhances HUVEC differentiation into capillary-like structures in an in vitro Matrigel assay. Furthermore, I-309 is an inducer of angiogenesis in vivo in both the rabbit cornea and the chick chorioallantoic membrane assay (CAM).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matti Turtola ◽  
M. Cemre Manav ◽  
Ananthanarayanan Kumar ◽  
Agnieszka Tudek ◽  
Seweryn Mroczek ◽  
...  

Biogenesis of most eukaryotic mRNAs involves the addition of an untemplated polyadenosine (pA) tail by the cleavage and polyadenylation machinery. The pA tail, and its exact length, impacts mRNA stability, nuclear export, and translation. To define how polyadenylation is controlled in S. cerevisiae, we have used an in vivo assay capable of assessing nuclear pA tail synthesis, analyzed tail length distributions by direct RNA sequencing, and reconstituted polyadenylation reactions with purified components. This revealed three control mechanisms for pA tail length. First, we found that the pA binding protein (PABP) Nab2p is the primary regulator of pA tail length. Second, when Nab2p is limiting, the nuclear pool of Pab1p, the second major PABP in yeast, controls the process. Third, when both PABPs are absent, the cleavage and polyadenylation factor (CPF) limits pA tail synthesis. Thus, Pab1p and CPF provide fail-safe mechanisms to a primary Nab2p-dependent pathway, thereby preventing uncontrolled polyadenylation and allowing mRNA export and translation.


2000 ◽  
Vol 278 (2) ◽  
pp. R513-R519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl-Heinz Hofbauer ◽  
Boye L. Jensen ◽  
Armin Kurtz ◽  
Peter Sandner

Our study aimed to investigate the influence of tissue hypoxygenation on the adrenomedullin (ADM) system in vivo. For this purpose, male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to normobaric hypoxia (8% oxygen) or to functional anemia [0.1% carbon monoxide (CO)] or to cobalt chloride (60 mg/kg) for 6 h. Messenger RNA levels for ADM and its receptor (ADM-R) were assessed in diverse organs by RNase protection assay. Additionally, ADM protein concentrations in these organs, as in plasma, were determined by a RIA. We found that ADM mRNA abundance increased in response to hypoxia and to CO inhalation up to 15-fold in all organs examined. Similarly, ADM-R mRNA abundance increased during hypoxia and CO inhalation in all organs examined with exception of the liver. The effects of hypoxia and of CO inhalation on ADM and ADM-R mRNAs were mimicked by injection of cobaltous chloride. Hypoxia also significantly increased ADM protein content in all organs, and plasma levels of ADM rose twofold in response to hypoxia and CO inhalation. These findings indicate that tissue hypoxia leads to a widespread activation of the ADM system, which comprises a parallel stimulation of ADM and ADM receptor mRNA as enhanced ADM protein synthesis and secretion. The ADM system may, therefore, play a significant role in the physiological response to tissue hypoxia. It appears that ADM and ADM-R belong to the family of classic oxygen-regulated genes, which are activated by a decrease of the pericellular oxygen tension through the same intracellular signaling cascade.


Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 96 (13) ◽  
pp. 4039-4045 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Bernardini ◽  
Gaia Spinetti ◽  
Domenico Ribatti ◽  
Grazia Camarda ◽  
Lucia Morbidelli ◽  
...  

Abstract Several chemokines have been shown to act as angiogenic molecules or to modulate the activity of growth factors such as fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The detection of the CC chemokine receptor (CCR) 8 message in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by reverse transcription– polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and RNase protection assay (RPA), prompted us to investigate the potential role exerted by the CC chemokine I-309, a known ligand of such receptor, in both in vitro and in vivo angiogenesis assays. We show here that I-309 binds to endothelial cells, stimulates chemotaxis and invasion of these cells, and enhances HUVEC differentiation into capillary-like structures in an in vitro Matrigel assay. Furthermore, I-309 is an inducer of angiogenesis in vivo in both the rabbit cornea and the chick chorioallantoic membrane assay (CAM).


2001 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 4955-4963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemary Rochford ◽  
Mary L. Lutzke ◽  
Rosiane S. Alfinito ◽  
Anaira Clavo ◽  
Rhonda D. Cardin

ABSTRACT A model system to study the pathogenesis of gammaherpesvirus infections is the infection of mice with murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68). To define the kinetics of infection, we developed an RNase protection assay to quantitate gene expression from lytic (K3, Rta, M8, DNA polymerase [DNA pol], and gB) and candidate latency (M2, M3, M9, M11, ORF73, and ORF74) genes. All candidate latency genes were expressed during lytic infection of 3T3 cells. Four kinetic classes of transcripts were observed following infection of 3T3 cells: immediate-early (K3, Rta, M8, and ORF73), early (DNA pol), early-late (M3, M11, and ORF74), and late (M2, M9, and gB). To assess the kinetics of viral gene expression in vivo, lungs, spleens, and mediastinal lymph nodes (MLN) were harvested from MHV-68-infected mice. All transcripts were expressed between 3 and 6 days postinfection (dpi) in the lungs. In the spleen, K3, M3, M8, and M9 transcripts were expressed between 10 and 16 dpi when latency is established. The K3, M3, M8, M9, and M11 transcripts were detected in the MLN from 2 through 16 dpi. This is the first demonstration of MHV-68 gene expression in the MLN. Importantly, our data showed that MHV-68 has different kinetics of gene expression at different sites of infection. Furthermore, we demonstrated that K3, a gene recently shown to encode a protein that downregulates major histocompatibility complex class I on the surface of cells, is expressed during latency, which argues for a role of K3 in immune evasion during latent infection.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5159-5167
Author(s):  
L E Hyman ◽  
C L Moore

Little is known about the transcriptional events which occur downstream of polyadenylation sites. Although the polyadenylation site of a gene can be easily identified, it has been difficult to determine the site of transcription termination in vivo because of the rapid processing of pre-mRNAs. Using an in vitro approach, we have shown that sequences from the 3' ends of two different Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes, ADH2 and GAL7, direct transcription termination and/or polymerase pausing in yeast nuclear extracts. In the case of the ADH2 sequence, the RNA synthesized in vitro ends approximately 50 to 150 nucleotides downstream of the poly(A) site. This RNA is not polyadenylated and may represent the primary transcript. A similarly sized nonpolyadenylated [poly(A)-] transcript can be detected in vivo from the same transcriptional template. A GAL7 template also directs the in vitro synthesis of an RNA which extends a short distance past the poly(A) site. However, a significant amount of the GAL7 RNA is polyadenylated at or close to the in vivo poly(A) site. Mutations of GAL7 or ADH2 poly(A) signals prevent polyadenylation but do not affect the in vitro synthesis of the extended poly(A)- transcript. Since transcription of the mutant template continues through this region in vivo, it is likely that a strong RNA polymerase II pause site lies within the 3'-end sequences. Our data support the hypothesis that the coupling of this pause site to a functional polyadenylation signal results in transcription termination.


2001 ◽  
Vol 280 (3) ◽  
pp. L555-L564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rayna J. Gonzales ◽  
Benjimen R. Walker ◽  
Nancy L. Kanagy

Past studies have demonstrated that 17β-estradiol (E2β) increases endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS) activity in uterine, heart, and skeletal muscle and in cultured human endothelial cells. However, little is known about E2β regulation of NO synthesis in the pulmonary vasculature. The present study evaluated E2β regulation of eNOS function in pulmonary arteries and thoracic aortas. We hypothesized that E2β upregulates vascular NO release by increasing eNOS expression. To test this, NO-dependent vasodilation was assessed in isolated perfused lungs and aortic rings from ovariectomized Sprague-Dawley rats treated for 1 wk with 20 μg/24 h of E2β or vehicle. Expression of eNOS was evaluated by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Also, a RNase protection assay determined eNOS mRNA levels in lung and aortic homogenates from control and treated rats. Vasodilation to ionomycin in lungs from the E2β-treated group was enhanced compared with that in control animals. Endothelium-intact aortic rings from E2β-treated animals also demonstrated augmented endothelium-dependent dilation. Both responses were blocked with NOS inhibition. Immunostaining for eNOS was greater in pulmonary arteries and aortas from E2β-treated compared with control rats. However, mRNA levels did not differ between groups. Thus we conclude that in vivo E2β treatment augments endothelium-dependent dilation in aorta and lung, increasing expression of eNOS independently of sustained augmented gene transcription.


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