Functions of microRNAs in Drosophila development

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 1137-1143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher I. Jones ◽  
Sarah F. Newbury

Control of mRNA translation and degradation has been shown to be key in the development of complex organisms. The core mRNA degradation machinery is highly conserved in eukaryotes and relies on processive degradation enzymes gaining access to the mRNA. Control of mRNA stability in eukaryotes is also intimately linked to the regulation of translation. A key question in the control of mRNA turnover concerns the mechanisms whereby particular mRNAs are specifically degraded in response to cellular factors. Recently, microRNAs have been shown to bind specifically to mRNAs and regulate their expression via repression of translation and/or degradation. To understand the molecular mechanisms during microRNA repression of mRNAs, it is necessary to identify their biologically relevant targets. However, computational methods have so far proved unreliable, therefore verification of biologically important targets at present requires experimental analysis. The present review aims to outline the mechanisms of mRNA degradation and then focus on the role of microRNAs as factors affecting particular Drosophila developmental processes via their post-transcriptional effects on mRNA degradation and translation. Examples of experimentally verified targets of microRNAs in Drosophila are summarized.

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Godfrey Grech ◽  
Marieke von Lindern

Organisation of RNAs into functional subgroups that are translated in response to extrinsic and intrinsic factors underlines a relatively unexplored gene expression modulation that drives cell fate in the same manner as regulation of the transcriptome by transcription factors. Recent studies on the molecular mechanisms of inflammatory responses and haematological disorders indicate clearly that the regulation of mRNA translation at the level of translation initiation, mRNA stability, and protein isoform synthesis is implicated in the tight regulation of gene expression. This paper outlines how these posttranscriptional control mechanisms, including control at the level of translation initiation factors and the role of RNA binding proteins, affect hematopoiesis. The clinical relevance of these mechanisms in haematological disorders indicates clearly the potential therapeutic implications and the need of molecular tools that allow measurement at the level of translational control. Although the importance of miRNAs in translation control is well recognised and studied extensively, this paper will exclude detailed account of this level of control.


1990 ◽  
Vol 267 (1) ◽  
pp. 241-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Saini ◽  
P Thomas ◽  
B Bhandari

In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, glutamine synthetase (GS; EC 6.3.1.2) is subject to regulation by dexamethasone, insulin and dibutyryl cyclic AMP (Bt2cAMP). Dexamethasone increases GS-mRNA content and GS-gene transcription, whereas insulin and Bt2cAMP prevent these increases. The effects of these modulators on the control of GS-mRNA stability were investigated. We report here that GS mRNA has a half-life of about 110 min. Bt2cAMP increases GS-mRNA degradation by greater than 2-fold (half-life 50 min), whereas insulin or dexamethasone have little effect on GS-mRNA stability. Down-regulation of GS-gene expression by Bt2cAMP will involve a co-ordinate response at the level of gene transcription and mRNA stability. However, the molecular mechanisms by which insulin and dexamethasone regulate GS-gene expression in cultured adipocytes remains to be elucidated.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hélène Scheer ◽  
Caroline de Almeida ◽  
Emilie Ferrier ◽  
Quentin Simonnot ◽  
Laure Poirier ◽  
...  

AbstractUridylation is a widespread modification destabilizing eukaryotic mRNAs. Yet, molecular mechanisms underlying TUTase-mediated mRNA degradation remain mostly unresolved. Here, we report that the Arabidopsis TUTase URT1 participates in a molecular network connecting several translational repressors/decapping activators. URT1 directly interacts with DECAPPING 5 (DCP5), the Arabidopsis ortholog of human LSM14 and yeast Scd6, and this interaction connects URT1 to additional decay factors like DDX6/Dhh1-like RNA helicases. Nanopore direct RNA sequencing reveals a global role of URT1 in shaping poly(A) tail length, notably by preventing the accumulation of excessively deadenylated mRNAs. Based on in vitro and in planta data, we propose a model that explains how URT1 could reduce the accumulation of oligo(A)-tailed mRNAs both by favoring their degradation and because 3’ terminal uridines intrinsically hinder deadenylation. Importantly, preventing the accumulation of excessively deadenylated mRNAs avoids the biogenesis of illegitimate siRNAs that silence endogenous mRNAs and perturb Arabidopsis growth and development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Kovarik ◽  
Annika Bestehorn ◽  
Jeanne Fesselet

Regulated changes in mRNA stability are critical drivers of gene expression adaptations to immunological cues. mRNA stability is controlled mainly by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) which can directly cleave mRNA but more often act as adaptors for the recruitment of the RNA-degradation machinery. One of the most prominent RBPs with regulatory roles in the immune system is tristetraprolin (TTP). TTP targets mainly inflammation-associated mRNAs for degradation and is indispensable for the resolution of inflammation as well as the maintenance of immune homeostasis. Recent advances in the transcriptome-wide knowledge of mRNA expression and decay rates together with TTP binding sites in the target mRNAs revealed important limitations in our understanding of molecular mechanisms of TTP action. Such orthogonal analyses lead to the discovery that TTP binding destabilizes some bound mRNAs but not others in the same cell. Moreover, comparisons of various immune cells indicated that an mRNA can be destabilized by TTP in one cell type while it remains stable in a different cell linage despite the presence of TTP. The action of TTP extends from mRNA destabilization to inhibition of translation in a subset of targets. This article will discuss these unexpected context-dependent functions and their implications for the regulation of immune responses. Attention will be also payed to new insights into the role of TTP in physiology and tissue homeostasis.


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 339-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia A. Bicknell ◽  
Emiliano P. Ricci

Messenger RNA (mRNA) translation and mRNA degradation are important determinants of protein output, and they are interconnected. Previously, it was thought that translation of an mRNA, as a rule, prevents its degradation. mRNA surveillance mechanisms, which degrade mRNAs as a consequence of their translation, were considered to be exceptions to this rule. Recently, however, it has become clear that many mRNAs are degraded co-translationally, and it has emerged that codon choice, by influencing the rate of ribosome elongation, affects the rate of mRNA decay. In this review, we discuss the links between translation and mRNA stability, with an emphasis on emerging data suggesting that codon optimality may regulate mRNA degradation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuichiro Mishima ◽  
Peixun Han ◽  
Seisuke Kimura ◽  
Shintaro Iwasaki

The control of mRNA stability plays a central role in regulating gene expression patterns. Recent studies have revealed that codon composition in the open reading frame (ORF) determines mRNA stability in multiple organisms. Based on genome-wide correlation approaches, this previously unrecognized role of the genetic code is attributable to the kinetics of the codon-decoding process by the ribosome. However, complementary experimental analysis is required to define the codon effects on mRNA stability apart from the related cotranslational mRNA decay pathways such as those triggered by aberrant ribosome stalls. In the current study, we performed a set of reporter-based analyses to define codon-mediated mRNA decay and ribosome stall-dependent mRNA decay in zebrafish embryos. Our analysis showed that the effect of codons on mRNA stability stems from the decoding process, independent of Znf598 and stall-dependent mRNA decay. We propose that codon-mediated mRNA decay is triggered by transiently slowed ribosomes engaging in a productive translation cycle in zebrafish embryos.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hélène Scheer ◽  
Caroline de Almeida ◽  
Emilie Ferrier ◽  
Quentin Simonnot ◽  
Laure Poirier ◽  
...  

AbstractUridylation is a widespread modification destabilizing eukaryotic mRNAs. Yet, molecular mechanisms underlying TUTase-mediated mRNA degradation remain mostly unresolved. Here, we report that the Arabidopsis TUTase URT1 participates in a molecular network connecting several translational repressors/decapping activators. URT1 directly interacts with DECAPPING 5 (DCP5), the Arabidopsis ortholog of human LSM14 and yeast Scd6, and this interaction connects URT1 to additional decay factors like DDX6/Dhh1-like RNA helicases. Nanopore direct RNA sequencing reveals a global role of URT1 in shaping poly(A) tail length, notably by preventing the accumulation of excessively deadenylated mRNAs. Based on in vitro and in planta data, we propose a model that explains how URT1 could reduce the accumulation of oligo(A)-tailed mRNAs both by favoring their degradation and because 3’ terminal uridines intrinsically hinder deadenylation. Importantly, preventing the accumulation of excessively deadenylated mRNAs avoids the biogenesis of illegitimate siRNAs that silence endogenous mRNAs and perturb Arabidopsis growth and development.


2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 856-864 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Brook ◽  
Nicola K. Gray

The function of cytoplasmic PABPs [poly(A)-binding proteins] in promoting mRNA translation has been intensively studied. However, PABPs also have less clearly defined functions in mRNA turnover including roles in default deadenylation, a major rate-limiting step in mRNA decay, as well as roles in the regulation of mRNA turnover by cis-acting control elements and in the detection of aberrant mRNA transcripts. In the present paper, we review our current understanding of the complex roles of PABP1 in mRNA turnover, focusing on recent progress in mammals and highlighting some of the major questions that remain to be addressed.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (22) ◽  
pp. 9764-9772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hudan Liu ◽  
Megerditch Kiledjian

ABSTRACT mRNA degradation occurs through distinct pathways, one primarily from the 5′ end of the mRNA and the second from the 3′ end. Decay from the 3′ end generates the m7GpppN cap dinucleotide, which is subsequently hydrolyzed to m7Gp and ppN in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by a scavenger decapping activity termed Dcs1p. Although Dcs1p functions in the last step of mRNA turnover, we demonstrate that its activity modulates earlier steps of mRNA decay. Disruption of the DCS1 gene manifests a threefold increase of the TIF51A mRNA half-life. Interestingly, the hydrolytic activity of Dcs1p was essential for the altered mRNA turnover, as Dcs1p, but not a catalytically inactive Dcs1p mutant, complemented the increased mRNA stability. Mechanistic analysis revealed that 5′ to 3′ exoribonucleolytic activity was impeded in the dcs1Δ strain, resulting in the accumulation of uncapped mRNA. These data define a new role for the Dcs1p scavenger decapping enzyme and demonstrate a novel mechanism whereby the final step in the 3′ mRNA decay pathway can influence 5′ to 3′ exoribonucleolytic activity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1346
Author(s):  
Natalia Baulina ◽  
Ivan Kiselev ◽  
Olga Favorova

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that arises from interplay between non-genetic and genetic risk factors. The epigenetics functions as a link between these factors, affecting gene expression in response to external influence, and therefore should be extensively studied to improve the knowledge of MS molecular mechanisms. Among others, the epigenetic mechanisms underlie the establishment of parent-of-origin effects that appear as phenotypic differences depending on whether the allele was inherited from the mother or father. The most well described manifestation of parent-of-origin effects is genomic imprinting that causes monoallelic gene expression. It becomes more obvious that disturbances in imprinted genes at the least affecting their expression do occur in MS and may be involved in its pathogenesis. In this review we will focus on the potential role of imprinted genes in MS pathogenesis.


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