scholarly journals DAP5 enables translation re-initiation on structured messenger RNAs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramona Weber ◽  
Leon Kleemann ◽  
Insa Hirschberg ◽  
Min-Yi Chung ◽  
Eugene Valkov ◽  
...  

SummaryHalf of mammalian transcripts contain short upstream open reading frames (uORFs) that potentially regulate translation of the downstream coding sequence (CDS). The molecular mechanisms governing these events remain poorly understood. Here we find that the non-canonical initiation factor Death-associated protein 5 (DAP5 or eIF4G2) is selectively required for re-initiation at the main CDS following uORF translation. Using ribosome profiling and luciferase-based reporters coupled with mutational analysis we show that DAP5-mediated re-initiation occurs on messenger RNAs (mRNAs) with long, structure-prone 5′ leader sequences and persistent uORF translation. These mRNAs preferentially code for signalling factors such as kinases and phosphatases. We also report that cap/eIF4F- and eIF4A-dependent recruitment of DAP5 to the mRNA facilitates re-initiation by unrecycled post-termination 40S subunits. Our study reveals important mechanistic insights into how a non-canonical translation initiation factor involved in stem cell fate shapes the synthesis of specific signalling factors.

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 911
Author(s):  
Joana Silva ◽  
Pedro Nina ◽  
Luísa Romão

ATP-binding cassette subfamily E member 1 (ABCE1) belongs to the ABC protein family of transporters; however, it does not behave as a drug transporter. Instead, ABCE1 actively participates in different stages of translation and is also associated with oncogenic functions. Ribosome profiling analysis in colorectal cancer cells has revealed a high ribosome occupancy in the human ABCE1 mRNA 5′-leader sequence, indicating the presence of translatable upstream open reading frames (uORFs). These cis-acting translational regulatory elements usually act as repressors of translation of the main coding sequence. In the present study, we dissect the regulatory function of the five AUG and five non-AUG uORFs identified in the human ABCE1 mRNA 5′-leader sequence. We show that the expression of the main coding sequence is tightly regulated by the ABCE1 AUG uORFs in colorectal cells. Our results are consistent with a model wherein uORF1 is efficiently translated, behaving as a barrier to downstream uORF translation. The few ribosomes that can bypass uORF1 (and/or uORF2) must probably initiate at the inhibitory uORF3 or uORF5 that efficiently repress translation of the main ORF. This inhibitory property is slightly overcome in conditions of endoplasmic reticulum stress. In addition, we observed that these potent translation-inhibitory AUG uORFs function equally in cancer and in non-tumorigenic colorectal cells, which is consistent with a lack of oncogenic function. In conclusion, we establish human ABCE1 as an additional example of uORF-mediated translational regulation and that this tight regulation contributes to control ABCE1 protein levels in different cell environments.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E Weinberg ◽  
Premal Shah ◽  
Stephen W Eichhorn ◽  
Jeffrey A Hussmann ◽  
Joshua B Plotkin ◽  
...  

Ribosome-footprint profiling provides genome-wide snapshots of translation, but technical challenges can confound its analysis. Here, we use improved methods to obtain ribosome-footprint profiles and mRNA abundances that more faithfully reflect gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our results support proposals that both the beginning of coding regions and codons matching rare tRNAs are more slowly translated. They also indicate that emergent polypeptides with as few as three basic residues within a 10-residue window tend to slow translation. With the improved mRNA measurements, the variation attributable to translational control in exponentially growing yeast was less than previously reported, and most of this variation could be predicted with a simple model that considered mRNA abundance, upstream open reading frames, cap-proximal structure and nucleotide composition, and lengths of the coding and 5′- untranslated regions. Collectively, our results reveal key features of translational control in yeast and provide a framework for executing and interpreting ribosome- profiling studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Bohlen ◽  
Liza Harbrecht ◽  
Saioa Blanco ◽  
Katharina Clemm von Hohenberg ◽  
Kai Fenzl ◽  
...  

Abstract Translation efficiency varies considerably between different mRNAs, thereby impacting protein expression. Translation of the stress response master-regulator ATF4 increases upon stress, but the molecular mechanisms are not well understood. We discover here that translation factors DENR, MCTS1 and eIF2D are required to induce ATF4 translation upon stress by promoting translation reinitiation in the ATF4 5′UTR. We find DENR and MCTS1 are only needed for reinitiation after upstream Open Reading Frames (uORFs) containing certain penultimate codons, perhaps because DENR•MCTS1 are needed to evict only certain tRNAs from post-termination 40S ribosomes. This provides a model for how DENR and MCTS1 promote translation reinitiation. Cancer cells, which are exposed to many stresses, require ATF4 for survival and proliferation. We find a strong correlation between DENR•MCTS1 expression and ATF4 activity across cancers. Furthermore, additional oncogenes including a-Raf, c-Raf and Cdk4 have long uORFs and are translated in a DENR•MCTS1 dependent manner.


2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (8) ◽  
pp. 1376-1389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cláudia Onofre ◽  
Filipa Tomé ◽  
Cristina Barbosa ◽  
Ana Luísa Silva ◽  
Luísa Romão

The gene encoding human hemojuvelin (HJV) is one of the genes that, when mutated, can cause juvenile hemochromatosis, an early-onset inherited disorder associated with iron overload. The 5′ untranslated region of the human HJV mRNA has two upstream open reading frames (uORFs), with 28 and 19 codons formed by two upstream AUGs (uAUGs) sharing the same in-frame stop codon. Here we show that these uORFs decrease the translational efficiency of the downstream main ORF in HeLa and HepG2 cells. Indeed, ribosomal access to the main AUG is conditioned by the strong uAUG context, which results in the first uORF being translated most frequently. The reach of the main ORF is then achieved by ribosomes that resume scanning after uORF translation. Furthermore, the amino acid sequences of the uORF-encoded peptides also reinforce the translational repression of the main ORF. Interestingly, when iron levels increase, translational repression is relieved specifically in hepatic cells. The upregulation of protein levels occurs along with phosphorylation of the eukaryotic initiation factor 2α. Nevertheless, our results support a model in which the increasing recognition of the main AUG is mediated by a tissue-specific factor that promotes uORF bypass. These results support a tight HJV translational regulation involved in iron homeostasis.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anica Scholz ◽  
Florian Eggenhofer ◽  
Rick Gelhausen ◽  
Björn Grüning ◽  
Kathi Zarnack ◽  
...  

AbstractRibosome profiling (ribo-seq) provides a means to analyze active translation by determining ribosome occupancy in a transcriptome-wide manner. The vast majority of ribosome protected fragments (RPFs) resides within the protein-coding sequence of mRNAs. However, commonly reads are also found within the transcript leader sequence (TLS) (aka 5’ untranslated region) preceding the main open reading frame (ORF), indicating the translation of regulatory upstream ORFs (uORFs). Here, we present a workflow for the identification of translation-regulatory uORFs. Specifically, uORF-Tools identifies uORFs within a given dataset and generates a uORF annotation file. In addition, a comprehensive human uORF annotation file, based on 35 ribo-seq files, is provided, which can serve as an alternative input file for the workflow. To assess the translation-regulatory activity of the uORFs, stimulus-induced changes in the ratio of the RPFs residing in the main ORFs relative to those found in the associated uORFs are determined. The resulting output file allows for the easy identification of candidate uORFs, which have translation-inhibitory effects on their associated main ORFs. uORF-Tools is available as a free and open Snakemake workflow at https://github.com/Biochemistry1-FFM/uORF-Tools. It is easily installed and all necessary tools are provided in a version-controlled manner, which also ensures lasting usability. uORF-Tools is designed for intuitive use and requires only limited computing times and resources.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shohei Kitano ◽  
Gabriel Pratt ◽  
Keizo Takao ◽  
Yasunori Aizawa

SUMMARYUpstream open reading frames (uORFs) are established as cis-acting elements for eukaryotic translation of annotated ORFs (anORFs) located on the same mRNAs. Here, we identified a mammalian uORF with functions that are independent from anORF translation regulation. Bioinformatics screening using ribosome profiling data of human and mouse brains yielded 308 neurologically vital genes from which anORF and uORFs are polycistronically translated in both species. Among them, Arhgef9 contains a uORF named SPICA, which is highly conserved among vertebrates and stably translated only in specific brain regions of mice. Disruption of SPICA translation by ATG-to-TAG substitutions did not perturb translation or function of its anORF product, collybistin. SPICA-null mice displayed abnormal maternal reproductive performance and enhanced anxiety-like behavior, characteristic of ARHGEF9-associated neurological disorders. This study demonstrates that mammalian uORFs can be independent genetic units, revising the prevailing dogma of the monocistronic gene in mammals, and even eukaryotes.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Murat ◽  
Giovanni Marsico ◽  
Barbara Herdy ◽  
Avazeh Ghanbarian ◽  
Guillem Portella ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTRNA secondary structures in the 5’ untranslated regions (UTRs) of mRNAs have been characterised as key determinants of translation initiation. However the role of non-canonical secondary structures, such as RNA G-quadruplexes (rG4s), in modulating translation of human mRNAs and the associated mechanisms remain largely unappreciated. Here we use a ribosome profiling strategy to investigate the translational landscape of human mRNAs with structured 5’ untranslated regions (5’-UTR). We found that inefficiently translated mRNAs, containing rG4-forming sequences in their 5’-UTRs, have an accumulation of ribosome footprints in their 5’-UTRs. We show that rG4-forming sequences are determinants of 5’-UTR translation, suggesting that the folding of rG4 structures thwarts the translation of protein coding sequences (CDS) by stimulating the translation of repressive upstream open reading frames (uORFs). To support our model, we demonstrate that depletion of two rG4s-specialised DEAH-box helicases, DHX36 and DHX9, shifts translation towards rG4-containing uORFs reducing the translation of selected transcripts comprising proto-oncogenes, transcription factors and epigenetic regulators. Transcriptome-wide identification of DHX9 binding sites using individual-nucleotide resolution UV crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (iCLIP) demonstrate that translation regulation is mediated through direct physical interaction between the helicase and its rG4 substrate. Our findings unveil a previously unknown role for non-canonical structures in governing 5’-UTR translation and suggest that the interaction of helicases with rG4s could be considered as a target for future therapeutic intervention.


2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 1848-1859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy Janich ◽  
Alaaddin Bulak Arpat ◽  
Violeta Castelo-Szekely ◽  
Maykel Lopes ◽  
David Gatfield

PLoS Genetics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. e1009775
Author(s):  
Mennatallah M. Y. Albarqi ◽  
Sean P. Ryder

RNA regulation is essential to successful reproduction. Messenger RNAs delivered from parent to progeny govern early embryonic development. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are the key effectors of this process, regulating the translation and stability of parental transcripts to control cell fate specification events prior to zygotic gene activation. The KH-domain RBP MEX-3 is conserved from nematode to human. It was first discovered in Caenorhabditis elegans, where it is essential for anterior cell fate and embryo viability. Here, we show that loss of the endogenous mex-3 3´UTR disrupts its germline expression pattern. An allelic series of 3´UTR deletion variants identify repressing regions of the UTR and demonstrate that repression is not precisely coupled to reproductive success. We also show that several RBPs regulate mex-3 mRNA through its 3´UTR to define its unique germline spatiotemporal expression pattern. Additionally, we find that both poly(A) tail length control and the translation initiation factor IFE-3 contribute to its expression pattern. Together, our results establish the importance of the mex-3 3´UTR to reproductive health and its expression in the germline. Our results suggest that additional mechanisms control MEX-3 function when 3´UTR regulation is compromised.


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