scholarly journals Regulation of FXR1 by alternative splicing is required for muscle development and controls liquid-like condensates in muscle cells

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean A. Smith ◽  
Ennessa G. Curry ◽  
R. Eric Blue ◽  
Christine Roden ◽  
Samantha E. R. Dundon ◽  
...  

SUMMARYFragile-X mental retardation autosomal homolog-1 (FXR1) is a muscle-enriched RNA-binding protein. FXR1 depletion is perinatally lethal in mice, Xenopus, and zebrafish; however, the mechanisms driving these phenotypes remain unclear. The FXR1 gene undergoes alternative splicing, producing multiple protein isoforms and mis-splicing has been implicated in disease. Furthermore, mutations that cause frameshifts in muscle-specific isoforms result in congenital multi-minicore myopathy. We observed that FXR1 alternative splicing is pronounced in the serine and arginine-rich intrinsically-disordered domain; these domains are known to promote biomolecular condensation. Here, we show that tissue-specific splicing of fxr1 is required for Xenopus development and alters the disordered domain of FXR1. FXR1 isoforms vary in the formation of RNA-dependent biomolecular condensates in cells and in vitro. This work shows that regulation of tissue-specific splicing can influence FXR1 condensates in muscle development and how mis-splicing promotes disease.HIGHLIGHTSThe muscle-specific exon 15 impacts FXR1 functionsAlternative splicing of FXR1 is tissue- and developmental stage specificFXR1 forms RNA-dependent condensatesSplicing regulation changes FXR1 condensate properties

2020 ◽  
Vol 219 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean A. Smith ◽  
Ennessa G. Curry ◽  
R. Eric Blue ◽  
Christine Roden ◽  
Samantha E.R. Dundon ◽  
...  

Fragile-X mental retardation autosomal homologue-1 (FXR1) is a muscle-enriched RNA-binding protein. FXR1 depletion is perinatally lethal in mice, Xenopus, and zebrafish; however, the mechanisms driving these phenotypes remain unclear. The FXR1 gene undergoes alternative splicing, producing multiple protein isoforms and mis-splicing has been implicated in disease. Furthermore, mutations that cause frameshifts in muscle-specific isoforms result in congenital multi-minicore myopathy. We observed that FXR1 alternative splicing is pronounced in the serine- and arginine-rich intrinsically disordered domain; these domains are known to promote biomolecular condensation. Here, we show that tissue-specific splicing of fxr1 is required for Xenopus development and alters the disordered domain of FXR1. FXR1 isoforms vary in the formation of RNA-dependent biomolecular condensates in cells and in vitro. This work shows that regulation of tissue-specific splicing can influence FXR1 condensates in muscle development and how mis-splicing promotes disease.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashish Ashok Kawale ◽  
J. Matthew Taliaferro ◽  
Hyun-Seo Kang ◽  
Christoph Hartmüller ◽  
Arie Geerlof ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Drosophila melanogaster LS2 protein is a tissue-specific paralog of U2AF2 that mediates testis-specific alternative splicing. In order to understand the structural mechanisms underlying the distinct RNA binding specificity we determined the solution structures of the LS2 RNA recognition motif (RRM) domains and characterized their interaction with cis-regulatory guanosine-rich RNA motifs found in intron regions upstream of alternatively spliced exons. We show that the guanosine-rich RNA adopts a G quadruplex (G4) fold in vitro. The LS2 tandem RRMs adopt canonical RRM folds that are connected by a 38-residue linker that harbors a small helical motif α0. The LS2 RRM2 domain and the α0 helix in the interdomain linker mediate interactions with the G4 RNA. The functional importance of these unique molecular features in LS2 is validated by mutational analysis in vitro and RNA splicing assays in vivo. RNA sequencing data confirm the enrichment of G4-forming LS2 target motifs near LS2-affected exons. Our data indicate a role of G quadruplex structures as cis-regulatory motifs in introns for the regulation of alternative splicing, that engage non-canonical interactions with a tandem RRM protein. These results highlight the intriguing molecular evolution of a tissue-specific splicing factor from its conserved U2AF2 paralog as a result of (retro-) gene duplication in D. melanogaster.


Oncogene ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiuxia Yan ◽  
Peng Zeng ◽  
Xiuqin Zhou ◽  
Xiaoying Zhao ◽  
Runqiang Chen ◽  
...  

AbstractThe prognosis for patients with metastatic bladder cancer (BCa) is poor, and it is not improved by current treatments. RNA-binding motif protein X-linked (RBMX) are involved in the regulation of the malignant progression of various tumors. However, the role of RBMX in BCa tumorigenicity and progression remains unclear. In this study, we found that RBMX was significantly downregulated in BCa tissues, especially in muscle-invasive BCa tissues. RBMX expression was negatively correlated with tumor stage, histological grade and poor patient prognosis. Functional assays demonstrated that RBMX inhibited BCa cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion in vitro and suppressed tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Mechanistic investigations revealed that hnRNP A1 was an RBMX-binding protein. RBMX competitively inhibited the combination of the RGG motif in hnRNP A1 and the sequences flanking PKM exon 9, leading to the formation of lower PKM2 and higher PKM1 levels, which attenuated the tumorigenicity and progression of BCa. Moreover, RBMX inhibited aerobic glycolysis through hnRNP A1-dependent PKM alternative splicing and counteracted the PKM2 overexpression-induced aggressive phenotype of the BCa cells. In conclusion, our findings indicate that RBMX suppresses BCa tumorigenicity and progression via an hnRNP A1-mediated PKM alternative splicing mechanism. RBMX may serve as a novel prognostic biomarker for clinical intervention in BCa.


2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (13) ◽  
pp. 4687-4700 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Kate Dredge ◽  
Robert B. Darnell

ABSTRACT Nova is a neuron-specific RNA binding protein targeted in patients with the autoimmune disorder paraneoplastic opsoclonus-myoclonus ataxia, which is characterized by failure of inhibition of brainstem and spinal motor systems. Here, we have biochemically confirmed the observation that splicing regulation of the inhibitory GABAA receptor γ2 (GABAARγ2) subunit pre-mRNA exon E9 is disrupted in mice lacking Nova-1. To elucidate the mechanism by which Nova-1 regulates GABAARγ2 alternative splicing, we systematically screened minigenes derived from the GABAARγ2 and human β-globin genes for their ability to support Nova-dependent splicing in transient transfection assays. These studies demonstrate that Nova-1 acts directly on GABAARγ2 pre-mRNA to regulate E9 splicing and identify an intronic region that is necessary and sufficient for Nova-dependent enhancement of exon inclusion, which we term the NISE (Nova-dependent intronic splicing enhancer) element. The NISE element (located 80 nucleotides upstream of the splice acceptor site of the downstream exon E10) is composed of repeats of the sequence YCAY, consistent with previous studies of the mechanism by which Nova binds RNA. Mutation of these repeats abolishes binding of Nova-1 to the RNA in vitro and Nova-dependent splicing regulation in vivo. These data provide a molecular basis for understanding Nova regulation of GABAARγ2 alternative splicing and suggest that general dysregulation of Nova's splicing enhancer function may underlie the neurologic defects seen in Nova's absence.


2022 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. e202101342
Author(s):  
Elena Nikonova ◽  
Amartya Mukherjee ◽  
Ketaki Kamble ◽  
Christiane Barz ◽  
Upendra Nongthomba ◽  
...  

Protein isoform transitions confer muscle fibers with distinct properties and are regulated by differential transcription and alternative splicing. RNA-binding Fox protein 1 (Rbfox1) can affect both transcript levels and splicing, and is known to contribute to normal muscle development and physiology in vertebrates, although the detailed mechanisms remain obscure. In this study, we report that Rbfox1 contributes to the generation of adult muscle diversity in Drosophila. Rbfox1 is differentially expressed among muscle fiber types, and RNAi knockdown causes a hypercontraction phenotype that leads to behavioral and eclosion defects. Misregulation of fiber type–specific gene and splice isoform expression, notably loss of an indirect flight muscle–specific isoform of Troponin-I that is critical for regulating myosin activity, leads to structural defects. We further show that Rbfox1 directly binds the 3′-UTR of target transcripts, regulates the expression level of myogenic transcription factors myocyte enhancer factor 2 and Salm, and both modulates expression of and genetically interacts with the CELF family RNA-binding protein Bruno1 (Bru1). Rbfox1 and Bru1 co-regulate fiber type–specific alternative splicing of structural genes, indicating that regulatory interactions between FOX and CELF family RNA-binding proteins are conserved in fly muscle. Rbfox1 thus affects muscle development by regulating fiber type–specific splicing and expression dynamics of identity genes and structural proteins.


1998 ◽  
Vol 1998 ◽  
pp. 96-96
Author(s):  
P.D. McGrattan ◽  
A.R.G. Wylie ◽  
A.J. Bjourson

Alternative splicing of a discrete 36 base pair segment (exon 11) of the human and rat insulin receptor leads to the formation of high and low affinity isoforms differing as much as 3-fold in affinity for insulin. Alternative splicing is a common mechanism for generating protein isoforms and is often regulated in a tissue-specific fashion (Seino & Bell, 1989; Mosthaf et al., 1990). In humans, the lower affinity (B-isoform) mRNA transcript is predominantly expressed in tissues that are important for modulating glucose homeostasis such as the liver and muscle whereas the higher affinity (A-isoform) mRNA transcript is predominantly expressed in haematopoietic tissues such as spleen. Alternative splicing of the region of the ovine insulin receptor gene encoding exon 11 has recently been demonstrated (McGrattan et al., unpublished). The objective of the present study was to establish whether tissue-specific regulation of alternative splicing of the insulin receptor gene occurs in the ruminant animal.


Author(s):  
Anna Di Matteo ◽  
Elisa Belloni ◽  
Davide Pradella ◽  
Ambra Cappelletto ◽  
Nina Volf ◽  
...  

AbstractAlternative splicing (AS) is a pervasive molecular process generating multiple protein isoforms, from a single gene. It plays fundamental roles during development, differentiation and maintenance of tissue homeostasis, while aberrant AS is considered a hallmark of multiple diseases, including cancer. Cancer-restricted AS isoforms represent either predictive biomarkers for diagnosis/prognosis or targets for anti-cancer therapies. Here, we discuss the contribution of AS regulation in cancer angiogenesis, a complex process supporting disease development and progression. We consider AS programs acting in a specific and non-redundant manner to influence morphological and functional changes involved in cancer angiogenesis. In particular, we describe relevant AS variants or splicing regulators controlling either secreted or membrane-bound angiogenic factors, which may represent attractive targets for therapeutic interventions in human cancer.


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 466-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Lara-Pezzi ◽  
Manuel Desco ◽  
Alberto Gatto ◽  
María Victoria Gómez-Gaviro

The complexity of the mammalian brain requires highly specialized protein function and diversity. As neurons differentiate and the neuronal circuitry is established, several mRNAs undergo alternative splicing and other posttranscriptional changes that expand the variety of protein isoforms produced. Recent advances are beginning to shed light on the molecular mechanisms that regulate isoform switching during neurogenesis and the role played by specific RNA binding proteins in this process. Neurogenesis and neuronal wiring were recently shown to also be regulated by RNA degradation through nonsense-mediated decay. An additional layer of regulatory complexity in these biological processes is the interplay between alternative splicing and long noncoding RNAs. Dysregulation of posttranscriptional regulation results in defective neuronal differentiation and/or synaptic connections that lead to neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders.


Author(s):  
Ying Yang ◽  
Yang Geng ◽  
Dongyun Jiang ◽  
Lin Ning ◽  
Hyung Joon Kim ◽  
...  

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the leading monogenic cause of autism and intellectual disability. FXS is caused by loss of expression of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), an RNA-binding protein that regulates translation of numerous mRNA targets, some of which are present at synapses. While protein synthesis deficits have long been postulated as an etiology of FXS, how FMRP loss affects distributions of newly synthesized proteins is unknown. Here we investigated the role of FMRP in regulating expression of new copies of the synaptic protein PSD95 in an in vitro model of synaptic plasticity. We find that local BDNF application promotes persistent accumulation of new PSD95 at stimulated synapses and dendrites of cultured neurons, and that this accumulation is absent in FMRP-deficient mouse neurons. New PSD95 accumulation at sites of BDNF stimulation does not require known mechanisms regulating FMRP–mRNA interactions but instead requires the PI3K-mTORC1-S6K1 pathway. Surprisingly, in FMRP-deficient neurons, BDNF induction of new PSD95 accumulation can be restored by mTORC1-S6K1 blockade, suggesting that constitutively high mTORC1-S6K1 activity occludes PSD95 regulation by BDNF and that alternative pathways exist to mediate induction when mTORC1-S6K1 is inhibited. This study provides direct evidence for deficits in local protein synthesis and accumulation of newly synthesized protein in response to local stimulation in FXS, and supports mTORC1-S6K1 pathway inhibition as a potential therapeutic approach for FXS.


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