scholarly journals Emerging Role of m6 A Methylome in Brain Development: Implications for Neurological Disorders and Potential Treatment

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Godwin Sokpor ◽  
Yuanbin Xie ◽  
Huu P. Nguyen ◽  
Tran Tuoc
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Brain Development ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Messenger Rna ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Progenitor Cell Proliferation ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Brain

Dynamic modification of RNA affords proximal regulation of gene expression triggered by non-genomic or environmental changes. One such epitranscriptomic alteration in RNA metabolism is the installation of a methyl group on adenosine [N6-methyladenosine (m6A)] known to be the most prevalent modified state of messenger RNA (mRNA) in the mammalian cell. The methylation machinery responsible for the dynamic deposition and recognition of m6A on mRNA is composed of subunits that play specific roles, including reading, writing, and erasing of m6A marks on mRNA to influence gene expression. As a result, peculiar cellular perturbations have been linked to dysregulation of components of the mRNA methylation machinery or its cofactors. It is increasingly clear that neural tissues/cells, especially in the brain, make the most of m6A modification in maintaining normal morphology and function. Neurons in particular display dynamic distribution of m6A marks during development and in adulthood. Interestingly, such dynamic m6A patterns are responsive to external cues and experience. Specific disturbances in the neural m6A landscape lead to anomalous phenotypes, including aberrant stem/progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation, defective cell fate choices, and abnormal synaptogenesis. Such m6A-linked neural perturbations may singularly or together have implications for syndromic or non-syndromic neurological diseases, given that most RNAs in the brain are enriched with m6A tags. Here, we review the current perspectives on the m6A machinery and function, its role in brain development and possible association with brain disorders, and the prospects of applying the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)–dCas13b system to obviate m6A-related neurological anomalies.

Linking transcription, RNA polymerase II elongation and alternative splicing

2020 ◽  
Vol 477 (16) ◽  
pp. 3091-3104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana E. Giono ◽  
Alberto R. Kornblihtt
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Alternative Splicing ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Transcription Elongation ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Regulation Of Transcription ◽  
Stepping Stones ◽  
Eukaryotic Transcription

Gene expression is an intricately regulated process that is at the basis of cell differentiation, the maintenance of cell identity and the cellular responses to environmental changes. Alternative splicing, the process by which multiple functionally distinct transcripts are generated from a single gene, is one of the main mechanisms that contribute to expand the coding capacity of genomes and help explain the level of complexity achieved by higher organisms. Eukaryotic transcription is subject to multiple layers of regulation both intrinsic — such as promoter structure — and dynamic, allowing the cell to respond to internal and external signals. Similarly, alternative splicing choices are affected by all of these aspects, mainly through the regulation of transcription elongation, making it a regulatory knob on a par with the regulation of gene expression levels. This review aims to recapitulate some of the history and stepping-stones that led to the paradigms held today about transcription and splicing regulation, with major focus on transcription elongation and its effect on alternative splicing.

scholarly journals Involvement of Thyroid Hormones in Brain Development and Cancer

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2693
Author(s):  
Gabriella Schiera ◽  
Carlo Maria Di Liegro ◽  
Italia Di Liegro
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Thyroid Hormones ◽  
Brain Development ◽  
Placental Transfer ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Mammalian Brain ◽  
Cancer Proliferation ◽  
Fetal Thyroid ◽  
Genomic Effects ◽  
And Function

The development and maturation of the mammalian brain are regulated by thyroid hormones (THs). Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism cause serious anomalies in the organization and function of the nervous system. Most importantly, brain development is sensitive to TH supply well before the onset of the fetal thyroid function, and thus depends on the trans-placental transfer of maternal THs during pregnancy. Although the mechanism of action of THs mainly involves direct regulation of gene expression (genomic effects), mediated by nuclear receptors (THRs), it is now clear that THs can elicit cell responses also by binding to plasma membrane sites (non-genomic effects). Genomic and non-genomic effects of THs cooperate in modeling chromatin organization and function, thus controlling proliferation, maturation, and metabolism of the nervous system. However, the complex interplay of THs with their targets has also been suggested to impact cancer proliferation as well as metastatic processes. Herein, after discussing the general mechanisms of action of THs and their physiological effects on the nervous system, we will summarize a collection of data showing that thyroid hormone levels might influence cancer proliferation and invasion.

Neurodevelopment in the first three years: implications for child development, professional practice and policy

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danya Glaser
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Maturation ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Brain Connections

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline brain structure and development, the relationship between environment and brain development and implications for practice. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a selected review of the literature and clinical experience. Findings – While genetics determine the sequence of brain maturation, the nature of brain development and functioning is determined by the young child's caregiving environment, to which the developing brain constantly adapts. The absence of input during sensitive periods may lead to later reduced functioning. There is an undoubted immediate equivalence between every mind function – emotion, cognition, behaviour and brain activity, although the precise location of this in the brain is only very partially determinable, since brain connections and function are extremely complex. Originality/value – This paper provides an overview of key issues in neurodevelopment relating to the development of young children, and implications for policy and practice.

scholarly journals Microglia, Cytokines, and Neural Activity: Unexpected Interactions in Brain Development and Function

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin Ferro ◽  
Yohan S. S. Auguste ◽  
Lucas Cheadle
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Signaling Molecules ◽  
Evolutionary Strategy ◽  
Inflammatory Signaling ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Brain

Intercellular signaling molecules such as cytokines and their receptors enable immune cells to communicate with one another and their surrounding microenvironments. Emerging evidence suggests that the same signaling pathways that regulate inflammatory responses to injury and disease outside of the brain also play powerful roles in brain development, plasticity, and function. These observations raise the question of how the same signaling molecules can play such distinct roles in peripheral tissues compared to the central nervous system, a system previously thought to be largely protected from inflammatory signaling. Here, we review evidence that the specialized roles of immune signaling molecules such as cytokines in the brain are to a large extent shaped by neural activity, a key feature of the brain that reflects active communication between neurons at synapses. We discuss the known mechanisms through which microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, respond to increases and decreases in activity by engaging classical inflammatory signaling cascades to assemble, remodel, and eliminate synapses across the lifespan. We integrate evidence from (1) in vivo imaging studies of microglia-neuron interactions, (2) developmental studies across multiple neural circuits, and (3) molecular studies of activity-dependent gene expression in microglia and neurons to highlight the specific roles of activity in defining immune pathway function in the brain. Given that the repurposing of signaling pathways across different tissues may be an important evolutionary strategy to overcome the limited size of the genome, understanding how cytokine function is established and maintained in the brain could lead to key insights into neurological health and disease.

RNA Modifications in the Central Nervous System

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Ohtan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Gene Expression Regulation ◽  
Spinal Injury ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Modified Nucleosides ◽  
Rna Modifications ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Post Transcriptional Regulation ◽  
The Brain

Epitranscriptomics, a recently emerged field to investigate post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression through enzyme-mediated RNA modifications, is rapidly evolving and integrating with neuroscience. Using a rich repertoire of modified nucleosides and strategically positioning them to the functionally important and evolutionarily conserved regions of the RNA, epitranscriptomics dictates RNA-mediated cell function. The new field is quickly changing our view of the genetic geography in the brain during development and plasticity, impacting major functions from cortical neurogenesis, circadian rhythm, learning and memory, to reward, addiction, stress, stroke, and spinal injury, etc. Thus understanding the molecular components and operational rules of this pathway is becoming a key for us to decipher the genetic code for brain development, function, and disease. What RNA modifications are expressed in the brain? What RNAs carry them and rely on them for function? Are they dynamically regulated? How are they regulated and how do they contribute to gene expression regulation and brain function? This chapter summarizes recent advances that are beginning to answer these questions.

scholarly journals Repression of Inappropriate Gene Expression in the Vertebrate Embryonic Ectoderm

Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 895 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoshana Reich ◽  
Daniel C. Weinstein
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Xenopus Laevis ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Cell Fate Determination ◽  
Vertebrate Development ◽  
Germ Layers ◽  
Inappropriate Gene Expression ◽  
Embryonic Ectoderm

During vertebrate embryogenesis, precise regulation of gene expression is crucial for proper cell fate determination. Much of what we know about vertebrate development has been gleaned from experiments performed on embryos of the amphibian Xenopus laevis; this review will focus primarily on studies of this model organism. An early critical step during vertebrate development is the formation of the three primary germ layers—ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm—which emerge during the process of gastrulation. While much attention has been focused on the induction of mesoderm and endoderm, it has become clear that differentiation of the ectoderm involves more than the simple absence of inductive cues; rather, it additionally requires the inhibition of mesendoderm-promoting genes. This review aims to summarize our current understanding of the various inhibitors of inappropriate gene expression in the presumptive ectoderm.

scholarly journals The Crosstalk between Acetylation and Phosphorylation: Emerging New Roles for HDAC Inhibitors in the Heart

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine Habibian ◽  
Bradley Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Protein Phosphorylation ◽  
Cross Talk ◽  
Electrostatic Interactions ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Hdac Inhibitors ◽  
Protein Activity ◽  
Histone Protein ◽  
Signal Transduction Protein ◽  
And Function

Approximately five million United States (U.S.) adults are diagnosed with heart failure (HF), with eight million U.S. adults projected to suffer from HF by 2030. With five-year mortality rates following HF diagnosis approximating 50%, novel therapeutic treatments are needed for HF patients. Pre-clinical animal models of HF have highlighted histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors as efficacious therapeutics that can stop and potentially reverse cardiac remodeling and dysfunction linked with HF development. HDACs remove acetyl groups from nucleosomal histones, altering DNA-histone protein electrostatic interactions in the regulation of gene expression. However, HDACs also remove acetyl groups from non-histone proteins in various tissues. Changes in histone and non-histone protein acetylation plays a key role in protein structure and function that can alter other post translational modifications (PTMs), including protein phosphorylation. Protein phosphorylation is a well described PTM that is important for cardiac signal transduction, protein activity and gene expression, yet the functional role for acetylation-phosphorylation cross-talk in the myocardium remains less clear. This review will focus on the regulation and function for acetylation-phosphorylation cross-talk in the heart, with a focus on the role for HDACs and HDAC inhibitors as regulators of acetyl-phosphorylation cross-talk in the control of cardiac function.

scholarly journals Computational modelling unravels the precise clockwork of cyanobacteria

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 20180038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas M. Schmelling ◽  
Ilka M. Axmann
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Gene Regulation ◽  
Circadian Clock ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Computational Modelling ◽  
Circadian Clocks ◽  
Fitness Advantage ◽  
Fundamental Part ◽  
Global Gene Regulation

Precisely timing the regulation of gene expression by anticipating recurring environmental changes is a fundamental part of global gene regulation. Circadian clocks are one form of this regulation, which is found in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes, providing a fitness advantage for these organisms. Whereas many different eukaryotic groups harbour circadian clocks, cyanobacteria are the only known oxygenic phototrophic prokaryotes to regulate large parts of their genes in a circadian fashion. A decade of intensive research on the mechanisms and functionality using computational and mathematical approaches in addition to the detailed biochemical and biophysical understanding make this the best understood circadian clock. Here, we summarize the findings and insights into various parts of the cyanobacterial circadian clock made by mathematical modelling. These findings have implications for eukaryotic circadian research as well as synthetic biology harnessing the power and efficiency of global gene regulation.

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