scholarly journals Musashi proteins are post-transcriptional regulators of the epithelial-luminal cell state

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yarden Katz ◽  
Feifei Li ◽  
Nicole Lambert ◽  
Ethan M Sokol ◽  
Wai-Leong Tam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
State Regulation ◽  
Luminal Cell ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Cell State

The conserved Musashi (Msi) family of RNA binding proteins are expressed in stem/progenitor and cancer cells, but mostly absent from differentiated cells, consistent with a role in cell state regulation. We found that Msi genes are rarely mutated but frequently overexpressed in human cancers, and associated with an epithelial-luminal cell state. Using ribosome footprint profiling and RNA-seq analysis of genetic mouse models in neuronal and mammary cell types, we found that Msis regulate translation of genes implicated in epithelial cell biology and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and promote an epithelial splicing pattern. Overexpression of Msi proteins inhibited translation of genes required for EMT, including Jagged1, and repressed EMT in cell culture and in mammary gland in vivo, while knockdown in epithelial cancer cells led to loss of epithelial identity. Our results show that mammalian Msi proteins contribute to an epithelial gene expression program and promote an epithelial-luminal state in both neural and breast cell types.

scholarly journals Musashi proteins are post-transcriptional regulators of the epithelial-luminal cell state

eLife ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yarden Katz ◽  
Feifei Li ◽  
Nicole J Lambert ◽  
Ethan S Sokol ◽  
Wai-Leong Tam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
State Regulation ◽  
Ribosome Profiling ◽  
Luminal Cell ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Cell State

The conserved Musashi (Msi) family of RNA binding proteins are expressed in stem/progenitor and cancer cells, but generally absent from differentiated cells, consistent with a role in cell state regulation. We found that Msi genes are rarely mutated but frequently overexpressed in human cancers and are associated with an epithelial-luminal cell state. Using ribosome profiling and RNA-seq analysis, we found that Msi proteins regulate translation of genes implicated in epithelial cell biology and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and promote an epithelial splicing pattern. Overexpression of Msi proteins inhibited the translation of Jagged1, a factor required for EMT, and repressed EMT in cell culture and in mammary gland in vivo. Knockdown of Msis in epithelial cancer cells promoted loss of epithelial identity. Our results show that mammalian Msi proteins contribute to an epithelial gene expression program in neural and mammary cell types.

scholarly journals Characterization of MRP RNA–protein interactions within the perinucleolar compartment

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 858-866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Callie Pollock ◽  
Kelly Daily ◽  
Van Trung Nguyen ◽  
Chen Wang ◽  
Marzena Anna Lewandowska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Gene Expression Regulation ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Mitochondrial Rna ◽  
Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase ◽  
Perinucleolar Compartment

The perinucleolar compartment (PNC) forms in cancer cells and is highly enriched with a subset of polymerase III RNAs and RNA-binding proteins. Here we report that PNC components mitochondrial RNA–processing (MRP) RNA, pyrimidine tract–binding protein (PTB), and CUG-binding protein (CUGBP) interact in vivo, as demonstrated by coimmunoprecipitation and RNA pull-down experiments. Glycerol gradient analyses show that this complex is large and sediments at a different fraction from known MRP RNA–containing complexes, the MRP ribonucleoprotein ribozyme and human telomerase reverse transcriptase. Tethering PNC components to a LacO locus recruits other PNC components, further confirming the in vivo interactions. These interactions are present both in PNC-containing and -lacking cells. High-resolution localization analyses demonstrate that MRP RNA, CUGBP, and PTB colocalize at the PNC as a reticulated network, intertwining with newly synthesized RNA. Furthermore, green fluorescent protein (GFP)–PTB and GFP-CUGBP show a slower rate of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching at the PNC than in the nucleoplasm, illustrating the different molecular interaction of the complexes associated with the PNC. These findings support a working model in which the MRP RNA–protein complex becomes nucleated at the PNC in cancer cells and may play a role in gene expression regulation at the DNA locus that associates with the PNC.

scholarly journals Neuron-specific cTag-CLIP reveals cell-specific diversity of functional RNA regulation in the brain

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuhki Saito ◽  
Yuan Yuan ◽  
Ilana Zucker-Scharff ◽  
John J. Fak ◽  
Yoko Tajima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Coordination ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Synapse Formation ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Knock Out ◽  
Knock Out Mice ◽  
Cerebellar Purkinje Cells ◽  
The Brain

SUMMARYRNA-binding proteins (RBPs) regulate genetic diversity, but the degree to which they do so in individual cell-types in vivo is unknown. We employed NOVA2 cTag-CLIP to generate functional RBP-RNA maps from single neuronal populations in the mouse brain. Combining cell-type specific data from Nova2-cTag and Nova2 conditional knock-out mice revealed differential NOVA2 regulatory actions (e.g. alternative splicing) on the same transcripts in different neurons, including in cerebellar Purkinje cells, where NOVA2 acts as an essential factor for proper motor coordination and synapse formation. This also led to the discovery of a mechanism by which NOVA2 action leads to different outcomes in different cells on the same transcripts: NOVA2 is able to regulate retained introns, which subsequently serve as scaffolds for another trans-acting splicing factor, PTBP2. Our results describe differential roles and mechanisms by which RBPs mediate RNA diversity in different neurons and consequent functional outcomes within the brain.

scholarly journals An autoregulation loop in fust-1 for circular RNA regulation in Caenorhabditis elegans

Genetics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Cao
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Exon Skipping ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Circular Rna ◽  
Circular Rnas ◽  
Fused In Sarcoma ◽  
Isoform B

Abstract Many circular RNAs (circRNAs) are differentially expressed in different tissues or cell types, suggestive of specific factors that regulate their biogenesis. Here, taking advantage of available mutation strains of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in Caenorhabditis elegans, I performed a screening of circRNA regulation in 13 conserved RBPs. Among them, loss of FUST-1, the homolog of Fused in Sarcoma (FUS), caused downregulation of multiple circRNAs. By rescue experiments, I confirmed FUST-1 as a circRNA regulator. Through RNA sequencing using circRNA-enriched samples, circRNAs targets regulated by FUST-1 were identified globally, with hundreds of them significantly altered. Furthermore, I showed that FUST-1 regulates circRNA formation with only small to little effect on the cognate linear mRNAs. When recognizing circRNA pre-mRNAs, FUST-1 can affect both exon-skipping and circRNA in the same genes. Moreover, I identified an autoregulation loop in fust-1, where FUST-1, isoform a (FUST-1A) promotes the skipping of exon 5 of its own pre-mRNA, which produces FUST-1, isoform b (FUST-1B) with different N-terminal sequences. FUST-1A is the functional isoform in circRNA regulation. Although FUST-1B has the same functional domains as FUST-1A, it cannot regulate either exon-skipping or circRNA formation. This study provided an in vivo investigation of circRNA regulation, which will be helpful to understand the mechanisms that govern circRNA formation.

scholarly journals Hsa_circ_0004296 inhibits metastasis of prostate cancer by interacting with EIF4A3 to prevent nuclear export of ETS1 mRNA

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiyu Mao ◽  
Wentao Zhang ◽  
Fuhan Yang ◽  
Yadong Guo ◽  
Hong Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Nuclear Export ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Transcriptional Level ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Potential Biomarker ◽  
Gain And Loss

Abstract Background Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been shown to play vital biological functions in various tumors, including prostate cancer (PCa). However, the roles of circRNAs in the metastasis of PCa remain unclear. In the present study, differentially expressed circRNAs associated with PCa metastasis were screened using high-throughput RNA sequencing, from which hsa_circ_0004296 was identified. Methods Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of circ_0004296 in PCa tissues and adjacent normal tissues as well as in blood and urine. Gain and loss of function experiments were performed to investigate the function of circ_0004296 in PCa. Bioinformatics analyses, RNA pull-down assay, and mass spectrometry were conducted to identify RNA-binding proteins. RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA and protein nuclear-cytoplasmic fractionation were performed to investigate the underlying mechanism. A xenograft mouse model was used to analyze the effect of circ_0004296 on PCa growth and metastasis in vivo. Results The expression of circ_0004296 was decreased in PCa tissues, blood, and urine, which was negatively associated with metastasis. Furthermore, gain and loss of function experiments in vitro and in vivo showed that circ_0004296 inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of PCa cells. Mechanistically, circ_0004296 regulated host gene ETS1 expression at the post-transcriptional level. EIF4A3 was identified and confirmed as the downstream binding protein of circ_0004296. EIF4A3 expression was significantly upregulated in PCa tissues and associated with PCa metastasis. Silencing EIF4A3 suppressed PCa cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT. Conclusions Circ_0004296 overexpression efficiently inhibited ETS1 mRNA nuclear export by promoting EIF4A3 retention in the nucleus, leading to the downregulation of ETS1 expression and suppression of PCa metastasis; thus, circ_0004296 might be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for patients with PCa.

scholarly journals Predicting dynamic cellular protein–RNA interactions by deep learning using in vivo RNA structures

Cell Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Sun ◽  
Kui Xu ◽  
Wenze Huang ◽  
Yucheng T. Yang ◽  
Pan Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Rna Structure ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Genetic Diseases ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Cellular Protein ◽  
Rna Structures ◽  
Additional Cell

AbstractInteractions with RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are integral to RNA function and cellular regulation, and dynamically reflect specific cellular conditions. However, presently available tools for predicting RBP–RNA interactions employ RNA sequence and/or predicted RNA structures, and therefore do not capture their condition-dependent nature. Here, after profiling transcriptome-wide in vivo RNA secondary structures in seven cell types, we developed PrismNet, a deep learning tool that integrates experimental in vivo RNA structure data and RBP binding data for matched cells to accurately predict dynamic RBP binding in various cellular conditions. PrismNet results for 168 RBPs support its utility for both understanding CLIP-seq results and largely extending such interaction data to accurately analyze additional cell types. Further, PrismNet employs an “attention” strategy to computationally identify exact RBP-binding nucleotides, and we discovered enrichment among dynamic RBP-binding sites for structure-changing variants (riboSNitches), which can link genetic diseases with dysregulated RBP bindings. Our rich profiling data and deep learning-based prediction tool provide access to a previously inaccessible layer of cell-type-specific RBP–RNA interactions, with clear utility for understanding and treating human diseases.

scholarly journals Single-cell lineage and transcriptome reconstruction of metastatic cancer reveals selection of aggressive hybrid EMT states

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamen P Simeonov ◽  
China N Byrns ◽  
Megan L Clark ◽  
Robert J Norgard ◽  
Beth Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Lung Metastases ◽  
Metastatic Cancer ◽  
The Body ◽  
Human Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition

AbstractMetastatic cancer remains largely incurable due to an incomplete understanding of how cancer cells disseminate throughout the body. However, tools for probing metastatic dissemination and associated molecular changes at high resolution are lacking. Here we present multiplexed, activatable, clonal, and subclonal GESTALT (macsGESTALT), an inducible lineage recorder with concurrent single cell readout of transcriptional and phylogenetic information. By integrating multiple copies of combined static barcodes and evolving CRISPR/Cas9 barcodes, macsGESTALT enables clonal tracing and subclonal phylogenetic reconstruction, respectively. High barcode editing and recovery rates produce deep lineage reconstructions, densely annotated with transcriptomic information. Applying macsGESTALT to a mouse model of metastatic pancreatic cancer, we reconstruct dissemination of tens-of-thousands of single cancer cells representing 95 clones and over 6,000 unique subclones across multiple distant sites, e.g. liver and lung metastases. Transcriptionally, cells exist along a continuum of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vivo with graded changes in associated signaling, metabolic, and regulatory processes. Lineage analysis reveals that from a majority of non-metastatic, highly epithelial clones, a single dominant clone that has progressed along EMT drives the majority of metastasis. Within this dominant clone a parallel process occurs, where a small number of aggressive subclones drive clonal outgrowth. By precisely mapping subclones along the EMT continuum, we find that size and dissemination gradually increase, peaking at late-hybrid EMT states but precipitously falling once subclones are highly mesenchymal. Late-hybrid EMT states are selected from a predominately epithelial ancestral pool, enabling rapid metastasis but also forcing extensive and continuous population bottlenecking. Notably, late-hybrid gene signatures are associated with decreased survival in human pancreatic cancer, while epithelial, early-hybrid, and highly mesenchymal states are not. Our findings illuminate features of metastasis and EMT with the potential for therapeutic exploitation. Ultimately, macsGESTALT provides a powerful, accessible tool for probing cancer and stem cell biology in vivo.

scholarly journals Principles of RNA processing from analysis of enhanced CLIP maps for 150 RNA binding proteins

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric L Van Nostrand ◽  
Gabriel A Pratt ◽  
Brian A Yee ◽  
Emily Wheeler ◽  
Steven M Blue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rna Processing ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Integrated Analysis ◽  
Branch Points

AbstractA critical step in uncovering rules of RNA processing is to study the in vivo regulatory networks of RNA binding proteins (RBPs). Crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (CLIP) methods enabled mapping RBP targets transcriptome-wide, but methodological differences present challenges to large-scale integrated analysis across datasets. The development of enhanced CLIP (eCLIP) enabled the large-scale mapping of targets for 150 RBPs in K562 and HepG2, creating a unique resource of RBP interactomes profiled with a standardized methodology in the same cell types. Here we describe our analysis of 223 enhanced (eCLIP) datasets characterizing 150 RBPs in K562 and HepG2 cell lines, revealing a range of binding modalities, including highly resolved positioning around splicing signals and mRNA untranslated regions that associate with distinct RBP functions. Quantification of enrichment for repetitive and abundant multi-copy elements reveals 70% of RBPs have enrichment for non-mRNA element classes, enables identification of novel ribosomal RNA processing factors and sites and suggests that association with retrotransposable elements reflects multiple RBP mechanisms of action. Analysis of spliceosomal RBPs indicates that eCLIP resolves AQR association after intronic lariat formation (enabling identification of branch points with single-nucleotide resolution) and provides genome-wide validation for a branch point-based scanning model for 3’ splice site recognition. Further, we show that eCLIP peak co-occurrences across RBPs enables the discovery of novel co-interacting RBPs. Finally, we present a protocol for visualization of RBP:RNA complexes in the eCLIP workflow using biotin and standard chemiluminescent visualization reagents, enabling simplified confirmation of ribonucleoprotein enrichment without radioactivity. This work illustrates the value of integrated analysis across eCLIP profiling of RBPs with widely distinct functions to reveal novel RNA biology. Further, our quantification of both mRNA and other element association will enable further research to identify novel roles of RBPs in regulating RNA processing.

scholarly journals IFN-γ induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of cancer cells via an unique microRNA processing

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
U-Ging Lo ◽  
Rey-Chen Pong ◽  
Diane Yang ◽  
Leah Gandee ◽  
Elizabeth Hernandez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Epithelial To Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Interferon Γ ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Microrna Processing ◽  
Cell Invasiveness

ABSTRACTInterferon-γ (IFNγ) is a potent cytokine in modulating tumor immunity and tumoricidal effects. We demonstrate a new function of IFNγ in inducing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in normal and cancer cells from different cell types. IFNγ activates JAK-STAT signaling pathway leading to the transcription of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs), such as interferon-induced tetratricopeptide repeat 5 (IFIT5). We unveil a new function of IFIT5 complex in degrading precursor microRNAs (pre-miRNA) that include pre-miR-363 from the miR-106a-363 cluster, as well as pre-miR-101 and pre-miR-128 with a similar 5’-end structure with pre-miR-363. Noticeably, these suppressive miRNAs have similar functions by targeting EMT transcription factors in prostate cancer (PCa) cells. We further demonstrated that IFIT5 plays a critical role in IFNγ-induced cell invasiveness in vitro and lung metastasis in vivo. Clinically, IFIT5 is highly elevated in high-grade PCa and its expression inversely correlates with these suppressive miRNAs. Altogether, this study unveils pro-tumorigenic role of the IFN pathway via a new mechanism of action, which certainly raises concern about its clinical application.

scholarly journals An alternative splicing switch in FLNB promotes the mesenchymal cell state in human breast cancer

eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Li ◽  
Peter S Choi ◽  
Christine L Chaffer ◽  
Katherine Labella ◽  
Justin H Hwang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Alternative Splicing ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Human Cancer ◽  
Mesenchymal Cell ◽  
Actin Binding ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Cell State ◽  
A Genome

Alternative splicing of mRNA precursors represents a key gene expression regulatory step and permits the generation of distinct protein products with diverse functions. In a genome-scale expression screen for inducers of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), we found a striking enrichment of RNA-binding proteins. We validated that QKI and RBFOX1 were necessary and sufficient to induce an intermediate mesenchymal cell state and increased tumorigenicity. Using RNA-seq and eCLIP analysis, we found that QKI and RBFOX1 coordinately regulated the splicing and function of the actin-binding protein FLNB, which plays a causal role in the regulation of EMT. Specifically, the skipping of FLNB exon 30 induced EMT by releasing the FOXC1 transcription factor. Moreover, skipping of FLNB exon 30 is strongly associated with EMT gene signatures in basal-like breast cancer patient samples. These observations identify a specific dysregulation of splicing, which regulates tumor cell plasticity and is frequently observed in human cancer.

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