scholarly journals Molecular Evolution and Diversification of Proteins Involved in miRNA Maturation Pathway

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 299
Author(s):  
Taraka Ramji Moturu ◽  
Sansrity Sinha ◽  
Hymavathi Salava ◽  
Sravankumar Thula ◽  
Tomasz Nodzyński ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Evolution ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Functional Divergence ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Sequence Divergence ◽  
Mirna Biogenesis ◽  
Specific Sequence ◽  
Mirna Genes ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Function Relationship

Small RNAs (smRNA, 19–25 nucleotides long), which are transcribed by RNA polymerase II, regulate the expression of genes involved in a multitude of processes in eukaryotes. miRNA biogenesis and the proteins involved in the biogenesis pathway differ across plant and animal lineages. The major proteins constituting the biogenesis pathway, namely, the Dicers (DCL/DCR) and Argonautes (AGOs), have been extensively studied. However, the accessory proteins (DAWDLE (DDL), SERRATE (SE), and TOUGH (TGH)) of the pathway that differs across the two lineages remain largely uncharacterized. We present the first detailed report on the molecular evolution and divergence of these proteins across eukaryotes. Although DDL is present in eukaryotes and prokaryotes, SE and TGH appear to be specific to eukaryotes. The addition/deletion of specific domains and/or domain-specific sequence divergence in the three proteins points to the observed functional divergence of these proteins across the two lineages, which correlates with the differences in miRNA length across the two lineages. Our data enhance the current understanding of the structure–function relationship of these proteins and reveals previous unexplored crucial residues in the three proteins that can be used as a basis for further functional characterization. The data presented here on the number of miRNAs in crown eukaryotic lineages are consistent with the notion of the expansion of the number of miRNA-coding genes in animal and plant lineages correlating with organismal complexity. Whether this difference in functionally correlates with the diversification (or presence/absence) of the three proteins studied here or the miRNA signaling in the plant and animal lineages is unclear. Based on our results of the three proteins studied here and previously available data concerning the evolution of miRNA genes in the plant and animal lineages, we believe that miRNAs probably evolved once in the ancestor to crown eukaryotes and have diversified independently in the eukaryotes.

scholarly journals Origin and Evolution of a New Gene Descended From alcohol dehydrogenase in Drosophila

Genetics ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 145 (2) ◽  
pp. 375-382
Author(s):  
David J Begun
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Evolution ◽  
Alcohol Dehydrogenase ◽  
Functional Divergence ◽  
Sequence Divergence ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Repleta Group ◽  
Adh Genes ◽  
New Gene ◽  
Terminal Amino ◽  
Adh Activity

Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) is highly conserved in size, organization, and amino acid sequence. Adh-ψ was hypothesized to be a pseudogene derived from an Adh duplication in the repleta group of Drosophila; however, several results from molecular analyses of this gene conflict with currently held notions of molecular evolution. Perhaps the most difficult observations to reconcile with the pseudogene hypothesis are that the hypothetical replacement sites of Adh-ψ evolve only slightly more quickly than replacement sites of closely related, functional Adh genes, and that the replacement sites of the pseudogenes evolve considerably more slowly than neighboring silent sites. The data have been presented as a paradox that challenges our understanding of the mechanisms underlying DNA sequence divergence. Here I show that Adh-ψ is actually a new, functional gene recently descended from an Adh duplication. This descendant recruited ∼60 new N-terminal amino acids, is considerably more basic than ADH, and is evolving at a faster rate than Adh. Furthermore, though the descendant is clearly functional, as inferred from molecular evolution and population genetic data, it retains no obvious ADH activity. This probably reflects functional divergence from its Adh ancestor.

scholarly journals Positive Selection and Functional Divergence at Meiosis Genes That Mediate Crossing Over Across the Drosophila Phylogeny

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 3201-3211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara L. Brand ◽  
Lori Wright ◽  
Daven C. Presgraves
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Evolution ◽  
Positive Selection ◽  
Functional Divergence ◽  
Sequence Divergence ◽  
Genotypic Diversity ◽  
Crossing Over ◽  
Crossover Rate ◽  
Functional Consequences ◽  
Drosophila Phylogeny ◽  
Mcm Proteins

Meiotic crossing over ensures proper segregation of homologous chromosomes and generates genotypic diversity. Despite these functions, little is known about the genetic factors and population genetic forces involved in the evolution of recombination rate differences among species. The dicistronic meiosis gene, mei-217/mei-218, mediates most of the species differences in crossover rate and patterning during female meiosis between the closely related fruitfly species, Drosophila melanogaster and D. mauritiana. The MEI-218 protein is one of several meiosis-specific mini-chromosome maintenance (mei-MCM) proteins that form a multi-protein complex essential to crossover formation, whereas the BLM helicase acts as an anti-crossover protein. Here we study the molecular evolution of five genes— mei-218, the other three known members of the mei-MCM complex, and Blm— over the phylogenies of three Drosophila species groups— melanogaster, obscura, and virilis. We then use transgenic assays in D. melanogaster to test if molecular evolution at mei-218 has functional consequences for crossing over using alleles from the distantly related species D. pseudoobscura and D. virilis. Our molecular evolutionary analyses reveal recurrent positive selection at two mei-MCM genes. Our transgenic assays show that sequence divergence among mei-218 alleles from D. melanogaster, D. pseudoobscura, and D. virilis has functional consequences for crossing over. In a D. melanogaster genetic background, the D. pseudoobscura mei-218 allele nearly rescues wildtype crossover rates but alters crossover patterning, whereas the D. virilis mei-218 allele conversely rescues wildtype crossover patterning but not crossover rates. These experiments demonstrate functional divergence at mei-218 and suggest that crossover rate and patterning are separable functions.

scholarly journals Analysis of Sequence Divergence in Mammalian ABCGs Predicts a Structural Network of Residues That Underlies Functional Divergence

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 3012
Author(s):  
James I. Mitchell-White ◽  
Thomas Stockner ◽  
Nicholas Holliday ◽  
Stephen J. Briddon ◽  
Ian D. Kerr
Keyword(s):  
Substrate Specificity ◽  
Functional Divergence ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Sequence Divergence ◽  
Conformational Flexibility ◽  
Substrate Selectivity ◽  
Multiple Sequence ◽  
Atp Binding Cassette Transporters ◽  
Structural Network ◽  
Wide Substrate Specificity

The five members of the mammalian G subfamily of ATP-binding cassette transporters differ greatly in their substrate specificity. Four members of the subfamily are important in lipid transport and the wide substrate specificity of one of the members, ABCG2, is of significance due to its role in multidrug resistance. To explore the origin of substrate selectivity in members 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8 of this subfamily, we have analysed the differences in conservation between members in a multiple sequence alignment of ABCG sequences from mammals. Mapping sets of residues with similar patterns of conservation onto the resolved 3D structure of ABCG2 reveals possible explanations for differences in function, via a connected network of residues from the cytoplasmic to transmembrane domains. In ABCG2, this network of residues may confer extra conformational flexibility, enabling it to transport a wider array of substrates.

scholarly journals Repression of ESR1 through Actions of Estrogen Receptor Alpha and Sin3A at the Proximal Promoter

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (18) ◽  
pp. 4949-4958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie J. Ellison-Zelski ◽  
Natalia M. Solodin ◽  
Elaine T. Alarid
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Estrogen Receptor ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Transcriptional Repression ◽  
Estrogen Receptor Alpha ◽  
Proximal Promoter ◽  
Receptor Alpha ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Activation Of Transcription

ABSTRACT Gene expression results from the coordinated actions of transcription factor proteins and coregulators. Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that can both activate and repress the expression of genes. Activation of transcription by estrogen-bound ERα has been studied in detail, as has antagonist-induced repression, such as that which occurs by tamoxifen. How estrogen-bound ERα represses gene transcription remains unclear. In this report, we identify a new mechanism of estrogen-induced transcriptional repression by using the ERα gene, ESR1. Upon estrogen treatment, ERα is recruited to two sites on ESR1, one distal (ENH1) and the other at the proximal (A) promoter. Coactivator proteins, namely, p300 and AIB1, are found at both ERα-binding sites. However, recruitment of the Sin3A repressor, loss of RNA polymerase II, and changes in histone modifications occur only at the A promoter. Reduction of Sin3A expression by RNA interference specifically inhibits estrogen-induced repression of ESR1. Furthermore, an estrogen-responsive interaction between Sin3A and ERα is identified. These data support a model of repression wherein actions of ERα and Sin3A at the proximal promoter can overcome activating signals at distal or proximal sites and ultimately decrease gene expression.

Sequencing of Argonaute-bound miRNA/mRNA hybrids reveals regulation of the unfolded protein response by microRNA-320a

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J Fields ◽  
Lu Li ◽  
Nicholas M Hiers ◽  
Tianqi Li ◽  
Peike Sheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Mirna Biogenesis ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Colorectal Cancer Cells ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Protein Response

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are short non-coding RNAs widely implicated in gene regulation. Most metazoan miRNAs utilize the RNase III enzymes Drosha and Dicer for biogenesis. One notable exception is the RNA polymerase II transcription start sites (TSS) miRNAs whose biogenesis does not require Drosha. The functional importance of the TSS-miRNA biogenesis is uncertain. To better understand the function of TSS-miRNAs, we applied a modified Crosslinking, Ligation, and Sequencing of Hybrids on Argonaute (AGO-qCLASH) to identify the targets for TSS-miRNAs in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells with or without DROSHA knockout. We observed that miR-320a hybrids dominate in TSS-miRNA hybrids identified by AGO-qCLASH. Targets for miR-320a are enriched in the eIF2 signaling pathway, a downstream component of the unfolded protein response. Consistently, in miR-320a mimic- and antagomir- transfected cells, differentially expressed genes are enriched in eIF2 signaling. Within the AGO-qCLASH data, we identified the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone Calnexin as a direct miR-320a target, thus connecting miR-320a to the unfolded protein response. During ER stress, but not amino acid deprivation, miR-320a up-regulates ATF4, a critical transcription factor for resolving ER stress. Our study investigates the targetome of the TSS-miRNAs in colorectal cancer cells and establishes miR-320a as a regulator of unfolded protein response.

Functional analysis of a stable transcription arrest site in the first intron of the murine adenosine deaminase gene

1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2718-2729
Author(s):  
S F Kash ◽  
J W Innis ◽  
A U Jackson ◽  
R E Kellems
Keyword(s):  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Adenosine Deaminase ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Gel Filtration ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
Elongation Factor ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
First Intron ◽  
Intron 1

Transcription arrest plays a role in regulating the expression of a number of genes, including the murine adenosine deaminase (ADA) gene. We have previously identified two prominent arrest sites at the 5' end of the ADA gene: one in the first exon and one in the first intron (J. W. Innis and R. E. Kellems, Mol. Cell. Biol. 11:5398-5409, 1991). Here we report the functional characterization of the intron 1 arrest site, located 137 to 145 nucleotides downstream of the cap site. We have determined, using gel filtration, that the intron 1 arrest site is a stable RNA polymerase II pause site and that the transcription elongation factor SII promotes read-through at this site. Additionally, the sequence determinants for the pause are located within a 37-bp fragment encompassing this site (+123 to +158) and can direct transcription arrest in an orientation-dependent manner in the context of the ADA and adenovirus major late promoters. Specific point mutations in this region increase or decrease the relative pausing efficiency. We also show that the sequence determinants for transcription arrest can function when placed an additional 104 bp downstream of their natural position.

scholarly journals The Integrator complex regulates microRNA abundance through RISC loading

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Kirstein ◽  
Sadat Dokaneheifard ◽  
Pradeep Reddy Cingaram ◽  
Monica Guiselle Valencia ◽  
Felipe Beckedorff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Mature Mirnas ◽  
Mirna Biogenesis ◽  
Important Regulator ◽  
Rna Maturation ◽  
Nascent Transcripts ◽  
Post Transcriptional Regulation ◽  
Mirna Duplex

MicroRNA (miRNA) homeostasis is crucial for the post-transcriptional regulation of their target genes and miRNA dysregulation has been linked to multiple diseases, including cancer. The molecular mechanisms underlying miRNA biogenesis from processing of primary miRNA transcripts to formation of mature miRNA duplex are well understood. Loading of miRNA duplex into members of the Argonaute (Ago) protein family, representing the core of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), is pivotal to miRNA-mediated gene silencing. The Integrator complex has been previously shown to be an important regulator of RNA maturation, RNA polymerase II pause-release, and premature transcriptional termination. Here, we report that loss of Integrator results in global diminution of mature miRNAs. By incorporating 4-Thiouridine (s4U) in nascent transcripts, we traced miRNA fate from biogenesis to stabilization and identified Integrator to be essential for proper miRNA assembly into RISC. Enhanced UV crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (eCLIP) of Integrator confirms a robust association with mature miRNAs. Indeed, Integrator potentiates Ago2-mediated cleavage of target RNAs. These findings highlight an essential role for Integrator in miRNA abundance and RISC function.

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