Article
Microbiology
Joseph T. Smith Jr, Brianna Tylec, Arunasalam Naguleswaran, Isabel Roditi, Laurie K. Read
Summary: This study reveals the importance of mitochondrial mRNA editing in the developmental regulation of Trypanosoma brucei. The researchers found that temperature reduction and depletion of the differentiation-repressive kinase RDK1 can affect the metabolism of Trypanosoma brucei by altering the editing of mitochondrial cytochrome mRNAs.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Feng He, Allan Jacobson
Summary: Decapping is an enzymatic process that removes the 5' cap structures from mRNAs in eukaryotic cells, leading to mRNA degradation. In yeast, mRNA decapping is carried out by a specific decapping enzyme and regulated by decapping activators. This process plays a crucial role in controlling mRNA stability and turnover in various degradation pathways.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Nofar Baron, Nitin Tupperwar, Irit Dahan, Uzi Hadad, Geula Davidov, Raz Zarivach, Michal Shapira
Summary: Leishmania parasites cycle between sand-fly vectors and mammalian hosts, adapting to changing environments through stage-specific gene expression regulation. Translation initiation is controlled post-transcriptionally in Leishmania, with LeishIF4E2 showing unique characteristics and functions that differ from other translation factors. Deletion of one LeishIF4E2 gene copy led to altered morphology, changes in proteome profiles, and impaired infectivity in macrophages, suggesting specific functions for individual LeishIF4Es.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Paula Andrea Castaneda Londono, Nicole Banholzer, Bridget Bannermann, Susanne Kramer
Summary: ALPHs originated from bacterial ApaH protein and are found in all eukaryotic super-groups. Most eukaryotes have either lost ALPH enzyme or use it exclusively outside the cytoplasm. Only 71 non-Kinetoplastida organisms have short ALPH proteins with cytoplasmic localisation, but whether these are used as decapping enzymes in addition to Dcp2 remains to be explored.
BMC ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dennis Reichert, Henning D. Mootz, Andrea Rentmeister
Summary: Gene expression is tightly regulated with post-transcriptional regulation more pronounced in higher eukaryotes. Optochemical and optogenetic approaches enable the actuation of underlying processes by light. Research has shown that light can induce increased translation activity in eukaryotes.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Melissa van Duelmen, Nils Muthmann, Andrea Rentmeister
Summary: Eukaryotic mRNAs can be modified with site-specific chemo-enzymatic methods to enhance immune response, offering a potential strategy for future therapeutic applications.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sinclair Cooper, Elizabeth S. Wadsworth, Achim Schnaufer, Nicholas J. Savill
Summary: The mitochondrial DNA of protists of order Kinetoplastida consists of thousands of interlinked circular molecules. It includes two types of molecules, minicircles and maxicircles. Minicircles encode guide RNA (gRNA) genes that mediate post-transcriptional editing of maxicircle encoded genes. The human sleeping sickness parasite Trypanosoma brucei has a diverse set of minicircle classes, some of which contain decaying remnants of once functional gRNA genes. The sequencing and annotation of minicircle classes in T. brucei subspecies and isolates have provided valuable data for understanding their structure and transcription.
Review
Cell Biology
K. L. B. Borden, B. Culjkovic-Kraljacic, V. H. Cowling
Summary: The addition of m(7)G cap on RNA transcripts is essential for their protein coding capacity and biochemical activity. Steady-state capping is a dynamic and regulatable feature, with capping status fluctuating during differentiation and development. In some primary cancer specimens, capping levels may be elevated for transcripts encoding proteins involved in proliferation and survival.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Masahito Inagaki, Naoko Abe, Zhenmin Li, Yuko Nakashima, Susit Acharyya, Kazuya Ogawa, Daisuke Kawaguchi, Haruka Hiraoka, Ayaka Banno, Zheyu Meng, Mizuki Tada, Tatsuma Ishida, Pingxue Lyu, Kengo Kokubo, Hirotaka Murase, Fumitaka Hashiya, Yasuaki Kimura, Satoshi Uchida, Hiroshi Abe
Summary: Starting with the clinical application of two vaccines in 2020, mRNA therapeutics are currently being investigated for various applications. Removing uncapped mRNA is important in mRNA research and clinical applications. This study developed a method to separate capped mRNA from uncapped mRNA using hydrophobic photocaged tag-modified cap analogs, achieving 100% capping efficiency. It was found that the Cap-2-type mRNA showed higher translational activity compared to the Cap-1-type mRNA prepared by the standard capping method.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jun Katahira, Tatsuya Ohmae, Mayo Yasugi, Ryosuke Sasaki, Yumi Itoh, Tomoko Kohda, Miki Hieda, Masami Yokota Hirai, Toru Okamoto, Yoichi Miyamoto
Summary: To facilitate replication, viruses can block host gene expression by targeting processes such as mRNA nuclear export. In this study, it was found that Nsp14, a viral replicase subunit, inhibits mRNA nuclear export, leading to accumulation of RNA in the cell nucleus and disruption of nuclear speckles. Dysregulation of splicing and mRNA processing was observed in SARS-CoV-2-infected cells. The inhibitory activities of Nsp14 were diminished by a mutation in its guanine-N7-methyltransferase active site. The compromise of the nuclear cap-binding complex (NCBC) function by N7-methyl-GTP, produced in Nsp14-expressing cells, leads to defects in mRNA processing and export, representing a novel viral strategy to block host gene expression.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Annamalai Senthilvelan, Tyson Vonderfecht, Muthian Shanmugasundaram, Indra Pal, Jason Potter, Anilkumar R. Kore
Summary: A newly synthesized trinucleotide cap analogue containing a locked nucleic acid (LNA) moiety has been shown to outperform standard cap analogues in translational efficiency, with a fivefold increase compared to the traditional caps. This new cap analogue holds promise for applications in molecular biology.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gatikrushna Singh, Bradley Seufzer, Zhenwei Song, Dora Zucko, Xiao Heng, Kathleen Boris-Lawrie
Summary: This study reveals the relationship between incomplete processing and hypermethylation of HIV-1 transcripts, as well as the role of trimethylguanosine synthetase-1 in HIV-1 infectivity and protein synthesis. The study also uncovers the interaction between nuclear RNA helicase A and the shape of the 5' untranslated region primer binding site, and the relationship between HIV-1 virion protein synthesis and host translation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
James Budzak, Gloria Rudenko
Summary: The African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei has a dense layer of Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG) coat that protects it from immune attack. High levels of RNA transcription and pre-mRNA processing, as well as chromatin rearrangement, are important for the abundant expression of VSG.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wenxue Li, Mingxue Tan, Huiqi Wang, Ziwei Wang, Yaqin Pang, Rongfang Yang, Shiyuan Zhong, Xinhong Pan, Shen Chen, Qing Wang, Daochuan Li, Yongmei Xiao, Wen Chen, Liping Chen
Summary: This study investigates the role of m6A methylation in the development of liver disease caused by long-term exposure to cadmium. The findings suggest that METTL3 plays a crucial role in cadmium-induced hepatotoxicity, and its overexpression attenuates liver injury in mice. Transcriptome analysis reveals the dysregulation of metabolic pathways, signaling pathways, and circadian rhythm as potential mechanisms underlying cadmium-induced liver toxicity.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael A. Tartell, Konstantinos Boulias, Gabriela Brunsting Hoffmann, Louis-Marie Bloyet, Eric Lieberman Greer, Sean P. J. Whelan
Summary: The host cell N6adenosine mRNA cap methylase PCIF1 attenuates antiviral responses to viruses like VSV by modifying mRNA cap structures. This modification does not affect mRNA stability, translation or viral infectivity, but it weakens the antiviral effects of interferon-beta treatment. The function of PCIF1 and cap-proximal m6Am in host response attenuation likely extends to other viruses such as rabies and measles.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fatih Inci, Chiara Filippini, Murat Baday, Mehmet Ozgun Ozen, Semih Calamak, Naside Gozde Durmus, ShuQi Wang, Emily Hanhauser, Kristen S. Hobbs, Franceline Juillard, Ping Ping Kuang, Michael L. Vetter, Margot Carocci, Hidemi S. Yamamoto, Yuko Takagi, Umit Hakan Yildiz, Demir Akin, Duane R. Wesemann, Amit Singhal, Priscilla L. Yang, Max L. Nibert, Raina N. Fichorova, Daryl T. -Y. Lau, Timothy J. Henrich, Kenneth M. Kaye, Steven C. Schachter, Daniel R. Kuritzkes, Lars M. Steinmetz, Sanjiv S. Gambhir, Ronald W. Davis, Utkan Demirci
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2015)
Article
Microbiology
Paul Smith, C. Kiong Ho, Yuko Takagi, Hakim Djaballah, Stewart Shuman
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Seisuke Yamashita, Yuko Takagi, Takashi Nagaike, Kozo Tomita
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2017)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Christina Wahl, Tong Li, Yuko Takagi, Howard Howland
JOURNAL OF ANATOMY
(2011)
Article
Virology
Mandy E. W. Janssen, Yuko Takagi, Kristin N. Parent, Giovanni Cardone, Max L. Nibert, Timothy S. Baker
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2015)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Raina N. Fichorova, Yujin Lee, Hidemi S. Yamamoto, Yuko Takagi, Gary R. Hayes, Russell P. Goodman, Xenia Chepa-Lotrea, Olivia R. Buck, Ryan Murray, Tomasz Kula, David H. Beach, Bibhuti N. Singh, Max L. Nibert
Article
Infectious Diseases
Raina N. Fichorova, Olivia R. Buck, Hidemi S. Yamamoto, Titilayo Fashemi, Hassan Y. Dawood, Bisiayo Fashemi, Gary R. Hayes, David H. Beach, Yuko Takagi, Mary L. Delaney, Max L. Nibert, Bibhuti N. Singh, Andrew B. Onderdonk
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
(2013)
Article
Microbiology
Kristin N. Parent, Yuko Takagi, Giovanni Cardone, Norman H. Olson, Maria Ericsson, May Yang, Yujin Lee, John M. Asara, Raina N. Fichorova, Timothy S. Baker, Max L. Nibert
Article
Virology
Max L. Nibert, Yuko Takagi
CURRENT OPINION IN VIROLOGY
(2013)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Yuko Takagi, Hirokazu Nosato, Motomichi Doi, Koji Furukawa, Hidenori Sakanashi
Article
Infectious Diseases
Yuko Takagi, Yukie Akutsu, Motomichi Doi, Koji Furukawa
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yukie Akutsu, Motomichi Doi, Koji Furukawa, Yuko Takagi
JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuko Takagi, Naoyuki Kuwabara, Truong Tat Dang, Koji Furukawa, C. Kiong Ho
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Yuko Takagi, Mari Sato, Masami Naya, Chikara Sato
Summary: Atmospheric Scanning Electron Microscopy (ASEM) is a powerful tool for high-resolution observation of wet specimens under atmospheric pressure. In this study, researchers successfully visualized the infection cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi in host mammalian cells using ASEM, which provided important insights into the internal structures of the parasite and the dynamic changes of host cellular structures.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)