Article
Plant Sciences
Sho Ohno, Rikako Makishima, Motoaki Doi
Summary: This study reveals the occurrence of PTGS in bougainvillea, leading to the loss of betalain biosynthesis, indicating the significant role of PTGS in diversifying color patterns not only in anthocyanin biosynthesis but also in betalain biosynthesis.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Federico Betti, Maria Jose Ladera-Carmona, Daan A. Weits, Gianmarco Ferri, Sergio Iacopino, Giacomo Novi, Benedetta Svezia, Alicja B. Kunkowska, Antonietta Santaniello, Alberto Piaggesi, Elena Loreti, Pierdomenico Perata
Summary: Plants can uptake exogenous RNA to affect gene expression in nearby plants via RNAi mechanism, indicating a role of miRNA as signaling molecules for plant-to-plant communication. This communication mechanism requires the production of secondary siRNAs.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Mezmur D. Belew, Emilie Chien, W. Matthew Michael
Summary: The three genome silencing systems (TOP-2/condensin II, H3K9me, and PIE-1) are all involved in transcriptional repression in oocytes, with TOP-2/condensin II and H3K9me promoting H3K9me3 marks on chromatin, and PIE-1 localizing to the nucleolus prior to silencing. The dissolution of nucleolus during silencing is dependent on TOP-2/condensin II. These findings identify the molecular components and trigger for genome silencing in oocytes, and establish a link between PIE-1 nucleolar residency and transcriptional repression.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ava Handley, Qiuli Wu, Tessa Sherry, Rebecca Cornell, Roger Pocock
Summary: This study reveals that excess dietary glucose leads to reduced insulin-1 expression in the BAG glutamatergic sensory neurons in C. elegans. The transcription factor ETS-5 directly controls the expression of INS-1 in these neurons and is down-regulated by glucose. Furthermore, INS-1 acts exclusively through the BAG neurons to inhibit fat storage via the insulin-like receptor DAF-2.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Simone Larivera, Julia Neumeier, Gunter Meister
Summary: MicroRNA (miRNA)-guided gene silencing is a crucial regulatory process in different organisms and its dysregulation is associated with various human diseases. While the mechanisms of miRNA function have been extensively studied, the natural environment of miRNA as part of RNA-protein particles (RNPs) is often overlooked. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and protein readers of RNA modifications can modulate miRNA activity and contribute to post-transcriptional gene regulation. Therefore, gene regulation should be viewed as a dynamic and complex RNP world rather than isolated events.
BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sandeep Gopal, Aqilah Amran, Andre Elton, Leelee Ng, Roger Pocock
Summary: The study demonstrates that syndecan-1 in C. elegans regulates the expression of the GLP-1 receptor by promoting calcium-dependent binding, influencing germ cell mitosis. This reveals a potential communication pathway between somatic and germ cells to control germ cell fate.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Erica B. Esrick, Leslie E. Lehmann, Alessandra Biffi, Maureen Achebe, Christian Brendel, Marioara F. Ciuculescu, Heather Daley, Brenda MacKinnon, Emily Morris, Amy Federico, Daniela Abriss, Kari Boardman, Radia Khelladi, Kit Shaw, Helene Negre, Olivier Negre, Sarah Nikiforow, Jerome Ritz, Sung-Yun Pai, Wendy B. London, Colleen Dansereau, Matthew M. Heeney, Myriam Armant, John P. Manis, David A. Williams
Summary: This study confirms BCL11A inhibition as an effective approach for inducing HbF in sickle cell disease. Preliminary evidence suggests that shmik-based gene knockdown offers a favorable risk-benefit profile in treating sickle cell disease.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Martina S. Savova, Monika N. Todorova, Apostol G. Apostolov, Galina T. Yahubyan, Milen I. Georgiev
Summary: Obesity is a multifactorial health problem that requires innovative treatment strategies. This study focuses on betulinic acid (BA), a phytochemical known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplastic properties. The research shows that BA can effectively reduce lipid accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans and modulate genes, transcription factors, and microRNAs associated with lipid metabolism. These findings provide insights into the molecular mechanism of BA's anti-obesogenic effect and validate its potential as a candidate compound in obesity management.
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ana Rodriguez-Galan, Sara G. Dosil, Manuel Jose Gomez, Irene Fernandez-Delgado, Lola Fernandez-Messina, Fatima Sanchez-Cabo, Francisco Sanchez-Madrid
Summary: T cell activation results in changes in the miRNA repertoire, with some individual miRNAs being specifically upregulated. Using next-generation sequencing, differential expression of multiple miRNAs not previously linked to T cell activation was identified. Upregulated miRNAs showed a higher frequency of 3' adenylation, which may serve a protective function in the adverse environment and could be utilized to improve miRNA stability for T cell-targeted therapy.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Colin E. Delaney, Stephen P. Methot, Veronique Kala, Jan Seebacher, Daniel Hess, Susan M. Gasser, Jan Padeken
Summary: Genetic and genome-wide analysis of the SETDB1-like enzyme MET-2 in Caenorhabditis elegans reveals its role in promoting transcriptional silencing and fertility through both H3K9 methylation and focus formation. MET-2 has a noncatalytic function that contributes to gene repression. In normal development, MET-2 activity helps maintain fertility, while under heat stress, MET-2 foci disperse, resulting in increased acetylation and transcriptional derepression.
NATURE STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Charles Nelson, Victor Ambros
Summary: The let-7 gene encodes a highly conserved microRNA crucial for cell fate specification and developmental progression in animals. Some nematode species within the Caenorhabditis genus lack let-7 gene, but they possess let-7-family microRNAs that target LIN-41 mRNA.
G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pasi K. Korhonen, Tao Wang, Neil D. Young, Gangi R. Samarawickrama, Deepani D. Fernando, Guangxu Ma, Robin B. Gasser, Katja Fischer
Summary: This study revealed significant negative and positive correlations between miRNAs and gene transcription levels between different developmental stages of Sarcoptes scabiei, which may be associated with processes such as metabolism and genetic information processing.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Katherine A. Maniates, Benjamin S. Olson, Allison L. Abbott
Summary: Posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression, typically by RNA-binding proteins, microRNAs, and translation initiation factors, is crucial for normal germ cell function. Specific miRNAs, like mir-44 and mir-45, play a significant role in promoting sperm fate specification, acting as important posttranscriptional regulators of the germline sex determination pathway.
Article
Biology
Heesun Kim, Yue-He Ding, Shan Lu, Mei-Qing Zuo, Wendy Tan, Darryl Conte, Meng-Qiu Dong, Craig C. Mello
Summary: Germlines play a crucial role in maintaining germline fate and surveillance in adult germlines. Research has found that PIE-1 plays a key role in integrating and regulating genetic information, engaging in SUMO pathway and capturing HDAC SUMOylation.
Review
Plant Sciences
Vivian Zhong, Bella N. Archibald, Jennifer A. N. Brophy
Summary: This article reviews the transcription and translation processes in model plants Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana, discusses how our understanding of gene expression has been utilized in plant engineering, and highlights the differences in gene expression requirements among different species.
CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Miguel Quevillon Huberdeau, Martin J. Simard
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Lars Kristian Benner, Katherine Perkins Prothro, Katherine McJunkin
G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mi Seul Park, Raul Araya-Secchi, James A. Brackbill, Hong-Duc Phan, Audrey C. Kehling, Ekram W. Abd El-Wahab, Daniel M. Dayeh, Marcos Sotomayor, Kotaro Nakanishi
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yi-Chuan Li, Ti-Chun Chao, Hee Jong Kim, Timothy Cholko, Shin-Fu Chen, Guojie Li, Laura Snyder, Kotaro Nakanishi, Chia-en Chang, Kenji Murakami, Benjamin A. Garcia, Thomas G. Boyer, Kuang-Lei Tsai
Summary: The study reveals the structure of the Cdk8 kinase module (CKM), showing that Med12 activates Cdk8 by interacting with CycC, while Med13 has a characteristic Argonaute-like bi-lobal architecture. These findings provide insights into the functional and pathological mechanisms of CKM.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pavan Kumar Kakumani, Tanit Guitart, Francois Houle, Louis-Mathieu Harvey, Benjamin Goyer, Lucie Germain, Fatima Gebauer, Martin J. Simard
Summary: The study reveals that CSDE1 interacts with miRNA-induced silencing complex miRISC in melanoma, affecting the expression of PMEPA1 gene by binding with AGO2. Additionally, miRNA miR-129-5p also represses PMEPA1 expression in melanoma, collectively regulating the impact of PMEPA1 on the progression of melanoma.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Pascale Michaud, Vivek Nilesh Shah, Pauline Adjibade, Francois Houle, Miguel Quevillon Huberdeau, Rachel Rioux, Camille Lavoie-Ouellet, Weifeng Gu, Rachid Mazroui, Martin J. Simard
Summary: The study demonstrates that TBC-11 plays a crucial role in the miRNA pathway through RAB-6, emphasizing the importance of intracellular trafficking for miRNA function. Proper regulation of the intracellular location of Argonaute protein is essential for ensuring effective microRNA-mediated mRNA repression in animals.
Review
Cell Biology
Pierre-Marc Frederick, Martin J. Simard
Summary: miRNAs play a key role in gene expression regulation by forming the miRNA induced silencing complex (miRISC) with Argonaute protein to target specific mRNAs. The regulation of miRISC functions in animals involves post-translational modifications, 3' UTR environment, and interactions with other proteins. Subcellular localization and vesicular trafficking also play important roles in modulating miRISC function.
WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kotaro Nakanishi
Summary: The biosynthesis pathways of microRNAs have been well characterized, with small RNAs shorter than 19 nt also binding to AGO proteins and regulating mRNA expression post-transcriptionally.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kotaro Nakanishi
Summary: This review explores the completed structural catalog of the four AGO proteins, describing their common features and differences in target specificity, and emphasizing the unique roles of each AGO.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
GeunYoung Sim, Audrey C. Kehling, Mi Seul Park, Jackson Secor, Cameron Divoky, Huaqun Zhang, Nipun Malhotra, Divyaa Bhagdikar, Ekram W. Abd El-Wahab, Kotaro Nakanishi
Summary: MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a type of noncoding RNA with about 22 nucleotides, can form complexes with Argonaute (AGO) proteins to repress gene expression. This study discovered that certain exonucleases, including ISG20, TREX1, and ERI1, are capable of trimming AGO-associated full-length miRNAs to shorter tyRNAs in a manganese-dependent manner. The study also showed that ISG20-mediated trimming converts AGO3 into a slicer. These findings shed light on the roles of manganese-dependent exonucleases in gene silencing.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Miguel Quevillon Huberdeau, Vivek Nilesh Shah, Smita Nahar, Julia Neumeier, Francois Houle, Astrid Bruckmann, Foivos Gypas, Kotaro Nakanishi, Helge Grosshans, Gunter Meister, Martin J. Simard
Summary: Argonaute proteins are essential for microRNA-mediated gene silencing in animals. In C. elegans, phosphorylation of ALG-1 at serine 642 regulates microRNA binding, affecting development and viability. Protein kinase A (PKA) KIN-1 is identified as a potential kinase for phosphorylating ALG-1 at serine 642.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vivek Nilesh Shah, Julia Neumeier, Miguel Quevillon Huberdeau, Daniela M. Zeitler, Astrid Bruckmann, Gunter Meister, Martin J. Simard
Summary: The conserved serine/threonine kinases CK1A1 and CK2 regulate a phosphorylation cluster on the miRNA-specific AGO protein ALG-1, which is essential for miRISC-target RNA binding and silencing in Caenorhabditis elegans and humans.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mi Seul Park, GeunYoung Sim, Audrey C. Kehling, Kotaro Nakanishi
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2020)
Article
Biology
Pavan Kumar Kakumani, Louis-Mathieu Harvey, Francois Houle, Tanit Guitart, Fatima Gebauer, Martin J. Simard
LIFE SCIENCE ALLIANCE
(2020)