Project description:Mature messenger RNAs (mRNAs) consist of coding sequence (CDS) and 5’ and 3’ untranslated regions, typically expected to show similar abundance within a given neuron. Examining mRNA from defined neurons we unexpectedly show extremely common unbalanced expression of cognate 3’ UTR and CDS sequences, observing many genes with high UTR relative to CDS, and others with high CDS to UTR. By in situ hybridization 19 of 19 genes examined show a broad range of UTR to CDS expression ratios in different neurons and other tissues. These ratios may be spatially graded or change with developmental age, but are consistent across animals. Further, for two genes examined, a UTR to CDS ratio above a particular threshold in any given neuron correlated with reduced or undetectable protein expression. Our findings raise questions about the role of isolated UTR sequences in regulation of protein expression, and highlight the importance of separately examining UTR and CDS sequences in gene expression analyses.
Project description:The impact of RNA structures in coding sequences (CDS) within mRNAs is poorly understood. Here we identify a novel and highly conserved mechanism of translational control involving RNA structures within coding sequences and the DEAD-box helicase Dhh1. Using yeast genetics and genome-wide ribosome profiling analyses we show that this mechanism, initially derived from studies of the Brome Mosaic virus RNA genome, extends to yeast and human mRNAs highly enriched in membrane and secreted proteins. All Dhh1-dependent mRNAs, viral and cellular, share key common features. First, they contain long and highly structured CDSs, including a region located around nucleotide 70 after the translation initiation site, second, they are directly bound by Dhh1 with a specific binding distribution and third, complementary experimental approaches suggest that they are activated by Dhh1 at the translation initiation step. Our results show that ribosome translocation is not the only unwinding force of CDS and uncover a novel layer of translational control that involves RNA helicases and RNA folding within CDS providing novel opportunities for regulation of membrane and secretome proteins.
Project description:A phylogenetic analysis of seven different species (human, mouse, rat, worm, fly, yeast, and plant) utilizing all (541) basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) genes identified, including expressed sequence tags (EST), was performed. A super-tree involving six clades and a structural categorization involving the entire coding sequence was established. A nomenclature was developed based on clade distribution to discuss the functional and ancestral relationships of all the genes. The position/location of specific genes on the phylogenetic tree in relation to known bHLH factors allows for predictions of the potential functions of uncharacterized bHLH factors, including EST's. A genomic analysis using microarrays for four different mouse cell types (i.e. Sertoli, Schwann, thymic, and muscle) was performed and considered all known bHLH family members on the microarray for comparison. Cell-specific groups of bHLH genes helped clarify those bHLH genes potentially involved in cell specific differentiation. This phylogenetic and genomic analysis of the bHLH gene family has revealed unique aspects of the evolution and functional relationships of the different genes in the bHLH gene family. PMID: 18557763 We used microarrays to determine bHLH expression in 20d rat Sertoli cells.
Project description:A phylogenetic analysis of seven different species (human, mouse, rat, worm, fly, yeast, and plant) utilizing all (541) basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) genes identified, including expressed sequence tags (EST), was performed. A super-tree involving six clades and a structural categorization involving the entire coding sequence was established. A nomenclature was developed based on clade distribution to discuss the functional and ancestral relationships of all the genes. The position/location of specific genes on the phylogenetic tree in relation to known bHLH factors allows for predictions of the potential functions of uncharacterized bHLH factors, including EST's. A genomic analysis using microarrays for four different mouse cell types (i.e. Sertoli, Schwann, thymic, and muscle) was performed and considered all known bHLH family members on the microarray for comparison. Cell-specific groups of bHLH genes helped clarify those bHLH genes potentially involved in cell specific differentiation. This phylogenetic and genomic analysis of the bHLH gene family has revealed unique aspects of the evolution and functional relationships of the different genes in the bHLH gene family. PMID: 18557763 We used microarrays to determine bHLH expression in 20d rat Sertoli cells. RNA samples from two control groups (Sertoli cells cultured for 72 h) are compared to two treated groups (Sertoli cells cultured for 72 h with cAMP).
Project description:Stomata open in response to light and close following exposure to abscisic acid (ABA). They regulate gas exchange between plants and atmosphere, allowing plants to adapt to changing environmental conditions. ABA binding to receptors initiates a signaling cascade that involves protein phosphorylation. Here we show that ABA induced phosphorylation of three basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors, called AKSs (ABA-RESPONSIVE KINASE SUBSTRATES; AKS1, AKS2, AKS3), in Arabidopsis guard cells, and that they facilitated stomatal opening through the transcription of genes encoding inwardly-rectifying K+ channels. aks1aks2-1 double mutant plants showed decreases in light-induced stomatal opening, K+ accumulation in response to light, activity of inwardly-rectifying K+ channels, and transcription of genes encoding major inwardly-rectifying K+ channels without affecting ABA-mediated stomatal closure. Overexpression of POTASSIUM CHANNEL IN ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA 1 (KAT1), which encodes a major inwardly-rectifying K+ channel in guard cells, rescued the phenotype of aks1aks2-1 plants. AKS1 bound directly to the promoter of KAT1, an interaction that was attenuated after ABA-induced phosphorylation. The ABA agonist pyrabactin induced phosphorylation of AKSs. Our results demonstrate that the AKS family of bHLH transcription factors facilitates stomatal opening through transcription of genes encoding inwardly-rectifying K+ channels, and that ABA suppresses the activity of inwardly-rectifying K+ channel activity by triggering the phosphorylation of these transcription factors. Microarray data have been deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus with accession number: GSE46574.
Project description:The plant hormone jasmonic acid (JA) has been known as a signal molecule that is induced by various stresses and mediates plant defense responses. Rice O. sativa inductively produces variety of defensive compounds upon abiotic and biotic stress conditions, such as wounding and insect attack. The bHLH transcription factor RERJ1 has previously been identified as JA-inducible factor whose expression is also rapidly induced by wounding. We identified RERJ1-dependent and wound-inducible genes by comparison with transcriptomes of wound treated wild-type and a Tos17-rerj1 defective mutant rice.