Project description:The lack of knowledge about extreme conservation in genomes remains a major gap in our understanding of the evolution of gene regulation. Here, we reveal an unexpected role of extremely conserved 5’UTRs in non-canonical translational regulation that is linked to the emergence of essential developmental features in vertebrate species. Endogenous deletion of conserved elements within these 5’UTRs decreased gene expression, and extremely conserved 5’UTRs possess cis-regulatory elements that promote cell-type specific regulation of translation. We further developed in-cell mutate-and-map (icM2), a novel methodology that maps RNA structure inside cells. Using icM2, we determined that an extremely conserved 5’UTR encodes multiple alternative structures and that each single nucleotide within the conserved element maintains the balance of alternative structures important to control the dynamic range of protein expression. These results explain how extreme sequence conservation can lead to RNA-level biological functions encoded in the untranslated regions of vertebrate genomes.
Project description:The lack of knowledge about extreme conservation in genomes remains a major gap in our understanding of the evolution of gene regulation. Here, we reveal an unexpected role of extremely conserved 5’UTRs in non-canonical translational regulation that is linked to the emergence of essential developmental features in vertebrate species. Endogenous deletion of conserved elements within these 5’UTRs decreased gene expression, and extremely conserved 5’UTRs possess cis-regulatory elements that promote cell-type specific regulation of translation. We further developed in-cell mutate-and-map (icM2), a novel methodology that maps RNA structure inside cells. Using icM2, we determined that an extremely conserved 5’UTR encodes multiple alternative structures and that each single nucleotide within the conserved element maintains the balance of alternative structures important to control the dynamic range of protein expression. These results explain how extreme sequence conservation can lead to RNA-level biological functions encoded in the untranslated regions of vertebrate genomes.
Project description:We used HSUR1 – a small non-coding RNA from Herpesvirus saimiri that induces degradation of host miR-27 – to validate structural insights into target-directed miRNA degradation (TDMD). While performing systematic mutagenesis of HSUR1 we noticed that HSUR1 mutants exhibiting complementarity to the extreme 3' end of miR-27, lead to generation of extended miR-27 isoforms (isomiRs). These isomiRs likely represent failed products of TDMD and could mean that features of the pairing between the TDMD target and miRNA dictate which enzymes are recruited to modify the miRNA 3′ end. Small RNA sequencing revealed that a mixture of adenylates and uridylates is added to the 3′ end of miR-27 during TDMD.
Project description:Two-thirds of gene promoters in mammals are associated with regions of non-methylated DNA, called CpG islands (CGIs), which counteract the repressive effects of DNA methylation. In lower vertebrates, computational CGI predictions often reside away from gene promoters, suggesting a major divergence in gene promoter architecture across vertebrates. By experimentally identifying non-methylated DNA in the genomes of seven diverse vertebrates, we instead reveal that non-methylated islands (NMIs) of DNA are a central feature of vertebrate gene promoters. Furthermore, NMIs are present at orthologous genes across vast evolutionary distances, revealing a surprising level of conservation in this epigenetic feature. By profiling NMIs in different tissues and developmental stages we uncover a unifying set of features that are central to the function of NMIs in vertebrates. Together these findings demonstrate an ancient logic for NMI usage at gene promoters and reveal an unprecedented level of epigenetic conservation across vertebrate evolution. Bio-CAP was used to identify non-methylated regions of the genome in seven diverse vertebrates (human, mouse, platypus, chicken, lizard, frog and zebrafish) across a number of tissues.
Project description:Cytosine DNA methylation is a heritable epigenetic mark present in most eukaryotic groups. While the patterns and functions of DNA methylation have been extensively studied in mouse and human, their conservation in other vertebrates remain poorly explored. In this study, we interrogated the distribution and function of DNA methylation in primary cells of seven vertebrate species including bio-medical models and key livestock species.